Please forgive me, gentle reader, for this brief digression. I have been struck by the number of homeless people I see on the streets of Seattle. I see them at all times of day---not just early and late but during business hours as well. The homeless here come in all shapes and sizes. Some sit or stand in groups and engage in lively discussions with their homeless friends. Some are in wheelchairs and walkers. And some shout to no one at all.
I have visited Seattle occasionally since my youth. I've always noticed homeless people here---the term Skid Row was coined here. But in those days Seattle was a slightly tired port city. Today, the horizon is circled by the logos of companies we deal with every day.
I am shocked by the magnitude of the homeless population here. But the homeless are not confined to Seattle. I see homeless people regularly on my daily commute. I see them in my neighborhood, sitting in front of the supermarket, waiting for time to pass.
My heart aches because I know there is nothing that I cannot wipe away the problems of these people. Homeless is a hard problem. People become homeless for many different reasons and no single approach will help everyone. But I do believe that we as a nation can help these people. So the only way I know to help these people is to ask everyone I know, including you the gentle reader, to not forget the homeless. So long as we observe and remember, we open ourselves to opportunities to help.
Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)
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