Just a few random thoughts, non-expert opinions and observations from yours truly about Tacoma, having worked here now for about a year:

– A Room With A View: Okay, actually it’s an office with a view. My 12th floor office here in the Washington Building provides me with a spectacular view of the water and Mount Rainier looming over the city – weather permitting, of course. I’ve always thought this would be an interesting vantage point from which to watch Mount Rainier erupt – not that I want that to happen. With my luck, it would be cloudy.

– Crosswalk Lollygaggers: Keeping in mind that “Crosswalk Lollygaggers” would make an excellent name for a rock band, I can’t stand it when people take their sweet time – and thus my time – passing through a crosswalk when I’m waiting in my car to make a turn. I’m not suggesting people sprint through crosswalks, but the glacial pace at which some of Tacoma’s downtown denizens meander through crosswalks is frustrating.

– Parking Problems: Speaking of frustrating, that pretty much describes trying to find parking in downtown Tacoma, especially with all of the construction that seems to be constantly going on the city. Trying to find a decent parking space in certain areas of Tacoma makes me sweat like Bill Clinton hooked up to a lie detector. Actually, I find it easier to walk to many places in downtown Tacoma – plus it’s good exercise…at least that’s what I tell myself.

– Glass House. I’m not an artsy type of guy, in that I think that a lot of art – particularly abstract art – is just a big intellectual put-on (think European fashion shows where models sport clothes no sane person would actually wear in real life). Still, I found the recently-opened Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art to be kinda – for lack of a better, more pretentious word – neat. As for the recent dispute between the museum and the city over the $500,000 owed to glass artist Dale Chihuly, well, you know what they say about people who live in glass houses, or museums, as the case may be.

– Hooray For Hilltop. I’m impressed with the revitalization of Tacoma’s Hilltop area. When I was a kid, Hilltop was regarded as a local war zone of sorts, to be avoided at all costs. Kudos to all those responsible for helping turn it into a much-improved neighborhood.

“My Two Cents” is a weekly column where the author gets in his two cents worth, in spite of the well-known saying that you only get a penny for your thoughts.