The City of self-conscious excitement
Standard day of subdued sun
I would love to chat with whoever gave the nickname “The City of Subdued Excitement” to Bellingham, Washington. It is very fitting, so A+ for accuracy. Was the poet/focus group behind that proud of their subduedness? I only think of subdued as a good thing when it comes before words like violence, anger, attacker, rebel, pain or uprising, and it's usually in the past tense. "Don't make me subdue you" doesn't sound very threatening for some reason. Boasting of subdued excitement is like being proud of stealing candy from a baby. I don't want my stoke subdued, but I know that subduing unhealthy habits is good.
Maybe the nickname “City of Subdued Excitement” is more like, if you think this is crazy you should see it without any self-conscious subduing. That seems more proud, but also self-conscious in not the best way.
There was a guy on the jet from Seattle to Bellingham wearing a black t-shirt with the Patagonia logo that said Bellingham instead of Patagonia. He also had a matching hat and a Seahawks scarf. What was the subdued/self-conscious ratio behind that choice? Am I the subduing hater? I won’t admit what I was wearing.