Search Results for 'Ba'

[Ken]

I have Hydronic heat with a NG boiler. Brennen did a good and professional job when it was last replaced and updated. It is a low pressure hot water circulation system so any plumber or layman with soldering skills can extend or repair the actual piping and baseboard radiators.

This is not a widely used system but they were knowledgable and appeared factory trained. They have their own electrician to do the electrical connections and it was all done in two days.

http://www.brennanheating.com/about_01.php

I have had no contact with them other than as a customer.

[Ken]

I applaud those who will vote their conscience as well as this who are strategizing. It means your interested in the process and the results.

For too long fans of the constitution took it for granted. We sat back and thought our republic could not be taken away since broadcasters and newspaper reporters like Edward R Murrow and H.L Mencken and Joseph Pulitzer would sound the alarm and alert us to any threat to the republic.

But those days are gone. If we are the save the Republic and the Enlightenment ideals it was based on, we must get involved and actively seek out the information we should be getting instead of polls, pundits with consistent records of being wrong, fashion commentary and body language pop psychology.

We have to read boring policy and parse the meaning of various code phrases designed to reassure various demographics while remaining impenetrable to other. We have to do the work yet again that FDR did in repairing the damage done by the so called “free market”. Oddly enough the same deregulation of banking, securities oversight, and accounting standards have to be re applied for the same reasons as it did in the 30’s. Social security is only in danger if we roll it from an insurance system into a financial instrument.

Fixing the deficit is going to be painful no matter who is elected and the damage done to the economy may be no more avoidable than the mess Hoover left the country in.

But one thing is not in doubt. Fixing the situation will not be done by those with their head in the sand of those marching in lockstep with their chosen authority figure.

[Ken]

I guess I never noticed any “freeze” even though it appears to be a common enough occurrence to be legendary.

I am a large guy with a face that scares children so I assumed anyone who appears shy or evasive feels they have good reason.

As a transplant from NC (by way of a dozen cities on the east coast both north and south), I find Seattle natives to be, by and large, more honest about their feelings, fears and social interactions than many other places.

I have been in the state since 88 so I am still considered a transplant after 20 years.

The myth of southern hospitality is just as pervasive and misunderstood. I would rather cut through the surface friendliness to the core distrust of the stranger than go through that crazy dance of fake politeness, insincere smiles and the Q and A designed to classify you into one of their acceptable compartments of class, religion or politics.

I meet people without expecting them to automatically want to interact with me. Friends happen if your honest, sincere, and willing to help strangers without the calculation of what you will get out of it.

Of course if you want to meet your neighbors, one way is via politics. I go up the walk and knock on the door and ask if everyone in the house is registered to vote. That’s an ice breaker here in West Seattle. Some of you who might live in Highpoint have also found it is not safe to jog by my house, with or with out dog since I ask every pedestrian and even those in slow moving cars if they are registered to vote.

There are still some residents of my precinct who run when I try to talk to them or refuse to answer the door. I consider that any residents prerogative and am not offended by it. :)

If you are interested in meeting your neighbors in the near term, show up at the party caucus location of which ever party you feel closest to, and you will probably meet those who have similar political views (with some wide variations on the Dem side). Apparently you can meet every republican in West Seattle if you attend the single caucus location at SW community center.

For caucus information see the other posts on the political forum of the main page updates.

[DJSonsteng]

These are my opinions and my opinions only. They do not reflect the views of anyone other than myself. I do not intend for any of this to be taken as medical advice.

I think that there is such a huge biased towards Swedish is that it has the most individual hospitals spread around the county. You have First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Issaquah. Rumors have it that they are building at least one more hospital in the general area. Out in the issaquah highlands. They also have the West Seattle Clinic and Swedish childrens physcians, which my son is seen at. Swedish is a good hospital. They have a variety of specialties the only problem is that they are spread out around the city.

I think the key is finding a Primary Care Provider (PCP) that you like. I wouldn’t necessarly worry about what hospital they are connected to. You can go to whatever hospital you want in an emergency. You aren’t going to see your PCP at the er so it doesn’t make a huge difference. Even if you PCP works for the hospital ER you go to it doesn’t mean that they will be able to pull your records out of thin air. Personaly I have had bad experiences at several hospitals around the area. I’m talking off duty I was there for me or one of my family members. They are all good ERs some better than others, but I’m not sure that my opinion on which are better than others should make a difference.

Now I don’t mean this to sound mean or anything of the sort but: In an ideal world only truly Life or Death emergencys would go to the ER. That being said we don’t live in an ideal world. Heres how I look at the local hospitals.

Harborview- I would ONLY go here if I had a severe burn or just chopped off a limb or had a major traumatic injury.

Childrens- They don’t just treat the kid they take care of the whole family. I would try to see my regular peditrician before I went to childrens. But if my 1 year old NEEDS to go to the ER you can bet I’m taking him to childrens.

For me or my wife I would probably go to Swedish Cherry Hill Its a more low key ER. I would probably go to First hill as well, Its busier than cherry hill but still a good choice. I’ve only ever dropped off paitents at the UW but it seems like a good ER from everything that I have seen. In the end it all really depends on what your are going to the ER for. Hopefully none of you have to use my advice to frequently or at all.

Sorry about all the rambeling its 1215am and I just got home from a 14 hour shift. So if I just babbled and it doesn’t really make a complete thought just let me know and I’ll see if I can try again.

D.J.

Just a reminder if you feel that you are having a life threatening emergency please don’t hesitate to call 911.

[afrikando]

Check out the local website ubersquare.com. You can post your project and get bids on the work. I just completed a small bathroom upgrade this way and couldn’t be happier with the result. There are all sorts of jobs posted—not just contractor type stuff. It’s a great resource!

[flipjack]

New Teriyaki and Wok…is pretty dang good. Good portions, the yakisoba is great too. great service.

[JoB]

it’s hard, isn’t it.

I remember Kennedy’s campaign and in spite of his charisma, how difficult that first hurdle of catholicism was to jump… and the difference between the campaign promises and the reality of his presidency. That’s the process, isn’t it.

And now we have two candidates who would each topple further barriers… Obama and Clinton. Obama is charismatic… we want to like like him, We want him to succeed.

I just keep remembering that is why we had 4 more years of Bush, not because America liked what he had done, but because at least half of America liked what he told us he wanted to do. They wanted him to succeed.

Hilary isn’t so charismatic… no matter how much her policy wonks tweak her image. She is centrist, but unlike her husband, she presumably will have a congress that will back her instead of fighting every step of the way. And i think she is pragmatic which helps. She will have to fight to succeed and that can’t be a bad thing.

On the other side, we know that incredible amounts of money and political pressure will be brought to defeat her. And we know she is far more militant than most democrats are comfortable with. she is too militant for me.

Edwards has a great message, but he also has a wife battling breast cancer and a family to raise. Even if they are able to work around those issues, it will create a ton of stress and distraction that will make the job of president more difficult.

Kucinich is every idealistic thinking democrat’s dream… but like most intellectual presidential hopefuls, not likely to get elected in today’s media market.

So what’s an idealist to do?

I can’t forget the women’s movement. Especially these days, my hormones won’t let me. Hilary is one of us.

So, I will vote for her because she is a woman. Now, isnt’ that lame.

But, as a woman, she will have to work harder to succeed. i want my president working very hard for me.

She will have more scrutiny than any other president in our history and i think it is time to restore some accountability to our White House. It’s unlikely that much will slip past that kind of scrutiny.

She understands housekeeping and it is time we had a president who was interested in the details of managing our nation. Someone who knows what it is like to juggle diverse needs and schedules every day… someone who understands that health care and health are essential to productivity… who understands that good nutrition isn’t just a goal but an investment in the future… who knows what it is like to balance egos and outcomes.

ok, so those are campaign promises like everyone else’s.

It’s just that i think we have a better chance of having those promises fulfilled by a woman who grew up having to battle her way to success… and i will bet my vote on it.

[JoB]

This is frightening. Not the he said/he said, but the idea that someone thinks it is necessary to put a house resolution like this together and that our legislators are more likely to pass it because they don’t want to seem unchristian than because they actually read it and agree with it. We are becoming too much a nation that worries about what something will look like instead of one that concerns itself with the actual facts.

This country was settled on economic principles, not religious ones. Religious communities took advantage of the situation to resettle where they would be free of religious persecution. The excesses of some of those religious communities prior to the declaration are what guaranteed the inclusion of religious freedom as one of the basic tenants of our nation.

“One nation under god” does not exist in our constitution… it was not assumed that every man worshiped his god the same way… thus the need for the inclusion of words on religious freedom. It is unlikely that the framers of the constitution were trying to guarantee the freedom of atheists, Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists or even Catholics as they weren’t present in large enough numbers to note. They simply realized that even Protestant Christians did not agree on how to worship their god.

If we are to pass a resolution stating that this nation’s history has been based on religious principles on such little evidence, we might as well pass one that states that we never really intended freedom to encompass women or blacks as they weren’t mentioned in our constitution or our voting history until much later. Now that would rise some hackles.

An educated man/woman is one who reads both sides of an argument and then reads all the references each side used. In any disagreement, by definition both sides are biased. The only way to sort through that bias and decide what you believe is though careful examination of the evidence… not the commentary.

And dismissing an argument simply because of it’s source is equally foolish. Amazingly, intelligent comments are made on both sides every day. In these days of polarization, they are few and far between… but they are still there for those of us who like to sort through the rhetoric in search of the truth.

gosh.. sound just like a schoolteacher, don’t i? I’m not, but I’ll post this anyway.

thanks ken for alerting me to this.

[JoB]

This thread is growing cold, but i would like to remark that beliefs are just that… personal beliefs. Any of us can believe anything we want, whether that belief is in sync with current science or not. However, we are talking about who will sit in the President’s seat and we have just had 8 years of a president who crafted American policy based on nothing more than his personal beliefs. Look where that got us. I care more what my next president will base their policy decisions upon than their personal belief system. Jimmy Carter is both Christian and baptist and i would vote for him again tomorrow because he based his decisions more on science and fact than his religious beliefs.

[Goody]

My freeze was unfrozen by meeting a great group of women who each took a long time to get to know. It was worth it! However, I had a lot of “freezes” and had I not lucked into a great group of friends, it could have been a sad year. Back from a much friendlier and warm place, I landed next to the screaming neighbor from hell-complete with divisive actions straight from a soap opera written by Dante.

It was one foot in heaven/one in hell and I think I was frozen and thawed. I made some really good friends here and ignore the ones I am territorially tied to. There is a certain amount of righteousness that abounds throughout the community. It took awhile for people at my coffee shop to allow me in the inner circle-first few months I heard one woman talking about newcomers as though we were scum. However, I kept showing up and smiling and I met people.

I love W.S., the women at PCC got me through a lot of colds, shopping is good, the Sunday market is great, the views spectacular, the housing stock ok(I was able to buy away from the nutty harridan and will move next month). Friends are all what it is about for me and I bless my lucky stars I made some. I do think it is different here. I work downtown and people there are much less open. I have always made friends easily but was in despair about here initially. So, overall I am thawing my own little space-inch by inch.

[TheVelvetBulldog]

Just did a little experiment: took myself for a walk along Beach Drive past the Emma Schmitz viewpoint and kept track of people who would look at me/say hello/smile, etc. Bear in mind that *I* am the Seattle native here – I looked at everyone and smiled. Of the 12-15 people I passed I got one “hello”, one “sorry” as her dog tried to run me down, one “thanks” as I let someone go by, and a couple of smiles. One from a runner who I was determined to make look at me (I’m sure she thought I was a lunatic.) Otherwise, people looked down or at their dogs as they walked by. I observed a guy across the street from me walking at a very brisk pace past a steep driveway where another guy was backing down his obviously heavy recycle bins. Walking dude didn’t say anything or break stride, just let driveway guy back right into him, and walker kept walkin’, driveway guy was clearly a little baffled and tried to say something to him. Walker kept walkin’. Geez, at least say something so you don’t get run down by recycle bins!! I guess I see why we don’t seem like the most gregarious bunch of folks!! :-)

[JoB]

Ok, i admit i have lived here 3 months now and have yet to make a friend… but i have to be honest, i am generally behind two very active and noisy dogs and have yet to follow up on the couple of overtures that were made before Christmas. Beyond that, i have yet to join anything except a book club… and that with my hubby… i am not making much of an effort yet.

Having just spent the last 4 years in the twin cities, i am tickled to be back in the land of people who will actually talk with me if i initiate conversation and who aren’t too polite to answer a direct question. Freeze ? I haven’t noticed it!

[Wes]

Interesting discussions. I know that from what I observe, most people seem to be waiting for someone to talk to them. I sometimes hand out gospel tracts around west seattle/white center area, and most people are not offended that I have given them one and ask them to read the back. I usually get into conversations with them that always end on a good note. These are complete strangers and yet I love them enough to share with them something I think is eternally important. I don’t follow them or harass them, I just try to be polite and loving.

On the other hand it’s odd that if I am not doing this I am extremely shy and get nervous meeting new people. So I guess I have no problem talking about Jesus but I do when it comes to talking about myself. I think I just did some self therapy here…..thanks for listening all!

[picklemom]

Aim, that is a great talent to have. Bonnie, I’ll report back, too. Thanks!

I’m not going to say “Hi” to every single person I encounter (that would be weird if I’m in downtown Seattle! Hi. Hi. Hi. HiHiHi.), but during walks and similar circumstances.

[Bonnie]

Okay picklemom I say let’s all say ‘hi’ to everybody we see and then we’ll report back here the reactions we get.

[WSB]

Trivia point, the people behind smalltownpapers.com are based here in West Seattle, south of The Junction!

Speaking of old papers, we were just going through some shelves here in the utility room near WSB Nerve Central Desk-By-The-Washer-Dryer, trying to clear space for business-related stuff now that we’re working from home, and I found my stack of newspapers from the Kurt Cobain death and aftermath. Haven’t saved that many clippings about any one news event before or since.

[picklemom]

I just returned from a walk in beautiful Lincoln Park, and though I’ve lived in Seattle for about 20 years, I still find it perplexing when I

get the “Casper treatment.” I’m sure it happens to others, too.

What is the Casper treatment? Well, remember the old “Casper the Friendly Ghost” cartoon? The little ghost just wanted to be friendly, but whenever he said “hi” to someone, they would panic, staggering away and stammering “A g-g-g-GHOST!” Now, when I greet a stranger during my walks, they don’t panic (I’m pretty normal-looking). But, nine times out of 10, I get one of the following Classic Seattle Responses:

1. The Seattle Stare: The recipient of my “hi” gives me a blank stare.

2. The Seattle Shun: The recipient averts his or her eyes.

3. The Seattle Scowl: Self-explanatory.

It would be nice to get more “Seattle Smiles” or, if that’s too much to ask, at least a grunted “Hello” or a half-nod.

So, I’d like to propose that readers of the WSB, cool people that they are, start saying “Hi,”

preferably accompanied by a neighborly smile, when they’re out taking a walk. And if someone greets them, how about greeting them back? Call it what you will: The Casper Campaign, or whatever, but, let’s try it!

[miws]

Thanks Jan!

I’m gonna minimize this window in case I have to pop back in for reference.

Wish me Luck!

*Pinching nose, closing eyes, holding breath and diving in*

Mike

[Bonnie]

Well, after reading some of the responses I guess some of it could be true. I wouldn’t go confront my neighbor if they were having a party (maybe I’d call the cops…but not confront them!). I probably wouldn’t show my true feelings to someone. Also, I can be in an exercise class at the Y and be right next to someone and still they don’t say a word to me and I don’t say a word to them. The Moms in my daughter’s preschool just make small talk but that’s it. Don’t know why, but I don’t think it’s because people are meaning to be RUDE.

As for the people who always compare their home to Seattle and Seattle comes up short…I agree. Go home. (but of course I wouldn’t SAY it to them because I’m too polite. LOL!)

Now, I do have a friend who is from Texas (and other areas) who says that Seattle is the loneliest place to live.

[Jo]

Hopey, I wasn’t talking about you re: the Chicago pizza. Someone else entirely who used to go on and on about it. And I realize people miss what they’re used to. And certainly not every out-of-towner is that way.

But I’ve met people who go on and on about comparing their old home with the PNW. To one person, I suggested riding the Bainbridge ferry on a clear day for an incredible view of expansive water, two mountain ranges, Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, etc. etc. And their response was, “I’ve been on the Staten Island ferryback home in New York City, and no ferry’s better than that.” And I WANTED to say, “Then maybe you should go back and ride your friggin’ ferry.” I didn’t. But I sure wanted to.

I know the winter gray skies even drive us natives wild by late January/February and we need to get away to the sun somewhere. I also realize that all the large green trees and forested areas give alot of mid-westerners or ex-desert dwellers claustrophobia. They can feel ‘closed in.’ When a friend visiting from Kansas told me that, I was surprised, since this is all I know. I shared that desert areas, even some areas of Eastern WA, make me very homesick for my forests and mountains and water and green, green, green.

[CMP]

I think a majority of Seattle residents put on the freeze. Sometimes I’m guilty (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to confront my upstairs neighbor at 2:00 am for being loud…or even go up there during the day to calmly talk about it), but I won’t b/c I’m afraid of the reaction I’ll get. I went running on Christmas morning and encountered at least 15 people and only two acknowledged my “Merry Christmas” or “good morning”. I’ve stood at the bar at Matador and Peso’s for 20 minutes waiting for friends to show up and not a single person approached me to talk. And no, I’m not an unattractive or mean looking person. My sister and I joke that if anyone approaches us while out and about, they must not be from here. And we’re usually right. I think our brother is the exception but he traveled solo for a year around the world so he can talk to anyone after that experience. Make eye contact and smile a bit…makes a world of difference!

[hopey]

Just to be clear, and I know Joe wasn’t necessarily talking directly to or about me, but I’m not at all unhappy here. (Although my fiance thinks I’m NUTS for actually missing the Chicago winters!) In fact, West Seattle is everything I thought living in Seattle would be, and I’m so glad I finally found it!

I understand the attitude of “go back where you came from” — I was the same way about those who couldn’t handle the Chicago winters. (My fiance, who is from Oregon, regularly gets called a “wimp” when he complains about being cold!) But it also doesn’t mean every out-of-towner is automatically that way. Besides, I know where to get my true Chicago style pizza: mail order! ;)

It could very well be that the climate in Seattle, especially the winters, drives away folks who can’t handle a few months of darkness and relative solitude. It could also be the wide open spaces which are so close, making it easy to go off into the woods or mountains by yourself or with a few dear friends, which creates the “boundary” issue. When you live in a large city where after driving for an hour you’re not in the foothills of mountains, you’re just barely out of the city and into the beginnings of suburbia… that makes for a very different sense of “personal space”, I would think.

I would be happy to join in a coffee klatch sometime, but honestly I would prefer a night or weekend when there *wasn’t* live music, so we could sit and talk and be able to hear each other. I promise to bring a board game as an icebreaker.

[hopey]

Another vet recommendation: I am continually impressed with Dr. Cary Waterhouse at VCA West Seattle on California. He is really on the ball, and if he doesn’t know something off the top of his head, he does the appropriate research & gets second opinions. We have two standard-sized Labradoodles. While not as large as Newfies, they are decent sized dogs and Dr. Waterhouse has been great with them.

I’ve taken my girls to Canine Casa next to Endolyne Joe’s in Fauntleroy (before I began learning to do the grooming myself), and they did a great job, but they do seem to focus on smaller dogs.

[JanS]

I was just looking at a website that features vintage newspapers from all over the country. The WS Herald had some things on it…from back in the 60’s, etc. Interesting to read the ads, the editorials from then…and to see what was going on in the ‘hood….

[joeenofsthusaolcom]

If I see people on the street downtown, pouring over one of those colorful walking maps, I almost always ask if there’s something I can help them with. Some place I can direct them to.

I’m wondering if the ‘Seattle Freeze’ came about because so many transplants complain about everything once they get here: the weather, the ‘coldness’ of people, the hills, the way we drive, our government, not any good Chicago pizza, New York-type deli’s, kosher food restaurants, etc. As if the Seattle area is the only place with these problems/conditions.

I certainly do know we’re not perfect, but frankly, I have very little patience anymore for the constant criticisms from some (not all). I’ve, a few times, asked why they just don’t go back to where they came from if they’re so miserable here.

There you go. I guess that might be an example of the ‘Seattle Freeze.’