Search Results for 'HB'

[TheVelvetBulldog]

Erik – what does your lab look like? I’ll say Hi the next time I see you walking in the neighborhood. (I have to assume from your post that YOU’RE terrifying.) :-)

[hopey]

Here’s my experience as a transplanted Chicagoan…

The Seattle Freeze is real. After some discussion with a friend who relocated here from Iowa, we have decided that a lot of it actually results from an overwhelming fear of offending *somebody* by saying *something* wrong. Let me give you a really specific example.

I am nearly 40 years old and recently had braces put on my teeth. Not a single coworker in my office said ONE WORD when I walked into work the first day I wore braces. No one acknowledged there was *anything* different about me that day, outside of the surreptitious looks and a bit of a startle response the first time I opened my mouth to speak. It was my boss’s boss (who is from the Midwest) who casually remarked, “Oh hey! You got braces! How long will you have them on?” and chatted with me in a friendly way about it. I think the rest of my coworkers were worried that if they acknowledged I had changed anything, I would somehow be offended. Better to not say anything at all.

This is very different from the Midwest idea, which is that by commenting on changes in appearance, you are showing that you notice — and therefore, you *care*. It is an expression of interest and caring, not an insult or intrusion into an intensely private matter.

Extrapolate this into the way neighbors and people on the street interact, and you get a “friendliness” which exists on the surface but never delves any deeper. I know it’s not just me, because when I discuss this theory with other transplanted Midwesterners, they agree that I am spot-on. If it were not for my fiance and his circle of friends, I’m convinced I wouldn’t have made a single friend here in Seattle.

[Erik]

As a native WSer and scandihoovien my family was the epitome of aloofness. I’ve always been kind of the weirdo (comments from the peanut gallery are accepted) in the family as I will go up to total strangers and say what’s on my mind. This used to bother my late wife to no end when she was with me. I will admit that a massive shy streak comes over me when I see an attractive lady.

I’m amazed daily when I ride the bus that the seat next to me is almost always empty even if people are standing. The people I work with laugh when I tell them this because they know me as a goofball and not a scary person. I’m just direct in my approach.

If it wasn’t for my lab and our daily walks around the point I’d probably never meet any of my neighbors.

[swimcat]

I think people in Seattle do tend to keep a distance from anyone they don’t know well. I don’t know how many people I’ve come across while running through my neighborhood that won’t even look me in the eye when I go past! I’m certainly not scary looking; a younger, fit female in workout clothes, ready with a smile and wave and an out of breath ‘hello’ if I get any sort of look my way. And I’d say 50% of the time the people I pass don’t acknowledge me at all. I don’t think we have that large of a blind, deaf, mute population do we? Or are people just so shy they can’t even smile at a fellow neighbor? I’m extremely shy but make an effort to project warmth and approacability because if no one does, everyone will think this city is unfriendly.

[credmond]

I lived here in the ’70s before Seattle was ever thought to be cool by anyone outside Puget Sound. I moved back here in ’03 and knew, literally, two people in the entire Northwest. During the four years me, my wife, and son have lived here, we’ve developed a whole new set of friends, many of which are neighbors, many others who live in other neighborhoods. We didn’t experience any “freeze” and I have found Seattleites to be generally as open and forthcoming (on street, random, bus-stop, etc. meetings) as any “friendly” place I’ve visited or lived. There is, though, an undercurrent of Nordic “rightness” to a lot of the city’s sociality, perhaps newcomers are experience that and interpreting it as a “cold shoulder” or “freeze.” Me, I love this place and it’s denizens – human and other.

[credmond]

I’m in awe of lattemom’s ability to command authority and act. Irrespective of one’s opinion of the merit of the phone call, lattemom showed that active, involved, citizens can and do get the attention of the city. That’s a really good thing and a really good thing to know. Take heed, call in if something seems not right. I do. I’m also of the “heard more bad stuff than that before” so usually that kind of foul language goes in and out the same ear. Agree that the guy in question seemed to be having some severe electrical storms inside his head. That’s both sad and worrisome on so many levels. And, I’m a real fan of Ken’s standard of ethics. Reminds me of that French standard – Liberté, Fraternité, Egality. Anyway, a really rousing discourse. Also, in lattemom’s defense, the south end of West Seattle can be and is somewhat of a freezone. This was a bit too “wild west” for a family neighborhood.

[Ken]

I am in my 50’s and raised next to an army base. My neighbor was a former drill instructor so I heard a virtuoso in the field at a young age. The Lt Colonel on the other side did a fair job himself when the situation arose.

Perhaps it made me a bit more tolerant.

I didn’t seem to effect me or the several thousand kids he was a scoutmaster of.

The language has changed and continues to change. The current iteration contains dozens of words that were deadly insults and venal sins in ages past.

However François Rabelais is still funny after 500 years.

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20040413-000003.html

Today someone destroyed a mans career and bragged about it on this forum.

Obscenity is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

[Ken]

I am hoping that anyone who wants their voice heard will understand the situation in the short term.

The primary is only important if you are a republican.

The Caucus on Saturday Feb. 9th at 1 pm is the only place presidential nominee delegates will be chosen this year.

I checked my ballot on the primary page at king county elections and there are NO ballot measures, annexation votes or fire of school district measures on it.

https://www.metrokc.gov/elections/pollingplace/voterlookup.aspx

I am thinking of choosing the worst possible candidate and voting in the Republican primary since they will be choosing half the Republican delegates via the primary.

Last time the primary was cancelled due to neither party choosing delegates from its results with a savings of several million taxpayer dollars.

If you want to “get out among the people” this year, you should join your neighbors at the caucus on Feb 9th and let your voice be heard.

Also note anyone who wants to make their local party, be it Republican or Democrat, either more progressive or more conservative, has very nearly only one path to do so. Join the local district organization and become a voting member.

If you’re a Democrat or even a green or socialist leaning independent, your only chance to tilt district policy in the direction you want is to join and speak up.

http://www.34dems.org/members-join.htm

If you are a Republican then use google to look for your contact and caucus info. I think the WA Republican party has purged most of the moderates but a few are still hanging on here in Seattle. If you identify yourself as a moderate Republican, please join your party and help save them from the crazies.

Note: the 34th district includes all of West Seattle, Vashon Island and parts of Burien

Caucus info is updated regularly here:

http://www.34dems.org/news_caucus.htm

[Anonymous]

I would suggest going to the School fair at SSC, as well as making a persoal visit to the schools you are interested in and maybe take your children there. When it was time to enroll our daughter in kindergarten I just called the school spoke with the principals and made some visits with my daughter with me. Sine she was the one that would be attending one of these schools it was important that she feel comfortable and familiar with the school. We were able to observe afew different classrooms at different school, meet the principal, office staff and the teachers. It made going to school on that first day less nerve racking for our child.

Right now I believe we still have reference schools, meaning you have priority to our neighborhood, but going out of your reference area you might not always find room for your children. Our daughters class at Roxhill has just 18 students and I hear from a friend who’s child attend LaFayette there are 30 kids in her sons class!!

[steve]

We have 2 children, one currently a 1st grader and one a pre-schooler. Currently, they go to school in another neighborhood due to work and childcare but we are looking into moving them to a public school in W Seattle in the 2009-2010 school year. We are interested in both Sanislo and Gatewood at this point, but am open to other suggestions. Does anyone have any info about these two schools or others?

[Erik]

That gave me a flashback to last June on the beach in Jamaica. A middle aged bloke on his first day of holiday plops down on a chaise lounge not far from me and lathers up his whole body with SPF 1000 sunscreen to protect his very white english skin. Fortunately I left the next morning so I didn’t have to see if it worked.

[TheVelvetBulldog]

Hi Anne: Don’t know offhand of a comprehensive list, but here are a number of WS groups I’ve either been personally involved with or know enough about to know that they’d be great to get involved with: West Seattle Food Bank; West Seattle Garden Tour; Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association; The Nature Conservancy; West Seattle Help Line; Schmitz Park Cleanup Committee; The Power of HOPE; Alki/Admiral/SW Neighborhood Associations. And that’s just off the top of my head, I know there are a lot more out there!

[Anonymous]

Hi WSMOM!!!

I try so hard to help our daughter have different experiences, she is an only child and there are no children in our neighborhood which makes it worse!!! We have always been open to having her friends over to the house, that is if she can find some friends and maybe someday have a sleepover at our house. Our daughter luckily is very outgoing and very friendly and does not seem to have a hard time making friends at school it is just after school everyone disappears and she has us and her cat as playmates. Rarely are other parents at the school so I can’t even get to know the other parents!

I have always had her in at least 1 activity twice a week to be around other kids.

I will give the Girl Scout idea a try and see what they say and if there is room for her to join.

I have since written the school principal and also asked her to give my suggestion to the schools PTA so we wil see if anything comes of this!

[WSB]

Marco – I know which protest you are referring to since you were kind enough to send a photo. West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice actually do that every single Sunday at noon – and have been doing so for years. They call it a “vigil” rather than a “protest.”

http://groups.snowcoalition.org/westseattle/

[Ken]

You think I despise charlatans and hypocrites because I have never been exposed to the “gospel”? I am from North Carolina. I have seen it close up and know a few of the children of major fundies. I have been a cast member in a traveling evangelical show. I have lived in Christian fundamentalist communes and compounds.

I have no problem with the gospel, my issue is with those who read it, and ignore the words of Jesus to concentrate on those parts of the old testament which reinforce their own prejudices, and justify their hatred and averice.

Throuout history there have been those who use religion for personal gain, political power or as a cover for their mental health issues. There have also been good and decent people who derive great comfort and strength from their belief.

It is when the former use the latter for personal gain that I get upset.

I see above a sweetened up standarization of Calvinism with the parts that scare people glossed over or removed. Lets look at the thing in a bit brighter light.

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“The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man. But compare with these the demoralizing dogmas of Calvin.

1. That there are three Gods.

2. That good works, or the love of our neighbor, is nothing.

3. That faith is every thing, and the more incomprehensible the proposition, the more merit the faith.

4. That reason in religion is of unlawful use.

5. That God, from the beginning, elected certain individuals to be saved, and certain others to be damned; and that no crimes of the former can damn them; no virtues of the latter save.”

— Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Waterhouse, Jun. 26, 1822

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And in response to Dave Barry, lets try Garrison Keillor

You might not have always liked Republicans, but you could count on them to manage the bank. They might be lousy tippers, act snooty, talk through their noses, wear spats and splash mud on you as they race their Pierce-Arrows through the village, but you knew they could do the math. To see them produce a ninny and then follow him loyally into the swamp for five years is disconcerting, like seeing the Rolling Stones take up lite jazz. […]

It is painful to look at your father and realize the old man should not be allowed to manage his own money anymore. This is the discovery the country has made about the party in power. They are inept. The checkbook needs to be taken away. They will rant, they will screech, they will wave their canes at you and call you all sorts of names, but you have to do what you have to do.

— Garrison Keillor 06/06

[Wes]

Kayleigh, (I really like that name by the way) what date does science give about the age of the Earth today anyways? I think it just got bumped up last month to almost 1 billion. It seems that both have no clue how old the earth is.

Good stuff Ken, but as always I have to take this with a grain of salt, considering daily kos does have it’s own biases about how they think things should be too. But I would agree, what does our military have to do with evangelism?

Also the other article by the kos points out particulars about this very weird house resolution, and says, “It’s a lie.” Ok, show how this is a lie. In all fairness for me to find something you have written and then write in response, “It’s a lie.” would not be just. If it’s true let’s see it. Just because they say it doesn’t make it true, and that goes the same with those pushing for the bill. It still doesn’t seem like theocracy, which I would again assert has nothing to do with the New Testament or Jesus in any way.

As far as Rushdooney’s quote, and I have no idea who he is, what was the context for that statement?

Gary North’s comments are not at all correct biblically and is quite laughable.

It’s interesting that what I was taught about those that were coming to America to settle, were those that were being oppressed by religion in their countries. They wanted to worship freely.

Jan, would it be fair to say that every canidate, despite what they say, will make decisions based of their own presuppositions and beliefs that will affect us daily?

In the end I am still undecided, just like last time.

Good times neighbors!

[Wes]

In reference to the Rolling Stones article, I wonder how one might feel if a report was done that we shouldn’t vote for Hillary becasue she is a woman, or Obama because he is african american? But this article has taken the task to make judgement calls and some pretty harsh words to go along with it against Huckabee and that he is a christian. Should not the criteria for our president be one who has a good political track record and seems to have the most reasonable policies and not what they believe or what gender and color?

Andrea, what part of his right-wingedness do feel goes over your rational mind?

And Jan what does it take to lead this country that those two do not posess?

I am not trying to be snarky just wondering what my neighbors think.

[JayDee]

While there is always that “dead zone” between the top of the hill and the bottom (right around “Alki Mail and Dispatch”), I have found Verizon to have the best customer service, and the best coverage in general. From my understanding Clearwire is only an Internet provider of slower-than-DSL speeds (Clearwire is a tad coy about actual upload speeds…)

I do not know about your area–I’d quiz your neighbors if you are looking into it. There was/is an odd dead spot in Verizon coverage in the Alaska Junction if you hang there.

While this sounds lukewarm, I’ve gotten better customer service from Verizon wireless than any comparable utility.

[GenHillOne]

I can’t think of any WS tie, except perhaps our new neighbor from the Gates Foundation, but if you haven’t seen his video from the Consumer Electronics Show, you must check out Bill. I won’t try to link to You Tube, but go to kiro710.com and choose Bill Gates “click here” then “see the video” – SO funny. I have new respect for Bill, his self-deprecating sense of humor, and his rolodex!

[cburns]

I think there was a previous thread about stylists in WS but that may have gone dormant. I’ve been heading downtown for haircuts for ages, but thinking about switching to a neighborhood salon. Nothing fancy (i.e. color, perm, etc), just in the market for relatively straight-forward, slightly stylish hair cutting. Curious what recommendations others may have. Thanks.

[Ken]

Kinsley: a joke quote from Wikipedia:

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On July 12, 2006 Kinsley underwent a form of surgery known as deep brain stimulation, to treat his Parkinson’s Disease. Initial reports suggest that the operation was a success. According to a joke reference in Time Magazine, Kinsley’s first words out of the operating room were, “Well, of course, when you cut taxes, government revenues go up. Why couldn’t I see that before?”[2

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So I wonder if he will show up at the caucus in his precinct?

[JanS]

Kayleigh…I had a neighbor move out recently and she left me quite a few things, one of which is a nice hard plastic bottle that has lines…where to fill with vinegar, where to fill with oil…and then you can add your mustard, salt, pepper, whatever…it has a stopper, and is really handy. Not sure where it came from, but has recipes for Dijon Vinaigrette, Italian Vinaigrette, French Herb Vinaigrette,and Balsamic Vinaigrette on the bottle. You use olive oil, so it will harden in the fridge..you just nuke it for 30 second or so with the lid off, and it’s good to go. And NO HFCS :)

[JanS]

good article…thanks for sharing…glad he’s here :)

[WSB]

The other half of the team, who is up and reading the NY Times on Sundays hours before we creak to life, notes that Michael Kinsley (moving to WS or perhaps already here, as we reported last month:

https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=4809 )

has an item in today’s NYT about the presidential candidates and “change”:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/opinion/06kinsley.html

[WSMom]

My neighbor sent me this link to a Canadian news magazine giving a fascinating account of one Iowa caucus.

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20080104_174325_2448