On a somewhat related issue: I’m a little concerned about this coming winter as well. The power goes out in my neighborhood with every storm. My house is 100% electric, and I can’t afford a generator. Any ideas on heating and cooking when the power goes – as it undoubtedly will? Kerosene heaters are advertised as indoor or outdoor, but that doesn’t seem accurate or safe to me…
Full tilt…for those of us without a car, it makes it a bit more difficult to deliver in person when there’s no local drop box. I avoid downtown like the plague.
If you mail early enough, there’s a website (which escapes me right now) where you can check the status of your ballot…if it’s been received, if it’s been counted, etc. Maybe c@tlbob will come up with the link to it. I happen to know that he has first hand knowledge of those kinds of things :)
The case for Obama?- pretty simple really- he’s not a washed up, flip-flopping, trophy-wifing,bought and paid for wingnut septugenarian, which is what our other choice was.
He’s done many good things in spite of the mess handed to him and I think he would have done more in not for the Rescumlicans treasonous obstructionism. I’m hoping we surprise the conventional wisdom types again and retain the majority after this election and he has a chance to introduce more of his own agenda instead of just cleaning up the trail of slime left by Cheney/Bush and their flying monkeys.
Requiring postage on all-mail balloting is the equivalent of a poll tax (though small). They had some wiggle room when they had convenient drop boxes throughout the city. Not any more.
Discuss!
I think it was a BMW or a FVR?
Anyway, first let me apologize for losing my temper for a moment there. I was close-passed one too many times today and you were unfortunately the last one to do so.
Regarding our discussion about sharing the lane…I know you are on a motorcycle which has a narrower profile than a car. However, on the narrow street, 36th, which passes by Alki lumber, the Y and the body shop, it’s generally not a good idea to pass anyone, even a cyclist when there is oncoming traffic.
Maybe what you didn’t realize is that I was moving left as you approached to avoid the large truck (Ford F350 or Dodge Ram or something else huge) that was parked partially into the street. I had to slow down to yield to your pass, while the oncoming van passed in the other direction, to avoid both you and the truck. You failed to yield to my right of way as the overtaken vehicle. Note that you would have still beat me to the stop sign and it only took what, 1 second for the van to pass? You wouldn’t have even had to put a foot down, just eased up on the gas a bit.
As for your comment about “share the road” that’s exactly what that means. Share the road; respect other’s rights to be in it and use it, yielding to other vehicles who have the right of way. It does not mean “share the lane at the same time no matter what the circumstances may be.” When you passed me on Fauntleroy, that was fine. It’s a nice wide street, there were no barriers, there are Sharrows indicating that it is a shared roadway (although sometimes a cyclist may choose to take the lane if they feel circumstances require it) and you passed wide.
Now you rode off shaking your head, likely thinking to yourself, “crazy cyclist!” No, I’m not crazy, I just would like to remain in one piece thank you. You seemed like a nice guy, hope you had a good ride home.
Couple more ideas:
The attic and the exterior walls behind your plaster/drywalls probably are most important if they have never been insulated.
Cellulose can be purchased in huge bags from Home Depot, probably other places, and they also rent blowers to shoot the insulation into the walls. You drill a hole about the size of a quarter basically every 16″ or so near the ceiling (we’re talking exterior walls as priority here) to fill up each channel with the cellulose. Then you’ll have to patch the holes and paint them. Maybe you could get the LL to split the costs. Heck, maybe they’ll pay for all of it if you ask?
The attic is hugely important to have insulated. If there is absolutely nothing up there, that’s where I’d put my money, rental or not. Also, what I’ve done in similar houses is invest in heavy curtain panels. Save more money by sewing them yourself. It’s simple.
If you’ve got blinds on the windows, that’ll help a wee bit no doubt, but adding the plastic sheeting is smart. Maybe invest in blinds or *heavy* curtains for the biggest windows, especially those with north or east exposures where the sun exposure is minimal.
I’m not a weatherization expert by any means, but I think you might want to pop up and have a peek at the attic and maybe start there. And sealing off unused rooms by closing doors and closing heat vents is a great idea too.
And, I always wear sweaters and have a pot of hot tea in the evening. Doesn’t warm up the space, but it helps keep me warm.
Good luck.
Another quick, cheap do-it-yourself idea along the lines of caulking around windows and doors. I have a 70-yr old house and I’m hoping this improves heat retention this winter here:
spray foam (one product is “Gap”) can be bought in cans for about $3.50, give or take $.50 or so. Spray very carefully and definitely use disposable gloves. It is impossible to remove once dried. Trust me on this. Just use gloves!
Put very small beads of foam into any and all gaps in exposed basement wall boards and or sheathing. The cans come with application tubes which attach to aerosol spray holes, so expanding foam fills the gaps from narrow to large diameters. Different cans can be purchased for small gaps size or large gaps size. Note what size gap on the can so you are buying what you need just so you don’t over fill the holes and waste money.
A little bit of this foam goes a long, long way. I spent many hours doing this on the inside of all my basement exterior walls and the gaps between the kneewall foundation and boards, before I installed upgraded insulation batts and drywalled/plastered.
I also used the foam around gaps in pipes up to the kitchen and bathroom – which is a fire-safety issue more than insulation – but as long as I had exposed walls, I took advantage of it. There are spray foam products specifically for that.
I am just guesstimating, but I think I went through about 5-8 cans to cover about 750 sq. ft. of basement, plus I did my garage as well. Tedious, but incredibly cost-effective to create an airtight thermal space behind the insulation batts and drywall. Also, the same foam can be applied around baseboards, but takes a deft hand and must be carefully applied, as it is a real mess if over done.
Also, inexpensive foam templates or cutouts are available which can be inserted behind electrical outlet cover plates. I would suggest using these especially on outlets located on exterior walls at a minimum. I wouldn’t use spray foam on that personally.
Here’s to a cozy winter!
Revolution Green Power. They are the BEST!!
http://www.revolutiongreenpower.com/
And for insulation needs I recommend HHL Insulation.
206.510.8800. They are in West Seattle and love keeping West Seattle warm. They can go over all your options and also let you know if you qualify for any PSE rebates. Currently they are giving up to $200 for each part of the house. And they are instant..so HHL takes it right off the bill. Pretty sweet. I dunno how long they will have these rebates..so get it while you can.
winterhawk, I also read those horrible reviews, made me very nervous, mostly about customer service; so I called their customer service line at least 10 times to test what it was really like; like I said before, they’re in Nicaragua, so sometimes I could barely hear, and would call back again for better connection; and sometimes the accent was so heavy, I could not understand, so I would call back to get someone with better English; but all the reps were wonderful, so far; I will update later
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I am one of those insanely conservative buyers who investigate/research everything thoroughly, to death; even makes me crazy, but the payoff, I usually find awesome deals (ask me about computer I bought last year for $127, including tax)
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I was also nervous about reception; it’s perfect
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I was nervous about the cheap phone; it’s fine, MUCH better than what I had with Verizon
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and the cost, they only add tax, so my PayLo plan is $20 for 400mins, plus tax, no fees; so it’s $21.90; the phone was $20 plus tax at Radio Shack, $21.90; so in first month I’ve already saved; at Verizon my $39 plan for 450 mins (which I never used all or even close) with tax and fees was always close to $50/mo; and horrible reception
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I figured the worst that could happen, since VM is no contract/prepaid, is change again if it doesn’t work out; so far, VERY happy; and I will change to what JanS has as soon as I have cash to buy $150 phone
Just got the newsletter from Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and Events (a new WSB sponsor BTW) and noted the official word on their website about the annual free Thanksgiving dinner. A West Seattle tradition. Adding to the Events calendar but also mentioning here:
http://www.tuxedosandtennisshoes.com/catering-team/current.php#thanksgiving
comcast is our provider at work and we had issues all day yesterday.
re:Qwest DSL- they told us they couldn’t provide DSL service at our house which seems ridiculous; it’s Seattle after all. we make do with Clearwire at home.
jo: today, i heard that the idiot from mt. vernon claimed that your local chamber of commerce was the same as the u.s. chamber of commerce. wtf?? do i laugh or cry?
he then implored his listeners to contribute to the u.s. chamber of commerce forthwith, because they are you.
speaking of “they are you,” i heard the twit from delaware claim that the u.s. was fighting the u.s.s.r. in afghanistan in the 1980’s – despite the fact that that particular covert war has never been u.s. foreign policy and no one in the u.s. government has ever admitted giving aid to pakistan to fund the mujahadeen – who actually were fighting the russians, and who then turned their ire, stolen stinger missiles, and u.s. taxpayer dollars against the u.s. in the late ’90’s.
dawsonct: spot on.
i wonder if any of them will ever acknowledge that the central district really is a part of the u.s., despite its proximity to broadmoor and madrona.
edit: here on the wes’ side, we all rub elbows, no matter your income or political stripe. i blame the bridge commute.
Something to consider- What is the government’s purpose? To have a monopoly over certain markets? NO. For me, all of the negative effects of not having the government control the liquor market are just scare tactics, because they shouldn’t be in the business in the first place. We accept it because we are used to it so it doesn’t seem silly, but what if the government decided to take over another market. Guns? They can be dangerous, how about only government stores can sell them. Cigarettes- man, they can KILL you and most places can sell them. If we were used to a society where liquor could be sold anywhere, I think most of us would think the government taking over liquor sales would be just as ridiculous.
If the government is worried about minors having more access to buy and all the other scare tactics being put out on television, they are welcome to step up their enforcement of laws, which is their business.
If it keeps escalating I would think about getting a restraining order and a security camera.
Sorry DP, I gotta call BS and Photoshop on this story. Would you hold a case or more of wine above your head?
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I suspect the photo was of pirates surrendering and someone pasted the photos of the supposed wine boxes into the photo.
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That being said, I will say I plan to vote No on both liquor initiatives. Why? Both are self-serving perversions of the public initiative process. Yes, I’d like better choice, and lower prices at the liquor store. I love visiting Bev’ Mo’ in California, but I don’t want 1000’s of outlets selling booze. The state liquor stores offer limited selection, moderate pricing, and somewhat less than stellar customer service (due to the monopoly, no doubt). Costco’s proposal is the least worst one, the other one is a horror–let the middlemen control things? I prefer state control and limited outlets to poorly crafted measures meant to further specific private interests.
JoB, I still think you’re barking up the wrong tree if you’re looking for accuracy. These are the same people who sold us cigarettes!
lizru..
i am not asking for impartiality in TV ads…
but even minimal accuracy would be greatly appreciated.
OK folks, please. Do not count on TV ads for impartial election information. Really the wrong place to get information.
What’s your favorite place for accurate, unbiased information for making decisions in a democracy? In particular local decisions?
so I started this thread, wow, it’s been 7 mos ago already; very helpful info from everyone; I was still a bit stumped and sat on it for awhile; then learned from JanS about Virgin Mobile in another thread about cell phones/plans; I was very excited about the VM unlimited $25, but alas, no budget for the good phone that goes with that plan; then digging deeper on the VM site, learned about the prepaid PayLo plan ($20 for 400mins) with super cheap phones ($20); I’ve been with Verizon for 10 yrs and VERY unhappy with reception, cost, and service; and very nervous about quality of switching to super cheap VM PayLo; so far it’s been fantastic, same Sprint network as Credo; perfect reception everywhere that I’ve tried so far, but it’s only been a couple weeks; most important is it works in my home; with Verizon, more than half my calls would drop or horrible reception; and I’m on top of Admiral hill; the prepaid thing is new for me, so that was biggest adjustment, along with learning how to use a new phone with very limited features, and very limited customer service; the cs folks are very nice, sometimes hard to hear or understand (they’re in Nicaragua) and only have live help from 5am to 9pm; but my biggest concern, the reception, has been no problem at all; huge relief for me to have phone/service that works well, at less than half of what Verizon charged me
carson…
contrary to what seems to be current popular opinion… winning isn’t everything.
there was a time when Americans demanded that even their sports teams play fair.
Well, in the five minutes since I b*tched @13, it’s picked up.
But.
It has been doing this in cycles for *days*. And I couldn’t get to email/login page or even to the speed test thingy…such a p*sser when people pay so much. I mean really, *what* is their excuse?
Grumbling and spitting with frustration.
Grrrr.
We use bento boxes for lunches. It is a real hit with the toddler in my home. We use these cool egg molds to mold hard boiled eggs into shapes. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=egg+molds&x=12&y=22
There are also great books on bento lunches for kids. The Diaso stores have lots of cool shape cutters, paper trays, picks and separaters for the boxes with fun characters or designs on them. Uwajimaya has some stuff too.
Here Here Jiggers. I agree with everything you said. My outdoor ferals coexist with the raccoons and possums.
I am sorry the lady lost her cat and that any human gets attack by a bear, especially the one that was protecting her cubs. Now the cubs are god knows where. Wouldn’t you human moms go to any lengths to protect your kids?
Interesting thing, feral cats tend to better with coyotes around than, friendly cats. I have noticed that in my rescue.
I have used Credo mobile, and now Virgin Mobile. Both use the Sprint Network. Credo was great, just didn’t like their selection of phones, frankly.Always seemed to be refurbished phones, and no smartphones unless you want a Blackberry. Or offered last years models. The Sprint coverage was terrific. The only place I really had a problem was north of Admiral District, around 44th-45th, just north of College St. and on the top of the hill over Me-Kwa-Mooks Park on Genessee Hill – 55th and Genessee, and along Hillside Ave, where it cuts back from 55th and Genessee…I always got dropped calls there. Other than that, I have never, ever had a problem with weak signals or dropped calls. Not ever.
Map your address here:
http://coverage.sprintpcs.com/IMPACT.jsp?covType=sprint&id9=vanity:coverage
Dr Moxie..
rhetoric driven solutions are seldom cost effective…
this one is no exception
