Search Results for 'ge'

[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!

[CMP]

Jan, I might be hitting Hotwire to drop off a Valentine for any guy brave enough to sign up for that. Maybe I will get a home-cooked meal out of it in time for Valentine’s Day :)

[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.

[flipjack]

JanS….Thanks for writing, because I re-read my post now and the point of the whole thing is….

DOES ANYONE WANT THEM????? I would like to make a little money, but more just want them gone… They are fun to read…I just don’t have hours to engulf myself in them anymore.

—-I think I’ll go change my top post now—

oops I guess I can’t.

[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….

[flipjack]

I have a stack of vintage Seattle newspapers documenting many historical events from 30’s 60’s 70’s. They are folded but in good condition..very interesting reads with photos and such of old seattle.

[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.’

[Bonnie]

I have lived in Seattle all my life and West Seattle half my life (moved over from Burien so not THAT far away) and I don’t know if it’s true. I have heard about the Seattle Freeze many times from others but haven’t found that to be true. I have met lots of nice people but sometimes it is hard to get to know them and not ALL of them are originally from Seattle. I have found that people from Seattle are flaky with relationships and commitments though.

Ask WSB if you can have your own forum for a ‘meetup’ group. Then you can all get together for coffee, etc. Fill your calendar. LOL!

[Kayleigh]

Hopey,I think we are talking about the same thing in slightly different terms. If I went into my workplace with new braces on my teeth, and someone mentioned it to me, I would probably feel like my boundaries had been crossed. (Even if it were a well-intentioned comment.) I don’t want comments on how I dress, beyond a “cute shoes” or “you look nice today” kind of thing. Privacy, introversion, independence, noncomformity—maybe all of these are factors.

Thinking about it, you’re right…it does discourage meaningful interactions, though.

In defense of us natives, sometimes newcomers can be insulting. I have been told many times how poorly Seattleites dress and how our work ethic isn’t as strong as “back East” (like a work/life balance is a BAD thing.) It doesn’t make me want to ask someone over for dinner if they think I dress too casually, don’t work hard enough, am not sophisticated enough, etc. It’s fine to have preferences, but not cool to look down on the place you are now calling “home.”

I’d be happy to meet folks for coffee sometime. I’m close to the very cool and funky C&P Coffee Company.

[Ken]

Well regardless of the marketing crudeness, it is still the place to go for predatory refund anticipation loans… and high fees for simple tax filings.

You can never go wrong underestimating the scary math skills of the average american.

This will no doubt be a banner year for the franchise.

If WSB is planning to sell them an ad for the coming tax season, feel free to “edit” this comment. H&R Block seems to be investigated in most of the same states that investigate Liberty.

[Michell]

JimmyG – So happy to see your rec! We take our cats to Lien, but this is our first dog so I wasn’t sure.

Thanks again.

[WSMom]

Hi Michell:

We have a wonderful Newfy/lab/golden mix dog that we take to Petco for grooming. We spend extra for the “shed-free” process where they are able (miraculously) to get all of the underfur removed. He’s a really old dog and his coat is beautiful. We were swimming in dog fur before we started having the extra process done. Good luck with your new big bear of a dog. We love our boy!

[JimmyG]

I can’t recommend Dr. Kraabel at Lien Animal Clinic (on SW Alaska) enough. I’ve taken my dogs (all large ones) there for over 10 years. Two of my friends with large dogs see him also.

Groomer: when we picked up our latest Golden Retriever rescue he was covered in mats and a real mess after living in an outdoor holding kennel for over 3 months. The groomers at The Wash Dog (on California near Fauntleroy) did a wonderful job of getting him presentable.

PS I love Newfies, someday maybe I’ll get to have one.

[Michell]

We have recently added a Newfoundland dog to our family. I am looking for recommendations for a Vet that specializes in or sees a lot of large breed dogs and a dog grooming services for large and hairy dogs. If you have any advice (good or bad) please share.

Thanks!

[hlywdsm]

Lattemom,

Your right in that you still have to apply for the passport…But you don’t have to pay to have your picture taken. You can take your own picture, and then resize it to the requirements. Why exactly would you pay (get ripped off) to have someone snap a picture of you if you own a digital camera and at the very least the basic software that comes with Windows or that Mac thingy? If you are like (I think) most people you want your picture to be decent, and if you take your own you can make sure of that.

[Erik]

Velvet –

He’s black and probably a mix of lab and chow…approx. 90lbs (rescue dog). Me, I’m scary looking…but actually if you look at the top of the WSB page, the silhouetted dude walking along Alki during the sunset…if that’s not me it’s my doppleganger.

[Sue]

Squareeyes, I’ve never had a hotel deny me the right to see a room beforehand, so that’s a good idea. When my friend wanted to stay at the Moore downtown, she asked me to check it out since it seemed like the price was too good to be true. They made me leave my drivers license at the front desk in exchange for the key, but they did let me go up and take a look.

[JimmyG]

I’m guilty of the not saying hello when I pass people when I’m out walking my dogs.

Tomorrow I’ll try to smile and say hello, see if I can’t get the Seattle Freeze to thaw a bit.

[WSMom]

Have you experienced this: I make a good friend that likes to get together and do some of the same things I like to do, and she changes jobs and moves to another city. The last three years I’ve had 3 friends move away, and now I feel like I’m starting over.

And what Kayleigh said: “I’m always happy to make new friends but sometimes feel I don’t have the energy or time to keep up with the ones I have”. What is up with this? What are we so busy doing that we don’t invite folks over for a meal or a cup of coffee. I’m talking to myself here, not you Kayleigh. My resolution for 2008 is to invite someone new over for dinner at least once a month, even if it means I’ll have to clean my house.

[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.

[credmond]

I’m usually the “sucker” who looks the Tourette Syndrome person right in the eye and therefore the one who’s caught in a conversation with said person for the 20 or 40 minutes I’m on that bus (obviously, depending on where I’m going). However, by looking folks right in the eye, I’ve had some amazingly enlightening and fascinating conversations with complete parents-born-in-Swedish-Hospital 2nd or 3rd gen Seattleites. I think a lot of folks from here are genuinely shy and not unlike Nova Scotia or New England in that regard. That may have something to do with the lack of winter light, but – wait a minute. I spent about 5 months in Stavanger a while back, during winter, and did not experience that same level of shyness. Maybe it’s just a North American Northern Lattitudes thing.

[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.