I have had Comcast for many years, and have had great reception and service. I like the company because it’s locally managed, and they do a lot of community service projects in the city. I think Comcast gets a bad rap, because compared to dish companies, they provide many many local jobs and are involved with their communities. When was the last time you heard of any dish company contributing anything to the neighborhood?
<i>Can anybody recommend a good bottled salad dressing that isn’t $14 a bottle or loaded with sugar, HFCS or MSG?</i>
Kayleigh, we use balsamic vinegar. Get a hig quality one and heat it in a saucepan for just a few minutes, until it just barely begins to thicken. It will still seem too “thin” but it will continue to thicken, so take it off the heat earlier than would be instinct.
As it cools it thickens more, and you will end up with a nicely textured dressing that’s got all the sweetness of balsamic and no “vinegary” taste. If you like the vinegary taste, add a few drops of uncooked balsamic back in.
You can cook up a couple of teaspoons at a time, and it’s so easy and delicious.
Lower-effort alternative: extra virgin olive oil and balsamic. Go half and half in an empty glass jar, put the lid on and shake. Add salt and pepper to taste.
eigenwijs,
I recently joined ASF in my quest for triathlon glory. :) The price of $50/month is accurate and is even cheaper if you pre-pay for the full year as they give you an extra three months free… thus 15 months for $600.
I’ve had the chance to try 24HF a couple of times and much prefer ASF. I’m a big fan of the pool, the spin classes (Ed and Stacy are great instructors) and the weights/strength equipment although I think the cardio equipment is old and mostly crap… my tennis club has better cardio equipment.
Other than for spin classes I rarely use the club during peak hours so I can’t tell you how busy all the equipment is. However, parking is limited during these times so you can expect to park on the street.
Hope this helps. :)
The California alignment would be better for me personally, but I’d support the Fauntleroy alignment for speed improvement, depending on how much speed. credmond, do you know the differential? One of my concerns about this “rapid” ride is safety of pedestrians, bikes, and cars sharing the road with these buses. (That grade-separation problem, again!) Seems to me this need for safety will surely slow the buses down. How would the safety compare California vs. Fauntleroy? I have a hunch California has fewer accidents, and if that hunch is correct, I’d guess it has to do with the lower speed on California. How would the “rapid” (I plan to keep quoting it to remind everybody that this is NOT a Rapid Transit solution) buses affect both streets? Would it make less difference on Fauntleroy because it’s already faster?
I’d be interested in hearing more about All Star Fitness. I belong to 24 Hour Fitness and am considering a switch. I currently pay about $21/month at 24HF and was quoted $50/month by ASF. There are way more options at ASF, which makes the extra $$ almost worth it – pool, women’s only workout area, climbing wall, etc. The 24HF facility is small, and at peak times (5 PM – 7 PM) is VERY crowded – members are asked to limit their time on the cardio equipment to 20 minutes when it’s busy. I’m sorry – but if I am going through the effort to get to the gym, I want to work out for how long I want to work out and 20 minutes just isn’t worth it!
Some other things I am not satisfied with are the temperature – it’s very warm at 24HF. Often I am sweaty before I even get on a machine! They also don’t seem to have any cell phone policy, and I have had to listen to someone’s lengthy conversation about what they did last night a few too many times. With the demand on equipment, you can’t really just pick up and move to another machine, so you are held hostage listening to the phone call.
So any input on ASF and whether making the switch is worth it would be appreciated!
Jason Durante, the owner of Durante and Associates. He’s been my personal and business accountant for 5 years. He’s smart, has a frightening encyclopedic knowledge of taxes, saves me money and he’s easy to talk with! His office is right here in the West Seattle Junction too.
Jason Durante
206.933.7839
Lora Lewis
Owner Hotwire Online Coffeehouse
I just received this..thought maybe someone out there might be interested:
Greetings graduates and students!
I am hoping you can assist me in locating 20-22 women to be models for an upcoming Introduction to Pregnancy Massage class. Models will receive a one-hour full body massage from a current Cortiva Institute – Seattle student under supervision of an instructor. Massage will take place in a classroom setting. Clients will be draped at all times for modesty.
The massage will take place on Sunday, January 13, 2008 from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM at the school – 425 Pontius Ave N., Seattle WA 98109.
All models must be at least 14 weeks pregnant and in good health. Women who are carrying multiple pregnancies, under 18 years of age, over 35 years of age or experiencing gestational diabetes may be considered with physician/midwife release.
If this description fits you or someone you know, please ask them to contact me at 206-282-1233, ext. 102 or khollowood@cortiva.com.
Thanks for your help!
Kelly Hollowood . Continuing Education Coordinator
Cortiva Institute – Seattle
425 Pontius Avenue North, Suite 100
Seattle , WA 98109
t 206-282-1233 x102 f 206-282-9183
khollowood@cortiva.com http://www.cortiva.com/locations/seattle/conted/
I completely agree with adding a Stumptown to WS. Caffe Ladro and Coffee to a Tea are my personal favorite places, and I only go to Starbucks when I receive gift cards, and I very rarely order coffee.
We order from Luciano’s a couple times a month and only once had a problem (and that was with a teenage attitude taking the order). We’ve never been over-charged for anything there, ever. We’ve also always received a repeat word-for-word of our order and a price, with tax.
About 18 months ago I had to have all of water service lines replaced – from the meter on forward. I ended up going with Collier Plumbing and have been very satisfied with their work. They installed all new PEX water service lines and installed an outdoor shut-off (which I didn’t have). I’ve since learned more about plumbing and have double-checked their work and am still impressed. Everything is to code (as it should be) and they pulled necessary permits. I recently called them for a blocked sewer line which they said they don’t do but they referred me to Rapid Rooter who were very prompt and reasonable. I was pleasantly surprised by their promptness and reasonable price.
I know this isn’t water heater related, but that’s my $0.02.
Jan, – Ah yes, Tastykake – I think they were out of Philly and everyone I knew wanted the three-pack of caramel icing-covered cakes. You could eat the whole package in – like – six bites. Perfect for teenagers with no sense of diet (that was me, btw). I used to work in the Harrisburg Farmer’s Market and sold souse, scrapple and tons of other “exotic” items. Scrapple wasn’t that bad if you fried it and poured real maple syrup on top of it. But then, Spam wasn’t that bad either if you sliced it thin and fried the dickens out of it. Almost had a bacon (cheap, albeit) taste and with the addition of maple syrup was totally edible.
I know the option I mentioned is presently not on Metro’s list, that’s why a number of RapidRide advisory members are trying to get a sense of which would be better. Metro never did a route analysis, merely mirroring the existing route of the 54 (not the 54X). A strong showing from residents for the entire alignment being on Fauntleroy would go a long way toward convincing Metro to take another look.
Sue, yes you can go in and do cardio any time you want at no extra charge. I find it more convenient to do my cardio after a workout, but if you want to spend six days a week in there you certainly can!
The caveat: there are only three machines – a treadmill, a bike and an elliptical. So far I’ve never had to wait for one, nor have I ever seen anyone waiting.
credmond, the map on the Metro site shows both alternatives going up California and turning right at Alaska. The difference comes at Fauntleroy, where the bus could either take Fauntleroy to Avalon or continue down Alaska to 35th.
I agree with you, it probably would be much faster to travel up Fauntleroy the whole way, starting at the Morgan Junction (and keep the Alaska Junction free of a big new bus station) but from what I’m seeing your option is not on the table… unless I’m misinterpreting your comments.
Keith, that’s good to know about FT, doing the cardio on your own. I always thought it pointless to pay a trainer $70 an hour to hang out with their friends at the gym while I was on a cardio machine and periodically come over and say “how’s it going?” That’s what happened in another gym I used to go to.
If you have a package at FT for, lets say, 2 sessions a week, can you then go in another 4 days that week just to do cardio? And is that included in the package price you pay?
Maybe I’ll check them out after my never-ending stint in physical therapy.
I started working out at Fitness Together in October and I really like it. You do your cardio on your own, whenever you want — it’s not part of your session with a trainer. I’ve worked out with all the trainers at FT and they’re all great, very focused, encouraging and knowledgeable.
The prices do indeed vary depending on what sort of package you purchase and I think the range Sue mentioned (60-80) is about right. I was expecting a hard sell approach when I went in but it wasn’t like that at all.
I used to work out at All Star. Loved the pool/spa/steam room and some of the classes were good, but I’m getting much better results with FT.
I’ve got a new pet peeve – the low spots in the alley behind Poogie/Husky here little lakes form and the low spots in the Rite Aide parking lot. Yikes! After a days worth of rain you have to be a broad-jumper to navigate these places.
I’ve read reports about HFCS inhibiting (something – an enzyme(?) a brain signal(?)) that tells your body you’re full, so as a result you continue to eat beyond necessity – hence the connection to obesity. I’ve pretty much stopped drinking any sodas/juices with HFCS – I don’t need help gaining weight!
I was somewhat shocked recently to learn that nearly all products with a Nabisco label and all products with a Kellogg label contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. This has been implicated in a number of health-negative effects (obesity being one, possible liver damage being another). By contrast, General Foods (Chex, Cheerios) and Post (Kraft) cereals and most Keebler products contain sugar, invert sugar or brown sugar. None of these has been implicated in negative effects other than being empty calories.
As a consequence, my family decided we would not buy Rice Krispies, Oreos, Fig Newtons, or Corn Flakes until such time as these manufacturers get on the ball and drop their use of High Fructose Corn Syrup. In this forum, I’m calling for the rest of us to do the same. Express our concern over this unhealthy but cheap food additive by boycotting Kellogg and Nabisco products. Yeah, nothing’s better than Corn Flakes with banana or Rice Krispies with raisins, but Corn Chex and Rice Chex taste pretty close even if their texture is different and Shredded Wheat contains only wheat – nothing else (well, BHT in the packaging material).
Although his office is not in West Seattle, Gerry Michael of G.A. Michael & Co. is a lifelong, W.S. native and a good accountant. http://www.gamichael.com/staff.html
you can find the prices for the YMCAs in West Seattle online here:
http://www.seattleymca.org/files/22/Membershipbroch907.pdf
Hi – we have just received confirmation there will be an event this Saturday, 10 am-2 pm, at the Alki Masonic Hall, with the Rainbow Girls auxiliary organization collecting trees for a $5 donation (the trees will be turned into mulch). We put out a call on the site recently for anyone else with events to please let us know — so far that’s the only one we’ve heard from. We also published info on taking your tree to the county disposal site that’s nearest WS, in this post:
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=4849
thanks, TR @ WSB
Gingersnap, we haven’t been to BOW in a while but can certainly vouch for the folks there – before they moved around the corner a couple years back, my son and I had a regular walking route for a while that took us past the old location, and we would stop in to have a drink and see the fish (he was in a fish-fan phase back then) – proprietress Heidi always fielded his fish questions with her trademark dry wit. These days, we tend to walk more in the opposite direction, down to, and through, Morgan Junction. But while we’re on the subject of coffeehouses, and sort of apropos to a theme that Chas R keeps sounding, WE WANT A 24-HOUR COFFEEHOUSE! Or at least one that’s open as late as the bars.
I am a daily communicant at Bird on a Wire, located on Henderson, 1/2 block west of 35th. This is more than just a coffee shop; it is a community and the nerve center of our mostly nameless neighborhood near the Southwest Library. Great coffee, friendly baristas, and wonderful patrons.
I wouldn’t recommend All Star Fitness, but I’m basing that on their pool only. The lifeguards are awful and the pool lanes are not organized by speed, which is really annoying for faster swimmers. And there always seemed to be a problem with something breaking, whether it was the pool heater, hot tub or sauna. As far as the classes offered, I liked some of the Spin instructors and there was a large variety, which was nice. Overall, it seemed like a cheesy place and I’m glad that I quit, but other members seemed quite satisfied with ASF. 24 Hour Fitness doesn’t seem too bad and at least it has great hours!
