Chas…being form the east coast, do you remember Tastykakes? just curious…there’s a palce where you can buy them in Seattle….and Scrapple, too – lol.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in March…I’m a sugar-holic…and I now read every label I pick up. HFCS is poison for a diabetic, as is sugar. I succumb to Splenda on occasion, but mostly I use Agave Nectar from PCC (raw, organic) as a sweetner. I don’t eat sweetened cereal at all, and yes, it’s boring. Shredded Wheat tastes to me like the box it comes in…so I have adopted organic steel cut oats as my favorite breakfast. I’m happy to boycott those products along with you. Keep up the label reading..you’ll be surprised at where you find HFCS. And sugar? Remember that there are 4grams of sugar in a teaspoon of sugar…when looking at the carb content, it’ll say how many grams of sugar. If you have an 8 ounce glass of juice with 26 grams of sugar…you’ve got yourself 6.5 tsp. of sugar…killer for a sugar-holic – lol. It’s definitely an education :)
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.
WSB – how ’bout preview on the forums?
Heard about King Corn, but didn’t see it. This is a result of improving my skills at reading the NY Times science section and reading food labels. Think about it. Since I was a kid, in the ’60s, I’ve been eating Hostess cupcakes. Since that same time I’d been reading the label and two-thirds of the ingredients were things I didn’t recognize as real food. Over the years, as studies into these strange chemicals have come out, I’ve reduced my consumption of items containing them. Much as I loved that gooey white stuffing in the middle of a chemically-tasting chocolate cake covered with two different kinds of frosting which you could peel off, I just can no longer eat them. Many of us baby boomers grew up drinking Strontium-90-laced milk (Northeast US from atmospheric tests and rain on then farm fields used by cows), it’s no wonder our body systems are in such disarray.
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).
Our son has been at the Intergeneration Learning Center at Providence, Mt. St. Vincent (aka the nursing home on 35th) since he was an infant. We love it, very competent and caring staff, but there is a wait list as with any good day care.
you can find the prices for the YMCAs in West Seattle online here:
http://www.seattleymca.org/files/22/Membershipbroch907.pdf
Jan, I have a cat, and I’ve been told by landlords that cats are generally more destructive than dogs. I was surprised, but I guess if that was their experience, then they’d know better than me. :) My pet peeve about “pet deposits” though is that they’re not really a “deposit” if you don’t get it back. I’ve lived in 3 rentals with this cat and have paid a total of about $1,000 in “deposits.”
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.
We’ll check on it when we go to the Southwest Precinct tomorrow to go through reports. Appears from 911 that the callout was around 6 am — only one unit and not a medic so here’s hoping it wasn’t too horrific (if it had been a fatality, word of it would have emerged by now). No other major callouts in WS per the 911 log.
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!
I noticed that too coming home.
I flew by it before I could get my camera out
to take a snap.
Looked pretty messy.
we had a computer fixing thread pre-forums here —
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=4462
good luck! hope someone there can help …
The Metro RapidRide group is having a series of public meetings here in WS for the WS RapidRide. Jan 24 at the Hall at Fauntleroy, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Jan 29 at the WS Senior Center (Oregon@California) also 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. And, on Jan 30 noon to 3:00 pm at the Senior Center.
Presently they want the route to come up from the ferry dock on Fauntleroy and turn north on California and then right at Alaska. The stations would be rather large (though nice) and would be on California basically right in the block with ArtsWest and Elliott Bay Brewery – sort of blocking the street view in both directions.
An alternative routing would be straight on Fauntleroy to Alaska and then right. Both routes would go down Alaska to 35th to Avalon and then onto the causeway ramp at Spokane.
The Fauntleroy routing would probably be faster, wouldn’t disrupt the landscape along California, and would take advantage of whatever new construction goes in at the corner of Fauntleroy and Alaska (old Huling/Gee lots). The disadvantage is that folks would have to walk a few blocks from the current 54 routing on California.
Any preferences? If you have them, by all means show up at these meetings. I’d also be interested in a poll (WSB?) which offered the two options. The service is supposed to begin either late 2010 or early 2011 – about the time the Viaduct is closed for work. It’s also supposed to run 18 hours a day on no less frequent headways than 15 minutes – maybe even 12 or 10.
Thoughts?
Harrah’s turned me and my car away, they didn’t want to work on it (1986 Toyota Landcruiser) but the guys at Alki Auto took real good care of the problem and even sent me a Christmas card…
http://www.alkiauto.com
Oh…SC, get that looked at soon – speaking from experience. We have the same underground system (concrete ‘pipes’) and unbeknownst to us, one had failed. We didn’t know until the ground had been wet for so long it finally found a very small hole in the foundation. One day during a downpour water started coming in the house. Wrecked carpet, drywall, everything. One has no way of knowing what’s going on with those drains unless they’re dug up. We ended up replacing them all as a preventative measure. Can’t recommend the company we used, as we had to have them come out twice to make corrections, but gutter companies are a good place to start. Good luck and I hope it is just in the downspout!
wow…so sorry about that. If I was your cat, I’d be offended, too. I have never understood what the objection to cats in apartments is. They really aren’t destructive, and if you take care of them and clean after them, they are better than anti-depressants :)
Good luck…
P.S.
I liked Bakery Nouveau’s French press coffee better, but they were breaking glass containers and it was taking too long to make as much coffee as they were selling. Alas, their French press Lighthouse brew was even better.
Just for the coffee, you know, regular 16 ounce drip, I’d say Ladro with its shade-grown, fair-trade, organic beans (don’t know who does the roasting), Bird-on-a-Wire for its shade-grown, fair-trade, organic beans roasted by Raven’s Brew (Alaska and now also Fife), and Bakery Nouveau for its LIghthouse Roasters french roast drip – and its croissants. Wish William would do something about the seating and cash-out process. In a pinch, any of the other ones mentioned will do, but the three I mentioned have the best, day-to-day, consistently strong, fresh and tasty brew. IMHO, of course. Espressos and cappuccinos are another matter.
Thanks! It is actually a stubborn downspout that is clogged that we need help with so I’m hoping to find somebody who specializes (or focuses on) gutters. I initially thought it was the gutters but it’s the vertical gutter pieces that are the problem– they funnel the water directly into the ground so they are completely enclosed and under ground. Thanks again-
Luciano’s delivers yummy pasta and salads. But watch out if you order pizza from Luciano’s, they have a good scam going. If you order a large pizza, they consistently upsize you and sell you an extra-large. They don’t give you a total, so you don’t figure it out until the pizza’s at your door. A friend was ordering a bunch of large pizza’s for a gathering. We warned her of this, when they didn’t give her a total at the end she called back and confirmed that they had charged her for extra larges. She asked them to change the order and they refused, so my friend ended up with an extra $50 in pizza.
Ho-win has pretty good and cheap Chinese food.
Jan, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gym that posts its prices on a website, so for that particular service, I wouldn’t necessarily be suspect. But I do find it annoying. If I’ve got $X available for a membership, I don’t care what kind of glitz and song & dance you show me when I get in, I can still only afford $X, even if I think it’s worth more. So I do wish gyms would post a price and just not waste either of our time with the hard-sell nonsense.
The main reason I haven’t checked out Fitness Together is the fact that it’s up a flight of stairs. (It’s over near where the 8 Limbs Yoga is, with alley access.) With my knees, I just can’t walk up a flight of stairs easily (especially since my surgery), yet I can work out for an hour with no problem. I had to leave another gym downtown for the same reason. I guess they figure that if you work out, you won’t mind a flight of stairs, but it’s a purely structural issue that doesn’t keep me from working out, just from doing stairs.
I tried googling to see if anybody had prices listed. A FT in Miami charges $70/hr. Another site (location unknown) said it ranges $65-$85/session. Based on what I paid for personal training downtown, I would think those prices are probably similar to what it would be here, but that’s just my assumption. I would also assume that they have packages where you pay less if you buy more sessions.
I used to use a trainer downtown, but I made a deal with her to only see her 1/2 hour at a time, so I saved money that way. I don’t need a trainer to watch me on the bike or elliptical, so I did that before my 1/2 hour started. Somehow I doubt that FT would allow that, and you’d probably have to spend the whole hour with them.
I’ve been both a driver and a pedestrian and have felt the frustration from both sides of the issue. What I have to remind myself as a driver though is that I have the greater power over the pedestrians, therefore I also have the greater responsibility. A mistake I make as a driver has a much greater impact given that my vehicle weighs thousands of pounds and is typically traveling at speeds of 30mph or more. If I need to pay greater attention or slow down a little in order to spot and wait for pedestrians, then that’s a responsibility I have to accept. It’s the tradeoff I should be willing to make for the speed and convenience of personal motorized transportation.
That said, in practical terms everybody’s got a lot on their minds and sometimes people do forget to check every corner at all times for a pedestrian. One idea that could help is speed bumps. A well-placed speed bump can be just the thing to remind the distracted driver that they need to check their speed and watch for pedestrians. In areas such as 35th where people tend to drive faster (although the speed limit is 35mph), a series of the rumble bumps — not sure of the correct name for them — might be in order.
To me it seems like the least we could do when people are quite literally being killed in the streets.
Sue…interesting…thanks. Is it me or are others suspect about a place who won’t post it’s rates/prices…? Interesting franchise…looks like they’re all over the country…
