New Banner For The Site

Hey, I actually got around to making a banner for the site. The picture is from our most recent trip to Greece. OK, so it only took, like, 5 minutes...but still, it's better than the gray-on-gray one I had before, don't you think?

Santino's In My 'Hood Tonight

Santino Rice, fashion designer and top-three contestant on the TV show Project Runway, is visiting Seattle this weekend. More so, he's visiting bars and clubs in Capitol Hill, my 'hood.

Good choice Santino. The weather's nice this weekend. Maybe we'll run into you tonight.

My Take on Seattlest's "43 Things Seattle Is Missing"

The folks over at Seattlest published a list of 43 things Seattle is missing. In the spirit of opinionated responses, here's my take:

1. Soft-serve frozen custard. Eh, not feeling it. There's plenty of good ice cream (like Mix) and gelato (like Bottega Italiana) places in Seattle that I'm not really missing the soft-serve.
2. Thunderstorms! Yes! Coming from the east coast we especially miss these during the spring time. Though, not having to worry as much about the destructive effects of such storms is a plus.
3. Street food. Sure, I'll bite. But street food is more prevalent in denser cities than ours (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago). All that said, you can find some decent hot dogs in Pioneer Square or on the Pike/Pine strip on a Saturday night. And let's not forget about Belgian Frites!
4. Diners. I've called for Waffle House to come out here before. But yes, we are missing this, especially given our bar scene. That said, we do have places like Beth's to tide us over.
5. Buy-backs. Um...I bet if you're a regular and/or know the bartender, this does happen.
6. Nude lap dances. Seattle really is a rough place to live, isn't it?
7. Male strip club. Sorry, not qualified to comment. Next?
8. Strip clubs that can serve alcohol/food. Hmm...what about restaurants where the patrons can strip?
9. A local noir writer. Again, how does this make Seattle any better/worse, especially in our internationally-interconnected modern-day populace?
10. A kick-ass small liberal arts college. How about Antioch?
11. NHL team. Sure, I'd take one.
12. MLS team. Ditto.
13. A go-to celebrity for sports. Snore...
14. Non-stadium major civic projects that actually get done. We're so-so here (think light rail), but overall there's definitely an atmosphere of distrust when it comes to civic projects, agreed.
15. Interesting suburbs. OK, coming from Atlanta, the land of sprawl, let me tell you that the 'burbs here are much nicer than in the ATL. Really. "Interesting" is a vague word, admittedly, but I don't see the propensity of stencil-cut houses here that I do back home.
16. Bars that stay open late on weekdays. Yes - add to that restaurants, book stores, movie houses, etc.
17. Good after-hours. See diners.
18. Underground bookstore. Hmm, not a bad idea. We have bookstores aplenty but most are of the family-friendly type.
19. Danish kringle. Bah! We have cupcakes!
20. Another local Div-I basketball team. Snore...
21. Flavorful tomatoes. Um...have you had good organic ones from PCC recently? They're good. Do they need to be grown in Seattle? :)
22. Central car-free plaza. That could be neat. Not sure where that would go, though, given our existing developments.
23. Rent horses. OK, c'mon, we're not in Texas here. That said, there are some horse farms on the east side.
24. Really large parks. Um, have you been to Discovery Park recently?
25. Cannoli. Sure, yep, got us there.
26. Real powder snow. No thanks, no one can drive here when it's sunny/rainy/snowy/anything but overcast and 55. Keep the snow in the mountains.
27. Winter-wonderland snow. See #25.
28. Cable company choice. Yes. And cheaper rates while you're at it.
29. Street lamps. The 'Ave (University Way) has some nice ones, post-renovation.
30. Neighborhood outdoor markets. What's wrong with these? Most U.S. cities don't have them (ATL for one), so I'm counting my blessings here.
31. Chick-Fil-A. Yes!
32. Competitive eating circuit. Urgh...how vomitous.
33. White Castle. See #32.
34. Fuddruckers. See #32.
35. System-wide transit maps around town. I buy this one. My ride-the-bus plan always begins with visiting transit.metrokc.gov. Would be nice to just head out and use the maps in the wild.
36. Token machines for buses. True.
37. Mass transit. See #14.
38. Serious booze in grocery stores. How about non-state-run liquor stores? I miss places like Green's and Liquor Liquor Wine Liquor in Atlanta (inside joke on the latter one - post a comment if you really want to know).
39. Pee-wee golf. Sure, but there's always Leavenworth.
40. Waffle House. YES!
41. Baptist churches. Can we have just the church buildings? :)
42. Amusement park. Absolutely.
43. -ist site. Well, we could call ourselves Alki. Then we would be Alkist.

Save B&O Espresso!

Visiting our venerable espresso/brunch/lunch/dinner/pastry coffeeshop, B&O Espresso, today, we saw an ominous sign outside: land use action notice.

Our friends and I blinked and read the sign three times. "What? They're going to tear down B&O? To make way for condos?"

A quick recap for those who aren't in the area: B&O Espresso opened its doors in 1976, and was one of the first three espresso-based cafes in the city. Flash forward a few decades and they're still an institution on Capitol Hill, serving old and young, day and night. Their food and atmosphere are excellent, and their pastries are sublime (they're practically our Pacific Northwest version of Atlanta's Cafe Intermezzo). And, B&O holds a special part of thousands of people's memories (think first dates, get-togethers with friends and family). Heck, Pearl Jam came up with their band name while sipping some coffee at B&O.

So, what's the plan now? The P-I has an article that summarizes:

Now the venerable coffee shop is in limbo, with a proposal to tear down its one-story building for a mixed-use development with apartments or condos above retail space...

John Stoner, the owner of the building at the corner of East Olive Way and Belmont Avenue East, said he'd love to keep B&O Espresso as a tenant in the ground floor of the new building, which could be up to six stories...

B&O owner Majed Lukatah said he's not sure what will happen, but that his family intends to keep the business going...

"I have mixed feelings. I don't know whether I should just wait and come back to my own location or go somewhere else," he said.

B&O's building isn't the best on the 'Hill, but it has character. A brand-spankin' new space, after a yearlong construction, probably won't do it justice.

So, we can save B&O in a couple of ways:

• Save the building, and/or ensure the new building will have enough retail space for B&O. The first design meeting for the property is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19th, at 6:30PM at the Seattle Central Community College, (1701 Broadway, Room 3211). Go there and give your feedback. If you can't attend in person, you can view the land use notice, and offer written/emailed feedback.
• Help find a new home for B&O. Know of a good retail space, present or future? Call it in to B&O.

Here's to hoping that there will still be a B&O Espresso on Capitol Hill for years to come.

I'm A "Gay Bingo" Virgin No Longer

Last Saturday was our friend Steven's birthday, so what better way to spend the day than celebrating it? And I do mean all day.

First up was a gluttonous lunch at Steel Pig BBQ, with tasty smoked pork to go around. After having our fill of BBQ and sweet tea (yes, real southern sweet iced tea - one of the few places you can get it in Seattle), we took Steven to a surprise visit of (could you guess?) Cupcake Royale for a birthday cupcake (I told you I was addicted).

Later in the evening, Steven had arranged for several folks to attend Gay Bingo. If you've never heard of this pastime, those two words may sound odd together. Here's the recipe:

- Take 750 people and get them in a huge room (basketball court sized), complete with tables, PA system, and stage.
- Add a bar and food options.
- Add bingo.
- Add the drag queen Glamazonia as a host, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as sidekicks.
- Stir, serve.

It's really a lot of fun, promise. And no, you don't have to be gay to go. And yes, the money goes to a good cause: specifically, the Life Long AIDS Alliance, which funds AIDS research, prevention, and support services.

I got lucky near the end of the night, as I happened to win one of the bingo rounds! Calm down, karma police: I gave half of my winnings back to the cause.

We wrapped up the night at Purr, a relatively new bar on Capitol Hill. It was fairly crowded, but we managed to find a table near the back. The drinks were quite strong, and Steven ended up doing several shots (including a Jager bomb, which most of the table scoffed at but the waiter recommended as a quick way to get Steven plastered).

As if by magic, he was just fine the next day...fine enough to join us for brunch at The 5 Spot on Queen Anne. I guess he had some birthday gastrointestinal protection, huh?

West Seattle Cupcake Royale Opening "Sometime In May"

We visited the Madrona branch of Cupcake Royale today, to give a birthday cupcake surprise to a friend of ours. I asked the friendly salesperson behind the counter when she expected the new West Seattle store to open (per my earlier post). She said, "sometime in May...mid-May, I think."

She then asked, "do you live in West Seattle?"

"Oh, no," we replied, "we live on Capitol Hill."

The friendly salesperson smiled. I think she knew we're just a bunch of cupcake addicts.

MAFIAA.org: Another April Fool's

RIAA and MPAA merged, didn't you hear? Their new acronym: MAFIAA. More on their official web site.

Google Romance: April Fool's!

It took me a minute (a short minute, mind you...*nervous cough*) to figure out that Google Romance is an April Fool's joke. The tour is the best part.

Update 4/2: Google made a post on their blog about Google Romance as well.

It's Official: Cupcake Royale Opening Third Store In West Seattle

Supreme cupcake bakery & coffee shop Cupcake Royale is opening a third store. This one will be in West Seattle. Joy!

Their web site is markedly brief about the announcement, other than saying the opening is "a month or two away". They do have a form you can fill out to receive information about their grand opening party.

Granted, we're usually not in West Seattle unless we're visiting Alki beach to walk or bike, or eating at a restaurant in the neighborhood. But hey, now we have one more excuse.

Very important note: if you've never been to Cupcake Royale and live in the Seattle area, drop everything and go. Now. Seriously. Oh, and let me know when you're going.

Howard Kaloogian's Web Site Lies About Supposed Iraq Picture

Gotta love the Internet for the way information travels. Take this case, for example: some sharp-eyed surfer noted California Representative Howard Kaloogian's web site had a picture of Baghdad, Iraq along with some text indicating how "calm" and "stable" the city was.

This picture was posted on discussion forums along with questions about its validity. Pretty soon, the puzzle was solved: this wasn't a picture of Baghdad, but of Istanbul, Turkey.

My first reaction was to think "mix up", but with a picture lauding the "calm" of the scene, on a page discussing Iraq & Afghanistan, how did a picture of Istanbul get in there?

Smooth move, Kaloogian campaign team. Way to score one in the integrity column.

Sometimes We Go Out For Lunch

The PM team had lunch not too long ago in order to send off Ryan, one of our PMs who was heading off to Vancouver. Dave took some pictures of the event.

This happened a while ago but I didn't post about it - better late than never, right?



In case you're wondering, no, we didn't request the room with the most alcohol in it, though it did make for nice decor.

Hey Kids! It's The Federal Reserve Board!

And now, a transcript of how this Federal Reserve Board for kids web site was designed:

-------------------
Bureaucrat #1: You know, the Federal Reserve Board is filled with stuffy old men who talk economics. How are we going to get young people engaged in the work that we do?

Bureaucrat #2: I know! Le'ts make a web site!

B1: Yes! Kids love the Internet! Just look at MySpace. They just love that web site.

B2: Great! First, we need some sort of character. Cartoon-like.

B1: How about a stuffy old man?

B2: Hmm...nah. How about an eagle?

B1: Yes! The Fed just screams eagle! How about this one?



B2: Perfect! Now...we need something interactive. Kids have a short attention span.

B1: How about a quiz? That way they can test themselves to see how much wonderful Fed Board knowledge they attain using our web site.

B2: Brilliant!

B1: Wow, our site kicks major butt. I can't wait to see the kids visit it and laud our efforts.

B2: From now on, the Federal Reserve Board is way cool. Groovy, some may say.

B1: Right on, my man.

-------------------
You have to love the way image alt text is spelled on this site. "Governers" is systemic throughout all images' alt text, even though it's "Governors" in the regular text. For example:

Cherry Blossoms In Bloom At The Quad

I've added some pictures of the University of Washington Quad with its cherry trees in bloom on flickr.

Capitol Hill Shooting Shakes Up Seattle

Seattle's a relatively safe city. So when a gunman kills 6 people and then himself in a residential neighborhood, it naturally grabs people's attention.

This is scary stuff, especially when the motive (at least at this point) isn't clear. We were just in this neighborhood last night, visiting some friends and watching a movie over at their place.

News stories:
Seattle Times
KOMO
KIRO

I plan to go by the scene and see if I can learn anything more, and maybe take & post some pictures.

Update @ 4:30PM : we went by the scene around 12:00 PM today. Here's what I saw:

• The police had taped off the street starting at 21st and Republican. The house in question was in the middle of the block on Republican between 21st and 22nd.
• Video cameras and photographers from what appeared to be news agencies were lined up at the traffic circle of 21st & Republican, just behind the tape.
• Police were apparently going door to door in about a one-square-block area around the scene, talking to neighbors and gathering up information.
• At the time we arrived, the medical examiner was packing up and getting ready to leave.
• Several men and women in white coverall suits were entering and exiting the house. My guess is these were crime scene investigators, and the suits were to both protect them and to avoid contaminating the scene as they look for clues.
• There were almost a dozen police cars on the scene, not counting the police bus, medical examiner, or unmarked detective cars.
• There were about 20-30 people behind the tape. Some were talking to the residents of a house in the middle of the 20th/21st section of Republican. Others were talking to residents in the house just across the street from the scene?

So what happened here? Piecing together information from the above sources and The Stranger blog:

• A group of friends went to the Capitol Hill Arts Center's Better Off Undead party last night, where electronic music, dancing, and dressing up as zombies were the main theme.
• This group returned to their house to have an after-party. You can see the house here - it's just northeast of the "1" on the map - just east of the large white house with the brown roof.
• At about 7:00 AM, the alleged gunman exited the house and returned soon after with weapons and began shooting.
• Some managed to hide in the bathroom and avoid the gunman. Others ran out and took shelter in bushes or in a neighbor's house.
• When a police officer arrived at the scene, the gunman exited the house. The police officer ordered the gunman to drop his weapon. The gunman then committed suicide.

This doesn't appear to have been a random shooting, but at the same time the motive of the gunman is not clear, nor how well he knew the victims, and how premeditated this act was.

The people in the neighborhood we saw were cooperative, calm, but also visibly surprised. This kind of thing simply doesn't happen that often in this town.

Update @ 3/26 11 AM: KIRO is reporting that an arrest has been made in connection with yesterday's shooting. A search warrant was issued for a North Seattle apartment, and police handcuffed and took away one of the twin brothers that lived at the apartment. It's unclear what the connection is yet.

Update @ 3/27 9:00 PM: The Stranger is doing a great job keeping up on this story, both through an article on their site and on their blog. I'm going to defer to their reporting and stop posting any more updates here.

If folks feel like they want to do something in response to this tragedy, I'd suggest two things:

• The surviving housemates have set up a paypal account for the families of all the victims. You can donate to the e-mail address 2112relief@gmail.com.
• Call or write the city council and county council expressing your views on the matter, whatever they may be, if you feel there's a policy decision that needs to be made here. I think there are some changes that need to be made, but I don't want to turn this event into a grandstand for my opinions.

Our New Attempt At Getting You To Visit Washington State: SayWA?

Washington State has a lot to offer. The mountains, the sea, the cities, the culture, the coffee...but our friends at the Department of Trade and Economic Development feel that we need to stand out somehow and attract some tourist dollars. What better way than an ad campaign, right?

And the winner is... "SayWA".

Say whaaa?

According to the Department, "WA" is the sound of jaws dropping when an emotional experience is had. Of course, WA is also the postal abbreviation for the state. When I've heard it pronounced, however, on the radio and television, I've heard it in the interrogative, as in "Say what?"

Turns out we're spending $442,000 for ads in various magazines (Sunset, Travel and Leisure, Smithsonian), click ads on the Internet, and TV ads.

Is this really the best slogan we could come up with? What about:
- "Washington: It's not all Birk-wearing granola-eating hippies anymore"
- "Come to Washington: we have live volcanoes!"
- "Washington State: bringing you endless coffee options"
- "Discover Washington wines. Just as good as Napa, without the stuck-up people"

Or hey, how about something already on the Experience Washington tourism web site: Endless Discoveries? That sounds much better to me.

Gorditos Coming To Queen Anne

We were visiting the 5 spot today for a leisurely brunch when, just across the street, a bright new yellow sign was posted in a retail space: Gorditos! Greenwood purveyors of "healthy Mexican food" (they skip the lard and grill their meat instead of frying it), are bringing their burrito grandes and such right on the main Queen Anne Ave. strip.

Today, the windows were covered with plastic, but the space was lit from the inside, and two people were working near the doorways getting things fixed up. Expect a grand opening in the next month or so, just in time for spring.

GetHuman.Com

GetHuman is a great little directory of phone numbers and techniques for how to bypass those automated phone systems and get at a real, live human being. Great for avoiding the dreaded "30 minutes on hold just to get a return mailing label" experience.

Online Pug Sightings

We have two cats, and no dogs, but we still really like pugs. While we won't get one anytime soon, we encourage all of our friends to get one so we can dog-sit for them. All the petting and none of the clean-up, right?

Regardless, I recently spotted a couple of pugs online that were way cute and deserved mentioning:

• Nickey the Pug, over at Google, has a little first-person write up.
• Lil' Sophie, from CuteOverload, has a great close-in picture.

There's quite a few pugs in our neighborhood. Everytime we spot one getting walked we go out of our way to pet them and chat up the owners. The pugs are always eager to interact with us and receive lots of petting.

Bible Cliffs Notes

Now there's a 100-minute Bible for those who want the super-abridged version of the Old and New Testaments. I'm guessing the good Reverend cut out the "begats" and such to keep it short.

Watches For Lawyers, Psychiatrists

When I first saw these watches for lawyers, which keep time in six-minute lawyer-friendly billable increments, I laughed. Then, I remembered reading about psychiatrists' use of the fifty minute hour for patient consultations. Fear not; there's a gag watch that keeps track of the fifty minute hour as well. Then, of course, you have the geek way of measuring time.

I never realized there's so many novelty clocks and watches out there. And to think I was going along this whole time with my boring 60 minute analog watch.