Seattle! How is it now? Are there jobs? Should I move there?

Cabs in Seattle: it really helps if you know where you're going and can help 'em out.

Shortest cab ride: 4 blocks. Driver driving on wrong side of road, eating fried chicken with two hands and congratulating/berating oncoming traffic for driving around him/ refusing to drive around him. Wheeee.

Yeah higgs OTM. I'm never drunk enough to elaborate on what specific corner of Fremont/Queen Anne I'm at.

Cabbies in Seattle listen to one of two things:

a) NPR, and then they vent to you about how fucked the U.S. is, you nod and assure them that you agree with (I usually do) and then we get into an awesome political conversation that I rarely have with my friends. (No offense guys)

b) KUBE "but i HATE KUBE!"
Me: "OK, but this song playing right now is pretty jammin'"
"Yeah, it's great. But it's the SAME FIFTEEN EXCELLENT JAMS REPEATED OVER AND OVER!"
Me: (um, change the station then?)

I am totally guilty of KUBE "but I HATE KUBE!".

I accidentally picked up a bhangra show coming in from Canada on, like, 93.1 or something. That made me happy.

Aha, it must have been this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CKYE-FM

Mackro, don't forget:

c) smooth jazz

Also, I voted against the transportation package 'cause I don't own a car, and yeah, show me some rail in a package without all that extra lane shit that the area can work around if it isn't there.

And Jaq is A-1 OTM on riding the bus as cool thing.

In Everett, riding the bus is a totally depressing experience, because no one who can afford not to does. I suspect this is due to the fact that the people who run Everett's buses are total choads who do everything within in their power to make said buses shitty, but I digress. Also, they clean them maybe once every three decades, so they smell like the filth of ages. I have never been on a bus outside of Everett with that particular dirt-devil scent.

GREAT LET'S WAIT TEN MORE FUCKING YEARS

the combo of roads and light rail in the same prop is retarded. I was bummed to hear that people think this is still the only way to make this happen. Um, guys, why not separate the initiatives for road and transit, and not politicize them as opposites, perhaps?

jergins, I love you man, but you're overreacting.

I mean, I'm impatient too, but it always takes forever to build anything in Seattle that isn't already flat. I'll wait for the 2009 rail and hope people really dig it.

jergins is not overreacting.

really the problem is that most people are not acting, never mind reacting, at all! that's why nothing ever happens.

I was just referring to the all caps thing against rickey, lxy. I totally agree with you and jergins on the issue.

Thing is, many people who wanted light rail voted against Prop 1 because they didn't like the other half. I've talked to many people who wanted light rail but voted against Prop 1 because they all said "oh this going to be like the Monorail again". I'm hoping the prop drafters learn a lesson from this, and will try to do this through legislative means.

WA has an aggressively centrist Democratic presence that follows along the same line as OR and CA: "we want stuff, but they should pay for it". It would be nice if there was a way to break that mentality, but how?

Import more east coasters and you'll get more transit-firendliness. Tho I remember I was all 'my bus had a bike on its front!' and my sister was all UH, yeah, welcome to Cascadia.

Alternate way to sea-tac - Gray Line airporter.

gabb, we have a lot of east coasters and folks from Europe and Australia and NZ moving here, but I don't think they're moving here to necessarily dedicate themselves to improving public transit... they're probably moving here in spite of that but to enjoy the other amenities of Cascadia or what have you.

And some good news if you can't stand Eyman (although it took long enough):

Eyman initiative ruled unconstitutional

The State Supreme Court today found Initiative 747, the tax-limiting measure passed by voters in 2001, unconstitutional.

In a narrow, 5-4 decision, the high court found voters were deceived when they voted on the measure sponsored by anti-tax activist Tim Eyman.

The ruling upholds a lower King County court decision last year in which Judge Mary Roberts found the initiative was unconstitutionally deceptive.

...

The measure, passed by voters in 2001, limited increases in state and local property-tax collections to 1 percent a year, unless voters approved more. When it was argued before the high court last May, the state estimated that in the six years since it passed, the measure blocked an estimated $1.6 billion in property-tax increases.

In tossing out the initiative, Roberts found that voters had been told they would be reducing the tax-increase cap to 1 percent from 2 percent, although the initiative actually was reducing the cap from 6 percent to 1 percent.

Okay I know everything's crappy w/r/t transit, but dudes! The symphony is doing a whole night of video game music on Jan 24. Tix go on sale 11/10 at 1 pm.

Kosher ham soda

Last year's seasonal pack was Thanksgiving-themed, with Green Pea, Sweet Potato, Dinner Roll, Turkey and Gravy, and Antacid sodas.

See, that read really funny at first, but then all those testosterone caffeine "energy" drinks all kinda taste like antacid, don't they?

I don't know, I've avoided one and never needed the other.

god, the cabbie stories I could go into here

start a cabbie stories thread!

if there isn't one already, i guess

you could revive it though!

My most recent cabbie stories is stops. The driver looked kinda like Roy Orbison. He was playing this song that was at least 15 minutes long, and it sounded somewhere between late 70s Iggy Pop and Richard Hell. It was a great song, and I was hesitant to ask until I was about to be dropped off, so I asked who it was, mentioning the Iggy and Richard Hell notes. The cabbie pulls aside by my appt complex, turns around and tells me "That's me" and smiles. He introduces himself to me as Ted Narcotic (yes, TED NARCOTIC!) and that this was his group.

He's nowhere to be found on google aside from sites mentioning him doing a public access show in the area. But nothing on Ted Narcotic's band. I have no clue when the song was recorded but it doesn't matter when.

hey guys i have two pairs of nutcracker dress rehearsal tickets to give. the timing is a little weird: wednesday nov 21 (day before thanksgiving) at 5 pm. but yeah, if anybody wants 'em, let me know. ilxor mail works fine.

"UNSEEN PEANUTS" Revealed This Friday!

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, in association with the Charles M.
Schulz Museum and Research Center, is pleased to present "Unseen
Peanuts." This collection of full size, rarely seen Peanuts strips
opens with a daylong preview on Friday, November 23 from 11:30 until
8:00 PM, highlighted by an "Unseen Peanuts" slide presentation by
Fantagraphics Books co-publisher Kim Thompson at 6:00 PM. The public
of all ages is invited to this free event.

Perhaps no American artist is more closely associated with the
holidays than Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. Kim Thompson, co-
editor of the Complete Peanuts series, points out that even though
Peanuts is the most-reprinted comic strip in history, several
thousand strips had never been collected until The Complete Peanuts
project began in 2004. The show includes a companion 32-page "Unseen
Peanuts" comic book catalogue featuring over 150 more of these "lost"
strips. This fully annotated publication is available for free with
any purchase exclusively at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.

Get an early start on your holiday shopping at Fantagraphics
Bookstore & Gallery, located at 1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport way S.)
in the heart of Seattle's lively Georgetown business district.
Throughout the month of November all comic strip reprints, including
The Complete Peanuts, are offered at 20 % off, and pick up our free
"Comic Strip Masterpieces" tabloid.

"Unseen Peanuts" remains on view through December 31. Fantagraphics
Bookstore & Gallery is open daily 11:30 - 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00
PM. 206.658.0110.

two inches deep, a few hours ago, but receding

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2153/2085434467_393962d46d.jpg

oh man, that's awful. I'm really sorry. I hadn't even considered water damage with the heavy rains, which is weird because the Xmas blizzard of '96 did the same w/my shag-carpeted basement bedroom, ugh.

are the streets paved with slugs?

I have about half an inch just sitting under the carpet and not going anywhere. The wet vac isn't even putting a dent in it.

Fun today tearing out said carpet. We lost our internet access, too. : (

Aw man. Sorry jergins, reverend.

I have another friend whose basement studio was flooded as well. I have close to a dozen friends total with flooding, one of whom lives between Olympia and Chehalis and I still can't contact him. :(

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/343084_homeless12.html

Harassing homeless now a crime in Seattle
P-I STAFF

In a unanimous vote, the Seattle City Council on Monday passed a measure that makes harassing a homeless person a hate crime.

Under a law sponsored by council president Nick Licata, homeless people are now among those protected by the city's hate crime law prohibiting malicious harassment. The law already bars malicious harassment based upon gender identity, marital status, political ideology, age and parental status.

The law also makes it illegal to damage the belongings of a homeless person.

The move was considered largely symbolic because the city rarely charges people with malicious harassment. If a case is serious enough, it is typically forwarded to the King County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges under the state's law on malicious harassment.

Still, the proposal enjoyed the support of the full council, City Attorney Tom Carr, Mayor Greg Nickels and advocates for the homeless.

...

OK, I'm totally for this bill, but have we really reached such a stalement in the council here that we can only pass bans on Inhuman Actions Caused By Sociopathic Assholes Once Every Two Years?

Sorry, "stalemate", not "stalement".

Although, someone should properly define and use "stalement". It has many useful, ur, uses.

I accidentally left a couple slices of bread in the toaster and when I found them two days later they were in a stalement.

http://oddmart.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/capitol_hill_octopus_map.png

http://oddmart.com/2007/05/16/seattle-subways/

You should move there, I've known someone from Seattle and I'd highly recommend it.
(Too subtle?)

i can't believe i missed the opera-singing pig!

?

from upthread:

this pig, by my work
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/532896684_04d0106abd.jpg sings opera and then oinks, every 20 minutes or so. fuck

― jergïns, Wednesday, September 26, 2007 11:54 PM

tell me about 'wallingford, a few blocks from 45th'

Nice older neighborhood - esp. the southern area between 45th and the lake, but up to 50th is also nice. Narrow side streets keeps traffic slower, lots of small round-abouts. I think the 26 goes through there from downtown.

We used to buy local eggs from a farmer who doled them out from 10 - noon on Saturdays in a parking lot behind the Dick's (burgers + fries) on 45th. The Wallingford center (also on 45th), used to be a school, now shops/restaurants/apartments. Guild 45th movie theater just down the street too.

It suddenly occured to me the other day that I hadn't been to Wallingford in a really long time. That's kindof sad, because I think it's quite nice from what I remember.

are bus lines 16 and 44 useful?

i know that's subjective... i'm not sure where i'll be going quite yet, so maybe the question should be, do they get you to main/important places/transfers?