More Naked Biking

Looks like tomorrow there will be more naked bike riding going on in case you didn't get a couple weeks ago from the summer solstice parade. I guess every neighborhood has their schtick, ours just happens to be naked bike riders. 

R.I.P Sonics

I've been absent from blogging lately, but figured I'd hop back on the saddle for a little venting about the Sonics officially leaving town. I guess we all kind of knew that this day was coming when that sellout Howard Schultz sold the team to an out-of-town ownership group who clearly had no plans on keeping the team. It's amazing to me how dumb really smart people can be. I blame bennett the least in this. Even though him and Stern wanted out from the beginning, he overpaid for a something that was for sale. I'd say our city and state government is naive at best, and incompetent at worst. I'd rather vote for Don Imus for president of the NAACP then these assclowns. So much for there not being a dollar amount that would make them break the lease. Even if a new team comes a few years down the road, it won't be the same. The worst part of it for me is knowing that we'll never be able to see Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp's jersey's raised to the rafters. I could go on, but I figure the best thing to do now is go back to my fridge and hope I'm not out of beer.

One of my favorite parts of living where I do is the convenient locations for all kinds of outdoor activities. With the weather getting better and the days getting longer, it's nice to come home and still have a few hours of daylight to play with. I usually try to split my time between working on my golf game and going on a nice run.

For golf, I either go to the course over in Interbay or the tiny course at Greenlake. The course in Interbay is great because it has a big driving range, nice putting green, and 9 holes if you want to get out and play for real. The best part is that it is cheap as well. 9 holes is $13 and a medium bucket of balls is only $8. The other golf course is a tiny little par 3 course on Greenlake. Par 3 is pretty generous since there isn't a hole over 80 yards. Still fun to go hack around a little bit.

I've decided that since I sit at a desk for 8+ hours/day, getting some other physical activity going is a good idea. I usually end up either running through and around the streets of Fremont or head up to Greenlake and run around that a time or two, depending on how tired I get. Greenlake is also great because of all the tennis courts and other possible outdoor activities around there.

I just hope that I'll be able to keep my motivation going through spring and hopefully summer. I'll check back in later.

Joule

I was browsing through the seattle metropolitan magazine the other day and came across the section where they talk about new restaurants in the Seattle area. They main restaurant that they featured happened to be in 98103. It's a restaurant called Joule, with two NY-transplanted chefs. From what I've read on their site and the magazine, it sounds like something that I look forward to trying as soon as I get the chance, which unfortunately I have no idea when that will be. It's conveniently located on 45th and Burke. Judging from the prices, it looks like a place you'd want to take a girlfriend/wife/or some sort of special occasion. Part of why I'm excited to try it is because it's been in my limited experience since moving here, that most of the eating options aren't geared towards finer dining, with a few exceptions. Anybody who gets the chance to eat there before I get a chance to post, feel free to leave a comment.

Fire

I made the unusual decision to drive to work this morning.  As I approached Aurora today I noticed how unusually slow traffic was moving.  I merged into the stop and go traffic when I noticed flashing lights up ahead up on 39th.  My first thought was a bad car wreck.  As I got closer I realized there was a house that was bellowing smoke.  There were no visible flames and everyone appeared to have made it out ok when I drove by.  I found this article in the PI that was able to explain more then I could.  Thankfully everbody was ok and they didn't lose their whole house.  

Finally!

So after months of procrastination I finally made it into the the sports card shop on Fremont Ave. that I have wanted to go to since I moved in. I finally pulled the trigger while walking up to the market to grab a few items. It was everything one would expect. I thought one of the best parts about it was that it didn't have a lot of high priced memorabilia all over the place, just a lot of stuff us less wealthy fans would want to own. Sometimes lesss is more when it comes to sports card/memorabilia. Everything seemed to be cheap too.

Part of the reason I wanted to go was to browse whatever collection of Griffey card they had. To my delight they had a big binder dedicated only to him. I was only interested in the M's cards though. Unfortunately, I already own a decent amount of the cards that were in the binder. This led me to believe that either I owned a ridiculous amount of Griffey cards, or the selection wasn't actually that big. Could go either way. They had a lot of other things too that I didn't spend a lot of time browsing. All I know it's a good stop for those of us who still have a little bit of youngster left in them. I know next time I stop in, that I won't be leaving empty handed.

Fremont Bridge

Came across this article today while browsing the PI. Short story shorter, Fremont Bridge will be closed at various times next week.

They're Grrrrreeaat (Clips)

At first I was pumped about having a hair cutting place so conveniently close as Rudy's is. However, after 1 visit I decided it wasn't worth it to me. Not only was it expensive, but also I walked away feeling pretty unsatisfied with the results. Obviously I am in the minority since it seems busy all the time. I just figured for the simply hair style I have, I could save myself a decent amount of money and drive a little bit further. The Great Clips on 86th has always treated me well. I've always had great results whenever I've been there and they are friendly and there is never a long line. Pretty much the perfect situation if you ask me. They also seem genuinely interested in getting to know their customers. They are always calling their customers by first name as soon as they walk in the door and seem to pick up conversations where they left off last time they came in. Reminds of the small, hometown barbershop I grew going to. For those of us on a budget it is also a better bargain.

I understand that the chain places like Super Cuts can be a bit sketchy sometimes. We've all had our own bad experiences with those types of places. That being said, with the amount of customer retention they appear to have and quality I have experienced, they seem to have strayed far away from that stereotype. I would suggest this place to anybody. I would also recommend James if you get the chance.

herfy's

Finally got over the hump and stopped in Herfy's burgers and teriyaki the other day.  Since I moved here, I wanted to stop by but haven't been able to bring myself to make the trip.  I was always a little offput by the "burgers and teriyaki".  It always seemed like an odd combination to me.  Finally I made it in, and the first thing I noticed was the low prices.  Everything across the board was cheap.  I tried their basic chicken teriyaki dish.  Marginal is the word that comes to mind.  But, you get what you pay for.  I still want to try some of their burgers other offerings.  I found out you can call in your orders ahead of time too for takeout.  All in all, I would say Herfy's is a great spot if you're looking for a cheap, decent, and convenient place to eat, but nothing more.

V-Day in 98103

Fremont doens't offer a wide variety of fancy restaurants for hallmark holidays like Valentines Day, but it doesn't provide a few different places for a more casual(and in my opinion, preferrable) environment.  The Swingside cafe located across from the Buckaroo Tavern on 42n/d and Fremont Ave.  It's real small, so that might be a problem.  But it is well hidden and I've never seen it very busy, so you might be able to sneak in and beat the rushes at all the other high-end restaurants.  If you do want to go the fancy route, I'd suggest Kabul on 45th in Wallingford.  

New developments

News recently hit of a new shopping center in Greenwood that is in the works.  I haven't spent a lot of time in Greenwood, but have come away with a favorable opinion whenever I have spent time up there.  There have always been restaurants and bars that have caught my eye and made me want to go back and check them out.  Issues of building large shopping centers like this always raise the same issues/controversies.  This one has the added element of having environmental concerns since apparently the new shopping center will be located on a bog(which I didn't know existed up there).  So not only are the normal concerns for small businesses and residents there going to be problems, the environmental concerns are going to raise a lot of questions as well.  I suppose I had to take a stand somewhere, I would say build the thing.  Without knowing what exact stores would go in, I think that it would give a solid alternative to some of the other shopping locations.

Also, apparently I was wrong about Mike Huckabee not having a chance in the Washington republican primary/caucus(not sure what it was exactly).  From the sounds of it whomever is in charge of calling the vote one way or the other pulled the trigger a little soon.  Now Huckabee is demanding a recount.  Thankfully I highly doubt that this will turn into our own Florida circa 2000 drama.

Shooting

We've all been through the painful "just in case" fire drills and what not, thinking that nothing was going to happen. The same can be said for school shootings after Columbine a few years back. Apparently there was a gunfight near Ballard High School today and they were forced to go into immediate lockdown. Goes to show that as much as they suck most of the time, they can turn out to be worth it.

A taste of the Middle East

Last night I finally broke through and experienced a local 98103 restaurant that I had been interested in since I moved here. Kabul met all of my expections I had going into it. Ever since I had moved to Seattle, I had never been dissapointed in any of the ethnic cuisines that I was introduced to. The dining area was smaller then I expected, but overall ambiance was great. The staff was fast and friendly. I was surprised at how small the menu was, but the food was great. The mushroom appetizer was awesome, which says a lot because I don't even like mushrooms. The entree was even better. I wish I tell you the name of what I had, but the names were hard to say, let alone to write. In a nutshell, it was a lamb kabob with rice. That doesn't paint the right picture, and come to think of it I wish I would have taken a picture. I would say the one downside is that the food is on the expensive side. Still worth it if you're looking for a nice, quiet, and quality meal. Also, beware of where you park since we got to our car to find a $44 parking ticket. There isn't a parking lot, so if you can't find a good place on 45th, make sure you're not parked in one of the casually labeled residential areas. I'll save that topic for another post.

A sign of things to come

On my regular morning walk to the bus stop this morning I was happy to see a sign sitting near the bus stop saying that the Fremont Bridge is closed. It wasn't set up yet to inform people, but they were obviously getting ready to close it in the evening. One of my biggest complaints about the area is how they never give any warnings of when the bridge will be closed until you actually get there. My frustrations with this have been pretty well documented at this point.

In the interest of being fair

I dug up some information on the republican side of the primary season. Much to my surprise, John McCain IS going to make an appearance in Seattle before the caucuses. This is surprising to me for a couple different reasons. The first is because Mike Huckabee has about as close to 0 chance to win here as you can get. His pull is centrally located down south and we're about as far away from there as you can possibly get. John McCain knows this too. That is why I'm surprised that he's wasting his time here when he's obviously going to win here, especially with Mitt Romney exiting the race. The other reason I'm surprised he's coming is because he's more then likely not going to carry the state when the general election comes. Even though he is more moderate then many republicans would prefer, he's still going to have a difficult time stopping the Obama or Clinton machines in what is already a heavily democratic-leaning state. I guess we'll have to see what happens.

Anyways, any GOP supporters can find places to vote here

Get Ready

As I was said in my previous post, and even moreso now that "Super Tuesday" didn't settle anything(probably made things more confusing), Washington is finally relevant in the primary/caucus process this election cycle. Now that the politicians feel that we're important, both Dem. candidates are scheduled to be in Seattle in the next 24 hours. For those of you who want to hear the same stump speeches that have been recited thousands of times by now, here are your options.

First to bat is none other then Hilary who will be speaking at Pier 30 at 8 p.m. tonight. Barack Obama will make his appearance here on Friday at 11 a.m. for those of you that want to skip work.

These speeches don't do any good if you don't get out and vote. You can find places around King County to participate here.

I'll hopefully post some Republican information shortly.

Super Tuesday Frenzy

For months it seemed like all the election shenanigans have been so far removed from our state. That perception changed recently with a subtle knock on my door Saturday afternoon. I was taken away from my weekend sports-watching routine to pledge my unbinding support for Barack Obama. Then last night it finally happened. The first two political 30 second tv ads of the election year. Oddly enough, they were Republican ads. I figured they would use their money and place the ads in areas with a strong republican lean. There have been countless amounts of debates that have settled virtually nothing. The guys who were expected to be front-runners stayed that way while hoping to avoid their own personal Howard Dean Moment. The west coast has largely been ignored up until now, and that's only because California is in play and could decide the nominees. That is all set to change with the Washington Caucuses next weekend. I haven't been able to find any scheduled visits by our new prospective commander-in-chief, but I'm sure that the annoying, redundant ads are sure to increase over the next week. I'm just glad that I'm not from Iowa or New Hampshire where they have to put up with this nonsense for months.

More snow

I realized that I hadn't posted in awhile, so that I figured I should probably hop back on the saddle. I was planning to write about the recent snow that we experienced recently and make more jokes about how people can't even drive a little bit. Then I realized that the last post I had before my break was making fun of the bad snow drivers. So I will spare you all the redundancy, and just say that I saw nothing that made me change my mind.

I do know that the last two days the #5 has been incredibly off schedule. With the (really light)snow on Monday, I can kind of understand that. But today is a different story. This morning was no different then any other early Seattle morning . It wasn't snowing. There was no ice at all. Just a the normal light rain. So imagine my surprise when I had to cram on the bus because it was jammed full. Apparently people were still scared from the snow that no longer existed. Hopefully tomorrow things will be back to normal.

Chaos no more!

Yesterday morning was a treat. I got a front row seat to the pathetic excuse for driving displayed by the citizens of 98103 with a little snow and ice on the road. Aside from ALL 4 of the #5's getting stuck on 45th and Greenwood(which my fellow 8:16 a.m. bus catching crew and I didn't find out until about 8:45) and standing there unnecessarily for 30 minutes, I couldn't have had more fun watching the panic ensue. I had always heard of the unthinkable terrible Seattle drivers whenever there is a snowfall, but it didn't prepare me. I have to admit, that I took for granted my eastern Washington upbringing and our ability to navigate in less then ideal conditions. I also admit it was definitly a little slick, but not as bad as people made it look. I know this because after finding out that the buses were going to be late, I hopped in my 2-wheel drive 1997 Chevy S-10 with bald tires and motored downtown so I could get my work day started. I had heard from people I work with, who have lived here a lot longer then I have and also around the country, that Seattle has the worst drivers in America. Now I'm in no position to say, but disregarding any DOT statistics, I have to believe that we're up there. Also, atleast I don't have a Tuesday morning transit story like this.

Also found this interesting piece on the front page of today's PI about the Google office in Fremont(which I didn't know was even there, along with the other big company offices). I'm trying to figure out when they get any work done. Sounds more like a day of R&R then work. I work in what can be described as a casual work environment, but this blows my work out of the water. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

Best place to watch the big game(s)

One thing I wish Fremont had more of are great sports bars. It would provide a perfect balance with all the other fun bars that come along with fremont. Researching on OpenList confirmed what I had already suspected as well. Sure you can probably go watch the game at The Ballroom(but why waste your time) or Norm's even. If I'm going to a bar to watch the big game, and luckily this weekend has 2 of them, I would head outside of fremont. I have to admit that I only put one bar to watch the games because I haven't had a chance to explore that many sports bars since I moved over here. I hope to rectify that soon. I encourage feedback as well.

So here is the best semi-local place to watch the big games in my opinion.

- This is easy, and anybody who is a Coug already knows of the Village Pub in Magnolia. Its a moderate drive from Fremont. You're not going to find a better bar to watch a Coug game at. They have Coug merchandise all over the place, tons of tvs so no matter where you are and how busy the bar is, you will be able to see the tv. The tricky part is that the game is at 11:30, so I'd get there as early as you can since it will undoubtedly fill up fast for this huge game. If you're not a coug, no worries. Great environment, drinks, atmosphere, etc. Just don't wear any UW apparel and you should be ok. Also, if you're able to make it and sit through the Coug game, they will be showing the 'Hawk game after so you can get 2 great games in a fun, festive environment.

BEWARE!

Sorry to regurgitate another story from the local newspapers, but this story about a serial flasher that is locally relevant and kinda funny at the same time. I couldn't resist This whole scenario is eerily similiar to the Women's Appreciation episode from season 3 of The Office. It kinda makes me wonder how police go about bringing these kinds of people to justice. Do they put undercover officers along the jogging trail hoping to catch a glimpse or use Dwights method? I know if I was a cop assigned to this case I would hope that the guy turns himself in

some people never cease to amaze me

After reading this article about the police finally arresting a "fortuneteller" after scamming almost 1/4 of a million dollars out of another woman, I thought that the police had gotten it half wrong. I think that the police should arrest the woman who gave them all that money and sentence her to an equally harsh sentence. How delusional must she be to spend that much money to get, not her husband, but boyfriend back? I don' think it matters how in love with him she was, he obviously wasn't that great of a catch. I can only imagine the how much the two women must have been laughing when they accepted all that money. Like I said, some people never cease to amaze me.

Don't hear this everyday

In the spirit of the Iowa caucuses, I decided on a post with some political leaning. I found this article in my morning newspaper browse about Gov. Gregoire and her plans for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. I gotta say its kind of refreshing to hear a politician not going with the typical politician-speak and actually speaking forcefully on an issue. I, like all 98103 residents use Aurora/viaduct regularly. Tearing the whole thing down like the Gregoire said, would change things drastically. I also know since the Minnesota bridge collapse this summer, there have been times that I have been driving through it and had visions of our own similar nightmare. Regardless of political affiliation, you have to agree that its good to hear our state's leader take a firm stance on an important issue. Lets hope this gets resolved before we actually do have to tear it down.

well... better luck next year

With all the excitment of experience my first New Year's celebration in Seattle, I was a little dissapointed. Not because of a lack of fun. My hangover the next day is enough evidence to dismiss that idea. It wasn't the people. They were the ones that helped contribute to the hangover. I'm talking about the fireworks show at the Space Needle. I was pretty excited because I didn't have to leave my apartment to see them. All I had to do was go on the rooftop deck at my apartment complex. Apparently there were some technical difficulties that caused all the problems. It's not something that I'm going to lose any sleep over. Better luck next year