Aug 30, 2011

If you open up a store at the base of Capitol Hill, and you call it … for the sake of argument let’s say … Fedex Kinko’s — for the love of God, learn how to spell the name of the neighborhood. A market cap of $25 Billion and not a proofreader in the house. Unbelievable. This is why the Chinese own us. I’m not trying to be...

Aug 29, 2011

In a ruling last week, the First District Court of Appeals has told us something that we should have all known from day one, and is something that I have been telling everyone for years: It is perfectly legal for citizens to photograph and videotape police officers. See: http://www.universalhub.com/2011/court-says-state-law-banning-recording-police-offi A couple...

Aug 28, 2011

o2.pl It’s no great secret that I give alt.weeklies a hard time. I like reading some of the articles in our local tabloids, but the notion that any of the authors are “alternative” is something that I just don’t buy. Everybody wants to be alternative, but only a precious few make the sacrifices to pull it off. Who am I to judge, though? Who am I to...

Aug 28, 2011

It’s a sign asking me if I see something suspicious. It’s the most suspicious thing I’ve ever seen. Someone must be notified. Where’s Phoenix Jones when you need him …

Aug 27, 2011

Earlier yesterday, I was walking down 8th Street in Downtown Hellevue when I saw something very bizarre. A clean, suburban, upper-middle-class-looking white woman and her three sons were standing on the corner of 8th St. & 104th Ave. All three of the boys were under ten years old, and the youngest (maybe four years-old) was standing in the middle of the...

Aug 24, 2011

This is the most bizarre story I have seen in some time: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Police-investigating-man-photographing-girls-at-2138229.php Basically, a father allowed his daughter to change in public at the Seattle Center International Fountain, spotted someone taking a picture, demanded to see that photographer’s camera, then called the...

Aug 21, 2011

I was down at The Waterfront today, and while there, I watched crowds of people filter into Myrtle Edwards Park for the 2011 Seattle Hempfest. I thought for a few moments about going in myself, but decided better of it for a few reasons: 1) After 20 years of this stuff, I doubt there is anything in this Hempfest I haven’t seen before. 2) Yawn. Pot was...

Aug 18, 2011

I just got home from a trip down Pike Street, and I almost got taken out, ironically, in a manner very similar to that on Dexter Avenue two weeks ago. As I was sitting at the stoplight at Pike Street and Broadway, a straight-up Gangsta G in a silver BMW pulled up beside me in the right turn lane, blasting the shitty autotuned rap selection of the day. When the...

Jul 30, 2011

On Thursday, a man was hit and killed by an SUV as he was riding his bicycle through South Lake Union. That man’s name was Michael Wang, and he was hit by an SUV which did not bot her to stop. As a matter of fact, the driver has yet to be found. All we currently know is that the murderer was driving a brown SUV with tinted windows. On Friday, I wrote a post...

Jul 26, 2011

‘My Goodness’ is probably my favorite “new” Seattle band. They’ve got a White Stripes meets Black Keys meets Mudhoney thing going on, and if they aren’t a household name in Seattle (if not wider) within the next few years, I’ll be surprised. A couple of other bands that have the potential to save Seattle from folk and video game music are the...

Jul 17, 2011

Sometimes, I have no idea what I catch on camera until I get home and play it back. Take my Friday ride, for instance. I rode over to meet some folks at the Bite of Seattle, and on my way back, I turned on my helmet camera. I rode down 5th Avenue under the Monorail tracks (a stretch known as the “Monorail Mile”), and when I stopped at 5th &...

Jul 14, 2011

The Capitol Hill Block Party is still a week away, but it already managed to entertain me. “How?”, you might ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Today, I pulled up the FAQ on the party’s website, and I struck pure comedy gold. Check it out: How do I get there? The Block Party is easy to get to via foot, bicycle or bus (http://metro.kingcounty.gov). Parking...

Jul 8, 2011

A few months ago, I wrote a short post about the Chase Bank that was vandalized on Capitol Hill. Hours after posting it, I received a comment on the blog from someone named “Smith” who simply said: “Very uneducated people are obviously writing your articles” The critique was fair enough, but it was without substance or rebuttal. When I looked at the...

Jul 8, 2011

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I dialed 911 from my cellphone. I was riding through SoDo, behind a red Jeep, when I noticed a stop light ahead. I applied my brakes, but the Jeep did not. As I rolled to a stop, the Jeep smashed into a white van in front of us, totalling the Jeep and sending shards of debris flying. I ran up to both drivers, made sure they...

Jun 30, 2011

In the past few days, I’ve received maybe a dozen emails and as many text messages about this story: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/06/28/ar-15-left-sitting-on-trunk-of-seattle-police-car Basically, a Seattle Police Officer left a huge assault rifle on the back of his car, and he apparently drove all over downtown without noticing the thing...

Jun 28, 2011

I love Aberdeen, Washington, or as I call it, Far West Virginia. I always have. At one point, I almost moved there. Grays Harbor certainly has its problems, economic depression being the primary one, but it has one of the lowest costs of living in the USA, and the best climate in North America (83 inches of rain to Seattle’s 37). Most of all, the place is...

Jun 24, 2011

I am neither a liberal or a conservative. Contrary to popular belief, neither am I a nihilist or an anarchist. If I had to be pigeonholed into one particular ideology, I would be considered a ‘skeptic’. Now, what does this mean exactly? Being a skeptic means that I distrust all political parties intensely. It means I assume that all politicians, all...

Jun 23, 2011

Yesterday, I headed down to Pioneer Square to have lunch with a buddy of mine. I approached a parking meter under the Viaduct, ordered up a $4 hour of parking, and was charged $4.88. A 22% markup. Apparently, this was a private meter, and the owner unbundled all of the taxes and tacked it onto the end. Nice. I’ve heard it said that costs decrease when...

Jun 19, 2011

“Lock the front door when you leave the house.” “Put a club on your steering wheel when you park.” “Don’t dress like you have money.” “Don’t carry a camera out in the open.” “Don’t act like an American.” For my own safety, I’ve been given all of the above advice at one time or another during my life. On none of these occasions did I...

Jun 7, 2011

For the heads-up:  http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Seattle-parking-meters-unable-to-accept-credit-card-payments-123404733.html Aww, gee guys, don’t mention it. That’s just how I roll. I’m kind of like Phoenix Jones without the suit.  Or the goatee.  Or the ability to quell street violence by standing menacingly close to...

Jun 6, 2011

I am 42 years old. I’ve been to a lot of places, I have done a lot of things. Most of those things I was proud of, some things I could have done better. Of all the questionable things I have done, however, tweeting a picture of my pecker is not one of them. In fact, it has never even crossed my mind. I mean, why would it? Why would it cross anyone’s...

Jun 5, 2011

What a weekend. I’ve been short on time and neglecting the blog. Two family birthdays, a friend in from out of town, the tail end of a major contract, and a recalcitrant case of priapism. You know how it is. I have to backtrack a bit. On Friday, I went to Top Pot Doughnuts to celebrate “National Doughnut Day”. What is National Donut Day? I...

May 25, 2011

While other independent computer types across Seattle sit in pretentious coffee shops and admire each other’s bedhead, I choose to work in slightly less happening places. My favorite of these places is the back of the Pike Place fish market, in a corner overlooking the Puget Sound. The only problem with this spot is that it is only usable on overcast...

May 19, 2011

You know, it’s fine and good to disagree about things. Disagreement is what makes a market, and it’s what brings about change for the better. Tricks, manipulation, and deception, however, is a sign of desperation. Take Mayor McGinn’s Wikipedia page for instance: First, the article starts out with a complete hit paragraph which consists solely...

May 9, 2011

This is the saddest story I have read in some time: http://www.king5.com/news/Boy-dies-friends-disgusted-by-slow-response-121535594.html This past weekend, an Everett boy was left under a capsized boat for 40 minutes as game wardens and police stood by and watched. The boy has died. Why didn’t they help him? Because Law Enforcement was out on the water...