Things That Are Right: Sept 2011

There are still many many things that are wrong.  Which is why it’s been so nice lately to see a few things that are right.  Here’s this month’s list:

• Moving Planet, a day to move about without the use of fossil fuels.  Here’s hoping it grows every year!
• Elizabeth Warren’s screed against the Republican Right’s claims that increasing taxes on the rich (and cutting some of the Bush-era tax breaks) is “class warfare.”  Thank you, Elizabeth Warren.  We need more brave souls like you in politics.
• Fall Recipes.  Like ginger carrot soup.  NOM!
• The Fremont Troll’s 40th birthday cake.  This photo is 2 years old, but new to me, so check it out here.
• Last year’s proposed change to the Washington State Seal.  Oh wow, this is awesome.  When I found it, I thought it was a hijacked Wikipedia page, but no.  True story.  Check out the section titled, “Proposed Change.”

What else is Right these days?  Drop us a Comment!

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Staycations

Maybe it’s a fairly new term, or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention before– but I never head the word “Stay-cation” til I moved to the Emerald City in 2005.  Here, vacations are handled differently than other places I’ve lived.  For example, people take “sun trips” when the winter clouds have been hanging over the pacific northwest too long & we all start to go nuts.  Some people take more winter trips than summer trips because the summers here are just so delicious.

Which brings me to the Seattle Staycation.

Seattle is such a great tourist spot, but as a resident you can’t possibly see it all.  Particularly if you like to avoid vacationing weekend crowds.  But there’s so much to enjoy!  We’ve got parks and green space, fine eateries, mountain vistas (Olympics, Cascades, Mt. Rainier), Puget Sound, nearby whale watching, salmon runs at the Ballard locks, fly fishing, wineries, pick your own berry farms, farmers markets, Pike Place Market, sports teams, theater, lakes, kayaking, cruises, art museums, live music… the list goes on & on.

This week I’m enjoying my own Seattle staycation.  And here are some things that are absolutely right about it:

• Sipping morning coffee at a different coffee shop each day.  Particularly this one where you can borrow binoculars for an up close view of the sailboats & tugs coasting through.
• No alarm clocks.
• Not getting lost.
• Going to tourist spots in off-times, and missing the crowds.
• No alarm clocks.
• Not getting lost.
• Seeing your home town from a whole new perspective (especially if that new perspective involves passing by your office when you’re supposed to be in it!).
• No alarm clocks.
• Not getting lost.
• Spending time with your pets who don’t normally travel.  Though if you don’t live in Seattle & are planning to travel here, Hotel Monaco will roll out the welcome mat for your critters.
• No alarm clocks.
• Not getting lost.
• Going to restaurants you already know you’ll enjoy.
• No alarm clocks.
• Not getting lost.
• Checking out things you normally can’t do during the week, like NOAA’s Soundgarden.
• No alarm clocks.
• Not getting lost.
• Saving $$ by eliminating airfare & hotels.  Money you can spend on other things, like whale watching tours or day trips to Snoqualmie Falls or the Olympic National Park.

And did I mention no alarm clocks & not getting lost?

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Things That Are Right: Spring 2010

Scary cilantro

It’s getting harder to write introductory paragraphs for these Things That Are Right/Things That Are Wrong posts, so we’ll just let these things speak for themselves:

• Cindy Lauper opens New York’s first permanent homeless shelter for gay, les, bi, and trans youth.  Excellent!
• Some French guy jumps into the East River to save a baby that’s not even his. 
• Police crapped on the walls of your house?  Seriously??
• The Japanese Robo-Suit.  For small farmers who have extra cash laying around.
• An auto show for DINK dollars?
• Seattle raises a half million in one day to “save the fireworks.”  How’s that for civic pride?
• 17 year old cat is so feisty he scares off the postal service.  Go Tiger!
• Who knew “cilantrophobe” is a real word?

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Things That Are Right

Photo: U.S. Air Force

I enjoy compiling lists of things that are wrong. It gives me a chance to be snarky & make fun of things. But as 2010 kicks off, I thought it might be time to refocus my energy on things that are right. Things that are good — either in a warm fuzzy sort of way, or a goofy silly fun sort of way.

Enjoy this inaugural post, “Things That Are Right”…

• The Robin Hood banker
• Tori Amos’ Palin Promise — Start printing your Tori 2012 campaign buttons now!
• Captain Sully — for landing a plane on the Hudson, and for what he continues to do now.
• Seattle Fremont neighborhood regains world record for most zombies in one place.
• Twitter account “Shitmydadsays” becomes a sitcom
• Honest Safeway customers (wanna be neighbors??)
• Code Blue Recovery Drink
• Susan Boyle
• Julie Andrews returns to the stage!
• Passengers of Flight 253 (Dec 25, 2009)
• Standing up to corporate interests
• Yes we did!

The point is, there’s something each of us can do to make things more right.  Let’s get to it!  This is going to be a great year and a great decade!

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