Seattle Likes Bikes

Seattle Likes Bikes

We Ride: Stone Way/Fremont
Wednesday August 1
Meetup:4:30 (Gasworks)
Ride:5-6pm

WHAT: A ride of enough cyclists to clog up lower Fremont at rush hour. This will be a legal ride, which means we ride two by two and obey all traffic laws.

WHY: The city has caved to pressure from businesses and developers and has decided to go against the recommendations of the bike master plan and leave a six-block gap between 34th & 40th on Stone Way N, as well as continue the closure of a section of the Burke-Gilman in Fremont thru 2008.

WHO: All cyclists who are concerned about fundamental community-planning towards a better future and private interests trumping public safety.

WHEN: We'll meet up briefly at Gasworks Park at 4:30. Then we'll start riding around the following loop, counter-clockwise, following all traffic laws. If you can't make it until later just join in on the loop!

apartment listing

for rent:
a room in a spacious 2-bedroom apartment located in seattle's 1st hill neighborhood.
this apartment is a corner unit with hardwood floors and lots of windows.
the kitchen is tile with a full-size oven and dishwasher.
laundry is located on-site. this apartment is conveniently located close to downtown and capitol hill and is located on a major bus line, making most of seattle at an arm's reach.

the bedroom's are 90 sq. ft and 110 sq. ft.
i am looking for someone to rent one of the rooms at $470.00 or $525.00. this person must be friendly and willing to pick up after themselves. as well, they cannot be allergic to cats or have their own, as i have two and that is enough for me.

if this sounds like something you are interested, please respond. more pictures of the space can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shannarama/sets/72157600976442559/



thanks,
shannon garcia

hulk smash!

the last month or so have been stressful. i've had to adjust to being more poor than i have ever been before. which is a difficult transition, though it is not impossible (especially when one doesn't have much of a choice.) anyway, the ripples were beginning to settle and i was beginning to feel less anxiety stricken. of course history should have taught me to predict that this is the time when opportunity strikes for the trouble ship sailing on the sea of change.
and if i had made that prediction, i would not have been surprised when sluggo, my roommate, told me she was leaving.
there are many benefits like: NOT living with 3 cats, enjoying my living space more, and not having to do her dishes.
the non-benefits may trump the benefits though like: having to find a roommate STAT or have to break a lease and move again with bad credit and no extra money, what if i move in with another flake that won't do her own dishes, etc. ...
anyway, i'm totally wiggin' like i do when big things happen that are virtually out of my control.
if you know anyone that wants to live with a tidy roommate and 2 wonderful snugglekin kitties, please send them to me!!!

crIMMIGRATION reminder

CRIMMIGRATION: People, “Security” and Resistance

July 18, 6:30-8:30
New Freeway Hall
5018 Rainier Avenue S
Free and Open to the Public

Please join us for a conversation about the characterization and treatment of immigrants as criminals.

This evening is being organized by the Women Studies Department at the University of Washington. Co-sponsors include: Hate Free Zone Washington Community Action Network, and Mujeres of the Northwest.


Moderator and participants:

Serena Maurer, Instructor in Women Studies and 2006 graduate of our PhD Program.

Shankar Narayan, Policy Director at Hate Free Zone

Maria Rivera, a local immigrant activist

Maru Villalpando, a Community Organizer with Washington Community Action Network (Washington CAN!)

the greatest american passtime

KICKBALL!!!

i think being an asthmatic teenager and young adult made me forget how great this game is. mostly because there is no fun when one can't run. however, i was re-introduced to the sensation, purely as a spectator, on sunday.
it was a nice, beautiful day and not filled with hellfire and brimstone temperatures, like today. that morning I had taken an african dance class with my friend the truck driving magic mama and i was sore. however, spending the day inside like a slug was NOT and option. it was just too nice out.
so, harpo and i saddled up and went on a mini bike ride. it was mini, because it felt like my hips were going to pop out of their sockets.
anyway, we went to the other coast. i got a vegan Reuben sandwich and my beau got a roast beef. we took our lunch to the ballard community center to eat. the sandwiches were delicious, as usual. after we finished grubbing, a group took a corner of the field and began warming up. harps and i were thrilled to see kickballs in the mix.
we stayed awhile longer and watched the game. (well i mostly knit and harpo told me when to look up.) either way, it was a blast to watch. it made me remember when a certain musical genius was trying to recruit kickballers. it was when i 1st moved here and did not have a handle on my asthma. though, now i do.

kickball anyone?

minus the beer

the 4th of july came and went and here i go waxing retrospective, like i do...



most of the day was spent doing minor calisthenics while my sweetums made potato salad. the plan was to go to el jeffe's to tailgate out of his van, the princess fluffernutter. being that i come from arizona, the word tailgate puts a foul taste in my mouth. it reminds me of football, raw jocks, and tall cans of various sub par beer. no offense to the people who identify with anything listed above. it's just that arizona has a special way of giving such things a white trashy edge. to say the least, i was skeptical of the good times to be had, especially considering we were to be venturing the crapitol hill and parking is a nightmare at best on non-special occasions. i could not bring myself to fathom what it was going to be like on this most sacred of days. also, what would getting home be like? would it be the vehicular equivalent to michael jackson's thriller video? i shuddered at this thought.
we arrived on the hill with ease, but drove around for what seemed like a lifetime looking for parking. in actuality, it was probably more like 15 minutes. either way i was getting to the point where i was ready to call of the holiday. it was then that i saw a lot with empty space which had the option of paying by phone. to this, i resounded a great big "fuck it. we're parking here." anyone who knows me well should know that i will eat my arm before paying to park my car. this is how desperate i had gotten and i was still dubious as to how rock n' roll this gala was going to be.
harpo and i happened to be in the mood for some good old fashioned 4th of july grilling. as a side note, good things to remember while preparing for impromptu BBQing with friends. if there is anything you think you might need (like cups, plates, napkins, plastic wear, beer, food, charcoal, grill) bring them yourself. in some circles impromptu BBQing seems to mean not actually BBQing. i somehow had an innate sense of this and brought everything needed, minus the beer. i left that up to others. i know my friends, if there is no food it may not be a problem. however, no beer = problem and that problem typically gets solved and very quickly at that.
i don't normally eat my hat, but the whole evening turned out to be big fun. we had good conversations, good beer and good old fashioned 4th of july grilling. as well, we were perfectly situated to see the fireworks show near the space needle, which blew, and the show at lake union, which rocked me like a hurricane. then on the way home, all the traffic i had imagined battling like unearthed zombies, was not traveling in the direction we were. so that, in and of itself, made the evening great. i might actually remember this year's 4th, unlike last year's when i have no blasting clue what i did...
in the end, we all had a really good time--even those in our party who typically always have a bad time. we were together, celebrating the day we disentangled ourselves from the tentacles of tyranny, attempting to create justice for all. it's fun to celebrate that notion. it's even more fun to imagine achieving that lofty dream. either way american is just alright with me.

end scene