I Can Has Bloggers

If you've been following Capitol Hill Seattle for awhile, you know that you can earn some latte money for writing about our fine neighborhood. It turns out that Ballard Blog is starting to do the same thing, and they're recruiting. So is Queen Anne View, except they're being picky and only want journalists (us garden-variety blargers ain't good enough fer them). Three cheers for local entrepreneurship and super-local news! And latte money!

Um, it turns out that the lolcats are hiring too ... if you didn't already figure it out from the LolMariners post, I Can Has Cheezburger is based here in Seattle. They're actually looking for full-time meme-hunters, so if you like spending all day on the internet looking for stupid-cute stuff that makes you laugh, this one might be for you.

Farewell, sweet Ninja Bear

I'm happy the little guy is now back in his natural environment, but it was kind of neat having our very own Ninja Bear, if only for a short time. Farewell, Ninja Bear, and godspeed.

P.S. ...and the legends say that in times of great trouble, Ninja Bear will come back from the North and save Seattle...

Ninja Bear: On the Loose in Northern Seattle

My favorite part of all of this - the naming competition that's going on in MyBallard's comments on the story. My vote is Stealthy McSneakypants.

P.S. McSneakypants is not alone - he is part of a long but little known ninja bear tradition.

Sustainable Ballard Festival

Sustainable Ballard was a hoot. Yes, my experience was colored by my shift as a carnival barker, during which time I hollered at innocent passersby and danced with various incarnations of the Bag Monster. While wearing a plastic tutu. Volunteering with the Bring Your Own Bag Coalition - never a dull moment.

I am happy to report that the rest of the festival was also worth the forty minute bus ride. I spent a happy half hour perusing Re-Store's Booth of Wonderful Junk - I now have the beginnings of this year's amazing Halloween costume. I missed most of the cooking demonstrations, though I got to try some mighty tasty cider. And I was happy to discover that the Local Food Movement folks make nifty t-shirts, of which I bought two (they were that nifty).

There were other good things besides loot. Some of my favorite local organizations made an appearance: Washington Bus, City Light and their free CFLs, YES! Magazine, and People for Puget Sound. In the interests of full disclosure, yes, I did work for the last two at one point, but that just means I know that they're awesome inside and out.

If you couldn't make it this year, I'm sure they're going to have another one next year - if they've managed to pull it off five times, I think they can manage six. And you can see more pictures at the MyBallard blog.

Speaking of green festivals, Green October 2008 promises to make this coming month action packed. I was planning on going to the Seattle Bioneers conference anyway, but I guess I'll see what else I can fit in.