R.I.P. Mold, or, Seattle Household Tips

I hate mold. A lot. I come from Southern California, so when I was growing up mold was something you had to take of the bathroom from time to time. Now that I live in a janky apartment in Seattle, it's something I have to address on a weekly basis during the winter in the bathroom, in every windowsill, and occasionally on things that lean against outside walls. So I really fucking hate mold.

I finally got around to looking up how to kill this stuff right the other day. The CDC says that a 1:16 solution of bleach and water, sprayed onto and left on the affected surface, should do the trick. I wiped down everything first and then sprayed it with the milquetoast bleach solution just for good measure. I really hope it works.

Beard & Stache Fest comes to the Hill

Beard & Stache Fest is a month-long homage to facial hair and an extended fundraiser for Treehouse, a non-profit committed to improving the lives of foster kids in Washington state. It's had some events around Seattle previously, but today is the first day it came to Capitol Hill with the Wifflebowl in Cal Anderson Park. I only walked by, but I must admit, it looked like a lot of fun.

If nothing else crazy gets planned for Valentine's Day, I fully plan to attend the next Beard & Stache/Cal Anderson event, the Lover's Quarrel Cardboard Tube Fight. You bring the cardboard armor, the enthusiasm and lots of friends; the Beard & Stache folks will provide the cardboard tubes. It's free (though donations are appreciated) at Cal Anderson Park on 2/14 from 1-4pm, w/a pre-quarrel brunch at Bluebird and an afterparty at Po-Dog.

This Week's Events of Note

• It's Hunger Action Week for King County from Jan. 25th through the 29th - can you feed yourself on only $7 a day for a whole week? Many, many people do that every day since that's the maximum food benefit for an individual in the state of Washington. This week in particular however, a bunch of people are going to try it even they don't have to, including the mayor and a hell of a lot of bloggers. What about you?
  
  
• PubliCola is having it's first birthday this Wednesday, January 27th down at The Crocodile from 7pm till they kick everyone the hell out. Come schmooze, drink and celebrate a year of local news and political coverage for FREE.
  
  
• If you're not feeling like a wonk schmoozefest, there's also a Haiti Benefit (Jazz) Show at Faire Gallery and Cafe the same night from 9pm on.
  
  
• The first Seattle Startup Drinks of the year is this Friday, January 29th from 7-10pm down at Two Bells Tavern. Come on down to Belltown and talk about what you're up to.
  

Rent's Due

I recently discovered that a favorite (delicious and affordable!) restaurant of mine that did not wish to be named is moving out of the center city in favor of more affordable pastures to the north. Even though they're on a main thoroughfare, that thoroughfare's been hitting hard times as of late. Despite the decline in foot traffic, rents are still at the same levels as several years ago. This bums me out. In a time when we're all still broke and in need of comfort food, a decently priced restaurant gets pushed out beyond reasonable bussing distance by an unyielding landlord and an unequally unyielding rent. Rats.

Recently, on CHS Blog: Pies in Mason Jars, Carbon Coaching & an Urban CSA

These last two weeks I've posted on CHS Blog about Mini-Empire Bakery, David Lyman's upcoming free Carbon Coaching class, and Alleycat Acres. (I can't really count the John and Summit naming stuff cuz I didn't post about it, even if I did help write the letter.) I feel accomplished :)

Kiki the Robot: Origins

Upon learning that Metrix: Create Space had a soldering room, my friend MJ decided it was high time to finish building her robot Kiki. While Kiki is presently a mere pile of parts, she will soon become an adorable (I presume) little bot that can navigate mazes with the help of her wee little light sensors. Once she's up and running I'm sure I'll write a post in the Metrix blog, but for now, I just wanted to document her very earliest beginnings. Think of it as the digital version of bronzed baby shoes.

This Week in Kickoffs: The Uprising Art Opening, Office Nomads Resolutions Party, & B-Way Light Rail Stations Construction Begins

The Uprising, this Tuesday night's (8-11pm) Zombie Art Show Reception & Zombie Potluck at Zero Zero, begins my week in Capitol Hill kickoffs. This is a must-attend: you can meet Zero Zero's Jason of the amazing double handlebar mustache, and of course, there will be zombie art.

Thursday is going to be an event double-header with Office Nomads Resolutions Party/Winter Open House and then the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station Construction Kickoff over at Seattle Central. The party at Office Nomads goes from 6-9pm and the Construction Kickoff presentation will go from about 6:30 to 8pm...yeah, so maybe it isn't actually physically possible to make it to both. But I can try.

Cal Anderson Park Alliance Looking for New Board Members

Kay Rood, Hill-famous CAPA President, has requested that I spread the word about CAPA's search for members to fill their newly-expanded board. The Cal Anderson Park Alliance is the continuation of the badass community group that convinced the city to turn Lincoln Reservoir into a spectacular park rather than a big cement lid. They're still active and making Cal Anderson Park activated and amazing, so if you've got the time and that's what you're into, I recommend applying to become a CAPA board member.

The Cal Anderson Park Alliance is accepting applications and will start reviewing them at the end of January. You can find the application form at the CAPA website.

Grand Openings: Inauguration Day Seattle, Kraftwerks Night, Salvage Marsupials, Radio8Ball Show

This Monday's pretty momentous if you're a massive local politics nerd like I am: at 2pm, Mayor-elect McGinn, City Attorney-elect Pete Holmes and the Councilmembers-elect Sally Bagshaw, Mike O'Brien, Richard Conlin and Nick Licata will be sworn in down at City Council Chambers. I'll be there, shaking hands and taking pictures. Slideshow coming soon :)

This coming Tuesday night is going to be much more interesting than the average Tuesday night because it will be the grand opening of the weekly craft night at Metrix: Create Space and of my wee Etsy store, Salvage Marsupials. Kraftwerks Night (hee hee) will go from 6pm till midnight, and the grand opening of Salvage Marsupials will occur once I show up to Metrix with celebratory cookies.

This coming Sunday evening will be extra exciting too because it's the first Radio8Ball Show of the season and my first time twittering for said show. It should be interesting posting tweets about a "show where questions are answered by picking songs at random and interpreting the randomly chosen songs as the answer to the questions, like shaking a musical 8ball." Wish me luck!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

So, here's the belated cheesy Christmas cracker joke I owe my faithful readers:

What is a minimum?
A very small mother

And as a New Year's Bonus, here's Steve McQueen the Cat, to the tune of the opening theme of McGyver.

We wish you a Merry Christmas (2)

A Christmas card for my faithful readers, courtesy of St. Matthew-in-the-City of Auckland, New Zealand and AP News.

Outside:



Inside:

The true meaning of Christmas...

Happy Hols everyone,
Jen

We wish you a Merry Christmas

In the fine and upstanding Life on the Hill Christmas tradition, it is customary to post bad jokes that hail from the British Christmas Crackers that my mom buys every year. Since she told me one a few days early, I will now deliver it fresh to you:

What do you call a video game system in a Nativity Scene?
A Wii In a Manger

Don't worry, there's more where that came from.


P.S. Courtesy of XKCD, here's a much better Christmas joke.

Busy week for the Community Council

This week is going to be a busy one for the Capitol Hill Community Council: the CHCC Holiday Benefit Bash is on Tuesday (12/15) and the December General Meeting is just two days later (12/17). I will have the pleasure of attending both.

If you find your holiday schedule too tight to handle this much civic participation, I suggest the Holiday Benefit Bash: it's more laid-back, you still have the chance to find out about what's going on in the neighborhood, and there's jello shots. They are asking for a ten dollar suggested donation (i.e. we understand if you're poorer than we are), but it's a good value for live music, pizza, Rock Band with your neighbors, and the charm and wit of the officers of the Community Council :)

UPDATE: Turns out that the Holiday Benefit Bash was THE event of last Tuesday night - about 100 people came, the Council raised about $400, and everybody had a good time (and possibly a few jello shots).

All Tomorrow's Parties: Cap Hill Holiday Hoopla

Since the Capitol Hill Community Council is one of the co-sponsors of the Capitol Hill Holiday Hoopla, I'll be there this Tuesday night at the "So You Think You Know Capitol Hill" Trivia Table (complete with lovely assistants and sugar-filled prizes).

After looking at all the RSVPs on the Hoopla Facebook page, I'm really, really happy I'll be tabling there that night - it looks to be an excellent outreach opportunity plus I don't think I'd be able to fight my way in otherwise. But what do you expect when there's an absolutely free party/food/drinks to be had on Capitol Hill?

This week in obnoxious side projects: S.T.E.A.M. Assembly at Metrix Create Space

Words are more potent when spoken to a group of creative, like-minded people. Instead of simply being idle, talk becomes action. When one speaks to steampunk types about creating a union for airship mechanics, zeppelin grease-monkeys and the like...idle talk can become extremely silly action. And hence I will be serving tea and cakes in Metrix Create Space at 3PM this Saturday afternoon to the members and supporters of the newly formed Society to Emancipate Airship Mechanics. First a Facebook group, then a blog, and now plans to agitate openly in the streets for the rights of airship workers everywhere. I'm almost afraid to ask what's next...our own cooperatively owned and fully functional airship?

{image courtesy of the ineffable Molly Friedrich}

Fare thee well, sweet Bailey Coy

I was bummed when I heard Bailey Coy Books was going to close at the end of November, but Cheesecake's video interview of Michael Wells has me sniffling. All good things must come to an end and all, but watching this interview makes it feel like closing this bookstore is kicking people out of their home.

Anyway, I'll see you at the wake.

Fresh from my inbox to you: SNG Landlord Training - Nov. 17th

Seattle Neighborhood Group offers training workshops for landlords, property managers, and real estate managers! Seattle Neighborhood Group is a local non-profit organization dedicated to making our communities strong and safe places to live. We support local property managers and landlords by providing critical information on keeping properties safe and crime free.

This workshop is great for managers who want to brush up on their management skills, as well as for people who have never been landlords before.

After attending this workshop you will be able to...

• Screen applications fairly & legally
• Create excellent rental agreements
• Deal with problems before they escalate
• Identify illegal behavior, especially relating to drug activity on your property
• Avoid situations that lead to difficult evictions
• Learn about recent changes to landlord/tenant laws
• Prevent illegal activity
• Work with your residents to make your property a great place to be.

SNG's upcoming training is 8 hours, and costs $25, which includes a comprehensive Landlord Manual, and of course...snacks! (breakfast, morning, and afternoon).

The workshop will be held at the at 3515 S. Alaska on November 17th. Check-in begins at 8:00.
You must register before Nov. 17! Register online at: http://www.sngi.org/landlord_register.html

Workshop presenters include:
Ron Oldham, National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials Director
Gary Kinner, SPD Narcotics Detective
Chris Benis, Attorney, director of Rental Housing Association of Puget Sound
Michael Neguse, Community Organizer, Seattle Neighborhood Group

Register online at: http://www.sngi.org/landlord_register.html
More information at: http://www.sngi.org/landlord.html
Or call Seattle Neighborhood Group at 206-323-9666

And finally, the picture show - images of Steam-Con 2009

A Busy Halloween - Life on the Hill's Schedule of Events

• Friday Pre-funk, 8pm to 10pm (ish) - Nuns Go Bump in the Night: Sisters of the Motherhouse of Washington, fundraiser for Lambert House, Cafe Metropolitain
• Saturday, 10am to Noon - Chamber of Commerce Monster Cleanup: civic engagement, breakfast and luncheon with neighborhood movers and shakers
• 6pm to 8pm - Capitol Hill Community Council Broadway Trick or Treat: small children in cute outfits, lots of candy from kind and generous businesses
• 10pm to late - Depthcharge: deep benthic theme, goths, underground (literally) club, cheap strong drinks

The last one is up in the air at the moment since a friend of mine is trying to lure me to Sand Point with the promise of good company and pumpkin cheesecake. We'll see where I end up.

Rise Up, O Workers of the Air!

One of the side effects of a good convention are all the new projects that pop up afterward. It's just what happens when creative like-minded people gather in those numbers. I don't know about all the creative fallout after Steam-Con, but I do know about the part of it that fell on me: the Society To Emancipate Airship Mechanics. One moment I was just a simple zeppelin grease monkey enjoying my day off and then - BAM - I'm in charge of an airship workers union. I must have been extremely charming on Sunday. That and everyone must be really tired of losing extremities to unprotected propellers.