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This past Monday, between 10 AM & noon, I tried to cross Aurora using the bike button on 92nd. After waiting for 5 minutes (a few cycles of the traffic light at 90th), I just gave up and crossed when safe, using the island to cross in stages.

Has anyone else encountered this, esp recently? At what point does it warrant a Find it, Fix it report?

I am reading "Fighting Traffic" by Peter D Norton, and I just came to the realization that city streets, before takeover by the automobile (the history told in the book), streets themselves functioned as these essential third places. They were places for children to play. They were places for all to socialize. The promulgation of some of these off street spaces (such as playgrounds) were popularized as a direct effort to reduce people using the street in this way.

While Christensen argues that public spaces aren't third places, the criteria list she provides allows for this older use of the street to fit well.

I recently got a new bike. Things are mostly correct, but I think a new saddle would finish it off nicely. Are there any places in town that do the "running shoe" experience? Or, barring that, have a knowledgeable staff about saddles and kinematics?

Looking at the weather report for the next 10 days, all rain and clouds. Sunny and gorgeous leaves outside. Go outside while the weather is incredible!

As part of their Passover offerings, PCC (at least the one near my house) is selling Israeli wine grown in Golan Heights. You know, those settlements not recognized under international law..

Is there a protest planned on this direct support of Israeli land grabbing?

Hitching your horse in the street was acceptable, in large part because it was only so long it would be there as it was a living being. (Also, you could hitch quite a few in a small space). However, that inertia has carried forward today and now we have people parking their car for days on public property, and all the space set aside for it.

Of course, horses themselves aren't actually to blame.

Anyone know how often the Mobility Device (wheelchair, stroller, etc) area on the fast ferry fills up? We are planning on going contra rush hour on a weekday evening, if anyone knows about that specifically.

Roth funds (IRA & 401k) don't count towards the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), whereas 529s (and normal taxable accounts) do increase the EFC - source: https://faaaccess.ed.gov/fotw2223/help/faahelp69.htm

Why is this important? In my state, Washington, a lower EFC increases the "State Aid" provided when paying tuition (at UW Seattle, at least). EFC is influenced by many factors - https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/2223EFCFormulaGuide.pdf , one of which are investments (but not primary residence & official retirement accounts, as per the first link).

Also, as I live in Washington state, we have no state income tax (and so a reduced tax benefit for a 529).

So, for p

We are considering getting a mostly enclosed raised playhouse in the backyard for our children. It would be cedar, so not super worried about the rain. However, we don't know if these structures work in the PNW. Anybody have any experience and/or advice? It would be open enough that we would hose clean it occasionally.

I was doing real well on a Watcher A20; definitely was going for the Heart. Halfway through Act 3, took a break. Booted up the game later, did not press continue yet, and decided that I wanted more time before continuing the run, so closed the app.

This was enough to count as another attempt apparently, and now the run is lost.

I am not mad, just disappointed and wanted to let others know this could happen to their run. This was on Android FWIW.

Excluding the restaurants that charge over $10 for corkage, are there any restaurants near or in Seattle that are BYOB? Recently came back from Hawaii, and remembered how refreshing it was to just bring my own beer.

There was an accident a block away. A car horn has now been going off for 10 minutes. Just a daily reminder that cities would be much quieter if they didn't have cars.

Yesterday, there was an opinion piece by the "Editorial Board". Today, there are the opinion pieces by Alex Fryer and David Horsey. All of them contain the same misinformation about how not upzoning is better for affordability. (See here for why it qualifies as misinformation).

This is the first time I have noticed the team really pushing a specific agenda, and hard. Has this happened before?

Scotland passed a law making all* menstrual products free. As a man who is concerned about trash and reasonable budgetary policies, why do all products need to be free, and not just menstrual cups?

To clarify: at a low percentage point, it makes economic/environmental sense to get those other products subsidized through their (free) doctor.