The Audiorium

They called us, Snow Wimps!

It’s not like we’re suffering in quiet indignation or anything. But it’s been a while since I’ve witnessed the people of the great Pacific Northwest rally in spirit and come together in agreement about any one thing.

The catalyst was Wednesday afternoon’s blog headline from the Los Angeles Times…

Snow wimps: Seattle is shut down by first real snow of the season

Then add insult to injury…

“Color Seattle clueless. The city has always marched unarmed into its infrequent battles with snow, and Wednesday’s snowstorm was no exception.”

Wow, them’s fightin’ words! “Now don’t hold back L.A., tell us what you really think.”

Oh, and they didn’t hold back continuing with…

“The snowstorm had been forecast to be the worst to hit the Puget Sound region in 30 years, an ominous warning that scared easily scareable Seattleites. As a result — as is usually the case here when cold weather hits — the city collectively declared a snow day and gave up most thoughts of going to work.”

Snap!…

Thursday, January 19th… late afternoon, the hedge out in front of my deck looks kinda like ice worms.

KING 5’s Art Thiel made us proud yesterday when he defended our honor and returned fire with a quintessential Northwest canonical blast over the bow of their blog with:

Critics of Seattle in snow: Shut the hell up

“The incredibly shrinking newspaper has nothing to say to me about Seattle’s weather. Especially when a Southland sprinkle sends literally millions of Angelenos into freeway aqua-spasms. TV reporters there hold microphones next to curbs so viewers can hear water running.”

January 19th… Nobody’s getting out of here this morning. It’s like an ice cream sandwich.

Followed by another fine shot from Scott Sistek, meteorologist for KOMO News.

L.A. paper calls Seattle “snow wimps” as SoCal warns about 1/3” of rain

“Then, as if to prove my point, just hours later the National Weather Services in Los Angeles and San Diego each put out Special Weather Statements for an incoming weather system over the weekend that might bring a quarter to a third of an inch of rain to the coast.“

And you’re calling us wimps?

January 16th… pretty on Monday, but with snow and ice, that’s one hill you don’t want to go down.

I have to admit laughing over “snow wimps” has been a most welcome relief from this weeks politics, the usual bad news, SOPA & PIPA, being snowed in, and worrying about loved one’s and friends out there on snowy icy streets.

Thanks L.A. Times.

As of 9:00 am yesterday the Washington State Patrol had reported over 2,300 accidents. Later that afternoon over 300,000 people were without power and Gov. Chris Gregoire issued a State of Emergency so the National Guard could be mobilized in neccesary.

Originally posted on Activerain.com

So you’re clear about SOPA & PIPA, right?

There’s something terribly wrong when our elected officials even contemplate the systematic dismantling of our citizens ability to freely share its own creativity with each other.

Scene 3 - (In the not so distant future): “I was so excited to share this really cool idea I had with y’all but I just got a DM from Congress.” The Committee on the Suppression of Creative Thought and Freely Sharing has determined I would be in direct violation of paragraphs 193, 206, 319, and 573 of the Amateur Citizens Open Thinking Reform Act of 2016.

Wherein it is clearly stated… No persons, citizens, nor foreigners within or outside our borders will posses any right to intellectual, artistic, or creative thought (no matter the origin) via the written word, image, audio, or video transmitted, conveyed, received, or otherwise consumed through any other means than those dictated by your benevolent government and its officially assigned expert dispensers of said content.

This is for your own protection as well as it is for the protection of all citizens young and old who may become influenced and thereby subject to your thoughts. Therefore, no said or implied creative thinking will be shared in any shape, form, or medium.

If you persist on having these thoughts and the ambition to share them, all evidence will be used against you in a court of law….

One of the best conversations I’ve listened to this week as to why we need to pay attention to SOPA and PIPA is from Clay Shirky.

(Source: activerain.com)

12th and Jackson

On my way over to Capitol Hill on 12th Ave in the heart of the International District at Jackson St.

The Regina House, a day of good tidings.

Paige Collins
Manager

Robert Fix
Coordinator

Happy Holidays 2011

A long long time ago… In a galaxy far far away… I’m talkin’ Christmas here in the 1950’s. That was a time before time before time when we didn’t have high speed internet, social networks, or On Demand TV with a thousand channels to watch. (We only had 3 on a very very good day.)

René meets Santa Claus in person, 1955…

It was so long ago we used a rotary dial phone and competed for the party line and that is not a political statement! There was no digital anything, we were heathens living in a primitive analog world. Yet, even then, we were happy. We couldn’t blog, text, post, message, or fax. There was only us huddled in the frontroom around the stove or fireplace in winter. We were simply blessed with 4 warm walls, a roof, wonderful food, and love.

Mom’s started planning the holidays in August because we’d only be able to communicate a half dozen times or so before Christmas using snail mail.

Christmas trees had real aluminum foil called “tinsel”, not that plastic shinny crap we see now days that kinda sorta looks like shinny aluminum. Stuff was real, it was made in Japan! Tree lights got hot and you had to be careful how you placed them correctly so you didn’t set the tree on fire (and don’t forget to put water in the stand), and ornaments were made of glass, easily broken and potentially dangerous, and they came without a warning. And we survived.

And funny, it was such a mystery that near Christmas, after dad had a little holiday cheer with friends and neighbors, Santa would show up! OMG!, my dad knows Santa! How cool is that!

René acquires his first truck, Christmas 1955. Uncle George in the background.

René and brother Steve get Christmas pajamas from Grandma & Grandpa Larson (1958).

I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday… I’ll step out and say my holiday is Christmas, yet the season includes us all. We all believe what we do and I honor it and bless you and your loved ones for your faith. That’s what is most important. Faith, that is!

I am simply who I am… (as Popeye would say, “I am who I am who I am who I am.”) and it’s true, I am so very blessed and no matter how much I intentionally or not mess up my life on this planet because I have a thick skull or I’m a slow learner or I duke it out with my ego or I fail to recognize the real thing. I have so many wonderful friends from all over this planet of every faith, color, creed, sex, race, denomination, and persuasion… and they hug me, love me, include me… And it never could have happened in any other time quite like this one…

Truly, that’s a blessing.

Happy Holiday’s my Friends, my loved one’s, my kindred spirits! You are loved and appreciated! May every blessing be yours in 2012.

A keepsake from Mom… one of my most treasured possessions. A simple little cardboard decorated Christmas ornament. It has a round hole in back to stick a Christmas Tree light in so it lights up, from the early 1950’s. Somehow it survived all these years. To me, it’s priceless! On the back, it’s hand ink stamped, Made in Japan.

Taking it to the MAX… 737 that is!

I can’t think of better news for this holiday season than the announcement that the new Boeing 737 MAX is going to be built in Renton, Washington.

Boeing’s history in the Seattle area dates back to 1910 when William E. Boeing purchased the Heath shipyard on the Duwamish River. This would later become his first airplane factory in Seattle near the Museum of Flight. Boeing took his first airplane ride on July 4, 1914 with U.S. Navy Lieutenant Conrad Westervelt in a small seaplane piloted by barnstormer Terah Maroney.

According to legend he later told Westervelt “we could make a better one.” Bill was so enamored by the flying experience he built a hangar on the shores of Lake Union in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle to do just that and by June 1916 he built his first plane, the B & W. Soon after they incorporated and in July moved production to a new factory at the Duwamish location.

The rest was history! Boeing History

The Boeing 737 MAX… Photo Courtesy of The Boeing Company.

Renton has been home to Boeing for 70 years and when I was growing up our local paper, The Record Chronicle, proclaimed us “The Jet Capital of the World.” During World War II Renton’s population soared as workers from all over the country were moved here to build the B-29 Superfortress. As a kid growing up in Renton we witnessed the first 707 (1957), the 727 (1962), the 737 (1967), and the first (wide-body) jumbo jet the 747 (1968). The 747 was so big Boeing had to build the Everett plant. By volume it is the largest building in the world with a floor area of 398 million square feet.

Boeing has over 80,000 employees in Washington State, mostly at the Renton and Everett plants. It’s estimated that building the 737 MAX here will create 20,000 new jobs. That’s fabulous news for our local economy and the approximately 650 companies in the State of Washington that provide parts, materials, and services to Boeing.

Kudos to Governor Chris Gregoire for her work behind the scenes to help make this possible. Upon hearing the news, she commended Boeing and the union stating the agreement “shows a strong commitment by both sides to secure the future of aerospace in Washington state.” She was also quoted as saying, “At a time when I don’t get much good news, this couldn’t be better!”

Personally, I think Boeing’s 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner are two of coolest looking planes ever built. Just sayin’… I got to see both land and take off on several occasions commuting to Seattle during the week.

More on the 737 MAX.

Renton Reporter: Boeing to build the 737 MAX in Renton
RentonPatch: Renton Lands 737 MAX Production
The Seattle Times: Boeing, union seal deal for jets, jobs, peace
The Seattle PI: Boeing Machinists: 737 MAX to be built in Renton

Originally posted on the Activerain.com real estate network, December 1, 2011.

It’s Popcorn Brain!

First it was, I’m going to go blind from staring into the glaring monitor, then it was carpal tunnel from too many keyboarding hours. Then, I’m going to get fat and flabby from too much sitting. Then, it was tendinitis in my thumbs from too much texting on my cell phone.

And now? It’s Popcorn Brain.
Doesn’t that bring up a lively assortment of images…

Man… I never knew Technology could be so dangerous!

I’m a little late to this party. CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen, did a post on Popcorn Brain
(June 23, 2011).

Popcorn Brain is a mental state happening to people who get so into the constant stimulation of the rapid multi-tasking online life they can’t function in the slower paced life offline. They choose the way of the net junkie over people, activities, or even having kids. It does give me pause to consider the behavior I see online sometimes though, especially Twitter, you know those dudes that are always in the stream every minute 24/7/365. When do they get anything else done?

I’m first to admit I get totally obsessed when an idea sets my brain on fire, but I always thought that was artistic temperament. The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction (yes, there really is one) has a test to help you determine if it’s time to logoff and shut down.

(I did think it was a little ironic however that the internet addiction test is online.) 

Frankly I live for those days when I’m completely immersed in the creation zone. I can go all day hardly stopping to eat or pee. (Though I’ve been told by experts that’s unhealthy behavior.) But I do unplug. I love quiet time, a good book, music, staring at clouds rolling by on a blustery day, or having a conversation with one special person that no one else ever needs to hear.

I don’t think I have Popcorn Brain? Anyway, it certainly couldn’t happen to me at the speed I blog. (Oh, by the way… I didn’t take the test. There wasn’t time. I had to get over to Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Posterous, Tumblr, Blogger, and check for alerts on my cell phone. Maybe somebody commented.)

You’d a Thought it was a Saturday Night Hootenanny.

AR, we’ve been hanging out now, steady like for 3 years. I spec’t some might be think’n we’re get’n serious or something. But I gotta admit, I like be’n round ya.

Funny… but, when we first met I wasn’t all too sure about it. I mean I like you n’ all, but it was a little intimidate’n. I kinda kept my distance. You were always attract’n so much attention.

All those flamboyant friends of yours, clamoring round all the time, talkin’ loud and proud like.

You’d a Thought it was a… Saturday Night Hootenanny or Something.

Well… finally, it came to me.

I weren’t gonna meet nobody round here stand’n in the corner.

I gotta get out there on the floor n’ join the dance!

So… I made up my mind 3 years ago this very day and started say’n hello and such to those kind folk around here.

I even scratched out my first little ditty back then about a Sunday kind of morning,
just for the occasion.

That’s when I kinda ‘dee-cided’ ta stick around a bit n’… take her for a whirl.

Hell, ya never know. Something might come of it.

But I gotta say to ya… I pologize.

You know back then…
Well, dang it. It was just like the fourth of July.

I started blabbin’ away and I know I wus talk’n way too much. But it was excite’n and when that happens, I just don’t know when to shut my trap sometimes.

Speak’n bout shut’n traps, I best be get’n on.

Ah shucks, AR … I gots ta tell ya.

It’s been fun…

Thanks for being there.

Thanks for being my friend.

Originally posted on the Activerain Network, November 23, 2011.