my neighborhood is real ugly.

there’s a pretty rampant drug problem. the whole place smells like pee and swisher sweets. there are bones and crack baggies and broken glass in every gutter and the few planters.

everyone’s always yelling, because everyone else is yelling.

the garbage trucks are overbearing.

but there are a few things that I like about Belltown. And those are these:

1.) The Lava Lounge. It has a stupid name and is moderately intimidating and hip to look at. But on most nights, it’s fairly quiet. There’s indoor, table-top shuffle-board, Ms. PacMan, all-day happy hour on Sundays and a turntable. There’s Elliot Smith, Simon & Garfunkel, and very little lighting. It’s a good spot.

2.) Mama’s. Also on 2nd and Bell, Mama’s is just around the corner and so, so bomb. Also, the servers are usually very friendly and helpful, and there are lots of posters on the wall to keep you updated on local events. I dream of  Mama’s fish tacos.

3.) The 5-Point. What a gem. A true watering hole, in that you can get an adult beverage almost any time. And you can get a big nasty sandwich actually any time, as the place is 24-hours. It is also extremely dark and has been around for quite a while. It’s grimy and prides itself on taking advantage of “drunks and tourists.” All this while set against the lovely background of the corner at 5th and Cedar. Really hope it’s not actually closing.

4.) Olympic Sculpture Park. At the fringe of Belltown on the Waterfront, this is the only place I really like to run in my area. It’s just beside Myrtle Edwards Park, which is a nice expanse of grass with an awesome view of the Sound. There are ridiculous sculptures and a lot of people taking eachothers pictures. And, if you’re caught there just before an electrical storm, your hair will stand on end. Really!

5.) Regrade Dog Park. This is my dog’s favorite thing about the neighborhood. Just a block from where we live, and across the street from possibly the ugliest bar I’ve seen in the Pacific Northwest, the little patch of gravel and sickly trees used to be a pretty well known hotspot for crack dealing and other unsavory activities. Enter the dogs, exit the tweakers. Now, it’s usually populated until a little after dark by quiet old women with AKC-certified “babies” from the nearby high-rises. I think it’s kind of them to let my mutt and I in.

So, there you have it. The good parts of Belltown.

All five of them.

*Points if you get the reference.

Yes to:

Mike McGinn

Dow Constantine

Mike O’Brien

Ref. 71 (because marriage is a civil right, you fuckers)

No to:

Joe Mallahan (giving cell phone minutes to the poor is NOT ENOUGH)

Susan Huchison (could your friend’s drunk mom from Bellvue run the city? No? Neither can this woman.)

Robert (Roger? Forgetable Face Behind Glasses?) Rosencrantz

1033 (can you honestly vote for an Eyman initiative and sleep soundly at night, Seattle? No. You can’t.)

Now don’t pull a Mallahan. FUCKING VOTE.

MICHELE BACHMANN IS SO WORTHLESS.

so, so worthless.

what a heinous woman.

in other news, I’m getting really fat on pledge snacks.

listen to this interview with Sherman “Spread Too Thin” Alexie:
http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=18538

then, watch this amazing video about diabeetus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R7tSSN2fHc

then, go back to KUOW.org and pledge your support:
www.kuow.org

then, peep this photo and get your daily dose of Indi (photo courtesy of Adam, as usual):

over+out.

i’m taking my vitamins and doing push-ups and training because the winter is coming.

the winter is coming, and with it, the increased energy bills, the assault of inclement weather, the rainwater wicking up the back of my denims, the darkness (and more darkness and perpetual darkness), the onslaught of debt-collectors calling regarding my college loans….

…this year, i don’t even remotely look forward to the winter.

and i’ve got to get out of the middle of the city.

the man whistling down his man from his apartment on the corner, the never-ending stream of garbage trucks, jackhammers and other grinding, grating sounds on the alley, the absolute lack of police presence in my neighborhood (and saturation just four blocks south, at the base of the Andra or the Metropolitan buildings) is stripping my nerves.

booooooo.

you are so freaking COOL.

even when you pass out before 7 pm.

__________________________________________

speaking of cool, more people need to brush up on cool ladies who make awesome comics.

por ejemplo:

Francois Mouly is married to Art Spiegelman, but she’s also a totally incredible artist in her own right.

also, Posy Simmonds, who is equally amazing and equally underrated. (here’s her profile @ read yourself raw: http://www.readyourselfraw.com/profiles/simmonds/profile_simmonds.htm)

so get to snappin’!

yesterday i remembered the last time that we saw each other, which is to say, the last time that i saw her, and she recognized me.

i told her i’d fly back soon, two months tops, to see her, and maybe for her/their birthday.

and monty, clever as always, made a crack about how i couldn’t fly, because where were my wings?

and she, actually welling up as if the emotion of the sentiment was so overwhelming it had to come from her eyeballs as well as her mouth, told him

“of course she has wings. you just can’t see them. she’s an angel.”

and that’s how i chose to remember her.

i think you are radiant.

between you and indiana, there’s never been a warmer september.

what a terrible time of year to come home to an empty (plus dog) house every day.

what a particularly awful week to be without one’s family.

what a lonesome place this city is.

…is actually four coins. so, here are four points:

1.) From Beyond the Grave!

Adam and I went to Everyday on Cap Hill this weekend (part of our getting-to-know-the-city-so-lets-walk-around-and-drink-our-way-through-seattle plan) and found a few treasures. Aside from a great Best Of George Carlin album, our hearts nearly stopped when I unconvered a copy of Ted Kennedy’s Address at the 1980 DNC!!! For $3.69, it was pretty much of a steal, especially while the flags are, by-and-large, still at half-mast. The craziest part about it? We went home and listened immediately and, almost thirty years later, it could have been coming from this morning’s NPR broadcast. Not much has changed, except that we no longer have the Lion to speak out about minorities and health care. Very eye-opening.

2.) “Someone call a Waaaah-mbulance!”

Everyone knows how I feel about the fate of journalism. Jon Stewart is, we all know, doing fabulous things for both the mainstream media and real journalism. This showcases some of the best commentary regarding Fox News (guhhhhh) and the ever-growing frenzy surrounding health care. Three cheers for Comedy Central!

3.) WTF Seattle?!

Seriously? What the hell? Ref. 71? If you don’t know about Tim Eyman (double guhhhhh) and infamous ref-gathering and signature-combing, please direct your attention here: http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Tim_Eyman

Now that you’ve got some background info, see what’s the skizz here in the faux-Emerald City (Seriously! They call themselves that! The nerve!)  here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009780479_apwadomesticpartnerships.html

If you’re like me (and many of you are): you don’t vote in Seattle. In my case, it’s because they won’t actually let me (coming upon four years of life paying sales tax here, not to mention multi-thousands of dollars in tuition to a state school) become a citizen of the State. Thusly, all I can do is talk to politicians at my job (www.kuow.org, we’ve got two major local politcos/hottie-hots coming into the studio on Wednesday AM) and educate my local friends. So here I am, educating. COME ON, SEATTLE. Stop overturning things that are good for you! The bag tax? Fine, whatever. But this? Jesus wants people to have end-of-life decisions and tax breaks. I promise.

4.) Our Daily Bread:

it doesn’t get any better than this guy.

<3 over and out.