Tag: seattle

Driving & Seattle Culture

Carl Setzer

Two events yesterday drove home a key piece of Seattle culture. One: guy with Illinois plates driving maniacally through my line of cars, with extreme frustration clearly displayed. Two: freeway backup due to a car fire.

Item one demonstrated the laid back style of Seattle driving. No sense of hurry, nor urgency. This is visible at any stop sign, where we have the old Mac & Tosh routine. “No, after you. No, no…after you.” We often deal with paralysis by politeness. Polite-alysis?

With item two, we have the Seattle ogle. Now, this fire was dramatic: Corvette’s front end was gone, foam everywhere. But the firetrucks were long gone. Yet, traffic crawls by so we can all get a good look. Amen continues even after we’re well past. Craning their necks to keep it in view. Causes tons of accidents, all on its own. Funny, I guess.

Nordic Pride, Or Lingonberries On Your Pancakes Or Die!

Carl Setzer

Ok, I like lingonberries fine, but maybe not that much. Swedish pancakes are lovely, though.

Anyway, growing up Lutheran, I’ve had a great deal of interaction with Nordic culture. Whether the glorious delights of desserts (yummy lefse), or the abomination that is lutefisk,  I’ve seen a great deal.  Therefore, I, with a deep whole-heartedness, recommend you experience a Nordic heritage event.

Below are two Seattle area ones. I won’t be able to make either this year, but several friends attend them.

Syttende Mai, May 17, Seattle; and Poulsbo Viking Fest, May 17-19

More details here (link is to the Seattle Times):

Seattle’s “Sodo” w/ an “r” sounds like a Lord Of The Rings City

Carl Setzer2 Comments

The headline is what started it: “Faces Of Sodo:…” (Puget Sound Biz Journal). I started with reading that’d as “Sodor”, then my brain ran with it. Perhaps Sodor is that area south of Modor where the baseball and football stadiums area? Because Sauron likes himself some ballgames to unwind after a busy day of global conquest.

It was funny in my mind. I guess you had to be there.

Added To My Must See List: Living Computer Museum

Carl Setzer

Just stumbled across this via the Billings Gazette, of all things. They have a great overview of the place so no need for me to recreate their work. Give them a peek.

This, definitely, must be on my 2013 tour list. I guess the biggest question is whether I’ll force my family to come along. Since it’s really not geek centric, perhaps they’ll enjoy it, too.

Perhaps..

More details are on their site: www.livingcomputermuseum.org/

Beginnings

Carl Setzer

I hail from Lynnwood, part of Snohomish county, just north of Seattle. My life has been dominated by news, etc, focused on the city ~20 miles to the south. I knew the mayor of Seattle before I knew that Lynnwood had a mayor. Living in the shadow of such a large city has made me wonder how to break free.

Washington is a large state, but you’d think it entailed one city: Seattle. Yet we’re so much more. Bellevue is just across a floating bridge, and quite a different place. Then there’s Spokane, or Yakima, or Walla-Walla, or Everett or Bellingham, or….

These differences are significant. Politically, socially, culturally, even ecologically; each region is different, and dramatically so. The main differentiator, in Washington, seems to be east/west of the Cascade mountain range. Climate-wise, west-side has the rainy disposition that Seattle is famous form. Yet, on the east-side, we have desert; some of the driest places in the country. Economically  the east is predominately agrarian. West is subdivided by Seattle’s influence. The Puget Sound basin is mainly industrial and post-industrial urban work. The rest seems a balance of extraction (timber, mainly) and fishing.

My goal is to expand on the stereotype of this region. Show how diverse we are as a state in all manner. I’m glad to have you join my journey.