Author: Carl Setzer

A Few Random Thoughts This Saturday

Carl Setzer

It was a stunning day, one delightfully free of any hint of snow. After some morning meetings, we went to Alderwood Mall this evening for a few errands. A few observations: First, I like the renovated Apple Store. Doubling the space, as well as the high ceilings make the space feel huge. I got a reminder that I need to get my old Macbook Pro over there for the geniuses to commence voodoo. The poor thing failed to boot for several months. I’m pretty sure it’s simply a failed charger, but am not sure. Could be a failed battery, too.

Also, I noticed the increased presence of uniformed security officers in Nordstroms. I didn’t notice them that much at the mall before, but today they were very present, up front and obvious in Nordy’s. Makes me wonder why. Or if I was just remarkably unaware before.

Tomorrow we’re going to see Captain Marvel. Quite possibly at Alderwood Mall, but maybe we’ll make a bigger trip of it and head to Seattle. I do enjoy Cinerama, but it might also be fun to see it at the Pacific Science Center’s Imax theatre. I’ll post a review tomorrow. With that, I’ve been watching too many gents lamenting that Marvel hates men now, so I’m sure the internet dialog will be charming.

I had a couple of meetings this week that gave me pause about regional development. We have this intersection between the desire to maintain our pristine wild spaces, most powerfully manifested by the Growth Management Act, with the economic forces that bring 1,000s of people into our region every year. As we crash up against those barriers, I see growth getting vertical. Anyway, I will write  a bit more in depth about this soon.

How’s your weekend going? Did you get out and enjoy the gorgeous day here in Seattle? I certainly hope so.

 

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The Next Season Of Kombi Life Is On Youtube

Carl Setzer2 Comments

I’ve written about the Youtube series Kombi Life before. I’m fond of these folks, love the show’s concept and delight in the way Ben and Leah are using all the tools this internet age is giving them to live out a dream.

The first series took them from south America to the Arctic Ocean. Now they’re heading for a global tour. They just posted their first season on Youtube, which starts with a west coast search the right VW Kombi to loading it on a ship in New York (and them into an airplane).

Go watch their current series (below). If you’re as charmed and delighted as I am, consider joining the “Kombi Crew” on Patreon, as us supporters are called. I hope to see you there!

 

Snow and Sidewalks: Thinking About Accessibility

Carl Setzer

As i eject you’re aware, the Seattle region is recovering from a significant snowfall. It’s been years since we’ve had anything of this magnitude. These are strains on our infrastructure, as this weather is so infrequent it’s not economically rational to invest in the equipment (and associated maintenance). So we suffer through a few days of impassable roads. 

This round noticed we got the roads plowed fairly quickly. However, the plowing moved all the road’s snow into the sidewalks. As an avid walker, this was deeply frustrating. Today, though, it hit me that for many it’s a calamity. Wheel chair users withhold have no choice but to use the roads. If you’re able to walk, but have balance issues, you’re quite trapped. 

We’ve developed into a society that prioritizes the car over all else. I don’t believe this is healthy for myriad reasons (I’ll blog more about that soon). Ensuring our public infrastructure is available to all of us is critical . Sitting back snugly after ONLY clearing the roads is unacceptable. It’s isolates so many. The fix is straightforward: clear the sidewalks. 

A few videos of Lynnwood’s Snow

Carl Setzer

After sitting indoors all day, my wife obliged my wish to get outside. We walked towards James Village in the hope of finding someplace open for dinner. We ended up at the Lynnwood Hop n Drops (formerly Hop Jacks).

With the wind blowing, the snow was casting interesting shadows, which I tried to capture below.

Let me know what you think.

SnowMageddon2019 and the Glories of Memes

Carl Setzer

I love some of the art that’s been crafted as part of SnowMageddon2019. I’ll update this post as I find more images.

Not really a meme, I just like this one.

Seattle Snow, Traffic Conditions and Proactivity

Carl Setzer

It’s been a rough couple of days around the greater Seattle area. Yesterday, I opted to work from home. Yes, I’m a classic Seattle weather-wimp.

When I look to make that decision, I opt for a few tools.

  • Local news:
    • Though I get a lot of my news via KNKX (NPR), I opt for video for these sorts of things. KING 5 is my personal favorite.
  • WSDOT’s traffic map is the first place you should go to see conditions.
  • I live in Lynnwood, so their network of traffic cameras is very helpful to see what’s happening nearby.

I try to keep the process simple, so I pretty much limit myself to the above, and not running down the rabbit hole that this can be. However, I expect I might be missing something. Let me know if you have a resource that I should recommend.

An Awesome Sunny Saturday At Greenlake

Carl Setzer

Well, we slept in, which was lovely all by itself. But then, on a whim, I convinced my family to head to Greenlake. A gorgeous day, I wanted to shoot some photos out in the sun. Well, it was a bit cooler than everyone expected. Otherwise, it was quite nice.

Our first stop was for lunch. My son was craving a burger. We’d been up Teddy’s Biggest Burger before. His elementary school did a fundraiser the several years ago. I enjoyed the crispy chicken burger, while my son enjoyed the Kilauea Fire burger. Not as spicy as you might expect from the name. A nice kick (he let me have a bite before he inhaled the rest). Anyway, I enjoyed it. (Side note: I’m thinking it’d be fun to do a regional burger tour. What do you think?)

Next, we walked the lake. I’ve always enjoyed that. Back when I was a boy, I’d blast through on my bike (it was far less crowded back then). As I got older, I enjoyed walking more. Gets a better look at the scenery.

We ended the day back up in Edmonds. The kids st Edmonds Heights finished up their run of Beauty and the Beast. A charming production. I’ve developed a deep fondness for community and student theater. The quality was great, and the commitment fun to see. (I didn’t get any photos, though).

I have some ideas for upcoming blog posts, which I’ll pull together over the next few days. It’s time to update my Geek Events list. I noticed another building that’s struggling (this one’s in Marysville), which I’ll write about very soon. I’m also exploring video ideas. Is that something that interests you? Anything you’d like to see? If you have anything you’d let me to cover, let me know!

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Memories of my Grandfather

Carl Setzer

Riding the ferry

From shore to shore for hours

Talking to strangers

I’ve been thinking a lot of my grandfather lately. He spent years driving trucks throughout the region. His gift for connecting with people his deep. He had friends all over Edmonds. I emulate him… in my own way.

Another Glimpse Into Old Lynnwood

Carl Setzer

The clever little bit of satire brought to you by legendary Seattle DJ Bob Rivers, part of his Twisted Tunes series. Another piece of “old Lynnwood”, and, I guess, continuing is this unintentional series (started yesterday).

So, any interest in pursuing this further? It’d be interesting to see what else I could dig up to add to this thread. Do you have any ideas? Requests? Let me know!