Author: Carl Setzer

Some thoughts on Lynnwood’s future

Carl Setzer
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City of Lynnwood Logo

I watched a video about the rail link and it’s plan to make it up here. (Check out the site and video here)  It’s very promising. I love the idea of a 28 minute trip to downtown Seattle where I don’t have any concerns about parking. I love this future. Especially since I really don’t see leaving South Snohomish county. Ever. Well, vacations and such, but I live living here, my family is here, friends, etc. Hard to conceive of living anywhere else.

That really amuses me. When I joined the Navy all those decades ago, my goal was to get as far away as possible. And returning was not on my mind. The Navy brought me back, to Subbase Bangor, and I’ve remained in western Washington since.

Post Navy, I lived for about 10 years in downtown Seattle. Then in Bothell, then Edmonds and now Lynnwood. I’m a few hundred feet from my parents house. Now. I love it. My son goes to my old middle school, a few staffers are connected to my history. My connection to this place is pretty deep and pretty rich.

Back a decade or two ago, my fellow citizens failed as a progressive, proactive community and we didn’t pass a pretty aggressive transportation package. That one had aggressive rail deployment. We choked on the price tag and we fell behind our issues. I’m pleased to see the way they’re using light rail, getting the trolleys out of the traffic flow. To some degree.

I’m afraid heavy traffic is here to stay. These solutions can really make a dent in that. But only some. I wonder, hope that the next time we have the opportunity to proactively tackle these issues, we have enough foresight to mice forward. Being ahead is immensely preferable to behind.

Food Trucks Are Coming to Lynnwood

Carl Setzer

I’ve long had a “thing” for food trucks, so I’m pretty excited about this. They will be a fun addition to the food scene in Lynnwood.

 

Food Trucks Are Coming to Lynnwood
City Council Unanimously Approves Food Trucks in Lynnwood

LYNNWOOD, WA (March 29, 2016) – Before long, you will be able to purchase an authentic street taco, a slice of pie, a strawberry crepe or a burger from a mobile vendor in Lynnwood. On March 14, 2016, the Lynnwood City Council voted unanimously to allow food trucks to operate within the City limits between the hours of 7am and 10pm. “This is something the City has carefully researched and considered,” said Paul Krauss, Community Development Director. “These trucks are safe, well regulated, and offer such a great opportunity for independent businesses owners. People enjoy the whole food truck experience.” Food trucks will be able to park in local business parking lots, with the approval of the business owner, but not on City streets.

“Food truck will go a long way to help improve the vibrancy of our City Center,” stated David Kleitsch, Lynnwood’s Economic Development Director. “Food trucks in other cities, like Portland and Seattle have become a mainstay and even a tourist attraction; they will be a great asset in Lynnwood too.” During the Public Hearing at the March 14 City Council Meeting, Rosario Reyes, Director of the Latino Education and Training Institute, voiced her support for allowing food trucks in Lynnwood. Reyes commented that food trucks in Lynnwood will be an asset to the Latino community, in particular those who are looking for start-up business opportunities.

The ordinance is effective as of March 23, 2016. Operators must apply for a City of Lynnwood business license and be approved by the Snohomish County Health Department. Lynnwood is ethnically diverse and already has so many unique dining options – it will be exciting to see what starts rolling into town!

Ministry Position At Lynnwood’s Trinity Lutheran Church

Carl Setzer

This is my church, so I’m biased. But I think extremely well of all the staff and think we’re a world class organization.

If you have any questions about Trinity Lutheran, feel free to ask me.

Open Ministry Position: Full-time Children and Family Minister


Purpose: To work with congregational members to provide programming, outreach, encouragement and support to children, parents, and families through the ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church.
Responsibilities: Sunday morning children’s programming, nursery, Vacation Bible School, Faith Formation Stepping Stones program, supporting children’s music and choirs, family worship services, parents care, and support and seasonal programming.
Qualifications: Include education and/or experience in ministry to children and families.
Salary & Benefits: Salary based on education, experience, and skills.  Medical and pension provided.
Visit http://www.trinitylutheranchurch.com/ to view the complete job description

Submit cover letter and resume to Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St. SW, Lynnwood, WA. 98026 or by email to p​aul@trinitylutheranchurch.com no later than April 10, 2016.

Some “Earth Month” activities in Lynnwood for you

Carl Setzer

Heritage Park Spring Clean – Wednesday, April 6

Spring Clean

Wednesday, April 6th, 10am-3pm (2 shifts available)

Heritage Park

Potluck Lunch Provided

Join us for a day of cleaning and landscaping at Heritage Park, Equipment, tools and lunch provided. We’ll be cleaning windows, floors, mopping and dusting, and landscaping, weeding, and spreading bark.

RSVP by April 4th to Marielle Harrington; mharrington@ci.lynnwood.wa.us or 425-670-5532.

Earth Day at Daleway Park – Saturday, April 23

earth day

Saturday, April 23rd, 9am-2pm

Daleway Park

Lunch Provided

Global Peace Foundation and the City of Lynnwood are inviting youth volunteers to join in the celebration of Earth Day 2016 through trash cleanup, invasive plant removal, and playground rehabilitation at Daleway Park. Come out, meet new people, and love our earth!

Register by April 16th by visiting: http://goo.gl/forms/15LT11uSSZ or for more information contact USyouth@globalpeace.org

Some thoughts on this almost Thursday

Carl Setzer

It’s been a wretched week or so. Germs have raised their ghastly heads and brutalized my days, and nights. Losing sleep due to coughing is a paricularly nasty twist. You need sleep to heal, yet the germs rob you of it. Seeking to win, these nasties are.

Lots of sleep, often in chunks. Interrupted, ineffective; it is what it is. Iterating my way to health.

With germs and resulting deferred tssks, I won’t be caucusing Saturday. Disappointed, but that’s life. What about you?

Anyways, here’s hoping for peace, tranquility and effectiveness for the remainder of your week.

Video, Vlogging And Me

Carl Setzer

Ok, as you faithful readers should know, I attended Video Savvy last week. The goal was to load my brain up with deeper knowledge of the video trends, both in real estate and beyond. I’m rather weird in that I don’t have any terrible fear of facing cameras and also know I’m a decent public speaker. This is actually rather fun for me.

So, I’ve started the quest to get more good (insert winky face here) at video. And the best way seems, simply enough, to dive in and learn hands-on. I’ve been dabbling in video for a while, so I pulled all my video fun into a vlog playlist on YouTube. Please subscribe and stay up-to-date on my explorations.

 

Me at Video Savvy!

Carl Setzer1 Comment

A fun photo of me and my friend Toby.

Some thoughts on the current state of the Streaming Music Business

Carl Setzer

Earlier today I read this piece from my friends at Geekwire: “Music service Rhapsody posts record $35M net loss even as revenues climb to $202M“. I’m not simply concerned about a long-standing Seattle tech company struggling, but also that entities like Spotify are also bleeding cash to keep their market share. The losses are not sustainable long-term. I’m really not a streaming-music industry analyst, so I can’t really speak to the timeline of the issue, and that’s really not my point or concern.

I’m wondering about the sustainability of the music business. Not simply Spotify, et al; actually, even more my focus is on musicians. I’ve heard from many sources (most notably Taylor Swift) about how Spotify is not providing a livable income. Now, if Apple, Google, etc, can pay more than Spotify or Rhapsody, that’s a particular issue. However, I think this is larger. It’s ultimately about the consumers, about me and you as music lovers. Perhaps $10/mo is not enough to for artists to make music and eat. And if that’s the case, maybe we need to think about more $$$.

There are many tools that individual artists are leveraging well. Kickstarter and Patreon come to mind first. There are several tools, though, that help. Many artists I admire, such as Amanda Palmer and Zoe Keating leverage these tools to good effect. However, they spend a lot of time managing their audience. It seems, for them, that they get a lot of positive energy from us. Which will certainly make it more pleasant. Of course, emails, blog posts, Instagram updates and all that take away from producing their art. Or, maybe, that’s part of their art.

Anyway, there’s much to consider with this. So, as a mediation, I’ll leave you with Zoe Keating’s closing at the 2016 Word Economic Forum meeting in Davos. She’s carved an amazing niche for herself. As a fan myself, and love interacting with her other fans.

Lynnwood Is Hosting Community Disaster Preparedness Town Hall on March 15

Carl Setzer

As many/most of you know, Western Washington is due (perhaps even overdue) for a major earthquake. The best thing we can do is prepare. And our friends at the City of Lynnwood have pulled together the following event below to do just that.

 

Count me in

What would you do in a natural disaster or emergency?

Would you be prepared?
What about your family, friends, and neighbors?

Our team of first responders and disaster experts will provide you with the emergency preparedness know-how and tools to get you and your loved ones ready for the “just in case.”

Town Hall Will Include:

  • Keynote lecture from Dr. Brian Atwater, world-renowned USGS Geologist, earthquake expert, and professor at the University of Washington
  • First responders providing basic tips for disaster preparedness
  • Information and resource tables
  • Pinpoint your address on the wall-sized map
  • Information on next steps you can take to prepare for a disaster or emergency

For More Info:

Follow us on Twitter @LynnwoodFire @ReadySnoCo @SnoCoFire1

RSVP’s are kindly requested, visit our Eventbrite site to let us know you’ll be coming: http://bit.ly/SnoCoDisaster

Sponsored By:
Snohomish Co Fire District #1, Disaster Medicine Project, My Neighborhood News Network, Edmonds Community College, and the City of Lynnwood’s Police and Fire Departments.

Town Hall Details:
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
6:30–8:30pm
Edmonds Community College, Woodway Hall
Click here for directions and a campus map

Reflecting On Edmonds

Carl Setzer

It’s been a lovely weekend here in South Snohomish county. Yesterday I made my way down to the Edmonds Barbershop. For me, that’s John’s barbershop. When I lived down there, I’d walk there once a month or so. He always did a fantastic job. Then we moved to north Lynnwood, nearly Mukilteo. Slowly, the drive started to become too much, too convoluted. And for the sake of time, I’d end up at the discount hair place with the shortest line. After moving a few years ago, it finally sank in that I can make the journey now without too much trouble. So, even with my maniacal calendar, I was  able to carve out the time. It was great to catch up. He knows so very much about the details of Edmonds life.

It’s amazing to reflect on all the changes I’ve seen the city come through. My grandparents lived there for decades. My grandfather died in this town. He’d hardly recognize it. I can’t imagine him trying a pain au’chocolat (he’d definitely try a crescent roll with chocolate bits, though). There are elements of that old Edmonds left. The first things that comes to mind is the Edmonds Bakery and the venerable Pankcake Haus. But we have many lovely but fru-fru restaurants now; ones that I love but he’d scratch his head over. These changes excite, but I feel a tinge of nostalgia. Me, though, I focus on the positive and let the negative drift away. Especially as I have little control over either.

With that, it’s time for me to step outside and enjoy this lovely breezy spring-esque day. May you  day be filled with delight and fun, rejuvenating you for the week to come.