I recently bought a scooter. Originally for neighborhood travel only, it quickly became about much more than just the post office, the bank, and the grocery store.  Within a week I'd traveled the freeway and traversed the Narrows Bridge. In an instant, the scooter became my preferred means of transportation. If it's not raining, I'm scootin. I can't afford to drive my car any longer, seeing as how the gas gauge on my scooter doesn't seem to move. So far I've filled up twice with supreme unleaded gasoline (currently over $4 per gallon in Tacoma) and it's set me back a grand total of $17.  How does 75 miles per gallon sound?

With events like 4th of July and the Tall Ships Festival on the waterfront, the Taste of Tacoma and Zoobilee at Point Defiance, or anything you can think of downtown, in the Stadium district or 6th Ave, a scooter just makes so much sense. Parking is never an issue. Traffic is never an issue. If you can stand to leave the dog at home and you aren't happening by Home Depot for a home improvement haul, life is surprisingly doable on a scooter.  Recent advances in technology even made it possible for me to safely transport a fresh iced latte 12 blocks in an earlier, controlled experiment.

Time to shake up your spring and summer! If you need something to perk you up in the morning, to send you to work with a smile and bring you home with an ear-to-ear grin, stop into Northwest Motor Scooters near 56th Street & South Tacoma Way and have Shana show you a scooter or two. They sell Vespa, Aprilia, Piaggio and Kymco scooters. I bet you find something in there that fits your style, your needs, your wants, your dreams...

"Saturday night I drove down to Fremont street in the heart of Vegas to The
Canyon Club at the Four Queens Casino with one of my buddies to catch
Floater.  We got there a bit early so I could get my swerve on before
the show, which I promptly took care of, and made sure we were some of
the first in the door so we could secure seats at the bar next to the
stage.  The Canyon is a small venue with a couple of bars on either
side of the stage, some tables and chairs and little sofas are spread
around the place and it also comes complete with a dance floor in the
center for those who want to get their boogie on.  It's dimly lit and
fairly cozy, so all-in-all, a pretty good place for a show.


First up was Red Hot Radio.  Now, I should say that my expectations for any
opening band that I've never heard of is always very low and I would
usually pass it up altogether, but this being my first Floater concert,
and after the build up hypin' the band so much and their live
performances, I was anxious to get in and get it on.  I'm glad I
did; Red Hot Radio kicked ass.  I should point out that the ...<< MORE >>

As if the new red light cameras in town weren't a big enough joke, our lawmakers have made themselves look even more pathetic than once believed possible.

It's finally here -- the subjective law to end all subjective laws.

Apparently screaming at your children in the backseat, masturbating, smoking, changing CD's, picking your nose, applying lipstick, spilling a hot latte in your lap, flipping the bird, needlessly honking your horn, scarfing cheeseburgers and fries, reading a book, singing along to 93.3, operating on less than an hour of sleep, playing air guitar, scanning radio stations, fighting with your better half, writing your next blog entry, cleaning spit off the inside of your windshield, gazing into the rearview mirror at yourself, reaching for the loose change under your seat, cleaning out your glove box, banging your head to Hannah Montana's latest tracks, talking on a cell phone with a wireless headset and thinking of new ways to be rad are some of the things that are perfectly legal to do while driving.

I am not a frequent text messager.  I am a cell phone driver.  I do not own any stock in any tech, automotive, donut or traffic ticket paper making companies.  That being said, people should either be able to do anything they wish or nothing at all while driving, and the latter seems a bit Fahrenheit 451 for this writer.  If you want to be guaranteed safety, stay off the roads entirely.  While I certainly don't feel that text messaging while driving is a good idea, I've been unsuccessful in trying to convince myself that this law makes sense.  On the contrary, I have moved from casual support to stout opposition in 3 days flat.

Somebody please try to convince me otherwise.  I'm in the mood for a good debate.  In the meantime, I'll be the guy avidly plucking my nosehairs in traffic...  That is, if I'm not busy slamming on my brakes at poorly timed yellow lights that I used to run habitually.

Jake Locker took a vicious hit to the helmet in the 2nd quarter of tonight's game at Oregon State in Corvallis, OR.  This was an absolutely devastating moment for any member of Husky Nation.  He lay motionless on the field for a couple minutes before they rolled him over onto his back and removed the face mask from his helmet.  They took him away in an ambulance and hopefully more information on his condition will be released soon.  For now, all thoughts are with Jake and his family.

As I continue down this windy path we call life, bits of my innocence are recycled on a daily basis and converted to cynicism.  If I don't keep this process in check, I will turn into my grandfather in less than 5 years.  Often times I realize the only true way to stop or reverse the cynical evolution of me is to ignore people and the way they behave.  The more attention I pay to people around me, the more I lose faith in the human race.
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Halloween has come and gone.  Everything has returned to normal around here except for the 6 half-full bags of candy on the counter.  Since moving to the North End in 2001 we have had an absolutely erratic Halloween experience, year over year.  One year we get 50 trick-or-treaters, the next 10.  Is there a way to predict with any degree of accuracy the turnout one might expect to see any given year?  For last night's poor turnout, I blame the cold temperatures coupled with the Proctor Business District trick-or-treat extravaganza. 

One year I had to run to the store around 8:30pm to re-up the chocolate stash, but last night I don't think we had 20 kids at the door.  Did anybody have a strong turnout last night?  Anyone else harboring a massive supply of leftover candy this morning?

Kids these days...  I just can't figure 'em out.  Especially the really tight pants..

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Tacoma restaurants continue to improve and impress.  I could have 3 squares per day at Tacoma restaurants I've never been to for at least a month straight right now.  5 years ago I had been to just about every relevant restaurant in town.  Of course, that was before they started multiplying like rabbits on ecstasy. Whether you are looking for upscale latin, gourmet sushi, or authentic Thai food, the decision is no longer an easy one;  there are now several options for each of these within Tacoma proper.

Where am I going with this?

Seattle continues its reign as Tacoma's big cousin to the north, but little cousin is growing up fast.  I was born here and have lived the majority of my adult life here as well.  I don't need stats, charts, articles or anybody else to tell me what is going on.  Every day, everywhere, I see growth.  The rising job markets, swirling restaurant scene, skyrocketing (still affordable) real estate, college campuses, and ever-desirable geographical location make Tacoma a no-brainer for many living in the Puget Sound region.

As Seattle continues to grow, the byproducts are more business and more people operating within a shrinking, finite supply of actual space.  This ...<< MORE >>

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