• It’s a pretty gross sci fi surveillance state future we find ourselves in.
• Anywhere is a bathroom if you’re a bird.
• Of all the things to take pride in! Islamophobia?
• Anyway, it sounds like there may be posts from Darryl but I’m out until Monday so enjoy Thanksgiving and the long weekend.

Beautiful day for a bike ride if you bundle up.

• We’re disproportionately arresting Native youth.
• Gaps in the bike lanes are quite frustrating.
• The City of Seattle sure decided to screw up the budget going forward.

I was at the coffee shop and the barista casually said “happy Friday.” And I realized I had to be at work shortly but I haven’t written anything. So here you are and thanks to her.

Good morning, you lovelies and uggos.

• Books With Pictures is having a fundraiser. I know it’s Portland, but they’re great.
• Who wants a little jet fuel in their blueberries?
• Pasco seems to think it has too many healthy teeth, as they vote to remove fluoride from the water.
• Feds want to cut homeless funding. And while state and local governments can make up some of the money, it’s a lot to make up.

What a delight last weekend was. I would have liked to see more sun, but it made the hours when it broke through the clouds glorious. But! A light drizzle or no rain at all is a fine time to ride a bike or go for a walk.

The long dark and its cousin the midday gray can be tough if they’re an excuse to stay in. But get out in it. I mean, have a good rain coat and some waterproof shoes. But seriously it’s good to get out. Enjoy yourself.

Yuck. What a miserable day. Avoid the rain if you can. A good day to take the bus. Anyway:

• Parking lots are awful for cities. So I am glad to see Spokane considering taxing them.
• You guys! Katie Wilson is going to be the mayor of Seattle.
• Marie Gluesenkamp Perez remains the most frustrating Democrat. I get that the district is tough for Democrats but the Obamacare subsidies should be a gimme.

• Fuck the people deporting wildland firefighters, still.
• I wouldn’t call it yet, but it’s sure looking likely that Katie Wilson is going to win the mayor’s race. Still, make sure that your vote was counted.
• This administration is absolute garbage. Part a billion, no funds for foreign students at the UW.

Well, the shutdown is going to end. Not with subsidies, with nothing more than a promise for a vote. At least Washington’s Senators voted against this abomination. Ugh, man. Indivisible has a script if you want to call Patty Murray or Maria Cantwell and ask to boot Schumer.

Anyway, today is a good day to donate to the Rainier Valley Food Bank.

• The Seattle Mayor’s race is still too close to call. Aaaaaa.
• We really need to fix the Federal access to police surveillance data.
• And speaking of, Redmond stop contracting with Flock Safety.
• I love the people making whistle kits.
• With the Trump Administration being little shits about SNAP benefits, today is a good day to donate to the Vashon Food Bank.

Hey gang. It’s nice when lefties win. Good results across the country. It’s too early to tell, but I think good results in Seattle. Well, the City Council races and a City Attorney who doesn’t hate Seattle’s poorest people. Across the state, it seems like a lot more W’s than L’s.

Also, I don’t know what’s happening with SNAP benefits, but you can donate to the Pike Market Food Bank.

Drop off your ballot by Tuesday the 4th. Tomorrow as this is posted. People on social media are saying that dropboxes are better than the Post Office. These municipal elections determine what happens in cities and counties all over the state. If you’re in Seattle, I hope you vote for the left slate.

It’s the Friday before the election. Get your ballot postmarked, or better yet at this point, dropped off by Tuesday. Good, good.

Anyway, Microsoft Office changed their icons and I do not like it. I first noticed it at work, and thought, maybe it looks better on a phone. No. No it does not. I’m sure a lot of thought went into it and no I couldn’t do it better. I imagine that I will get used to it, eventually.

Anyway, that’s the most important bit of local tech company news.

• SNAP benefits run out at the end of the month if the government remains unfunded. And while Washington State is doing some things to fill the gap, your local food bank could use some cash. If you’re looking for one, you can’t go wrong with the Ballard Food Bank.
• This story about a biodigester is pretty cool.
• Spokane’s solution to homelessness is pretty awful.
• What was the point of running on auditing the budget, if you’re just going to not?

The election season is upon us. You should have received your ballot by now. Get your ballot postmarked or dropped off by November 4. If you’re anything like me, you were able to get most of your ballot done pretty quickly, and then got to School Board, and sort of froze. I still don’t know who I am voting for, but here are some voter guides:

• First off, The Stranger. Especially for Seattle area endorsements, they remain the most important, even if less so than at their height.
• Fuse do a great job statewide.
• The Urbanist!

Who are you voting for? I voted the left slate for Seattle, especially glad to vote for Katie Wilson and Erika Evans. Whoever you vote for for King County Executive is the right choice, but I went with Girmay Zahilay. And I am still trying to figure it out for School Board.

Heeeey, the election is coming up. Get your ballot postmarked or dropped off by November 4. And, hey, you don’t have to just vote. There’s still time to walk a few precincts. Or whatever your favorite candidate wants. Or the coordinated campaign.

Big things like Seattle mayor could use your help. But man oh man, nobody appreciates you like a lower profile campaign.

And if you can’t do that, you can still tell your friends. Or donate, but it’s kind of late for that. Politics is not just a spectator sport.