I was walking down the waterfront recently and saw a ferry docking. The whole front of the ferry was oddly colored. I didn’t realize for a moment, but eventually I saw that it was an ad for a soda company. My goodness, it was so ugly.

I don’t know why seeing it on a ferry produced such a yuck reaction in a way that it never does on the bus. Still, it made me sad that I don’t drink their disgusting sugar concoction, so I can’t give it up. Maybe I should be madder when it’s on the bus: Those wraps make the view out worse, so the whole ride isn’t as good.

Anyway, for goodness sake, wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

– AI of any quality is longer away from us than people promoting it or worried about it think. Still, if you train it unethically people will be upset.

– Seattle is dying is famous.

– Who could have predicted that Idaho wouldn’t rush to do the sort of material health and child care etc. that they already could have now that abortion is illegal?

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible. Probably best to go with medical people and not people who thought it would turn you into a zombie.

No Speaker, no laws. Go commit crimes, or what would be crimes if there were laws. Oh, am I doing a graffiti? Well the Constitution says the House “shall chuse their Speaker” and they haven’t done that.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Happy Week Without Driving to all who celebrate. I have spent since earlier this year without a car, and usually not driving in that time. It is nice to be able to do in Seattle, but trickier and trickier the further out of the city you go. Bike infrastructure isn’t great anywhere, and there are some good suburban trails, but there are a lot of places that just are tough to get to without a car.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

– Look, if I had my way the iconic Seattle building would be the Smith Tower, not the Space Needle. It’s better located as part of the city and just looks better. But recognizing that that ship has sailed, the new Sounds crest is pretty rad.

– Green Jacket Lady 2025.

– You don’t have to stop biking just because it’s raining.

– Starbucks’s anti labor bullshit was anti labor and bullshit, judge finds.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Good morning to everyone except for Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison who can eat a doo doo pie. The incredibly low bar for sweeping homeless people isn’t low enough for her. It’s incredibly frustrating, and in the meantime, things aren’t improving. So cruel.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible. 1

I have been walking through SoDo and the waterfront when Beyoncé and Coldplay had their recent shows. I love the crowds and the chaos. Also, the bikes that take people around were all blasting whoever was playing that night. Delightful.

I feel like they could probably coordinate themes other times. I don’t know, that’s probably a lot of work for people doing a hard job for not a lot of money as is.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible. And hey, new tests are available. Order a few if you’re in the US.

The new Seattle drug law has a lot of whereases. They do not have the force of law behind them, but they generally seem like good things. But of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating. And as budgets get proposed and passed, and as the law is implemented and enforced, we will know how valuable those whereases are.

The law is better than when it was first proposed. But I fear that people who were concerned about getting people to treatment will be disappointed.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Starbucks should give its union a faircontract. But they can also stop dicking around with negotiations. Jeez, just fucking have the negotiation how you agreed.

Anyway, employees must wash their hands, and you should too. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

In Friday’s open thread, I talked about the disgusting comments a Seattle Police Department offcer said about Jaahnavi Kandula, who was hit by an officer going way too fast. I didn’t realize at the time, but it was flagged by an SPD employee. I don’t know if that’s an officer or someone else. But I do want to acknowledge that they are one of the good apples we keep hearing about. I hope that there are systems in place to protect them.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

SPD, get your house in order. Limited value. Christ. Limited value. Anyone going 74 un a 25 zone has limited value, not the person they hit. Limited value? Can buzz through the city unsafely, but can’t investigate adult rape. Limited value, fucking celebrating when their reckless behavior kills people who they swore to protect and serve.

And I understand there’s an ongoing process, but geez Mayor Harrell’s statement is pathetic. Mention SOD. Talk about how things will improve.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Let’s finally move away from Carl rides the bus in Tacoma to something different indeed. Today in Carl takes the train in Seattle: Fare ambassadors.

I don’t take the train regularly, and I guess fare ambassadors have been around for a bit. But they were on the train checking people’s cards yesterday. It was the first time since the pandemic that I had seen them.

I guess this is more of a heads up to, um, fare dodgers than anything else. But it is another thing returning to pre pandemic ways.

And one thing that isn’t pre pandemic is that you really need to get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Hey, Carl. You spent the last two open threads talking about things that you think are worse and better about Tacoma busses versus Seattle, do you have a couple things that are just different? You know to stretch it out even further?

Yes!

Talking to strangers: It’s not just the bus. It’s like everyone everywhere in Tacoma is chit chatting with someone. I am a big fan and defender of the Seattle chill. But I can understand how it can be isolating.

And for a more bus specific one, there are a lot more frequent stops in Tacoma. It was every couple blocks for stretches. It made the route slower, but less of a walk before and after.

Anyway, hopefully this is less Carl rides the bus and back to normal (?) open threads soon. In the meantime, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

Last Open Thread, I mentioned some things that I didn’t like about taking the bus in Tacoma. But! Especially compared to Seattle, here are some things that are good about it, from my limited experience.

First, I haven’t had busses that show up on One Bus Away, but then not in real life.

I also never stopped for 10 minutes waiting for the drivers to switch.

I have been spending some time in Tacoma recently. And I still don’t have a car. I feel like something is missing from my understanding of the culture on the bus.

Tacoma bus people are so laid back, even in rush hour. Nobody who was paying with cash had it ready. Some people didn’t even get up to board until the bus had opened its doors. Do none of you have somewhere to be? No connections to catch?

Also, I don’t understand sitting. Most people who got on alone took the outside of two seats. And nobody moved in even when people were standing.

I hope this doesn’t come across as too judgy. I’m sure if I grew up with it, that Metro busses would feel pushy, squished together, and rude. But it’s quite a culture shock even in the Puget Sound.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible. Fuck them new variants.