Good morning. Some municipalities have elections coming up soon. If you live in Seattle, you should be getting your ballot for the social housing initiative soon. I would encourage you to support it.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. Right now. And schedule yourself or your family to get vaccinated or boosted.

Has anyone else had Orca Cards be too sensitive? The other day mine tapped off and then immediately back on. I tried to tap that again but it just said I had already tapped. A line was forming behind me and I have a monthly pass, so it didn’t cost me anything. But I imagine it would be annoying if it was taking money out of my account.

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

– Were you in SeaTac Airport or Swedish on First Hill recently? You might have been exposed to measles. If you got your MMR as a kid, or as an adult, you should be fine. But here are Public Health Seattle & King County’s recommendations if you were exposed.

And speaking of being vaccinated, get your COVID-19 initial dose or booster if you’re eligible. The vaccine itself and the bivalent booster are modern miracles.

– There’s a bill to have the minimum wage cover prisoners in Washington State. If you think this is a good idea, hey, you can contact your legislator.

– I have passed the asphalt plant in Kenmore many times growing up nearby. Good to see that it’s being cleaned up.

– After a decade on the City Council, Kshama Sawant has certainly earned moving on. Still, I don’t think if her replacement lasts a decade, whoever they are, that they will be able to point to anything like the minimum wage or renter protection that she has produced.

– Glad we’re renaming some gross things.

– I don’t know what to make of the reporting of deaths in tiny house villages.

Wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

– Full service Amtrak to Canada’s Vancouver. Very nice.

– I liked this article about implementing the Organics Management Law. A lot of getting into the weeds on everything from building facilities to all those stickers on your fruit.

– I am excited to see how unlimited vacation works out for Microsoft (First item under “Last Week in Corporations”). Hopefully it goes well for productivity and for employees. (I wrote, but didn’t publish this before the news of the layoffs. So addendum: Oof).

– Good information on possible Ballard Station options.

– Man, fuck Jim Jordan.

– Please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

– I am fascinated by all of the ways homeless people in the Seattle area survive despite the cities and counties not doing nearly enough. This story about people sleeping rough in SeaTac is another example. Geez.

– Please wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

– Social media doesn’t seem very healthy for children. I don’t know if a lawsuit is the best remedy, but it will be interesting if it gains traction.

– I have not had any of these bagels. Perhaps it’s time to change that.

I will probably ask you to write your legislator several times this session. I am going to start with a bill that will not pass either house in the Democratic controlled legislature and would be vetoed by Governor Inslee if it somehow got to his desk. I am talking about this transphobia smorgasbord.

Representative Jim Walsh wishes to pick on trans people. Trans youth who need protection. Trans youth who are some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

So I am asking you to find your legislators and let them know that you oppose HB 1214. I would like their bigotry to be rejected now, before it has a chance to take hold in Washington.

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

Shoplifting is a problem. And I am sure if you’re working retail or retail security Downtown, it’s part of a larger problem. So I can understand why you would be excited about the police arresting shoplifters. But, while the story isn’t complete yet, it appears that a lot of the arrests are not prolific shoplifters.

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

Forgot I was coming in to work early, so quick post from me. Wash your hands. Get vaccinated.

The legislature starts next week. What do you want from them?

For me, it’s time — it’s past time — to get density around transit stops. Come on. Let’s get it done.

I would also like as much funding for abortion as we can get. If we have the votes, and the polling looks good, we should have a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights.

And for you, I hope that you wash your hands right now. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

I don’t necessarily think that if you have nothing positive to say about the dead, you should just zip it. But sometimes. So mum’s the word.

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

A rare Thursday thread. I am mostly not working, but maybe you are.

We’re in the worst of all possible worlds regarding stand to the right. Most people at the underground light rail stations stand to the right on escalators. But! Enough people are standing 2 deep or just on the right that it’s ruining the whole thing. When I am in a hurry, I would like to be able to walk up them.

At least the Capitol Hill Station escalators work.

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

Is it snowing where you are? It snowed a bit in the Seattle urban core, but nothing stuck other than a bit on cars. Still, it’s nice to be able to walk in it last night. Hopefully, your commute isn’t bad.

Anyway, please wash your hands right now. And for God’s sake get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible. Get tested right before you see family or some other group of people over the holidays.

– Troubling but not surprising is a good way to describe the Troyer verdict. Probably better for a pastor to use than oh shit and no shit.

– Last chance for free COVID-19 tests from the Washington State government. Might as well get some. And get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

– I have maintained that Joe Kent is entitled to his recount and that it wasn’t going to change much. Well duh.

– Kevin McCarthy not being Speaker would be funny, but I imagine anyone else would be worse.

– Since Twitter has been made in its owner’s image: Everyone is talking about him, and it’s boring as hell, do you have a social media recommendation? I think I will probably just post longer open threads and maybe other posts if y’all can behave in them.