West Seattle, Washington
19 Saturday
That’s what channel 7 TV wants to know. So they’ve pitted West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth High School against each other in a “bracket” of their online High School Spirit contest. Voting starts at 5 pm; here’s the link.
With Oprah talking about it today, Twitter is suddenly The Next Big Bandwagon. We’ve been talking about Twitter here for a long time – WSB has been using it since November 2007, and we added a page here last year enabling you to check out recent tweets by almost anyone mentioning West Seattle, plus our latest tweets. You don’t need to sign up for Twitter to see what’s on it — just as long as you know who you’re looking for, you can check out their latest tweets on the Web; for example, we are @westseattleblog, so you can see what we’re up to at twitter.com/westseattleblog, Twitter member or not. Enough about us: We got word via Facebook (where you can “friend” us: WS Blog) from local diving instructor Dave Rintoul of Dive Canuck SCUBA that he’s set up a Twitter account – inspired by one in Malibu – to share info on Seacrest diving conditions. Find him at twitter.com/seacrestdiving – he says he’ll be looking for more divers to share the responsibility of posting condition updates.
Just posted in the never-a-dull-moment WSB Forums – a request for used cooking oil from someone who wants to make their own biodiesel fuel. Can you help? Go here.
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: As previewed here Wednesday, 40 venues are offering art, many with treats, all over West Seattle, 6-9 pm tonight. Get the map here.
DESIGN REVIEW: Two projects to be reviewed tonight at Madison Middle School: Transitional Resources‘ 2988 SW Avalon project at 6:30 pm, 4532 42nd SW at 8 pm.
EASTER/HOLY WEEK EVENT LIST REMINDER: Maundy Thursday services at some West Seattle churches today/tonight are part of what you’ll find on this special page we’ve put together (including all the egg hunts we could find – Saturday’s the biggest day).
FREE CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP: Thinking about remodeling or building? Longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction has a few spots left for its free workshop tonight, 6:30 pm (outlined here); RSVP or questions, 932-3009.
NOT IN WEST SEATTLE, BUT WE’RE PART OF IT: If you’re interested in the ever-lively discussion of how the news-media world is evolving, we hope to see you downtown tonight for the second No News Is Bad News event, this one focusing on new types of online ventures – such as WSB (your editor here is on tonight’s panel, along with other journalist-entrepreneurs, including two former P-I employees involved with new ventures) — and how they figure into the evolving media landscape. 7 pm, Bertha Landes Room at City Hall , free but organizers would love to have you RSVP now to save a spot.
And in fact, that’s the URL – thehistoricadmiraltheater.com – lots of info about upcoming special events as well as a link to the page where you’ll find their regular movie offerings.
The WSB Twitter page is a snapshot at any given time of the most recent Twitter messages – “tweets” – from anyone anywhere mentioning West Seattle. We check it often because it offers WS tips and trivia beyond the people we get to interact with via the @westseattleblog Twitter stream. Interesting group of tweets at the moment – singer Lily Allen is still in Seattle after her Showbox show last night and put out a question a few hours ago to her 125,000+ Twitter “followers” – “Where’s good for steak in Seattle?” Among the replies, our WS-specific Twitter sampling shows, four people quickly recommended JaK‘s in The Junction (and this search shows a few more). Lily then tweeted an hour later “Bout to get my meat on” – no word yet (even via Twitter) whether she did that here.
Looking for an egg hunt? Holy Week/Easter Sunday service? Our Easter page (see it here) can now be reached from the EASTER tab on the WSB navigation bar, beneath the sunset header. Not too late to add something – editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – thanks!
We wanted to take a moment to let you know about one of the newest WSB sponsors: 
Cherry Blossom Aesthetics and Boutique. As is customary when a new sponsor comes on board, we offer them the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what Cherry Blossom‘s Aimee Bonomo says: I have been a licensed aesthetician for 10 years. I practiced in Las Vegas for 8 years before moving to West Seattle and opening the Cherry Blossom. I have had a variety of extended-education classes including body treatments, facial peels, HydraFacial, LED lights and MAC pro. I am always taking new classes to better serve my clients. I work with Virginia Rain, who is a wonderful permanent makeup artist and Pranic Healer. Virginia has been an aesthetician for 9 years and has lived in West Seattle for 15 years. We offer HydraFacial, which is a non-surgical facial rejuvenation. This serum-based resurfacing improves the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, congested pores, hyper-pigmentation and acne with no discomfort or down time. The Professional LED lights are amazing for hyper-pigmentation, collagen production, inflammation, and acne. Permanent makeup makes it possible to look better around the clock without spending so much time. It works great for sensitive skin, and active, outdoor lifestyles. Get $50 off your first HydraFacial and 50% off permanent makeup. Call for an appointment or come by. We look forward to hearing from you soon: (206) 933-2824.
Thanks to Cherry Blossom Aesthetics and Boutique for joining the WSB sponsor team, full list here with info on how to join!
SDOT just announced a new web feature with color-coded traffic info, live-camera links, and transit info all in one place: seattle.gov/travelers. Read on for the full announcement:Read More
Tonight we welcome a new WSB sponsor: Seattle 911 Driving School is about to start classes at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle. 
New WSB sponsors are always offered the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what Seattle 911 Driving School wants you to know: Seattle 911 Driving School is the driver-training program where all instructors are police officers. We hire only the finest police officers with knowledge and expertise to prepare you for the great responsibility that comes with obtaining your driver’s license. The most important aspect of driver education is SAFETY, and the best safety feature you can add to your car is a well-trained driver. With police officers as instructors, our students get the most current real-world driving instruction. At 911 Driving School, instructors are highly trained in every aspect of controlling a vehicle and can teach the latest in defensive driving techniques and current traffic laws. Police officers see firsthand the devastation caused by poor driving. That’s why we take an active role in bringing back greater credibility to driver’s education. Our friendly team at the Seattle 911 Driving School is committed to excellence and knows that you’ll find our instruction to be fun, interactive, and comprehensive – the training cars are pretty cool, too. Classes are held on both weekday and weekend schedules to fit your needs and are available in both our main office at the corner of Northgate and Meridian and at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle, 2801 SW Thistle (map). Whether you are a first-time driver, in need of a refresher course, or a new resident to the US, we have the driver-education training you need. Enroll today – we look forward to serving you. You can call Seattle 911 Driving School at 206-366-9111 to find out more about upcoming classes; schedules and class descriptions also can be found online. Welcome to Seattle 911 Driving School; find all WSB sponsors listed on this page, along with information on how to join them!
Don’t let the smile on Keri Robinson‘s face fool you – She’s coping, as are so many these days, with unemployment. We got a note from her this afternoon that said, in part: “I am a West Seattlelite who was given the pink-slip from Microsoft about 2 months ago and curious about a couple things. First, do you know where all the other pink-slipped Seattlelites hang out? It’s been about 2 months post layoff – and I have yet to really run into anyone, everyone seems to be hibernating or something. After about my first month, I came out of my shell and decided to start blogging about my experience as an unemployed person, but I am hoping to find some of the others out there – we are in the same boat and despite the long lonely journey through unemployment land ahead of us – I was hoping I could try to recruit some of our local pink-slips to be guest bloggers on my site.” So we asked Keri to send us a photo and told her we’d put out the call to you – if you happen to be in the jobseeking mode – you’ll find her site, Lords and Ladies of Leisure, by going here; her e-mail address is on the “about” page. (We’ll be adding her site feed shortly to the WSB Blogs page, too.)
ALKI NEWS: Twofold this time – the latest edition of the Alki News Beacon is available online (with a couple WSB contributions) – see it here; the every-two-months publication usually comes out just before the Alki Community Council meets, and in fact, that meeting is tomorrow night, 7 pm, Alki Community Center. Editor Cami MacNamara also sends word of a revamp at alkinews.com – see it here, including highlights of tomorrow night’s agenda.
SLEEPERS IN SEATTLE, NOT JUST FOR SEATTLE: West Seattle certainly has more than a few businesses that serve customers far beyond the peninsula or even the city limits. On the Junction parking-review walking tour that just wrapped up (story to come), we chatted with Meryl Alcabes (photo left) of Sleepers in Seattle, who mentioned that their nationwide-delivery service is continuing to grow – they’ve even got customers in New York and just expanded their online presence to serve them. (Other West Seattle businesses that sell online too include WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits.)
EASY STREET MIDNIGHT EVENT: Also while on the Junction walking tour, we noticed the Easy Street Records marquee promoting a midnight sale event next Monday night when four special editions of Pearl Jam‘s 1991 debut “Ten” go on sale. (Easy Street also revamped its website not too long ago – lots of great stuff there if you haven’t visited lately, including an easy place to find upcoming in-store performances.)
CONGRATULATIONS! West Seattle-based Potter Construction is sharing the news that it’s been honored with a 2009 Guildmaster Award for customer service – find out more about it here. (Got big news about YOUR business – or school, or neighborhood, or group, or … ? Let us know!)
This morning, we welcome a new WSB sponsor: Somanda Bodyworks in the Admiral District. 
As always, we offer new sponsors the chance to share information about their businesses: Amanda Coleman, LMP, has been a SOMA practitioner for the past nine years. In 2007, she moved her practice here to West Seattle, having previously practiced at The Moving Space in Ballard and Full Circle Wellness on Vashon Island. She’s now in the Admiral District, just a block south of Metropolitan Market. Amanda holds an Advanced degree from the Soma Institute of Neuromuscular Integration®, located near Mt. Rainier. She has recently integrated into her work the osteopathic, gentle-touch techniques of Jean-Pierre Barral, learned from Rolfer Jeffrey Burch in Eugene, OR. She is a member of the International Association for Structural Integrators. SOMA is a series of deep and gentle bodywork sessions that restructure the human body (this includes your brain!). Sessions include re-learning movement and loosening restrictive mental/emotional patterns. Some of the benefits of SOMA include:
· Increased energy
· Greater enthusiasm
· Less tension
· Fewer aches & pains
· Better balance
· More physical awareness
· Emotional openness
· Improved self-reliance
· Heightened creativity
· Youthful appearance
· Enhanced athletic performance
Saturday, March 28th at 4 pm, Amanda will be hosting a live demonstration of SOMA in action at her office at 2650 42nd Ave SW (map). One lucky attendee will win a free session! The demonstration is free; please RSVP since space is limited. You can call her at 206-979-6106 or e-mail her at amandathon-soma@yahoo.com – thanks to Somanda Bodyworks for joining the WSB sponsor team, whose current roster can be found here, along with info on how to become part of it!
Today, we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors: Weitzel Construction, and as we traditionally do when a new sponsor comes on board, we offer them the chance to share information about their business. Weitzel Construction 
owner Dave Weitzel started his company in West Seattle in 1993. He handles both reconstruction and new construction. Dave says what his customers notice the most is his attention to detail – and he says that attention extends to the people he hires as well, so that Weitzel Construction has assembled a great team as well as building great projects. Dave is active in the West Seattle community as well. He currently serves as a board member for the Admiral Neighborhood Association. And more than a decade ago, he was part of the neighborhood-planning advisory group that worked on the Admiral District’s neighborhood plan. Weitzel Construction is an award-winning company based in West Seattle; you can call 206-935-8440 or find out more about their projects at weitzelconstruction.com. Thanks to Weitzel Construction for supporting local news, information, and discussion by sponsoring WSB; the entire sponsor team is listed on this page, which is also where to find out how to be part of it!
In addition to the Conner project Design Review meeting, lots of notable events tonight. They’re all on the Events calendar — where you’ll find the full list — but here’s an extra shoutout for a few more:
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: The map/info link will be in the sidebar at right till the event’s over tonight, but if you missed it: 6-9 pm tonight, 40 venues all over West Seattle, and many offer treats and special deals for Art Walk-night visitors and shoppers. Artists highlighted here; printable venue map here.
PARKS BOARD IN WEST SEATTLE: The regular twice-monthly meeting of the Seattle Parks Board (whose chair and co-chair are both West Seattleites) is coming here tonight: West Seattle Golf Course clubhouse, 7 pm. The agenda includes two items of WS-specific interest — the city’s Golf Master Plan and the Seacrest dock renovations for the Elliott Bay Water Taxi (which starts its season April 5). Briefing papers are all linked from the Parks Board page.
SNAP AT WEST SEATTLE LIBRARY: Find out how to make sure your family and neighborhood are ready for anything. Seattle Neighbors Actively Prepare has a free how-to at West Seattle Library (Admiral) at 6:30 tonight.
GENEALOGY AT SOUTHWEST LIBRARY: A genealogy librarian is coming to Southwest Library at 5:30 tonight to show you how to use the Internet to find out more about your family history. It’s free but you have to call to register; number, and more info, all here.
HIGH POINT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY MEETING: 6 pm at Elizabeth House, 3201 SW Graham. The theme: “Doing more with less impact on the environment,” according to HPNA president Andrew Mead‘s meeting announcement on the HPNA site.
CHIEF SEALTH HIGH SCHOOL MULTICULTURAL NIGHT: Food, performances, silent auction, and more, all presented by the CSHS PTSA, 6 pm.
Today we welcome one of our newest sponsors, Brunette Mix in The Junction. 
Brunette Mix is both a salon and a retail space featuring art — as owner BJ puts it, “creating an atmosphere of the senses.” She features lotions, scents, and clothing that’s comfortable and easy to wear. The idea comes from the first salon she worked at back East. She’s wanted to pursue the idea of a shop and salon since then, but she was only able to put both together at this West Seattle location. BJ explains that the “atmosphere of the senses” in Brunette Mix is a natural outgrowth of how she and her staff interact with their customers. They’ve learned their clients’ likes and dislikes, and that in turn gives way to gift suggestions, for example, like this past Christmas, when BJ said many of her clients’ husbands were able to come in and pick out just the right gift! BJ says that helping customers with personal gift-suggestion touch gives her as much satisfaction as receiving a gift herself. Whether you’re there to buy a gift or get your hair done, BJ says her goal is to be able to not only make you look better, but also feel better as well when you leave. Brunette Mix is also a 
stop on the monthly West Seattle Art Walk. For this month’s Art Walk – happening TONIGHT, 6-9 pm – the featured artist is Ruth Mikos (ruthmikos.com). Brunette Mix will display Ruth’s photos of old circus dolls. You can find Brunette Mix at 4306 SW Oregon (just west of California; here’s a map); phone 206-932-2401; online at brunettemix.com. Thanks to Brunette Mix for joining the WSB sponsor team, all shown here with info on how to join them!
A freebie too hot to just keep in the WSB Forums’ Freebies, Deals, Sales section — Michael Hoffman at Liberty Bell Printing (WSB sponsor) in The Junction is offering free resume printing:
We know it’s hard out there and Liberty Bell Printing wants to help. Now through the end of March, bring in your resume ready to copy and we will give you 20 FREE copies on stationery paper. Tell us you saw it on West Seattle Blog and will will give you five more FREE for a total of 25!
That’s black/white printing, by the way. Liberty Bell is on the east side of California, a few doors north of Edmunds (map), open Mondays-Fridays, 9 am-5:30 pm.
Spring is in sight – and that means time to green up. One of our newest sponsors, Clean Air Lawn Care, brings a new meaning to that term, and here’s what they want you to know about their business: “Do you know that 5-10% of the nation’s air pollution is attributed to small engines like the ones used in gas-powered lawn-care equipment – mowers, blowers, edgers and trimmers? Or that gas lawn mowers consume some 580 million gallons of gasoline annually, of which 25-35% escapes unburned – that’s on top of the 17 million gallons that are spilled annually by people filling up gas mowers?
Clean Air Lawn Care of West Seattle is ‘Changing the Way America Mows the Lawn’ by using only battery- and electric-operated equipment powered by renewable energy sources. The solar panels on their trucks are used to harvest the solar energy and recharge their equipment throughout the day. Adam Werner, owner of Clean Air Lawn Care, has been a Seattle resident since 1995 and a West Seattle resident in the Riverview Neighborhood since 2004. He has been involved with his Riverview Neighborhood group to help save the Sound Ways property from private development. He is also a member of the Highland Park Improvement Club and a new member of Sustainable West Seattle.
In 2008, Clean Air Lawn Care was able to reduce air pollutants by 2289 pounds or the equivalent of 70,158 vehicle miles driven. According to the EPA, in 1 hour, 1 gas mower: 1) pollutes the same as 40 late model cars, 2) emits the amount of hydrocarbons as a SUV driven 23,600 miles and 3) contributes 93 times more smog-forming emissions than 2006 cars. Another huge advantage of the electric equipment is the lack of noise – 50-70% quieter than traditional lawn equipment. So not only do you not have to smell the gas burning you don’t have to hear it either. This is great for working from home, napping children, and not disturbing your neighbors on a nice sunny afternoon. We’ve had several customers tell us that they did not even know we were at their house.
Adam and his crew are knowledgeable, professional and courteous. They provide all of West Seattle (and beyond) spring and fall cleanups, mowing, blowing, edging, trimming, weeding, mulching, hedge trimming (up to 7 ft) and other hourly work as required. Outside of the electricity generated by the solar panels, Clean Air participates in the Seattle Green Up program and all additional electricity used is purchased from a renewable energy broker. The windpower they purchase is used to power the lawn equipment and offices, qualifying the entire organization as carbon neutral.
Be sure to stop Adam, Josh, or Chelsea when you see them in your neighborhood to get a look at the truck with the solar panels. Josh would love to talk you about his photography and Chelsea would be more than happy to show you some of the jewelry she makes or even teach your kids to play the piano. Help your neighborhood become clean and quieter and help Clean Air Lawn Care “Change the Way America Mows the Lawn.” Call 206-941-4180 or e-mail adam@cleanairlawncare.com. Thanks to Clean Air Lawn Care for joining the WSB sponsor team, just in time for lawn-care season to get into full swing (remember, Daylight Saving Time starts this Saturday night)!
We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: Envision Homes. Every time a new sponsor joins, we offer them the chance to tell you about their business, so here’s what Envision 
Homes wants you to know: “In 2000, we started Envision Homes, with the basic idea that we envisioned homes that were energy and resource efficient, clean and low toxic, durable and well crafted … to leave a legacy of responsible and conscience building. For the last nine years, our dedication to sustainable building has continued to gain momentum. (We love what we do.) We are small and personal, passionate about sustainable building, exceptional project managers and proud craftsmen. Our fees and hourly rates are very competitive, but mostly, our value is compelling. Our competitively priced lead carpenters are friendly, efficient, creative and clean. They also act as site supervisors, dedicated to each client. Our clients enjoy focused site supervisors who are proud builders, share our commitment to environmentally friendly building practices, and build positive client relationships. We believe the experience of the project is just as important as the result. But what really sets us apart is our dedication to sustainable remodeling, our continuing education on building sciences, our involvement and sponsorship of major local sustainable building organizations, public, college and outreach speaking and lecture programs. Each client gets the full benefit of our product and application knowledge in making informed decisions about their project, in all aspects of residential building sciences, renewable energy and materials, all of which is included in our very competitive GC fee.” Envision Homes is currently sponsoring the WSB Crime Watch page, where you will see their ad banner; you can find them online by going here, and you can call Envision Homes at 206-356-7853. We’re glad to have them on the WSB sponsor team, listed in its entirety here, where you’ll also find information on how to be part of it.
Whenever a new sponsor joins WSB, we publish a special welcome with information the sponsor wants to share. This time around, we’re welcoming the Southwest District Council, with a special emphasis on one of its work priorities — emergency preparedness. The SWDC’s next meeting is this Wednesday night, so it’s a good time to share more information about it. First, an explanation: The Southwest District is one of 13 neighborhood districts in the city, created by City Ordinance in 1988. (The rest of West Seattle is in the Delridge Neighborhoods District.) Each district has a district council made up of representatives from neighborhood/community councils, business groups, a variety of other community-based organizations, non-profit human-service organizations, or arts/cultural groups. District Councils advise the city on services, initiatives, and programs, such as the Neighborhood Street Fund/Cumulative Reserve Fund and Neighborhood Matching Fund Large Projects applications, and provides a forum to inform, discuss, and encourage civic engagement and community-building. The Southwest District Council meets 9 or 10 times a year on the first Wednesday, at 7 pm – usually January, February, March, April, May, June, July (when needed), September, October, and November – at the President’s Board Room at South Seattle Community College on Puget Ridge (map). The District Council is staffed by the Southwest Neighborhood District Coordinator, Stan Lock with the city Department of Neighborhoods. Read on to find out about SWDC participants – and how the emergency-preparedness push (with a new website) can make a difference for your family:Read More
More suggestions needed! And not just pizza. Who’s your fave? Have a say, and see who’s been mentioned so far, by going to this WSB Forums post.
Please welcome one of our newest sponsors, Malinda Newstrom, LMP. 
She offers in-home massage appointments in West Seattle and neighboring communities. She thinks receiving a massage is a key to replenishing and healing the whole person. Malinda was trained at Brenneke School of Massage. The school is known nationwide for its wide range of social, medical, clinical, and physical instructions. To introduce her services, and as a benefit to WSB readers, Malinda is offering a *50% discount on a one-hour Deep Swedish massage* for first-time customers who mention WSB when booking. She also offers discounted gift certificates and customers rewards for any referals. You can book your appointments on-line. Malinda has partnered with Full Slate, a Seattle-based company (co-founded by West Seattleite Bill Lange) that enables online appointment booking. Book online (here’s the link) and enter “WSB” in the comment field to receive an *additional $10 off* any treatment booked before February 28, 2009. WSB welcomes Malinda to our sponsor lineup, which you can see on this page, where you’ll also find information on how to become part of it!
We know some folks still don’t regularly check the WSB Forums, so we’re taking a moment to remind you about the Freebies, Deals, Sales section. Among the latest posts: PDieter is putting a Weber grill on CL tomorrow, but giving WSBers a chance at it first; on the other side of the seasonal-item spectrum, “old skis” are in search of a “new home.” Got something you’re selling – offering for free – or discounting (businesses are welcome to post the latter)? Looking for something? Just start here.
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