CHEERS
LOVAS: Cheers to the lovas I see celebrating your unity while out and about in Spokane. You are an inspiration to us all, gallivanting your beautiful selves down Monroe. Lovas rejoice and be as free as Willie! Your regimen is working, you hotties you.RUNNING UP THAT HILL: It was a snowy day, following Valentines, and the roads were slick. My little red hatchback couldn't make it up the hill on Mission, from Washington to Monroe. My car slid backwards into the sidewalk, and I put it in park to figure out what to do next. You knocked on my passenger window and offered to push me up the hill, stating that I would be the fourth vehicle you helped. I put the car in drive, and you pushed me up the hill alone, then waved goodbye as I yelled thanks out my window. Your act of kindness carried me through the week, and I am so grateful that you stopped to help me. Because of you I was "running up that hill with no problems."
BONDS AND LEVYS: Bravo to the voters! NEVER vote yourself a tax increase. It's time these agencies who think they have an unlimited supply of money from you start living within their means. After all, you do. Vote no to tax increases EVERY time.
HELPFUL STRANGER: A thousand cheers to the woman who saw me struggling to my move my new desk from my car to my house and pulled over to help. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help a stranger.
KEWU: I've been listening to KEWU from out of state for many years. While listening, I've had many people ask me what it was. When I told them it was KEWU from Eastern Washington University, they began to listen also. In fact, often when someone visited me, if it wasn't on, they'd ask me why it wasn't. During pledges, I pledged. I believe some of them did also. At least, I hope that was the case. Now, I understand that KEWU is going away. In fact, often when I tune into it, it's already gone with lots of dead air space. This past weekend, whenever I tuned to it, it was off the air, which was sad and frustrating. Fortunately for me and many others, it was on today and that was comforting. To whoever is making these decisions, I'm sure it was a hard one. Remember that many of us out here will miss KEWU.
RE: JOLTIN' JOE: Thank you for reinforcing the veracity of my remarks with your petulant reply. As Mark Twain said, "It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt."
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: Many thanks to those who stopped to help the two retired women who accidentally fell on the Riverfront Park walkway along the south side of the Red Wagon meadow while leaving the terrific STOMP performance Feb. 23. We truly appreciate your kindness.
CHICK-FIL-A COMPROMISE: A compromise suggestion to the Chick-Fil-A restaurant on 29th Avenue. (Bad idea, too crowded!) The unused former Perkins restaurant building in the University District would be a perfect compromise. It is on a side street of North Division, so no traffic on a main road, and easy access. Plenty of parking and outdoor seating space. Kind of isolated from other businesses and buildings, plenty of off street parking, and walkability to downtown and the campuses.
O'DOHERTY'S BAR STAFF: We came in with a large group on Saturday night to celebrate a friend's retirement. Thank you so much for your professional and friendly service. There's a reason you are a Spokane classic. Keep up the good work and have a cold one for us!
ELECTRICITY!!! THANK YOU! To the guys who worked effortless to restore our power on the night of Feb. 25. Around the Ponderosa and Disman Mica neighborhoods. You guys ROCK!
JEERS
BIG TRUCK! Why is it that so many guys drive HUGE trucks and never use them for what they are intended for? Polluting the earth, ruining the streets and causing more accidents than any other vehicle on the road! Is it to make them manly and haul their tiny packages?
WHERE'S THE COFFEE? We have several universities, lots of health care workers, and plenty of night owls who are up and around well after dusk. Where's the coffee place that's open when you need it? There's two, maybe three, places to go after about 7 pm, and one's only a drive-through. Even Shari's isn't open late in this town. For some of us, the point of coffee is to have it when we're up late and tired, not just when we're up early and tired. Bonus if you can sit and try to get some work done at 2 am with a coffee at your elbow.
TOO MANY CARS: I measured it, and the car stories took up about 40% of the C&J section last week. C&J was dominated by stories of hit and runs, dangerous driving, disrespect by people driving 2-ton metal boxes around, and relief when people actually stop for pedestrians who are playing frogger across our streets. That's no accident because of how cars dominate our lives in this town.
RE: HOUSTON SOLUTION: Joining the race to become the least accommodating to the homeless population is not a solution that gets anyone out of poverty. Washington already bears the brunt of some nearby states that would sooner incarcerate their homeless than feed or shelter them. The solution isn't for Washington to stop providing for our most vulnerable citizens in an effort to make other states do it for us. That's just moving a problem elsewhere that was previously moved to us. It solves nothing. Other states certainly have to start lifting their own weight as well, but that's not a reason to stop lifting ours. Our mind should be on how to help these folks out of poverty and improve their quality of life, not how to sweep them under the rug or send them to Texas so we don't have to see them.
DO YOUR VOTES COUNT? I wonder what those people now think who voted both for Lisa Brown and Proposition 1. As seen in the latest edition of the Inlander, Brown is not enforcing the provisions of Prop 1.
RE: EVERYONE KNOWS: I agree with the sentiment about saving narcan for the true victims. Those who overdose by no choice of their own but instead are victims of the selfish behavior of addicts. Save the rescue medications for the true victims. Those who help and accidentally overdose shouldn't die because of someone else leaving their fentanyl around.
RE: CHEERING COMPETENCY: What is this even a metaphor for? Maybe the "gentleman" wants to crash the plane for some insurance claim that would benefit him. I feel significantly dumber having read this absurd hyperbolic hypothetical.
BE NICE TO THE BLIND: My mother was just diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration. Her ophthalmologist gave us the number of a local nonprofit that helps elderly blind people and gave me the name of the nonprofit's director. The first time I called, the person that answered said, "Hello." I almost hung up thinking I had the wrong number until she finally said the name of the nonprofit. I asked for the director and was told she was too busy to come to the phone. I called the next day. I got a different person. When I asked for the director, she said, "She's not here. Anyway, you can't just talk to her. She's a very busy person." This nonprofit relies on grants and donations. Not only will I never call this place back, it would be the last place in the world I would donate to.
IF YOU CAN'T DRIVE 'EM, DON'T HAVE 'EM. Boo to the young man who stopped his oversized, obnoxiously lifted white truck across the entire crosswalk at the intersection of Division and Wellesley. If you cannot handle the responsibility of a large vehicle, and would force pedestrians to step out into a dangerous intersection, it is time to stop feeling big in a vehicle you cannot handle. If you can't handle a truck, and aren't using for hauling or any other practical reason, do not purchase one.
DRIVERS EDUCATION: Attention, Spokane drivers. Washington legislators are trying to pass a bill that would make it mandatory to take driver's ed when renewing your license or when getting one after moving here from out of state. Why? Here in Spokane, I've seen aggressive drivers who don't think the law applies to them. Let's clear a few things up, shall we? Red light means STOP! It does not mean four more cars can go through if they want. The numbers on speed limit signs is the maximum speed you're supposed to go. NOT 10 to 15 mph faster. Stop risking other peoples lives. And people wonder why drivers ed might be required.
SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE: City of Spokane, you fixed a recent sinkhole on Laura near the Grain Shed within 24 hours. Please fix the sunken areas and uneven surfaces in the asphalt walkway along the south side of Riverfront Park's Red Wagon Meadow (along Spokane Falls Boulevard) where two seniors fell Feb. 23 when leaving the STOMP performance.
PARANOIA WILL DESTROY YA: Congrats, sperm donor. Not speaking to your daughter for two years while living 20 minutes away, and then to happen into her brewery for a few hours last Friday and pretend not to see her the entire time, no acknowledgment, well, I just don't have words for your dastardly deeds. Your ship has sailed into waters of doom. The perpetual victimhood you project to explain your actions is boring and hurtful to people who had wanted relationship with you. You are your biggest problem. Maybe in your next life you can come back as a cat and lick your own ass ad nauseum. Eat a taco. Cheers wacko. ♦
