Buzz Bin

by Inlander Staff


Oh, the Humanity -- Kudos to all you Bloomies. A few of us in the Bin decided to forego the exercise and cheer you on from the sidelines. We're quite proud at even being up before the race started. Coffee in hand, we had a front-row seat as first the elite wheelchair racers whizzed by, then the hard-bodied elite women stormed past, followed by the unbelievably speedy elite men (a shout-out to Stephen Barbieri sprinting along with the best of them). And finally, yes, the sea of humanity, the tens of thousands of men, women, children, grandmothers, baseball caps, fanny packs, ponytails and water bottles. The thousands upon thousands of thundering tennis shoes and thighs, some running, some walking, some swinging from strollers.


If you think those of us who didn't run missed out on Bloomsday, you're sorely mistaken. We watched the faces, panting and squirming, pass us, the arms pumping along, we cheered at the sight of the vertical movement of heads, like one massive drumbeat, soaring down the road. And in case you're curious exactly what time your particular drumbeat came in at, check out our glossy, uber-fabulous Souvenir Results Booklet, on the stands right now and available at our offices, 1020 W. Riverside Ave.





Of Starfish and Spiny Urchins -- Don't be surprised if you happen to visit the Seattle Aquarium this summer and see something familiar. No, we're not talking about the overfed seal that bears a remarkably whiskered resemblance to Aunt Patty, nor are we referring to that gliding salmon that would sure look good - smoked -- on a platter with some crackers. Local painter Melissa Cole, wildlife artist extraordinaire and illustrator of our 2002 annual Short Fiction Contest, has a show opening at the Aquarium this week which will run through September. Cole runs her business, Sirena Graphics, along with her husband Brandon; she's also an accomplished diver who knows marine life well. Look for her intricate patterns, compelling imagery and creatures ranging from sea kelp to mighty orcas. Visit www.seattleaquarium.org.





If Pamela's Reading It... -- It's nice to see that our praise (5/7/05) of Jess Walter's new book Citizen Vince is in good company. The Washington Post review says, "Maybe if Aaron Copland had written the score for a film noir starring the Marx Brothers there would be some prototype for Walter's fusion fiction, but he didn't and there isn't." The New York Times chips in with "entertaining ... [with] wry precision and expert timing." Damn straight. But we'd have to say our favorite Citizen Vince appearance happens to be its poster, displayed on the wall of Pamela Anderson's make-believe bookstore in Fox TV's new sitcom, Stacked.





Publication date: 05/05/05