June 2006

Here is a reading list of unusual and uncommon reading titles:

"Catch Me If You Can" by Frank Abagnale, was made into a movie in 2002 starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. The book originally came out in 1980. It is the story of a 16-year-old who started passing bad checks around the U.S. and eventually the world, which led him into a life of impersonating an airline pilot, lawyer, college professor and doctor. Even more remarkable is that he did all of this by age 21.

"Ice Age 2: the Meltdown", the animated children's film by director Carlos Saldanha, revisits three unlikely friends of the great ice age: Manny the mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), Diego the saber-tooth tiger (Denis Leary) and Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo). Having fled the plummeting temperatures of an impeding ice age in their last outing, they are now faced-in the sequel a scant four years later- with global warming. It's a hyper-speed reversal of fortunes.

For those of you that are on a regular weight training program, tweak it a bit by periodizing. Every six to eight week period alter the amount of weight and repetitions of each exercise.

Here's how. Use light weight and do more repetitions the first couple weeks and by the sixth week increase the amount of weight and do fewer repetitions.

I have been lucky in my life. I have had a series of parent figures. I have always liked older people. I like their wisdom. I like their willingness to sit and talk to me. And, I can see now, looking back over the meandering path of my life, I wouldn't be here without them.

My most unlikely of mentors was Lee Phelps. I was 23, broke and working as an underpaid radio reporter in Santa Cruz. One day, I was crying over my broken-down car. I had no money, no savings, and no options. Lee overheard me in the newsroom.

In the May 10 Herald I told you about my four favorite places in West Seattle. But I was a bit selfish, and gave only vague hints to the location of the last place.

The closure of the West Seattle bridge for eight hours last week demonstrated how much we will miss the monorail and how much we will need to strengthen and expand the services of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi.

The tragic accident that killed three young men demonstrated what will happen when the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed for years to be rebuilt.

As I sat in one of the worst traffic disruptions in years I knew from the early accounts it was a horrific accident (West Seattle Bridge-Thursday morning, June 22).

Driving into work along with everybody else I was surrounded by cars with "United We Stand," "Support Our Troops," "Breast Cancer Awareness" bumper stickers and cars with flags flying from the antenna. We all made it to our jobs albeit a lot late.

Seattle Fire Fighters responded to the Ballard Library on the morning of June 20 after a librarian collecting books from the book drop box burned her finger on an unknown, sticky white powder.

Seattle Fire Department Public Information Officer Lt. Harold Webb said the librarian reported that her fingers starting "tingling."

The victim washed her hands immediately after coming in to contact the substance. She was examined by paramedics who determined she wasn't in any immediate danger.

Crown Hill Business Association member Cinny Burrell said she knows it could take years, even decades, to transform Crown Hill into a destination neighborhood, one that entices people to stay awhile rather than just driving through.

Catherine Weatbrook, also a member of the neighborhood business association, thinks Crown Hill is a community with great potential.

"Fremont is the Center of the Universe, well, what is Crown Hill?" said Weatbrook, referring to the Fremont neighborhood motto.

Out of more than 450 project entries, the Seattle Public Library Ballard branch was one of 11 winners nationwide to receive the American Institute of Architects Honor Award (AIA) that recognizes design excellence.