It’s the slide season again. Locomotive engineers creeping past Everett cast anxious eyes at banks looming above, and with good reason; Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF) has a history of landslides blocking tracks. Though BNSF management surely considers these earth-shifts a threat to be dealt with, there seems to be no cure.
I came home from my daily workout at the Y this morning to stumble aimlessly about the kitchen. The tasks of measuring out oatmeal, pouring juice, setting out pills and heating tea water pulled me somewhat back on course. There has to be more to it if this retirement stuff is to keep me on my toes.
My wife and I agree that we’re getting too old for major road trips — but we did it again, another grueling Odyssey for old-timers. What tipped the balance was that our travel buddies insisted on not only doing all the driving but covering a lot of the expenses. What were we to do?
William Shatner touts Priceline.com. Brad Pitt promotes Chanel No. 5. Marie Osmond is a media voice for Nutri-Systems. But get this: The one and only Beyoncé has taken it upon herself to be an outspoken supporter of Goodwill Industries. Not for money. Not to enhance her image, but because she believes in Goodwill’s mission. She’ll be promoting Goodwill throughout her North American concert series beginning June 28 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Education in Marysville is improving. We’re doing better in most ways that can be expressed in numbers — test scores, graduation rates, that sort of thing. When the public demanded improvement and we didn’t have the resources to attack all fronts, it became necessary to favor programs where success is measured by test scores rather than those that, well, might make us feel good in ways that defy measurement.
Last September we took a look at Marysville’s 10th Street School’s plan to convert to iPads as the central learning device. Every student would have one. Most parents equipped their kids with the devices and school fundraisers covered costs for the rest. It was a local experiment being played out in a scatter of schools across the map.
My drive home takes me up Highway 528 to where I opt for turning south on 83rd or easing through the construction zone to Highway 9. Curiosity always wins and I endure flaggers’ hold-ups to see what’s going on.
Have you noticed what’s happening to gas prices? Even with discounts at Costco, Safeway or Freddy’s it’s scary. On Feb. 21 the Fourth Street Shell and Standard posted $3.79 for regular, the same as the Grove Street Union 76. Tulalip’s Chevron megastation was low at $3.66 per gallon.
After being away from Lake Stevens for a few weeks I tuned I tuned my radio to AM 1090 to pick up Thom Hartmann, a favorite talk show host. Alas, no Hartmann, just sports babble. I checked the frequency. Yup, it was 1090. Where had Hartmann gone?
There are so many churches around Marysville that I lose count. It used to be easy keeping track of churches by tallying belfries, steeples and crosses but nowadays you find them settled into schools, theaters and industrial parks. About the only way to spot churches is by concentrations of cars on Sunday morning. It’s trickier on Saturday night or whenever else worshippers gather.
Seattle’s KIRO reported that Marysville’s Tenth Street Middle School “Goes all iPad.” Like most absolute statements, going ALL iPad may have stretched reality a bit. And in stretching reality, KIRO delivered new grist for the community’s rumor mill.
My wife is collecting political flyers leading up to the general election. About the time their authors run out of money or half-truths to throw at each other we’ll see if we can fit the whole lot into our blue Waste Management recycling bin.
vening news squibs showed Seattle and Edmonds demonstrators complaining about coal trains. Does it take them that long to take notice or are big-city folks just slower to react than our sort of country bumpkins? The oddest part was the focus of their complaint.
