By Deborah H. Anderson This time of year, when the temperature dips below 40 degrees, I think about my blue flannel cow jammies. Along with my blue socks and a black fake sheep’s wool blanket I bought at Thriftway, they kept me warm when it got really cold during the year that I slept in…
By Jane Valencia This article continues the story of Islander Alice Watkins, who plays on two teams with Rat City Roller Derby, Seattle’s flat track roller derby league. Read part 1 here. Alice isn’t alone in engaging in hefty travel to attend practices and bouts. Players come from all over the greater Seattle area, from…
By Mickey Fontaine This article continues the topic of young adults entering our work force. Read Part 1 here. We next talked with John, who highlighted the huge amount of pressure that we put on students to decide their career path: “The system isn’t tailored well to people with doubts. Right as you become financially…
As recounted to Tripper Harrison I’ll just dive right in here because that’s what I do. Mom always said to never go swimming for at least two hours after you eat, or you could seize up and drown. I generally tried to stick by her advice, but she never said anything about liquids doing the…
By Gene Kuhns We must be courageous enough, curious enough, and intellectually honest enough to break the chain of Accusatory Fog. What does this mean? There surrounds each one of us a fog of accusations, partial truths, or outright lies about many things, organizations, places, items, and people. Whether it started as gossip, because of…
By Mickey Fontaine College is a big decision, and it can have big consequences. Although it can create new opportunities, it can also close off doors later in life. It is very expensive, and debt can have a huge impact on your long-term financial stability, making it very hard to change the course of your…
Above photo by Dawn Stief By Seán Malone and John Sweetman We all have distinct memories of our early school days, and some memories stand out long after the “bell.” Seán had an unusual opportunity to “go back” to the third grade. Thankfully, he did not have to pass his mathematics exam again, but was…
By Michael Shook In 1972, when I graduated high school, there were about 3.4 million residents in the entire state of Washington. In 2022, there were 4.5 million residents of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties alone. The state is now home to roughly 7.8 million people, with another million estimated to arrive during the next…
By the Footloose Foodie The “Friendly Foodie” sends greetings! Vashon friends, family, and visitors, I said I would set my feet loose this month and visit a local eatery. Please, reader, remember that I write only of my personal experience. Agree, disagree, or agree to disagree. I have no ill will or nefarious agenda with…