Compost Requirement for Seattle Homes

Do you save your coffee grounds or lawn clippings in a little tub at home? Well you better start. Seattle Public Utilities has sent out compost requirement notices. On March 30th all residents are required to compost their food waste. Yes, it's a requirement. Not an option. You will be charged for this additional service and the only way to "avoid" it is to say you already compost at home. How will they know you already compost at home? My friend called the Seattle Public Utility to find out. He was told that they will send a city inspector to your house to make sure your system is up to code. Inspector compost on the case.

This compost law wasn't voted on. It was made by the mayor alone. The information on the internet is sparse... but the notice is clear: You will compost.

I'm for composting. I'm for the city making it easy for us to be more 'green'. But is forcing people to compost the way to do this? Shouldn't it be a personal choice? Should we have compost inspectors enforcing this? Wouldn't this be a smart choice that home owners would have made of their own will after reading about the benefits? It's already required to recycle in Seattle (it's also free), and we're all used to that. Will composting become as natural as setting aside glass and cardboard?

Noble Beast by Andrew Bird - Rainy Day Relief

Today was a rainy, blah day. Work was extra hard to sit through. I came home in a dismal mood. Until I opened my mailbox and found a package from Fat Possum Records. I pre-ordered Andrew Bird's new album, Noble Beast, before Christmas. It comes out in stores on January 20th. But guess who got their copy today? I guess it's pretty obvious that it was me. Yes, I got the album today! Annnnd got Owen a copy.

This is exciting because, a. I wasn't expecting it until the 20th and b. I ordered the deluxe edition. And it came, as promised, with lots of fun and beautiful extras.

I present to you...the fun and the beautiful:
1. The case: a four piece fold out with art work by Diana Sudyka, who is an amazing artist and if you follow flatstock and album art you'll recognize her name. (Tidbit: Her husband, Jay Ryan, did the album art for Mysterious Production Of Eggs.)
2. The booklet: Diana illustrated a special song lyric booklet (I don't know what the proper name for that is...) Each song has an illustration. It's like a beautiful little story book.
3. The poster: A little poster of Andrew Bird himself.
4. The extra music: There's an extra disc full of purely instrumental fun called 'Useless Creatures'.


If you weren't planning on buying this album... you should change your mind. To persuade you, you can listen to the entire album free at NPR. Go there. Now. And if you were going to buy the album ... treat yourself to the deluxe edition. Go to Fat Possum Records and order it. Doesn't it just sound better...deluxe. Say it with your pinky up. See there ya go.

Fires and Flooding. Is This It?

Maybe Mister Apocalyptic parker was right! I-5 is flooded. Fife residents have had to evacuate their homes. And on the way to work I couldn't get off my exit because an enormous building was up in flames.
Luckily, according to the apocalyptic prediction of the front lawn parker, it won't be until 2011 that we all burn. So we have time.