World Peace and Scary Santa

Last week I stopped at the Starbucks in the Safeway shopping area to pick up some teacher and babysitter gifts. I had my three-year old son with me. A woman approached him and asked him what he was he wanted from Santa Claus this year for Christmas.

He hid behind my legs--all things Santa scare him. Have you seen the Santa who trolls the Safeway shopping plaza with candy canes hanging on his belt looking for little ones to either delight or freak out? My 7 1/2 year old daughter who is now wise to all things Santa and Tooth Fairy happily takes the candy cane while the little one hides from the scary man in red.

The woman at Starbucks joked with my little guy asking if he wanted "world peace" and of course I had to share my story from when my little girl was two and a half.

That year, we went on the Snoqualmie Santa Train ride and at our destination, we went to meet Santa.

Jokingly, but not so much, we told our little girl to ask Santa for World Peace. When it was her turn, she completely fell apart. The picture I have is of a terrified little girl just trying to get away from the creepy old guy.

She left with a pocket full of fear and a Northwest Railway Museum key chain. It was one of those plastic tubes with colored gel and glitter floating around inside. She loved it and treasured it--despite her trauma.

A few days later, she was in tears. "Where's my World Peace? Where's my World Peace?" she cried. Yup, she had lost her keychain--she thought its name was World Peace.

World Peace is still floating around here somewhere in a toy bin. Every once and awhile we find it and declare we have found World Peace! We just don't talk about the Scary Santa

Gunno Looses Both Races

Yesterday afternoon, as I ventured off the Plateau going from the 228th Fire Station north towards Redmond, I noticed that MOST candidates had removed their campaign signs already!

Thank you! Thank you!

It was as if there was a race to see who could remove their campaign signs the quickest and I LIKE IT. I can imagine the candidates running to pull up their signs as the polls closed on Tuesday night, checking their maps of where they posted them so as not to miss a stray on a side road.

Noticably still planted in the ground were Stan Gunno's and Mark Cross' signs. In this race, they both lost.

The Votes are In!

Congratulations to the incumbent Sammamish City Council members Nancy Whitten, Michelle Petitti and Mark Cross (who is also serving as our appointed Mayor this year) for their re-elections yesterday.

While Whitten and Petitti's positions were close (and not all votes counted yet), all three re-elections were a tribute to a job well done on their current posts.

Now, let's see who can remove their campaign signs from our roads the quickest!

Think Outside the Candy Box

Corey Colwell-Lipson, a Sammamish resident, was trick-or-treating last year with her 6-year-old princess and two-year-old fairy collecting the usual Smarties and Kit Kats when one house gave out stickers. Colwell-Lipson, who mostly chooses healthy and organic treats for her children, was thrilled. A few other houses gave out non-candy toys, but with the twisty roads and darkness of Halloween night, she forgot which houses they were. She thought it would be great to have a directory of houses which gave out non-candy treats. Then she started thinking of all the ways to make Halloween healthier.

From this, Green Halloween was born. She joined forces with Whole Foods and other businesses to promote alternative Halloween fun. Green Halloween is a community movement to help make Halloween safer and healthier for our children and our environment.

The Green Halloween website offers a map where you can find houses offering non-candy treats or enter your own Green Halloween house.

I love this idea and had even bought an 80 count package of mini playdoughs at Costco (under $10) to give out for Halloween before I saw the website. I had planned to just give out the playdough to the young kids and get chocolate for the older kids, but I was inspired! I picked up Halloween pencils at the Target dollar store section(10 for $1) and some Halloween erasers.

My very informal poll of my daughter (7) and my son (2 1/2) found that the 7 year old would choose a sticker, pencil or fun trinket over candy 9 out of 10 times. However the little one consistently chose candy until I said, "Well what about if it was a Diego toy?" Diego is his favorite character.

On the website, in response to children getting upset giving up candy, she writes:

"Other children may be upset, disappointed or angry at the idea of giving up what they have known and what they expect. This is completely understandable and is one reason Green Halloween is placing a great deal of emphasis on children in the 1- 5 age ranges. Young children have less concretized expectations of holiday traditions and will generally be open to creating new ones."

In our house we've always had a rule. One piece of candy per year of age (and when I throw in one or two more, I'm a super star Mom). We put the rest in the candy bowl and give it out to the other kids. The next day, we send it to work with Dad and let everyone at Microsoft get fat and sugar buzzed.

This is not just to save my kids from the colorings, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. It saves me, too! There have been many a Halloween where I have sat among a pile of candy wrappers with a piece of chocolate in the corner of my mouth and a tummy ache wondering what on earth I had just done?

Candy is easy because it's cheap--but we need to find other ways to give the kids something fun on Halloween without buying those huge bags of candy. We can get lots of cheap trinkets/stickers from the dollar store or the Oriental Trading Company. But, they are likely all made in China and not all that earth friendly.

Green Halloween has lots of great suggestions and good partners that are helping to make this Halloween Greener and affordable! Check out the site at for more information.

Cleaning Up and Out

Don't toss those alkaline batteries in the trash! While they contain considerably less mercury than in previous years, it's still a good idea to collect them and dispose of them at one of Sammamish's Recycling Collection Events.

If you've already got a collection, don't forget to drop them off at tomorrow's event at Eastlake High School from 9 am to 3 pm. Among other things, they will be collecting AAAA, AAA, AA, A, B, C and D cell batteries.

This is not a hazardous waste event (that's another event), so don't bring your old paint, pesticides, flourescent lights or any other household chemicals. You can wait for the Wastemobile to come to Sammamish or bring them to the hazardous waste collection sites in Seattle and Factoria.

Tomorrow, bring down your old batteries, household goods and clothing, flattened cardboard, motor oil, filters and antifreeze. There are fees to drop off old tires, propane tanks, porcelain toilets, appliances and electronic equipment. Check out their flyer for details.

If you don't want to haul or pay for removal of old items, consider giving them away on Freecycle. The Freecycle Network mission is "to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources, and eases the burden on our landfills, while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." It is a project of RISE, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. While it is a national group, it is divided into local yahoo groups. Check out the East King County group on Yahoo! You may even be able to score something you've been looking for.


Don't forget Craig's List. Last weekend I was trying to give away an old 36" tube TV and an unused TiVo in my neighborhood with no takers. I posted it Sunday morning on craigslist.org, a simple, free, online classified directory, at a low price. Before noon (you know, before the football game) it was picked up and we had some cash in our pockets.

So, this weekend, consider moving out some of that old stuff (come on, you know you aren't going to use it again). You'll feel better about a cleaner space--especially with the holidays around the corner!

Sippin' the Spice

Okay, they got me. I'm addicted to Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte, and apparently I'm not the only one. When it debuted in 2004, sales went up 11% during that same period.

The baristas I talk to as I pick up my daily fix (short, 2%, no whip, full on caffeine) say that people love them and they are selling lots. There's even a Frappuccino version, which I have yet to try.

They sound kind of gross though, don't they? I don't even like pumpkin pie! To be truthful, I can't taste pumpkin in this drink..it's kind of like a cross between a vanilla and a chai, not as spicy and not as sweet..just perfection. Sipping this warm delight is heavenly on a cloudy, cool fall day. I didn't like it when they mistakenly put the whipped cream on when I asked not to (that's the Issaquah Starbucks for you)--the flavor seemed off to me.

I came across a recipe for a mock pumpkin spice latte that seems far more complex and involved than the subtle flavors I'm sipping. Or, I wonder if they are using the Torini Pumpkin Spice Syrup. You can buy a huge bottle of that stuff for the price of two lattes. But then I'd probably drink them all day...perhaps the price is helping me curb my addiction!

Talking the Walk

What's your neighborhood's walk score? Whether you are looking to move or curious what's around to walk to, check out http://www.walkscore.com/.

The tool calculates how many stores, schools, parks, etc. are within walking distance to whatever address you enter. It does not, however, take into consideration the safety of the walk, such as sidewalks.

Speaking of which, I've been reading with great interest the controversy of reducing bus service to Inglewood Junior High students in some neighborhoods due to new sidewalks. My neighborhood, in particular, is affected.

Many parents I've talked to are simply driving their 12-14 year olds to school rather then let them walk alone over a mile and a half each way. Kids in my neighborhood have to either meander through residential neighborhoods and a walking path or try to maneuver down 228th. During the sunny autumn and spring days, it may be fun, but as the mornings get darker and wetter, this is ridiculous to ask our students to walk 30-40 minutes in the rain and dark to get to school.

Oh, I know, I've heard it all...when we were young, we had to walk barefoot, up hill, in the snow and on rusty nails ten miles to get an education. Actually, I remember that my high school pegged me as a walker because I lived just under two miles from the school. It was about a 45 minute walk and not too attractive during a New England winter. I opted to walk .6 miles to a bus stop in the other direction. It was still scary in the dark mornings and I got drenched when it rained. We'd beg the bus driver to add a stop on the way home as she cruised past our street--sometimes she obliged.

So, the result of the decision is more cars dropping off kids--not something we want in this era of trying to reduce our carbon emissions. I hope the school district reinstates the busses to these neighborhoods or comes up with some sort of compromise? Perhaps the district can offer bus service only during the really rainy dark season--say, November to March. Or maybe parents can subsidize the bus--not ideal, I know, but it may be worth it to some on those cold, rainy, dark days coming up.

Walking in the cold and rain is not that huge of a deal. Really, I'm not that big of a whimp. But, keeping our students safe and healthy is a big deal.

United States Mission

I just got a new kind of solicitor at my door today. A scruffy looking young guy came by with a loose leaf notebook with a picture id and an official looking piece of paper.

He said he wasn't selling anything. He said he was with The United States Mission. I asked if he were a religious organization and he said, "No." He mentioned something about going door to door every year since 1993 in our neighborhood. I've lived in my house for 5 1/2 years and never heard of it.

I politely dismissed him and looked up his organization so I would know for the next time someone came around whether I'd like to help out or not.

It was tough to find their website, but I found it, and and looked like it was designed about ten years ago.

On their website, they state:

While the United States Mission is a religious organization it is strictly service oriented. The Mission respects the beliefs of all its Members and would not presume to instruct anyone in matters of faith or ritual.

I couldn't find much at all on the organization anywhere else, but what I found was some old court documents from 2000 when Medina tried to stop religious and political solicitors from going door to door.

The United States Mission is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious corporation and an interdenominational Christian-based organization. The Mission operates residential facilities as a transitional program for homeless persons who are willing and able to work.

Residents of the Mission engage in door-to-door religious solicitation on behalf of the Mission to practice the "Social Gospel," inspired by Chapter 25 of the Bible's Book of Matthew. Door-to-door fundraising by its residents is the Mission's primary means of support for its social programs.

So, the guy lied to me about being a religious organization--I'm glad I turned him away. I am weary of door-to-door solicitors and like to research charities to which I donate. While all charities are good causes, I would like to make sure the ones my money goes to are reputable.

I was unable to find them on Charity Navigator, a website which researches charities and gives them scores based on how much of your money goes to administrative costs and how much goes to the charity recipients.

So, you are now informed if a representative of this organization comes to your door.

Brazen Burgles

My neighbor, Sue, (the one who always rags on me for keeping my garage door open) told me that she knew someone in the Summer Ridge development who got burglarized recently.

But, here's the thing. This woman was at home, inside her house during the day, but her garage door was open. The thief took valuables she had left in her car while she was in the house. Creepy.

It makes you think. How many times are you home with your garage door open and your purse or wallet in your car?

The Sammamish Police Department has a report out that says this crime is more common than one may think. Here are some tips they suggest for keeping you and your posessions safe:

1. Call 9-1-1 when ANY suspicious persons and/or vehicles are observed in neighborhoods, especially late at night.

2. Put exterior lighting on timers or motion detectors so the porch, the exterior perimeter of the house, and the driveway are well lighted during hours of darkness.

3. Park cars in the garage or at least under exterior lighting.

4. Keep the overhead garage door closed except when entering or exiting or when working adjacent to it (not only is an open garage a temptation, but it also advertises to passersby whether you are home or not).

5. Keep the side or rear garage door (for people) closed, locked, and dead bolted, just like any exterior door of the living area of the house. Ask your neighbors to contact you if they discover a door left open while you are away.

6. Take the keys and visible valuables out of the car when it is parked in the garage; take the keys and visible valuables out of cars parked in the driveway AND lock all the doors.

7. Keep the interior door between the living area of the house and the garage locked; it should have a deadbolt lock just like any exterior door of the house.

8. Install and use a residential burglar alarm system, at least whenever the house will be unoccupied; consider also using the alarm system for perimeter protection when you are at home, such as in the evenings.

9. If you are going on vacation, visit the Sammamish Police Station and fill out a Vacation House Check Form. (Sammamish Police frequently find unlocked doors at homes of residents who are on vacation!)

10. If there is no active Block Watch for your immediate neighborhood, call the Sammamish Police Department and request a Block Watch presentation. Certified Block Watches can display Block Watch Program warning signs; more importantly, participating in a Block Watch assists neighbors in working together to observe and report potential criminal
behavior.

So, thanks, Sue, for looking out for me! If you've noticed, I've been keeping my garage doors closed lately!

Seen in Sammamish: Head Lice

There have been some cases of headlice reported in some Sammamish schools this past week.

The National Pediculosis Association is heading into September's National Head Lice Prevention Month with a brand new mantra to help parents remember the single most effective phrase for protecting their children from head lice - "screen, detect, remove, protect!"

It's the 22nd year for the event, designed to raise awareness on preventing head lice and unnecessary exposures to pesticides. Early detection is the best edge there is to stop communicable diseases in general but also an important opportunity to stem lice outbreaks before they grow into big problems.

"If you wait, the challenges associated with head lice can seem huge," said Deborah Altschuler of the NPA. "But parents who perform regular checks will find that the problem is manageable and will save time and worry in the long run."

NPA says those who say nit removal is too difficult describe situations where head lice infestations have gone undetected and great numbers of nits have accumulated. Removing nits and lice early in an infestation is the competitive edge against having so many of them that it becomes a tedious task. Screening, detecting and removing lice and nits are healthy benefits chemicals can't provide.

Also known on many health care calendars as the All Out Comb Out, National Head Lice Prevention Month coincides with a return to school. As school kids gather in again, they can pass on more than just stories detailing what they did during the summer... And since lice know no social or economic bounds, each new year provides a chance for the NPA to remind all parents that the most basic of approaches for controlling head lice are still the most practical and realistic.

Screening and early detection for head lice can be compared to other basic and affordable health measures that never change. Tooth brushing still helps protect against cavities, hand washing still protects against infection, and an inexpensive mosquito net still saves lives against malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Routine screening with early intervention is still the best prevention of not just lice, but the panic that can come when everyone is caught by surprise.

"Combing for lice and nits isn't just about removing them. It's also about being able to screen and assure yourself that you are free of them," said Altschuler. "NPA's approach is not a new one. Monkeys, as part of nurturing and grooming have been searching and removing lice and nits from each other since the beginning of time. "

The NPA endorses the LiceMeister® comb - the gold standard medical device for screening, detection and removal of lice and nits. The new LiceMeister comb is even better with a bigger, sturdier, recyclable handle. NPA's educational Critter Card, detailing what to look for and how to see the difference between nits and normal hair debris, now comes in the new LiceMeister comb package. Proceeds from sales of the LiceMeister comb help keep the NPA independent and uncompromised in its mission to protect children from the misuse and abuse of pesticidal treatments for lice.

LiceMeister combs can be found locally through the NPA's website pharmacy search.

This Weekend in Sammamish

The 4th Annual Sammamish Safety & Preparedness Fair happens Saturday at Eastlake High School from 10am - 4pm. It's also called The Safety and Community Service fair--it depends on where you look.

It's a great time for kids to meet police officers and climb in a fire truck. Its also a way to meet your Sammamish neighbors and find out ways you may not have thought about to be safe and prepared in case of a disaster. Last year we had loads of fun and even went home with a nice fire extinguisher we won as a door prize.

Head out to the Sammamish Library on Saturday and you may score a free copy of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Volunteers will be passing out copies on Saturday to celebrate the kick of of The Big Read Program.

The idea is to get a whole community to read the same book and then pass it on--in the spirit of Bookcrossing.com.

This weekend's all day Saturday overlay of 228th has been rescheduled.

Instead of doing all the work on one Saturday to avoid school and rush hour traffic, preliminary work will be on September 17-18. Two traffic lanes will be open. The actual paving will occur Saturday, September 22nd and Monday, September 24th with only one lane open. I don't know the reasoning behind this change yet.

Try your best to avoid these areas during construction. If you know the neighborhoods, or have a map or navigation system, its entirely feasible to avoid all but the tail ends of the work unless you are trying to get to the Fire Station.

This section of 228th (between NE 25th (Heritage Hills/Summer Ridge entrances) and NE 8th (Saffron/Inglewood Rd)) is starting to look up. Last year, a writer to the editor of the Sammamish Review described this area of Northern Sammamish as "the armpit of Sammamish". As a resident of this area, I took it personally and was dismayed by the condition of the Deerfield Park fence and the torn up road.

The dilapidated wooden fence was replaced this week by a black chain link fence. It is certainly an improvement, but I'd love to see the city plant some greenery. Half of Sammamish drives this route daily--it's certainly worth it to invest in the aesthetics of our roads.

Update on Comcast Dilemma

Here's an update to my Comcast Number Change dilemma. I called back last week and the 968 exchange opened up. There were lots of good numbers from which to choose! I picked one with lots of even numbers and even a double-zero.

The Comcast guy came on Sunday afternoon to switch us over. I'm not sure how competent he was. He unplugged my wireless network and just plugged the computer directly into the cable modem. Sure, it worked, but when he left, not only did I have to rewire it, but needed to reset both modems. That MCSE from 1999 sure comes in handy sometimes.

While he did take out a big bag of trash, he also left lots of sharp bits of coax cable endings all over the place--in our office, outside. Luckily, I found these before they ended up in the two year old's mouth..or eyes.

We decided to cut out HBO and Starz to trim a few dollars off that monthly bill, so this was the day it was turned off. I made the request on Friday, but we still had it Friday and Saturday night. I felt like I was dining on my last supper as I tried to watch as much HBO and Starz as I could--while it lasted.

Anyway, so far, so good. Except that, duh, when you reset the modem, the phone goes dead.

My September 11th

Time heals wounds, they say. It's hard to believe that September 11th, 2001 was six years ago, but on the other hand, it seems like so long ago. Here's my story--nothing incredible--just a memory.

We were living in Austin, TX with our 16 month old daughter. I had been a stay at home mom for almost a year. The tech industry had bottomed out--almost everyone we knew who had been prosperous in the years before had been affected by one layoff or another.

My husband's first layoff was no big deal. He was at another job within a couple of weeks. The phone hadn't stopped ringing and offers seemed to pour in. That was almost a year before.

Now, there was nothing. He'd finally secure an interview and they wouldn't even call him back to tell him, "No thanks." The phone barely rang. After a few months, I was starting to scrape my resume back together.

Microsoft called and his interview was scheduled for September 12, 2001 in Redmond.

The morning before, I was sleeping with my toddler and my husband called up to the room. "Come downstairs, something bad happened, I think."

We saw a smoking building on TV and thought for some reason we were looking at a small plane crash in Chicago. But, then things became clear. We watched the second plane hit. We watched the buildings crumble. My husband held his head and cried, "No, no, NO!" I didn't get it. It was so surreal, and certainly everyone had got out by now. I didn't get it until after.

Later that afternoon, my sister-in-law called saying his parents were okay and not to worry. Worry? We didn't know they were flying into Washington, DC at the time of the crashes. Their plane was grounded in North Carolina. I'm glad they forgot to tell us they were going.

We spent the next few days crying. I looked at the names of the missing and those on the planes. I am originally from Massachusetts and my husband is from the Washington, DC area. We hoped we didn't know any of the victims. We didn't. But we still cried and mourned for all those families.

There were no flights on September 12th, so my husband flew to Redmond the next week. I was terrified and held my breath until he landed safely.

Two weeks later, we were moving to Washington State--October 13, 2001. I was trying to be vigilant and afraid of terrorists like most of the country. I am embarrassed to admit that I gave some suspicious looking folks the evil eye. They were probably getting it a lot lately.

We arrived safely at Sea-Tac and have gradually felt safer and safer over the years.

Yet, every year, on September 11th, we pause and think about that day. How fortunate we were to have not lost loved ones that day--how vulnerable we are--yet how safe we are. No matter how much or how little we have, we are rich.

Ode to the CFL

There was an insert in this month's City Views @ Sammamish newsletter with an update about its intention to follow "green" development techniques. The quote on the back by a Local Area Developer summed it up by saying:

"Developers are not following green building practices for fun. They're seeing a market for it and buyers are starting to demand it for the benefit of the environment and their own health."

The new elementary school to be built adjacent to Inglewood Junior High promises to have many green elements saving tens of thousands of dollars yearly in energy costs.

Sure, it's a trend--every magazine out there has had their Green Issue this year. Al Gore became a superstar with a Powerpoint presentation. But, it's a great trend and one I hope continues.

I recently read about a village in England who sought to become a carbon neutral community. In 2006, the community of Ashton Hayes, supported by the villagers, local businesses, their city council and the Energy Saving Trust started in on their effort. Planting trees, installing wind turbines and replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with CFLs are just some of the things the community has done to become carbon neutral.

Why not Sammamish? It seems that now, with the planning of the Town Center and our expected growth, its an ideal time to strive for carbon neutrality and I'd love to see a push by our City Council to do so both in city development and on an individual level.

At the beginning of this year after many high energy bills and watching An Inconvenient Truth, among other things, we sought to make our home more efficient.

I just received our most recent Puget Sound Energy bill with a little bit of giddiness. You see, our bills have been going down. Oh sure, without air conditioning, the summer months always see a reduction in the bill, but it's been going down compared to the last couple of years, and I owe it mostly to the CFL.

Over the years, my husband has been hounding me to swap out our incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. As much as I liked the idea of a CFL because it uses about 75 percent less energy, produces 75 percent less heat and lasts 10 times longer than its incandescent counterparts, I hated the aesthetics of the CFLs he brought home. The light was cold and harsh with a tinge of purple. They took forever to light up which wasn't conducive to something like a closet where the light was going on and off relatively quickly.

But then, on the emailed advice of the tasteful Rachelle Carson, wife of Ed Begley, Jr. and star of HGTV's Living with Ed, we sought out warmer CFLs and dimmable CFLs. Once they warmed up, there was hardly any noticeable difference. We replaced about 75% of our bulbs--because they take so long to warm up, we didn't replace those lights that were turned on and off quickly.

It was a bit of an expense, but not only did Puget Sound Energy have oodles of $2 off PER BULB coupons at Home Depot, but we knew we'd likely see a difference in our energy bill--and have we ever!

Now, mind you we have only changed our behaviors a little--like turning off computers at nighttime and making sure unused lights are off. But, with little ones turning lights on all the time, this doesn't always happen.

We started replacing bulbs in January 2007. As you can see from the chart below which is our actual electricity usage for the last two years, our energy savings have been significant since the beginning of the year and relatively painless.

Great ideas are not without caveats. CFLs contain mercury. While those old fashioned mercury thermometers contain about 100 times more than a typical CFL, they still need to be recycled properly and not just dumped in the trash.

One idea I saw recently was from Mindy LaClair, a student at Art Center of College Design. You buy the bulb in the box, and then turn it inside out and use it as a postage paid box to send back your old CFL when it burns out in ten years. But, as far as I know, it's still just an idea.

With technological advances, however, by the end of this year, the mercury content in CFLs is expected to drop.

Australia recently passed a law that will ban the sale of incandescent lightbulbs in three years. But, with the advances in technology, warm light, dimmables and hopefully warming up faster, this shouldn't be a problem.

So, if you haven't tried out CFL's yet, go ahead, try a couple--but make sure they are the warm ones. Then get a few more. You'll be amazed at the savings and you'll feel good that you are starting to reduce your carbon footprint--which is a step towards carbon neutrality for all.

First Day of School

After a pretty laid back Labor Day weekend, today was the first day of school for both my kids--a second grader and the first day of preschool.

This year seemed a lot less anxious and stressful than other years when it came to preparing for the first day. After two years at our local public school, we had it down. My daughter knew at least half a dozen kids in her new class and was confident about starting. My son is social and outgoing; he had been talking about going to school all summer.

I had all the school supplies (see previous post) and a $5 check for copy paper and a check for school lunches in her backpack ready to go. Her cell phone was charged and in the backpack (this provides our family with great comfort and is not used for anything except calling me).

My preschooler's extra change of clothes were folded and in a Ziploc with his name on the bag in black Sharpie. His 72 hour kit which his preschool requires was packed in an old backpack and ready to go.

I had actually ironed the first day of school outfits and they were laid out for the morning. Both kids had baths and the second grader even let me blow dry her hair. We were set.

This morning, I was woken up about an hour before I expected to wake up with my daughter fully dressed for school and ready to go. The little one was not as eager to be woken up. Once up, he was a grump and insisted all morning that he was not going to preschool.

The rain scared us off from walking the 1/2 mile to school and we opted to drive. We even left early. Everyone else had the same idea and we had to park about 1/4 mile away and walked in the rain anyway to get to the elementary school. We were barely on time.

The 2nd grade teachers were great and let the parents come into the classroom, take pictures and hug and kiss our little ones to our hearts content. My glowing heart fell, however, when I saw all the other children sitting with the completed questionnaires the teachers handed out at the meet and greet. I had forgot. Completely.

Somehow, I forgot to bring in the entire packet they gave us and never read it. The packet was still in the stroller in our garage. Later I found out I not only forgot the questionairre, but I forgot to send in two favorite books and a snack. "I was the only one without a snack!" she cried that afternoon. "I was starrrrrvinggggg!!!!" Talk about mother guilt.

At noon, it was preschool drop off. By this time, he was excited to carry his backpack to preschool and said "I'm excited!" often. He saw two other kids walking in and ran ahead. This was going to be easy, I thought, smugly.

He ran to the door, opened it, then saw the classroom and buried his head inbetween my legs. What was I doing? Was he too young for this? Was this the wrong preschool for him? The teacher wasn't prepared for the kids and we weren't sure what to do. So, I sat and played with him for fifteen or so minutes. Everytime I moved away, he got scared and ran to me.

Finally, a teacher offered to read to him and he cried and cried. Knowing my son is pretty adaptable and easily distracted, I left. My heart was in my toes and tears rolled down my cheek. I peaked in the window and saw the teacher shooing me away. I left feeling rather sheepish.

When I picked him up, he ran to me and gave me the biggest hug. I had him show me all the toys he played with and asked him what he would play with tomorrow. He insisted on bringing home the backpack with the 72 hour kit which was pretty heavy from all those juice boxes.

All in all though, it was a good day. The 2nd grader lost her bracelet at the playground and was annoyed at me for being the forgetful mom, but other than that she seemed happy with her first day. The rain subsided and we walked home. The little one bounces back and forth between wanting to go back to school NOW and never going back.

With the wet weather today and the start of school it just really felt like fall came all of a sudden. Where did the summer go?

Pee Chee Keen?

The first day of public school is next week--the Lake Washington School District starts Tuesday and the Issaquah School District starts Wednesday.

I have a second grader in the Lake Washington School District. Today was the Meet and Greet where we got to visit the classroom and meet the teacher--or in our case, teachers (they job share).

We also picked up the school supplies we had ordered through the school last June. I knew that if I bought the supplies myself, I might save a few bucks, but every year there are those one or two items that Target doesn't carry. Last year it was Tiaconderoga brand pencils and some odd shaped post-it notes. We have fun school supply shopping, but not when we are carting around to different stores trying to find one or two items. So, this year, I bagged it and I'm glad I did.

One mother I know is pretty ticked off because she couldn't find the four count bullet tipped low odor dry erase markers anywhere but online this week. She found the chisel tipped, or the stinky bullet tipped, but not the specified kind--except in the 12 count pack. Finally, she ordered them online this week and paid $5.00 shipping for the $8.00 item.

Some schools submit their lists to the local Target and Fred Meyer to be sure the items are in stock. I guess ours doesn't.

What gets me every year is the Pee Chee folder. Those who grew up in the Pacific Northwest and some parts of California don't see a problem with the term. For the rest of us who grew up elsewhere and, it's a mystery.

I found online that a Pee Chee folder is a two pocket folder made out of card stock. They come in different colors, but the ink is merely a darker shade of the base color plus some black. There are pictures of sports figures on the outside and Useful Information on the pockets like Multiplcation tables and measurement charts.

When I was going to school on the East Coast we had folders like these, except they were glossy and made by Mead or Duo-Tang. I used to study all the tables hoping to one day use them.

On our school lists the last few years, a Pee Chee style folder was required. I even asked a woman at Target who said she was a teacher what a Pee Chee was and we just decided on a plain two pocket card stock folder. Further research on Wikipedia told me that PeeChees were no longer made.

I polled my friends from the East Coast, where I went to school in the 70s and 80's and no one had heard of Pee Chees except for my step mother who went to school in the 50's and 60's.

I don't even remember getting a list of school supplies to buy for my public schools in Massachusetts. In the first grade we were issued two wide grip pencils--one at the beginning of the year and one after Christmas break. Whoever had the least teeth marks on their pencil at the end of the year won a prize. I never did.

After talking to friends who grew up in this area, I found it was a generic term for two pocket folder--like Kleenex is for tissue. So, I just bought my daughter whatever folder she wanted--this year it was a shiny folder with the characters from High School Musical on it.

Well, now I am confused. In my daughter's box of school supplies we picked up today were two blue Pee Chee brand folders! And, the pockets were on the side, not the two pockets on the bottom which I thought we were supposed to have. Just when I thought I had it all figured out...

Will my daughter be ostracized for having the wrong folder with pockets on the bottom instead of the sides? Will she be the cool kid for going against the establishment? Is Zac Effron the new Shaun Cassidy?

I'm not sure how its all going to pan out, or if it matters. I think we could avoid traumas like these if the school would just order the supplies in bulk and pass the cost on to the parents with a fund for families who cannot afford them. I hope I didn't just volunteer myself for another PTSA project.

Sammamish Events this Week

The last Summer Concert at Pine Lake is tomorrow night. Andy O (Calypso & Reggae) will be performing at 6:30.

Sammamish is turning 8! They just grow up so quickly, don't they?
Grab a piece of cake and some punch on Friday, August 31, 4:00-6:30 at the Sammamish Commons.

Number Please?

For the past several months, I've been getting offers from Comcast to upgrade to Digital Voice which offers all the calling features like call forwarding, three-way, etc. plus free long distance for one price. As tempting as it was, with the increased use of email and mobile phones in my family, my long distance bill was rarely over $10 a month, so the switch wouldn't be worth it. But now, they are forcing me to switch over--and what's worse, I have to change my number.

I am a good Comcast customer. When we moved here in early 2002, I signed up for the whole AT&T Broadband shebang--Internet, Cable and their Digital Phone (which is different than Digital Voice). Later, when Comcast bought out AT&T Broadband, I was thrilled to chuck my TiVo in the attic (anyone want one cheap?) and sign on to my favorite invention of the century, the DVR. We've almost stopped renting movies, opting instead for the occasional onDemand movie. My cable bill is almost $200 a month and I don't even get all the movie channels!

So, several months ago--last year even--I bit. I called up Comcast and said Yes, I would like to switch to Digital Voice. I was still a bit hesitant, because a friend of mine with Vonage has sporadic service with echos, clicks and sometimes no service at all. She says it must be my phone, but it doesn't happen with anyone else. Comcast, of course, assured me, that no one can tell the difference. I searched the Web and found no complaints.

As the customer service rep processed my order, I was getting excited about the new voice mail and all the neat features I was getting. But, then she came back and said that I had to change my phone number. The system wasn't letting her change my number.

I don't want to change my phone number. It is a good one. It's got some doubles and even numbers in it. My kids can memorize it easily. I've worked for hours getting them to know their phone number.

Here I was with perfectly good phone service, paying less than I would have if I signed up for Digital Voice. So, the reasonable me squashed the excited gadgety me and declined the change.

We went on happily with our answering machine (albeit a digital one) and our simple call waiting. I ignored the many letters that came with offers I couldn't refuse to change.

One time, I called in again to see if things had changed and escalated it up to as high as I could to find out why, in this era of number portability, that I had to change my phone number to stay with the same phone company. Apparently, I am in some strange rate center. My prefix, 657, was given out by AT&T Broadband and somehow, Comcast cannot have that rate center.

This summer, a man with a clipboard in hand walked up my driveway. I figured he was a political activist, religious nut or selling lawn services, but I talked to him anyway. He told me that I had to switch to Digital Voice. He was actually going door to door to every Digital Phone customer trying to get them appointments to switch to Digital Voice. He said that Digital Phone was going away this fall and I would be left with no phone service if I didn't switch. I explained my situation to him and he told me he'd look into it and get back to me. No one ever did.

A couple of weeks ago, I got yet another letter urging me to switch, and they'd even knock $20 off the monthly price for a year. I sighed. It was time. I talked it over with my family and we resigned to getting a new phone number.

It was Friday night and the family was settling in for a family movie. I was on the phone with a nice guy with a Canadian accent sitting in his office in Eastern Canada. After I detailed my saga, he offered me a discount on my Internet for the next six months for all my trouble. The number that popped up was terrible. Sure, it was in a Sammamishy sounding 861 or 868, but the numbers were not rhythmic sounding like 6828 or 0550. He gave me the choice of ten numbers--all duds.

He went to his supervisor and found a backwards way in the system to type in a number to see if it was available. We went through hundreds of combinations--all taken. Surely there had to be a good number out there!

Calling on my past as a customer service rep for a cellular phone company in the early 90s, and later a service support manager for a large computer company, I knew there was a way. The customer is King and a good service center would do anything to please a customer, especially one who has been wronged.

I suggested they print out a report of numbers and find several good ones for me and call back with suggestions. I know this sounds like a lot of work for an individual customer like me, but this was just the type of project I always ended up with when I was in customer support. I know it is done.

I was promised a call back in two days at around 3:00. That was two weeks ago. I have not received a call back.

Last week I received a letter in an 8x10 envelope. Its size was clearly intended to signal its importance. The letter said I must call to change because Digital Phone is going to be terminated this Fall.

I hope they add some phone numbers, because only the crappy ones are left. And I don't want a crappy phone number. I'll keep you posted.

Have you been to Bento?

Have you seen that sushi and teriyaki place attached to the Shell station in Pine Lake? It looks like it's a part of the Shell station, but it's not--they aren't connected as far as I can see.

Bento House is a darling little restaurant with an odd location. Bento House serves sushi rolls, nigiri, noodles, teriyaki and other typical Japanese dishes. You can get some decent rolls for a bargain since many of them have been "on sale" for the past six months.

The small space is decorated nicely with several small tables and enough high chairs if you want to bring your little ones. The women who run this little known eatery are eager to please. The first time we got take out from Bento House, we got it two other times that week.

When you dine in, you'll get some yummy miso soup to start every meal and good service. Listen, it's not the best teriyaki or sushi I've had in my life. But, it is the best in Sammamish -- pretty yummy.

This Japanese cafe seems to be struggling and I want it to stay! Pay them a visit the next time you have a hankering for sushi or teriyaki and don't want to leave the Plateau.

Bento House
2938 228th Ave SE
Sammamish, WA 98075
(425) 392-7703

HOA links

I am adding links to as many neighborhood homeowners associations' websites as I can find/think of in Sammamish. If you have any others, post them here!

See the links to the right.

Free Car Wash Day

Tomorrow is Free Car Wash Day at Brown Bear--and the forecast doesn't have any rain!

Let's Start with the Vote

I thought it would be a great idea to start this blog with our recent Election Day. Yup, we had a Primary Election yesterday, did you know that? I went to my polling place at Samantha Smith Elementary and found that it had been moved to the Fire Station on 228th. I guess I didn't get the memo.

Pulling up to the station, I didn't see any VOTE HERE signs until I pulled in and saw a very small sign. There were signs all over the door, but you couldn't see them from the street.

I was happy to see some young poll workers along with all the senior citizens we see every year. The room was a lot less cumbersome than the Smith library and as always everyone was helpful.

This year I decided to use the Accessible Voting Unit instead of the regular paper ballot just because I was the only one voting at the time and no one else needed it. It actually took a little longer than a paper ballot because there were other forms to fill out, but all in all it was a quick and easy process.

According to the King County Election website, Sammamish had a dismal turnout--only 12.09% of Sammamish voters turned up at the polls. Our apathy was only outdone by Duvall where only 11.18% of voters cast their ballots.

I have a theory. Whenever I go to vote, I rarely see anyone (besides me) below 60 voting unless its a bigger election--like for the President. Sammamish is a rather young city; the median age is 35. Older people tend to vote more--whether its because they care more or have the time during the day, I don't know. Maybe it's a mix of both.

In Medina, for instance, over 23% of its voters showed up to vote yesterday. Medina's median age is 43. But, other factors could also come into play: Medina is a smaller community and there are probably a lot more millionaires in Medina who may have some more free time.

But, then again, maybe we just need more visable VOTE HERE signs on the day of the election to remind people to stop in and vote.

Voting in these small elections is crucial to our every day lives. It's nice to know my vote counts for a bigger percentage in Sammamish than it would in a larger election. I was one of only 3065 voters in Sammamish. Even if all of Sammamish's 24265 registered voters voted, my vote would still count for a lot more than in a Nationwide or Statewide election. Plus, the decisions our local elected officials make are more likely to directly effect us than the ones on a larger level. Perhaps that's another reason why so many in Medina show up. There are only 2119 registered voters with only 596 voters making an appearance yesterday. Each of those votes really counted!