Lynnwood Undressed

The Day After…

A couple of articles on wsj.com regarding Barack Obama’s inauguration were very interesting to me.   They came from 2 very different people with very different political ideologies…I think they’re both worth reading.

The first is Peggy Noonan a conservative writer who began her career on Ronald Reagan’s speech writing team.  For that reason I like to read her Impressions of political speeches.   This is her impression of my favorite part of President Obama’s inaugural address:

It was a moderate speech both in tone and content, a serious and solid speech. The young Democrat often used language with which traditional Republicans would be thoroughly at home: The American story has never been one of “shortcuts or settling for less,” the journey “has not been … for the fainthearted—for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasure of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things” who have created the best of our enduring history

Obama named in stark terms America’s essential foe: “For those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror… we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.” This had the authentic sound of a man who’s been getting daily raw intelligence briefings and is not amused.

to read the entire article click here

The second is from Juan Williams a Liberal, African American journalist of public television and a Fox news contributor.  I was touched watching him during the inauguration  on Tuesday when he broke down and cried watching the Obama family and reporting on what an impact they will have on the African American community.  I like Juan Williams and was touched in a different way by his article today.  Here’s an excerpt:

If his presidency is to represent the full power of the idea that black Americans are just like everyone else — fully human and fully capable of intellect, courage and patriotism — then Barack Obama has to be subject to the same rough and tumble of political criticism experienced by his predecessors. To treat the first black president as if he is a fragile flower is certain to hobble him. It is also to waste a tremendous opportunity for improving race relations by doing away with stereotypes and seeing the potential in all Americans.

Yet there is fear, especially among black people, that criticism of him or any of his failures might be twisted into evidence that people of color cannot effectively lead. That amounts to wasting time and energy reacting to hateful stereotypes. It also leads to treating all criticism of Mr. Obama, whether legitimate, wrong-headed or even mean-spirited, as racist.

This is patronizing. Worse, it carries an implicit presumption of inferiority. Every American president must be held to the highest standard. No president of any color should be given a free pass for screw-ups, lies or failure to keep a promise.

to read the entire article click here

I’d love to know what you think.

Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States of America…

On the day after Martin Luther King’s Birthday holiday in 2009…we witness the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States of America.  Are we witnessing the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s Dream?

Interesting observances of the days reporting:

1.      Fox News reported that over 2 million people were in attendance.

2.      I noticed a seemingly genuine friendliness between Barack & Michele Obama and George & Laura Bush.   A number of times I noticed the couples not just shaking hands but hugging and even politely kissing one another.  One time in particular after Barack Obama’s inaugural address he went over to President Bush and spoke to him and they embraced each other.

3.      I heard a news story about the Bush twins Jenna & Barbara, teaching the Obama girls, Malia & Sasha to jump on the beds in the White House.  I am still looking for pictures!

4.      Juan Williams an African American journalist from public television and a Fox News contributor broke down in tears when talking about what an example the Obama family is to the African American Community and how it would change many lives.

5.      Chuck Schumer the Senior Senator from New York referred to Barack Obama as a moderate Democrat, not too far to the right or too far to the left. 

My favorite part of the inaugural address:  “We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.” full text of the speech

Remember Dr Martin Luther King JR with the Text of His famous I have a Dream speech…

I Have a Dream – Address at March on Washington

August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. [Applause]

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

His Words speak for themselves.  

Improv in Seattle…

We attended Unexpected Production’s 8:30 PM Imrov show on Saturday evening.   Unexpected Productions is best known in Seattle for Theatre Sports.  They perform at the historic Pike Place Market Theatre at 1428 Post Alley in Seattle…which is best known for the gum wall in the Alley.

Currently their 8:30 show is an improv long form that they call Loop.  They began the show by asking the audience for 3 suggestions:

1. An occupation…we said a Game Tester
2. A place that isn’t a geographic location…we said a coffee shop
3. A possession of endearment…we said a Tazer.

Loop is a series of connecting scenes that tell a coherent story.  It begins with a scene…ours was a young boy building a sand castle on the beach.   There are no props except black cubes to use at the actors discretion for tables, chairs, beds, espresso counters and beach chairs etc.   The story builds from there.   There is actual character development and story that is created before our very eyes.  Our story became about the young boy’s parents, Mom and Dad, who was a Game tester, with some scenes at their home, at the office, at the hospital…having babies, at the beach and at the coffee shop between the office and home.  We met the Mom’s Mom and sister and the sister’s girlfriend and the Mom’s Mom’s boyfriend.  We also met a few friends of Dad’s at the office.  The Show ended at the beach, the same place that it began…thus the name Loop.  The show lasted for about an hour.   They did weave a tazer into the story but it was sort of in passing.   

This long form of improv can be disastrous but these Actors did a great job with what we gave them.  They were touching and heart warming and they made us laugh out loud.   As an audience member I believed their story and characters…it was a very enjoyable evening.  The cost: $12. each at the door.

For those who love to laugh at love…they have a Valentines Day show at 7:00 PM on Saturday February 14^th.  It’s $15 per person at the door.  For more information go to their website at: www.unexpectedproductions.org

Don’t Try to Board a Plane in the Middle of a Nationwide Snow Storm with an Expired Driver License as Your ID…

In the midst of all of the snow and Christmas and all of the rest of the holidays, including my birthday on December 30^th, I neglected to renew my driver license.   As I was leaving my home for the airport on December 26^th, I realized that my license would expire in 4 days.  So, just in case someone thought it was a big deal, on my way home, on January 6^th…I grabbed my passport and went to the airport.

It was a big deal to everyone who saw my driver license on December 26^th!  I finally asked someone:”what would happen if all I had for an ID was an expired driver license when boarding the flight on my way home?”  The friendly woman at the NW Airlines counter said: “they’d probably let you on the plane (implying they’d have a reason not to let me on the plane) but, they’d put you on higher security.”  Yes, she really was friendly.

Thank God I grabbed my passport! And that’s what I used, without a hitch, all the way home.

So, I renewed my driver license on January 8^th2009, and I waited in line for an hour.  I found out afterward that you can check out the waiting time online on the DOL website.   Go to www.dol.wa.gov and click on renew your driver license  and then click on the city you want to go to.  On the right column there is the waiting time.  At this very moment Lynwood has a 19 minute wait.  Bothell has a 1 hour and 24 minute wait, and Shoreline has no wait.  It may be worth your while to drive to Shoreline.  They also offer a Google map and driving directions to any of the offices.

In-n-Out Burger: Animal Style

Just before Christmas I took a 5 day trip to Phoenix and made 2 stops at In-n-Out Burgers. They have the best fast burgers you will ever find.

My choice is the double double protein burger animal style and a single cheese protein burger animal style. Both of these are on the secret menu: Protein style replaces the bun with crisp fresh lettuce and animal style adds all of the extras I love.

You only find In-n-Out in California, Las Vegas and Phoenix. If you are driving back home on I-5 the last stop in Cali should be at the In-n-Out in Redding (thank for the tip Hill’s).

If you have not stopped yet at In-n-Out, plan to do so soon, and if you want to have a franchise in Seattle wait in line behind me. Enjoy.

An Award Winning Heating & Air Conditioning Company…

In the midst of this freezing cold spell it’s nice to know who ranks as the #1 heating company in our area…and it’s nice to know who to call when we’re in need of a new furnace, or repair of an old one.

 A company at the top of that list is:  Brennan Heating and Air Conditioning.  They are an award winning heating and air conditioning company serving all of the Puget Sound, including Lynnwood and all of south Snohomish County.    

For 5 years running Brennan heating and air conditioning has received Puget Sound Energy’s highest award for customer service and sales.  This Platinum award is given to only one contractor in PSE’s contractor referral program per year. In May of this year Brennan was also awarded Puget Sound Energy’s first-ever Energy Efficiency Action Award.

I’ve been doing some research and here is what just a few of their satisfied customers are Saying:

I just wanted to say thanks for the professional service. Your technician did a good job of helping us choose the right products for our needs – the variable speed furnace for our home, and the two-stage furnace for the rental, not to mention a water heater, electric to gas conversion, and Napoleon gas fireplace.–K. Orton, Seattle

Thank you for the heat. Your staff was prompt, friendly, and extremely professional. We got much more than expected for the price, and are very appreciative. The crew was excellent, their installation was clean and the finished appearance is great.–C. Hendryx and A. Seffernich, Seattle

My husband and I met the Brennan crew when they first helped to install our furnace in our past home. Their professional manner in the installation of that furnace was evident. The house was immaculate when they left and they all continued to provide us support as we needed it. We were so impressed with your work that we decided to bring you back to install a gas insert in our family room. That room was transformed from an unusable space to a warm and inviting area.–M. & A. Nouwens, Shoreline

Your crew treated me with courtesy and respect and was very helpful in explaining what to expect from my new furnace. They are skilled craftsmen and did some creative modifying to allow me to continue to use a special filter in this furnace. Thank you for a job well done! –M. Hanson, Seattle

I’m thankful that I am not currently in need…but I’m keeping Brennan Heating and Air Conditioning on file for when I am in need of heating and air conditioning company with a good reputation.   I like to know I’m dealing with one of the best.

Let’s take our Christmas Money and Add it to the $7,500. US Government Tax Credit…and Buy a Home!

Yes it’s possible!  You’re eligible if:

• You are a first time home buyer
• You haven’t owned a home in the last 3 years
• Your family income is less than $150,000.
• You are single with an income less than $75,000.

How does it work?

It’s a tax credit applied to your income tax return.  It acts as a no-interest loan that you pay back $500. per year for 7 years.  If you sell before paying it back the balance is taken from your proceeds.  If there isn’t enough money in the proceeds then the remaining balance is forgiven.

This offer expires June 30^th 2009.   Which mean your house needs to close by June 30^th 2009. 

Interest rates are low.  Housing prices have dropped.  And now a $7,500. tax credit from the US Government.   This is a great time to stop paying someone else’s mortgage and buy a home of your own.  What have you got to lose?

Call me:  425.772.5849 (Jana Lindstrom)

What Is Christmas All About?

This is one of my favorite passages in the bible about Christmas:

“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angels, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

         and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14

One of my favorite TV programs at Christmas time is Charlie Brown’s Christmas by Charles M Schulz.   Charlie Brown is frustrated about the commercialism of Christmas…he gets to the point where he is holding his head in his hands and asks “doesn’t anyone know the meaning of Christmas”?  His friend Linus speaks up and recites the above passage from the bible and ends it with:

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

That always brings a tear to my eye…simply because it’s the truth.

Merry Christmas!

Taproot Theatre…so Christmas Like

We made it to Taproot Theatre’s production of “The Foundling” on Saturday evening.  We risked our lives driving from our house to the Edmonds bowl to pick up Gordy’s Mom and then to 85^th and Greenwood to the Theatre.  

It was a delightful heart warming play…portrayed by an exquisite acting ensemble headed by King TV’s Grant Goodeve.   If you have tickets…don’t let the snow stop you from getting there.  If you don’t have tickets…I’m sorry, they are sold out.  So I’ll stop writing about how good the show was. 

I would like to talk a little about that evening’s theatre experience.   Taproot is a very intimate theatre.  There are about 125 226 seats (thanks for the correction of 226 seats, it sure does not feel like it).  Even though the play was sold out for the evening, because of the snow, it was about ¾ full.   All of us there, including the actors, felt as though we had risked our lives getting there.  And of course, we all felt good about that. 

The audience members were not dressed in normal theatre attire…donning snow boots, heavy winter coats that hadn’t been out of the closet for a few years, and of course winter hats and earmuffs…on top of our heavy sweaters and pants that wouldn’t be ruined in a snow drift.  We were a motley crew!  That in itself made the entire experience seem all the more intimate.  

Scott Nolte, the Producing Artistic Director of Taproot Theatre opened the show…thanking us all for coming and then gave us permission to move closer to the center and/or front if we wished.  He also offered free coffee and tea at intermission.

Scott Nolte again, closed the show thanking us for coming and than announced that 85^th street, the most direct route to I-5, was closed.   He then told us of the 2^nd most direct route by North Gate Mall…that he had just driven during the 2^nd act to see if it was open and safe.  

We all then got into our cars and drove home in a beautiful winter wonderland!  It was absolutely gorgeous…nothing like I have experienced in the 25 years of living in the Seattle area.

All in all it was a very heart warming experience…and so Christmas like!