align(v.) early 15c., "to copulate" (of wolves, dogs), literally "to range (things) in a line," from Old French alignier "set, lay in line"

Fairweather Knicks fans: the weather is fucking fair!

#carryshitolympics commencement edition: Bringing home both my PhD robe (UCLA) and (facilitating some logistics for him) my just hooded PhD student’s robe (UW). Given that my student was the one who got an e-bike first and encouraged me to do the same, it is very fitting.

If you have a strained rib (intercostal) muscle from coughing, I really recommend not coughing if you want to heal. Following this advice has taken longer than expected.

Why’s it called an outro not an extro?

Seriously out of touch to suggest that a regular “working stiff” in Seattle would see the cost of *parking* near Lumen field during the World Cup ($188) as top of mind as an example of high cost of living in Seattle. (That’s the lede of this story).

theodolite (n.) type of portable surveying instrument, 1570s, a word of unknown origin and much speculation almost from its first appearance. The inventor seems to have left no account of the coinage. "The word has a Greek semblance, but no obvious Gr[eek] basis"

Hopeful the Chinatown/International District branch of @spl.org can get back up and running. Such an important space for the community.

Prepare yourselves, Seattle. UW graduation: June 13; first World Cup game here, June 15. Recommend planning to walk, bike (or take transit that doesn’t share lanes with cars) absolutely everywhere for the next few days or consider not leaving your house.

Wish I could have been a Gen-Z adolescent/young adult (instead of the elder millennial one that I was) if only for the period underwear and the pimple patches.

@spl.org put out Dylin Hardcastle’s novel A Language of Limbs on their pride month table and wow it was truly amazing. Huge recommend. Queer love, lost love, longing

Less than two weeks from solstice, UV index in Seattle today: 1-2. Thanks, clouds, for the natural sunscreen.

NEW: Trump's $100K H-1B visa fee struck down by federal judge

“Your brain can’t tell the difference between a 45-minute Transportation Security Administration security line and a tiger that’s about to eat you, explains psychiatrist Ishdeep Narang.”

Ministers are preparing for the prospect of 750k soccer fans descending on the city to cheer on Iran, Egypt, Qatar, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Muslim-majority countries w/games scheduled in the city. “It’s an incredible opportunity,” said Justin Symons, a preacher with Gospel Invasion Ministries 🤮

Car brain: Dale Turner ymca is on Aurora (aka hwy 99 aka worst stroad around). Bike brain: it is on the Interurban bike trail. Fabulous. @seattlebikeblog.com

Shocker

Poor Delaney Hall, amazing podcaster with @99pi.org, host of new series Service Request (99percentinvisible.org/sr/) who has to share her name with a horrific ICE detention facility in NJ.

Going back may not bring where you assume it will take you. Wise words.

I strained a muscle in my back while putting on a shoe. How’s your day going?

It’s cool that the guy who gave the name to Pasteurisation literally had a name that means shepherd ie pastor ie pasture

Knishes > Knicks

90 degrees out, but lakes cold enough to literally kill you. This is why we need more public outdoor pools in Seattle!

Best time for reading for pleasure is while parenting. Supervising kid at playground. Sitting around waiting for them to get something done. Being present but also showing that you don’t care overly much about the specifics of what they are doing. Modeling reading as a thing one does.

Reading @tkingfisher.com’s Wolf Worm and holy shit, the stuff of nightmares (cw: flesh eating insects). @spl.org

I’ve taken to quipping that the only jobs left are going to be in weapons manufacturing, and it seems that this is coming to pass

Ah june, the month in Seattle when a load of laundry regularly contains both tank tops and wool socks, when you haul out the summer clothes only to not wear them. When the sweatshirt that couldn’t quite be put away yet ends up hanging in the closet for the rest of the summer.

Don’t get me wrong, sun is nice, but I find sunscreen truly annoying to have to deal with and I admit I find myself pining a little bit for the UV index 0-1 days of Seattle winter.

The dearth of public outdoor pools in Seattle is insane. There are, literally, 2 (mounger and Colman), for a population of 800,000. Yes, we have multiple beaches and lake/waterside bathing areas…but the water temps are, uh, 60 degrees.

Would like to visit new South Park community center playground (Seattle). It would take an hour to bike. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could go by bike+transit in less than an hour? But alas, infrequent Sunday bus service, link closed through downtown today.

Anti-bike lobby: only rich people ride bikes. Justice for the working class! Also anti-bike lobby: if you are poor, a student, or a person trying to save money by not having a car, you are invisible to us.

Game changer: going to the gym without needing to wear socks

Seattle forecast. This is not the Juneuary we deserve.

Uh huh. So options are “already using,” “curious but cautious” or “still figuring out”? Not even a gesture to the incurious or simply opposed.

I can’t be the only one who sees the 🫂 emoji and, every time, thinks it looks like a silhouette of an old movie projector

It’s a mystery

All hail the humble phone mount

More people voted in the Park Slope food coop vote than in approx 1/3 of US counties in a presidential election year.

NYT spelling bee fighting back against the war on cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social

What, you don’t cleanse with poisonous frog secretions?

If only my decongestion experiment (with Sudafed, mucinex, inhalers, showers, and tea) was going as well as New York’s.

I think the gentrification one bothers me a lot because, like… pretty sure most of this area was already wealthy. You can’t gentrify a place that is already rich. Not how it works.

I’ve read ~40 books for pleasure this year so far. Physical books from library. (This is wholly new for me). How? I bring a book with me whenever I might instead be tempted to be on my phone: waiting for appointments, supervising kid on the playground, drinking tea, taking breaks between things.

Fun times we live in

“Bikes will not replace us.” War on cars not enough, now the specter is car genocide @thewaroncars.bsky.social

“What some will surely call the latest onslaught in a war on cars, and others will view as a long-awaited remedy to a dangerous and auto-dominated transportation system, is all taking place on one of the few streets in Seattle owned by Parks and Recreation.” @thewaroncars.bsky.social

@udistrictseattle.bsky.social @udistrictcouncil.org how can we get bike racks installed at the intersection of 43rd/the Ave? There’s a post office, lots of businesses and no bike racks on any corner of the intersection. Yes there are at link station, but there should be at the intersection too

TIL