Disqus - Latest Comments for gurple

Re: The Riding Reporter: the Ballard bikes vs freight debate

gurple — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:24:06 -0000

From the article:
"If the Burke-Gilman Trail gets built in front of Aakervik's business,
his travel time will increase as will the potential for accidents."

There are two assertions in this sentence, neither of which is backed up. Are these Aakervik's assertions, or the author's?

1. "travel time will increase". Why, and who says so? Do you mean because the drivers will have to be careful of the trail crossing? But bicyclists already cycle in front of these driveways. In fact, bicyclists sharing the road currently cause traffic to slow down quite a bit on Shilshole. If the bicyclists were separated, there would be more room for cars, and the cars could speed up.

2. "as will the potential for accidents". Again, the trucks already have to deal with cyclists. At least, with the trail, the cyclists would be in a known location, rather than split between the roadway and the shoulder.

Your assertions might or might not be correct. Unless you can back them up, you need to state them as opinion rather than fact.

Re: A look at the improved Burke-Gilman Trail railroad crossing

gurple — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:45:07 -0000

I get why they didn't make it wider. I get it. They don't want people to have the option of cutting off the corner and going through it at 45 degrees.

But it's /so narrow/ now. Bikes have to slow way down, which is good, but if two bikes and a pedestrian (or more) hit that crossing at the same time, it's a logjam.

Re: Purchase real estate on Ballardopoly

gurple — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:48:59 -0000

To each his own, of course! The right group of people can make anything fun, even playing Monopoly or reading the phone book.

Re: Purchase real estate on Ballardopoly

gurple — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:08:39 -0000

Neat idea, very fun, best of luck to them.

I can't help but think, though, that they could have partnered with Card Kingdom and done this with a /good/ board game. _Ballard Power Grid_? _Dominion: Ballard Intrigue_? _On the [Nonexistent] Ballard Underground_?

Monopoly is how we teach kids that boardgames are tedious and joyless.

Re: BHS student overcomes odds to graduate tonight

gurple — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:28:19 -0000

Thanks for the update! That's a great endorsement of BHS by this exceptional student.

Re: BHS student overcomes odds to graduate tonight

gurple — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:48:26 -0000

Wow, kudoes. He must be very gifted as well as very hard-working.

One thing I don't understand -- why is he commuting so far across town for school? Does BHS have a particularly good ELL program?

Re: Ballard Cooks teaches students the joy of cooking

gurple — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:59:05 -0000

I got all the way through college never having cooked anything more complicated than Hamburger Helper. I wish someone had somehow convinced me to do something like this!

Re: Kelly O’Brien’s Irish pub to open next week

gurple — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:32:37 -0000

Nice -- right around the corner from Egan's. That'll make for a fun evening.

Re: Ballard Farmers Market could be top in the nation

gurple — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:53:57 -0000

To do that, they'd have to block off at least Vernon and 20th, and probably Ione, too. I doubt they'd ever get a permit for that.

Re: Stand-up paddleboard yoga

gurple — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:55:10 -0000

You may be thinking of those boards as surfboards. If you tried what they're doing on, say, a 9' longboard, you'd be in the drink immediately.

SUP boards are trivially easy to stand up on. They're sort of ludicrously stable. You can get a good workout paddling one of those things around, but there's no need for actual /skill/ unless you take one into the waves.

Re: Stand-up paddleboard yoga

gurple — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:01:04 -0000

Looks like there was a difference of opinion about appropriate attire, in the picture up there. A couple people went for the "I'd better wear a wetsuit just in case I -- OH GOD HEATSTROKE" option.

Re: Stand-up paddleboard rentals at Shilshole

gurple — Sat, 28 May 2011 20:43:52 -0000

My Surf Ballard t-shirt says "Stoke Harvester" on it. I thought that was their motto. Did this new outfit use Surf Ballard's location, MO, /and/ motto? Are they related to Surf Ballard in some way?

Re: Early Design Guidance meeting for Ballard’s largest proposed development

gurple — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:24:24 -0000

So don't buy his gas. We've talked about this before -- the guy operates a /service/ station. Get your car worked on there.

I buy propane from him, myself.

Re: Boat aground off Ballard

gurple — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:37:46 -0000

Having just watched John Carpenter's _The Fog_, I think we should proceed with extreme caution.

Re: Early Design Guidance meeting for Ballard’s largest proposed development

gurple — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:35:13 -0000

Hey, wait a minute -- the .pdf also has a very tall "Future Development" ghosted in one block north of this, on 24th. Does anybody know anything about that? That's where BikeSport is, currently.

Re: Early Design Guidance meeting for Ballard’s largest proposed development

gurple — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:30:31 -0000

Looks like the new owners aren't content to just buy the Jacobsen property -- they have to rub salt in the wound by including a "Jacobsen Legacy Element" shaped like a Vonnegut-style cat's a**hole.

In all seriousness, I wonder what that proposed 'element' is... I don't see any details in the pdf.

Re: Early Design Guidance meeting for Ballard’s largest proposed development

gurple — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:26:18 -0000

You hipster.

Re: Early Design Guidance meeting for Ballard’s largest proposed development

gurple — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:25:07 -0000

How do you define a "HIPSTER" bar, Buddy? Just who are these mythical "HIPSTERS", anyway? What defines a "HIPSTER" to you, and how do they differ from their lowercase cousins?

Re: Crosswalk study planned near Boys & Girls Club

gurple — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:35:08 -0000

This sort of thing is just going to shove more traffic onto 15th Ave.

Which is an arterial.

Which is where traffic is really supposed to go, rather than on weenie little 20th, which happens to be wide but is effectively just 10 blocks long.

So, this is great!

Re: Codes to Dive By

gurple — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:10:34 -0000

Fair enough. For a while, I pounced on anybody around here who said "bum". It didn't take me long to realize I wasn't going to be able to keep that up.

Re: Codes to Dive By

gurple — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:50:58 -0000

I'm legitimately curious, Buddy -- why do you object so strongly and so often to the use of the word "hipster"?

I'm with you, in this case, that it's nondescriptive and irrelevant, not to mention dismissive and tired. But every time I see the word "hipster" on MyBallard, I know it's just a matter of minutes before you chime in. Why do you care so much?

Re: BHS annual plant sale underway

gurple — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:18:19 -0000

That is the coolest thing ever. Kind of makes me wish I hadn't bought my tomato plants already.

Re: Golden Beetle wants an outdoor cafe

gurple — Fri, 13 May 2011 12:17:50 -0000

Super awesome. Try their muhammara.

Re: Golden Beetle wants an outdoor cafe

gurple — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:13:05 -0000

Woohoo!

Re: Eat out Thursday and help Whittier Elementary

gurple — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:06:30 -0000

To each his own. I think it's pretty good, particularly brunch.