Ballardblog.com

When I first moved back to Seattle last year with my two-year old, it was Ballard Community Center — and the Toddler Play Room — that saved my sanity.  For just $2, children under the age of five can enjoy a room full of toys and books. The Play Room is open during the Ballard Community Center’s normal business hours (which vary according to the season).

They also run Toddler Gym Time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30am to 2:00pm. This is where they open up the gym and fill it with balls, trikes, and cars. There’s even a bouncy house and slide. Your $2 gets you into the gym as well as the play room (and it’s $2 per family per day…so you can come with several kids and have in and out privileges).

Ballard Community Center also offers a pottery studio, preschool program, childcare (before and after school), aerobics and fitness classes, arts and crafts for the whole family, and more. At Easter they have an egg hunt for the kids. Some of the rooms are available for renting, for functions like business meetings, birthday parties, weddings, and more.

Ballard Community Center: 6020 28th Ave NW, Seattle, WA  (206)-684-4083

http://www.cityofseattle.net/Parks/Centers/Ballard.htm

I know a lot of people are inundated with junk mail and often throw away unopened anything that looks like it might be junk mail.  However, currently Ballard residents are being sent a brochure on Rapid Ride that includes a questionnaire inside to get our feedback on what is the best way to create the new Rapid Ride transit program for Ballard.

Bus ridership in Ballard has steadily been increasing over the years.  Initially due to the rise in population in our neighborhood from the many condos being built, then as higher gas prices pushed more people onto public transportation.  With gas prices currently at a low not seen in years and the development of new condos halting by the economy it would be very easy to get complacent and stop worrying about our bus system.  But we are in a false lull.  Eventually, since gasoline is a finite resource prices will shoot back up and once the economy starts to improve developers will move ahead with plans to fill every nook and cranny in Ballard.  Now is the time to plan for the future and to borrow the slogan of another campaign, “Yes we can” when it comes to improving our local transportation system.  One of the biggest items that needs to be determined is the actual route Rapid Ride will take – should it travel up 15th Ave. NW or follow 24th Ave. NW?  So take a moment to fill out the postage paid questionnaire and maybe even attend the next upcoming Open House on Rapid Ride:

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5:30-7:30pm

Whittier Elementary School Cafeteria

1320 NW 75th St., Seattle

The Sunset Hill Community Clubhouse is having its Eighth Annual Wine Tasting event on Wednesday, January 28, from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m.

The Sunset Hill Community Association was formed in 1922, when the neighborhood was solidly blue-collar. This year, we are making an effort to get back to our roots and help better serve the community in this time of economic turmoil. Our annual Wine Tasting is a fundraiser for the organization and serves as the backdrop for the annual Board member elections.

Sunset Hill Community Clubhouse
3003 NW 66th Street
$15 per person
Wednesday, January 28, from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m.

Our own Ballard personal trainer has sent us these work out tips. The new year is here. Time to get in shape.

1. Set safe and attainable goals

Set smaller, step-by-step goals so you can focus on each goal separately, therefore making the process of obtaining your overall goal easier. Set a goal like going to the gym 2-3 times a week for at least an hour. If you have that same goal each week you end up building your “habit” and you’ll be well on your way to obtaining your overall goal!

2. What to do for you

Cardiovascular exercise AND weights need to be done to have an effective workout routine. Start with a light warm-up for 5 minutes of something active (bike, jump rope, body weight squats, etc.) do a total-body weight routine, consisting of 6-12 exercises, and finish with 30-60 minutes of cardio at the end. For those of you worried about “bulking up” the sets and reps are more indicative of how your body will respond than the weights themselves. Do 1-3 sets of 15 or more reps for longer, leaner muscles and sets of 8-10 reps for bigger muscles. By doing your weights first and cardio second, your body will get more benefit as well as burn more body fat calories!

3. Consistency is key

One thing I see many clients do too many times is come in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then not until Monday again. Now, they are getting 3 times a week in, however 4 days off in a row makes progress slow up a bit. It would be like taking 2 steps forward and then 1 step back. If you are able to go in 3 times a week, try and space it out some. A schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Monday, Thursday, Saturday is more beneficial because there is less “down time” between workouts. Thus, allowing your body to become more receptive to the workouts themselves.

4. Don’t give up!

When your body encounters a physical change (temperature, elevation, workouts) it goes through an adaptation phase. Each adaptation phase lasts around 4-6 weeks depending on the consistency and severity of the change. So when you bust your butt for the first phase, your physical changes will be mainly internal and hard to see visually. Give yourself 3-4 months of hard work so you can see exponentially better results than just working hard for one month (it will stay off longer too!).

5. Sneak it in whenever you can

Parking further out from the entrance of a store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, stretching while watching TV, etc. All of these activities take so little time it almost seems like there is no point (which is why most don’t do them). Using hypothetical numbers, say you go to the store and park far away from he door causing you to walk further to get in. This makes you burn 35 calories round trip, car to store. Now say you do this 100 times over the course of a year and burn 3,500 calories. Guess what? That is equal to 1lb of body fat! Now if you couple other “sneaky” habits along with a regular workout routine you will see a pretty significant change in yourself.

On February 10th, the North Seattle Lapidary & Mineral Club will host their next monthly meeting located in the basement meeting room of the Northminster Presbyterian Church at 7706 25th Avenue NW in the Loyal Heights neighborhood.  This is a fun group with at least 80 active members in attendance and goodies served during a short intermission.  Meeting time for kids starts at 6:30pm, adults at 7:30pm with a show & tell style of presentation by members followed by a scheduled keynote speaker.  The keynote speaker for February is Rick Fogel, past president of the group.  Rick will be discussing “Creating your own display case for our club’s annual rock show.”  In addition to very actively attended meetings, the group also hosts field trips to rock, mineral and fossil sites, lapidary workshops and other fun activities for all ages.

The Iron Bartender Competitors

The Judges

The Mike McSorley Fanclub

The Winner, Mike McSorley

The Crowd of Hotness (Tiger Tail)

Even if I wasn’t part Scandinavian (Norwegian on mom’s side) I would still be interested in these two Scandinavian related events happening this week in Ballard.  I mean, the Irish get their big St. Pat’s Day celebrations, the German get their faux Oktoberfests in the U.S., the Greeks get their food festivals, etc.  They are all well represented on the cultural heritage meter, but how often and in how many places can you get a glimpse of Scandinavian cultures?

This week we have 2 opportunities!  Both are free and family friendly events.  The first event is this Thursday at the Ballard Library 6:30-7:45pm:

http://http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_open&branchID=3

The second event takes place at the Scandinavian Heritage Museum:

Reading, slide show, book signing, and discussion of author Eric Dregni’s new book. In Cod We Trust is a vivid portrayal of modern Norway through the eyes of a fourth-generation Norwegian-American from Minnesota.

“Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy.

Barack Obama’s administration has issued a call for Americans to serve their country. If you are off work this Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), consider making it a day of service. Even the celebrities are joining in.

In Ballard on Jan 19, 2009, you can bring donations to the Ballard Safeway (1423 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA) for Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

In the Greater Seattle area, you can find many more volunteer events. Some of the activities include: picking up litter, restoring native habitats, donating socks to homeless men, or removing invasive weeds.

You can even plan and post your own service event. If you do, feel free to comment on this article and post a link!

Did you know that there are over 1,700 mixed drink recipes? Probably not, because I just made up that number, but chances are that you’ve never heard of obscure drinks like, Sex with an Alligator, Dead Nazi or Michael Moros Detroit Boy. You probably don’t know how to make them either, so it’s a good thing we have educated and skilled bartenders to broaden our horizons and our palates.

This Sunday at 7pm, the Tiger Tail will feature an Iron Bartender event, with Seattle’s top bartending studs: Mike McSorley of TiniBigs and Majorie and Dallas Taylor of ToST Lounge, dueling for the title of Master of the Universe. Competing bartenders will have three 7-minute and two 15-minute sessions to create their uniquely styled concoction of randomly selected cocktails that will be taste-tested by the Washington Liquor Control Board. I kid! But wouldn’t that be hilariously awesome? The real judges are renowned author AJ Rathbun, Kelly O (writer for the Stranger’s “Drunk of the Week” column), and Liberty owner, Andrew Friedman. They promise to be just as dogmatic and oppressive as the WSLCB.  Come join in on the fun, debauchery, and cocktail snobbery.

704 NW 65th St, Seattle, WA  206-781-TAIL (8245)

Open 7 days a week, 3 p.m. – 2 a.m. (food served 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.)
Happy hour! 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. everyday

Root Table opens its doors to the public Friday night, and after a soft opening performance Wednesday that won chef/owner Kalan Intawong a prolonged round of applause, the menu seems to be promising.

The Asian fusion offerings are heavy on Thai influence, light on the portion size, and always under $10. The crowd pleasers were the Ménage à Thai, a trio of yellow, green and red curries with jasmine rice and choice of meat for dipping; the Roasted Duck Spring Rolls with spicy peanut sauce; and the Spicy Sausage Capellini with fresh Thai basil. Everyone just felt sorry for Double-Fisted Duck, a poor creature whose time spent marinating in dark beer and Chinese wine should endow it with great glory, but couldn’t escape the giggles brought on by its less than fortunate name.

There’s a full bar with a brief cocktail menu, a well-selected wine list with ample choices from local producers, and a gloriously large 22-ounce bottle of Thailand’s famous Chang beer, which is a $4.50 no-brainer.

And if you feel inspired by the woodsy décor, there’s lots more where that came from at Intawong’s adjoining home furnishings store, Enlighten.

Root Table

2213 N.W. Market St.