In the Times:

There were families aplenty that night in the pretty, coral-hued, brick-walled dining room. Adults sipped cocktails or sake, shared colorful sushi rolls or savored well-stocked bento boxes. Their progeny slurped noodles or relished their very own kid's bento (teriyaki chicken, of course).

Wabi-Sabi is a family affair for restaurateur Thoa Nguyen, proprietor of pan-Asian Chinoise on Queen Anne, as well as Thoa's, a Vietnamese restaurant downtown. Her son James Chon, 25, is general manager; her other son Jeffrey Chon, 21, works under head sushi chef John Gaffud, a 10-year veteran of Chinoise.

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Many of you may be familiar with CSA – or Community Supported Agriculture – in which you get a box of the farms vegetable production each week. This is the same idea but with FISH! His fishery is called SeaMonster Seafoods.

Right now the only pickup spot is Queen Anne – but I would love to participate and I am attempting to organize at least 10 households from the southend who would like to participate so we can get a southend pickup location. Seafood pickup would be on Thursdays and the cost is $400 for 20 weeks of fish! Now wait.. before you click away thinking this is too much money.. please read his info!!

Click the link below and read all about the details of this really amazing program here and let me know ASAP if you are in - as the program starts May 20th!

GIVE ME SEAFOOD: http://seamonsterseafoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/how-it-works/

If you are interested, I can put the interested parties together:
missjenn at gmail dot com

They say this on their Facebook page:
"You GUYS! It's OFFICIAL! Open on Sundays in COLUMBIA CITY! Starting May 16. Va-va-Vroom! Columbia Plaza parking lot (next to Bank of America), 11a-2p."

They describe themselves as specializing "in Hawaiian and Korean curb cuisine that is always fast, usually marinated in a signature sauce, frequently served in a tortilla, and mostly healthy." VERY yummy stuff. Other people agree. I've been lucky enough to work 2 blocks away from their Wednesday stop in Fremont. I welcome the chance to Marination more than 1x in one week.

An Important Message for Movie Lovers
Save Our Cinema

Listen up if you like having a movie theater in Columbia City. This is important.

As you know, almost six years ago we rolled into Rainier Valley and became the little cinema that could. Thanks to a few miracles and fantastic community support, we're still here showing first run movies and serving the community. But it's been a struggle all the way. We've always been underfinanced, we've often had to appeal for help, and we had a huge setback when a tenant defaulted costing us about $25,000. We had to build two new screens without enough money to do it and we've never found anyone to help us re- structure the resulting debt. We've been playing catch up ever since and despite good business we've never really recovered. The debt is just too big.

Now we're in serious trouble. Times are tough. Attendance has slipped the past few months putting us farther behind and six months of substantial shortfall have finally caught up with us big time. We don't have money for the rent. We don't have money to pay for film. We don't have money for loan and lease payments.

Over time we have kept the cinema alive one way or the other, more for the sake of the community than for profit. There hasn't been any profit. Not until the debt disappears. No cash reserves to fall back on either. We've already blown through our inheritance, emptied out the offshore accounts, sold the boat and the Ferrari, and got rid of the vacation condo in Cancun to keep the place alive. There's nothing left.

For the last few months we have been in a state of undeclared Chapter 11 holding creditors and lenders at bay, trying to figure out solutions. We've danced our way of trouble and imminent closure several times but we're running out of options. Use any metaphor you want: We've hit the iceberg and we're going down. We've avoided checkmate a dozen times but we're running out of moves. We're almost out of gas. There are no more rabbits to pull out of the hat. You get the idea. We are in endgame unless something happens to turn the game around.

Though we hate to do it, we are asking you for help one more time. You've bailed us out before. We hope you will again.

Here's what you can do.

Send money. The good news is we don't need a lot. We just need a little from a lot of people. We believe in the power of many. We're trying to raise $20,000. That much will catch us up, pay the rent, keep the doors open and carry us through to the big summer movies that begin in May, when we can breathe again. The bad news is we need it now, today, from all of you or survival is iffy. We are the perfect poster child example of a neighborhood cinema in need.

Don't worry. It's not like you're throwing money away on a lost cause. We intend to be here for a long time. There are too many nice people we need to pay back. We know we can raise that much. We've done it before. When we do, we will have bought ourselves another six months. During that time, other financial solutions we've been working on will come online and finally stabilize us once and for all. That's the plan anyway.

But until that happens, we need one more miracle. We need you to step up and help. So here's the deal:

We don't expect you to send money and get nothing in return. The big payoff is you get to keep a cinema in the neighborhood. The other one is that, out of gratitude, we give you a piece of beautiful, untouched virtual land to use and enjoy any way you can.

For any amount, large or small, our thanks and sincere appreciation. Every little bit helps.

For every $20 you give, you get a bogus but nice-looking stock option against the day when the cinema might actually issue stock. Don't know if that will ever happen but we've been thinking about it. You'd be in on the ground floor.

For every $100 you give you get five bogus stock options plus five acres and a half mile of waterfront in the newly acquired Cinematopia Island virtual land mass hovering in the ethersphere above the Puget Sound basin. No really. Land so beautiful and untouched that you'll never see its like again. Thought you couldn't afford to be a landowner or have an island getaway? Think again. Being in the cinema family has its privileges.

For $500 or more you get the requisite stock options and your own 5000 acre national park or wilderness preserve. Beautiful untouched land for only $10 an acre. Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it?

So hurry. This offer is limited. Only the first 1000 donors will be selected for free land and stock options. Be one of the elite one thousand smart enough to get in on the beginning of something big.

Too late for the Enron collapse? Miss out on the Wamu meltdown? Not enough cash to lose big with Bernie? Here's your chance to change all that, ride the wave, and be among the lucky few.

To those of you who remember our earlier land offer and went for it, thank you and congratulations. The virtual land you bought a few years ago has tripled in value at a time when land values everywhere else have declined. And it saved a cinema. How's that for return on investment?

The same thing will happen again. A lot of families, schools, daycares, restaurants, shops and nonprofits depend on us. By donating you save our cinema, help the community and become a virtual landowner/philanthropist/community supporter. We hope you understand the urgency. We're not crying wolf. This is real. We're not kidding. It's all up to you. How much will you give to keep us here?

We're hoping for a scene like the one in It's a Wonderful Life where everyone comes forward to save the Building and Loan. We're hoping to send you another email soon that says "Thank you. Crisis averted." In fact, we're counting on it.

And that's it. This offer has not been evaluated or approved by any government or regulatory agency. Side affects may include a warm feeling of happy participation, glowing satisfaction at doing good and rising pride in the continued survival of your charming neighborhood cinema.

Thank you all for helping.

You can mail or bring in your donation or charge your donation by phone during business hours.

One last thing: please pass this appeal on to as many people as you can.

Today, with the help of her son Luis Vega — among other extended-family members — the beloved matriarch is running a 35-seat cafe at 5303 Rainier Avenue South, offering homestyle Puerto Rican comfort-food at lunch and dinner.

At El Pilon, you might sit down to a plate of mofongo (plantains mashed with a handmade wooden pilon, or pestle), arroz con gandules y chulecas fritas (rice with pigeon peas and fried pork chops) or arroz con habichuelas y pollo en fricase (chicken with rice and beans). And though they don't have a beer and wine license — yet — you can instead sip juice made from guanabana while nibbling bacalitos (salt cod fritters).

But Holly and I have tried it out. And we loved it. The food is classic (chuleta for me, bistek for Holly, both with patacones), Luis is super-friendly, and Marta keeps appearing out of the kitchen to make sure everyone's happy (they were).

Really nice to see another locally owned restaurant take off to a good start in a great place. They're at 5303 Rainier Ave S, across from the DESC and Kawali Grill.

http://www.bodiesinbalanceseattle.com/50_hour_fitness_challenge

Spring Session runs from April 11-June 12th!

Brendan Kiley at the Stranger reports the Columbia City Theater closed suddenly, after its latest owners finalized a sale last weekend.

The sale happened on Saturday, after a few months of negotiations.

The new owners, Robert Hillman and C.B. Shamah, are shutting down the venue for at least three months for renovations and many of the acts scheduled to play there—including the popular monthly cabaret by Tamara the Trapeze Lady—are scrambling to find new homes.

"We're trying to help them out," said Shamah. He indicated that the theater was having major financial trouble: "Let's just say this," he said. "The gas to the theater got turned off. The water got turned off today. They didn't have a dumpster—apparently the garbage just disappeared to some garbage heaven. I wish I knew where that was."

Shamah said he and Sur just want to "bring some good music and good vibes to South Seattle." Some regular acts, like Tamara's, will return after the renovation.

There are more details in the comments under Brendan's post.

BeatWalk is looking for a new coordinator for Columbia City’s monthly, summertime music festival. The coordinator’s main duties include: booking and coordinating venues; booking and overseeing/managing musicians; and event outreach and promotion. The ideal candidate is passionate and knowledgeable about the local music scene; is eager to work in the Columbia City neighborhood; and is organized, outgoing and professional.

Duties

• Book and coordinate local venues (training will be provided)
• Identify potential local musicians and review music submissions
• Communicate with musicians and neighborhood restaurants and businesses
• Oversee promotional and outreach activities including: poster placement, email distributions, social marketing and networking sites.
• Manage assistant coordinator
• Work with web master to maintain relevant web content
• Research funding opportunities and apply for grants as needed
• Develop and manage an annual budget

Requirements

• 1-2 years experience with community or event organization
• Proven responsibility handling cash and making monthly deposits
• Proficient with email, excel and social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and DIGG
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Able to multitask and keep calm under pressure
• Familiarity with design programs for promotional material development is a plus

Details

• Part-time (approx. 10-15 hours/month), seasonal position (early spring through mid-fall)
• Monthly stipend plus with bonus potential dependent on end of season net revenue
• Monthly meetings with the CCBA Marketing Committee on last Tuesday of the month from 9 a.m.- 10 a.m. required during the BeatWalk season
• Mandatory background and credit check for all applicants.

Interested applicants need to submit a cover letter, resume, and 4 professional references by March 4, 2010 to moc.ogidni-esum|klawtaeb#moc.ogidni-esum|klawtaeb, or mail it to:

Columbia City BeatWalk
c/o Bookworm Exchange
4860 Rainier Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98118
(**Please, no phone inquiries.)

As a local parent and longtime Seward Park resident, I thought I'd put this information out here…

The reason for this message is simple, an Internet Safety presentation was recently done at my children’s school and I am attempting to gauge the likelihood of conducting the same presentation for other community groups (social, academic and athletic youth programs and family groups, etc). The Internet Safety experience is available to the public at no charge. I believe that the information that is provided is greatly beneficial to community members, parents, and students who attend these events especially given that more and more of us (adults and kids alike!) have integrated electronic gadgets into our lives.

If you're interested in getting more information, please feel free to respond with your contact info and I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have. Additionally, please feel free to forward this information to any community decision makers that would allow us to share this valuable information throughout our community.

Thanks,
Jen

Session 1: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 10:15-11:30; Thursday & Friday 10:15-12:45 PM* - Full

Session 2: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 11:30 AM-12:45 PM; Thursday & Friday 10:15 AM-12:45 PM * - 1 spot open

Session 3: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, 5-6:15 PM; Wednesday & Thursday 6-7:15 PM* - 1 Spot Open

Session 4: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, 6:15-7:30 PM; Wednesday & Thursday 6:15-7:30 PM* - Full

Session 5: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, 7:30- 8:45 PM; Wednesday & Thursday 7:30-8:45 PM* - Full

*The last two days of each week are circuit days that allow for a flexible start time…the morning group can arrive any time between 9 AM -10:15 AM to start the circuit. The evening group can arrive any time between 6 -7:30 PM to start the circuit.

Sessions are semi-private (no more than 5 persons per class - except for circuit days which are individual stations and may have more than 5 persons participating during the circuit). Each class is 1 hr and 15 minutes in length and participants commit to coming 5 days a week. Sessions are a combination of bootcamp style drills, martial arts fitness drills, strength, resistance, agility training, circuit training, power vinyasa yoga and nutritional and lifestyle support. No workout is the same. Price is $450 + tax ($9 per session hour).

Studio t-shirt and training gear included in price (training gear provided depends upon session attending, please inquire at the time of registration). Measurements and fitness tests taken throughout the program.

$75 Non-Refundable Deposit is required to reserve your spot. (Deposit will be applied to the session fee. Total session fee is due on September 10, 2009, 1 week prior to the first day of class.

Congratulations to our Fall Challenge Winner who Lost 7.75 pounds in 8 weeks and 8inches in 8 weeks…!!! She also significnatly increased her push-ups, sit-ups and cardiovasular stamina!!! Way to go!

We kick off the season this weekend with the annual holiday lighting. CCBA and KC's Flowers have rallied to replace the old tradition with something new: a display above KC's Flowers on the corner of S. Ferdinand and Rainier Ave. S that will light up the dark of December starting at 6 pm.

Saturday also begins a month of businesses offering reciprocal coupons: eat at Tutta Bella, for example, and get a coupon for various retailers offering specials. Buy something at Andaluz, and get a coupon for restaurants offering specials. Coupons are good from December 5 -30.

December Events
Details online

Sat | 12/5/09
Shopping Specials All Day!
RV Historical Society Open House 3 pm - 6 pm
Visit Santa at Tutta Bella from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
New Holiday Lighting Tradition 6 pm - 6:30pm (corner of Rainier Ave. S and S. Ferdinand)
Arts In Motion faculty band will play in the Columbia City Gallery from 6:30 pm– 8:30 p

Thur | 12/3/09 | 7 - 9 pm
SEEDArts Wine Tasting & Silent Auction at the Columbia City Gallery

Sun | 12/6/09 | 2- 7pm
3rd Annual Sip ‘n’ Shop at Verve Bistro & Wine Bar

Sat | 12/12/09 | 2 - 5 pm
Lantern-Making Workshop at Rainier Vista Neighborhood House
Click here for more info.

Sun | 12/13/09 | 9 am - 2 pm
Brunch with Santa at Kallaloo Caribbean Restaurant

Sun | 12/30/09 | 4:20 - 7 pm
Solstice Procession & Festival of Lights ending at the Southside Commons
Click here for more info.

Thur | 12/31/09 | 8 pm - 2 am
New Year’s Eve Party at the Royal Esquires Club

Beginning Saturday November 7th, CAPCC will be open 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

To schedule online: moc.liamg|llaroferutcnupuca.www#moc.liamg|llaroferutcnupuca.www or call: 206-760-6064

We are located at 3811 S. Ferdinand @ Rainier.

Start your weekend out with acupuncture!

Sonja and Angie