Hold on to your hats, home viewers, the brand new QFC on Broadway is now open. We knew it was on its way when we started to see non-perishables filling the store late last week, but the moment of truth has finally arrived — at least a day earlier than predicted by our sources.

Rumors suggest that an in-store Starbucks is part of the package; so you won’t need to cross the street to the oh so inconvenient Starbucks on the corner of Broadway and Republican (unless you have a favorite barista already). The official opening was expected to take place on Sunday morning to be accompanied by coffee and cake at 8 am. Whether today’s opening represents a quiet opening or a change in schedule remains unknown.

Developing.

As you may have noticed, election season is drawing to a close. There’s just one last detail — the actual voting. With so many (at least four!) local papers and all of those bubbles to fill in on the
ballot, voting can get pretty tricky.

We will try to make your life easier by summarizing the endorsements of the major papers. For all of their inter-publication bickering, it’s a fairly unified front (on the Federal level with Kerry, Murray, Inslee, McDermott and Ross sweeping all the editorial boards). Differences, more common on the local level, are indicated with an asterisk. For these races, you’ll just need to go with the majority, with your favorite publication, or with your conscience.

Below the jump, the Metblogs Vote-o-Matic! Print a copy and take it with you to the polls!
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So, we recognize that it’s extremely late notice, but if you have some spare hours this afternoon make plans to visit Victrola. Don the Bug Man will be on site from 3-8 pm with drawers full of insects, crustaceans, and spiders. More than 3000 specimens in 30 drawers — some of them live!

Fun for the whole, non-bug-fearing family! Hurry, while parking on 15th is still free.

Tonight is the homeless count at the agency I volunteer at. Every year the city has volunteers go around and count all the homeless they see. They count the people under bridges, in doorways, alleys or but not the people squatting in condemned buildings. So our tiny little agency has one slumber party for all those kids and adults squatting to come get food and sleep where it’s warm. As of right now it’s twelve thirty four at night and I roughly count around 20 people that are sprawled out. The total count is currently in the lower seventies. We need these events to get demographic information to give to the United Way or the city so we can get funding. It’s fun to see some faces I usually only see on the street and hear their story.

Although it

I’d like to give a shout-out to the lovely woman driving the #17 bus from Ballard to Downtown yesterday afternoon during the 2 o’clock hour. There was a seemingly horrific accident on the overpass leading to Nickerson (upon closer viewing, the accident was just a fender bender, over-attended by three police cars and a small aid/fire truck). Our bus was stuck for about 10 minutes while the driver, new to the route and unsure what to do, since she was blocked from her scheduled turn, tried to figure out a solution.

Meanwhile, the natives got restless. I thought Seattle drivers were hard-core, but bus riders seem to be under the same pressure. A few passengers asked, then demanded to be let off the bus, despite the only exit route being directly into fast moving traffic. The driver refused, claiming their safety, Metro policy, and fear of law suits upon their probable deaths as (quite reasonable) excuses. A man on his way to work started shouting “You Can’t Keep Me Captive On This Bus!” Repeatedly.

I was on my way to work too, but I felt Shouting Guy was a bit dramatic. Then a sweet old lady on her way to a doctor’s appointment got all up in the driver’s face as well, waving her handbag and pacing the aisles. Eventually, a police officer came over to advise the flustered Metro worker, and Shouting Guy demanded that the Officer escort him through traffic to catch another bus. Thankfully, the officer just scoffed at him and told him he had bigger fish to fry (the beige Honda blocking the entire right lane of the overpass being fish #1).

Eventually, with much lecturing by the sassy, defensive bus driver and much caustic muttering about captivity by Shouting, now Grumbling Guy, we turned around and made it downtown only about 14 minutes behind schedule.

The new driver handled the situation, if not with stoic grace, with the right decisions, and, in my opinion, an appropriate amount of sass. If anyone was docked for being late to work, I do feel bad for them. Except Shouting Guy, whose captivity on a Metro bus lasted approximately 10 minutes and probably saved him from death by traffic squish.

1. Make absolutely certain that you are going 10 MPH below the highway limit as you enter the highway.
2. Drive an SUV, even if you have absolutely no use for it.
3. Always have deep conversations on your cell phone in the fast lane.
4. Is it raining? Tailgate more.
5. Stop in the middle of heavy city traffic for no apparent reason at least twice a week.
6. Do something dangerous and stupid, and if you get honked at for it, flip the other person off.
7. When gassing up, act like you have absolutely no idea how to use the gas pump. Then forget to put your gas cap back on.
8. Read while driving (or put on makeup, or shave, or treat your cuticles, or give yourself a shiatsu treatment, or…)
9. Disable your signals, remove your mirrors, and hey, black all your windows except the windshield. You won’t be using them anyway.
10. Drive like Metro buses are no match for your Toyota Hybrid.
11. Minimum Costco parking lot speed? As fast as you need to dodge mega-carts full of bulk rubber gloves and trampolines and still get a spot — right at the front door. Your goal? Don’t walk any more than you need to.

Any more Seattle Rules of the Road you’d like to add? Just comment on this post.

A typical day
on Capitol Hill.

A visit to Dick’s for
a greasy, cheesy burger.

I scare the pigeons
making my way back
to the car.

They want my fries,
but I don’t share.
Not with the
likes of you.

A few blocks down the cops
harass my indigent
indian friend.

Stoic and silent,
just as his daddy taught,
he sits.
His mind revealed
in a stare.

I saw Ric Ocasek cross the road,
and almost asked if this was a photo op.

It was indeed a typical day on Capitol Hill.