In the latest installment of things you could be hugging (e.g., trees, your local Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream artiste), how about hugging Mother Earth on Friday? Of course, we all know that every day is Earth Day, but here are a few suggestions for things to do.

How about taking the footprint quiz over at Earthday.net? Ever a sucker for punishment, I do this every year, and every year they tell me that if everyone lived like me, we’d need 6 planets.

How about evaluating your trash needs? Thanks to Seattle’s mandatory recycling rule I’ve moved down one trashcan size, which will end up saving me almost a hundred bucks a year. Be kind to the Earth and it will be kind to your wallet.

What do you do with all that free moolah? How about taking an organic holiday? With organic guesthouses in Clinton, La Conner, Olympia and Bainbridge Island, it’s a quick getaway on a sunny spring weekend.

Can’t afford to get away that long? Need an excuse to go to a beach anyway? The grass roots garbage gang could sure use your help this weekend to clean up their 30 miles of Peninsula. Just imagine, hugging a loved one, watching the sun set, and dragging a huge bag of garbage behind you. What could be better than that?

the Stranger loves to eat on the street [#]

This week’s weeklies go head-to-head (again) in a battle of the theme
issues (again). The territory this time around is food, perfect for people who love to
take newspapers on the bus and flip through the pages saying “ooh! I’ve
been there. oh! I should go there.” as they see their favorite
restaurants listed in catalog fashion.

Weekly goes inside [#]

Reacting to the Seattle Weekly’s pictures
of pretty people and pretty places format, the Stranger gestures at transcending the
typical directory feature by focusing on street food. The concept is almost immediately undermined by their admission that Seattle doesn’t actually have much of a street food scene, although great efforts are made to develop the concept. The Weekly has their own
street shout out, offering a free download of Seattle restaurants for your
iPod called iDine [#] — bound to simplify indecisive wanderings.

Before you’re filled with despair, the good news is that both weeklies
have pretty great news sections this week. The front half of each paper is filled with articles that are legitimately important and interesting and some that should probably make you angry. The Stranger covers the effect of
Seattle University expansion on East African businesses[#], Capitol Hill police
brutality [#], and religious intimidation of Microsoft’s resolve on the
anti-gay discrimination legislation[#]. Meanwhile, Seattle
Weekly reports on the US skipping the world’s fair [#], the eco-efficiency of the new Ballard library [#], the local death toll from the Iraq & Afghanistan reaching 100 [#], and the changing face of local co-ops [#].

Lack of enthusiasm for reading about food induced a general malaise regarding the task of this week’s weekly weekly roundup. Apologies to those who count on this summary to make their reading decisions, but making it much beyond the features was too much this week. Maybe after the food coma passes. Those of you who like to look at lists of restaurants and like excellent news sections are very much in luck!

sonicboom poster, [pdf]

By now you may have heard about Pete Greenberg, his medical troubles, and the community’s efforts to lend a hand. If not, this re-post summarizes the story and provides a few opportunities to help. (via fisticuffs [lj])

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Pete Greenberg

Taking the long look west, the New York Times assesses Seattle as a travel destination and returns with a glowing review. (Nothing like the sweet taste of validation in the morning!) With an eye toward our city’s kid-friendly potential, the review is an interesting read, if only for the entertainment of seeing the city through someone else’s eyes:

Rain. Coffee. A snow-capped volcano looming over the skyline and a chilly inland sea spread at its feet. At first glance, Seattle’s claims to fame may not look all that enticing to those with children in tow. But glance again. Despite the damp, Seattle envelops children in a warm embrace. [nyt]

Aside from the humor of reading about the “slightly seedier Pioneer Square” and other clever neighborhood descriptors, the article might be a good one to file away for the next time guests with children drop into town and your struggling for suggestions.

sign-up for the April Happy Hour

For those of you who don’t mark your calendars months in advance, this is a quick reminder that monthly Metroblogging Seattle hang out hour is scheduled for next Tuesday. We’ll be at Piecora’s at 7 pm on the 26^th and hope to see you there.

We’re now using Upcoming.org to keep track of our regular events. (It’s lower cost, involves fewer e-mails, and more xml.) If you think you might be able to make it on Tuesday, please sign-up and add the event [#] to your watch list.

So you didn’t get Chomsky tickets. Wipe away those tears because this week brings two highly anticipated New York literary type events to Seattle. And not your garden-variety reading events, we’re talking about rock and roll schenanigans.

First up on your literary calendar, Jonathan Safran Foer will be at Chop Suey on Thursday for a reading and dance party. The event is being promoted by just about everyone — the Stranger, the W hotel, Elliott Bay Book Company, and Club Club — and for good reason. In addition to being the hot new book of the moment, Foer’s latest novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close [$] happens to be pretty amazing and lovely, too. He will be joined by Awesome (the band) and Charles D’Ambrosio for a free can’t miss event. If all of that literary and musical goodness isn’t enough, hang around for a “strictly soviet” dance party. Arrive at 7 to get a good spot for the 8 pm reading.

On Sunday, New York’s favorite literary magazine thing invades Seattle. The lovely and talented Pindeldyboz crew is taking the show (and brand new issue #5) on the road to see the great left side of the country. And what West Coast tour would be complete without a stop in Seattle? Witness the magic for yourself — they’ll be at the Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater along with local favorites Sean Carman and Ryan Boudinot. Short entertaining readings will be complimented by the musical stylings of Great Guy (a superhero down on his luck). The show starts at 7 pm, all for the very low price of $5.

It’s not clear what Seattle did to deserve it, but two chances in one week for readers to hang out and have fun in non-bookish settings is certainly something to celebrate.

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note: For those too young to drink or for people who just can’t get enough Jonathan Safran Foer, he’ll also be appearing at Richard Hugo House on Thursday from 4-6.

update: Great Guy has a Myspace profile! You might like to look at (and listen to) it. [myspace]

For the past few years, the people at McSweeney’s have been opening tutoring centers to help kids improve their language arts skills and inspire them to write. The latest affiliate in the 826 empire will be opening its doors in Seattle. While the children of San Francisco improve their writing skills in a pirate supply store [826valencia] and the kids of Brooklyn study in a superhero outfittery [~826nyc], Seattle’s aspiring writers will hang out in a “space travel and exploration” shop.

From the looks of its “who are we?” page, 826 Seattle has an outstanding pedigree: the founder, Teri Hein, was a integral part of the Hutch School, and the Board of Directors and Advisory board includes an all-star highly qualified cast. With a late-spring/early summer target opening date, the center plans to offer free tutoring, mentoring, and a broadcast studio for area children (ages 8 – 18).

This is a really exciting development for the community, and they can probably use more than a little support from you. Whether it’s donating time, money, or items, there’s likely to be a way for you to help the center have a successful launch. Check out the (really nice) website to find out more. Do it for the children. Or at least for people who like to read good writing.

So much for the urban legend allowing every co-ed to believe that Playboy had ranked the ladies his or her university among the hottest in the land. In an uncharacteristic move, the magazine with the articles that everyone loves to read has actually chosen the campuses with the “best looking girls” and not a single local campus made the top 10:

1. University of Texas 2. Arizona State 3. UCLA 4. University of Florida 5. University of Arizona	6. Florida State 7. University of Alabama 8. University of Colorado 9. East Carolina 10. University of Georgia
	[playboy]

Sorry Huskies — it looks like the brainiacs at Playboy have some sort of bizarre fleece and GoreTex bias.

Everyone loves the time of year when you can hit up some fantastic resturants for 25 dollars and not leave feeling like being on the diet of Paris Hilton. What is happening now is something far more interesting for those of us who, like Paris, enjoy drinking our dinners. What I’m referring to is the Seattle Shake. For 15 dollars you can have two alcoholic beverages and an appetizer. That sounds like my kind of deal. For menus and participating locations (such as the Bada Lounge, Chapel Bar, and the Mirabeau Room…May 1-22)Click Here!

I knew I’d draw you in with a title like that. Well, I just found out that May 14-15 is the Seattle Cheese Festival! I’m a sucker for festivals and this one isn’t any different. With cooking demonstrations, a cheese maze for the kids and ample tasting, this event is one you’re sure to enjoy…or at least laugh about later when you realize you could have been at Maifest in Leavenworth, the fake Bavarian town, the same weekend.

For more info: Seattle Cheese Festival