The Metroblogging empire expands again; welcome San Jose [SJmb] to the fold. Did you know that San Jose, a/k/a “The Silicon Valley” is the 10th largest city in the US and considered (by Wikipedia at least [wiki] to be the “safest” big city in the US?

spotted around Capitol Hill, a re-definition of our city’s much-maligned marketing slogan:

metronatural / adj. 1 : Having a hybrid car with a bumper sticker that says “Impeach Bush” while wanting more police on the streets because crime might drive down property values. 2 : A blending of environmentally friendly lighting and feng shui in a million dollar condo in a city where 1.25% of the population are homeless. n. 1 : One who makes their hired help clean their house with eco-friendly cleaners, and criticizes them for not voting while they’re scrubbing the floor. 2 : Rich people in Seattle.

Oh my, where has the day gone? I meant to post this picture up when I got to the office this morning and now it’s freaking almost the end of the day. I don’t know what my boss is thinking of, giving me so much work that I can’t post. The nerve! Thankfully, Grey’s was a rerun last week so I didn’t have to fall down on the recapping job as well. Crazy, crazy.

In any case, I saw this dude at least twice outside my office last week and he made me wonder if aggressive marketing helps panhandling. Inexplicably there seems to be a good bit of competition on 7th and Pike in the evenings. I couldn’t tell if his scheme was scaring off potential donors or drawing them in. Either way, I see lots of signs from my office to the bus, and this might be the best, at least the most creative, so far, so I thought I’d share.

Oh, and if it’s unclear in the picture, his sign says, “A face only a mother could love.”

Another development in the serial art project regarding the anatomically incorrect chicken. The latest flyer reveals that the creature, lost in August and later spotted with Samuel L. Jackson, has now been found. The well-endowed avian is reported to be both gentle and friendly.

Which must be a relief, with that kind of equipment rough unfriendliness could inflict a world of hurt.

Motore, ^[mb] the newish Vespa-obsessed downtown cafe seems to know its demographic. While they have champagne happy hours, they also reach out to the geekier caffeine fiends in the crowd with this sort of signage.

Anyone want to check their syntax?

While a lot of people probably miss the “cash only” Lite Brite sign and welcome the cleaner bathrooms since the Comet changed ownership, I have a feeling that their new advertising campaign might be driving a particular Stranger news editor [slog] crazy.

I noticed this on my way to Greenwood today–King County advising you via Metro to quit it with the accidental calls to 911 already.
So thanks, guys. My cell phone and I had a long talk and I think we’re clear on not calling for emergency services accidentally. Now can you tell me how to ask it to stop letting my wallet hit the camera button on the side so that it takes 78 pictures of the inside of my purse?

via P D Gibson

Bicycles yield to t-bone steaks? It seems that they do just that on the Burke-Gilman Trail near University Way. I’m stuck trying to figure out just how a steak moves, but I’m pretty sure that if I ran into one strolling under its own power, I’d yield to it too.

(Image taken by the splendid P. D. Gibson, who always seems to be standing behind or off to the side of me at shows, which I never realize in time to say hello.)

I think that my favorite part about this flyer (”LOST: CHICKEN WITH PENIS”) is the “PLEASE HELP” next to the phone number. The quiet desperation of the plea works to combat the natural tendency of anyone who saw such a chimeric creature to call for an entirely different sort of assistance.