Good Stuff

[PollyannaMom]

The new cat had his first vet appointment this morning, and he doesn't seem to hate me for it! His weight was just right, and he got his rabies vaccine, so it's good to have that taken care of.

 

[bigpinkdaisy]

Our son just finished a very successful semester long internship in Human Resource Management at Pepsi as a junior while still taking a full class load at school and we are so happy to have him actually home(he's a commuter but his schedule had him working full time hours - so LONG days and we only saw him for dinner - then studying and bed!)and relaxing! And they invited him back for the summer! Our two week break for the holidays starts Friday and almost all of the Christmas shopping is done so we can really enjoy the days leading up to Christmas...and all of my yearly teaching observations are done as of this week so YAY!

 

[BrianL]

My current good stuff is that my hands are healing up nicely! They said it'd take a couple of weeks, but I think I am ahead of schedule. I'm still keeping them wrapped when I am working or out, but letting them breathe at home. They really look so much better, but still a little tender. It's getting there though.

 

[gmi3804]

Rick Steves steps in to save Seattle-area hygiene center serving homeless residents
An anonymous donor stepped in last month to save a Seattle-area community center that was slated to close.

Last week, community members learned that the new owner was travel writer and TV host Rick Steves, who pledged to keep it open and free for people needing hot showers and hot meals.

"I vividly remember what it's like as a kid backpacking around the world to need a shower, to need a place to wash your clothes," Steves told a crowd who gathered on Wednesday to celebrate the purchase over cake and with words fait accompliwritten in red icing.

Many homeless people had come to depend on the Lynnwood Hygiene Center, which had operated rent-free on the property since 2020.

But the center said in November that it would close after the property was sold to a developer.

Steves said he learned about the hygiene center's impending closure by reading about it in a local online newspaper — just weeks before it was set to shut down.

Despite living nearby, he said he hadn't even known the center existed.

In fact, Steves told NPR he didn't even know what a hygiene center was until he read about the closure — a place where people can shower, wash clothes, grab a hot meal and spend a few hours indoors.

"I realized, oh my goodness, there's an invisible community with an invisible center helping invisible people. And it's not right. It needs to be kept alive," Steves said.

In a series of posts on Bluesky, Steves said was struck by how difficult it would be to replace.

Steves said he bought the property for $2.25 million.

Members of the community pitched in another $400,000 in donations, which the center says will go toward renovations and expanding services.

"It's huge," said Sandra Mears, executive director of the Jean Kim Foundation, which runs the hygiene center.

Mears says before Steves came in, she had been told to plan a goodbye party.

"I didn't want a goodbye party," she said.

Thanks to the donations, Mears says the Lynnwood Hygiene Center will continue serving around 700 people in the community, providing upwards of 16,000 hot meals and 10,000 showers a year.

Steves called the purchase the best $2.25 million he could imagine spending.

But he says private donations are also not a substitute for public investment — and shouldn't determine whether essential services survive.

He describes his decision as a response to what he sees as a failure of public priorities, not a model to be relied upon.

"If we don't have [$2.25 million] for a whole county to give homeless people a shower and a place to get out of the rain and a place to wash their clothes, what kind of society are we?" Steves said.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Pretty good sports weekend for my rooting interests (University of Kentucky basketball and Liverpool EPL football). UK has all of its players back and beat St. John's and the evil Rick Pitino, and LFC won at Tottenham (but sadly, lost Isak to a broken leg).

 

[LoveDaisy]

I love this thread! It’s nice to see positivity and people happy for things big and small.

Some good things in my life. The 23rd will be the 29th anniversary of the 23rd party. It’s friends Christmas. It’s amazing I have had these people in my life for 35 years.

December 29 will be the 30th anniversary of me meeting my music friends. A large group of us will be in NYC to celebrate knowing each other for 30 years and seeing a band we all like.

Getting to spend Christmas with my parents.

My crazy cats who make me smile no matter how bad my day was. Look at her catitude

 

[marthachick]

Tomorrow (December 23) will be my parents’ 64th anniversary and my husband and I plan to take them to dinner if all goes well. My dad has COPD so it depends on how he feels and the weather.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Well… I was able to successfully cancel Busch Gardens and Great Wolf Lodge… all in the name of Disneyland!!!! But some real Disney magic… instead the weekend turned into a last second DOI run on Sunday just so to avoid that “Grinch” name drop.

 

[marthachick]

Tomorrow (December 23) will be my parents’ 64th anniversary and my husband and I plan to take them to dinner if all goes well. My dad has COPD so it depends on how he feels and the weather.

We got to go and had a great time! My Dad is an Army veteran and started talking to another Army veteran while we were waiting. And then another guy. He is a storyteller so he was happy to talk to someone who hasn’t heard his stories. Mom enjoyed it also.