Bicycle commuting in the winter, especially in the famous gray drizzle of Seattle, is relegated to die-hard, penny-pinching "greens". Or so you would think. But bicycle commuting gains subscription today with so many joining the ranks of the debt-averse and cash-constrained.

Our Bicycling is Patriotic fashion statement was such a hit at Sustainable Ballard, we're going global with our couture look. All my favorite colors, including mango, and a denim dress-jacket with the water ripple logo from my book Bard King. For more bicycle fashions, visit Seattle Magazine's design contest, and vote for Rowena Wright and Habitat Mart. For fashion images and protraits spanning from Rowena's teenage years, visit our gallery.

Join Habitat Mart member Deborah Barnes as she explores evolutionary culture and the fashion industry in a talk on Capitol Hill at Seattle Central Community College.

image from faire-ality.com and the book illustrated by David Downton by Candlewick

For those who love fashion, fairies, and nature, this book is a must have. Or at the least peruse the pages at fairie-ality for whimsy mixed with fashion and the palettes of nature. Featuring the fashion illustrator David Downton famous for elegant, stylized fashion illustrations, the book and the website are a visual joy.

2008 and a new age in publishing

There is some really awesome music on Myspace. Mostly from undiscovered artists who don't get any air-time on radios and wouldn't not see the light of day, very quickly, were it not for this amazing age of the internet. Even with Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp, parent company of Myspace, angling for mind control and profits, Myspace still accomplishes something.

My current favorite is David Turpin, an artist who reminds me of the Pet Shop Boys or the Cure with a subdued new agey feel. I'm a long-time fan of British art rock: Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Crowded House, though they are Australian. David Turpin's music is free to listen to at myspace.com/davidturpin.

image from blog.glassybaby.com
In a world filled with stuff and nonsense, things that convey individuality and personality become increasingly special.

from tim.girvin.com.
For someone who loves words, it is always delightful to stumble upon a new word, such as:

Palaeography (British) or paleography (American)

Meaning, excerpted from wikipedia: (from the Greek παλαιός palaiós, "old" and γράφειν graphein, "to write") is the study of ancient handwriting, independent of the language (Koine Greek, Classical Latin, Medieval Latin, Old English, etc.)...Palaeography is in many ways a prerequisite for philology, and it tackles two main difficulties: first, since the style of a single alphabet has evolved constantly (Carolingian minuscule, Gothic, etc.), it is necessary to know how to decipher the individual characters.

Tolkien was a philologist, meaning he studied the cultural background of language. We all love Tolkien. Especially his runic Elven, which was not entirely plucked from the imagination.

Join us at Occidental Square and in our boutique in the lower arcade of the Grand Central Building on First Thursday November 5, from 4-8pm as we feature artists Roniq Bartanen and Yulia Iksanova.

Patriotism reinvented in clever work from our featured artists. Stay tuned for visual inventiveness and craft from our local artists and artisans.

Visit hugohouse.org for more information about this opportunity.

The Ginza district of Tokyo lives up to its reputation for stratospheric shopping, pricey designer labels, and mega-department stores. But there is another side to Ginza.

Though the perception exists that Asians do not adequately appreciate dessert, a trip to the International District on a hot day dispels this notion.

The quest for the perfect outdoor dining spot ended recently at Café Paloma at 1st Avenue and Yesler.

I've been reading a lot about resveratrol and grape seed extract.

Tamarind Tree restaurant, located in the mini-mall behind Viet Wah on South Jackson in the International District, endears itself to eco-enthusiasts with its avoidance of disposable chopsticks.

I'm still not over my disposable chopsticks obsession. While browsing gift stores in Taiwan and in Epcot Center in Disneyworld, however, I came across a great solution to the problem of those ugly, resource gobbling "conveniences" we know as disposable eating utensils.

For ballet and opera-goers in Seattle, consider Ototo Sushi in Queen Anne. Great service, very respectable sushi, low-key atmosphere AND parking!

image from seattlebonvivant.typepad.com
We celebrated my sister's birthday at Lola restaurant. What a great experience!

We made a reservation (we had a party of 8). The service was great. The baked granola was outstanding as was the gravlax. And you wonder why everyone is living in Belltown. Like you step out your condo, and without parking or driving, you are in this warm, inviting place redolent with the smell of fresh espresso and pancakes.

Hysterical and historical mnemonics for learning Chinese characters.

Manuscript proposal from the talented creator of thebardroom.com.

Contact me: Tec Muse at tecmuse @ gmail.com

The link between fresh air and good health is no longer environmentalist blather; it is recognized scientific fact.

The harmful effects of air pollution both indoor and outdoors is now an universal issue, as individuals and large governmental and corporate institutions a like grapple with climate change and such lifestyle and environment-related health concerns as allergy, asthma, cancer, and obesity.

There is no lack of voices and references for better lifestyle choices. Here is one I like:

Harmonious Environment, Norma Lehmeier Hartie.