Annie Wright is on modified lockdown at this hour. An internet threat of some kind has turned up, causing authorities to take several precautionary steps to assure safety on campus. This is certainly not the type of place you expect to see this. My money is on this being a hoax. More info will follow, as it becomes available.
General
Bring on the world
Tacoma restaurants continue to improve and impress. I could have 3 squares per day at Tacoma restaurants I’ve never been to for at least a month straight right now. 5 years ago I had been to just about every relevant restaurant in town. Of course, that was before they started multiplying like rabbits on ecstasy. Whether you are looking for upscale latin, gourmet sushi, or authentic Thai food, the decision is no longer an easy one; there are now several options for each of these within Tacoma proper.
Where am I going with this?
Seattle continues its reign as Tacoma’s big cousin to the north, but little cousin is growing up fast. I was born here and have lived the majority of my adult life here as well. I don’t need stats, charts, articles or anybody else to tell me what is going on. Every day, everywhere, I see growth. The rising job markets, swirling restaurant scene, skyrocketing (still affordable) real estate, college campuses, and ever-desirable geographical location make Tacoma a no-brainer for many living in the Puget Sound region.
As Seattle continues to grow, the byproducts are more business and more people operating within a shrinking, finite supply of actual space. This effectively moves Tacoma closer and closer to Seattle. Will we be ready for it? Can we truly be the destination for multinational corporate headquarters and an unlimited supply of cutting edge employment opportunity like we were promised 10 years ago?
I hope so.
What do you think?
Small business. Really small.
Dearest Tacoma consumers,
I used to think small business owners were motivated by the need for creative freedom in their professions, the desire for independence, or the frustrations with management working for other companies…
The older I get, the more I become certain that most small business entrepreneurs in Tacoma are under-educated, lazy, and too incompetent to hold post at any decent jobs working for someone else. I’ve established a translation key that might help you understand these people better. On the left, you’ll find the word people might think of when describing a small business entrepreneur near them. On the right, my translation, stating what’s often at work instead. Ready? Okay.
Creative ———-> Odd
Independent ———-> Not accountable to anyone for anything
Risk taker ———-> Lacking other sound options
Driven to succeed ———-> In need of a paycheck
Good Business Person ———-> Manages to stay self-employed
Different ———-> Kinda fucked up
Now that you’ve seen the wizard behind the curtain, let’s go for an example. Nick -N- Willy’s Pizza in the Proctor District was full of incompetency, top to bottom. How did they get a franchise up and running without any training on how to make pizzas, how to use the cash register, or how to deal with customers? It’s people like this that bring down the low success rate for small businesses in this region.
When done right, small business can be terrific. But there’s NO FREE LUNCH.
Dowatchalike?
Cluster Channel
Tacoma and Clear Channel have resurrected a cute little quarrel from the prior century, and you can see it right in front of your mug EVERYWHERE around town. Perhaps the words “Constitutions Matter” ring a bell? Unless you drive with your eyes closed, you have seen this message everywhere, and you’ve also noticed that more and more appear by the hour.
For those of you under a rock, drive through Tacoma proper, and the first billboard you locate should explain everything.
Clear Channel has about 2,495,872,598,725,987 billboards around Tacoma, and they are all rumored to be changing to “Constitutions Matter” in the near future. A quick search of the internet for this phrase quickly brings you to an array of anti-Clear Channel articles, blogs, postings, etc. On behalf of Clear Channel’s marketing department, let me just say BRILLIANT!