Discussions: Messages from the Other Side, April 9th, $30+, of a physic connecting with the next life.  If you go, do so with both your hope and skepticism intact.  Mediumship has long been a way to suck dollars out of the gullible and bereaved.  *  Also, Toxic Whales, April 3rd, $8, of how toxins invade the marine food webs and work their way into killer whales.  Even toxins banned 30 years are still being found in their tissue.  *  Also, Pacific Science Center hosts Climate Change, Sea Level, and Western Drought on April 2nd, and Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life on April 16th, $5 each.  *  Also, European Travel Festival, April 5th, free but must RSVP, of favorite European travel spots from the pros and other thoughtful aspects of traveling. 

Senior Interest: Greenwood Senior Center has events coming up for older folks, and those who look after them, including Memory Screening on April 7th; a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy: only those who remember to go will pass the test.  There's a Mah Jongg lesson and game on April 8th; this is a fun game - it's fast and grabby.  On April 10th and 17th, there's a discussion on centenarians, and what their hundred years of living can teach us.  * Also, registration opens for Northwest Senior Games.  This organization proves growing old isn't for sissies.  If you think differently, just have one of them body-check you in the senior ice hockey league.

Cancer-related: How Cancer Impacts Families, April 3rd, free.  What do you say or do when somebody you care for has cancer?  Learn how cancer affects family relationships, and how to support friends and loved ones during challenging times.  *  Also, Survivorship, April 10th, free.  Beating cancer itself is a big enough obstacle, but then what does life become afterwards?  A cancer survivor discusses the ongoing physical and emotional effects.

Music: Opera Night Singers performing two shows at Ristorante Salute in Bellevue, on April 6th, of enjoying a little opera with your Sunday night dinner.  Listen to opera's favorite arias, duets, trios, and quartets.  *  Also, City Hall starts its noontime concerts, every Thursday in April, free.  This is a nice little refresher during the day, if you can make it.  *  Also, Concert Spirituel, starting April 5th, $15 suggested donation, of chamber music from the Renaissance to the present.  *  Also, Riders in the Sky, April 6th, $33.  Yeehaw.  Strap on the spurs for Western entertainment remindful of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.  *  Also, Jazz Vespers has started up, next concert is April 6th, free, featuring the Susan Pascal Quintet.

Fashion: Spring Style and Fashion Show, at the downtown Macy's, 2 PM on April 5th, free but must RSVP.  Clinton Kelly, of What Not to Wear, shows up for this event.  Clinton hosts a little style workshop for petite-sized customers.  These are fun to attend, but it doesn't necessarily put you into the mood to drop a couple of hundred bucks.

Self Improvement:  Unleash the Power Within, April 4-7th, $1100.  The 90's self-help guru, Anthony Robbins, is back.  Get ready for the brimstone and coal-walking.  * Also, Yohimbe Wrap for Detox & Weight Loss, targeting those hard-to-lose spots.  This spa is a strong newcomer in Seattle, voted best medispa in Seattle Magazine in 2007.  This is a worthy treatment if you're looking for a new strategy for weight loss.

Food Events: Food As Art, April 5th, $150, of food that looks so good, you'll want to eat it.  Seattle's top African-American chefs create mini works of art.  *  Also, Hops and Props, April 5th, $60.  This event comes in full: 50 breweries pouring samples, catered snacks, live music, a tasting glass, and of course, the inspiring backdrop of the Museum of Flight.

Money: Better Budgeting, April 2nd, free.  Some people, the more money they make, the more they spend, so they're always behind.  In this seminar, learn the nuts-and-bolts of creating a realistic monthly budget that you can live by, help you save and build wealth.  This is how those millionaire-next-door types get created.

Education: Backyard Habitat Workshop, starting April 7th, $55.  The good folks from the zoo show us how to make our yards friendlier to little critters.  Actually, you don't even need land; you can be in charge of a garden or some other small patch.  *  Also, Preserving Resources from Recent Past and Repair of mid-Century Modern Housing, April 5th, $20, exploring the neglected lot of buildings emerging post-WWII.  They may not have that past-century charm, but these buildings, built from from the 1940's to 60's, have their own appeal.

Organization: Northwest Cricket League, this is where British ex-pats come together.  Cricket is thought to be the second most popular sport in the world, behind soccer.  For those who don't take to baseball, this is an alternative to consider.  This is a gentlemanly sport; the players wear white, and don't seem to get that dirty.  Else, frat boys end up using the bats as spanking paddles.

Trendy Business:
For better or worse (mostly worse), these businesses seem to be mushrooming around the area:
 

Starting a Hedge Fund.  Since the registration requirements are less, and the supposed returns are bigger, these became trendier than BMWs in the 80's.  It seems like anybody who thought they could beat the S&P and raise at least a few million from investors began putting together their own hedge fund.  Of course, when the managers charge a couple of points and shave 10-30% off the profit for their fees, who can blame them for wanting to put together a fund?  Making money from other people's money always seems like the best way to go.

Starting a Handbag Line.  Handbags became the fashion icon of the 90's, a starter must-have luxury product.  The fashionista with a closet full of handbags and shoes then thinks she has enough taste to create handbags worthy of other people's dollars.  The reality sinks in fast when the handbag design is just a small portion of the overall job, and the gruntwork of starting and running a business determines overall success.

Becoming a Winemaker.  In the past, we had gentleman farmers; now, we have gentlemen winemakers.  When wine connoisseurs start to believe their own press, they take the next step and start crafting their boutique vintages.  Since wine production is mature in our area with a developed infrastructure, it's a matter of business and dollars to bring the needed components together to come out with your own label.  You don't need to own land, grapes, machinery, or even a press.

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