Lectures: Real Estate Crooks, Feb 23^rd.  Learn about fraudulent real estate practices, how to spot and avoid.  Like, would these crooks be accused of selling "fake estate" then?  ж  Also, Health Care That Works for All Americans, Feb 25^th.  Just about every leader has tried to crack this nut, of making health care universal and affordable.  Go hear another person’s stab on this infinitely complex issue.  ж  Also, Success 101: the Goal-Free Approach.  Success doesn’t necessarily come from following a structured path.  Instead, it emerges by exploring and developing the unintended detours along the way, or so this guy claims.  ж  Also, It’s Time to Talk by the Forum on Race, Feb 22^nd, $45.  Author Taylor Branch discusses his books on Dr. King.  This is a vital discussion, but it tends to suffer from preaching to the choir: those who benefit most aren’t attending.  ж  Also, Accountability and the Arts, Feb 21^st, free but RSVP needed.  Here’s how to make the arts flourish in Seattle by boosting the business side.

Party: 80’s Bash, Feb 25^th, $40.  Relive the glory years of Regan, Thatcher, young Madonna, parachute pants and leg warmers at this fundraiser.  By the time this party roles around, the republicans are going to need a break from all of the Cheney jokes anyway.  It’s hardly Girls Gone Wild, but by Republican standards, it's a decent party.

Fashion: Trash Fashion Bash, Feb 22^nd, $65.  Other people’s crapola magically transformed into fashion.  Some of the pieces are actually pretty Vouge-ish.  All attire is designed and created from recycled and salvaged materials.  This is dumpster diving to the extreme.

Fundraisers: Pasado Safe Haven, Feb 26^th, $60.  A bowling benefit for retired cats and dogs.  Usually, “retired” is the euphemism for put down, but here, they actually mean it.  ж  Also, Camp Long Coffeehouse Fundraiser, Feb 25^th, $10.  You spend $4 for a regular cup of coffee, so just double the price and make it go some worthy place instead.  ж  Also, Winterfest, Feb 25^th, free, by Gilda Club for cancer survivors.  A carnival featuring games, prizes, face painting, magician, treats, and a fortune teller.  Come to think of it, being a fortune teller to cancer patients has to be a pretty delicate proposition.

Classes: Prep for Mt. Rainer, 7 PM, Feb 21^st at REI, free.  Seems like a couple of people die every year climbing this mountain, so here’s how not to become one more corpse waiting for summer thaw.  ж  Also, Rose Pruning Demonstration at Woodland Park Zoo, Feb 25^th, free.  Learn with hand's on experience from the pros and ask questions.

Fair: Sportsmen and Sportfishing Show, Feb 22^nd-26^th, $9.  If you wanted to go primal and live off the land, then this is your show.  Event includes free life jackets for kids, a live 650 pound grizzly bear, a bunch of how-to seminars, and even more exhibitors.  Let your inner Ted Nugent thrive.

Music: Sherman Clay Lunchtime Series, every Thursday at 12:15, free.  This is a cool deal if you work downtown.  The store opens for a little 30 minute concert.  This is a great reason to take a little break.  Sometimes that classical music can really inspire the creative juices and inspire a fresh perspective.

Seminars:  Health, Wealthy & Wise, Feb 25^th, free, an event for the older adult community.  It’s tempting to think this could be an issue of teach old dogs new tricks.  If you’re getting into your golden years and you still haven’t gotten “it” yet, there’s hope to get “it” at this show.

Sexuality:  Sexy Body, Sexy Mind at Babeland, Feb 21^st, $30.  They say the mind is the best sex organ in the body.  Ramp up the sex by ramping up the ego first, because you may not be as ugly as you believe.  Evening ends with a body blessing ritual.   You’ll be singing I’m too sexy for my shirt after this class.  ж  Also, Spice it Up! Sizzling Sex Tips at Babeland, February 26^th, $30.   Move into the pro leagues.   Explore your sexual desires without feeling like a  pervy and learn a couple of advanced moves that you don’t need to be a gymnast to pull of.  Not sleazy, but liberating.

Organization: Washington Association of Maintenance and Operation Administrators.  This professional group assists its members with the management of maintenance and operations of educational facilities.  With the upcoming attention of the Seattle School District closing schools, this group could be coming into its fifteen minutes of fame.

Faux Pas Seattle Style: Social blunders unique to our town:

Caught wearing the same dress twice by Team Photogenic.  This group has become the chronologicer of every upscale event in Seattle.  It's become the habit of Seattle society to troll through the site, scan the pix, check out what's going on, and most importantly, who's there and what they're wearing.  It's become worth a little catty gossip for those ladies busted wearing the the same dress to different events.  After you've been photographed wearing an outfit, you might was well put it back in the closet for a full year, or better yet, give it to charity and use it as an excuse to go shopping for a new dress.

Still being undecided coming on deck at Starbucks/Tullys/Seattle's Best Coffee/Your coffee shop.  With 17,000 different combinations to your latte, some inner confusion and doubt is understandable when you get to the head of the queue with the barista asking, "What would you like?"  However, with people behind you, not knowing what you'd like by now is as bad as asking the bartender, "What do you have on tap?" on a crowded Friday night.

Traffic Queue Jumping.  A line of cars builds up in a lane for a particular exit.  Some car drives next to that lane and then zips into a hole at the last moment.  With ever increasing traffic and impatience, this behavior increases along with other bad driving habits, such as red light running.  It's one more ding against our cumulative sense of civility.