Lectures: DNA and Genealogy: Creating a Family Health Portrait, March 26th, $20. The prospect of using DNA for health insurance and hiring practices - that's the spooky stuff of sci-fi scenarios. Using your DNA to predict your family health and trace your genealogy—now that's progress. At least your folks won't look at you weirdly now, when you ask them for that blood sample. ж Also, Developing Organizational Courage, March 21st, $25. Most people think of courage in the sense of ethics, of being able to stand up to do the right thing in difficult circumstances. At this lecture, it's also discussed in the sense of corporate culture, to create a stronger organization. ж Also, Building with Nature, March 25th, $10, how early houses nestled in California's natural setting influenced future generations. ж Also, Integral Health and Healing: A Call for Personal and Social Transformation, March 20th, free. More of that soft and fuzzy stuff from Bastyr Univ, where you can learn about the intersection of science and spirituality.
Party: Snuggle Party, March 25th, $15 - $20 suggested donation, must RSVP. Enjoy the warmth and companionship of your fellow human beings while dressed in your jammies in a strictly non-sexual environment. Boners may happen, but no dry humping allowed.
Event: Moisture Festival, starting March 21st, $10+. This is the big whoop-de-do event of the week, with over 50 variety acts from the usual assembly of misfits, oddities, and knuckleheads. This is a collection of talent that's too fringe for a big theater.
Restaurants: Maggianos, an Italian restaurant at Lincoln Square. This place is an upscale family restaurant minus screaming kids. The prices are pretty reasonable with a full menu of tasty items, and the piano in the bar is a nice bonus. Here's more proof Bellevue's night life has finally arrived. ж Also, Oyster Olympics, March 21st, $85. All the oysters, wine, and beer you can handle. After this event, you'll either be going down for a long nap, throwing up, or humping the table leg. ж Also, the Blue 4 Trio comes down to Salty's Monday nights, playing the lounge. This is a good option if you're kind of looking for something upscale to do, but aren't up for something big and are in the mood to chill.
Theater: Wonderful Town, starting March 21st, $19+, a revival of a 1953 musical comedy that produced some of the most popular songs of the decade. This is a challenging work with a difficult musical score and complex script, so the production isn't for sissy theater groups. This play was pretty good in its time (nominated for six Tony Awards, and coincidentally, won six Tony Awards), so chances are the second time around will be pretty good too. ж Also, Notorious Women, until April 2nd, $9, a show of women who have rocked the world. This is a good show for teen and pre-teen ladies. ж Also, Rough Crossing, starting March 24th, $10, self-mockery about inept theater professionals aboard an ocean liner with the twist of a love tale thrown in for good measure. ж Also, The Voice of the Prairie, starting March 24th, $19. A romantic comedy set in the days of radio. Also, if your birthday is between March 22nd and April 22nd, then they have a 2-for-1 ticket deal for lucky you.
Women's Interest: Passion Party, March 25th, female guests only, free. Get turned on, and then get the equipment to do something about it. Seattle Firefighters sign calendars raising money for the Burn Foundation. If going to Babeland is beyond your comfort zone, then here's a gentler way to dip your toe into the pool of pleasure equipment.
Human Power: Bike Works Auction, March 24th, $45. Actually, not so much an auction of bicycles as the title might suggest, but a min-gala/fundraiser with dinner and auction items, helping youths get bicycles. ж Also, School Kids Come First 5K Walk, March 25th, $25. A good walk for kids; get those little legs moving. Like, two adult steps is about three kid steps, so for the kids, this is quite a little walk, but then again, they have energy to burn.
Arts: The Renaissance Singer, March 25th, $15, music 500 years old and still kicking. It's kind of fun to go to one of these events at some gothic church, close your eyes during the music, and feel how people 500 years ago experienced the same music. ж Also, Tapas, March 24th - 26th, $16. Dancers past their physical prime, but still full of spirit, bring twelve short pieces. While doing some 90-minute work is probably past them now, see how experience and maturity can make a deeper production
Adult: Genderlicious - A Multi Gendered Drag & Burlesque Event, March 25th, $10+. Actually more bawdy than raunchy, it's about 20% blushing and 80% giggling. It's a bit of a gender-bender event, so it's kind of a hoot to see drag queens better looking than most guys' girlfriends. Also, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, March 24th - thth, $30. Depending on your view, it's either artistic expression through fine art or just a bunch of pervies’ peddler art.
Organization: Seattle Arts and Lectures. Read the word; hear the word. This group promotes literary works and appreciation, whether in fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Go and hear authors read from their works, or if you got the bongos and beret, go hit the poetry sessions.
Markers of
Seattle Society:
Seattle tends to be a pretty flat town when it comes to society. We're
too new for old money, and millionaires don't impress us, nor do they
even try. Actually, they're the ones wearing Gore-Tex to Beneroya
Hall. Yet, for what little we do have, here's how to spot it:
Dick and Sharon Friel: The über couple who have personally slammed the gavel down ("Sold!") on well over $500 million for various charity auctions over the years. Since the philanthropy circuit is where Seattle's society comes out to play, and Dick and Sharon are hosts to just about every auction that raises six-to-seven digits, their presence indeed marks the event as an occasion. There's also an honorable mention to Mardi Newman, who's no slouch herself.
Flash + Talk in Seattle Magazine: The column that documents last month's swankiest parties and charity events in Seattle, that is, if you've got the money. It's pretty people dressed up and smiling for the camera, where it probably cost at least $100 to get in the door.
Though normally a dependable column, the March issue falls flat. For some reason, the current column presents stale events from the Christmas season and pictures from the author's birthday party. Also conspicuously absent were photos from the biggest bash last month, the launch party for Seattle Metropolitan Magazine.
(Speaking of Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, it'll be interesting to see how Seattle Magazine adjusts to facing true competition for the first time against this newcomer. The Seattle Mag March 2006 issue was probably the best issue they've published in the last two years; more insightful, noticeably more edgy, and certainly a fatter page count than previous issues. It's easy to speculate that, with Seattle Met's premiere issue just weeks before, Seattle Mag's resurgence is more than mere coincidence.)
Anywhere Team Photogenic is taking pictures: You get dressed up, you go out, you're looking good, and you want some pictures to remember the occasion - you and everyone else. The event master ends up hiring a photography firm to take everyone's pix. Well, since it's at the high end events where everyone wants their pictures taken, and Team Photogenic always ends up getting hired to take the portraits, Team Photogenic has become the de facto presence at society events. These folks have almost become the stamp of approval. It's not a cool event now unless Team Photogenic is there.
