myWhidbey because we don't live under the rock.

Dancin' Dan

May I suggest you take up dancing for 2008? IMHO, there is no activity more fun, healthy or facilitates more social enjoyment than partner dancing. Give me a call or email and lets talk about learning to dance.

I started dancing over 2 years ago, and in the process, I have gone from student to teacher, lost more than 25 lbs., improved my overall health, gained at least 50 new friends, and had thousands of hrs. of flat out FUN!

Do you want to meet people? There is no better way to do that than in a safe, public setting out on the hardwood floor. You don't need to bring a partner either. Show up and you find one! How about lose some weight in a way that's a whole more fun than going to the gym?

Let me share my passion by your accepting an invitation for a dance lesson, at no cost and no sales pitch. Yes, I teach people how to dance, in groups or in privated lessons. Sure, I'd love to have you join with me in this great activity. But, you take a lesson then you decide. Let's just get aquainted.

Guys, you really can learn how to do this. If you can walk up and down a set of stairs or use a shovel, you have the ability to move your feet in rhythm.

You may have seen Dancing With the Stars as they did the Swing, Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Rumba and Cha Cha, etc. That's beautiful dancing done FOR SHOW AND COMPETITION but it's not useable on Friday and Saturday nights at a public dance. Start with the basics and if you get hooked, then you might move on to that specialzed style of dancing. Remember those stars are getting full-time training, for weeks and then months - from the best pros in the world. If you had that kind of trainging you could be on TV too.
The point is, don't let that image of Hollywood Glitz keep you from even trying to learn to dance but instead, let it encourage you to take your first dance steps.

Shall We Dance . . . ?

Riddle me this:

There are two dry cleaners on the south of the island, between my house and the ferry. On the other side of the water, between the ferry terminal and the freeway, there are at least nine of them. And when I get off the freeway in Kirkland, I can choose among 11 or so within a three mile radius of Google.

What gives?

If you are not baffled by these numbers, then you probably work at one of these places. Seriously, how can there be more dry cleaners in a city block than there are Starbucks? Have we all gone mad? Are we all really that freaked out about our delicates?

Well, some people are, I guess...

OK... I am.

I admit it. I like nice clothes, especially when I dress for work. At Google, you'll never see me in anything other than dress pants and button–down shirts. When I need to shop for work clothes, I go to Nordstrom's, where they know me by name and call my cell phone when there's a sale or new inventory. The last time I wore jeans to work was probably in 2001.

Everyone is allowed a guilty pleasure every so often, right?

OK, now here's the kicker. On Mondays, when I go to the dry cleaners, I don't stop at any of the locations mentioned above; instead, I go a whopping 15 miles out of my way – about half the distance of my typical one-way commute – and into Seattle, to the Dry Cleaning Station. Why?

...because of Perchloroethylene.

"Perchloroethylene: A volatile organic compound used primarily as a dry-cleaning agent. It is often referred to as "perc." It is toxic and listed as a cancer-causing chemical under Proposition 65." – The State of California

"Perchloroethylene, also known as tetrachloroethylene, "perc" or PCE, is a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent.... Acute exposure to PCE may cause central nervous system depression and hepatic injury. Also, chronic low level exposure is known to cause impairment of brain function and decreased memory." – Pacific Toxicology Laboratories

"Like many chlorinated hydrocarbons, tetrachloroethylene is a central nervous system depressant, and inhaling its vapors (particularly in closed, poorly ventilated areas) can cause dizziness, headache, sleepiness, confusion, nausea, difficulty in speaking and walking, unconsciousness, and death." – Wikipedia

"Article: Liver disease from tetrachloroethylene" – JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Asociation)

"California Bans Perchloroethylene (Perc) from Dry Cleaning" – FindLaw

And to top it off, the text of the ban is even translated into Korean! Now you know it's for real.

So why do I go to the Dry Cleaning Station?

"GreenEarth® Cleaning is a patented process for drycleaning using liquid silicone (decamethylpentacyclosiloxane, or D5), a clear, odorless, non–toxic solvent solution. A safe, natural byproduct of sand, silicone degrades into sand (SiO2) and trace amounts of water and carbon dioxide within days if spilled or disposed of.[1] This is its environmental advantage over the industry standard, perchloroethylene (commonly called perc), a chemical that produces toxic waste, and is classified as a probable human carcinogen and Toxic Air Contaminant by the EPA.[2] GreenEarth’s name reflects its “environmentally–friendly” differentiation from traditional drycleaning methods." – Green Earth Cleaning

Fifteen miles out of my way... and well worth it.