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I love a weekend that leads up to a holiday.  Happy Almost Valentine's Day, everybody!  Here are some of the local happenings in the 'hood: Thursday 26th Annual Seattle Improvised Music Festival. 8pm at the Chapel Performance Space in the Good Shepherd Center.  $5 - $15, sliding scale.  Performers include:  Tyler Wilcos (sax), Andrew Lafkas (bass), Jeffrey Allport (percussion), Lou Cohen (laptop - yup, you read that right!), Paul Hoskin (contrabass clarinet), Radu Malfatti (trombone) and Gust Burns (piano).  Details here.…

This Saturday, February 12th, is Neighbor Appreciation Day: February 12, 2011 will mark Seattle's 17th annual celebration of Neighbor Appreciation Day. It's the day when we reach out, create new bonds, and express thanks to those who live or work around us. The celebration began in 1995 when Phinney Ridge activist Judith Wood suggested that the City designate "a special day to celebrate the goodness in those around us and to reach out and strengthen our bonds to each other." Mayor…

Ever have one of those moments that seems to define something about your life?  Or to reinforce some label you've given to your world? I'll give you an example. In 1992,  a small travel agency paid me to fly to Atlanta for an event where I would represent the company as one of their writers.  As I sipped a cocktail waiting for the plane to taxi down the runway, I thought, "Now I'm a real writer.  Paid to travel." The first…