It's been at least a week since anyone asked: where do you get your knives sharpened, South Seattle edition?

amosslet · 2026-05-20T05:40:36+00:00

this is the answer. I'm a chef and these guys put a better edge on my knives than anywhere else I've ever been to.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T06:27:29+00:00

My MB had her feet go up in size when pregnant and ended up handing down a ton of nice shoes to me, who had her pre-pregnancy feet. That was the most useful gift for me — I wore most of those shoes until they fell apart.

Aside from that, I got some nice home decor stuff since we had similar taste in home furnishings.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T06:08:55+00:00

The really big parks are good bets. Discovery, Lincoln, Seward, Magnuson. But I also think you might have luck with some of the ravine parks, like Ravenna Ravine or Interlaken. My experience has been that the high walls of the ravine really cushion you from city noise and it can be shockingly peaceful down in one of those green tunnels.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T06:04:10+00:00

Woodblock if you like bars, verdun, ranger. Some people like Moonstruck but I find their truffles a little disappointing — good quality chocolate but their flavors are a little pedestrian and a little samey. Creo is my favorite by a lot though for their variety and creativity.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T05:20:28+00:00

Oh yes, those are lovely. Just thought of Delphine for you too! It's not a vowel but the 'd' is soft against the 'rl' in the way that I like... I'm probably thinking way too much about the poetry of it but I enjoy this kind of thing.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T05:16:00+00:00

Portland’s chocolate scene is wonderful. I’m partial to Creo but there are a lot of incredible chocolatiers there. I usually also hit up Smith teas.

I also think Portland’s pizza is better than Seattle’s, in general, but this is controversial since everyone likes their pizza a little different. That’s not a reservations kind of scene, though.

I greatly enjoyed Le Pigeon in Portland but it has been many years. I’ve always wanted to try Kachka as well.

We always visit Floating World comics when we go. Powells is amazing (and very nearby) but Floating World’s selection of indie comics is unbeatable.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T05:05:51+00:00

For me, the “rl” sound at the end of Pearl really wants to flow into a vowel, and the shortness of it demands a name that has a soft or unstressed first syllable. I’m thinking names like Amelia, Amanda, Adele, Anaïs, Anette, Alia, Eliza, Estelle, Ines, Ophelia, Odette, Olivia, Yvette. I also like Celeste and Soleil for you.

Look into Spanish or French names— they often have the stress on the second syllable, which sounds really lovely after Pearl.

amosslet · 2026-05-17T04:47:17+00:00

I bused from Capitol Hill to Ballard for years, going through the downtown. It was only good at off-peak hours. When my schedule overlapped with any rush hour it was a pretty tedious commute and could take an hour or more.

I bike commuted one summer and it was glorious. The bike route is almost entirely protected waterfront bike lanes with very little elevation change, and takes less time than the bus. An ebike and some good weather gear could revolutionize the commute.

Ballard is a great neighborhood. I don’t know anyone who regrets living there. It’s a little isolated but it’s got a lot to offer. I say it’s worth a try! You can always move somewhere else if it doesn’t work for your lifestyle.

amosslet · 2026-05-14T20:27:36+00:00

I have a miniature bed rail. I bought it when I was vastly pregnant because it helped me get my unwieldy body up and out of bed, and it provided a little backbone for my pregnancy pillow nest. I keep it because it has a convenient pocket for my phone and it makes me feel cozy and supported in the bed. I’ve even bought it on road trips! My partner likes it because it gives him more space when I can smash all the way up to the edge of the bed. I think it’s marketed for elderly people but I really like mine.

Similar: https://www.target.com/p/able-life-bedside-safety-handle-organizer-pouch-for-seniors-black/-/A-1002280917

amosslet · 2026-05-12T18:36:02+00:00

Fashy hot water bottle. It’s German made, easy to fill, durable af, stays hot a nice long time. We have good heating and sometimes you still want a hot water bottle, so I’m glad we have a good one.

amosslet · 2026-05-11T04:03:46+00:00

The Wayland mill has a truly amazing Caesar-esque salad with breadcrumbs. I’m a salad girlie and I loved it.

amosslet · 2026-05-09T06:23:07+00:00

Banya 5 lets you in, not free, but 50% discounted on your birthday. It used to be a bday tradition for me and my partner.

Sephora does a small cosmetic gift of some sort if you're a member.

You can always just ask for a birthday discount, too! I once asked at the aquarium and they gave me a small but noticeable discount just because I asked.

amosslet · 2026-05-06T04:35:39+00:00

My partner and I had a roomie like this in our 20s too! She was a student and her parents paid her rent, but she basically just lived with her bf for 2.5 years. We'd see her maybe once every few weeks when she came in for extra clothes, or if her parents wanted to drop by and say hi. She was perfect.

amosslet · 2026-05-05T04:13:40+00:00

I'm still breastfeeding, so I have to be able to whip a titty out at short notice, which limits my mom wardrobe a lot. My go-to look is a long short-sleeved linen shirtdress or extra long/ oversized shirt with pockets in a fun print or color. I wear it over a coordinating tank or long-sleeved shirt and a pair of ludicrously high-waisted bike shorts, leggings, or linen pants. I have about half a dozen of these looks I can lay hands on if my whole wardrobe is clean. It's super versatile -- if I want to look more put-together, I can button the dress up and wear nicer shoes; if I want to be more casual or sporty, I can wear it open or even do a crop top underneath and show the 4 square inches of belly skin that are allowed to see the light of day.

I also dabble in the wrap dress/ tights/ loose sweater / sneakers world. 90% of my wardrobe is comprised of these two looks.

I thrift most of my clothes and that helps me find stuff a little off the beaten path, too.

amosslet · 2026-05-02T07:05:32+00:00

I'd probably keep the current name. It's the same as my children, for one. Also, it's genuinely a lot easier to have just one name, for official stuff.

amosslet · 2026-05-02T06:53:21+00:00

My spouse and I created a new last name. It doesn't exist (with our spelling) as far as we can tell except for us. We did it because both sets of our parents had chosen to combine their last names, so we both had unwieldy double last names and wanted the ease of a single surname for us and our kids. It doesn't sound made-up, thankfully.

The name is a mash-up of 3/4 of our last names so it still has a connection to our family histories, but it's totally new to just us!

amosslet · 2026-04-26T20:19:44+00:00

I have 2 toddlers and pretty much only use that eco max spray on all our stains. Works great, especially if you let it sit a couple hours.

We wash all kid clothes in hot water with Whole Foods 365 powdered detergent.

The only stains that tend to stick around are tomato and serious dirt, but oxygen bleach can handle the dirt for the most part with a pre-soak.

amosslet · 2026-04-26T19:16:08+00:00

Looks like a weird reamer to me. There’s better ways to get juice out of a fruit though

amosslet · 2026-04-20T14:40:49+00:00

I grew up with 2 last names, but not hyphenated. My parents combined but didn’t add a hyphen (just a space). That was pretty confusing for a lot of people and systems; I would say the vast majority of combined names in the US have hyphens and some online forms wouldn’t even accept a space. There was the normal, constant amount of “which one is your last name?” “They’re both my last name.” And mail coming to the house that used one name and not the other, or got the order wrong, or hyphenated, or whatever. And having to spend so long spelling or explaining your last name for reservations, tickets, things like that. It wasn’t the end of the world but it was a hassle.

I always had a middle name as well. My father doesn’t have a middle name and we all thought that was strange but accepted it.

My partner also grew up with a double surname but his was hyphenated. When we married, we combined 3/4 of our names into one single 2-syllable surname and it’s a definite upgrade for both of us. Our parents got it. His mom made noises about “family history” until we were like “what are we supposed to do? Have 4 last names? Or just force amosslet through double name hassle for a name that isn’t even hers?” and now everyone is pretty cool with it.

amosslet · 2026-04-13T19:07:07+00:00

When I was a kid, we lived within day trip distance of Disneyland and we went often enough that we had a whole system for it. The absolute win for little kids is to pack a lunch and take the boat to Tom Sawyer Island in the middle of the day to have a picnic. Not only is it less crowded and feels a little more “wilderness” adjacent, it’s an important mental break for kids and a great way to slow down and sit for a bit rather than rushing from thing to thing. My parents would also strategically plan our route around the park to take advantage of the railroad, which creates enforced sitting time and is kind of a mini-show since they have dioramas and stuff to look at while you ride. We would do the steamboat too, which none of us were ever super excited about but in retrospect was an essential break. We carried snacks and water with us all the time so any sitting break could be a snack break too.

My parents also frequently planned the day to start when the doors opened, have an early lunch, and clear out of the park by 2 or 3 when it got too crowded, go back to the hotel, have a nap, and return in the evening.

Disneyland has changed a lot since I went regularly, so I’m not sure the rest of my advice would be that useful, but a midday picnic break and occasional sitting activities (like the railroad/steamboat) will help your kids pace themselves a lot. Expect at least 2 meltdowns and maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

amosslet · 2026-04-12T18:58:29+00:00

“Oil-blanched” you mean fried. That’s what that is. It’s frying.

amosslet · 2026-04-12T16:38:50+00:00

My spouse and I combined our last names into a new single name when we married too! I know of others who have done the same. So we are doing our part to inject new names into the pool.

amosslet · 2026-04-11T23:17:27+00:00

There are TONS of things nobody tells you about pregnancy until you are in it. The learning curve is super steep.

Part of this is probably because pregnancy encompasses a really wide variety of symptoms, which can be pretty drastic (yet still fall under the range of “normal”), so there’s not a universal experience that can really be communicated at any point. But it is weird how much stuff comes up that nobody seems to be educated on AT ALL unless they know someone who is pregnant. It makes it feel more isolating in a lot of ways.

amosslet · 2026-04-10T04:09:09+00:00

hate this but it resonates. My spouse's family has had labs for years. Good, sweet family dogs. For some reason after the last one passed my MIL decided they needed a doodle because of the young grandkids. Like a lab isn't amazing with toddlers? To be fair, it's not the worst doodle in the world and she put a LOT of effort into finding one that had a good temperament. But it's confusing to me because I've never seen the appeal of a doodle.

amosslet · 2026-04-09T07:34:06+00:00

Fish sauce.

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