@gramsofgnats

freelance journalist. cat evangelist. jeopardy! enthusiast. words in @seattletimes @geekwire @thestranger [email protected]

 Seattle, WA
gramsofgnats.substack.com/
Joined July 2012
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In my column Play Date, I'm exploring Seattle subcultures, hobbies, pastimes, and places where you feel part of something. If you have something I should write about please let me know—I'd love to learn about it. Here are some of the little worlds I've explored so far:
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'LGBTQ rugby isn’t a drag': Do read this by @gramsofgnats @TheStranger thestranger.com/queer-issue-…

Quake Rugby Isn’t a Drag 

Cracking Skulls and Beers with the Boys

thestranger.com
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For @SeattleMet and @investigatewest I spent months reporting on the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire. Many ex-faire workers allege corruption, labor violations, and abuse. This piece dives into all of it: seattlemet.com/news-and-city…

A Ren Faire Nightmare? 

Volunteers say something is rotten in the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire.

seattlemet.com
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There is something so uncanny about the not-quite-right way The Last of Us portrays Seattle, its main setting for season 2. I'm obsessed with it and, if you're a Seattleite, I bet you are, too: thestranger.com/tv/2025/05/1…

The Last Of Us's Apocalypse Seattle

Mossy, Gay, and Haunted by the Dream of the 15-Minute City

thestranger.com
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the last of us season 2 episode 3 is what conservative media thought CHOP was like in Seattle
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nathalie graham retweeted
Guy Oron@GuyOron7 Apr 2025
Thank you @gramsofgnats for the shout out! I think “Bruce the Sweeps Freak” is quite fitting thestranger.com/slog-am/2025…
Bruce Harrell Loves a Homeless Sweep: According to data compiled by Seattle reporter Guy Oron, Seattle conducted more than 2,000 homeless sweeps in 2024. The Unified Care Team which conducts the encampment removals was responsible for an average of 6.8 removals a day, Oron reports. Of these sweeps, over 84 percent were done with little or no warning. Sweeping homeless encampments is like Mayor Bruce Harrell's whole thing. He's the king of sweeps. In his three years in office, Harrell directed 5,633 sweeps, a number that dwarfs the sweeps conducted by Seattle mayors of the past. Jenny Durkan, for instance, swept 1,781 encampments. At that time that felt like a lot! People were protesting her regularly. Where is the outrage for Bruce the Sweep Freak?

ALT Bruce Harrell Loves a Homeless Sweep: According to data compiled by Seattle reporter Guy Oron, Seattle conducted more than 2,000 homeless sweeps in 2024. The Unified Care Team which conducts the encampment removals was responsible for an average of 6.8 removals a day, Oron reports. Of these sweeps, over 84 percent were done with little or no warning. Sweeping homeless encampments is like Mayor Bruce Harrell's whole thing. He's the king of sweeps. In his three years in office, Harrell directed 5,633 sweeps, a number that dwarfs the sweeps conducted by Seattle mayors of the past. Jenny Durkan, for instance, swept 1,781 encampments. At that time that felt like a lot! People were protesting her regularly. Where is the outrage for Bruce the Sweep Freak?

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no “can’t hold us” during the seventh inning stretch at the mariners game??? Cowards!
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okay breaking my silence… why do people live inside of u district station
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Hadas Weiss@weiss_hadas25 Mar 2025
vibrator that only activates after you’ve written 2 paragraphs
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In my latest column, I spent an evening carving a spoon with the Seattle Spoon Club. Their only rule? Don’t say the “f word” (forks) thestranger.com/play-date/20…

Carving Anarchy

Going against the Grain with Seattle Spoon Club

thestranger.com
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but seriously, I loved spending an evening with these carvers. It’s such a giving, passionate environment—a tone set by Tom Henscheid, who brought spoon carving to Pratt
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Tom carves all the time. He carves in traffic. He carves in his bed. He carves at the movies—well, that only happened one time at a bad sci-fi movie
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🫎🔱@BullMooseSEA11 Feb 2025
The energy spent here is beautiful. It makes me want to visit Georgia.
nathalie graham@gramsofgnats11 Feb 2025
Ever wonder why someone built a 16-foot Space Needle replica in Macon, Georgia? Because of love, obviously: seattlemet.com/news-and-city…

Why Is There a Space Needle in Macon, Georgia?

Jesse Evans built it as an ode to his late wife—and an ode to a city he loves.

seattlemet.com
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Ever wonder why someone built a 16-foot Space Needle replica in Macon, Georgia? Because of love, obviously: seattlemet.com/news-and-city…

Why Is There a Space Needle in Macon, Georgia?

Jesse Evans built it as an ode to his late wife—and an ode to a city he loves.

seattlemet.com
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Mohammed R. Mhawish@mrmhawish5 Feb 2025
"I held his little body and rocked him like he was sleeping.” What happens after the bombs stop? These 20 voices from Gaza will show you the cost of war—and the strength of those who survive it. mohammedmhawish.com/p/snapsh…

Snapshots: I spoke with 20 people in Gaza after the ceasefire. My heart broke 20 times

In the aftermath of war, Gaza's people are picking up the pieces—of their homes, their families, and their lives. These 20 snapshots show what survival looks like and what it costs.

mohammedmhawish.com
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The 101 fwy through DTLA
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the last two weeks on here with the fires and the inauguration is as good a reminder as any to start using blue sky (telling myself this as much I am telling you)
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geryon@R0SYLNS16 Jan 2025
kyle maclachlan saying "i will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear"
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firefighting army goes crazy as a phrase
Gavin Newsom
@GavinNewsom11 Jan 2025
A lot of misinformation out there. Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires. The TRUTH: - CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet. - CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office. - California will NOT allow for looting. Get the facts: californiafirefacts.com
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ready to get backdrafted for the firefighting army in the war against mother nature?
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nathalie graham retweeted
Mike Baker@ByMikeBaker10 Jan 2025
So, did Los Angeles cut the Fire Department budget or increase it? There are lots of people trying to score political points on that question. If you are among the exclusive group of people who care about understanding the more complicated reality, here is a brief thread. 1/6
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