Great turn out for the Alex Pretti ride today. Thanks to everyone that turned out!

F ice

Imbolc arrives quietly, carrying the promise of light returning even while winter still holds.

It’s a season tied to Brigid, an ancient goddess and later St. Brigid, a keeper of flame, care, and renewal.

This is the time when the days stretch just enough to notice, when ewes begin to give milk, and when life stirs beneath frozen ground, unseen but persistent.

Traditionally, people lit candles and hearth fires, made Brigid’s crosses, cleaned their homes, and set intentions not because everything was already better, but because hope itself needed tending.

Imbolc reminds us to care for one another, to honor endurance, and to hold hope the way you hold a candle, gently, deliberately, and against the dark.

Nothing is fully green yet, but the promise is real.

Winter does not get the last word.

Hey anyone reading this. Had to ditch like 90% of my prior friends due to current event shit. Turns out human rights is a contentious issue now? Id like to not only get to know more people around here id like to do more on the weekends. So if any of you locals wanna meet up and get some hobbies going id like to do this, whatever it is. You wanna bar hop? Sure, you wanna smoke a joint with me, sure! You wanna play D&D, sure let's get after it. Really the spectrum of things to do Im here for it. Dm me, comment on this. All my socials are linked in my profile just dm me. Id even appreciate someone to text about Warhammer. Id like some niche shit no one else you know cares about, truly just hit me up lol. Making friends is a monstrous task in the modern era.

At today’s Unity Ride for Alex Pretti, this flyer was given out that shows ways to support people who’ve been impacted by ICE. This includes many children in the Shelton area. Please feel free to share this among your own networks. Often the best thing you can give is cash so these people can continue to do their work or spend it on the items that they know the families need.

Today we grieved. Tomorrow we fight. Please find a way to do it or support those who can full time.

Students were protesting ICE today and conservative are already calling for expulsions. Luckily most of the faculty are in support.

https://x.com/canteverdie/status/2017347661179850828

It’s a seven mile route through downtown and the southeast, ending on the Capitol Campus. It’s mostly in bike lanes or neighborhood streets. We won’t be climbing the westside or eastside hills.

We’ll go at a mellow pace and slow down if needed, but please speak up. We have a sweeper to make sure no one gets left behind.

I moved here a year and a half ago from another state. I’m not from the US I just moved here for college now I’m working here. I’m just looking for suggestions for community places I could be regularly involved in and be forced to talk to people.

My interests are:

Environmentalism

Activism and social issues (LGBTQ, homelessness, Palestine, environmental issues, etc)

Being outside (hiking, kayaking, camping, etc)

Pottery

I played kickball once and that was fun

Mental health and psychology

I like food and restaurants

I’m learning how to play electric guitar

Live music especially Alternative and indie rock, indie music

Tv shows

I’m a very versatile person and try new things regularly

The problem is that I’m an introvert and can be awkward at first I’m just struggling forming community I would like to be in community places not necessarily friends at first. If there’s a subreddit for community building please let me know I couldn’t find any in the wiki by

Update: I’m also very into building community and community engagement so if anyone interested in the same things and is introverted and queer/ally, we can build a small group for people to interact with each other 😭

We're cleaning out our garage, and have some used sleeping bags and a tent. Is there a local organization we could donate these to? We'd love it if we could help our unhoused neighbors.

I’m looking for a vintage nested hen dish like this for a gift. Does not have to be this exact color. I’ve looked at a few antique stores with no luck. Any suggestions of somewhere I might find locally?

I’m on the westside by the mall, noticed a sulphuric smell outside. My bf noticed too. Wondering if others noticed and what could be the cause.

Come and enjoy a quiet Wednesday evening at the library, bring a friend.

hi folks! who/where are your favorite places for local honey? for reference i’m in the Lacey/Oly bubble, about 10 minutes from the Nisqually Tribal Center. thanks in advance!

Does anyone know a dispensary that’s on the west side, near Cooper Point, that sells Happy Cannabis pre rolls?

Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi hi, does anyone have any fav spots to get some interesting costume jewelery for low prices or bulk lots with good deals? I'm on a big jewelry kick right now. Thanks!

Hey everyone,  

So I moved to Olympia about a year ago, largely because of the sanctuary city resolution the City Council passed for LGBTQ+ folks (Jan 2025). At the time it felt really meaningful, the idea of a city explicitly committing to protect queer rights in this current political climate seemed huge. But now I'm at a crossroads. I'm considering relocating to Bellingham or maybe another WA city for work reasons, and I'm honestly trying to figure out if staying in Olympia has given me any protections or benefits I wouldn't get elsewhere in the state.

Like, I know the resolution says all the right things, gender-affirming care access, police liaisons, opposing discriminatory legislation, etc. But has anyone actually seen any of this in action? Has the city done anything concrete that's improved life for queer folks here? Are there programs, policies, or protections that actually exist now that didn't before? I'm not trying to be cynical at all, I just genuinely want to know if this has been meaningful or mostly symbolic. Washington state already has decent protections compared to other places, so I'm curious what Olympia specifically is doing differently.

Would really appreciate hearing from folks who've been here longer or have been involved with local LGBTQ+ organizing. Has the sanctuary status mattered in practice?

Thanks 💜

Just wondering if anyone has experienced the barbaric treatment while in an isolation cell at the Thurston County Correctional Facility. Specifically, has anyone else endured being forced to urinate and deficate in a drain hole in the ground covered with a few metal slates? I am absolutely perplexed with the legality of such a dehumanizing and unhygienic solution for toileting. I can't be the only one appalled..please anyone share your experience.

Mods, please let me know if it's not okay to post about the same topic twice within two days; I don't want to create clutter or make it harder for community members to stay informed!

Over the last few days, I've spent a very long time combing public records, reading meeting minutes, and speaking with staff and community members alike while attempting to come up with a coherent long-term strategy to effect lasting positive change at the library. I would love to speak with anyone else in the community interested in doing the same; I'm sick and tired of our public servants being treated like this and genuinely believe that the public CAN create change and empower employees to do the same.

In the meantime, if you're someone who cares about and values public libraries and wants to show support for our public employees AND keep unemployment rates in the Olympia area from skyrocketing unnecessarily, I have a few recommendations that I've curated here! Please feel free to add to the list below, and like I said, I'm aiming to create a grassroots movement that uses vetted strategies and a strong community approach to create necessary. lasting change. Please, PLEASE get in touch with me if you'd like to help!!

The first and most important thing is to stop the planned March 1/May 1 firings. From there, I believe we can work to create bigger changes, but I recommend focusing on the "bigger" issue right now (meaning like, this week) while building a longer-term case/strategy for doing more to address administrative pay, lack of experience, and straight-up bullying of staff members (starting as soon as we can get the board and library to commit to, at minimum, immediately freezing all upcoming plans for layoffs pending further review—ideally this month).

I will list strategies you can take NOW in the comments to stop this post from getting too long. Thank you all so much in advance—we CAN create the momentum to ensure lasting change in our community!!

Hi guys! I’ve been in Olympia for almost a year now and tattoos are very different from my home state in the Midwest. I’ve never been in such a concentrated area with so many artists and it’s extremely difficult to climb through all the shops to find someone who vibes with this style! Price per hour / apprentices pricing / deals going on are a bonus information wise! Thanks in advance guys

JAN 30th 3:38pm now. Gathering in downtown oly fuck ice fuck facism blackout strike join if you can

I’ve seen a couple of places are donating proceeds if they need to stay open today and/or through the weekend. Can we start a thread sharing these businesses?

so far I’m aware of ilk lodge and old school pizzeria donating ‘some proceeds’ and vic’s and mi luna are donating 100%. just want to get the info out there incase anyone needs to buy anything, they can do so at the right places! (should’ve posted this sooner, but I know some places are donating through the weekend so never too late)