Technology makes such an ugly mother

I'm a little overwhelmed with Joyce. For the next meeting I'm going to start reading it more than a day before the meeting. I thought the meeting was Thursday for some reason. Probably because all the others were. I knew it wasn't on NYE but I didn't process that...

Spam Scout got a ton of hits the other day from a website called stumbleupon.com. I've been checking it out this afternoon. Pretty cool site. Just pick "art" and do some stumbling. I found this image that way...



I cleaned up my desk at work...

Tomorrow I'm going to spend my day at work ending "7". I know I've said that many times over now. I really don't want it to carry over into 2010 in any way other than trying to get it published somewhere. We'll see if I can actually find someone crazy enough to do such a thing...

I think that my opinion of Skeletal Lamping has officially come 180. It's great. This track is one of many reasons...

You can all start calling me Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell

I'm behind on my reading. I picked up Ulysses on the ride to work this morning and realized that I had over 120 pages to read before tomorrow's meeting. I've already got through over 30 of them, which is why I've decided that I could take some time out to blog. Mad props to PMRob for dropping the knowledge that Ulysses is available to read online. For some reason I think it looks better if I'm at my desk reading a webpage than with a book open...

Strange set of dreams last night. The first began at a party. I believe we were near the university. Everything was going well until we realized that we were almost out of wine. EmRu was going to drive to her house to get more and I decided to tag along. We chatted off an on but mostly I was playing with my G1 phone. I'd just got it and was in awe. We arrived at her place, which was my old place in the U-district at the bottom of the steps of death. She returned to the car with many bottles of wine and we headed back to the party. Before we returned I woke up.

I got dressed and went to meet with PMRob. We had plans to do something and on our way I told him about the dream I had and how I had to go buy a G1 because my dreams were telling me that it was essential. He immediately agreed and changed course to go there instead of our predetermined destination. We went to the TMobile store at 85th and bought the G1 from a sales associate that we both had talked to before. While we were there PMRob freaked out after the sales manager had asked him multiple times if she could help him with anything. I thought he was going to shoot up the place. I quickly completed the transaction in order to diffuse the situation and we left. Then we were driving around for a while as I got the phone set up. We decided to get back to the original plan. We were driving for sometime, I still had no idea where but before I fully understood what our destination was I woke up.

I was late and had to rush out of my house. I was supposed to met with NESF, BK and Stoner for some kind of event at a school. I ran down to the 7-11 where I ran into JSh, MNom, and Mr Quick. MNom had a case of PBR's. I wondered why we needed beer for a school event but that didn't really matter. I asked them where the others were and I was told that BK and Stoner were on their way to Shelton. "Shelton!" I exclaimed. Mr Quick then explained to me that we were going to a local school while BK and Stoner were being sent out to Shelton and that they boarded a ferry 45 minutes prior. NESF then rolled up in an old station wagon that must have been manufactured in Europe as the drivers side was opposite what us Americans are accustom to. We loaded into the car and I relayed the previous dreams to everyone at which point it was agreed that I should get a G1 phone after the event. We were arriving at the school when I woke up.

I was lying in bed thinking about what time I had to go to work when my sister came in. This is when I first realized that I wasn't in my bed now, but the bed I had 10 years ago at my parents house. She was trying to get me out of bed to help her decide which color hangers matched best with different shirts she was hanging in her closet. There were dozens of colored hangers and even more clothes. I was still laying in bed while she held up various color combinations. I quickly gave my advice about which went best where. As soon as that was done I started to say, "You're not going to believe this series of dreams I just had." "Oh yeah?" she replied. The room then filled with a shrill noise, that turned out to be my alarm. I was so disoriented when it went off I ended up overturning my bedside table.

This time I was really awake and covered in water that spilled...

Went down to the Locks yesterday. Love that place...



Seriously, Cashel Boyle O'Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell has got to be one of the best names of all time...

Boxing with Charlie

We're on a bridge Charlie! We're here!!!...yeah it's old school but it's still good.

Happy Christmas!!!

I hope that you all are enjoying your holiday. Mine was pretty good. Mass was strange, they had a new guy running the show that I wasn't as into as the old guy. But going to Des Moines was great. Spent the morning with the family. Dad made a KILLER breakfast. Then he dominated a game of Settlers. I'm still irritated about him blocking my nine ;) But I'm going to overlook it because it's Christmas and he laid off in the second game. Then we were going to try to catch a movie but Avatar was sold out. In the future when I want to see a movie on Christmas I'm going to pick up the tickets a week in advance. Anywho...

I just wanted to wish you all a Happpy Christmas. And now that moment I'm sure that you've all been waiting for. Christina Aguilera!!!!

Different strokes for different folks

Like a prize fighter

I thumb the cool blade but I know this can't last

The Flaming Lips get even more festive

This is awesome. I wanna a holiday sweater with skulls on it too!!!

Brothers and Sisters please put down your umbrellas, you won't be needing those today

An old friend posted a link to an Arrested Development video yesterday. Since I watched it I've listened to nothing else. They're amazing...

It's only two days till Christmas. Everyone seems frantic. The bus ride home took 20 minutes longer than usual because the coach was packed with people. I don't know where they all came from. I assume it's from people sticking around and shopping then catching "the later bus", which is the one I always take. I can't hate too much because I'm not done shopping yet. This is a problem. I have two people left to shop for. My sister is going to be a super star and see if she can snag one of the gifts for me after work (she's way closer to the store than I am) and while she's doing that I'm going to try to find something good for her. Everything that I really want to get her isn't economically viable. We'll see how I do...

I've been watching more movies at work. It takes about twice as much time because I have to constantly pause it and help customers, but it's not so bad. I watched the Zeitgeist movie yesterday. I can't say that I believe it all but it was interesting none the less. I wasn't such a big fan of the 911 part. I'm sure that there was foul play involved, but it just makes me really sick to my stomach. But it resulted in my watching a bunch more conspiracy nonsense about other things. Mostly 2012 stuff. So then when I got home last night I watched this great documentary on PBS about the early church and how it was formed in the early years of Christianity. Good stuff...

You might have noticed that I post fewer links to news stories. I don't read the news as much anymore. It's unbelievably depressing, especially local news. I was on my way to the crossword at seattletimes.com and the front headline caught my eye. Two more police officers had been shot. Now correct me if I'm wrong but that now 5 dead and 3 injured that I can remember in the last 2 months!!! Then I go a little further and catch up on the health care issue (which I've been following more closely) to find that Republicans are now doing everything they can to waste time and delay a vote. Now I'm all for it if you have a better idea for the problems, however wasting time isn't a solution. It just goes to solidify my opinion that the GOP wants nothing more than to perpetuate the status quo of abusing the lower and middle class so that they can retain their wealth and hence their control. If Santa brings me one thing this year I hope its rain...

One of my Heroes - Mr. Bergstrom

"C'mon Janey everyone has a talent"..."Ah that's disgusting I love it"..."you owe me something special"..."Ms Krabappel you're trying to seduce me"..."I'm sorry Ms Krabappel you're very nice but it's the children I love"...

What will we do without you John Curley?

This is going to be a painful week I think. I'm only 3 hours into the workweek and I'm bored out of my mind. Don't be surprised if it leads to many posts...

I went shopping on Saturday. What a scene. I took the bus out to Northgate. As I said to a friend earlier, "hyper-consumerism is draining and down right nauseating". Everywhere people were swarming. Everyone seemed to be completely lost in a sea of retail. The one saving grace was that I didn't have to listen to the sounds associated with the frenzy. I started the scene with a little Of Montreal, but that was too hectic and I switched it up to Kid A. Treefingers was perfect. After about 3 hours I'd had enough. I wasn't done, but any longer and I might have committed a felony. Should be able to get the rest wrapped up (pun intended) tonight...

I want to thank everyone for coming out on Friday. I had a great time...

New Year is coming up. A post up on Daruma-san got me thinking about goals for 2010. I commented a couple. Might have to elaborate for a post next week. We'll see...

I have no idea what I'm doing for the New Years holiday. It's a full moon that night, so I'm a bit concerned. NYE is always insane and I'm sure that the lunar cycle is just going to fuel the fire. Maybe I'll just sit at home and do puzzles. SCRATCH THAT!!! I know what I'm doing. Just forgot. Whatever happens I know that I am going to miss John Curley and his festive antics...




Mad props to RJS for hooking me up with the "strike" knowledge!

Thanks

Thanks for all the kind words. You people are awesome. As a little treat I've found an old version of Reckoner. It's almost as amazing as all of you...

I'm a fat ass alcoholic what of it bitch!?

Well maybe I'm not as big of an alcoholic as that title makes it out to be, but who cares if I am. This is all in response to the first "flame" post I got on yesterdays blog. Y'all should check it out. My favorite part is that it totally comes out of left field. If you want to go after my drinking why not pick a post that's about drinking? Could have picked one where I mention cooking or eating to nail me about the weight. But no. In all seriousness though if you want to attack me personally just come out and do it, don't hide behind "anonymous". It makes you look like a pussy ass douchebag.

Good thing that I know I'm better than you or that might have actually made me feel bad about myself.

Don't blame yourself -Blame society

So I was kickin' it low key with NESF last night at this place. We ordered some thai food. They said it'd be there in 15 minutes. We set up the SNES and got in some Mario Kart. I had an amazing come back after I had my ass handed to me. That went on for about 30 minutes. No food. I call the woman and she apologizes, tells me it's on the way. It showed up an hour after I placed the order. Decent viddles though. Then we got into some NBA Jam. I got ROCKED in a serious way. All of the sudden sirens. Lots of sirens. We spent half time trying to figure out what it was all about. All we could find were blips about Aggrevated Assault and Assault w/ Deadly Weapon. I was a bit concerned because the incident occurred half way between my place and his and I still had to go home at some point. Luckily a confused bout of Battletoads and Zombies Ate My Neighbors gave it some time to clear up...

So about this "incident". Turns out that it was one of four stabbings in Seattle last night. It happened about 2 blocks from my place at a homeless shelter in a church. Not so much a stabbing as a throat slashing. Now I'm all for helping the homeless. I don't mind that the shelter is in my neighborhood. I just ask that they have a no weapons policy and enforce it. There's no reason to be slittin' people in the jugular especially in God's house...

I still haven't started holiday shopping. It's getting down to the wire. I think I'm going to do it on Sunday. Maybe Saturday. We'll see how I feel...

After trying to get pics for the last post I've decided I need to look into graphic design. I got really pissed off that I couldn't find just the right zombie picture. Or a picture where the water resembles razor blades. When I'm putting pictures in a dream blog post I really want the pictures to be as close as possible to what I'd seen and nothing was even remotely close. So if any of you know of a good way to teach yourself graphic design I'd appreciate some direction...

This just in from Wisconsin: Tax. Pulsar. Jellyfish.



Later revised: Tax. Pulsar. Fun.



One word makes all the difference.

We could have died

I have this pain in my left shoulder. It's been a couple days now. It was really hard to get to sleep last night. When I finally did...

I was in a packed van. I knew everyone from various places with the exception of one small boy. He was sitting in the far back with Dom, another child. SN was watching over them. The middle seat had NESF, MNom, DH and Ton. I was riding shotgun. Devid was driving.

We were cruising down the road to go check out a new deposit of antiques. It wasn't long before sirens came up behind us. "I think we're getting pulled over," Devid said. "I can't let that happen," Ton replied, leaned out the window and opened fire. Everyone was caught off guard. There was screaming and chaos as one of the bullets took out the front tire of the cop car. It spiraled uncontrollably behind us as we sped down the road.

"What the hell was that!" "Don't you know there are children in this car!" "Are you insane!?" Finally Ton spoke, "I'm not going back to jail. If they pull us over we're all going to jail." We were now fugitives and everyone accepted that fact easily.

This didn't stop us from our previous mission. We made our way to a spot under the Ballard Bridge. The whole area was piled with various tables, lamps, sofa and other furniture. There was some discussion about the era from which a certain piece originated. Lots of talk about what would look best where. None of it mattered. I was continually looking over my shoulder expecting a swat raid.

A few pieces of furniture were selected and loaded into the back of the van. We were loading everyone up when we realized the children were missing. We divided up to find them. I went down near the waters edge to find they were in the middle of the canal on some sort of metal disc.

Another disc was near the shore that I used to reach them. When I got us all on the same platform the water seemed to crystalize into razors. Large sharks were swarming around piranhas. "Stay close to me." The disc began rising and sinking slightly, causing our surface area to diminish. The children were crying and each had a death crip on my shirt. I successfully navigated the disc back to the shore and the water returned to it's usually tranquility.

"We need to find a place to lay low for a while." Ton directed us to Renton. We came upon a shanty with the title "Adam's" on the sign. I'd never seen a place like it before. The walls were crumbling and the lights occasionally shot sparks. We sat down at a series of tables and ordered a round of drinks, "virgin for the minors". A large poker table was brought out and it was explained that we would have to play to pay off the debt for the gun used earlier. We were only a few hands in when an old girl friend of mine showed up with a group of rather large men. They wanted to play pool but the poker table was blocking the pool table. She began screaming. "You guys this might be bad, that's my ex-girlfriend." One of the men grabbed the edge of the table and chucked it across the room, chips flying everywhere. "This scene is spent we need to go." There was a lot of confusion as we all tried to get out. "We have to go back and pay the tab!" "After all of this you're concerned about a bar tab?" "We can't burn this bridge we'll need these people again." I rushed back in and paid the tab quickly, narrowly avoiding a barstool to the head.

We ended up at a house similar to what I imagine Brooklyn row houses to look like. Everyone was on edge and each of the windows was manned by someone with a gun. Suddenly my ex arrives in a vehicle with a friend of hers. They'd come to return the SN's purse that they'd stolen. As I'm walking out to talk with them I turn to DH and say, "I want a red dot on her head until she leaves."

I went down to talk to them. Her friend says that they're sorry and the money and key rings are gone. I looked in the purse. There were many keys and key chains floating about. My ex then leaves her friend standing on the stairs as she tears off. We discuss how screwed up the whole scene was. Some time passed and my ex showed up again. Her friend jumped into the car immediately. As they were getting ready to drive away my old girl pulled a gun from her lap, "you've had your chance." Before she was able to fire a shot came from the house behind me. She was hit right in the hand, which caused her to drop the gun and hit the gas pedal. I turned around to see Devid with a shot gun smiling from the top floor window. I gave him a salute and went inside.

We decided that we had to go back to "Adam's". We drove past the building 3 or 4 times, sizing up the scene, before deciding to head in. We pulled around back to park by the pier. There was a group of people down a small alley. "We aren't ready to meet them yet. Best to avoid em for now." "Meet who?"

The parking lot was nearly empty but there was still a man directing traffic. His neck arched up and to the left, his eyes to the moon. His face was a festering green and he wrecked of rotting flesh. Zombies.

He approached the van asking for a fee. SN grabs a gun from under her seat and blasts him right in the head. The children start screaming as she begins to wipe the goo from their faces. "I ain't paying that thing." People start pouring out of "Adam's". As soon as they realize that we were the same people involved in trashing the place earlier any glimpse of tolerance was gone. They each had some form of very large gun within arms reach and suddenly we realized that this wasn't a standard gun fight, but more a display of high powered artillery. Rockets exploded all around us. I could hear the clankering of metal and concrete as grenades rolled into view. Flames engulfed the view in the rearview as the owner of the establishment ignited the end of a long wand connected to a tank of gasoline strapped to his back.

I remember looking over to Devid in the drivers seat. "This is way too hot for me." And he peeled out. The smell of burning rubber overpowering the rest of the carnage.
As soon as it seemed like the worst was behind us I lit a cigarette and looked back, "Is anyone dead?" The young boy was the first to reply, "We could have died?"

Google WIN

"She forgets about the fear"

"When she's high"...

Speaking of hats. I was on the 7 after work last night and there was a younger guy wearing a teal green trucker hat. In permanent marker the words "NO MONEY NO HONEY" were written on the front of it. I wanted to take a picture of him, but thought that might be a little strange. I also have long thought it a bad idea to photograph anyone on the 7, there's no way to gauge how violent the response might be...

I have to stop this for a moment, even though I just started. Time for lunch with pops...

Got back from lunch and stared a crossword. I've never done one with so many zzzzzz's. I'd also like to point out that I haven't got the friendly little "SOLVED" message from the NYTimes puzzle in a while. I know that I solved it right, it just doesn't recognize it. It's a little disappointing...

It's a marvelous 54 degrees here in Seattle today. This is exactly how it should be all winter. Cool and rainy. Not a lot of rain. Just that nice drizzle....

This might be a must have

for my hat collection...

CONFERM RECIET

I've been having stomach pains today. I'm not sure if it's because I ate something that doesn't like me or what. It makes me feel like Winston Smith....

Work is very busy and people are idiots...

"While We Wait For The Others" didn't get the top spot in Pitchforks 100 Best Tracks 2009 list. It wasn't even in the top ten. I think this is a total fail on their part. My Girls is a great cut and I don't disagree with it's placement on the top. I just think they overlooked Grizzly Bear...

In my dream last night I was going to Highline Community College. The school had been replaced with a strip mall and movie theater. I was there with AK, my dad and my stepmom. We were going to watch a movie, but I had to be somewhere. I couldn't understand why I was there when I had some place else to be. Then I was in Federal Way climbing up a steep hill covered in rocks and foliage. When I reached the top there was a bus waiting for me. I got on the bus and it took me back to the strip mall. I tried to tell the driver to stop, but he didn't...

If you're thinking about prowlin' around Kelso, think again...

They convicted Naveed Haq finally. I hope that this marks some sense of closure for the families of the victims. The sad part is that it reminds me when these things didn't seem to be a regular occurrence...

"Under the spreading chestnut tree
I sold you and you sold me"...

There is only one thing that I really want this year...

Oh Audrey

I hope that one day

I get to go to a wedding where this song is used instead of the standard vows...

Nesf FTW

A wink is all it takes

All the accusations were wrong

Great time last night. PMRob and NESF came over and we played some Simpson's Clue. The first game we didn't really understand the rules and as such we all kind of won. Nathan actually won, but we all knew who dunnit. The second game some how we all lost. Each of us made an accusation and we were all wrong. Then MNom showed up and PMRob had to head back. We got in a lil Scattegories action. Let it go forth from this day that Nutty Nougat is a legitimate thing and it is also found at parties (see previous post). All in all a great Thursday evening...

I really want to blog this picture that I got yesterday. It might be the greatest thing I've seen all season. Unfortunately I promised that I wouldn't. If I'd known how great it really was I'd never have agreed to that, but then I'd never have got to see it...

"THE CHEAP ASS X-MAS SPECTACULAR!!" is tonight. I'm excited to check out FEVER BREAK. If any of you aren't already going you should be...

I love that I get to see the Olympics everyday now. I didn't realize how much I'd missed them...

Nutty Nougat

This has now come up twice...

It came up

I might have to make a wood carving of Shrek squirting the twilight

I'm bored with Twilight. I was at the gas station and they're selling New Moon calendars. Everywhere I go it's something. I wish that just once one of these fads would involve something that actually makes society better and not just another mind numbing vice...

I got a Squirt at the Shell station. I really like Squirt. I drink it regularly. I find it very refreshing. I also like that slight tang it has. I have started all of these sentences with "I". I might continue it. I could go on for a while. I think it might get old though. I should stop...

I watched the Shrek holiday special on ABC last night, no idea why. It wasn't really anything special. Maybe it'd have been funnier to me if I'd seen any of the Shrek movies, but I haven't. It was mostly just something to fill the empty noise while I completed The Last Supper jigsaw puzzle. Great puzzle.

Someone stole the totem pole in West Seattle on 35th. It makes me sad. But it also makes me think that I should take a wood carving class. That would be cool. Then I could make my own totem poles. They'd be amazing...

There are a lot of things in this world that make me giggle...

I guess I'm not a good doctor

Last night I worked in a hospital. I don't remember what I did there though. I just remember walking through the hallways with people asking me questions constantly that I couldn't answer. JonnyD picked me up after work and drove me home. It was dark outside and everything seemed to hang in suspension. I got to my apartment, a ground level flat in a highly urbanized area, to find the front door left open. All of my sheets and blankets were pilled on the porch. I surveyed the situation to find that nothing was out of place with the exception of my bedding. I put it all back in it's right place and went to sleep. I woke up and went back to the hospital. Everything was much the same as the day before. After work TK picked me up and drove me home. She wanted me to go out but I politely declined. I got home and the door was open again. This time nothing had been disturbed but I got a strange sensation that David Lynch was in charge. I made a bowl of soup and read a book then went to bed. The next morning I went back to the hospital. It was very busy and people seemed to be dying all around me. I didn't think it was my responsibility to save any of them but it's hard to just watch people suffer. The last image I have is of a middle aged man lying on a hospital bed along a hallway. A woman was standing beside, stroking his hair and telling him it was all going to be alright. His hair was grey and coarse like bears fur. No one moved to help the man as he coughed, struggled to breath. The woman just continued to run her fingers in his hair, no expression of regret, half smiling.

I want one!

It never stops

Some times I feel like it's impossible for me to finish anything. I had the "wrap up" meeting with NESF last night about the 7 project. It's not over. I really shouldn't complain because the changes we talked about are going to take it from good to great. I'd just really like to get to a point with at least one project where I'm done. That's why I think that I'm going to break up the Metro project more than I originally intended. While it's going to be a novel in the end I'm just going to take it one story at a time and hopefully the sense of completion will encourage me to continue, instead of dragging on and then me getting discouraged. We'll see what happens.

However like I was saying after this revision it's going to be done. So then comes the step of trying to get it published. If any of you can think of a journal or review that you think it would work well it hit me up in the comments. Right now it was recommend that I start with Zyzzyva so I can get my first rejection out of the way quickly. Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

Finally a lil old skool pic...

The good guys carry the fire

I just finished read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They recently made it into a movie and I was reading about how the movie was filmed partly here in Washington and it inspired me to read the book. I'm glad it did.

The Road is the story of a boy and his father in a apocalyptic world (we are not told what happened to civilization only that it is no more). All they want is to reach the coast. Along the way they encounter various other people surviving in the barren ash covered land. Everyone from a very old man traveling alone to a cellar full of people whose final destination is the stomachs of their captures. Never have I read such a bleak depiction of what could be, however through the darkness a light burns bright.

The heart of the book comes between the relationship of the boy and his father, who are never named. As they progress in their journey their bond is often tried and at times seems ready to fall apart. However it is very clear that neither of them would have made it thus far without the other. What I loved most of their relationship was how McCarthy was able to show two very different characters living inside of both of them, passing traits back and forth.

The desolate setting is masterfully designed while every page still screams that humanity and kindness can exist in such a place. He achieves this all with beautifully constructed prose in a style that is completely original. I have to tip my hat to McCarthy. If ever there was a "drull" novel it would be this.

Not so festive

I'm starting to come around to this album.

A lil Christmas diddy

I just want one cup

I finally got to see the Huskies win! And win big. It was a great game. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come next season. Big thanks to PMRob...

Didn't do too much else this weekend. Spent most of the time hibernating in my apartment. Did two puzzles. Both of them were of boats. Its been almost a year since I'd done a puzzle. I actually really enjoyed it. There is something soothing about puzzling. I might have to go out and buy some new ones. I've done all the ones that I have a few times now...

I had a very vivid dream last night. I remembered all the details when I woke up but by the time I'd left my house to get on the bus it was gone. Usually that means that I'll remember flash images of it throughout the day. Well see...

Started reading "The Road". It's depressing but pretty good...

I've made two pots of coffee already this morning. Sad thing is that I've gotten to drink less than a cup so far. It really pisses me off that no one will make the coffee but everyone seems to know when it's fresh because by the time I get back in there all that's left is an inch of murky liquid plagued with grounds. Grrrr...

It's getting real festive up in here

The older I get the more I find I like things that I used to loathe. Like holiday music. 5 year I couldn't stand it. Go back a couple more years and it made me want to kill people and dance around wearing their skin. However this year I actively made an effort to listen to more holiday sounds. Maybe it's because I don't work retail anymore. Maybe it's because I'm being more 'american'. Maybe it has something to do with a chemical reaction in my brain that has changed over time. Either way, I can't get enough of it...

Tim Ruskell is out as the Seahawks GM, thank the maker. Lets hope that they're serious about getting Holmgren in there. Maybe then we'll end up with a decent team again...

The only thing that I've found better that holiday music today was pitchforks collection of Neutral Milk Hotel videos from back in 98. Y'all should check em out. It's the good stuff...

Going to the Huskies game tomorrow. GO DAWGS!!! The unfortunate thing is that they'll probably lose. I've been to one game every year for the past 4 or 5 years and I've never seen them win. I usually see them get stomped. But that was pre-Sark...

Well I guess I'll keep this one short since everyone thought yesterdays post was a little wordy. Peace...

"Get the fuck outta m'way" or What we did instead of going to Joanne Fabrics

I got home last night and was watching a lil TV when I got a text from the NESF. Earlier in the day we'd briefly discussed getting together. I replied to the text and then decided it best to just call him. The conversation went something like this:

NESF: This is [desomniac]
Desomniac: Excuse me?
*grumbles*
Desomniac: Did you just say you were PMRob?
NESF: No, this is [desomniac]
Desomniac: Oh well then...this is [NESF]?
*strange noises mixed with silence*
Desomniac: Can we start again?
NESF: I'm sorry I'm having trouble communicating today.
*forgotten words*
NESF: So what are you thinking?
Desomniac: Oh I dunno, Morocco?
NESF: Joanne Fabrics?
*laughter*
Desomniac: I guess Joanne's would be closer.
NESF: Than Morocco? Yeah.

Then there was a back and forth about insecurities and the unsavory nature of the crowd at Joanne that I can't remember exactly. After some time we got back on track.

NESF: Well are you thinking you want to do something there? Or here? Somplace else?
Desomniac: Well I spend a lot of time here. You probably spend a fair amount of time there. Maybe we should go somewhere we don't see all the time.
NESF: Some where to get a beer?
Desomniac: Oh a beer sounds nice.
*I went to get a beer out of the fridge*
NESF: With some buck hunter. But not the high def.
Desomniac: Where would we find such a place?
NESF: Well there's the Loft...or that strange place next to the chinese restaurant I was telling you about.
Desomniac: Strange? Chinese restaurant? I'm in.
*chuckles*
NESF: Alright well get down here.
Desomniac: I have to finish this beer.
NESF: You opened a beer?
Desomniac: Well yeah, you put the idea in my head. Let me pound this back and I'll be down.
NESF: Late.

So I finished my beer rather quickly and snagged a bus down the hill. After meeting up we went in search of a cash machine. In order to avoid surcharges NESF opted to just buy something at Bartell's. Beatles calendar? Yes but no. Coffee's not cheap enough. Cards! Playing cards were the answer. Then we got sidetracked in the toy section reminiscing about miniature pool tables and realistically designed dinosaurs. For a moment we considered stealing all the prize tickets from the beanie babies, but that too was dismissed. Did you know that they still publish Archie comics? The checker was a nice guy. Didn't say too much. Do you need a bag? NESF placed the deck of cards in his super hidden interior pocket. I say interior purely as a guess because this compartment is so secret I couldn't see where they went. A green tinsel wreath as spotted as we left, it would have been just as good as cards.


We reached our destination and took note of the scene. The location was strange to say the least. We entered through a door that led into a very well lit room void of people that housed a ping pong table, two pool tables, Fish Tales pinball game, Cruisin' USA, chairs scattered about, a few tall tables and the ever important Buck Hunter machine. About 2/3rd's of the way back there was a hole cut into the wall. It seemed to be a recent addition as the threshold wasn't finished in any way.

On the other side of the portal everything was different. There were many people crammed into the small area. The lighting was poor at best and an argument seemed to be looming. As I tried to make my way to the bar and order a beer a man slammed into me. The waitress started yelling at everyone to move aside. NESF and an old man had some communication about how the guy was an asshole. I was order when my attacker tried to apologize. He was friendly enough in the end. Wanted to know who won the Gonzaga/WSU game. As I was sorting through all of that I felt a nudge on my other side. It was the old man who looked especially surly and said, "get the fuck outta m'way." Which I promptly did.

We got out beer and retreated back to the game room, desperately trying to make sense of everything that was going on. We started up the Buck Hunter, which was impeded by the placement of the ping pong table. In an attempt to move the table slightly we seemed to have broke it, one of the net posts dislodged from the table causing the net to collapse.

A younger group of people started to show up. It led to a strange mix. The first two of this new crowd seemed to be interested in either the ping pong or the Buck Hunter as they got their drink and took a seat in a spot where they had a very good view of us.

People congregated outside the windows off and on, mostly based on who was smoking at the time. At point I glanced outside to find a man, probably in his mid 40s, standing by the doorway smoking a cigarette. He was dressed in what could accurately be described as rags which gave the impression that he hadn't bathed since Labor Day. The striking thing about this man was his eyes which were fixed on us. It was as if he was studying his prey. Needless to say it was extremely unsettling. Things would have been different if we had The Fastest Knife in the World, but we were without.

More people showed up. This group definitely seemed interested in the ping pong table and was displeased with our presence. I overheard one of them say, "they even broke the ping pong table", which we did but how could he have known? For a moment I thought we were going to have to fight this guy along with the rest of the bar, but he held his tongue, at least while we were there.

Everything about this place seemed to be against us. I felt extremely out of place. NESF more so than I as he pointed out, he was wearing a sweater. The regulars at this place would have lynched us in a moment if it weren't for the established law outside of its walls. Luckily for us they couldn't keep us in there for ever.

We decided that one beer was going to be more than enough time spent there and finished the game quickly. NESF paid cash on the tap and I got my card back. We both breathed a sigh of relief upon exiting on the sidewalk.

We headed down to the Ballard Loft. Nice spot. I hear it's a mad house on the weekend, but it was very pleasant while we were there. They also had a brand new Buck Hunter Open Season machine. I'd yet to play it so it was exciting. Nothing of real consequence happened while we were there, which was a very welcome change given our last experience.

We wrapped it up around 11 and walked back toward NESF's. Just as he was about to turn on his street a bus rolled up that I hopped on for a few blocks up to the 7-11. I went in for some taquitos. "I'm not going to get the taquitos till your card clears. Not to say you're a dead beat but I can't put em back once I pull em out." Strange thing to say I thought. Then wouldn't ya know, my card declined for some reason. I panicked for a slight moment. "See." "Eh, hold on, lemme try this again." I ran the card through and very carefully typed in my pin number. APPROVED. Phew. "Oh I guess you are good."

"I better be. If that thing is declining I've got bigger problems than taquitos. Like my rent."

"See I pay cash for my rent. I guess I forgot to do it the other day. My girlfriend called me all worked up, 'my mom hasn't got your rent yet' I just told her to chill and grab it out of my room. Then get this, they go christmas shopping. All freaked out about the rent and then they go blow it on gifts. Women and shopping, I'll never get it."

He handed me my reheated processed goo wrapped in a tortilla.

"Me either. Talk to ya later man."

"Yeah those girls are always..."

He was still talking as I left.

Furry Happy Monsters

Not sure how it came to this, but it did.

I am disappointed in Tiger Woods

I can't believe it. How could you Tiger?! I thought I knew you. I mean seriously, you could have at least told ME! I understand that you would want to keep it from your wife, but from me! I thought I was your BFF!! When I saw you were in a car crash I was genuinely concerned for your well being, then to find that it's because you were having a secret affair I was hurt and very very very disappointed. Needless to say, I'm not coming to dinner tomorrow. You'll have to find someone else to help you out of the hole you've dug yourself. Don't call me. Ever. And when you see me (which you might because I'm going to try to hook up with your soon to be x-wife ASAP) don't talk to me. Don't even look at me. You make me sick. The only advice I'll give you is to pray for forgiveness. Pray till your knees bleed.

It'll be 6' tall this time next year.

I really hate Tim Eyman. Enough so that I started a facebook group a while back "Tim Eyman: Stop Wasting Our Time!". Turns out that it is the largest group about Eyman. Why am I bringing this up? Because he's going to be back at it for next year. Hopefully this time around he fails to get the signatures needed to put it on the ballot. Hopefully...

Magnesium deficiency...

As y'all know I'm reading Ulysses. I came across a strange part. He's getting some lunch and decides that he wants Burgundy and a gorgonzola sandwich. Now it's a real small thing in the story but seriously gorgonzola? I've never heard of anyone eating a blue cheese sandwich...

Low humidity...

I'd completely forgotten how great TV on the Radio is. I need to make sure that doesn't happen again...

Epsom Salt...

I'm thinking that I might need to get a holiday tree. I don't know where I'd put it or what I'd put on it, but it seems like something that I should have. Maybe I'll just get a lil seedling and let it grow for a few years in my apt...

Degeneration

They shot the cop killer this morning. Hopefully this gives some sense of closure for the families affected by this tragedy and they can start to piece together what's left of their lives. I totally agree with PMRob in that anyone found to have been aiding the man in eluding the police should now be charged with four counts of murder and go on trial immediately. We need to send a message to any criminals out there that this is not going to be tolerated and there are EXTREME consequences. If we don't these acts of domestic terrorism will continue to plague our society...

Loneliness is contagious....

My aralia tree is thriving. It brings me great joy. Hopefully it will continue it's expansion and soon grow to be 5 feet tall. That would bring me even greater joy...

Work is busy. One of the few remaining sales people is out, so it's a bit crazy. The real irritating part is one particular customer who thinks he's funny. He'll call up and complain about how I'm never at my desk, when in actuality I haven't gone anywhere I've just been on the phone with other customers. It's the exact bullshit I complained to my boss about when they decided to not hire a new sales person when I was told "It'll be alright." It's far from alright if it's irritated me enough to bitch about it here. At the same time I'm just saying to hell with it all and blogging as I'm on the phone with him while he thinks I'm "researching" something...

Here's a little something else I was "researching":



And here's a little something that I wrote a bit earlier for the 2x4ster:

"Facebook just recommended that I write on your wall to make your Facebook experience better. So I figure "what the hell". Have you heard about the monkey's that lived in the clouds? They had 10 fingers and 10 toes just like us. But unlike us they had very long tails that stretch across the skies in a web that covered the entire planet. They lived this way for many many years until the invent of the aeroplane. It was a hundred years ago or so when they realized that they might have to leave their home in the sky because it was only a matter of time before we (humans) used our flying machines to unknowingly shred their tails to nothingness. So as the Wright brothers were performing their first flight the monkeys were building a vast underwater city in which they could live peacefully without fear of accidental death. They all flocked to this underwater eden where they still live. The problem in the end wasn't for them, but for us. Turns out that the monkey tails doubled as a form of second ozone, keeping our planet nice and cool. I talked with one of the representatives of the monkey people and they are aware of this dilemma. However their democratically elected officials have decided that we're just getting what we deserve and in the end hotter temps mean more water for them to spread out in. The conversation ended when their representative spit in my face, gave me the finger, threw some of his fresh feces at me and told me that I'm going to get whats coming to me. This didn't go over so well. I decided that as an ambassador for all mankind I should act in a manner that showcases humanity in it's truest form. So I grabbed a machete hacked off his tail and set him on fire. Then I ran to the next monkey and repeated this action. And again until all the monkeys were burning tail-less carcasses. I guess what I'm trying to say is: would you like to come over for some monkey tail soup?"

There's blood in the butter

I haven't died

It's been a little while. I was on vacation for the last week and decided that in addition to abstaining from work I'd abstain from blogging as well. It was strange to be honest. There were a couple of things I really wanted to post over the last week so if there is a post that seems poorly timed in the next week or so it's because it's just delayed. Now what did I do for the last 9 days?...

It all started back on the 20th. I was with PMRob and my girl AK. We went to a hip hop show in Fremont. It was aight. A bit crowded for my taste. The older I get the less I want to spend an evening packed in a sweaty club. So we checked the scene for a little while and then bailed. Trotted over to the Red Door. I'll never make that mistake again. I'm going to make this very clear: The Red Door is a cesspool of confused and angry hormones emitted from post fraternity STDs. It's a horrid place. So we left. Ran into an old friend as we were leaving. Went back to the show at Nectar. Saw the group that we paid the cover to see. Left that scene. Walked up the long hill back to PMRob's. Dude we saw at Red Door came over. Insanity ensued. We were up till 5am in some sort of pissing contest about who could drink the most and still burn the late night oil (or early morning). All in all good times...

The weekend was fairly low key. Just lounged about...

Monday I woke up got some work done on Metro, bought a turkey, and then went to visit a friend. Checked out their new house and then hit up the Hop Vine for an afternoon ale. Then I hit up the downtown and met NESF for a bit of lolligaggin'. We went over to his place and played yahtzee and made a pizza. I feel like there were other things we did, but in the end the exact details didn't matter. Another great day down...

Tuesday was the first of many meals involving turkey. My dad and I went to SU to meet up with my sister for a campus Thanksgiving. The food was decent. Company was great. After that we went to the library in Ballard because my dad wanted to get a library card. When we were checking the database realized that I was no longer in there so I got one too. Not really sure how much I'll use it, but it's a good thing to have...

Wednesday was not terribly memorable, which is to say I can't remember...

Thursday the Hart Foundation came over for Thanksgiving. The three of us cooked up the turkey. We also had mash potatoes, stuffing, green beans, Thanksgiving. Watched football. They took off around 7 and I fell into a food coma immediately. Then I woke up at 2am feeling well rested and couldn't get back to sleep. Dinked around a bit and finally got to sleep again around 5am...

Friday was the family holiday. I went to my sisters. She went all out. She's a great holiday host. We played a bunch of Settlers and ate and ate and ate. I also got to see my niece which is a rare thing, so that was nice...

Saturday I entertained a small group of people throughout the afternoon and evening. We played games for the most part. Just takin' 'er real easy. NESF brought the fixin's to finish up a turkey soup. It turned out amazing. I've still got a bunch of it at my house. I think I'll be diggin' on it for a week...

Sunday might actually have been my favorite day of the vacation. I woke up and NESF demanded brunch. We hit up Wingmasters. Decent food. Played a round of BBH. Went back to his place and tossed the dice around a bit more and talked about a project he's had stewing in his mind for a while. The PMRob swooped me up and we went on our third excursion to get him a new phone and glasses. Something always goes wrong. I was completely off guard for what happened though. He was able to successfully purchase both things. I'd convinced myself that no one wanted his money no matter how hard he tried. In the end I guess it just took the holiday frenzy for it to happen. After that I vacuumed my apt (it really needed it) and we went back to his place and made some lasagna and watched cartoons on FOX...

So if you actually took the time to read all of this you'll see that my vacation wasn't terribly exciting. However it was exactly what I wanted...

Friday night

C'mon do you know where that things been?

Yeah, I stole it

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

FML

I don't know why I expect anyone else to understand.

New Animal Collective

It's pretty good. I didn't fall over in ecstasy, but it pleased me.

In its eyes you see

This is a great version of this song. I almost like it more than the album version.

Shifting focus

Well it appears that Buried West is going to stay underground for a little longer. I got home tonight and took the advice I got from NESF to just work on whatever I felt at the time I should be working on. So I started to hammer out some solid details about Metro and made some good headway. I've decided that the routes I'm going to include are 54, 7, 43, 358, 72, 18 and 7 (revisited). I've worked out the themes that I want to address in each section and which previous short stories I'm going to use in the piece. Some of you probably remember the Route 43 story. Well its back on the table and getting reworked, along with a piece I did about the 54. They were actually the inspiration for the larger piece. Somehow I got really productive when I got home and got through the revisions of 54 I planned out to adapt it. Mostly just additions. I guess we'll see where this goes.

If it were only a fear of clowns

I've had trouble falling asleep lately. Last night I laid down at 11:30 like I do pretty much every work night. I felt tired but as soon as I was in bed I couldn't sleep. I laid there for two hours that I remember with a million different thoughts rushing through my head. What is exactly is Hayden teaching in the first chapter? Did I turn off the oven? Is it there something that can be done to make things better or is time the only answer? Should I work on Buried West on my week off or try to finish Metro? What really lies at the deepest parts of the ocean, Atlantis? When I die who do I want to give my eulogy? What if he wasn't really teaching anything and instead they were just painting or sculpting or something? Why can't I just fall asleep. It's been like that for the past two nights. Hopefully tonight will be different, but I don't have any real reason to think that it will be. I just wish that when I can't sleep at least I could come up with some answers.

I think we're dead

Hilarious!

Welcome to November 16th 2009

The Pixies show was awesome! They started off with all the B-Sides and then busted into Doolittle. I was a little skeptical, but that was completely unwarranted. They were amazing. My personal highlights were "I Bleed", "Gouge Away", and "Where is my mind". I didn't expect to hear the last one. They'd already done a couple of tracks for the encore and for some reason some of the theater lights had already been turned on. Then I heard the unmistakable "STOP". The entire venue erupted. It was a great end. Thanks again P...

We're expecting our first serious storm here in Seattle today. Well more tonight. Hopefully I don't lose power. When I get home I might have to dig out the candles just to stay ready. You know, losing power wouldn't be so bad. I'd probably just read Ulysses's by candle light or work more on Buried West. I've been trying to avoid the television more anyway and I think I could get by without my computer. Maybe...

I had a very strange dream last night. It started with me going to my "second" apartment. Somehow in this reality I rented not one but two apartments recently, the one that I live in IRL and then another in Belltown. I reached the building and took the elevator up to the unit. It was huge. The ceilings must have been 14 feet tall at least. I remember a strange array of things. There was a large washer and dryer which I was obsessed with. "Why am choosing the other place when this one has laundry!?" In the kitchen there was a dining room table. It was a large oak table with beautifully hand carved designs on the legs. It was large enough to accommodate 4 chairs on each side with one on either end. The only other piece of furniture in the whole place was a bed. It was immense. The head and foot boards were made of cherry, with the head board standing over six feet tall. The dark red bedding equaled the frame in elegance. The bed was position before three large windows that looked over the Seattle skyline. I don't recall who was there with me but I do remember having a conversation. I pondered why I wasn't going to live here and they reminded me "Steve Rabble is only gone for six month and then you'd have to find another place." This confused me. How did Steve Raible get involved? I don't even watch KIRO news. However we discussed the situation at length while I finished doing my laundry. I took one more walk about the place and left. I was stepping out onto the sidewalk as my alarm went off...

I snoozed for a few more minutes and dreamed again. I sat down on the banks of a river. I was surrounded with various creatures all very small. I turned to my right and spoke to one of them, "What are you supposed to be?" The creature just smiled and put on a pointed red hat. "He's a gnome," a voice said behind me. I turned around to find him smoking a pipe. "And what does that make you?" "Me oh I'm a dwarf. What else would I be?" There was another creature beside him. I pointed in his direction, "So are you a dwarf too?" He looked at me with complete disgust. "Do I look like a dwarf." The half smile on my face told him that I thought so. "Well I'm a Merrman. Not to be confused with Mermaid's because as you can see I'm not a fish." The alarm went off again...

Doin' it in Texas

In my reckless search for great music of the nineties I came across this little gem...

What would I do with a llama?

Well it's official now. The interior water ways of the Pacific NW will be called the "Salish Sea". I didn't figure it would really change much. However I've already heard it referred to as such in two articles. Maybe it will catch on...

I'm really starting to enjoy the Ulysses' book group. When I read that book I only take in about 35% it seems. However when we get together and start talking about it I find that I remember more than I thought. I highly recommend that anyone thinking about reading it does so in a group. The pizza's were amazing too...

I've had a nostalgic longing for nineties music lately. Maybe its because part of me wants to go back to when my life seemed simpler, however I doubt that because my life was hardly simple then. Maybe it's just that there was some decent music back then. Who knows. Anyone out there remember Sponge?...

I'm going to see the Pixies tonight. PMRob is a pimp. I see more shows with him than anyone else by far. He was also gracious enough to spot a broke ass punk like me a ticket. Good people...

Maybe I should get a Llama and dress us both up like ancient Greeks. Oh wait, it's been done...

I guess it could be

Boredom, Headhunters and Constantine's Symbol

My job is horribly boring of late. After my bosses decided that we were going to have to "agree to disagree" I've lost all motivation. It's not that I'm not doing my job. It's just that I don't have any desire to do anything that isn't my job. This has left me with a lot of free time at work. I'd rather have a job that is mentally stimulating, but it's been giving me a decent amount of time to work out the outline for Buried West. I also play a lot of Bejeweled. It's so addictive...

I watched another documentary that I didn't mention last night. It was called "The Airmen and the Headhunters". It was super interesting. I'd recommend you watch it too. Oh how I love PBS. I could watch it all day long if it weren't for the overwhelming number of kids shows during the day. But I guess kids deserve public television too.

I was trying to remember what the Labarum was called. I couldn't remember for the life of me. I knew that Constantine used it in battle so I did a google image search for "Constantine's Symbol". The image below was included in the page one results...

Late night post

I've been working on an old project again lately. It's now my new project. I can't remember if I've blogged about it yet. I'm hoping it turns out to be a novel. Last time I tried to write a novel it came out somewhere in a grey area of literature I didn't know existed and very well may not. It had the basic elements but wasn't told in the way you'd expect a novel. However this time I've decided to be a little more coherent in my attempt. The working title is "Buried West". I'm not sure that will stick, but I have to call it something for now. I'm really hoping to get a good amount of work done on it over my upcoming week off from work. I guess if I really get down to it I might end up participating in nanowrimo. I'm not going to hold myself to that though...

Watched a pretty decent documentary on PBS's P.O.V. tonight, "The Way We Get By". It was about three senior citizens who great troops coming back from overseas. Seemed fitting being it's Veteran's day. Mad props goes out to all the veterans. I'd recommend it...

Mmmm, Coffee

Lost and Found

There was a couple of noteworthy interactions that I had this weekend...

I left work on Friday and it was pouring rain. It was wretched. I went out to wait for the 7. Every part of me was soaking wet. I could feel the water pooling in the crevasses of my hoodie, the tops of my boots, and the inner workings of my ears. It had been a long time since I'd been that wet. After 30 minutes of waiting in God's vengeance the 7 finally arrived.

As I boarded the bus I could tell I wasn't the only one left in the rain. The heat was blaring and the humidity was nearly unbearable. Everyone on the bus looked just as miserable as I did. As I was lamenting my position I got a phone call from Nick. We spoke for a little while and made plans to watch a movie. He had asked me if he should bring a movie, which I confirmed by saying, "Once I get home and dry myself out I'm not going anywhere in this."

The woman in front of me overheard this and turned around to give me a high five. I wrapped up my phone call quickly and started up a conversation with the woman. She told me about how she was regretting her decision to go out and get a gift for a friends baby shower. We exchanged hateful words about the weather and then she began to tell me a story.

Some three weeks prior she had noticed that her bus pass was missing. This was a huge problem being as her arthritis had recently placed her on disability and her fixed income didn't allow for unexpected expenses. However without her pass she'd been having to pay the fare for each ride. So in the last three weeks she'd been searching like crazy to find her pass, with no luck. Now as she was planning her trip downtown to buy a present she decided that she would take the 7 instead of the 106. She hadn't taken the 7 in weeks, but something made her decide to on that day.

She boarded the bus and sat down. Not five minutes later a young man boarded the bus. Upon seeing her he got slightly excited and sat beside her. "I just knew I'd see you again," he said. "I'm sorry have we met before," she replied. "Only briefly. We met on this bus a few weeks ago. Just after you got off I realized that you dropped this.." He then pulled her regional disabled bus pass from his jacket with her picture on it. She could hardly contain herself. She was so grateful.

As she was relaying this story to me she said something along the lines of: "It's just so nice to see. Now I'm not sure if I believe in God but I tell you, there is some higher power out there. These kinds of things don't just happen. And it was a YOUNG person nonetheless. I'm just so happy to see that there is still some good in this world." I replied, "There's always been good out there. It just gets harder to find with every day." At this time we were pulling up the stop at 4th and Jackson, where I had to get off. I thanked the woman for sharing her story with me and got off the bus. The rain was coming down hardest yet. Strange thing was that this time it felt more like a baptismal than a punishment...



Saturday night I met PMRob for dinner. After dinner I expected to go home for a quiet evening but PMRob had other ideas. We went to King's for a beer. The scene was a madhouse so we bailed. Went to the Stepping Stone. Great little place. They had live music and good ales. From there he insisted that we continue one our journey and we went to Copper Gate. Swanky little place. I'd go back, but it would definitely have to be with the right group of people. Now at this point I was completely done with the evening, unfortunately it wasn't done with me. We crossed the street and headed up to the Viking, apparently I was having a vitamin R deficiency. We drank the pitcher of Rainier and I ended up talking to this really chill guy from Germany. We talked for a while about skiing and other such nonsense. The bartender made the announcement for last call and I'd realized that I was out too late. This however still wasn't the end. PMRob convinced me that we had to go back to 7-11 and get some Rainiers to drink while we hit up the wii bowling at my place.
However on the way home from 7-11 I found a phone, Blackberry 8900, just sitting on the sidewalk undamaged. I picked it up. I'd thought of getting one many times in the past but decided against it for financial reasons. After picking up the phone I looked through the recent calls and without even thinking about it called the last number to see if I could determine the phones rightful owner. I called the last three numbers with no answer. Then I started poking around and found the Facebook app on his phone. This identified the man as Rodney and I was able to send him a message over FB. However that would be meaningless as the phone rang.

It flashed the name Stanley as it vibrated. I answered it. A voice on the other end said, "So you made it home Jeff?" This kind of freaked me out at first. Mostly because in some ways I am a Jeff. I recollected my thoughts and replied, "No, I'm not sure he did. I found this phone on the sidewalk." "Well I'd say thats not a good sign at all." "I'd say so." "See this isn't Jeff's phone either. He was keeping it safe for a friend of mine. Is it possible for me to meet with you tomorrow to get the phone back?" "Yeah no problem. Just call me tomorrow at this number."

I then spent the next hour explaining the PMRob the situation with the phone. It was a little complicated and he was struggling to understand all the players in this scene. "So you have Stanley's phone?" "No I have Rodney's phone." "Ok, so who's Jeff? And why are you talking to Stanley?" It went on for some time like that. We were up till nearly 5am bowling and drinking and trying to figure out all the pieces.

I woke up Sunday morning and the phone had been ringing off the hook from a variety of different numbers. I finally connected with Stanley who promptly came and picked up the phone. Later that I day I got a call from Rodney. I guess he wants to buy me dinner. It's not a new phone, but I'll take a free dinner for doing the right thing any day...


As I passed through the warehouse this morning they were playing the Beatles. This pleased me greatly...

The birds...

I might have blogged this before, but it's worth 100 posts if necessary.

Michaelangelo and Calder

I went to the Seattle Art Museum last night. What a great experience! It was the first Thursday so the art museum was open to the public at no cost. At first I was hesitant due to the large crowds that usually go along with a free event. That's the last time that I'll make that mistake.

It was pouring rain when I disembarked the bus beneath the Hammering Man. As I was getting ready to leave work I decided to listen to my favorite track on each Radiohead album in chronological order. It went like this:

Pablo Honey - Creep
The Bends - Black Star
OK Computer - Climbing up the walls
Kid A - The National Anthem
Amnesiac - Life in a glass house
Hail to the Thief - The Gloaming
In Rainbows - Reckoner


Reckoner was wrapping up just as NESF and MNom arrived. The timing couldn't have been better. There we people everywhere as we entered the museum. A couple in front of us were dressed as skeletons and giving out what appeared to be small dead flowers to people at random. There was some sort of band playing. I'm not sure who they were but I was digging the sound. It's always great to hear the museum full of life, as it's usually a very quiet place.

We ascended the escalator to find a GIANT line to get tickets. The museum was free, but they still require everyone to get a ticket. Fortunately I am a SAM member (thanks Claudia!) so we were able to go to the member's line which was nonexistent and breezed right through.

We spent a little time checking out the new acquisitions on the way up to the fourth floor. There are some great new pieces. I'm a total idiot and didn't write down the names of the pieces or the artists name (I'll try to go back to get that info). However there is one I believe was titled "Untitled (Dining Room)" that I absolutely loved. Also the piece on the same wall to the north I loved.

So we get up to the fourth floor to see the Calder/Michaelangelo exhibit. There was a small line to get in that moved fairly quickly. It starts you off with Calder. Wow. I was thoroughly impressed. The way that he was able to create these beautiful pieces is amazing. It became even more amazing when I realized how many of them were balancing on display. I didn't even consider that part of it with the hanging pieces until I came to a large piece that was moving ever so slightly. It blew my mind.

As I got further into the exhibit I realized that this mans talent went far beyond just sculpture. There was a small section (i wish they'd had more) of his jewelry displayed. One of the highlights though was a short film they were showing "Calder's Circus". I'm going to have to find a copy of that on DVD. It was hilarious.

After the short film came Michaelangelo. I have to admit I was less that impressed with this exhibit. The majority of it was prints of his larger works. For instance, they had a small replica of how they moved "David" and behind it a large image of the original. It's was cool to see the piece in full size however I'd have liked it more if they had multiple images from different angles. It was the standard front shot of the sculpture that we've all seen a hundred times. If they had incorporated various views I think that it would have been much more insightful and beneficial.

In the following rooms there were the actual sketches that he did. I think that they did this better. They had sketches that he did as a preliminary for the Sistine Chapel, both the ceiling and the "Final Judgement". It was very interesting to see the process he went through. The other really cool thing was the quotes of his that they had all over the exhibit. There were some killer ones. The one that stood out the most to me was at the end: "I am dying just as I am beginning to learn the alphabet of my profession."



Overall I'd recommend that you all check it out. It'd be an afternoon well spent.