The Ultimate P Experience

My New Hobby

2012-02-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

I finally followed through on something that I've been thinking about doing for quite a while now. I got a guitar and plan to learn to play it. I've been watching Craigslist for a decent beginner guitar over the last few weeks and I finally saw one that reviews said was great for beginners and intermediate players. Plus it was a good deal. It's a Fender CD-60ce. An electric acoustic. Here's a picture.

It looks like an acoustic guitar but it has some built-in electronics that control bass, middle, and treble frequencies when plugged into an amp. It also has a built-in tuner.

My intention is to build enough skill to play a few of my favorite songs to my friends and family. I figure another thing to do with the TV off is probably a good thing when a toddler is about, right? (The other day Anna saw a Toaster Strudel commercial and gave a big, "Yum!" Needless to say, that was enough of the TV when she's awake)

So right now I'm working on getting familiar with the guitar and building up callouses. I don't plan to take any instructor-led classes. It seems like there is a lot of good stuff on the internet for free that I can go through at my own pace.

I'll try to post my progress as I go. I found a pretty good set of beginner video clips on GuitarJamz.com. Today is the second day and so far I've learned the string names (Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie), a little progression that sounds like the beginning to Smoke On The Water, and a couple chords (E minor and A major).

Wish me luck and encourage me to stick with it!

NDSU National Champions

2012-01-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I met up with my sisters, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, and cousin's wife in Frisco, TX for the NCAA Division I FCS National Championship game between North Dakota State (my alma mater) and Sam Houston State University. Despite Sam Houston being only 200 miles away, NDSU fans traveled very well and outnumbered SHSU's fans. The atmosphere was amazing and the game was very good. In the end, NDSU won 17-6. It was the first time I've been on the field after a football game as a fan. Amazing.

Here's a montage of the game put together by NDSU.

Way to go NDSU!

Boom Boom Clap

2011-10-19T17:53:00.001-07:00

PJ20

2011-09-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

October 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Pearl Jam’s first album, Ten. I’d like to take a look back at what this band’s music has meant to me and how it has impacted my life over those 20 years.

Before there was Pearl Jam, there was Mother Love Bone (MLB from here on). In 1990 they released their first and only album, Stardog Champion, after the death of frontman Andy Wood. It is really an amazing album that hints at greatness to come. Anthemic, authentic, emotional, and a little flashy. If not for PJ’s incredible commercial launch a year or so later (which was really just a matter of perfect timing with the whole “Seattle sound", aka "grunge”, movement), Stardog Champion would have achieved much more exposure on national and international levels.

The highlights of Stardog Champion:
This is Shangri-La
Stardog Champion – There’s something cool about the chanting kids at the end.
Come Bite The Apple
Stargazer
Heartshine
Man of Golden Words – Could be considered Andy Wood’s self-written eulogy
Gentle Groove – Love the line: “’Til kingdome come, the work is done, on earth as it is in Dallas.”
Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns – “Have you ever heard the story of Mr. Faded Glory…” The crown jewel of the album. An absolute gem of a song. It’s on my best songs of the 90s list. So glad that PJ revived the song and play it occasionally in concert. Here's Pearl Jam's version.

In high school I mail ordered the only MLB t-shirt I could find. The back, in huge, yellow and black letters, read the words “Half Ass Monkey Boy” which is the title of one of their songs. My parents would not let me wear it to school. Eventually that shirt disappeared from my wardrobe.

The Love Bone Earth Affair was a short video released after Andy’s passing. It centers around interviews of Andy Wood, Jeff Ament, and Stone Gossard. This blogger highly recommends anyone interested in MLB watch it. You can find it on YouTube.

The Temple of the Dog project was a tribute to Andy Wood from his former bandmates and friends (Chris Cornell of Soundgarden was a good friend and roommate). I distinctly remember seeing this new group, Temple of the Dog, on MTV with their Hunger Strike video. I thought, “WTF. What a stupid name for a band.” But the song was great and the album is stellar. But I didn’t know the relationship to PJ until several months later.

When Ten was released, I was in the 8th grade. At that age, living in Bismarck, the only source for new music was either MTV or a local radio station and there was no way the radio station was going to play anything that different without listener demand. So I give MTV credit with first exposing me to this new band. Up until then, I was into the usual rock bands popular at the time (GnR, Motley Crue, Warrant, etc). When I heard PJ’s first single, Alive, I connected to it right away. The emotion of Eddie’s voice and the hook of the music drew me in. I had to hear more of this band so I went out to buy the CD. It was, in fact, the first CD I ever owned. The technological visionary that I am, I got the CD even before I had a CD player. I had to have Dan copy the CD onto a tape so I could listen to it at home and I must have come close to wearing that tape out.

Here are some of my PJ memories:

In 1994, the only time I was placed in the back of a police car, Black was playing on the radio.

In 1995, shortly after graduating from high school, I got their stickman logo tattooed on my shoulder.

In 1996 when No Code was released, one of the music stores in Fargo was holding a midnight opening. So a few friends and I decided to go check it out and get the new album. There weren’t too many people there but the local rock radio station was broadcasting onsite. One of the promotional activities was an Eddie Vedder look-a-like contest. Only 2 people entered. One of them was Jon and he won. Crazy. I think he got No Code as a prize.

It wasn’t until 1998 that I was able to see PJ in concert for the first time. I was on an epic road trip with Josh to hike in the Cascades north of Seattle. PJ opened their Yield tour in Missoula and we caught the show on our return leg. We were joined by a huge crew of friends from ND. It was pretty amazing. Not everyone was a huge fan of the band but, in any event, thought it was a good reason to make the 800 mile trip. No one was disappointed. The local KOA campground was packed with PJ fans. It was quite a party. There were 2 things that stick in my memory about the show itself. One good and one bad: A marriage proposal (someone in the crowd caught Eddie’s attention and he invited him onstage to make the proposal) and someone threw up on me while we were waiting for the show to start. Awesome. All in the name of PJ.

A few nights later, Josh and I saw their show in Rapid City. During the show, a nasty thunderstorm came through the area and wrecked every tent in the KOA. Every tent, that is, except mine. By chance we ran into the then-girlfriend of a good friend who came down from Bismarck for the show. Her friend's tent was demolished. So she squeezed in with us for the night. Everyone else had to sleep in their cars or find a hotel.

In 2000 I journeyed to Wisconsin with Amy and Patrick (in his wacky costume) to see them at Alpine Valley. The show was particularly memorable because the temperature was in the 20s when the show started. I believe this is the coldest show they have ever played.

Conversely, in 2005, I saw them at The Gorge amphitheater about 140 miles east of Seattle. That July day was 116. So I was present at unofficially the hottest and coldest PJ concerts.

20 years in and the albums are wonderful but what really seals the deal for me is their performances. The energy. The intimacy with the crowd. The sing-a-longs (hearing an arena or amphitheater sing in unison with arms raised to the sky “I’m still ALIVE!” is indescribable). I get the sense of being part of a huge, extended family at their shows. A Jamily I suppose. The band’s willingness to share their live recordings is incredible. When they started, they didn't discourage fans from bringing their own recorders to the gigs. But when some turned around and sold the poor recordings for premium prices, they decided to end that policy. They’re on record recognizing that their shows are important to their fans and providing a quality mixed, clean recording of the shows is worthwhile. The band records all of their shows and then makes them available on their website for a measly $10 a few days after the show. Who else does that? Let alone a band whose shows are almost completely different from one night to the next. I remember when you had to go to a record store and choose between a handful of “bootleg” recordings that were $25 to $50 each. It was always a gamble because you didn’t have any way to know if the recording was crap. Most of the time it was.

I’ve grown up with this band’s music. While I was going through everything a teenager goes through, they were there. They were there when I graduated from high school and college. They were there when I got my first job and moved to the northwest. They were there when my grandpa passed away. They were there when I got married and had a daughter. PJ has been a constant in my life. A constant inspiration of hope in one’s self and in one another; faith that it will all work out in the end. I’m so grateful to occupy the same time and (relative) space as PJ. A recent reviewer of the PJ20 event that occurred over the weekend stated it best:

"If I traveled to an alternate universe where Pearl Jam didn't exist and I met myself on the street, I don't know if I'd recognize me."

I know I wouldn’t recognize me.

So I’d like to raise a virtual glass of champagne to toast to Pearl Jam. Eddie, Mike, Stone, Jeff, and Matt: Thank you for the last 20 years. You’ve touched hearts and changed lives. You’ve made this world even more beautiful.

P

Some of my favorite lyrics:
“I thought the world. Turns out the world thought me.” Cropduster
“It’s already been sung but it can’t be said enough: All you need is love.” Love Boat Captain
“I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on the Christmas tree. I wish I was the star that went on top.” Wishlist
“I wish I was as fortunate as me.” Wishlist
“I pledge my grievance to the flag. You don’t give blood and take it back again.” Grievance
"There's no wrong or right but I'm sure there's good and bad." Thumbing My Way
"The love he gives is the love that is saved." Given To Fly

Oh, and the movie will be on PBS this fall or in select theaters. See it!

Top of the Mountain

2011-08-07T19:53:00.001-07:00

"I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good."

Those Boeing guys...

2011-07-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

...sure know how to build airplanes.

CRAZY

2011-07-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Check out this insane clip of Gymkhana driver, Ken Block.

Insane I say.

The Honey Badger is a crazy POS

2011-07-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Honey Badger is now the nickname for the Sounders midfielder Asvoldo Alonso. Watch the video. It's self explanatory.

The Ultimate P Strikes Back

2011-07-03T09:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I caught the last hour or so of the Empire Strikes Back on Spike last night. And a question about the Star Wars storyline came up: How did Darth Vader learn about the existence of Luke? At the end of Episode IV, Luke destroys the Death Star. Previously in the movie, Darth and Luke never really crossed paths. At the beginning of Episode V, the lead-in says that Vader was obsessed with finding Luke. So just how did he find out about him? I know a lot of stuff happened between the movies but this is a key part of the overall plot that I wish was explained better.

By the way, the Jedi did a terrible job of keeping him secret after his birth. They left him with relatives of Anakin and didn't even change his name. Ugh...

Return of the Ultimate P

2011-07-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so its been over 10 months since my last post. A lot has happened since then.

Me and my 7 month pregnant wife (at the time) went on a Labor Day weekend trip to the Olympic Peninsula. It was a fantastic way to spend the last holiday weekend before we were to become parents. However on the drive home we were rear-ended. No one was hurt and my car was still road-worthy. But the wife was nervous about the baby. A quick call to her doctor's on-call line recommended we come in for monitoring. So we budged in line for the ferry and made it all of the way back to Bellevue. Nothing was wrong (thank goodness) but it was a nervous evening.

Then on Halloween, the birth of our daughter, Anna Grace, changed our world. Her mother keeps a blog on all of Anna's adventures so I won't go into that too much on this blog. Check out Pumpkins Into Princesses if you're interested.

It was Anna's 8 month birthday this week so I'll post a picture of her and her mom that I took in the backyard:

So I just have to say, and I don't know if anyone comes by to check out my blog anymore, "It's good to be back."

4 Things

2010-08-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

4 things I have learned about soccer that you may find useful.

No. 1 If you run too much your lungs burn to tiny little cinders & all you're good for after that is a low-key desk job for the rest of your life.

No. 2 A soccer ball is softer than a rock, but not much.

No. 3 If you have a good goalie, you can look around more & see what some of the other teams are up to.

No. 4 People on the sidelines yell at you because they know exactly what they would do if they had the ball & were 3 feet taller than the biggest kid on the other team.

The Right Place

2010-08-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Awesome song. Great band. Amazing album.

Nude beach in Seattle?

2010-05-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Looks like the residents of Seattle think that the city needs a nude beach. But as important as that is, it's still only third on the list of preferences for the mayor:

1. Expand light rail
2. Legalize marijuana
3. Nude beach

What do you think? Should it be higher on the list?

Bikini Anyone?

2010-04-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Just look at this graph...

Other than slightly resembling a bikini, it's impressive. Isn't it?

Maybe the most impressive part isn't even shown. In March 2010, 165k jobs were added. That's by far the biggest gain in 3 years.

Once again, Rs dig ditches, Ds have to fill them in and build on top.

Man of the Hour

2010-03-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, my grandpa was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. At the time of diagnosis, they said he had maybe 3 or 4 months. Well, he's still with us today but it appears time is getting short.

He's had an amazing life and has been an inspiration to all who know him. This song is for him:

Extremes

2010-03-19T17:05:00.001-07:00

I saw this on the Daily Show the other night. It pretty much illustrates the craziness that the conservative right would like you to believe:

"As a progressive, if you believe in a minimum safety net for the nation's neediest, you believe in total and absolute government control.

So (using the same logic):

If you believe that faith provides a strong moral tent-post for a nation's foundation, that can only lead to totalitarian theocracy."

Makes sense, doesn't it?

Ten Ways to Give for the Greater Good This Holiday Season

2009-12-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

Still looking for a great gift this holiday season? There is no better time to show support for causes that you and those on your list are passionate about. Here are TEN of my favorite ways you can make a big difference.

Happy Holidays!

1. Give Loans that Change Lives
Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person, global micro-lending website. Give a Kiva gift certificate and your friends and family will be able to lend the funds from the certificate to the entrepreneurs of their choice.

2. Support Renewable Energy
Purchase carbon offsets now until Dec. 31st and Bonneville Environmental Foundation will include a free green gift of your choice with order.

3. Help Bring Holiday Cheer to Foster Children
Treehouse for Kids helps give foster children a real childhood as well as hope for the future. Give an item or two from Treehouse's Holiday Wishlist in the name of someone you love.

4. Spread the Word about America’s Food Supply and Learn What You Can Do to Change It
Buy a copy of Food, Inc.

5. Help Feed America’s Hungry
$1 given to Feeding America provides seven (7) meals to men, women and children facing hunger in our country.
Or find a local food bank near you using Feeding America's volunteer locator.

6. Share the Gift of Reading
826 National assists students ages 6-18 with their writing skills and helps teachers encourage students to get excited about reading in the classroom. Sign a friend up for their holiday book club, “Five Books, Five Authors”, and from January May of 2010, 826 will send out a new autographed book from authors like Ira Glass and Michael Chabon.

7. Support Clean Water in Developing Countries
One donation of $20 to Charity:Water gives one person in need clean water for 20 years.

8. Relieve Global Hunger and Poverty
Heifer International is dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty. A charitable gift of livestock from the Holiday Gift Catalog will provide Animals and training to help families build a better future for themselves and their communities.

9. Support Music and Activism
Air Traffic Control (ATC) works to fill a gaping void in resources and support for culturally influential artists who are working hard for social change. Your tax-deductable gift to ATC will strengthen the cultural groundwork of change in America and expand support for social justice amongst new and critical audiences.

10. Help Veterans to Help the Earth
Veterans Green Jobs opens pathways for veterans to continue their service in leadership positions that progress into meaningful careers in the clean energy and environmental security industries. 90% of all donations go directly to programs that help veterans.

At this moment in time...

2009-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

this song fits my mood perfectly.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Super-Impossible Brain Busting Pearl Jam Quiz

2009-09-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

How well can you do?

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mystudiyo.com/act95118/mini/go/paste&amp;amp;#39;s_pearl_jam_quiz"&amp;gt;paste&amp;amp;#39;s_pearl_jam_quiz&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

I got 13. Should of had 14.

You Do Not Have Health Insurance

2009-09-16T16:58:00.001-07:00

I came across this excellent article today:

You Do Not Have Health Insurance

It basically says that unless you are over 65 or pay directly for your health insurance premiums yourself, you do not have health insurance. Chances are, your health insurance is a benefit provided by your employer or your spouse's employer. So as long as your health insurance depends on your job, your health is only insured insofar as your job is insured - and your job isn't insured.

If you lose your job or get divorced, you're in the individual insurance market. Good luck. It's extremely expensive because the insurance companies, in a free market, need to charge you what they expect your liability will be to them plus administrative costs plus a profit margin.

The problem with the huge argument for a public option or single payer system is that its not presented properly. It's presented as some kind of give-away to the poor and those who think they aren't poor don't want anything to change. But when you think about it, unless you're independently wealthy, you're poor too and such a system is in your best interest.

So you do not have health insurance. Have a nice day!

Movies I Want To See

2009-09-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few relatively new movies I want to see. I've you've seen any of them, I'd like to know what you thought...

9
District 9
Inglorious Basterds
The Hangover
Extract
(500) Days of Summer
Star Trek

Which should I see first?

I just saw a trailer for I Hope They Serve Been In Hell. How can this be made into a movie that's NOT NC-17???

Mother Should I Trust The Government?

2009-08-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

With the debate over health care reform raging, a question comes to mind:

Why is there so much distrust of the government? And particularly, this government?

And a follow-up:

Would you trust private enterprise (read corporations) more?

Or are people these days just distrustful in general?

I'm full of questions today...I need answers.

Wunder Boner

2009-07-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

You laugh now but watch...

Hottest Day In Seattle. Ever.

2009-07-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Local News | Record 102 degrees reached at Sea-Tac | Seattle Times Newspaper

Bison vs. Buffalo

2009-06-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is a bison:

This is a buffalo:

Any questions?

Honeymoon Road Trip

2009-06-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

B and I are back from out honeymoon. We planed our trip throughout the first part of the year although it was pretty much on the back burner until the wedding had come and gone. We knew that we needed to make an appearance in Bismarck for an open house for those who weren't able to make it to the wedding in Seattle in March. The rest of the trip fell into place as follows below...

May 16: Depart Seattle, arrive in Missoula, MT (498 miles)
Missoula is a good place to stop after a day on the road from Seattle. We had to settle for a hotel some distance from downtown because it was the University of Montana's commencement weekend. We got to town late in the afternoon and went downtown to do a little shopping. I found a Big Sky Brewery Trout Slayer glass to add to my collection. Missoula used to be a really fun place but I no longer know anyone that lives there so it is now just a pit stop on they way to our next destination.

May 17: Depart Missoula, arrive in Yellowstone NP (221 miles)
We set out from Missoula with a much closer destination than the previous day: Yellowstone National Park. With the shorter drive we decided to take a "scenic" detour through Phillipsburg. Phillipsburg is a tiny town with a couple bars, a coffee shop, a jewelery shop, and a candy store. We stopped for the candy store which was quite impressive. Homemade taffy and fudge, yummy convections, and oddities from around the world were found here of all places. Worth the stop.

We continued up a steep road to a very frozen reservoir west of Anaconda and stopped for a photo.
We continued on toward Bozeman and decided to check out Lewis & Clark Cavern State Park. It turned out to be a very good idea. The tour through the cave was very unique. There were stelagtites, stelagmites, bats, and a lot of darkness. B and I agreed that is was one of the best $10 tours we'd ever been on.We arrived in Yellowstone late in the afternoon. We checked into the Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge and checked out the area which is former military housing turned into a small village. There is a post office, a general store, a restaurant, a lounge, and a gas station. Bison and elk freely roam the village and lounge in the lawns.Adjacent to the village are the hot springs themselves which give off the strong aroma of sulphur. The park has built boardwalks over them so the public can get pretty close to some of the most interesting features without damaging them. Here is a picture of one of the hot spring pools just before sunset. That night about 2 dozen elk slept just outside our lodge window.

May 18: Yellowstone National Park
The next day, we packed the car and drove the grand loop road around the park. It's about 140 miles that gets you to most of the parks most popular attractions. Bison and elk are plentiful throughout the park. We were able to enjoy several impressive waterfalls, geyser basins, bubbling mud pools, grand lodges and, of course, Old Faithful.May 19: Depart Yellowstone NP, arrive in Rapid City, SD (520 miles)
Travel day. We left Yellowstone early that morning knowing full well that the drive ahead of us was going to be long and less than exciting. On the way out of the park we stopped to join a crowd of gawkers to see a black bear frolicking in a meadow. Then came the drive. There's not much to see but tumbleweeds and prairie dogs across most of Wyoming. Early that evening we stopped at Devil's Tower. Quite a sight.We arrived in Rapid City, checked into our hotel, and went downtown to check out South Dakota's first (and perhaps only) brew pub: Firehouse. Good food and good beer. I'll be back.

May 20: Black Hills
One would think that growing up in North Dakota would lead to at least one trip to Mount Rushmore. Wrong. This was the first time for both of us. It was impressive but the visitor center had a lot of great information on the sculptor of the mountain and the workers that made it possible. We also visited Crazy Horse, toured an old gold mine in Keystone, found a great little winery, and investigated Deadwood.May 21: Depart Rapid City, arrive in Bismarck (387 miles)
Just outside of Rapid City lies Ellsworth Air Force Base which is home to a B-1B bomber squadron and missile wing. We took a tour of the base which included the inside of a retired training Minuteman missile silo. Creepy but interesting. They also have an impressive collection of static aircraft including a B-52 and this B-29:The next stop along the way to Bismarck was in the tiny town of Wall, SD which is best known for Wall Drug. We counted 60 signs along I-90 in the 40 miles from Rapid City to Wall. The drugstore made itself famous by offering travelers free ice water and has grown into an oasis of novelties and western wear. And this (whatever it is):We arrived in Bismarck that evening which was our turn-around point. Our honeymoon was already half over.

May 22-25: Bismarck
We spent several days in Bismarck relaxing after being on the road. It was nice. And being B's first time to North Dakota's capital city, I got to show her around a bit. Not much has changed since I left almost 5 years ago. The highlight of our time here was definitely the open house my parents hosted for friends and family who were unable to make it to our wedding in Seattle.

Among the guests of honor were my grandparents and B's dad and step-mother who drove from Seattle over the previous two days. Amazing food and unbeatable company.

May 26: Depart Bismarck, arrive in Great Falls, MT (544 miles)
We left Bismarck early with the long drive ahead of us as motivation. Stopping only for the scenic loop through Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western ND. More bison, prairie dogs, and awesome vistas that never get old.
May 27: Depart Great Falls, arrive at Glacier NP (222 miles)
Some of the most spectacular scenery greeted us as we approached the park. We had a reservation at the Lake McDonald Lodge. An awesome place perched on the shore of the park's biggest lake at the base of staggering peaks.
We took a boat tour of the lake and then kicked back for a while.

May 28: Glacier National Park, Whitefish
One of the activities we were hoping to experience on this trip was a horseback ride. We found a ranch that provided guided tours of the area just outside of the park entrance. Despite the mosquitoes and sore bums, we enjoyed it.
Later that afternoon we got on one of the famous Red Bus tours of the park. Unfortunately the Going To The Sun Road was still snowed over so we took a tour of the parks lowlands and saw up close the aftermath of the fires in 2003.
That evening we took a drive into Whitefish to visit Josh. I hadn't seen him in years so it was great to introduce him to B and hang out for a few hours. At the end of the night, he showed us the fire spinning he had been practicing. Very cool.
May 29: Depart Glacier NP, arrive at Seattle (583 miles)
The final leg of our journey; a long day's drive. We got home early in the evening with some amazing memories. What a great way to begin foREver...

3630 miles traveled
6 states
3 national parks
2 national monuments
1 state park
0 speeding tickets
and (only) 3 dumbass drivers

I'm not scared of the swine flu

2009-04-29T22:14:00.001-07:00

Should I be? Why?

Cute Little Guy

2009-04-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

So B and I decided to pick up one of these neat little netbooks to use as an ultra-portible computer. We've had it for almost a week and so far it's great! It has all of the computing power needed to surf the internet and do some word processing and it's only 3 pounds. It has bluetooth, a 160GB hard drive, and over 9 hour battery life. It'll be awesome for our upcoming honeymoon road-trip. It's cute too!

Byron Saw It Coming

2009-04-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Poor kitty

2009-03-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

So I took my cat Tesla to the vet today. I made an appointment when I noticed that one of his teeth was falling out and his gums didn't look very healthy. He also hasn't had a check-up since he was less than a year old. So it was about time.

First of all, they couldn't even do an examination without first sedating him. This clinic treats ferel cats and even they aren't as menacing as Tesla (good boy!). Once he was more manageable, the vet was able to check him out and found that he has severe gum disease and that he's probably in quite a bit of pain. She recommended that I have most of his remaining teeth extracted so that the infections in the gums can be treated. So tonight he is spending his first night away from home and will be having surgery in the morning.

Other than the gum disease, the vet said he is very healthy and strong. She also said that by eliminating the pain in his mouth, he will probably be much friendlier. Let's hope! Poor kitty...

It's about damn time

2009-03-04T21:45:00.001-08:00

Everything is amazing, nobody is happy...

2009-03-03T17:26:00.001-08:00

This has been circulating the internets lately but it's worth posting again:

Sometimes the obvious just needs to be said.

Canadian supergroup???

2009-02-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

I got this from a friend...

So back in December of 1984, in response to the terrible drought in Ethiopia, a supergroup of British musicians were brought together to record a fund raising song for Africa. The end result is "Do They Know It's Christmas", a touching song jam packed with top stars:

Not to be outdone, US musicians were mobilized the very next month to sing a similar song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The end result is "We Are the World", a touching song jam packed with top stars:

And just one month later, Canada decides they want to pretend they are a real country as well, and they get their top "stars" together to record a similar relief song. The end result is "Tears are Not Enough", a touching song jam packed with, well, um, actually, aside from Bryan Adams (who co-wrote the song), I can't actually recognize a single Canadian "star". In fact, most of these performers look so ridiculous that I have trouble believing they are pop royalty, and am in fact still trying to convince myself that this isn't some elaborate Canadian parody of the previous two songs. If you look closely, you can see actors John Candy and Eugene Levy among the "stars", further fueling my suspicions. I mean, the US and Britain send Africa our greatest musical talents, while the best Canada can muster seems to be Bryan Adams gargling gravel and Wayne Gretzky leading a singing all-star Hockey team.

Human Behaviour

2009-01-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder if Bjork is Iclandic for "wierdo".

So do you prefer bottled water?

2009-01-27T20:06:00.001-08:00

I'm Canadian!

2009-01-21T21:53:00.001-08:00

How selfish!

2009-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Child Bankrupts Make-A-Wish Foundation With Wish For Unlimited Wishes

WANTED: New workout music

2009-01-11T20:15:00.001-08:00

Okay, it's time to change up my workout playlist on my iPod and I need help. What music gets you motivated to burn calories and pump iron? Here are a few that will stay on my playlist to give you an idea what works for me:

She and Mrs. Jones - Lords of Acid
Freedom Fighters - The Music
100 Miles and Runnin' - NWA (don't laugh)
Breathe - Prodigy
Tire Me - Rage Against the Machine
Vicarious - TOOL
Rock is Dead - Marilyn Manson
Mommy's Little Monster - Social Distortion

Any and all suggestions will be considered. Thanks!

Questioning my heritage

2008-12-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

The other day I was out taking care of some random errands and I came across someone familiar with my last name. I used my debit card to pay for something and the cashier swiping it said that her grandpa's last name is the same as mine. This struck me as a bit odd for a couple reasons. First, it's not a common last name. Second, it is even more rare in the part of the country which is over a thousand miles from where my family settled when they came to the US from Norway. Third, she obviously did not have any Norwegian heritage. I asked where her grandpa came from and she said Cambodia. Hmmm. I wonder if I'm not of Scandanavian decent at all. Maybe our family really came from southeast Asia. What do you think?

Seattle has an MLS team!

2008-12-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

And the Sounders FC will be kicking off the 2009 MLS season on March 19 at Qwest Field against the New York Red Bulls! This is 2 days before me and Rebecca's wedding. I doubt I'll be able to go with all of my family in town and last minute preparations to take care of but maybe some of my friends who are into that kind of thing will consider going. It should be awesome!

Awesome/Not Awesome

2008-11-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

Awesome: Holiday weekends. Sleeping in. Spending time with good friends and family.

Not Awesome: Waking in the middle of the night to the sound of your cat heaving and puking right next to your head.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Fluids Lab

2008-11-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

Every now and then a few of us at work like to meet at a local watering hole for drinks and maybe dinner. We call it "Fluids Lab". Yeah, it's a dorky name for having a few beers but, not at all ironically, we're all engineers. Anyway, tonight we decided to call a lab session and it was worth blogging about. Picture 4 guys, me being the youngest by at least 15 years, all crowded around a Foosball table, while the IPAs are sliding. I must say, even though I haven't played serious Foosball since college days, these guys were pretty good. One of the guys on Team Washington was bragging that he beat the best WSU has to offer last weekend while he was visiting his son. Whatever. Team Dakota (my partner was also an NDSU grad) defeated team Washington three straight games. It wasn't really even close. But the best part of the evening was that we didn't even drink the beer from the bar we were in. One of the guys (the fellow NoDaker) brews his own beer and he brought a backpack full of it. We kept going from the Foosball table back to our normal table and discretely poured his brews into the bar's glasses under the table and drank that instead. It was actually really good stuff. Apparently he's been brewing his own for decades. But it was so bazaar. I almost felt like I was underage and sneaking beer from someone. I think I'll be looking forward to the next Fluids Lab.

Part of something

2008-11-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today is election day 2008 and Barack Obama has just become the President-elect. I feel like I am part of something big, kind of like a kid looking into the heavens on a crystal-clear night sky. Examining the headlines around the world, I sense the world is about to undertake a sea change the likes have not been witnessed since the founding of our nation over 200 years ago. It will be more than can possibly be achieved by any one man but one man will be the catalyst that drives the people of the world to reassess where we are and where we are going. Combining self-responsibility with fresh opportunity I anticipate the beginning of a level of prosperity not witnessed in generations if ever.

This must be how the people of the Republic felt after the Emperor was deposed in The Return of the Jedi.

Actually this was filmed by a friend in downtown Seattle and it looks exactly like a couple of those scenes. Wow.

Of course, I could be drinking the proverbial kool-ade or just be completely wrong. Time will tell...

Election Day 2008

2008-11-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

Since tomorrow is election day, I thought I'd throw out a few of the things to watch:

Obama should easily win all states John Kerry won in 2004. If any go to McCain, it could make for a much more interesting election.
If any two of the following states go to Obama, he'll win: Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado, or Nevada. He'll also win if he gets either Ohio or Florida and none of the others. W won all of these states in 2004.
Keep a close eye on Georgia. In 2004, about 3.3 million people voted and so far this year, just under 2 million have voted early. Throw in the fact that the presidential race is a statistical tie in that state and you've got a recipe for a surprise.
If Mitch McConnell (Kentucky Senator) loses his reelection bid, Democrats have a good chance of gaining enough seats in the Senate to break a filibuster.
Assuming Dems win the White House and Congressional seats convincingly, and almost all signs indicate that is very likely, they will bear a huge responsibility to prove they are capable of leading this nation back to prosperity. If they don't, I predict you'll see a god-awful swing back to the right in 2 years.

Slow News Day

2008-11-02T20:35:00.001-08:00

Here are a few police capsules from the Mukilteo Beacon newspaper. This is totally real, honest.

Animal Complaint
A caller reported seeing a cougar near the west entrance to Court Yard Apartments. Officers searched the area, but no cougar was located. An officer contacted the caller who pointed out an object in the parking lot which was determined to be a traffic cone.

Civil Problem
Responding to a report of an assault at the AM-PM, officers learned that a customer had felt "disrespected" by an employee over an incident with a garbage can. No police action was taken.

Suspicious
A caller reported that one of his tires was about 10 PSI below recommended pressure. There was no damage to the tire.

...he wanted to share his key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere...

2008-10-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I find myself in a heavy Peal Jam phase. Tonight has been one of those times...

Society (Vedder solo)

Given To Fly

...And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly...

Wishlist

...I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me...

I Am Mine

...And the feeling, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide...
We're safe tonight.

Hard Sun (Vedder solo)

That's enough for now. 'Night...

Can I get your vote?

2008-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

I'd appreciate your support!

True

2008-10-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

Remember this commercial?

Here's the same cast doing the same commercial but for 2008...

Socialist?

2008-10-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

First they called him inexperienced and that didn't work.
Then they called him dangerous and that didn't work.
After that they called him a terrorist and that didn't work.
Now they're calling him a socialist.

Sorry. That won't work either.

Why Obama?

2008-10-20T07:26:00.001-07:00

Get off your keister and make a decision!

2008-10-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

I got this from a friend's blog. It's too good not to pass along...

Mashed!

2008-10-18T21:49:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder what Alice in Chains and Fergie would sound like together? How about The Police and Snow Patrol? Led Zeppelin and Snoop Dogg or Amy Winehouse and the Four Tops? Well I do. And apparently Party Ben does too. Check it out, he's created tons of mashed songs and they actually sound pretty good together (usually). Here's a sample...

Green Day, Oasis, Travis with a dash of Aerosmith and Eminem....

Obama v. McCain or Batman v. Penguin?

2008-10-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Penguin - Mccain
Dark Knight - Obama
Boy Wonder - Joe Biden (he's scrappy!)
Catwoman - Palin
Penguin supporter in prison - Jack Abramoff

Racism

2008-10-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

How Racism Works:

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire with America facing historic debt, two wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

Educational Background:

OBAMA

Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations

Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

BIDEN

University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

MCCAIN

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

PALIN

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire?

Grab a shovel...

2008-10-07T21:12:00.001-07:00

...because unless something changes in the next 28 days, it's gonna be a landslide!

This data is prior to tonight's debate:

This graph shows the current electoral count when all states are included. (click for larger view)

This graph shows the current electoral count of only states where the lead is 5% or greater. Obama has the electoral votes needed to win (270).

And the initial reaction to the debate is that Obama won it handily so the his margin should increase.

Other good info can be found on fivethirtyeight.com where some heavy-duty statistical analysis is going on every day. Obama has just under a 90% chance to win the election.

McCain and Iraq

2008-09-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

I previously posted some information on McCain's economic plan. Now let's look at his track record regarding Iraq...

You may hear in response that he advocated the "surge" of American troops that was extremely successful in quelling the violence. Not so fast. By the time the surge strategy was executed, much of the violence had already ceased or was in decline. The reason? The Sunni Awakening. This was a truce proposal initiated by the Sunni leadership in 2004 and turned down by Bush. Two years later, with violence at an all-time high, the US came back to the bargaining table and accepted the deal against the wishes of the Shia-led Iraqi government. Basically the Sunnis agreed to fight Al-Qaeda instead of the Americans but refused to extend the truce to the Shia.

In addition, research of satellite images from this time period show that many Sunnis had relocated away from ethnically-mixed neighborhoods of Baghdad. Naturally violence declined.

So McCain's troop surge, that he's so proud of nowadays, was not a significant factor in the drop off of violence. Try again John...

Wooing the No Values Vote

2008-09-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

McCain's Economic Plan

2008-09-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

I actually think this would work...

Magnum PI

2008-09-26T17:44:00.001-07:00

And here's why Magnum PI went off the air...

Fiscal Conservatives?

2008-09-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, right.

My world has turned upside-down

2008-09-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken acknowledges he's gay

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken has acknowledged he is gay, confirming in an interview with People magazine what most of his fans have suspected for years.

Aiken, 29, a born-again Christian who forged a successful career after being named runner-up in the 2003 "American Idol" television talent show, said he decided to come out after becoming a father in August.

"It was the first decision I made as a father," Aiken told People magazine in an interview for its Friday edition.

"I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

Aiken has dodged questions about his sexuality for years, usually replying that it was his own business.

He told People he came out to his mother four years ago, and said he hoped his fans, dubbed the Claymates, would not desert him. "I've never intended to lie to anybody at all. ... But if they leave, I don't want them to leave hating me."

Aiken has been one of the more successful "American Idol" contestants, releasing solo albums and currently appearing on Broadway in the spoof musical "Monty Python's Spamalot."

In August, Aiken fathered a baby through in-vitro fertilization with his friend, music producer Jaymes Foster. Foster gave birth to a boy Parker on August 8.

The gay community congratulated Aiken on going public. Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said, "As we're seeing, more and more gay people, including celebrities, are living openly and honestly, and this has tremendous impact in terms of creating awareness, understanding and acceptance."

The news came as little surprise to those in the music business. "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell said, "If he said it, it's the right thing for him. Good for him. I don't think anyone cares. Let's face it. It's 2008."

Foresight

2008-09-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

With all of the recent financial meltdowns occupying the headlines, I thought I'd see where the two presidential candidates are on the subject:

A decade ago McCain tried to pass a moratorium on all federal regulations. He was unsuccessful.

McCain's current financial adviser and drafter of his current economic policy, Phil Graham, authored the Commodity Futures Modernization Act in 2000 kept derivatives and high-end investments off limits to regulators. That helped to induce this current crisis.

McCain hasn't cited a single specific way to fix the current crisis and, according to him, we haven't yet figured out what went wrong.

Barack Obama unveiled a 6-point plan during the Democratic primaries that would regulate investment banks similar to commercial banks.

In February of 2006, Obama introduced legislation to stop mortgage transactions that promoted fraud, risk, or abuse. A year later he warned the US Treasury and US Federal Reserve Chairman about the risks of mounting foreclosures. He urged them to bring together all of the stakeholders to find solutions to the subprime mortgage meltdown. McCain did nothing.

Last September, at NASDAQ, Obama warned there was a growing loss of trust in the capital markets. Months later, McCain told the newspapers that he would love to give a solution to the mortgage crisis but instead said, "I don't know of one."

In January Obama outlined a plan to help revive the faltering economy which formed the basis for a bi-partisan stimulus package that passed the Congress. McCain used the crisis as an excuse to push his stimulus plan that offered another huge and permanent corporate tax cut including $4 billion for the big oil companies but no immediate help for workers.

This March, in the wake of the Bear Sterns bailout, Obama called for new, 21st century regulatory framework to restore accountability, transparency, and trust in our financial markets. A few weeks earlier, McCain said "I'm always for less regulation." And then referred to himself as "fundamentally a deregulator".

Fast-forward to today and you see what happens when you confuse the free market with a free license for special interests to take whatever they can get however they can get it. As someone who is about to get married, buy a house, and would like to have a reasonable amount of trust in the financial infrastructure, I just can't stomach the thought of the ideas McCain advocates becoming policy. Obtaining a mortgage is getting progressively more difficult and retirement savings are taking it in the shorts.

For the sake of everyone making less than 7-figures, please vote Obama.

Diamonds

2008-09-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

We're going to 2 Neil Diamond concerts within the next week. I wonder if our experience will be anything like Sean's.

My car smells like popcorn

2008-09-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

And I don't mind but it did surprise me when I went to work this morning. On Saturday night, B and I decided to go to the last drive-in movie showing for the season. It was a triple feature: Wall-E, Ironman, and Hancock. The only movie either of us really wanted to see was Hancock but we went for all three. It was a 5 or 6 hour movie marathon. It was well after 1am when we left for home with sore backs from sitting/lying in the back of my SUV. Unfortunately, none of the movies were very good IMO. I think next year I'm going to stick to just 1 double feature.

The Fox is Wrong

2008-09-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

Does this sound crazy to you?

2008-09-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

With the huge debate over oil drilling the past few months, I've heard several references to "dead dinosaurs" as the origins of the world's oil. Do people really believe this? Were some taught that in school? How disgraceful....

Good times!

2008-09-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

So what do you think? Are these good wedding reception activities?

...what he said!

2008-09-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

In the bag...

2008-09-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going out on a limb and call the 2008 Presidential Election a full 2 months ahead of election day. Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States of America.

Take a look at this graph of electoral votes (click for larger view):
When you look at all states, Obama leads 298 to 227 (270 needed to win) with 13 votes unassigned from currently tied states.

But the most telling data is shown in this graph:
This shows the electoral vote totals of the states that are solidly one way or the other (greater than or equal to a 5% lead). Obama/Biden solidly have 260 electoral votes. McCain/Caribou Barbie have 175. There's no way they eat into that many electoral votes to close the gap. Another tidbit: Obama has a slight lead in North Dakota. ND hasn't voted for a Demotratic presidential nominee since 1964. He may not win but the fact that he is competitive tells the story. Game. Set. Match.

Washington kicks ass

2008-09-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

The exact opposite of Phoenix. Here's proof:

Mt. Rainier & wild flowers

Snoqualmie River

Port Townshend Lighthouse

San Juan Islands

Seattle

Politics

2008-09-01T21:14:00.001-07:00

With all of the "below-the-belt" attacks, this election cycle is getting disgusting. I thought with Karl Rove (aka supreme douchebag of the universe) out of the picture, things might get better but no. What is more surprising is that most of the attacks aren't coming from either campaign, instead they're coming from the pundits and media.

Situations like the Biden sons and the Palin daughter; the Obama church over-reaction or the McCain housing snafu. This truly reinforces my belief that many, many people simply vote for party, not for politician. We vote for the platform we want to see, and put on rose colored glasses to look at those we elect to implement them. Both sides exploit petty, unimportant issues because they simply want to win. No one is above it.

I think people would be a lot happier if they just admitted "Sure, the Republican is a cannibal who eats the heads of babies, but he's gonna lower taxes and drill offshore!" Or, "I know the Democrat fathered an entire starting baseball team with nine different Thai prostitutes, but he's gonna protect jobs here at home!" Just admit you're voting strictly on the issues; that the other sides guys aren't supervillians and your guys aren't superheroes.

Limbaugh and Moore would be out of jobs.

...just my 2¢

Visit Phoenix....if you dare

2008-08-29T04:22:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's 3:30am and I just got back from Phoenix. The return trip was by far the worst experience I've ever had while traveling. Here's a recap:

I boarded my flight, which was on time for an 8:03 take-off, at about 7:30. As the plane was pushed back from the gate and turned, I was able to see a line of thunderstorms off in the distance but didn't think too much of it since I've flown into and out of storms several times. The plane taxied slowly to get in line to take off. I suppose there were several planes in front of us which turned out to be exactly the case. After about 20 minutes of just creeping and idling, the captain came on the com and said that the controllers re-routed the traffic to this one run way because of the storms in the area. We were about 15th in line to depart. After another 20 minutes of waiting (not moving a foot mind you) the captain came on the com again and said that we had to go back to the gate because while we were waiting to take off, we burned up all of the fuel reserve planned for the flight. Great.

We waited another 10 minutes before we were even able to get out of line and taxi back to the gate. We get to the gate and I see the ground crew pull out the fuel line and begin fueling. I'm thinking that we will be on the way soon. Good. I'm anxious to get home. Phoenix wasn't a very pleasant place.

About the same time the fueling is complete, the storm hits the airport. It rained about as hard as any rain I've personally been in. The wind rocked the plane from side to side almost as if we were in flight. I was pretty glad we were on the ground at that moment. Then I see the power go out in the airport terminal outside my window. Lightning is flashing continuously, it sounds like hail is beating on the plane, and after a few minutes, the captain says that the tower clocked 86 mph wind gusts. Ok, fine. I know these storms usually last 15 or 20 minutes and then we'll be on our way. Wrong. Since there was so much lightning, the ground crew had gone into their bunker or something and there was no one around to push the plane out of the gate. Grrr. Also because of the lightning and power outage, the jetway was not available so we were trapped on the plane. It had been about 2 hours by the time the ground crew came out of hiding and got us going. Now we get back into line to take off, this time the captain says we are 5th. Finally.

Not so fast, we waited some more and then the captain said that the airport personnel needed to sweep the runway because the storm had blown a bunch of debris onto it. What debris are in Phoenix other than cacti and dirt? Another 20 minutes and the captain said there was a narrow window to get out between the storm cells and, after the few planes in front of us, we finally take off. I later found out that the airport shut down after we took off. Wow. Only 3 hours behind schedule PLUS the plane had to go a ways south and west to avoid the storms. So that added to our plight-, I mean flight-, time. It was after 11 and we still had almost 3 hours in the air. The flight was pretty smooth after we got out of the Phoenix area. The crew didn't charge for beverages as they had on the way to Phoenix, I believe, in fear of a revolt and the threat of blood shed.

The icing on the cake, or cherry on top was this: as we were descending into Seattle, someone lost their cookies. So we enjoyed the wonderful smell of vomit the last 15 or 20 minutes of this extraordinarily awful flight. I will never fly US Airways again and it will take a big turnaround for me to ever think positively of Phoenix. Beware....

Valley of the Sun

2008-08-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

I'm in Phoenix this week for work. Here are the things I have learned the first day of my visit:

There are monsoons here this time of year.
It's hot.
It's humid.
There is no grass in people's yards, they have gravel instead (gotta be tough on lawn mowers).
People find rattlesnakes, scorpions, tarantulas, black widows, gilla monsters, road runners, mountain lions, coyotes, and javelinas in their neighborhoods.
It's hot.
It rained here more in the last 24 hours than it has all summer in Seattle.
It's humid.
There is nothing to do downtown.
It's the flattest place I've ever been (remember, I lived in Fargo).
Everyone has a swimming pool.
Air conditioning keeps the city from melting.
Dust storms are not pleasant.
It's hot even when it's raining.
Every summer the locals vow to make it their last and move away. The population is aging.
Sharriff Joe is an a$$.
You do not want to mess with Arizona DUI laws, take your chances in Utah.
I now know what a javelina is and they don't taste very good.
It's hot.
I love the northwest.

Tragedy

2008-08-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist dies, spokeswoman says

(CNN) -- LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday from complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident, the band's publicist said.

LeRoi Moore, a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday.

Moore, 47, died "unexpectedly" at a hospital, publicist Ambrosia Healy said in a statement.

Moore was taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and had been rehabilitating at his L.A. home after the June 30 accident at his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Dave Matthews Band was formed in Charlottesville in 1991 by Matthews, drummer Carter Beauford and Moore, an established saxophonist in the local music scene.

Their first album, "Remember Two Things," was released in 1993 and featured what would become the band's trademark mixture of jazz, rock and world-music stylings.

"Jazz is probably my main influence, but at this stage I don't really consider myself a jazz musician," Moore is quoted as saying on the band's Web site. "I have plenty of space to improvise, to try new ideas."

The band's follow-up record, "Under the Table and Dreaming," has been certified quadruple-platinum, selling over 4 million copies.

The group went ahead with a scheduled show Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Jeff Coffin, saxophonist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, has been sitting in for Moore since Moore's accident.

Matthews announced the death of the band's "dear friend" to the crowd.

Concertgoer Christian Tomas of Anaheim, California, said by telephone from the Staples Center that word of the death had spread through the crowd before the show.

"All of us are just really sad and down about it," said Tomas, a longtime fan. "But if Dave and the band decided to go on with the show, that means they know it was the right thing to do and Leroi would have wanted it."

Frodo, Don't Wear The Ring

2008-08-16T00:14:00.001-07:00

Hope

2008-08-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

This song really inspires a sense of hope for the future within me so I'd like to share...

When is the new OLP album going to come out?

Upcoming Horror Movies...

2008-08-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Check out these trailers.

Sleepless in Seattle

Seinfeld

My superhero powers...

2008-08-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

...are almost complete.

What it means to be Ultimate P

2008-07-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well it's been almost 4 years since I moved to the west coast from the "sticks". And I thought it might be a good time to let new friends, as well as old, in on what it means to have an Ultimate P experience. For instance, when I was in high school, I left to go to Woodstock in NY without telling anyone but my closest friends. Foolish yes, but that was an Ultimate P experience. More recently, I have been volunteering my time as a Big Brother. Very fun. Very rewarding. Very Ultimate P. Last year I had my last baby tooth removed and an implant "installed". Not at all fun but still Ultimate P. When Josh and I hit the road for a 2 week trek across the country in 1998 to visit Seattle for the first time, go hiking, and see 2 Pearl Jam concerts - Ultimate P. For almost the last year, R and I have been taking swing dance lessons. Again, Ultimate P. And today I had another Ultimate P experience; R took me to get my first manicure and pedicure. It was amazing. It started out by sitting in a heavenly massage chair as a warm foot bath lulled me into a relaxing stupor. When the pedicurist arrived I was really into it. She did her thing which felt very good and even gave me a happy ending... a nice foot and lower leg massage. My little piggies were in heaven. Very nice. Next her attention turned to my hands. She filed, trimmed, and massaged. When she finished my nails and cuticles were perfect, my hands and feet were soft and clean. I'm sure I'll be back. You just can't be enough Ultimate P.

On the home stretch to vacation

2008-07-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

R and I are less than a week from our long-awaited vacation. We're going to spend 10 days in Minnesota visiting friends and family and relaxing. It can't get here soon enough!

Here is our itinerary:

July 26-28: Mischief in Minneapolis
July 29-31: Beaching it in Brainerd
Aug 1: Frolicking in Fargo
Aug 2-3: Getting a good dose of Bad Medicine
Aug 4: Heading for home

To the Fargo clan: Clear your schedules! We'll only be there for about 24 hours so I hope to see you frolicking with us!

Tucker Max

2008-07-18T22:32:00.001-07:00

Ok, there is no way I could be friends with this guy but I read his book and couldn't believe some of the things he's done. Many of the stories are on his website. WARNING: Adults only...

Me? A Professional?!?!?

2008-07-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

So I did some homework and it turns out that I am eligible to apply for a Professional Engineer's (PE) license. Here are the requirements:

1. Graduate from an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited engineering program

Check - NDSU's Electrical Engineering program is accredited. Graduated 2002.

2. Obtain an Engineer-In-Training certificate

Check - Took the test and passed it in June, 2002

3. Build 4 years of experience under the supervision of another PE

I am approaching my 4-year anniversary at Boeing. While I haven't been under the "direct supervision" of a PE, Washington has an industrial exemption that will allow me to reference anyone in the company. I can find someone without too much effort.

4. Pass the PE exam

This is the only requirement I still need to satisfy. It's a day-long exam, offered twice a year. The exam is divided into 2, 40 question, 4-hour parts. The "breadth" section is a high-level exam on general aspects of engineering. There are 3 different "depth" exams where I choose which one to take: Computer; Electronics, Controls, and Communications; or Power. I'm leaning toward the Power exam since I would like to (someday) be self-employed with an off-the-grid power systems consulting business. The next exam is in October followed by one in April. This October seems a bit soon since I'll have to sign up for a 6-week review class at the University of Washington and study some myself. Next April would work but I am getting married in March so that might be a slight distraction. So I am planning to take the exam next October. It turns out that Boeing will pay for the cost of the review class and the exam fee. I think they'll reimburse me for the study material too. Can't beat that!

Or maybe I should just forget that plan and go back to school for an MBA...yeah, right!

Pledge of Allegiance: Advertising ploy?

2008-07-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

Independence Day – a perfect time for some independent thinking. On this all-American day of apple pie, parades and fireworks, what better time to question why we pledge “allegiance” to a flag?

We say the Pledge of Allegiance a lot, mechanically mouthing the words without truly understanding them or their history. Are we deluding ourselves into believing this somehow renders us more patriotic?

At the risk of sounding like Cliff from “Cheers,” here are some little-known facts, Normie.

Conservatives are up in arms about presidential candidates wearing flag pins. I’ll bet precious few of them, however, are aware that the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a left-winger, a socialist even, and that corporate profits were the sole motivating factor behind it.

Francis Bellamy penned the Pledge in 1892. Bellamy was a Baptist minister, a Christian socialist and an extreme nationalist whose sermons (“Jesus the Socialist,” for one) eventually got him booted from the church.

He then landed a job with Youth’s Companion, a magazine that also happened to be in the business of selling American flags. The magazine’s owners decided they needed to boost flag sales. They came up with a marketing gimmick.

They engineered a deal with the National Education Association to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the New World. By agreement, all the schools in the country were to have flag ceremonies, and naturally they would all need to have flags.

To cement the deal, they had Bellamy write the following pledge that youngsters all over the country would be required to say:

“I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

“One nation indivisible” was a phrase Bellamy used to drive home the fact that states had no inherent right of secession. The Civil War was still fresh on the minds of Americans, and the Northerners wanted to be sure the Southerners understood the new rules.

Socialist that he was, Francis had wanted to include “equality for all” in his Pledge, but he knew the states’ superintendents of education – who generally did not support equality for women or for African-Americans – would object.

That could hurt flag sales (the Pledge was, after all, just an advertising ploy meant to peddle more flags), and so he dropped the idea.

The last change to the Pledge came in 1954. In response to the “Red Scare” of the McCarthy era, the words “under God” were added, supposedly to show that we rejected the godless precepts of Communism. Otherwise patriotic atheists and agnostics were not consulted.

Sadly, the Pledge of Allegiance was but an ad campaign created to bolster a corporation’s bottom line. Perhaps worse, it was worded to be politically expedient rather than politically correct.

We’re about the only nation to “pledge allegiance” to a flag, and we do it without even understanding why we do so. Perhaps it’s time to consider retiring this anachronistic practice, or at least finding a meaningful replacement.

Paul Howey is the author and can be reached at pmhowey@gmail.com

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T00:21:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday America!

Hair

2008-07-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

I brushed my cat, Tesla, tonight....

Does anyone know if there is a market for cat hair?

If you are selling your house, get a Realtor....

2008-07-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

just not this Realtor:

Electoral Snapshot

2008-07-02T22:10:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting snapshot of the 2008 Electoral Map. Right now, Obama wins the White House by a count of 317 electoral votes to McCain's 221. Even more interesting is that right now, the Donks pick up 6 states relative to 2004 and the Conks pick up none. Notice how many states are decisively breaking for Obama and their margins. The Senate races also show a shift. The Donks picking up 4 seats and the Conks get none. Hmmm.....

Poo-poo on the Sonics

2008-07-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

The Sonics are gone to Oklahoma City pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by their former owner. He aledges that the current owners negotiated in bad faith by not seriously pursuing an arena upgrade deal. It's a long shot.

Poo on the Sonics is what I say!

Mmmm.....Meaty!

2008-06-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

George Carlin: A Genius

2008-06-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

George Carlin passed away today. He was 71.

George Carlin was one of the greatest comedians ever. His views of the world will be missed.

“I don’t have any beliefs or allegiances. I don’t believe in this country, I don’t believe in religion, or a god, and I don’t believe in all these man-made institutional ideas,” -- George Carlin

Here is a clip of one of his bits. It ties in nicely with my blog post from the other day.

787: Episode 5

2008-06-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

This week we met a major milestone in the 787 program: the airplane's systems were fully powered on. Next, flight tests. Stay tuned.

BS: Creationism

2008-06-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I saw a documentary called Jesus Camp which is about a fundamentalist Christian group (aka cult) that has an annual summer camp in Devils Lake, ND. It was a chilling depiction of the overt indoctrination of America's youth to become holy warriors with the ultimate goal of taking America back for the fundamentalist right and prevailing in a conflict against the religious zealots of other faiths and atheists. It was absolutely crazy. Young kids were literally convulsing with tears and screams as the power of Jesus flowed through them. I was shocked that some parents are so willing to give away their kids' minds so easily. If they gave their kids a lifelong supply of methamphetamine, you might not notice the difference. Here is the trailer:

So if you want a good scare, check it out. You might need to look in the horror section of your video rental store to find it.

So in response, here is an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! where the topic is creationism. I highly recommend P&T and look forward to your feedback.

Sheep!

2008-06-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

C'mon people! This is embarrassing.

Camping recap

2008-06-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Deception Pass: Thumbs way up

Cold beer: Thumbs up

Sunburn: Thumbs down (damn sun!)

Ambient lighting of the campsite: Thumbs up

Batter Blaster: Thumbs up

Aerobie: Thumbs up

Throwing rocks at rocks: Thumbs up

Champagne in camping flutes: Thumbs up

Car horn blaring early in the morning: Thumbs down, way down

Darn-goods: Thumbs up

Sitting on the beach: Thumbs up

Walking to the comfort station: Thumbs down

Trader Joe's S'mores: Thumbs up

Camp potatoes: Thumbs up

No bugs: Thumbs up

No rain: Thumbs up

Playing catch with b: Thumbs up

Pie-iron pizzas: Thumbs up

Final score
Thumbs up: 15
Thumbs down: 3

Yup, it was a good weekend.

Deception Pass

2008-06-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Well I'm going camping this weekend. b, myself, and rachelle are going to Deception Pass State Park for a couple nights. I can't wait! Here are a couple pictures of the area I took when I was up there last year with Andy.
Have a good weekend all!

Seattle Works

2008-06-08T20:12:00.002-07:00

Saturday b and I spent the afternoon participating in the annual Seattle Works volunteer project. It's an organization that gathers local business sponsors to fund a multitude of community improvement activities; both Boeing and Microsoft are large contributors. We were on a small team that worked with the Seattle Park Service to remove intrusive, non-native plants from a greenbelt in a public park.

While I really like to snack on the black berries, the bushes that they grow on are not native to the area and can quickly overgrow the native plants and trees. The Himalayan Black Berry bush is viewed as a menace to local parks and greenbelts. The other plants we focused on removing were ivy and holly. Ivy has a tendency to creep across the ground and climb trees. If growth is left unchecked, the ivy will kill fully grown trees and consume any other ground cover.

All volunteers were invited to a packed after party at the Seattle Center. There was 2 or 3 bands, free food, and free beer. And I don't mean free lite beer, it was 2 varieties of Pyramid brews. That was very cool. Anyway, it was 3 hours of hard work but it felt great to take part in the event. I'll be doing it again next year to do my part to keep Seattle a great city.

787: Episode 4

2008-06-08T20:12:00.001-07:00

Amazing Grace

2008-06-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Political history has been made. Barack Obama has a very good chance to be elected President of the United States of America. Although it is historic in the same sense that Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks are historic figures, I am not referring to ethnicity. Barack Obama's campaign for President is historic because he does not acccept donations from lobbyists or Political Action Committees (PACs). Since their existence, lobbyists and PACs have had free reign on our politicians. Lobbyists have been writing national policy for years. That ends with Barack Obama. I think accepting lobbyist and PAC funding for political campaigns is the single largest threat to our democracy. And now that he is the Democratic (presumptive) nominee, the DNC will no longer accept lobbyist or PAC donations. I am very proud of Obama's willingness to put an end to this form of corruption. His vision takes the country from corporations and returns it to the people. But that isn't the only reason I believe Obama will make a great President...perhaps the greatest in modern times. Here are other reasons that come to mind:

1. He plans to implement an internet-based tool that will allow anyone to easily see where federal money is going. It will track the recipients of grants, loans, contracts, and earmarks. The database will disclose how much federal contractors spend on federal lobbying, what contract they are getting, and how well they complete them. Any contract over $25,000 cannot be awarded unless it is bid upon by more than one contractor.

2. He advocates transparency. All policy-making decisions between the people outside of government and the White House will be made public. Appointees who lead Executive branch departments and rule making agencies will conduct its significant business in public. Any citizen will be able to attend in person or watch on the internet.

3. Health care coverage similar to the plan available to members of Congress, FEHBP, will be made available to non insured citizens.

4. Obama is an advocate of Fair Trade policies. His policies will open foreign markets that support good American jobs. He will implement trade agreements that spread good labor and environmental standards around the world. He will continue to oppose agreements like CAFTA and will pressure the WTO to enforce fair trade agreements.

5. He has a comprehensive energy independence and climate change plan. He will boost renewable energy standards that put America on the path to generating 25% of its energy needs through renewable methods by 2025. This plan will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

6. Obama will raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation. It's completely ludicrous that the minimum wage only increased from $5.15 in 1997 to $5.85 in 2007. $5.15 in 1997 was worth anywhere from $6.85 to $8.58 in 2007 depending on the inflation indicator used. That's shameful.

7. Barack Obama is committed to protect Social Security and is opposed to increasing the federal retirement age. He will encourage employers to set up IRAs for their employees to invest in for retirement if they choose.

8. Obama advocates a tax credit for tuition to community colleges which will make them completely free and will pay for up to 2/3 of tuition at a 4-year university. No Child Left Behind is leaving too many children behind (no one can do math anymore). It will be reformed. Math and science education will be a national priority, as it should be.

9. Any federal budget increases will need to be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget. Income taxes will be increased on incomes over $250,000. Tax haven abuse will come to an end.

10. Obama will protect the family farms by implementing programs that provide stability and predictability. He will close loopholes that benefit large corporate farms. He will promote organic and regional food systems as well as country-of-origin labeling.

11. Obama will fight for pay equality for women and protect their right to choose.

12. Barack Obama will bring military forces in Iraq home as soon as possible. He recognizes that the Iraq debacle has made America less secure and is committed to restoring America's image around the world. He will use diplomacy as a tool to attain this goal.

And I could go on. If Barack Obama makes true on half of the items on his plan, the next 4 or 8 years will go down in history as one of the most productive administrations this country has ever had. We are on the precipice of a defining moment in history. Take notice.

For My Friends

2008-05-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to the new Blind Melon album a lot lately. It came out last month and it's their first studio album in 13 years (since the tragic death of Shannon Hoon). It's actually a really good record. Travis Warren, their new lead singer, has a voice eerily similar to Shannon's. The first half of the album is superb and the second half is better than most of Soup. The band is just as good as it always was. Combine that with Travis's voice and it's almost as if it's the same band I enjoyed in 1993. The biggest difference, IMO, is the lyrics. Not that they're bad or lacking; it's just that Shannon Hoon's talent for writing lyrics was unmatched. He had a certain way of blending words that seem to strike deep emotional chords like no other lyricist. He will continue to be missed. However, I am glad Blind Melon is doing what they do best again. If you liked Blind Melon back in the day, check out their new one. You won't be disappointed.

Here is the video for their new single, "Wishing Well".

And in remembrance of Shannon Hoon, here is the classic video for "No Rain".

Takin' Bush to the woodshed...

2008-05-15T20:36:00.001-07:00

B-I-N-G-O