meh.

bill made me do it

2007-01-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

update your bookmarks

Location: Seattle, Date: Whenever, Forecast: Rain.

2007-01-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

no one is safe when it snows

2007-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

More snow in seattle so janlyk and i built a snowman (photo 1). The cold can make you do wierd things (photo 2).

New York, New York, a helluva town

2007-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

So, not much has been going on since i returned from oz. Christmas involved a lot of sleeping followed by beer and pool, followed by dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Went to New York for new years eve which was great, but exhausting. I went to Time Square to watch the ball drop with a million of my closest friends. Was manic, though the NYPD did a brilliant, though at one stage heavy handed, job of controlling the crowd. I was asked after the countdown if it was what i expected, it was, 1 million people counting down and a crystal ball on the distant horizon dropping what looked like 5 meters, pretty spectacular though not something i would do again anytime soon, i was surprised however to find myself stone cold sober as i enter the new year, that did not last long though. (Photos: me in times quare dazzled by all the lights, my friends and i in time square (well a coupla blocks from it) waiting two and a half hours for midnight to come, the aftermath, me eating a bagel in the hotel room with Frances).

BUILDING NOTICE: CAMPUS CLOSURE

2006-11-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

SNOW DAY! Avid readers would have already seen my comments about getting home from work last night. See here and here for more details. Well today i was getting ready for work when my mate Poe gave me a call telling me that campus was closed due to dangerous driving conditions. Seattle doesn't regularly get falls like this and the whole city pretty much shut down.

i'm dreaming of a white christmas

2006-11-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

...just like the ones I used to know. Ok, so i've never had a white christmas but after todays display it might just happen.

totally bulletproof dude

2006-11-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

I'm learning to snowboard, I bought a season pass to Snoqualmie, they're snow fields about 45min away. Photos below are my gear, me booting up at the car and the video is of my 4th run down the bunny slope, and yes i did make it up the chairlift. It's gonna be sweet going boarding after work, hopefully the conditions won't be bulletproof like they were today.

crane oopsie

2006-11-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

I was driving past a construction site in Bellevue on Saturday morning when I noticed a something a little strange, there was a gaping whole in the side of a building next to the construction site. There was a catastrophic crane failure at the construction site causing it to collapse and fall onto boardering buildings leaving one person dead. Story here.

Footy!

2006-11-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

I went to see Built to Spill on friday night and ended up drinking at a bar in capital hill, the barman was closing up and offered me tickets to a Huskies game which had been given to him as a tip, I happily accepted. They played Stanford and lost 20-3.

everybody needs an angel

2006-11-07T03:54:00.000-08:00

bonnie prince billy played at the tractor tavern in ballard. first gig i had been to at that venue, was pretty cozy, i especially liked the cowboy boots strung up like christmas decorations.

geeks gone wild

2006-11-03T23:44:00.000-08:00

What's that in the sky...It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

Video: speech

It was the Office 2007 ship party today which for the people who had been working on it for the past 3 years (as opposed to the last 3 months like me) it was time to party. Elvis was kind enough to show up, though he wasn't singing unfortunately and there was plenty of flowing chocolate.

ah-mean-uh

2006-11-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

I caught Amiina last night at Chop Suey last night, I had a ticket organised but the lovely folks at Iceland Naturally sponsored the show so it was FREE! No photo but se here for a movie of Amiina playing in Detroit.

happy little vegemite

2006-10-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a hot topic lately, vegemite that is. A quick search of google news shows 1, 2, 3, 4..(and lots more) articles talking about the ban and what an outrage it is, which indeed it is, or might have been if it were true, see here for details. I must confess i was getting a little worried at the prospect of no vegemite and possibly having to pack some in my brown bag after my upcoming trip to aus but my mind is now at ease.

janlyk gets home...

2006-10-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

(see previous post before watching video)

gangsters and pranksters

2006-10-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

My housemate Janlyk (pictured) recently returned to Australia to go to a wedding, i thought his room needed some redecorating... (Note: this was based on a similar prank i heard about a while ago, see here for details. Incidentally that prank happened in the state of Washington as well, just down the road in the capital Olympia.)

My New Place : The Movie

2006-10-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

After some production delays and other issues, it is finally here...

sunday

2006-10-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

I thought i had better go get some snaps today before all the leaves had fallen. These photos were taken in around work, except for the first photo which was taken at some shops near by.

more cow bell

2006-10-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand, well ok just rad's, we have more cow bell, and now a short but funny story. I went to the gym the other day to go swimming. At the gym they have lockers available, to use the lockers (ie release the key) you need to put your gym membership card into a spring loaded slot inside the locker, to retrieve you membership card you open the locker and push on your card, the spring mechanism ejects the card. On this particular day the locker room was quite busy, there was someone dressing right beside my locker, which would lead to a rather awkward moment. After swimming, showering etc I had finished with my locker and was retrieving my card, I pressed on it so that it would be released but the manner in which i did it caused my membership card to be launched into the air. What occurred next is what i can only describe as a freak incident. The gentleman dressing next to my locker was in his briefs leaning forward drying his hair, my airborn card glided towards his lower back, landed flush against it and disappeared into the back of his briefs. Instinctively i went to retrieve it but in that split second I realised it inappropriate to reach into another mans underwear without asking and froze. He turned around and looked at me somewhat curiously and i muttered "i think something really bizarre just happened". he reached into his briefs and retrieved my membership card and he thankfully saw the funny side to it all. The End.

gimme gimme gimme gimme some salt

2006-10-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Another week, another gig, this time it was Takka Takka, Architecture in Helsinki and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. AIH were at their usual brilliance though not at their usual strength (of numbers) and were extremely well recieved by the crowd. CYHSY displayed themselves as a well polished act of rock 'n roll and kept the crowd bouncing about.

Only other thing to report is that I enjoyed a Canadian thanksgiving dinner (turkey!) this week (different to american thanksgiving) and it was most delicious.

I was a lover

2006-10-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Saw TV on the Radio (link from last time they were in town) last night. It was a pretty awesome performance, though i was knackered and prolly didnt enjoy it as much as I could have. (note for previous post: production for "My New Place : The Movie" has haulted due to technical difficulties (grr vista!)).

My old place

2006-09-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

...Coming soon, "My New Place : The Movie"

if i ever feel better, remind me to spend some good time with you (you know who you are)

2006-09-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

I caught Phoenix at the Crocodile tonight, good gig and was funny to be mistaken for being 'with the band' :P. YaY for Fu Man Chu's and accents.

First Thursday of the Month

2006-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Wondered down to this last night after work for a bit of a look-see and was quite impressed by what was on display and at how bustling it was, then grabbed some tickets at the door to see the Silver Jews at the Showbox. It was an ok show but wasn't what I would call great. Now the t-shirts on the other hand...peace out.

Do the bus stop

2006-08-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

I was waiting at the bus stop today and there were some people making sand sculptures.

I'm not in love with the modern world!

2006-08-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

I saw Wolf Parade at the Showbox last night, they ROCKED!

Van mover

2006-08-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

Poe and i headed to Vancouver on friday night for a little look see. We arrived late (11:30pm, the bus was delayed) to our hostel to find that our room was given away as they thought we were going to be no shows. We ended up finding a place to stay located in what can best be described as cracktown (for example, people use the public phones with glass pipes hanging out their mouths...). Photos: Poe not happy with staying in cracktown, one of numerous bears keeping things calm on the streets, a cricket game we stumbled upon, balancing rocks on the far end of stanley park, climbing up grouse mountain (called the grouse grind, it was damned steep), view from top of grouse and finally china town.

Carribean Day

2006-08-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

It was Carribean day at work today which meant music, pirates and snakes.

grr hiss at the p!ss

2006-08-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

So i was at this show on the weekend just gone and the Mars Volta played. I hadn't really heard much of their stuff but was totally digging their set until this happened. GARGH! Here is a video of the end of their set which was cut short due to equipment failure.

I just finished: (see below)

2006-08-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

An interesting tale, I'm not sure if i feel sad, uplifted, understanding...but it was a great read. Thanks to whoever chose it as part of the going away gift to me.

You know you've...

2006-08-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

...hit the big time when the place you work has its own soda. hahaha

Ahoy me matey!

2006-07-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

The annual Seafair parade was on Saturday and passed right by my building: "The 2006 Southwest Airlines Torchlight Parade at SEAFAIR was a night full of "Arrrggghhhs" and "Yo Ho's" as 300,000 people celebrated the "Buccaneers of Yesteryear" in downtown Seattle!". I know this sounds dorky but the marching bands were my favourite, they were knocking out some great tunes and all movin' about in time...geee whiz.

Capitol Hill Block Party

2006-07-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

It was the Capitol Hill Block Party this weekend: "The Capitol Hill Block Party is a huge, two-day explosion of bands and a unique combination of Seattle Music Community forces...There are over 45 bands on three stages, sun, great food and beer in the street. "

Band of Horses rocked, especially their closing song, a cover of the 'Waiting on a Friend" by the Rolling Stones.

The view from the street corner.

Sun, moon, street and Poe.

Pretty Girls Make Graves.

It's crazy what...

2006-07-29T00:34:00.000-07:00

...happens sometimes. I was driving home (well actually i was being driven) and when we reached the downtown area, near my place, some streets were cordened off and there were a number of police floating about. We didn't find out what was going on until we got into the lift at my building and were told the area was on lockdown because some people had been shot near by. See here for how close it was and see here for details. What's going on!?!

Company Picnic

2006-07-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

It was the company picnic on the weekend, unfortunately I didnt take a camera but here is a photo taken from someones website. About 35,000 people went over two days to a field out back of the house pictured with a mountain rising up at the far end of the field. There was free everything: food, beer, drinks, entertainment, games, airbrushed tatoos...the list could go on. I don't know the person who's flickr site this is but check out "this" to get a better idea of what the day was like.

Sake Bombing!

2006-07-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hadn't tried this before, you take one half pint of beer in a pint glass, one shot of sake (cold), drop the sake shot in to the pint glass, chug it down. It's the bomb!

toilet soup

2006-07-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

mmm mmm mmm, i made toilet soup for breakfast today.

it begins...

2006-07-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

See more photos here.

Mount Rainier

2006-07-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hiked the Skyline trail (http://www.nps.gov/mora/trail/skyline.htm) on Mt Rainier (http://www.nps.gov/mora/) on Saturday. The view at the highest point of the hike was amazing.