In My Pantalones*

US Women's National Team Is Totally Awesome!

2011-10-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mags &I went to the recent match vs Canada at Jeld-Wen Field. It was tons of fun seeing the lovely ladies close up and the game was so exciting. Abby Wambach scored two goals! She's amazing! I'm really looking forward to the Summer Olympics!

Rapinoe & Wambach, the dynamic duo

Hope taking a break from Dancing with the Stars

US won 3-0!

Womens' World Cup!

2011-07-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

There are some lovely lookin' ladies playing this year! On every team! And while it doesn't quite carry the weight of the world that the men's FIFA WC does, it's still quite exciting and way more fun to watch than Tour de France!

I'm finally cheering for the US Team to win! Remember, the US women's national team have won WC twice--and the men, zero.

Not sure what will happen after Friday's quarterfinal match vs. Brasil. They're on fire!

OMGOMG

2011-06-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

We're on the list to see Hunx and His Punx tonight at the DF!! I hope I don't get peed on!

Happy Pride!!!

2011-06-19T10:28:00.001-07:00

It's Official!

2011-06-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Futbol has surpassed beisbol as my favorite spectator sport.

Hard to believe I know! I would much rather watch men (and women) kick a ball around a field than watch gigantic men hit a ball with a stick. Baseball has become more of a science than a philosophy, at least in the majors. I've just enjoyed watching the early AM Euro Cup 2012 qualifiers and UEFA Champions League so much more.

And now for an obligatory snowboarding pic

2011-05-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

This was taken on the last day of the season, which was only two weeks ago. And yes, it was dumping snow that day!

This season was incredible. Mach 5 and I logged more than 1,200 miles (up & down) on the slopes! We were at Mt. Hood Meadows on opening day 11/20/10 and there to say bye to the season on 5/15/11.

Going to Yeasayer Tonight!

2011-05-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the last time I went to a concert. I'm excited!

My Favorite Albums of 2010

2010-12-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

Doing a top five this year. I really enjoyed these albums released this year. I'm also listening to the hell out of The XX, Lady Gaga, Jens Lekman and the Smiths.

Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Robyn - Body Talk
The Black Keys - Brothers
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

Yes, I Voted, But...

2010-11-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

"What a bunch of garbage; liberal, democrat, conservative, republican. It's all there to control you! Two sides of the same coin. Two management teams bidding for control, the CEO job of Slavery, Incorporated! The truth is out there in front of you, but they lay out this buffet of lies. I'm sick of it, and I'm not going to take a bite out of it, do you got me?" --Alex Jones

The Giants Win the World Series!!!

2010-11-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the team! I for one am so glad Barry Bonds is retired and they won it without his ego.

Giants Take Game 1!

2010-10-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

11-7 was the final score...there were big bats all around!

Drinking in Bed

2010-10-27T22:33:00.001-07:00

One of the premiere achievements of taking a vacation.

Now for a little incongruity!

2010-10-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's snowing on Mt. Hood!! Bring on winter season, I'm ready!

Locals Only

2010-10-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Snorkeling with Honu!

2010-10-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

It was amazing and humbling to be this close to a sea turtle. An unforgettable experience!

Maui Sunset

2010-10-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Come On, Giants!

2010-10-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'd like to see a win tonight against the Phillies! Put them to bed already! Get ready for the World Series!

Maui Morning

2010-10-17T22:39:00.001-07:00

Season Pass is Purchased!

2010-09-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Come on, La Nina!

Today Was a Good Day

2010-07-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

The World Cup is over and I have been feeling a sense of ennui this week, so I took today off work. I started reading a new book (Never Let Me Go), drank a good beer (Widmer Timbrrr), listened to old Rilo bootlegs, and went to the beach on Sauvie Island (vitamin D).

Disappointed...

2010-07-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Close, but no cigar.

"I See You Roll Your Way Into the Semi's"

2010-07-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

I've predicted a Netherlands v Germany final. We're about to find out...

Hello, Quarterfinals!

2010-07-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

I'll be sad to see anyone being sent home at this point. I'm still hoping Germany takes it all, but there is some serious competition here!

Eff You Everyday Music on Sandy!

2010-06-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

I walk into EM on Sandy and I'm looking all over for the new Wolf Parade album. I check the new shelves, the listening station, the actual spot where all their albums are shelved. It's nowhere to be seen...I walk up to ask a clerk.

"Hi, do you guys have the new Wolf Parade album?"

"Uh, did you look for it?"

"Yep."

"Are you sure it came out today? Maybe there was a release delay."

"Pretty sure." (I know what fucking day it came out, I've only been waiting for three months.)

"Oh, well let me check the system. Nope, nothing there. Maybe our downtown store has it."

"I'm not going downtown to buy it."

"Well, maybe there was an shipping error." Clerk calls downtown. "Yep, they received it today."

"..."

"You know what, Music Millennium probably has it, they're just right up the street."

WTF.

A Sad Farewell To Mexico

2010-06-27T13:57:00.001-07:00

I wasn't really expecting them to beat Argentina, but still wanted them to move forward to the next round. Maybe in four years!

Go Deutschland!!!

2010-06-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Beat those English bastards!

Badassss!

2010-06-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering what I was up to all winter, here's a taste! Here's a spring ski pic me and Bashar, who is really getting the hang of it!

From this time 2 years ago

2010-06-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

In San Francisco for Pride Weekend! After the parade Jim, Emily, Mags & I headed to the only bar we could find that was showing the final game of European Cup 2008, Gordon Biersch. Sadly, Germany lost to Spain 1-0.

Eat, Sleep, World Cup!!!

2010-06-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Countdown

2010-05-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

14 more days until FIFA World Cup 2010!!

WTF Indeed!

2010-04-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Lagunitas seasonal imperial brown is a complete and pleasant surprise! Of course any fan of Wilco has likely heard of this beer, but drinking is believing as they say. So why my surprise? For one thing, I'm not a fan of most of the Lagunitas brews, usually finding them to be overly sweet. Secondly, brown ales are not my favorite. I will drink anything before I'll have a brown ale. The WTF isn't strictly a brown ale, but a conglomeration, somewhere in between a red, a black IPA and a brown.

It is sweet, but it is rounded perfectly. It has a hint of strawberries, though I have no idea if that's accurate. It is delicious! Fave beer of the month! Go find it now, as it's seasonal, won't be around long.

Tis the Season

2010-03-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Still Pissed!

2009-06-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

http://tinyurl.com/n4ysvr

I'm not surprised by this, but it pisses me off regardless.

Pissed Off!

2008-11-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

I need to vent. I’m angry and extremely disappointed by the bigoted voting returns.

Let me just preface this whole spiel by saying that the state’s decision’s don’t really matter one way or another because of DOMA. That would be the Defense of Marriage Act that was enacted when Clinton was President. Essentially it says that no matter what the individual states decide, the Federal Government does not and will not treat same sex relationships as a marriage. Thus, no rights for gay couples, never mind that we love the same as hetero couples.

That doesn’t make me any less pissed off about how the voting went in California, Arizona, Arkansas and Florida. All of their anti-gay measures passed.

California: Effectively repealed the right to marry that had already been granted by the state Supreme Court. And something like 70% of black voters voted to amend the constitution to ban same sex couples from marrying. This number is taken from exit polls, which aren’t exactly accurate, but can’t be too far from the truth. (See: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#CAI01p1) This from a group of people who weren’t allowed to marry whites in the not so distant past! What the fuck? I guess the victims of discrimination become like those abused kids who grew up and continued the cycle of abuse.

Arizona and Florida: Also approved amendments to limit marriage to a man and a woman.

Arkansas: Banned unmarried couples from adopting or being foster parents. And since gays can’t be married in this state anyway, they’re shit out of luck if they want to adopt.

This discrimination affects me. And I feel all alone in the world of heteros who have no sympathy. I hear the excitement in people’s voices, “Yay, Obama won!” I can’t join in the fervor knowing that he is just as opposed to gay marriage as the next politician. I don’t see any “Change” happening; at least not the good kind of change.

Happy Election Day!

2008-11-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

Anxiety ruled my day today. I'm nervously awaiting the results of our flawed electoral process.

I love Pacific City!

2008-11-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

A rare, calm day at the beach. Taken from the BIG sand dune.

You know, this one.

Perspective. And sadly, new land development.

So Many Women

2008-07-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Dykes on Bikes to kick off the Dyke March. San Francisco, Ca.

A Rare Advertisement

2008-06-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

I don't really make plugs on here, but I have to for RideOn, a great non-profit that we (here in PDX, that is) should be supporting. And by supporting, I mean using their fabulously convenient service which is that on Fri & Sat nights from 11pm-3am they will pick you up in SE Portland and drive you and your car home when you've had too much to drink. For $10! It's better than a cab because then you know you won't have to worry about having to retrieve your car later!

Visit their site to see the SE pickup area. They will deliver you to anywhere in the Portland Metro area.

Although when I called them I was in NW and unaware of their SE pick up-only policy, they weren't busy and came to get me anyway, which was really nice. I see glass on the streets in NW more than other neighborhoods and didn't want to leave the Tiger there overnight. So I made it home safely with my car sans the dangers of driving inebriated, which pleased my girl to no end.

The moral of the story is to call them. You can't afford not to!

Recently-ish

2008-05-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Haystack Rock in Pacific City, OR. A rare moment of sun!

The Bunny Ride!

Somebody special I know made this really cool wall art for me. Actual photograph is a shot of Big Mountain, MT.

What's an appropriate title here?

2008-03-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

How many could you take?

22

Birthday Karaoke Fun

2008-02-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Spectacular Views

2008-01-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Another day up at Mt. Hood. I believe the first photo is of Mt. Adams, but not sure. It's one of the Sisters anyway. The last photo is the view up the mountain from the main lodge.

My first season of snowboarding has been like a whirling Dervish. I lost my goggles by day two. I check the weather and webcams obsessively. I'm still scared of going fast, but I can do this killer crash-spin move. I'm off to Bachelor soon to check out some new snow and terrain! Learning to do something new has been a very humbling experience.

Tradition Strikes Again...Sort Of

2007-12-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

I tried coming up with a list of my top 10 favorite albums (along with top 10 concerts and top 10 songs) of 2007, but couldn’t do it. I just can't come up with ten of any of the above that felt deserving of a spot. Maybe I wasn’t as active in listening to music this year as in previous years, or maybe there just wasn’t enough good music out to warrant being an absolute favorite of mine.

I don’t want to water down my lists. And even if I did like parts of other albums that will inevitably show up on other people’s lists, (e.g. Beirut, Okkervil River, Iron & Wine) I didn’t love the entire album in those instances.

This is especially true for a once beloved band, Rilo Kiley. Under the Blacklight was the supreme disappointment of the year. I got the sense that since they were a bit unmarketable, the label made some changes for them. All of the interviews I read for the release of UTB seemed feature Jenny, who has become the spokesperson for the band, defending their apparent choice of making their music sound like the myriad of average-to-shitty pop music that already plagues the airwaves. It was bound to happen, I just didn’t think it was really possible. I thought that given their background in dealing with Hollywood, that they wouldn’t bow to pressure from their label. Or perhaps this was truly the band’s vision, this mediocre album. I sincerely hope it’s the former, however as that would at least explain things. In any case though, this latest album marks their fall from being my favorite band, to one I enjoy listening to on occasion, but not for substance. There are some excellent songs on UTB, but the clunkers that follow are so bad, it leaves me with half an album of skippable tracks.

So here is a list of my favorite albums of 2007. It is completely subjective and in no particular order:

Arcade Fire--Neon Bible
Electrelane—No Shouts, No Calls
Radiohead—In Rainbows
Tegan and Sara—The Con
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah—Some Loud Thunder
Feist—The Reminder
Of Montreal—Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Shout Out Louds—Our Ill Wills

First Weekend Up

2007-12-11T19:37:00.000-08:00

Shiiiiit!!!!

And I'm up!

The apex (hell no, I didn't go up that far!)

Having a brew in the lodge. A great painkiller.

Thanksgiving: Fishin' on the Rogue

2007-12-02T10:02:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Southern Oregon with M's parents. Last year we talked about going fishing, but it didn't happen. This year however, I procured my license and tags and was ready to go! M's dad cheerfully took me out to a few places on the Rogue River and although I had never river fished before, I learned the casting technique fairly well. The Steelhead were not biting though so we returned empty-handed. No fish for dinner...this time.

I Miss Kaua'i

2007-11-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

This was the day that we hiked to the bottom of Wailua Falls. There were no official paths according to the Ultimate Guidebook, but we found plenty of warnings to not hike the unofficial ones. I saw some beer cans at the entrance of the path we took and said foolishly, "If the drunks can hike it...." I was cursing that statement as we were traversing the river. In the end though, it was both challenging and rewarding. Photo credit goes to M (except the last picture), who has an artist's eye and a much steadier hand.

Intro to Winter Sport

2007-11-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

Eeek! It's my first year on the mountain, and I'll be learning the fine art of not falling and breaking my neck.

Year-Round Fun

2007-11-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

My Steed.

Letter to the OLCC

2007-10-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

You can read the issue for yourself here: http://tinyurl.com/2n9tkm

Am I being too bitchy? Too demanding?

Here's my email to the OLCC Rules Coordinator:

Hi Jennifer,
I just read online that OLCC is planning on reforming the rules on whether or not minors will be allowed in some venues that serve alcohol. I saw that wristbands may be recognized to separate the minors & 21 and over crowd. I would ask that the minors are the ones who be made to wear the wristband and not the other way around. In fact, may I suggest, I've seen other cities use magic marker X's on minors hands. This way they can't take it off and I don't have to be made to wear a wristband all night.

Another thing, Cary Clarke said in the Mercury, "The proposed changes to the OLCC code include the introduction of a new type of minor posting for businesses like music venues, theaters, and art spaces that serve alcohol, but have a non-liquor-related primary function and, as such, are clearly not just bars." Then will you please review the rules for minors to be in the Belmont Station (4500 SE Stark)? It's a store that sells beer and everything else is secondary. That's their primary function and as it stands now, minors are allowed in there until 7pm. Is there a last bastion of quiet pubs left for adults? Let those with children go to the Laurelhurst Pub instead and make this place No Minors-all hours, all days.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Celeste Pantalones

Those goddamn Indians

2007-10-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

They had it and they blew it...I should have known. After leading the ALCS 3 games to 1, they decided to display their shittiness and lose to Boston after 7 games. Now I have to suffer through at least 4 more games of seeing Manny Ramirez's smug face and bad hair.

Not to mention that now, for the first time ever, I will be forced to cheer for an expansion team. Go Rockies!

Our First Vacation

2007-10-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Gilligan's Island, It Ain't!

2007-10-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

More Important Than Baseball

2007-10-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Great news! The anti-gay petitioners can gobble a dick! Or a clit, whichever is to their liking. They did not get enough hateful, uh, I mean valid signatures to block two very important state laws. The first law bars employers from discriminating based upon sexual orientation/gender and the other law means same sex couples can now be "parried" (my word for domestic partnership separate but equal "marriage")!

Cleveland takes the ALDS!

2007-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Yankees have been beaten. Such a historically great team has been taken out by a stellar pitching staff and fiery hot bats. Cleveland now has to face the other American League powerhouse, the Boston Red Sox. It will be a tough series against the likes of Curt Schilling and Manny Ramirez, but let's hear it for the underdog!

And now, a quote from the Charlie Sheen movie Major League, a powerhouse in it's own right: "Just a reminder fans about "Die Hard Night" coming up at the stadium: free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant."

Go Tribe!

2007-10-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

I realize that about .00245% of my readership gives a fuck about baseball, (Jim this means you!) but it's playoff time again and the team I'm rooting for is doing awesome! The Cleveland Indians are up 2 games to the Yankees in the ALDS. They kicked their ass last night 12-3 and barely squeaked by tonight, finally winning 2-1 in 11 innings. It brings me such joy to see the Yankess losing. I've got October Fever!

When it's time to change you've got to rearrange!

2007-10-02T12:30:00.001-07:00

Back from vacation to a new month and new season. Fall is upon us here in PDX and frankly, I miss the 85 degree balmy weather of Hawaii.

I'll post pictures from the trip soon, but for now: a new template. Hopefully Maree won't think I'm trying to copy hers!

Relevant Lyrics of the Day

2007-09-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Watch me fly away
Through the night sky yeah
Now that all you touched
has finally turned to gray
And roads can't hold us down
Winds will move us around
With no need to return
to this gray town
Want to bet I can tell
You've been in bed for too long
So let's just say so long
And I watched you at the cove
You read on rocks below
And I turned home
without so much as hello
Want to know where I go
I've been away for too long
And it's hard to leave
when I haven't seen
You in so long
And if we
had just held out for tomorrow
We might have seen
what seemed so far away
We didn't even bother to stay
There it goes I can tell
You're going to keep
your eyes on the ground
Waiting for someone
to finally come around
And tell you what you knew
That you weren't wrong
and it's finally time for so long

Pop Goes the Rilo

2007-08-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off writing my review of Under The Blacklight, partially because I've been going through an existential crisis, partially because I am hesitant to say less than glowing things about my favorite band.

I'll start by saying that I like it. This is the album that should have been titled More Adventurous. Adventurous of the band to say 'fuck it' to expectations, to the term indie, to their fans, and possibly to themselves. It shows that they certainly haven't lost their sense of humor. It's fun and catchy as hell, almost to the detriment of your sanity at times. Lyrically speaking, however, it's pretty shoddy. All but one of the songs were written by Jenny and from what I've gathered from various articles, she wrote them during her Rabbit Fur Coat tour. There were something like 25 songs recorded for UTB, which means that they have enough songs to put out an entire b-side album (fingers crossed!) or it could just mean that a majority of the current songs were so shitty they couldn't even make the cut for the album.

I'd rather not think that they've lost their way. I know they can do better. I know the girl who wrote "but the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap" is in there somewhere. My theory is two-fold as to what happened. Touring for a year and half for MA and a year and a half for RFC gave way to pure exhaustion. My other theory is simply that they're happy. The best part of both Jenny and Blake's songwriting is the turmoil of losing love or of finding it. And happiness does not create the best art, but that could be up for debate.

Bottom line, it's not their best effort. It's repetitive and too character-driven (RK work best when they're confessing their own sins), and then there's that whole "are they trying to sound mainstream?" thing. There are more than a few cringe-worthy moments when stylistically I feel like I'm listening to Shania. I'll forgive them this one. If it happens again, though, I just don't know if I can remain dedicated.

Surprise! I'm a Hedonist!

2007-08-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

You scored as Hedonism, Your life is guided by the principles of Hedonism: You believe that pleasure is a great, or the greatest, good; and you try to enjoy life’s pleasures as much as you can.

“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!”

More info at Arocoun's" Wikipedia User Page...

Hedonism

95%

Existentialism

80%

Utilitarianism

80%

Strong Egoism

65%

Kantianism

40%

Justice (Fairness)

40%

Apathy

25%

Nihilism

20%

Divine Command

What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03)
created with QuizFarm.com

My First Bridge Pedal!

2007-08-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

It was a quite a day, grueling, wondrous and satisfying. All in all, we rode 10 bridges for a total 40 miles. My longest ride yet! Definitely my favorite parts of the ride were downhill, hitting speeds up to 30-35mph on the freeways! What a rush it was. David has also posted some great photos on his blog.

Vancouver...progressive?

2007-08-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to keep up my blog as much as I'd like. Life keeps getting in the way of documenting it. That, and I get so impatient waiting for pictures to upload to this site.

Anyway, progressive isn't the first word that comes to mind when thinking about the depressing shithole that is the 'Couve. There's been massive road construction by my place of employment, which has been a total pain in the ass, but they have just put in very nice bike lanes! I didn't think anyone rode their bike up here, but now they can get on the road and off the sidewalk!

Also, I'm happy to report that yesterday I saw a car going to the mall that had a "Nice Marmot" bumper sticker! It's not only Jesus fish and W'04 stickers after all! Fuckin' A!

My healthy distraction

2007-05-28T11:51:00.001-07:00

AKA the reason I've been MIA...and who can blame me?

Lost but not forgotten

2007-05-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm resurfacing from my healthy distraction to say how amazing the Arcade Fire show was last night. I think the most magical moment for me came while watching the openers, Electrelane. Their guitarist bent over her amp and made sweet beautiful love to her guitar and it was the single most poignant thing I've seen a guitarist do in a long time. And it sounded good!

Arcade Fire was, as expected, fucking mind-blowing. The acoustics at the Schnitz are certainly worth beholding. Dancing in place however, is too limiting for this band.

The setlist as closely approximated to the actual order played:

Keep The Car Running
No Cars Go
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
In the Backseat
Neon Bible
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Haiti
Distortions (Clinic cover)
Black Mirror
Intervention
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Ocean of Noise
The Well and the Lighthouse
Rebellion (Lies)

Encore:
My Body is a Cage
Wake Up

No, Really, No Cars Go

2007-02-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

So...the White Tiger decided it was time for a check-up without consulting me first. What a strange feeling it is to be car-less, even if only for a day or two. Suddenly I feel as though all my freedom has gone out the door. Reminders of bad times cross my mind. What is it that makes me so dependent on a car? It's not impossible to get around without one, but still, it's a part of me in some way.

In other horrendous news, the Arcade Fire's performance on SNL has been wiped from youtube, thanks to copyright laws. I missed it! Twice!

No Cars Go

2007-02-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

Soggy day in the neighborhood, but it was a tremendously enjoyable morning. Took the Max downtown, scored a ticket, met a friend, received a copy of Neon Bible (!), ate breakfast at the Roxy, stopped in at Powell's, scored more tickets, found $20 (!), and had my pantlegs wet up to my calves. See pics below.

The illegible tag says "Amazon.com wouldn't fit here." I liked it but it was near impossible to get a good shot of it.

Rainy Day Woman

2007-02-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Early in the morning

2007-02-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

Awake, awake, early on a Saturday morning. The girlfriend is up to go skiing and I made myself get up as well so that I could do some writing and thinking and breathing. Of course the lingering warmth of the bed beckons me, but I ignore it.

That, and I'm going downtown to wait in line for Arcade Fire tickets. I'm hoping they don't sell out as quickly at the first-last Sleater-Kinney show did (5 min). And instead of paying ticketbastard the service charges, I'll just haul my ass downtown. I'm excited to see the streets, quiet and cleaned by the rain. My expectation is that the bussle will not yet have started at 9am. The only thing I'm expecting is a line at the box office. But it's worth the wait to see AF again. Their last show at the Crystal was pure magic. I know that it won't be mirrored or matched in the same way at the Schnitz, but it will still be an amazing experience. I imagine the sound filling up every last inch of space, spilling over me as I cry in my seat.

----

There's a lot of I statements in my posts. Don't know how to get away from that. I want my writing to reflect me without being so blatant about it.

I read this earlier, from the Tao Te Ching:

In harmony with the Tao,
the sky is clear and spacious,
the earth is solid and full,
all creatures flourish together,
content with the way they are,
endlessly repeating themselves,
endlessly renewed.

Shit or Get Off the Pot

2007-02-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

In a perfect example of Oregon weather, this morning I woke up late and it was beautiful outside, sunny & warm. I got dressed , took a couple pictures of the cat on my windowsill and in about ten minutes, the entire sky clouded over and the wind kicked up. Shit, there goes my bike ride I thought at first. But it created the time I needed to write. Just a little. It's not raining yet, so I may still ride to breakfast. The fresh air would do me good.

I don't know if it's because spring is right around the corner, but I'm feeling a rebirth, a cycle beginning. It both scares and excites me. And lately I've had to ask myself and the universe what I really want. Time to stop being scared and just let things happen, give in to the power that guides. Listen. Shit or get off the pot.

What's with the change to google account?

2007-02-18T12:11:00.002-08:00

First of all, no, my blog is not dead. It's sputtering and gasping for it's breath though, hanging on, hanging in. Bear with me; this thing called love has swiped time away without my notice. I will strive to see inspiration when it presents itself.

Now, in my absence it seems that Google has owned Blogger in some internets battle, making Blogger it's bitch. Is this something I need to upgrade or what? I'm getting so sick of the constant feeling that I as soon as I update something, I must turn around and do it again. I feel as though this barrage from an invisible force wants something from me, like it's sucking my soul. As if we've all become our own web page that has to be refreshed in order to work. What the fuck am I talking about? Do I need this goddamn update?

Revised Best of '06 Albums

2006-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

So, after the holiday weekend of driving, I'm going to have to remove Cat Power's The Greatest from my best albums of the year list and replace it with M. Ward's Post-War. I know, I know, it took me forever to actually give it a listen.

I finally did while driving through the deep, dark woods of Hwy. 38 to the Oregon Coast. And was blown away by how good it is. This is the first M. Ward album I've actually loved, which I think is due to the fact that there's a backing band on this album which I feel was missing from his previous albums. Here he's nailed it. This album reflects the musicality that I knew was possible when I heard "Big Boat."

Fave tracks include "Magic Trick," "Rollercoaster," and of course, "Chinese Translation."

Top 10 Live Shows for 2006

2006-12-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

Sleater-Kinney @ The Crystal Ballroom
Metric/Islands @ The Wonder Ballroom
The Dresden Dolls@ The Crystal
Wolf Parade @ The Crystal
The Magic Numbers @ Dante's
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ The Crystal
Cat Power @ The Aladdin
Regina Spektor @ Lola's
Alela Diane @ Holocene
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins @ The Aladdin

The Year in Music

2006-12-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Alright, kids, because everybody cares...and oh, this list is subject to change as there are still 23 more days in the year and new albums to purchase...

My top 10 favorite albums (for sake of diplomacy/indecisiveness these are in no particular order):
Built to Spill-You in Reverse
Mates of State-Bring it Back
The Decemberists-The Crane Wife
Lily Allen-Alright, Still
Cat Power-The Greatest
Ratatat-Classics
Swan Island-The Centre Will Hold
Regina Spektor-Begin to Hope
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins-Rabbit Fur Coat
Band of Horses-Everything All the Time

Honorable mentions:
The Elected-Sun, Sun, Sun
Metric-Live It Out
Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Show Your Bones
Islands-Return to the Sea
Silversun Pickups-Carnavas

The top 10 songs I had on repeat:
Funeral-Band of Horses
Rough Gem-Islands
Lived in Bars-Cat Power
The Charging Sky-Jenny Lewis & Watson Twins
O Valencia!-The Decemberists
Mess with Time-Built to Spill
The Rifle-Alela Diane
Heartbeats-Jose Gonzalez (fyi, the album wasn’t released in the US until 06)
Mr. November-The National
Tie: Punchlines and So Many Ways-Mates of State

Holy Fucking Shit!

2006-12-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

I'm too lazy to figure out how to get youtube videos on here. Click on the title and see fucking proof that the Pentagon was hit by a goddamn missile and not a plane. This is what I've been saying all along. To those sheep who refuse to believe that our gov't was definitely involved in 9/11, well, I'd love to hear their response to this.

Bookworm shout-out!

2006-11-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Just like a proud parent:

Library is #2 in National Rankings
For the third year in a row, Multnomah County Library is ranked #2 in comprehensive rankings of U.S. public libraries serving populations over 500,000.

The latest edition of Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR) evaluates libraries based on a set of measures such as expenditures, circulation per capita and the percentage of the library's budget that is spent on books and materials. These input and output measures are weighted in their relative importance to quality library service. The 2006 rankings are based on data from 2004.

According to HAPLR, the top five libraries serving populations of 500,000 and more are:
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Ohio)
Multnomah County Library (Oregon)
Columbus Metropolitan Library (Ohio)
Denver Public Library (Colorado)
Baltimore County Public Library (Maryland)

Yellow Bike Brigade! (Or, what happened to BZ's seat?)

2006-11-14T23:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of our bikes the day we went to see the Silversun Pickups in-store show at NW MM. In order L to R: Mags', mine, Arc's, BZ's...

Best Lost EVER!?

2006-11-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I finally had time to watch the Lost ep from last week. And it was so fucking good! Yes, Jack surprised me, but really, what could be expected from a focused, career-centered back surgeon?! (All I deal with is money-crazed work comp drs. That's why I prefer literature to reality...)

And mmmm, Sawyer & Kate scenes...basically I cried throughout this ep. So sweet! And HOTT!!!

Thoughts? Are Benry, Juliet, Chinatown, etal. really lying? Why is Alex telling Kate they are and also attacking them? Why does Benry want to know if Alex asked about him? Direct reference to him being her father. I think this ep solidified the fact that Jack & Kate are brother & sister. Yess??

Me and my special ladyfriend

2006-10-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Muy bonita, no?

Cockblocked!

2006-10-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

The fucking Tigers lost the world series and I still can't watch Lost on abc.com, those fucks! Tonight is a total shaft!

Is this karmic retribution week?

2006-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

What the hell is going on this week?! I lost my ring, the Tigers are losing the World Series, I thought I taped Lost and for some reason it didn’t work. So then I tried watching on abc.com, but for some reason it wouldn’t go past the 30 min mark, so I’ve only seen 2/3 of Wed night’s episode! Curses!

Really, what is going on with the Tigers pitching staff? Four errors in four games? I wish I was getting paid millions to fuck up on a daily basis!

All is not wrong with the world however. As I was driving to work this morning, the Glenn Jackson Bridge was shrouded in fog so it looked like the bridge was extending into the sky. It was beautiful. It's views like that and seeing the sun come up in the Gorge over Mt. Hood almost make the commute worth it.

I've changed my title, in case you haven't noticed...

2006-10-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

I was going to change the format too, but it messed up my settings on the sidebar, so I said screw it. In any case, Thermals lyrics sum up how I'm feeling lately.

Also, in case you haven't noticed, Bashar now has a blog! He's given into the peer pressure! Or he was just getting tired of leaving anonymous comments on ours. :) In any case, I'll add it to my sidebar links as soon as I figure out how to do that again (sometimes I forget things!). Just go here: http://breakmyliver.blogspot.com/

Goddamn It!

2006-10-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Fucking Cardinals beat the Mets in the NLCS! It was down to the wire, game 7, bottom of the ninth, 2 men on, 2 outs, the count was something like 1-2, 2-2 and the batter strikes out. Looking.

I guess it will be a more exciting world series if the Tigers are playing a team I hate almost as much as the Yankees!

Yeah! Yankees Lose!

2006-10-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Detroit Tigers beat the Yankees in ALCS! They're my bid for World Series winners this year. Last year, nobody expected the Chicago White Sox to take it and yet they did. And what a crazy series that was! I haven't really been keeping up with baseball this year, but playoffs are a time to come back around.

I'm so glad they beat the Yankees! Those guys are way too full of themselves! And frankly, the NLCS is lame-o. I don't care a snit for the Mets or the Cards or the Padres.

In-fucking-somnia

2006-10-08T04:16:00.000-07:00

WTMF?! It's 4.10am and I have a beautiful woman in my bed and I cannot sleep. I thought the rose quartz Buddha was supposed to give me good bed energy and yet...here I am typing away during the time of REM sleep. I also have a headache which doesn't help matters. So I got up to have a bowl of cereal to at least quiet my hunger.

I also learned during my web surfing time that the population of the US is going to reach 300 million this month (estimated). The census bureau states that there is approx 1 person born every 10 seconds. Jesus Christ people! Stop breeding please!

Any suggestions for better sleep? This reminds me of Fight Club when Ed Norton goes to the dr to ask if he can die from insomnia and the dr tells him to take Valarian root and get more exercise. gah! I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

Anyway, enough rambling thoughts. I'm yawning and yet, I know it's just a big tease.

Giving Up and Giving In

2006-09-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Giving up and giving in. That phrase has been running through my head for weeks. Is that what I’m doing? Giving up all of those parts of myself I’ve stifled for so long, giving into the goodness of the universe, and in return have been overwhelmingly showered in reward. All that I needed to do was allow that power in, and I have the power to wield it.

Why was I so scared to come out? Of course, it was mostly how I thought my family would react. But I think it was also that I was scared to be happy. I was so familiar with unhappiness, so comfortable with it, that I was unable to feel anything else. But the floodgates have been opened. Something has crossed over in me and I feel as though I have grown in years in the past couple months. Funny how having the courage to be yourself is one of our greatest strengths.

I am allowing myself to be the warm, open, compassionate, loyal, loving person that I know has always been there, but surrounded by walls covered with spikes. And it’s amazing seeing what doors are opening. To me, it embodies those RK lines, “When your heart was open wide, and you loved things just because…And sometimes when you’re on, you’re really fucking on and your friends they sing along and they love you.” And while we’re on the subject of friends, I love and appreciate all the support they’ve given throughout my little metamorphosis. I return it two-fold.

Neglected

2006-08-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Mt. Hood from the Tom, Dick & Harry trail taken about a month ago

A new post finally and I don't have much to say.

I saw a house in my neighborhood for sale for $514k. I'm still astounded.

Just Your Everyday Chainsaw Carving Event

2006-06-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

I went to Reedsport a few weekends ago with my family and an old friend was competing, so we ended up here.

This is Tom, working on his piece, "A Boy with a Large Cock."

The view from the condo.

It's HOT!

2006-06-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hard to imagine that only last week, sweaters were still necessary.

City of Roses Indeed

2006-06-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

Recent Photos

2006-06-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sky above Hawthorne.

Love the neon!

The yin and yang of my life.

Arc (in blurry mode apparently...I'm still figuring out how to use the camera.)

I still have not hung pictures.

Wiping Away the Cobwebs

2006-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've been quite neglectful of the ol' blog lately. However, I've been a good little consumer and bought a digital camera and a bike this week so hopefully I'll be able to post more pics and keep more up to date. I feel as though I've graduated to the level of most Portlanders!

For now, though, Mulder & Scully:

All The Shorties Like, "Who That?"

2006-05-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm probably the last person on earth to have seen the Natalie Portman rap from SNL. However, it is some funny shit. And when she says "suck my dick" I want to get on my knees and make like a circus seal.

---
I love The Onion. Hard truths are best served comedically. Check it: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/48223

Ode to the Pay 'N Take

2006-05-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Whew. I can't believe it was just a week ago that I was in sunny Arizona. It was a pretty crazy six days. I was glad to be home, but now I'm missing Cody, Kara, Daniel, Pony and Stormy more than ever. Scottsdale was charming, but Phoenix was a nightmare. I'm so thankful that good ol' P-town doesn't suffer from urban sprawl to that extent.

Flagstaff is of course my favorite city in AZ. It's home to the fabulous Pay 'n Take, the most genius invention for beer appreciators the world over. You can buy it and drink it there! Instead of hanging outside the 7-11 with your 40oz in a bag, here you can sit and have a bag of chips, chat with other patrons, get online (wi-fi rocks), smoke on the patio, or brood over your beer. They also have beer on tap. I enjoyed the hell out of the 60 min IPA from Dogfish Head Brewing. And the 6000 ft. elevation doesn't hurt too much (although in a drunken moment at the Monte Vista I did drink Tabasco, something I NEVER would have done at sea level!) I think half the time spent in Flag was at the P 'n T.

Anyway, in the interest of saving time, I'll just list the good times/memories that were had on this trip:

Codesplosion, The Sugar Shack, Sabrina at The House of Brewz, karaoking at the Tango (& Cash), shitatta, the Titi's TT, The Streets, Hank III, Hem, The Jayhawks, Walnut Canyon, Old Chub at the disc golf course (Kara kicked our ass in her best game yet, she scored a 4 over par. I didn't keep track, but I did have 2 chubbies.), Kara & Daniel's superb back yard, strawberry pie, kefir, fuckstaff, playing the most difficult version of Trivial Pursuit ever, the Monte Vista (Video), the Fuck Book, Drew-bear, Megan and Joseph, losing not one but two pairs of sunglasses, Tillamook aged white cheddar, black & tans, the Orange Table, blue-belly lizards, the worst bus ride of my life (beating out 2001 when I rode it cross-country!), jokes and on and on...

Drink, Drank, Drunk

2006-04-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from last week when I went to see The Punk Group and the eX-Girls at Lola's. Thanks to the guy who had the camera phone. Normally, I'd be cursing him for doing the whole "take pictures at the concert for my myspace page" thing, but I guess I can't do that here since I'm that person. I'd also like to quickly thank all my friends for standing by me, no matter how low I go. The last pic is some random dude. Double-fisting is always held in high regard.

A Bend in the Road

2006-04-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, it fully hit me that Jim is leaving. Next week.

I sat up in the empty Crystal Ballroom and cried for all the good times we've had there. All the great shows, the beer, the dancing, everything. I don't know if that place will ever feel the same again.

No saying goodbye, only so long for now. But I will miss him immensely.

---

In other, less depressing news, I think The Punk Group is my new fave local band. They were as infectious as The Snuggle Ups, although slightly less dancy.

No Shit, Sherlock

2006-04-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you've already seen, Scooter Libby has outed the commander in chimp. This will get spun to make it look like he's pointing the finger to get the heat off of his own admission of leaking info.

The sad thing is, this is just one more drop in the bucket of lies that is the Bush Administration. The only thing he hasn't been accused of yet is the Kennedy assassination. And still, he gets away with it time and time again. It's time for the great silent majority to rage.

More Kauai Pics

2006-03-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

I ran out of room on the last post to fit these all in. I'm kinda wishing I had my own digital camera now.

Hidden Beach

Bloody tourists actin' a fool at the luau

The Montgomery's at Poipu Beach

The last day "hot damn, I never rode in a convertible before!"

4 Months Later, Kauai Pics

2006-03-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

It's raining here today, no surprise there. I just bought Jose Gonzales' album. It's perfect. So here are some pics from my trip to Kauai, posted mostly for Emily and Corrie, both of whom are going to Hawaii in the very near future. These were taken by Jim's sister & brother in law.

The view from the condo

Coastline by the old lighthouse

The National Tropical Botanical Garden

Jim and I in front of the Jurassic Park tree

We got to ride in a helicopter!

Na Pali Coast

The wettest spot on earth, Mt. Wai'ale'ale

Finger-printed Waiting for the Train

2006-03-21T23:15:00.000-08:00

I know I have Get Your War On link on the sidebar. However, I thought I might point out a few new ones. Jesus Christ, I just finished watching Hotel Rwanda, for fuck's sake. What can be done?

And the WTF Movie of the Year Is...

2006-03-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

Whoa. I just got back from seeing Cache. See it. But, be warned, there are a couple seriously shocking scenes.

French films, what can I say?

Can You Say The Epitome of Irony?

2006-03-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

"The United States does not accept the results of the election," Mr McClellan said.

'nuff said.