Wednesday, October 24, 2007

my friend flicka


done and done.


night before last i was talking to a friend before going into the gym and something rang in my head saying, food blog. food blog. yes, food blog. well, a couple other things rang in my head too like how can i sleep with this woman again and i was kinda hungry. then i started to think, why not!? anywho, the time has come to put freaksauce to an end and start what i have been wanting to do for sometime now...write about my favorite lowest common denominator, food. the consumption, the processes and everything inbetween. please go and check out snacktruck and read all about my problems and foibles with sandwiches in seattle and my love of the ballard market.

until then - please let the only sauce be on your napkin.

Monday, October 22, 2007

hijacked


wait a minute...perhaps i have said too much and now i feel like i revealed something i only wanted to share and not necessarily incorporate within. instead i was looking to inform not to motivate. dear reader, i must follow my own instinct here and say see you when i regroup and find out what is the impetus and then i will be able to report back.

have any of you see this movie 'funny games'. i wish you could. i will be right back...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

dial m for...


i wanna go see neil young next week and i did not purchase tickets. but i am still going to go down to the god forsaken place he is playing to see if i can get a scalped ticket for i think more than anybody, i want to see him more and more. i always get the sense that he'll play forever and ever but then i also think he might just say 'fuck it' and call it quits playing only once in a blue moon for the bridge school and that's that.

i am going to listen to this song by neil which i recently discussed briefly with someone about and find my way there...more later.

is my world not falling down
i'm in pieces on the ground
and my eyes aren't open
and i'm standing on my knees
but if crying and holding on
and flying on the ground is wrong
then i'm sorry to let you down,
but you're from my side of town
and i miss you.

turn me up or turn me down
turn me off or turn me round
i wish i could have met you in a place
where we both belong
but if crying and holding on
and flying on the ground is wrong
then i'm sorry to let you down,
but you're from my side of town
and i miss you.

sometimes i feel like i'm just a helpless child
sometimes i feel like a kid.
but baby, since i have changed
i can't take nothing home.

city lights at a country fair
never shine but always glare
if i'm bright enough to see you,
you're just to dark to care.
but if crying and holding on
and flying on the ground is wrong
then i'm sorry to let you down,
but you're from my side of town
and i miss you.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

he stopped loving her today


dress sexy at my funeral. damnit, that is funny. so funny that i am thinking to myself what gives about bill callahan. last night for my birtday i was (kinda) taken to see bill callahan perform. the fucker played for close to two hours! and it was all good and not in an "all good in the hood" kind of way, just all good stuff and great songs. watching him made me think about missing george jones this week...and i am not regretting that but i most certainly made a mistake. something about bill callahan rang of him being some kind of troubadour...rolling from city to city playing his smog. and people whooped and yelled ("thanks for coming bill callahan" -how idiotic) and loved him. at one point i wished for a marachi band to play with him, then i wished for kids to be behind him playing and clapping...then i kind of thought of a super group, callahan, will oldham, jim o'rourke and richard thompson was the wild card contribution. i guess bill callahan can play with anybody was what i left with and that is great for him.

too much to love, scarf, water spilling and garbanzo beans. everything has changed yet something remains.

Friday, October 05, 2007

dee dee R bitch

i am turning 4t5 next week. thank god - maybe now i will start acting like an adult and not such a squirrel. i feel confident which is scary. which makes me wonder about myself...what is next? next being what is on my 'to do' list. i got a big to do done last year and that accomplishment makes me feel free and clear and looser than a goose. changes are great - i am all about them but something about being in my car night before last with rome and some guy bleeding from his ear, gurlfren on my side of the car yelling in a cell phone begging us to take them to the hospital...true story. rome's tells me it is my call and she looks both worried about US and THEM. still, this guy gets in the car, bloody and talking incoherently, the gal pal is now talking at a normal level (which in turn made me completely nervous) and off to harborview we go. and that is where they got out...it took a bit of time before rome and i actually talked about the entire debacle before she said how glad he was the only one going to the hospital (caustic sense of humor that darling friend of mine...)! tell me please dear reader, what would you do? and what do we all do daily that can help even if it all sounds wrong?

so, reflections and choices are always present - with that, enjoy this video of the bees which always brings a smile to my face.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

212-243-3460


i rant and rant about movies from the 8t's being so sucky. and i am right but i am also not compltely right...as in, there are some of my favorite movies from that decade that i go back to all the time. forget about "blue velvet", "raging bull" and "do the right thing" - no! "footloose", "st. elmo's fire" any john hughes films and "dirty dancing" are classics! wait, then there is "after hours" which i recently watched again for maybe the millionth time but this time came many years after my last viewing. first, i took many things from this movie like when paul, the main character loses his last twenty, he can't call anybody - no cell phone - and he can't just go to the atm, no such animal...in nyc no less. and speaking of nyc, the cab driver was some white dude. i am going to sound prejudice but in my time of living and visiting nyc, i never EVER had a white guy cab driver. period. so, this movie is dated for sure yet i laughed outloud at so many parts it has become a period piece. martin scorcese just hit every target here - easily his funniest movie and most overlooked. and what a cast too...rosanna arquette has some of the best lines about the wizard of oz, terri garr is hilarious, and catherine o'hara just peaks with her mr. softy truck. cheech and chong, john heard and linda fiorentino round out a stellar cast but griffin dunne just owns this movie with the crazed look in his eyes as paul.

get ye to netflix or your video store (does anybody still do that?) and get this movie now. laugh and laugh again.

Friday, September 28, 2007

step child


for the longest time i used to think portland, or was some nice place to visit but once i left, i felt better that i was returning to seattle. nowadays, i am on the other side of the fence as i love to go there and i want to go all the time and not leave until i have searched every corner. and this is a new feeling but it was pushed over the edge with this article from day before yesterday's nytimes. earlier this year i visited 3x and all three times i hit some amazing dining places, purchased some great records, shoes and saw a great show by lucinda williams at the amazing crystal ballroom! so, this is not just about food but what i think portland has is that it has clearly defined itself as not being seattle or vancouver. and hell if i am not happy that i am in the middle here in the emerald city. so, no longer do i get excited that portland has no sales tax and people pump your gas...call me lewis and/or clark as i instead look forward to more adventures there. very soon too - maybe really soon.

more later!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

edmunds


there are some things you cant cover up with lipstick and powder, i thought i heard you mention my name, cant you talk any louder ? dont come any closer, dont come any nearer my vision of you cant get any clearer, oh, i just want to hear girls talk! i got a loaded imagination being fired by girls talk but i cant say the words you want to hear...

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

sunday morning


i love the feeling of relief. last sunday morning i got one after a long, long, really long saturday day and night. this relief started when i was at the el adadero on rainer ave. when i got a call...hearing a calming voice really helps soothe the nerves and as much as this sounds nuts, hearing someone who is less than soothing also has the same affect - or at least this time it did. what a relief to hear someone else frantic and cranked up...not me, not until saturday night. so, my fancy francy and i snacked on some mulitas (dear god - this might be the most delectable thing ever), some ceviche and tacos before moving on to bigger and maybe better things. saturday night was such a nutty pace with some (one) pot shah, tanG and ike the dog - i was glad to see sunday morning.

feeling a bit overwhelmed...try slayer or find someone who is that much busier than you will ever be.

Friday, September 14, 2007

all down the line...


w
e
e
k
e
n
d
!

deck parties and seeing blue and read. maybe some david cronenberg but a lot of nothing. and aminal corrective.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

vanjewver, bc


did i mention i saw "knocked up" and loved it. i did but did i mention i saw "super bad" and loved it even more!! oh crap, that movie rules. i so love this push in humor that is simultaneously crass and touching. judd aptow & seth rogan are a one two punch right now in the cinema world and they are making god damned funny movies. after i watched "the 40 year old virgin" i thought, 'they have it' - it being their finger on what has been missing in comedies. i am not talking about buddy/action movies like "rush hour" which are humorless or adam sandler movies that are just downright bad...i watched one of his movies on a plane ride back from istanbul and it was great because it put me to sleep! what i saw was so unfunny with one of these most annoying people as a co-star, drew barrymore. these guys write guy humor that is so wrong it is right. and back to seth rogan...love him! i heard this guy on the radio recently and he had a canadian accent (love it)after all, he is from vancouver but he also had this incredibly funny stoner laugh. and yes!!! he is a stoner - uh, he is from vancouver after all. this is the kind of guy i can hang with...

this nerdlinger jonah hill along with michael cera (also canadian like rogen) aka george michael are total crack-ups too. i jonah and seth can be brothers with the jew-fros and just idiotic looks on their faces. i went to hebrew school with guys that looked like this but none of them were funny. these guys make me laugh...i hope they can continue to do so for a long time. so, go see "super bad" - movie of the year! so far...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

earache my eye m


i don't like technology, i love it. no, i hate it. wait, both!!! my cell phone and i are like mortal enemies and when it comes to using the computer - or needing it, i still find that i have this on going love/hate thing. fun isn't it *not really* - but the beautiful thing is that technology is changing rapidly and that makes me kind of adjust and change too. sure, the love/hate remains but where am i in the middle of all of this? soon, not dealing with it like i used to.

so that leads me to townes van zandt...oh, he's such a great singer! i love him and you can too downloading this amazing record "the late, great townes van zandt". wait, this did not come out after he died but years before in 1972. e n j o y - !

Monday, September 10, 2007

meeting of the mindz


the view from the deck at my apartment is so nice. i sit outside and look at mt. rainer, lunar sightings, beacon hill and the baseball and football stadiums. incredible really! and i want to continue watching stuff from this point of view for it reminds me of the simple things. i love eating outside (thanks kak!) even if it is uncomfortable but soley because i find these two things about food remain somewhat true; 1. eating with your hands is fun and food almost always tastes better and 2. eating outside can be soooooo relaxing.

i mention this because i am being pulled across the world and as of late, i want to just quit my job, leave this point of view, move to san francisco and wear a sweater in august. i am going to try and find myself in vietnam and s.e.a. this january or february. when i come back - - then i will decide about this view. or my viewpoint in general.

i want a dog.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

zombie flanders


after much chat about music this weekend - and i am going to post my rants and raves about bumbershoot soon - i came to realize i have not been too inspired as of late. it got me to thinking about music that does knock me out every single listen without any pause or thought. almost a month ago i posted a tribute to nusrat fateh ali khan and now i am going rave about someone i never saw perform live. i have maybe two or three regrets about not seeing a performer or band - one of them is without a doubt and probably the biggest slip up i have made seeing tons of music, the mighty FELA KUTI. and i was recently listening to his "mr. follow follow" lp and it was just freaking me out. so insane, so inspiring and so god damned beautiful. i think everybody should listen to fela - - - so, here is fela's zombie lp for your flavor.

he played the olympic auditorium in the mid-eighties when this dofus missed him...uh, twice i believe. what was i thinking? or, what was i doing that made this glaring omission? either too much weed then or just too much which has me forgetting but let's not have regrets, let's listen and get off our asses!

do it to it.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

there is only one thing worse than a hipster



and that is a hipster my age - soon to be 45. still, this video is pretty damn good.

Monday, August 27, 2007

jg means jew girl



doesn't this just make you happy? here we have my girl jay gee check, check, checking out the beastie boys (look carefully) and is oh so happy! i love this photo as it transcends the "being there" shot at a concert or event. to me it has more of an eyewitness effect that creates such emotion...i love it! i just had to share this one.

which reminds me - didn't i say i was taking lots of fotos these days? yes, below please find another shot. of course those in seattle know that is the koolest haus in our fair city, the downtown public library. i have waxed poetic about how much i love this place and just had to drop yet another bomb and say that with my driving by this place m-f, i find it to be one of most beautiful buildings in our fair world.

i have been undertaking photo taking in the past couple weeks withOUT good results. and i plan on taking more in and posting some soon.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

it was fine at the time but the laws have changed...


memories are funny and i don't want to think too much about the past other than a reference tool. yet, as i mentioned how last week i received a letter from a friend i have not spoke to in, uh - 22 or so years. how old are you? that is right - 22 years ago! and no biggie although i have yet to contact him. and this picture you see...a friends old place on a sunny day one year ago to this day when we seemed to talk and see more of each other (she also moved from this noisy yet sweet apt less than one month after this snap). but things get in the way or we get in the way - meaning, friendships/relationships expire. memories can't wait and memories live on. so, do i contact this guy and 'catch up' or do i just send an email, thank him and ask him how the hell did he get my address!? i bet he got it from here. i checked out some names, ok - a lot of names and there was a lot of addresses, phone numbers and year of birth. weird? not really when you get to think about it. orwellian? sure, i will buy that. all in all, i am just not sure what to do with 22+ years passing and reconnecting. i do not go to high school reunions for that very reason.

the past has passed.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

everything happens to me


japanese record buyer...lake swimmer...thelonius monk...mozzer - snoozer - breakfast...ali y kristy not kristy ali...bestest...roky...tanG & shah shah!...

"despite all our efforts, things will get better" - will rogers

Monday, August 20, 2007

feel

a couple of you have asked me "what's up with the downloads"? i still don't know and after my earlier posting today - i'm breaking it down again to another d/l of one of my favorite records ever. yes, i say that a lot and often to the point where it really loses its own juice but damn it, big star has a place in my heart that is indescribable. backed with tons of way back machine feelings (hello, i got this record close to 27 years ago!) and some of the most heart felt lyrics ever, this - the first big star lp along with the other two el pee's by these guys just never stop to amaze. i recall seeing alex/chilton at al's bar in l.a. in 84 or so and i the wide eyed hopeful was thinking he'd do songs like "el goodo" or "thirteen" - instead he did not do one big star song. and he looked like he was pissed off the entire time...i loved it. bastard. so, hit the link here and listen to memphis lx and his co-horts in all their glory.

and after this weekend, i feel like i'm dying...i'm never gonna live again

Friday, August 17, 2007

old and stupid + young and stupid = stupid stupid


last week i was dining on some crepe, soup and bun with my pal named rome and she said something funny that is resonating...she said "you are making too much of this". the "this" part is not important (remember, we were sharing food) - just that somethings are more important then others and i think we inherently know which are and which are not. how the hell do we get off track then if this intrinsic edge falls apart?

about a half hour ago, we just got out of the lake for a nice swim after some jamaica made by same said friend. while out there, she told me, she would save me if i was to feel like i was going to drown. and not to worry. emotions can be funny that way because now i got to shower and get that lake off me, she needs to finish making challah, grand hallways, drowning, etc. i ask myself, most things are rarely a matter of life or death...what is? what is?

so, that leads me from one of my favorite people to one of my absolute fave musicians in the whole wide world, van morrison. geez louise, i have written about him before but this live recording (in two parts no less pt. 1 and pt. 2) showcases van in his just his pitch perfect best in 1970. what does this have to do with vietnamese food, lake swimming and right from wrong? everything! and nothing.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

death from above and below and along side


often i get asked...what was the best concert you have ever seen. in fact, i just got asked that recently and i said the same thing i say everytime, "i have many best concerts" yet i always return to one which is when i saw nusrat fateh ali khan perform at the university of washington. to this day my mind is completely blown away by the grace, the power and pureness of his music. i recall my friend hParker telling me about his concert and how tickets were on sale at wall of sound record store...we left the spot we were standing at and purchased them immediately. it was like yesterday i was looking at the tickets and amazed i was going to be able to see such an amazing artist - little did i know i was going to see something much bigger than i anticipated.

the concert was simply mesmerizing. quickly i was hypnotized by the polyrhythms, the harmonium, the handclaps and the yelps from the audience everytime nusrat spoke. people were dancing and it was so filled with joy and happiness, i turned to the pakastani lady sitting next to me and asked "why are people so excited" looking for an answer beyond the obvious and i got it...she told me "these songs are so old, i have not heard them and i can remember my mother playing them for me when i was young" - and friends, she was not that young herself. nusrat and party would start playing and people would leap out of their seats clapping and reaching out to the sky! i was so moved by the music and the surroundings, tears came to my eyes. it was that damn good!

nusrat fateh ali khan died ten years ago to this day and two weeks after fela kuti died - - god, i felt like the wind was taken out of my sails. let's all remember nusrat and fela and their greatness!!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

40 love


last week my activity partner and i went to play some tennis. what a funny game in that i find it is such a social time for us which is funny because we do spend a lot of time together doing other things but this time our game was a late endevour so we did not incorporate a meal, a drink or anything. she picked up on this and so we got much chatting in that it left me with the impression that tennis is not a vehicle for excercise only but for close time. i recalled the last time i was playing with a different pal...he talked about such a variety of things we never get to talk about when around his wife or when i am working next to him (not neil). so, now i want everybody to learn how to play tennis as it has become my bar, my drinking hole - my social time. since i rarely (read, selective) invite friends over to my home so the tennis courts will work! i feel a sense of accomplishment.

which leads me down this path? communication comes in so many forms these days...phones, email, texting, instant messaging.....letters and cards. i still get a letter here and there from my dad but yesterday i got a letter that kind of has me thinking. i will tell you the end of the letter first, a suggestion for me to contact this guy by email, a phone call or another letter. that is what happens when you have not spoke to someone in probably, uh - 22 years! i got a letter from someone i went to high school with and now what do i do? i guess one just says thanks...? you tell me.

Monday, August 13, 2007

brenda or blendah


you know what just makes me happier than the happiest of prozac people in this world currently? ichiro. he is so fun to watch, he is all baseball all the time...and everytime he is up to bat, someone around me comments on his weird stance, his pulling up on his jersey or maybe they comment on his sick swing but no matter what, he rules. currently, the m's are enjoying a tie for first place in the wild card race and that too makes me pretty happy.

you know what makes me saddder than the saddest teardrop? just hearing that your friends are going through a tough time. and that is maybe testimony to my good ears but i am hearing a lot of that lately. i hope you and you and everybody else has a wonderful something soon...and don't let it get you down.

so last weekend there was dancing in the street...zev was playing 4t5's on the street in fremont, a*garcia was hitting the groove with her new shades, people were digging the scene with the gangster lean and damn it, good times, good times. then there was this issue about weed smoking during the day along with parmesan and chocolate...lovely if you are in high school or overworked. touche! i am jealous.

i was also in lake washington on saturday. that is where all my thoughts slip out of my ears and into the water never to be found again. one thing i noticed about lake washington and swimming that seems to be an on-going thing, it is very wet.

hi to francie pantsy, ralph lauren the swimmer and that bike rider who's name i cannot recall right now...you are awful and awfully cute.

Friday, August 10, 2007

d I Y means do it yrslf


note to la SWEET >>> nice foto. great, sexy shoes.

for everybody else here's what songs i have been listening to these days:

"damn right i'm somebody (pts. 1 and 2)" fred wesley and the jb's
"clek clek boom" voltair
"bird flu" m i a
"people's parties" joni mitchell
"the return of evil bill" clinic
"she's always in my hair" prince
"live with me" rolling stones
"impossible germany" wilco
"magic mountain" john fahey with cul de sac
"kamakazi" pj harvey
"justice to the people" the upsetters
"you go your way and i'll go mine" bob dylan
"unsatisfied" the replacements

have a nice weekend you guys! next week - baseball, drugs, devil in the red dress, kombucha, dancing in the street , bianci bike babe and thunderbird!

Thursday, August 09, 2007

hennes och mauritz


here is a picture of my pal megchops...she is pacNW through and through but she knows how to dress. most of my best dressed pals are not from here...my best dressed chums are east coasters transplanted to the land of blah dressing. not to say i am the best dressed man...even though i think i look great 90% of the time. but i digress.

are you familiar with h&m Stores? i have some clothes from this chain - they started in europe and i like the inexpensive, nice looking clothes they sell. they have been expanding in the states and well, they are opening a store in seattle at the u-village (uh, duh!) in spring of next year. does this mean people will actually get out of their fleece and birkenstocks and wear nicer clothes? we shall see yet i feel that change has been happening but only slightly. maybe h&m will help!!! now go and check out pike pine for some more seattle fashionista action.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

swede like candy


thanks woody.

nobody is born with good taste, its aquired. and how it is obtained is through another lead, maybe a book, maybe a person you know or maybe a friend or family member...that is usually the case for me. yet, how i got to know ingmar bergman and his movies was through woody allen. he lead me down that path not due to his style or his making 'bergman-esque' movies (and fellini-esque for that matter) but his chosen admiration in print. seeing "annie hall" and "manhattan" at the ripe ages of 15 and 17 made me feel more in touch with real filmmaking and although i was fortunate enough to have parents that loved film an awful lot, these were my discoveries. so, woody allen spoke so highly of bergman, his style and his writing that i did not 'get it' until i was in my 20t's watching "wild strawberries" and just getting blown out of the water by the expression, the imagery and the humanity. astounding. i must confess in that i have not seen a lot of bergman movies as he has a ton...but he has left me with a deep impression. and back to woody for a moment - he went as far as even using his cinematographer sven nykvist (seen above with ib) and his "crimes and misdemenors" (a personal fave) pays such a homage to bergman one might view it as too close but i think both of these guys stand alone. i want to write more about ingmar bergman but i best leave it up to you to seek out. go to the library and if you did not get any antonioni films, get those also.

Monday, August 06, 2007

triple trouble

last week as indicated by yours truly, two biggies in the arena of cinema, dead. and now, lee hazelwood. dead. but lee was not a filmmaker but a musician...right? right indeed and i loved him. his voice was so incredible, lyrics so ridiculous and his life, apparently insane.
i am not quite sure what happened that made lee hazelwood such an icon in the early ninties and i can recall talking to people when i first moved to seattle in 1988 that he was a bit of an idol many here in the emerald city. i knew about his work with nancy sinatra only back then but little did i know about his many solo records. to this day, "love and other crimes" and "requiem for an almost lady" remain two of my favorite albums. lee’s music has been covered over the years by the likes of einsturzende neubauten, petula clark, lisa germano, dusty springfield, the jesus and mary chain and billy ray cyrus - hazelwood did not write "achey breaky heart". He did write "these boots are made for walking" which remains a crazy popular song and is sung at nearly every karaoke bar i have been to. lee ruled. a lot of his stuff has been reissued here so go and get some.

will i ever write about ingmar bergman?

Friday, August 03, 2007

marble mouth

not too too long ago i posted a link to one of my favorite albums of all time, 'grotesque' by the fall. and that is that but now mark e. smith, the rat looking guy in the fall has a side project von sudenfed. i freaking love this song "fledermaus can't get it"
and i hope you do too.

my bergman tribute comes next week after i watch either "wild strawberries" again this weekend or "minnie and moskowitz". and don't even try and tell me what's up with that.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

heaviest of weights


oh goodness...in one week two big time filmmakers died, michelangelo anotonioni and ingmar bergman. sure they were old but this makes a mark showing all of us a couple things. first, cinema is about one hundred years old and technology is racing yet the quality of movies are very good but these guys (especially bergman) made unbelieveably great movies. more on bergman tomorrow but the other thing i want to highlight here is the acting also- both of these guys seem to get so much out of their ensembles. i was kind of blown away thinking about some of my favorite movies by these guys and after talking to my film pal pbsp about this, i can't get over just how great these two were. the picture you see here and above is from l'eclisse with personal fave, alain delon. what a movie...most folks talk about "blow up" by anotonioni but this movie resonates with me with incredible imagery that always seem to make me want to take more photos - to be more creative. i cannot recommend this movie or "the passenger" enough. no hot links here, just seek out. go to the library, go to netflix but do go. tomorrow i will hit bergman and how he was one of the first foreign filmmakers i got to know - - and i did not get 'it' until i was in my mid-twenties.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

activity partner



holy guacamole...what a month! where did it all go? it all seems so blurry but it is ending on a the same note where it started, just great and incredible. fortunate me as i know it is going to get better. i want you all to check out my guest blog entry at yard sale bloodbath if you desire and be sure to look forward to august having more pictures as i am going on a picture taking binge! i have an idea...yes, an idea but more on that later. lately i am starting to see things differently through the lens of a camera and through my own eyes which is going to lead me down a path i am very excited about.

that and i got asked last night to dj at seattle's hot(? - huh) new bar pony - wtf? uh, i am not sure about that because it was so uber hip and i am such a snob but who knows. let's see what i can muster up in the next couple weeks.

Friday, July 27, 2007

tiffany

friday...hmm, 4:15, nice and warm outside?! um, that's right, the weekend is here bitches and i am off to the lake for a swim-a-roo! but first, here are some words and a vid for your approval. wait, didn't i already post a video this week? whateves because i am posting a video of the band i am seeing tonight, a frames.


anybody who knows me semi-well knows very well that i love this band. they make me laugh with how serious their music sounds but how NOT serious they are about their sound and just general demeanor. you got to hand it to a band that sounds this brutal only to be so much god damn fun in person. so, enjoy and i will also be sure to tell you next week about this retro food debacle brought to you by rakka deer.

tomorrow, yard sales with the gals from yard sale bloodbath!! more on that insanity later!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

what's a boy to do?

when i was in london a couple months back i heard some pretty dreadful music...and amy winehouse? i heard way too much ABOUT her and her music, ditto for the fratellis. re: a winehouse, what a hype machine for that scary looking woman...scary good. i must admit i do (did?) like "rehab" but now i just want her to go away. but some musical thing i wanted to blog about was BAT FOR LASHES who i think i like - the jury is still out.



tell me what you think? i dig this video.

Monday, July 23, 2007

sakura


check out this picture of me with one my favorite people in the whole world, jean from maneki. i like this shot of us because every single time i go there, she wants to chat and we always chew the fat for an extended period of time. btw, do you have a favorite resturant? sure you do but do you have one where the owner snacks with you sometime or, does he/she let you in after they close and still serve you? and does this same owner make fun of you and your idiosyncrasies in the nicest possible way? did i spell that right? anywho, jean is the bestest ever and i am here to write it out and make it public.

maneki and jean remind me of so much i love about los angeles. which is maybe why i like it so much. maneki can be anywhere and it would remain the sweetest, nicest and most sought after place to dine in my eyes. i love it when people say that maneki is unorganized, bad service and uneven food but damn it, i am not sure where else i can get kinpira (gobo), crazy inexpensive kasu kama and pretty much some amazingly fresh saba grilled with just salt. bliss. i consider this place one of "my" places even though maneki is no secret to many seattlites yet i feel welcome there like no other place.

thanks to jay gee for the foto.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

whiffle ball y pazole


sunlight angles on a wooden floor at dawn
a ceiling fan is on chopping up my dreams
what is left of them i take to sleep again
where i dare pretend i'm more than i seem

tears get triggered, yours remind me
of the ice melting in my glass finally full again
so i listen for your lips to break apart into words

it definitely starts to spoil my heart
somewhere there's a war
sometimes there is art

feliz cumpleanos see r.

Friday, July 20, 2007

ooh my soul



six years? you are right!

back and forth, push and pull. good with the bad and everything in-between. talkin' marquee moon and walkin' up a west side hill. bacon, coc, peliculas de almodovar, ups and downs. no matter what, you are always there. i hope i am there for you too.

wordless chorus.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

best song ever



clap your hands now people clap your hands.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

talent is an asset



kasu kama
elliot gould
lake swimming
hand stamped pasta
john fahey
ph beisbol
freidmann
55 oui
hypochondriac
jean und okasan
super bitchy
pdx
lL
waiting room
lo & yee
drawing blood
sheila take a bow
ak et rn
cancellations
marscapone
b,g,p y dt @ lago

ha ha - what a great summer so far!

Monday, July 16, 2007

chachi in charge


embarrassed? no. kinda. but i did throw on the tv last night to watch "scott baio is 45 and single" coz' i love joanie and i love chachi and i love chachi in charge...but what the hell is this all about? well, frankly, a - ahem - reality show about scott baio being 45 and not married? commitment issues chachi? you bet! and i love the fact this guy is miserable (we are the same age) after having what appears to be a ton of women in his life. btw, erin "joanie" moran from happy days was his first on a sofa. that was a fantastic story when he told it...what the hell!? this show is only 8 episodes and we get to see him figure out what makes him tick around women...or, as much as a "reality" show will allow. this is ugly what i am about to write but i am going to do it but there is something really funny about watching someone my age on tv with this situation as i have been accused of being a commitment-phobe myself...usually by women. that is that and i am going to encourage everybody who reads this blog, ok - all 3.5 of you - to watch this amazing show. please oh please let heather locklear tell chachi in charge he is not all that. or, tell him his haircut in the 8t's was just wrong.

Friday, July 13, 2007

some girls are bigger than others


how can someone so young sing songs so sad?

is it wrong not to always be glad?

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

it's a bloodbath



my pals at yardsalebloodbath had a sale of their own and here is my report.

so organized! so much good stuff! and wait, so many friends buying stuff! holy crap...what a concept...your friends buy your stuff. well that is not everything but people the ladies knew well came by and purchased items. something about that rang as an extension to the friendship i can't seem to put my finger on. i loved it for m, j and b on w already had prices that had the stuff moving yet they gave deep discounts to pals. again, i love it. and yet more interesting is the concept of the free box...watching them fill it up here and there and more stuff being moved out since now it was free (wait, i took some free stuff too) and not a dime...well, dear friends, that too is a yard sale situation that i admire. people are such weirdos at yard sales and i am no exception when looking from the other end of the telescope. nearly everybody who came to the sale wants to chat about thier purchase...like this guy who purchased a pin the tail on the donkey game - still in package - he wanted to talk about what he was going to do with it. i think we already know that and who put a quarter in this guy to think he can just spout out this kind of "TMI"!? and this casted a weird reflection on me...do i chat with people having sales? yes and no. sometimes items beg a convo but other times, chatting about what people plop on their yards, back or front seems futile and strangely awkward.

the sale was a success! i loved seeing the action from the steps of m's house and watching people move craptastic stuff from one home to the next is the ultimate in recycling. god, i shoulda brought some stuff but i slept late instead. and went to some sales and got yet more garbage to fill my life. ugh.

Friday, July 06, 2007

watts the fuck


a couple months back - maybe longer, i read about this movie "killer of sheep" and my curiousity went through the roof. talking about how this movie was similar in the neo-realism of italian fifties cinema (what might be my personal favorite movement along with the french). the nice folks at northwest film forum got it in their schedule and i could not be happier. now, after seeing it and now that it is gone after two weeks, i regret not writing and telling everybody and thier bff to see it. i was not even sure i was watching actors during this sad, hopeful and completely engrossing 81 minutes. such a gentle movie that after the lights came up, i was slightly tripping on what i saw...like i was more a fly on the wall then i was a patron of the cinema. with images both gentle and difficult, this was a masterpiece.

that's it. done. i am gone. hey seattlites, enjoy this attempt at a emerald city sartorialist www.pikepine.com great effort here! well done and i actually saw some peepel i know - turn to the left bitch!

Thursday, July 05, 2007

yr blues, yr birthday


ok, it is back on. and funny time to restart (with the exception of yesterdays sesame street posting) and i am not feeling 100%. i went to bed with my head not doing too well and this morning is no exception. maybe it was the swim in the lake or maybe it was the contact high from watching the sake deluge at yet another japanese joint to snack at late. it all started on tuesday night when i felt this tugging at me that did not let up. i am blathering...

so, i seem to have quite a few friends who have their birthday in july...nybes, pbsp, nik, sheen, tr and some aquaintances. strange? no, but i do want to dedicate a song to all of them - north american scum by lcd soundsystem. just download this entire album as i know you are going to dig it. dance and do it alone.
uh huh,,,,,uh huh - you wouldn't touch us with a ten foot pole...

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Friday, June 22, 2007

i started something i couldn't finish


it was a year ago today i started this blog. and soon afterwards i did not think i'd be doing this one year later but i am. i have used this forum to pontificate about movies, music and some other random things i love. today is no different...

thanks to the few and not-so-proud who read my diatribes...you know who you are. thank you kindly!

i am hoping to scribble a couple things in the near future like griff jr.s return to the emerald city, babettes feast next weekend, ebay wreckage and a soon to be new place for me to eat at called jack's tapas cafe (mainly chinese) - thank you for the tipster jbeeh coz' i love water spinach.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

ok,k


kielslowski...
i do not know much about this guy so when the seattle film festival (which finally ended this last sunday - phew!) had a documentary on this incredible filmmaker, i decided i best check it out. titled "still alive", this touching and effective doc talks to all the right people who went to school with kielslowski, was taught by kielslowski and who worked with kielslowski and done with all the right angles. never too overbearing or drenched with sentimentalitity, this documentary gave insight to one of the finest movie makers in the last half of the 20th century. i got more of an impression that kielslowski was doing things his way although he was never quite sure what way that was...instead, he just created what he was feeling instead of having his own imprint - he just went with his gut. i get that impression from his "color trilogy" and "the decalogue". the mark of his movie's seem to be clear with a more linear movie like "the double life of veronique" which i also love but do not have the same affection for the previous mentioned craziness. if you know me well enough i have pushed people to watch "the decalogue" and have received mixed results from "i hated it" to "we could not watch the entire thing...". still, i stand by k. kielslowski and believe his movies stand alone among many others.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

if i didn't love you

after eating at maneki last night, i was listening to fountains of wayne with a pal and she asked me "who influenced these guys"?


that was a clever question only in that she already knew the answer and there is nothing like sarcasm after a deluge of japanese food. keeping the tongue firmly in cheek or close to, i told her squeeze appears to be a major influence and she did not know of such animal. ha ha - now who's older and wiser? not me, i am just older. so instead of playing squeeze, i just talked about other tangental things, laughter ensued and that is that. so today's download is one of those records everybody should own, ARGYBARGY!! what a funny record...sweet, romantic and sappy but damn it, exceptional songwriting to the point where i am going home to listen to it right now.

if i, if i, if i, didn't, didn't...

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

c.harper

rest in peace charley.
every little thing about this guys illustrations i like.