Category: My Life

Mad Props For A Week In Portland!

July 3, 2009
AlcoholArtBooksFoodFriendsMoviesMusicMy LifeTravelVegetarian
1 Comment

We took a vacation up north in the Portland, Orgeon area. You shoulda been there. Maybe you were. Whatever, we had a great time! Here’s the  play-by-play.

Thursday June 25

And we hit the road running. Well, driving actually. Portland is a ten or eleven hour drive from our NorCal home base. On our way, we stopped in Yreka, right up near the top of California on the I-5, at a small place in a mall, called Linda’s Soup Café.  We had stumbled on this place a few years back when we drove to Seattle and somehow remembered it. Linda’s is not your usual mall food. They even have a vegetarian menu with a whole bunch of items that looked good. Imagine us vegetarians having too many things to choose from!  Anyway, fully refreshed, we headed north again. We stopped in Southern Oregon for gas and remembered the unusual law in Oregon that says you can’t pump your own gas. So we let the man service us and headed north once again. Round about dinnertime we pulled into Portland. Or I should say the suburb of Lake Oswego, where our hotel was. We checked in and unpacked. We got on the internet with our laptops and although the Ethernet connection worked the WiFi didn’t, meaning only one of us could be online at once. That wouldn’t suffice for the whole week, so we had someone from the hotel check it out and they got it working within minutes. Yay! We’ve had Internet problems at hotels a few times, and this was the fastest it ever got fixed. The room was nice too, and the rate was very cheap for a Hilton Garden Inn. In fact, the Hotel situation was great for the whole week. But I’m jumping ahead.

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If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Portland

June 30, 2009
My LifeTravel

No Terrific Tune for today. We’re on vacation! Be back soon!!

See past Terrific Tunes For Tuesday.

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Graham Parker – Live In Winters!

June 4, 2009
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

Last Saturday night we drove to Winters (less than an hour) to see a solo show by new wave singer-songwriter legend Graham Parker (learn more). Check out the crappy cell-phone pictures! He has been around a long time and is still recording and putting out strong new albums every couple years. Graham hit the big time about the same time that Elvis Costello did, in the late 70s, and for a while was fairly well known. But he never got the fame that Elvis did even though they both shared that “angry clever songwriter” title.  Now, I’m a big Costello fan, but Graham deserves to be right up there with him. Each has some less than perfect material, ok I’ll admit that, but Graham has stayed true to his vision. And his albums, even from this decade, continue to be full of clever pop-rock with great lyrics. Not very many artists have made honest, interesting, intelligent, and catchy music for over thirty years. But Graham has and he is still doing it.
Anyway, we saw him at the Palms Playhouse, a small (about 200 capacity) venue with no bad seats. 

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Have You Read This Book?

May 20, 2009
BooksMy Life
1 Comment

The latest book I finished was “Velocity” by Dean Koontz. It’s a fast-paced suspense thriller and it was hard to put down. Good thing I’m so busy or I might have read it in one sitting! The tag line is “fear never slows down….”

It was the first book I had read by this author, though he is quite prolific. Velocity isn’t especially deep or philospohical, it’s just a good read that will keep you wanting to read more. The characters were described well, particularly the main character (Billy). Now, I’m no book reviewer, so here’s what Publisher’s Weekly had to say:

[after the jump]

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The Doctors All Say “NED”

May 11, 2009
FamilyMy Life
3 Comments

stern_doctorLast week was “Go to the Doctor” week here in stevenology world. My wife Petra had four, count ’em, four doctors appointments all related to her breast cancer from back in 2005. Yes, unfortunately, that issue never really leaves your life once it has so rudely forced it’s way in. She is still on medication with at least one (hopefully minor) surgery to go. And she is still seen and monitored by multiple doctors at various intervals. And the appointments all happened to hit last week. We should get a frequent doctor discount! Or maybe, go to ten visits, get the eleventh free.

Anyway, first up was the original surgeon for a follow up exam to make sure everything is still going ok. Then it was the oncologist to discuss the recent blood work and of course an exam. Then the radiation oncologist for a followup and another exam. Then, finally, the reconstructive surgeon for yet another exam and an injection too. Sheesh! The only person missing was Jim-Bob’s cousin Raylene! Just kidding…

But here’s the really good news: 100% of her doctors agree that Petra is “NED”. That’s cancer-speak for No Evidence of Disease. Yahoo! That’s the best you can hope for once you have ever had the Big C diagnosed. And it only holds until the next round of appointments. But still, yahoo again! High fives all around!

Leave me a comment below or else the doctor in this picture will haunt your dreams!

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Got Live If You Want It!

May 10, 2009
MusicMy Life

Time for a rock concert! We traveled up the hill to Reno, Nevada to see the band Live, one of Petra‘s favorite groups(learn more about the band). They were playing last night at a casino there, which made for a good excuse to get a hotel room (no  two and a half hour drive home late at night) and also to give the casino some extra money gamble a little bit.

But the real reason for going was to see Live and they put on a really good show. If you don’t know much about their music, get the recent best-of CD (it includes a DVD also) and start there. We’d seen them a couple times before, here in Sacramento and more recently at Milwaukee’s Summerfest about five years ago (with friends Dean and Debbie). For last night’s show, they played most of their many hits and fan favorites, as well as a new song and the two studio tracks off their recent live album. From where we were standing at first, we were super-close, right at the stage, but from there the sound was guitar-heavy in the mix. A little later we moved back a little bit and to the middle and then the sound was really good. Lots of good music, a less-than-full but very enthusiastic crowd, and big loud fun. Yeah!

If you’ve seen Live live 😉 or just have an opinion, drop me a comment below.

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A Day In The Life – Take 5

May 4, 2009
ArtFoodFriendsMy LifeTravelVegetarian
3 Comments

A few days is more like it. We had a three day weekend this past one, and we intended to enjoy it. Friday we drove to San Francisco to see a couple events. But first we had brunch at Hebivore, a vegan restaurant with three bay area locations. When you think vegan you might think “no thanks”, but this place would convince you. The food is really good and totally animal free. Check out the menu on their web site with an open mind. Then we went over to the DeYoung Museum to see the Andy Warhol exhibit. It was excellent, and you have two more weeks to see it before it leaves. We arrived just as a free docent tour was starting, so we got a thorough explanations of his life, his motivations, and his work. Then we walked back through to see some of the items we had skipped and to linger over others. There were some seven or eight rooms (from memory) filled with artwork and other items from different periods in his life and/or focusing on different subjects for his art. Also included were some of his experimental films. There was a lot more to him that that Campbells Soup Can painting! Much more after the jump…

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The Kings Can Only Get Better

April 22, 2009
My LifeSports
3 Comments

Update 4/23 – Today the Kings got rid of their head coach and most of their coaching staff. The search for a new coach begins again. I hope they get an experienced coach this time, and one that has coached a winning NBA team. The time for taking a chance on a coach is over.


I’m not a huge sports fan but I do like to watch basketball. We have season tickets to the Sacramento Kings. OK, you can quit smirking now. I know they just finished the season with the worst record in the NBA. And the worst record for a Kings team ever. That’s why they can only get better!

We like going to quite a few games and usually sell some of the tickets too. But we were seriously considering not renewing our tickets for the next year (2009-10). After thinking it over, we decided to renew after all, based on a ticket price reduction (for season ticket holders only) as well as some extra benefits and perks that they’ve thrown in. The team is rebuilding and I do think they will improve. There will be one or more new players via draft picks soon, maybe even some impact players. And you never know what kind of trade they might cook up.

So, let’s see what happens. We’re sticking with the team and they could use the support. They stunk up the joint have plenty of room for improvement, sure, but I think there is some reason to be hopeful. At least I hope 😉

And if you are looking for some game tickets for next season, let us know. Ours will be cheaper than the box office price!!

So leave me a comment below, maybe it will help them win…

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Last 70 Music Items We Bought!

April 18, 2009
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

How exciting! How fun! Check out the music below and leave a comment if you have one.

First off, I picked these up today at National Record Store Day:

Waits, Tom – Live From The Glitter And Doom Tour vinyl 7″
Metric – Help I’m Alive vinyl 7″ Picture disc
Pretenders, The – Break Up The Concrete vinyl Red vinyl 7″
Carlile, Brandi – Downpour vinyl 7″
Spektor, Regina – Begin To Hope vinyl 2-LP with nine bonus tracks
Lenka – Gravity Rides Everything vinyl 7″
Greene, Jackie – Honey I Been Thinking About You CD Free promo

And then there are these recent additions too:

Harding, John Wesley – Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead CD w/ bonus live disc
Taylor, James – Covers CD
Sweet, Matthew – Sunshine Lies CD
Feist – Let it Die CD
Feist – Open Season CD
Prince – Indigo Nights – Live Sessions CD Included in book
Groundation – Each One Teach One CD CD-R
Groundation – We Free Again CD CD-R
King, B.B. – One Kind Favor CD CD-R
Death Cab For Cutie – Something About Airplanes CD Ltd Edition #2413 with bonus disc
Rundgren, Todd – Arena CD Advance promo
Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger CD With bonus DVD
Pink – Funhouse CD
Green, Al – The Definitive Greatest Hits CD Advance promo
Jimmy Eat World – Static Prevails CD Two bonus tracks
And there’s much more after the jump!

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New pix! 2006 Seattle, Bumbershoot, OR, CA, yeah!

April 3, 2009
BumbershootFriendsMy LifeSeattleTravel

Finally!! And it’s about time!! The pictures are online from the 2006 trip to Seattle (including the Bumbershoot Festival, more Seattle, Portland and Eugene (Oregon), and northern California. After only two and a half years! Yeah, baby! Friends Larry and Robin were there, as well as Mama O and some of her friends too. You can see what we did during the trip, our photos, and Larry and Robin’s photos too. Check it out now, you’ll be glad you did, I guarantee it or your money back!!

A Day In The Life – Take 4

April 1, 2009
BumbershootFoodFriendsMusicMy BlogMy LifeSports

Remember my old blog, stevenology 1.0 (aka stevenology classic)? I used to detail the day to day doings of my boring life. And a few people even liked it! But it was a nightmare to try to keep up and frankly it was too wild and exciting for readers with a weak heart. I had to stop out of fear for their very health.

But just in case you want to know or comment, here are some things I did in the last week or so:

Today we had a great all-you-can-eat Indian food buffet lunch at Pooja in West Sacramento. Man, it was really good, go there! The we went to friend Jared‘s new house near there. He and his girlfriend Ashleigh just bought it and it is very nice, it should be a great place for them.

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Have You Read This Book?

March 20, 2009
BooksComedyMy Life

The book is Steve Martin’s “Born Standing Up“. I’ve always been a big fan of his, from way back in the days of the “wild and crazy guy”, happy feet, “let’s get small”, and the arrow through the head. Remember? Well, I guess that depends on how old you are. And of course since then he has made many worthy films too.

This book follows his life from childhood into his beginnings with magic and comedy. Then into his becoming famous and how it affected him. Finally he covers why he decided to never do stand-up comedy again. The book ends there, hopefully he will write another one someday that will deal with his life after stand-up. This book is written in an easy-to-read style with some subtle humor, although you do get the down side too. It was a quick read and an enjoyable one.

Here’s what Elvis Presley said about Steve Martin in 1971:

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New pix! The Indio Trip

March 15, 2009
FriendsMy LifeTravel
1 Comment

We recently spent a week in Indio, in Southern California. Petra’s parents rented a house there and let us use their nearby time-share for a week, with friends Larry and Robin there for five of the seven days. And now the photos are on the web site! Check ‘em out here and leave a comment if you want to. Some of the pictures may be a little blurry or fuzzy but then isn’t everybody sometimes? Anyway, just take a look.

Of course, you can read about what we did on the trip too, check it out here. Have fun!!

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Avenue Q – Not Sesame Street At All

March 12, 2009
ComedyMy Life
3 Comments

The other night we saw the play Avenue Q (official site). I had heard there were puppets, kind of like Sesame Street’s muppets, but that did not prepare me for what I saw. Not at all. First, let me say I liked the play quite a bit. Now, here is the description from Time magazine, back in 2003:

 What if the denizens of Sesame Street grew up into profane, broke, self-doubting college grads who kept some of their innocence but developed potty mouths?

Well, that sort of describes it. The set is a lot like Sesame Street, with people and puppets popping in and out and interacting about life and such. But here the characters are wildly stereotypical and not at all politcally correct.

To get an idea,

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Bumbershoot Music And Arts Festival

March 5, 2009
ArtBumbershootComedyMoviesMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel
2 Comments

– Update: The new Bumbershoot web site for 2009 is online as of March 6. Check it out. The first group of performers will be announced later this month, so they say, with more to follow…
– Second update: I can die happy now. Bumbershoot itself commented on this post [see below] and on their site! [click here]
It’s about six months until the 2009 Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle. We go there every year, since 2001. And we already have a room reserved for this year, which will be our ninth Bumbershoot.

One of life’s coolest and most wonderful things, Bumbershoot is three full days of 15-20 stages, outdoor and indoor, full of music, comedy, art, dance, literature, theater, film, vendors, street perfomers, visual arts, exhibits, activities, food, and tons of other arts-related stuff. Some of you already know how much I love this festival. Some of you might have even gone with us! Or might go this year? The festival is over Labor Day weekend (this year September 5-7), when the festival has been held for some 38 or so years. I only wish I had known about it sooner.

You can find out more on their web site, although they haven’t put the 2009 site up yet. But you can sure check out the 2008 site to see how very cool this festival is. For instance, you can see what artists played the festival from 1980-2008. Seriously, check it out. There are also some pictures of our Seattle/Bumbershoot trips from 2007, 2005, and 2004 on the photos page. If you want to be on my Bumbershoot email list, for the occasional scoop about the festival and who might be playing this year, just send me an email here or leave a comment below.

As always, open for commenting…

A Warmer Week In Indio

February 28, 2009
AlcoholArtFoodFriendsMy LifeTravelVegetarian
2 Comments

The date palmIt was gray, cold, and rainy in our town of Sacramento. So when we got offered a week’s stay in southern California, we were more than ready. Petra‘s parents had a timeshare they would let us use, and we took them up on it. We had heard about how nice and warm it is in the Indio-Palm Springs area, even in the winter, so it sounded pretty darned inviting. Since it was a two-bedroom place, we mentioned it to friends Larry and Robin and they met us there and spent five of the seven days with us. From what I am told it was rainy, cold, and gray in our home town while we were gone too. Good time for a short vacation, eh?

Friday, February 13th
We got an early start since we had over 500 miles to go. But after a while on the road we were hungry, so we stopped at Pea Soup Anderson’s for breakfast. They are known for, guess what, their pea soup, but I don’t like pea soup and it was breakfast after all. A pea soup omelet? Pea soup waffles? Pea soup benedict? I don’t think so. We had a normal breakfast. Well, if normal includes waitresses that are very reminiscent of Frau Blucher (video) in the movie Young Frankenstein. And if you haven’t seen that movie then you must see it. Now. Meanwhile, full and happy, we headed onward toward

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Have You Read This Book?

February 5, 2009
BooksMy Life

The book is My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult and I recently finished it. It was a very enjoyable read. Thanks to my friend Robin who loaned it to me. A while back I read a different book by this same author, which I blogged about here. I liked that one so I was anxious to try another. And I liked this one too, how about that?! Once again the author tackles a deep subject and creates characters that are very interesting and really drew me in. I got to know the whole family and the side characters as well and could see both sides of the moral uncertainty that the author likes to write about.

Ms. Picoult likes to tackle ethical questions and make you wonder who is really right and wrong, but at the same time she tells a story and gives insight into each character, whether likable or not. I would certainly recommend this book. I have already bought another one by her and will get to it one of these days. You know how that goes, though!

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Latest 34 Music Items In The Collection

February 1, 2009
MusicMy Life

Check it out! Leave a comment if you have one…!!

ARTIST   TITLE   FORMAT
Harding, John Wesley – Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead CD with bonus live CD
Radiohead – In Rainbows CD
Taylor, James – Covers CD
Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger CD with bonus DVD
Pink – Funhouse CD
Sweet, Matthew – Sunshine Lies CD
Feist – Let it Die CD
Feist – Open Season CD
Prince – Indigo Nights – Live Sessions CD with book
Groundation – Each One Teach One CD
Groundation – We Free Again CD
Carey, Mariah – The Ballads CD (Not mine, Petra‘s!)
King, B.B. – One Kind Favor CD
Death Cab For Cutie – Something About Airplanes CD with bonus CD
Rundgren, Todd – Arena CD advance promo
Green, Al – The Definitive Greatest Hits CD advance promo
Jimmy Eat World – Static Prevails CD with bonus tracks
Jimmy Eat World – Clarity CD with bonus tracks
Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People CD
Case, Neko – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood CD
Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous CD
V/A – Goth Oddity – A Tribute To David Bowie CD
V/A – Ashes To Ashes – Tribute To David Bowie CD
Garbage – Queer – Part One CD single
Garbage – Queer – Part Two CD single
Carlos, Wendy – Clockwork Orange Complete Original Score CD
Specials, The – Guilty ‘Til Proved Innocent! CD
Carlin, George – Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics CD
Cause And Effect – Trip CD
Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish CD Japan import
Live – Live At The Paradiso CD
Mraz, Jason – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things CD plus bonus CD and DVD
Michaelson, Ingrid – Girls And Boys CD
Michaelson, Ingrid – Be OK CD

The 54 before that are here. The 100 before that are here. 

So what do you think? Leave me a comment!

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