Category: My Life

The Excellent Seattle Trip: Days 6 – 8

September 9, 2008
AlcoholArtBooksBumbershootComedyFoodFriendsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravelVegetarian
2 Comments

Note: Be sure to check out some of the links too!!

Monday 9/1

The last day of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. Yikes! So let’s enjoy it!! After a quick monorail ride to the festival grounds, we strategized in the hospitality area. And we ate. Hey, you gotta eat or you’ll die, right? We started the days entertainment with an hour containing two short independent fims grouped loosely under the title of Portrait Of The Artist. The films were a bit weird but harmless and not bad really. Then on to the main stage for recently popular modern rockers Paramore. They are a young and energetic band with a charismatic female singer, and we were up pretty close to the stage. I had ony heard a song or two by them but ended up liking their entire set. I’ll have to watch for their CD. Oh, and as a general side note, there will be pictures of them and the rest of the trip up on this site soon. Check back often! Then, when the pictures are not here yet, you can grumble “Why is Steven so slow?” Ha! It’s fun, try it! Anyway,

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The Excellent Seattle Trip: Days 4 – 5

September 5, 2008
AlcoholArtBumbershootComedyFoodFriendsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravelVegetarian

Bumbershoot 2008Note: Be sure to check out some of the links too!!

Saturday 8/30

Today is the first day of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. We are totally psyched and even more ready. Lots of music and almost every kind of arts spanning what, 15 or so stages, and elsewhere on the grounds too. It’s huge and wonderful! Check out their web site! We got there and ended up standing in a bit of a line to get in, since it is such a popular event. Once in, we headed to the hospitality area. Since we had bought the “gold passes“, we got an indoor area (with private restrooms) and free snacks and beverages all day long. We were with friends Larry and Robin and we met up with Mama O and her posse there too. Then the various groups headed their various ways. Petra and I went to see

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The Excellent 2008 Seattle Trip: Days 1 – 3

September 4, 2008
AlcoholArtBumbershootCoffeeFoodFriendsMusicMy LifePoliticsSeattleTravelVegetarian
1 Comment

The Space Needle

Note: Be sure to check out some of the links too!!

Wednesday 8/27

We flew into Seattle. Actually the plane did, but we were on it. There was me and Petra, friends Larry and Robin, and Mama O (who would meet up with the rest of her posse later). We took a crowded bus to the Camlin hotel. It let us off right across the street which was very convenient. We checked in and took a quick look at the nice rooms. But of course we were all hungry so we walked a block over to Cyber Dogs Internet Cafe and Vegetarian Oasis, a great vegetarian hot dog place. The dogs are meatless but good and the toppings more than make up for that. I’ve tried a couple different ones over the last few trips and all were great. The menu is here, check out the specialty dogs. After food, what else is important? You guessed it. We took a quick and easy bus ride to the state-run liquor store. Yar!! Then we started walking back to the hotel and

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Vicky Cristina Barcelona

August 20, 2008
MoviesMy Life
6 Comments

Life is the ultimate work of artTonight we saw the new Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (official site). Woody is not in it but it has his unmistakable imprint in the writing and directing. In other words, it’s a good one. The excellent Rotten Tomatoes site is rating it an 80%, which is pretty high, with the consensus sentence being “A beguiling tragicomedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with beautiful views of the Spanish city and a marvelously well-matched cast”. You can read plenty of reviews on the RT site.

The Woodman rarely makes a weak film and this one entertains, and more. OK, ok, it is not his absolute best but that is such a high standard. It is 

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A Day In The Life – Take 3

August 19, 2008
ArtMusicMy LifeSports

Art, Cats, In The ZoneIt is actually two days in the life, but who’s counting?

It started Saturday the 16th with the First Annual Elk Grove Artists Open Home Studio Tour. We got a bit of a late start and only had time for three or so stops. However, each stop had multiple artists showing their work. And just in thos stops we saw African tile art and dolls, various types of painting, fused glass, beading, and more. We ran out of time because [more after the jump]

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I’m Gettin’ Hungry, Dawg

August 11, 2008
FoodMy LifeVegetarian

Hi, I am Cappy!Do you like hot dogs? Doesn’t everyone? Are you a vegetarian? Isn’t everyone? Ha!

We tried a new eating place Friday, Capitol Dawg, in midtown. They offer a variety of dawg types, including a vegan dawg for us non-carnivores. Then you pick your toppings, or choose from one of their many menu dawgs. The great thing? Any of the items can be done using the vegan dawg! Check out the menu here. Note: Their web site was having some problems when I tried it today.

They have a more-or-less Sacramento theme, with their name, of course, and items like the Prop-51 Dawg, the Gold Rush Dawg, the Deftones Dawg, the Hornets Dawg, the Monarchs Dawg, you get the idea. There are lots of different dawgs and a nice patio out in front. If you’ve tried this place, let me know what you thought in the comments.

Open Mic Night – Brave Or Crazy?

August 8, 2008
CoffeeMusicMy Life

Thursday night is “Open Mic” night at the Coffee Garden in the Curtis Park area. I was there to see some entertainment last night and saw about 7 or 8 (or was it 9) local people doing their musical thing. There was a guy with a guitar singing folk songs, a woman singing John Lennon and John Mayer, two guys on guitar and conga drum who traded lead roles, a guy playing the harmonica, another young girl singing a couple original songs about someone stealing her boyfriend, an older guy doing a nice version of Elton John’s “Your Song”, and maybe one or two others.

They have this event every Thursday night, so go check it out. It was pretty entertaining. And it’s a really nice coffee place too. Free wi-fi, large indoor seating area, and large comfortable garden area in back, see you there…

Bumbershoot 2008 – Less Than Four Weeks Away!

August 3, 2008
BumbershootComedyMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel

Bumbershoot 2008This is where we go every year for the past seven years and again this year (and next!). It’s the Bumbershoot Music And Arts Festival in Seattle. Go to their web site right away for more info. It is most awesome.

Basically, the festival is 15 or so stages and venues (give or take a couple) with tons of music, comedy, drama, literary arts, dance, film, visual arts, and lots more. Why not check out our pictures from previous years. And click here to see who is playing this year!

See you there…?

Swing Vote – The Movie

August 2, 2008
ComedyMoviesMy Life

Swing VoteI won free tickets to a “sneak preview” of the new movie Swing Vote. Of course, it is playing everywhere now so you can see it too! Well, if you want to that is. I liked it. It’s not great but I thought it was entertaining, and if you like Kevin Costner in comedies then you will like this. It’s a comedy mixed with a little drama too, and some of a political satire thrown in for good measure. You just have to accept the far-fetched story line and then you will probably enjoy it.

The local paper gave it three stars out of four and I guess that sounds about right. Costner is pretty good and there are some funny and clever parts. Not a perfect movie, of course, but it’s a pleasant way to pass a couple hours. With movies, I always check the wonderful Rotten Tomatoes site, and in this case their Swing Vote page. Hmmm, maybe I liked it more than most critics, because the RT page only has a 38 out of 100 rating, but that might have changed by the time you read this.

Have you seen this movie? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments…

A Day In The Life – Take 2

July 29, 2008
ArtFriendsMy LifeTravel
1 Comment

Chihuly ExhibitLast Friday we took a day trip and met up with friends Larry and Robin in San Francisco. The main reason? To see the Chihuly Exhibit at the DeYoung Museum. Dale Chihuly is the most famous glass artist working today and for good reason. Check out his wikipedia page to learn more about him or his official site to see more of his work. I”m serious, his work is amazing.

But wait! There’s more! You can see our pictures of the Chihuly Exhibit on Petra’s site or go directly to them here. The pieces look awesome and when you remember that it is all glass it is even more stunning. One work was over 30 feet long, others filled a room or a stage. The presentation was superb but it was the glass that was the true star. Take a look, I’ll bet you will agree. And, oh yeah, we toured most of the rest of the museum too.

That was well worth the trip, but while there we grabbed lunch at the DeYoung Cafe and then dinner at a vegetarian chinese place that is going out of business at the end of the month. No need to link to them I guess ;-(

Have you seen the exhibit? Ot at least Petra’s photos? What do you think?

New Pix! Well, New To You Anyway…

July 17, 2008
ArtBumbershootMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel

Space NeedleGreetings, gentle readers. I have finally posted the pictures from last year’s Seattle trip! See the glory of the Emerald City, view us and our posse, check out the annual Bumbershoot Festival, and much more! You can also read an exciting written summary of what we did, which will amaze and astound you. And the photos! There are some that we took and also some different ones that Larry and Robin took. Check ’em out and let me know what you think…

Click here to see the pictures now!

A Day In The Life – Take 1

July 13, 2008
ArtFoodMixmastersMusicMy LifeVegetarian

Yesterday Petra B was at an art class so I decided to start getting caught up on my Mixmasters CD reviews. Or get ONE done at least! (If you don’t know what Miximasters is, click here for the old web site then click on Mixmasters along the bottom of the page). And yes, I did get a review done, and another CD ready to review today. Once PB got home, we headed out to run an errand and then to check out a Second Saturday art installation in the Curtis Park area, at the Tangent gallery. Strange art but very cool.

Then we went next door to the Coffee Garden, a great coffee shop in the Curtis Park area that has entertainment and a large indoor and outdoor seating area. Free Wi-Fi too, of course, but we didn’t have the laptops. A woman was playing guitar, then viola, then accordian, and singing (The Heather Show) We watched her for 20-30 or so minutes.But it was getting late and we were hungry!

So it was off for our first visit to Andy Nguyen Vegetarian. Yeah, the whole place is vegetarian, maybe even vegan, I didn’t check that. But we could actually order anything on the menu! Woo! Some of the items have wild names like Unending Bliss or Supreme Awareness and things like that. And there was some new-age type music playing. But the food was good and the place was nice and the service was decent too. My dish was described as spicy and it wasn’t really. But it was good. No alcohol served, though. Anybody out there even eaten there? If so, what did you think?

Rivercats Game Is Hot And Smoky

July 8, 2008
My LifeSports
3 Comments

Hot SunDinger We went to the Sacramento Rivercats baseball game last night. It was about 100 degrees (ouch!) when we got there and really smoky from all the fires burning up and down California. Ugh. Cough. Luckily, the sweat dried eventually and the temperature cooled into the 80s by the time the game ended nearly three hours later. Hey, 80s is better than 100. Am I right?

The Cats lost 5-1, though. They had a few decent moments but could never really get anything going. Well, you can’t win ’em all, as they say. We enjoyed the game even if it was TOO HOT! And as a bonus to you, my faithful readers, for your viewing pleasure I have included a nice photo of Dinger, the Rivercats mascot, caught scratching his armpit. Ah, so nice. And at least it was his armpit!

So now, you tell me. Is baseball fun and relaxing? Or slow and boring? I know it’s the Great American Pastime but what do YOU think?

Have You Read This Book?

July 6, 2008
BooksMy Life
4 Comments

Nineteen MinutesIt’s Nineteen Minutes by best-selling author Jodi Picoult. Apparently this is her 14th novel, but it’s the first one I have read by her. It won’t be the last. This was a really interesting look at a tragic event (a school mass-shooting), but more importantly about how it affected the lives of the people involved, from the shooter, his friends (if any), his parents, the parents of the deceased, and all the other peripheral players.

We see these events on the news all too often nowadays, but this novel explores the human side and also delves into the horrifying effects of bullying. Every character is a person with feelings, the shooter and the rest of the town. I would highly recommend this book.

Here’s a blurb from amazon.com (after the jump):

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The Record Swap

July 5, 2008
MusicMy Life

Elvis CostelloLast weekend there was a record swap at Bricka Bracka in midtown Sacramento. There were maybe a dozen or so local folks selling music. It was mostly vinyl, but there were some CDs and some other collectibles too. We found a few items, as we always seem to do. They’re not in our list of Last 100 Music Items We Bought, they are too new!

We bought a couple really old Elvis Costello 7″ singles, a Heart 12″ picture disc LP, and a Prince promo 12″ single from back in the When Doves Cry days. Well, we actually bought another Prince five-song 12″ from even before that (early 80s). But when we got home we discovered that we already had it! Argh! Well, this one was in better shape so we’re keeping this one and will sell the old one at some point. But still, argh! Does that ever happen to you? No? Really? Double argh!!

Josephine And Jasmine

July 3, 2008
FamilyGrandkidsMy Life

Jasmine parkJosephine parkThe granddaughters. The park. Yeah. It was great to see them since we don’t get to see them very often. As you can tell they are growing up and getting older. Petra made them each a beautiful glass necklace and we celebrated Josephine’s seventh birthday too.

The girls spent a lot of time playing on the playground swings and slides and we took over a hundred pictures. Well, you know, you gotta take ’em when you can. It was great to see the girls this past week.

Last 100 Music Items We Bought

July 2, 2008
MusicMy Life
3 Comments

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

Mullins, Shawn Honeydew vinyl + CD
Parker, Graham Life Gets Better vinyl single
Prince Musicology CD single
Mullins, Shawn What Is Life CD single
S Club 7 Don’t Stop Movin’ CD single
Marley, Stephen Mind Control Sampler CD
Cowboy Junkies ‘Neath Your Covers Part 1 CD
Thompson, Richard Tracks CD
V/A Rock Star – A Night At The Mayan Theater CD
Jethro Tull This Was (Collector’s Edition) 2-CD
Radiohead The Best Of 2-CD
Johansson, Scarlett Anywhere I Lay My Head CD
Panic At The Disco Pretty Odd CD
DMC Checks Thugs And Rock N Roll CD + DVD
Zito, Mike Today CD
One Republic Dreaming Out Loud CD
Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple CD
Duffy Rockferry CD
Counting Crows Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings CD
Death Cab For Cutie Narrow Stairs CD
Foxboro Hot Tubs Stop Drop And Roll!!! CD

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