trying out new ideas

Bailout #2

Here is a link to a op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday. Mmmm grrr.

Bailout questions?

I was reading a article on MSNBC this morning about the financial crisis after having a conversation with my wife last night about the failure of the government for not being able to come to an agreement on the bailout. After our conversation, I realized I don't really have a good grasp on what the government is trying to do. I did know I felt betrayed by the people who we the people had voted into office to make these hard decision for us. One quote that caught my eye was, “This is really a failure, at a massive level, of the political system,” ( Mark Gertler, an economics professor at New York University). Another professor goes on to say that one of the problems is that no one has really gone out and explained what the bailout is doing and why we need it. I had to agree with much of what was said in the article. I don't know much about my own finances, much less those of the entire country.

So I went to the House Financial Services Committee's page on the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008". It helped me understand a little more about the bailout plan. I thought I would post these links so others might be able to read what the government was discussing straight from the horse's mouth.

Fantastic breakfast at the OG Pancake House

So we woke up late this morning and decided to head to Ballard for pancakes at the Original Pancake House. We have been a few times before, but today is the first time I have tried the omelets, which are downright amazing.

I had the plain cheese omelet and my wife had the ham and cheese omelet. Both come with three pancakes and toast or home fires. They make a 5 egg omelet that is fluffy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. Mine was a perfect mix of aged cheddar and eggs, while my wife's also had an ample helping of ham added to the mix. The omelets were so big I had to get a box, I will eat the other half tomorrow. In the past service was a little slow, but today it was good.

The pancakes are always perfect. I had banana pancakes that were not too full with filling. I still have some left for tomorrow as well.

If you are in the Ballard area I'm sure you already know of this busy breakfast spot. If you haven't and you don't mind a wait(15min for us today at 11:30am) check it out. You can also call ahead to get in line, but your whole party must be present to be seated.

Battle in Seattle seems more like a small skirmish in a soap opera

Last night I went to see the new film Battle in Seattle about the WTO protests of 1999 in Seattle. I didn't have to pay, which was a good thing, because I don't recommend seeing it unless your watching it on cable on a rainy afternoon.

The movie did have its moments and it did use some real footage from during the protests, which I thought was odd because the newer shots of the city didn't exactly match up. I also liked the reactions of some of the WTO characters and police.

My main complaints were the addition of a love story which I felt took away from the facts of the incident. I also thought the portrayal of protesters in general was poor, and that adding written commentary at the end of the film detracted from the film. All in all it was a cheesy slick replacement for an important event in Seattle's history. It makes me sad to think that some people will see this film and it will replace the real facts for them. Movies like this are how history is distorted and watered down.

Definitely wait for cable if you are interested.

ms. led at the sunset

Mates of State

I'm excited. yesterday my wife got us tickets to the Santogold , Mates of State show at the Showbox SODO . The last time the Mates were in town we missed out, so I am looking forward to this show. They just make life a little happier.

I downloaded the Santogold record from Emusic and it sounds good as well.

small guitar

The ferry

Sunday we went to visit some friends in Poulsbo.

I forgot how calming the ferry can be. I know if I took it everyday it might not be the same, but for a lazy Sunday it can help relieve some stress as you look out over the water.

Mos Generator/ Brothers of the Sonic Cloth

Last Friday a friend and I headed down to Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown to see Mos Generator and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth.

It was kind of nostalgic for us as we used to practice just a few doors down from Jules Maes back in the 90's and we spent many hours drinking at that bar in those days. At the time they weren't having shows in the back room. I remember (sort of) a interview we did with a writer for The Stranger that never made it into print were our singer John Bosch had her meet us at Jules Maes and I was drunk before she arrived. The interview took a terrible turn when after some prodding she got me to talk a little about how much I didn't trust the music media. The bar looks the same yet different now.

Now we practice across the street a few doors down and they are having shows in the back room. I love Mos Generator and had not yet seen Brothers of the Sonic Cloth.

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth are a three piece comprised of Tad Doyle, Peg Tully and Eric Akre. They play heavy music. It was my first time seeing them and I didn't catch the whole set. The songs I did hear were heavy, slow with screamed vocals that made Tad look like his head was going to pop off. I will definitely check them out again.

Mos Generator are great live. A heavy rock band that isn't afraid of the bands that influenced them, but able to still have a sounds of their own. They are super tight and come to rock. That is what they delivered on last Friday night. Do your self a favor and check them out.

Chicken Now

I bought a new camera yesterday. I wanted to get one for under $100 to have for taking to shows, the beach, vacation, and so on. I settled on the Fuji A850, which at Beat Buy came in a box with a bag and a 1g sd card for $99. Then my wife did some shopping and we ate at Chicken Now in the new food court at Southcenter.

I love Chicken!!! Chicken Now!!!

Noise in the Woods

I-90 to exit 38 onto SE Homestead Valley rd, turn left onto NF-9020, go approx 2 miles up the road, there will be a few signs up along the way

I won't be able to make it this weekend, but if you feel like checking out some metal and noise bands in the woods this weekend, head up to North Bend and check it out.

Evergreen State Fair

We went to the Evergreen State Fair a couple of weeks ago. I like to look at all the animals.

1st Ave road mess

When I headed down to the Showbox Sodo last night as I approached on 1st Ave it started to slow down a few blocks away from the club. As I got closer I realized that road surfacing was going on and it was a mess. I did get to see the cool machine they use though, it was right across the street from the club, as you can see from the photo taken from in front of the ticket booth.

Quote of the day

From the song "An Ear For Baby", by The Thermals.

"Good luck getting God on the phone".

Mogwai

So I ended up going to see Mogwai after my class ended. I caught the end of Fuck Buttons set, which sounded cool, but was the end so I didn't really get a good taste.

Mogwai were amazing of course. Quiet, loud, Louder. The sound was great, I listened from a couple of different places in the room and it sounded good everywhere. The light show was a little boring, I thought the strobes could have been used better, but only cause I'm comparing to the Nothingface lightshow from back in my touring days.

Missed shows and etc...

So I bitched about Bumbershoot and not going to see Battles. After not going to that show and reading some reviews of their performance I looked at where they were playing next thinking I would go to Vancouver or Portland, but alas I couldn't make it to either shows. Then today someone gave away tickets to tonights Mogwai show, which I didn't win. Had these shows passed with out me remembering that Built to Spill is playing tonight as well and I couldn't decide which to go to, then I would have been fine, but no now I'm trying to decide which to go to. I have a class at 7pm, so I guess I will see which is not sold out after I get out.

new graffiti at practice space