Seattle 2010 And Bumbershoot Part 3

September 18, 2010
ArtBumbershootComedyFoodFriendsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel

You can find part one here and part two here.

Sunday September 5

Day three of the festival and I am loving it! No surprise there. Same routine, we took the monorail to the Bumbershoot Festival and grabbed a snack at the hospitality area. Our first show to see was David Bazan at the KEXP secret lounge. While we waited, we heard a few songs from a nearby stage by The Tripwires which were ok but nothing special. Then we went in to see David. He’s the former singer-songwriter behind Pedro The Lion, now with a new band. We were really close up to see and hear his new songs mixed with PTL songs too. Good stuff. After that, Petra wanted to see Art Corps Presents so she went to that. I wandered a different direction to see a couple songs by Crash Kings, who I didn’t really like too much, and then The Redwood Plan at the cool Sky Church venue. They were quite a bit better. I also

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Seattle 2010 And Bumbershoot Part 2

September 17, 2010
ArtBumbershootComedyFriendsMoviesMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel
3 Comments

First off, part one is here in case you missed it.

Friday September 3

And a happy birthday to the daughter too. We started the day, as with the past few, by having a light breakfast in the room. Then we were outta there, to walk a few blocks to the monorail station. We took the two-minute train to the Seattle Center, because it was the day before the Bumbershoot Music and Arts festival. The day before? So what, you say? Ha. Yeah. Well, they open up the visual art exhibits a day early (for one thing), so we got a great chance to check all the art a day early before all the crowds were there. And it was totally great, just like every year. After a while of this we finished and then picked up our Bumbershoot Gold Passes. Yep, we bought some VIP treatment but not the Platinum. That takes the big money!

Art, gold passes, monorail, wow doesn’t that make you hungry? Well it did us! A few blocks away was Pacliacci Pizza so we stopped by for a slice. We actually had a two-for-one coupon from last year and they honored it no problem. The pizza was pretty good too. Then it was across the street to Easy Street Records. We shopped quite a while and found some CDs that we absolutely positively needed wanted. Same old story for us! After, we took the monorail back to the hotel so we could drop off the CDs, passes, and other stuff.

Then back to the Seattle Center to check out the

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Seattle 2010 And Bumbershoot Part 1

September 8, 2010
ArtBumbershootComedyMoviesMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel
2 Comments

We just got back from our annual trek to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (and more). I’ll post some pictures soon, but in the meantime here is a short synopsis of what we did. Enjoy, and maybe we’ll see you there next year…

Tuesday August 31

We took the Super Shuttle to the airport, and you know, once you are on the shuttle then you are on vacation. It was a quick flight to the Seattle Airport (SEA-TAC). The city of Seattle recently built a light rail line from downtown to the airport (they are way ahead of us) so we tried it. It was much better than a bus and only $2.50. We checked into our hotel, The Camlin, and even thought we were a little early our room was ready. Nice. First stop for us hungry travelers was nearby Cyber-Dogs. This is a great place, all vegetarian, with awesome and filling dogs with lots of toppings and combinations. Suitably stuffed, we went to the grocery store and bought a few supplies to keep with us back at the hotel for quick breakfasts and snacks. Then we

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Music We Own: The C Stuff (As Of Today)

August 21, 2010
MusicMy Life

Welcome! This is the third in a series of posts about some of the music we own.

We collect items by certain artists (see Elvis Costello, The Cure, Concrete Blonde, etc). And, of course, there are just some items that, well, the wife wanted (such as Mariah Carey, Cher, etc). Yes, we are both obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

ARTIST – TITLE – SIZE – FORMAT – SUBTYPE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS

Cake Pressure Chief 5 CD LP US

Cake Prolonging The Magic 5 CD LP US

Call, The The Walls Came Down 5 vinl sngl US Blue flexi-disk.

Cameo Word Up! 5 cd lp US

Campbell, Tevin I’m Ready 5 CD LP US Some songs by Prince.

Campbell, Tevin Round And Round 5 cd sngl US Four versions.

Campbell, Tevin Round And Round 12 vinl sngl US

Cardon, Sam & Kurt Bestor Innovators 5 CD LP US Track 1 is CD-ROM for a PC. Tracks 2-12 are music.

Carey, Mariah Butterfly 5 CD LP US

Carey, Mariah Emotions 5 cd lp US

Carey, Mariah Mariah Carey 5 cd lp US

Carey, Mariah MTV Unplugged EP 5 cd ep US

Carey, Mariah Music Box 5 cd LP US

Carlile, Brandi Brandi Carlile 5 CD LP US

Carlile, Brandi Downpour 7 vinl sngl US

Carlile, Brandi Give Up The Ghost 5 CD LP US

Carlile, Brandi Live At Easy Street Records 5 CD LP US

Carlile, Brandi The Story 5 CD LP US

Carlile, Brandi We’re Growing Up 5 CD LP US

Carlin, George Indecent Exposure (Best Of…) na cass lp US

Carlin, George Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics 5 CD LP US

Carlin, George What Am I Doing In New Jersey? na cass LP US

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Music We Own: The B’s (As Of Today)

August 5, 2010
MusicMy Life
2 Comments

This is the second in a series of posts about some of the music we own.

We do collect items by certain artists (see Beatles, Bowie, Kate Bush below etc). And, of course, there are just some items that, well, the wife wanted (such as Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi, etc). Yes, we are obsessed with music!

Artists are last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS

B Boy K – Bad Influence CD 5 US Autographed.

B-52’s, The – Party Mix/Mesopotamia cd 5 US Two albums on one CD.

B-52’s, The – The B-52’s CD 5 US

B-52’s, The – Wild Planet CD 5 US

B-52’s, The – Whammy! cass na US

B-52’s, The – Nude On The Moon – Anthology CD 5 US

B-52’s, The – Cosmic Thing cd 5 US

B-52’s, The – Mesopotamia vinl 12 US

Babelfish 42 – Bipolar CD 5 US

Bach – The Brandenburg Concertos cass na unk

Bach – Suites vinl 12 US Two suites.

Bach – Concertos vinl 12 US Two concertos.

Backstreet Boy – Backstreet Boys CD 5 US

Baerwald, David – The Got No Shotgun… cd 5 US Promo.

Baerwald, David – Baerwald On Triage cass na US Promo.

Baerwald, David – Dance cd 5 US Promo.

Baerwald, David – Selections From Triage CD 5 US Four song promo sampler.

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Music We Own: The A’s (As Of Today)

August 4, 2010
MusicMy Life
2 Comments

This is the first in a series of posts about some of the music we own.

We’ve been know to collect lots of items by certain artists (witness the Tori Amos selections below). We also like a wide variety of music, which has been spread over many years. And, of course, there are just some items that, well, the wife wanted (such as Rick Astley, Paula Abdul, Clay Aiken, and friends of Prince like Appolonia).Yes, we are obsessed with music, I know, I know…

Artists are last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment!

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE (INCHES) – COUNTRY – NOTES

A Fine Frenzy – Bomb In A Birdcage CD 5 US

A, Chunky – Large And In Charge CD 5 US Arsenio Hall.

A, Chunky – Owwww! vinyl 12 US Promo.

ABC – Alphabet City cd 5 US Four bonus tracks.

ABC – How To Be A Zillionaire vinyl 12 GER

ABC – How To Be A Zillionaire cd 5 US Four bonus tracks.

ABC – The Lexicon Of Love vinyl 12 US

ABC – How To Be A Zillionaire vinyl 12 US

ABC – Beauty Stab vinyl 12 US

Abdul, Paula – Spellbound CD 5 US

Adam And The Ants – Prince Charming cass na US

Adam And The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier cass na US Includes bonus tracks.

Adams, Bryan – (Everything) I Do I Do For You CD 5 US

Aerosmith – Walk This Way vinyl 7 US

Age Of Chance – Kiss vinyl 12 UK

Age Of Chance – Kiss vinyl 7 US

Agent Ribbons – And The Star Crossed Doppelganger vinyl 7 US Green vinyl

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Let’s Help Make A Movie About Graham Parker!

July 28, 2010
Music

Graham Parker (web site | learn more) has been a great singer-songwriter since the 70s and he still is today. He has refused to compromise his vision and so fame has eluded him. But there was a time when he was compared to Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe, and others. And honestly, though I like those people too, Graham has remained truer to his original sound. He’s still great to see live (my review of his Winters show) and on record his biting, literate lyrics and hook-filled, heartfelt songs are what pop-rock music would be in a much more interesting world.

Why not help get this film produced? Want a copy of it? Want a T-shirt? Want your name in the credits?! C’mon, he deserves this! Click on his picture for more info.

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It’s Almost Bumbershoot – See You There!

July 26, 2010
ArtBumbershootComedyMoviesMusicMy LifeSeattle

It’s only 40 days until this year’s Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (Sept. 4-6) !!

Any thoughts about it so far? Who are you going to see? Who do you think we should see? Almost every act has been announced by now, so I won’t list them all. It’s all on the web site. Here are some helpful links:

Main web site:
http://www.bumbershoot.org

Printable PDF artist lineup, schedules, and map, which includes the new venue that is replacing “the pit” (aka the Exhibition Hall)
http://bumbershoot.org/info/pdf/

Online lineup and scheduling tool:
http://sched.bumbershoot.org/

Miscellaneous info:
http://bumbershoot.org/info/about-bumbershoot/

Info about the free 40-years-of-Bumbershoot poster show (thru Sept. 7):
http://bumbershoot.org/40/umbrella-for-the-arts-40-years-of-bumbershoot-artwork/

Downloadable icons, wallpaper, and cellphone stuff:
http://bumbershoot.org/bumberfan/downloads.htm

Platinum/Gold Pass info:
http://bumbershoot.org/tickets/platinum-gold/

Buy tickets and ticket info:
http://bumbershoot.org/tickets/

That’s all for now…

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Still Retired After All These Weeks

July 22, 2010
My LifeWork
2 Comments

Yes, I am still retired. Seriously, you knew that would be true. And while I miss some things from work, it’s starting to fade into the past (as it should). I don’t have to go back to work after THIS vacation! But what have I been doing? Taking it easy? Yeah, some. But busy too, with these things and more…

A couple days in Santa Cruz, a couple days working in the garden, dog training, more time (and activities) with the grandkids, visited with friends, a Rivercats game, Spamalot (twice), Brandi Carlile concert, Twilight: Eclipse at the Imax, Second Saturday, watching the Fab Four at the fair, catching up on some things, hanging some album covers for art (a couple different times), a walk to the grocery store, some reading, a little work on Obsessed With Music and SacMusicBlog, food at Curry Corner, Capitol Dawg, A Taste Of Thai, 524 Mexican, La Fiesta Taqueria, etc.

And other stuff that my aging brain doesn’t remember off hand. Does any of that sound interesting? Feel free to comment.

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Have You Read This Book? – Take 11

July 16, 2010
BooksMy Life

Over the years I’ve read a dozen or so Stephen King books, maybe even a couple more than that. Most of them did a pretty good job of keeping my interest and creating suspense. And if there was any gore or unpleasantness, well it was only a book so I didn’t actually see it (like, say, in a movie). A few bordered on the hokey, but most were good, interesting, and sometimes even a little scary works of fiction.

This one starts right off. No, really. A few pages into it the whole premise happens. And the rest of the book is just what happens after. But King develops the characters reasonably well and there is enough subsequent action and suspense to keep the reader reading. It might have drug a little a couple times but not much and it made for a few late nights reading when I didn’t want to stop.  If you like Stephen King then I would recommend it. My favorite of his is still Salem’s Lot, although I read it many, many years ago. Hope I am remembering it right!  😉

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Have You Read This Book? – Take 10

July 12, 2010
BooksMy Life

I recently finished reading ‘Mercy” by Jodi Picoult. It’s the third book I’ve read by her, after Nineteen Minutes and My Sister’s Keeper. Click those links to read my thoughts about those books.

This one covers ground that is a bit close (or could have been), a woman dying from cancer and in terrible pain, so she asks her husband to help end her life. And in this case, he does it for her. So, how far is too far if the act is out of love? And then there’s the police chief, in a comfortable marriage. That is, until a newcomer threatens to change everything. It’s a good story and a compelling read. As with the other two of her books, I enjoyed it.

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Work: Things I Will Miss – Parts 9-14

July 3, 2010
My LifeWork

Is this the last in the series? Maybe. After all, I have officially retired. And not a moment too soon as our idiot governor has decided that all state workers will get paid the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr). Don’t get me started on that egotistical, bullying chowderhead. That was the nicest thing I could call him, he deserves much worse.

But anyway, I have more things I will miss and may even think of more down the road, but here are some:

My RDO – I used to get every other Friday off, because I worked an extra hour on each of the other days. It works out to the same number of hours but a better schedule makes a happier and more productive employee. Of course, now every day is a day off.

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And Now I Am Retired

June 30, 2010
My LifeWork
8 Comments

June 30th, 2010. The day will go down in history as the beginning of a new era. Remember, a wise man once said “there shall come a day when ye shall work no more” and I think he also said “enough, dude!”

And so it goes. Today is the first day of my retirement and I shall go to work no more. As you can see from the picture, my loving  wife Petra decorated the most important places of the house (at least on first getting up). She did the coffee maker and also the spot where I tend to sit and drink the coffee (and read the paper). Awww, is she the sweetest ever or what?!!

And we had a nice lunch today with friends Jared and Ashleigh at Pooja, an Indian food buffet. And if that was not enough, we have an art class with one of the grandkids later today. So you can see I’m keeping busy, at least on the first day. But sharp-eyed readers will notice that I did NOT go to work.

Feel free to comment below…

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Work: Things I Will Miss – Part 8

June 27, 2010
My LifeWork

Almost to retirement. And yet there are still some things I will miss. Hopefully you have been following this fascinating series of posts.

As I get to the final days, I realize another thing I will miss. And that is: cubicles. Really? Are you kidding me? Well, I’m pretty sure that I will adapt to not having one. After all, soon the whole world will be my cubicle, hahaha!

Well, maybe that’s not the best way to look at it. But cubicles are so organized. And orderly. And functional. A place for everyone and everyone in their place. Yeah, both me and Dilbert have been in a cubicle for a long, long time. Yikes!

Well, ok. I’m crazy and I admit it. Hey, maybe I need to retire 😉

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Work: Things I Will Miss – Part 7

June 24, 2010
My LifeWork

I’m getting closer and closer to retirement. Yes, I am counting the days and I have a rough idea of the hours. Hope I don’t change my mind. Yeah, right!!

One more thing I will miss from work is having two monitors. Both are hooked up to the same computer. If you haven’t had this setup, you might think “why would you want it?”. But once you have it, you realize it is very cool. You can make code changes in one monitor and then view the changes in the other. And no more switching back and worth between programs. You can multi-task with any two things you want to do. Seriously, it is a good thing. Of course, I could have this at home if I really wanted it, but remember, I’ll be on a “fixed income”.  😉

Hey, wait a minute. What’s that on the right monitor? Yes! It is! It’s www.stevenology.com. Readers who click on the picture may also notice the Sgt Peppers mouse pad and the peace magnet and the Beat record store magnet. Not to mention the general messiness of the cubicle. What can I say, I’m half-packed and getting out of here!

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Work: Things I Will Miss – Part 6

June 23, 2010
My LifeWork

As I now get VERY close to retirement, I am still blogging about some of the things I will miss. You can read some of the other things elsewhere on this web site.

But here is another thing I will miss. You may scoff, but I will miss the ATM machine that is in the cafeteria at work. It is SO convenient to have it in the same building. Need cash, no problem (well, if you have it that is). But it is so easy to get a little spending money.

Not for long, though. Once I retire, my bank’s closest ATM to my house is about four miles!  Sheesh! C’mon, Golden One Credit Union, how about an ATM near my house? Ok, enough of that. I’m still retiring!!

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Work: Things I Will Miss – Part 5

June 19, 2010
My LifeWork

As retirement gets even closer, I think of more things I will miss. Not enough to keep working, of course! But it seems like there is always a birthday, someone leaving, a new baby, an engagement, a promotion, or some other event happening to one of the group at work.

And so someone, or even everyone, brings in some food. It could be one thing, or it could be a conference room full. Just look at this stuff from the other day: cookies and chocolate covered strawberries. Yow! And what you see in the picture is about a third of what there was to start with. Most of this stuff I never buy. But when it’s in front of me? Well, what’s a guy to do…? 

I’m sure my body will be better off without all the food that people bring in. But it’s so good, you know I will miss it!

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Work: Things I Will Miss – Part 4

June 16, 2010
My LifeWork

Retirement is getting closer and closer. As you may know, I have been blogging about some of the things I will miss from work when I retire.

Well, this one is kind of weird, but I do have a good parking space. I know, that’s crazy and I should be glad about saving $50 a month. And I am, for sure! But I have this routine. I park at home in a garage, and I park at work in a garage, so really it doesn’t matter if there is rain, wind, extreme heat, cold, sleet, a rain of bats, blizzard, whatever. I don’t even have to step out in it! I go from the garage into the car and then, when I get to my parking space (see photo), I go from the car  into the stairway and up to my cubicle. Who even needs a jacket?

But hey! Wait a minute. I’m retiring. So… I won’t have to even go out at all if I don’t want to. Ha, yeah! Bring it on, mister bad weather maker, I won’t be driving to work at all! But, still, it IS a nice parking space, all cement with a faded yellow line to separate it. Hmmm, you know what? Maybe I won’t really miss it. 😉

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