My spidey-sense is tingling...

My trip to Whistler this weekend was a blast. Once again, the luck of the Spartan Ski Club pulled through and we got about 23 cms of freshies the day we showed up. Also, in one of the best "right place right time" moments of my life, we hopped on board the first few chairs of the Glacier Express and were 5 of the first 10 people to ski down the Blackhomb Glacier Bowl.

Reluctantly, I rode the new Peak to Peak gondola 45 mins after it opened on Friday. In one of the more memorable "bad place bad time" moments of my life, the gondola came to a halt for the first time ever just as we were suspended thousands of feet in the air over the Whistler valley. I spent the majority of the delay compulsively scraping off all of the snow attached to my skis trying not to look out the window.

I had a bad feeling about the Whistler gondolas the entire time I was there. They were old looking, they stopped often, and they were waaayyyy longer than any other gondolas I've been on.

Today, it seems, my senses were validated.

We toldaso...

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/12/a380-is-so-quie.html

Hikin'

Here are some cool photos of our hike this weekend.  

Nice work, Jon.

The Boy in the Bubble

I really couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable holiday weekend.  

Wednesday night we watched the Taj Mahal trio at a Seattle venue known as Jazz Alley (one of the coolest venues I've ever been to). 

 Thursday we joined some of our fellow Seattle transplants for a mash-up of awesome food, beer, and friendship.  Extra thanks to Becky for hosting.

I spent my Friday record shopping and hunting down Seattle's best cheese-steak, which has still alluded me to this day.  

Saturday I drove 90 minutes outside of Seattle to hike the Crystal Lake trail, a very rewarding experience.  

Walking to the coffee-shop today I couldn't help but enumerate the events of my weekend with a feeling of satisfaction, but this feeling quickly diminished once began making my Sunday rounds.  

While I was blithely going about my weekend more than 170 people were killed in Mumbai, political turmoil continued to escalate in Thailand, three Americans were killed in commerce related violence, eight restaurant patrons were killed in a Mexican border town, and a suicide bomber killed nine people at an Iraqi mosque.  

This sobering sense of reality is accompanied by a more powerful feeling of futility.  

 

We Are the Same We've Been Waiting For

I could handle Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff because you need a Washington insider in this position to get stuff done.

I could handle Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State because it gets Bill back in the mix and her Senate seat is sure to go democrat. (although I'd rather have Bill Richardson)

But letting Joe Lieberman, that fork-tongued, jowl-faced traitor, keep his chairmanship does not sit well with me. I thought we were talking about change in this election, but so far I see a lot of same. Replacing Lieberman would have been a good start.

Comparing Apples and Oranges

(Da Biggest) is to Michigan as (a huge gaping whole in my heart) is to Seattle.

(Big John's) is to Michigan as (a bag of Dick's) is to Seattle.

(Professor Zoninsein) is to Michigan as (The Uptight Seattlite) is to Seattle.

(Rage Week) is to Michigan as (Work Week) is to Seattle.

(The highest unemployment rate in the nation) is to Michigan as (I have a job) is to Seattle.

(Drunk bums) is to Michigan as (bums on heroin) is to Seattle.

to be continued....

A Fair Trade In My Mind

...I want this book.

...and I apparently live in the worst city to be a traditional sports fan.

...but one of the best cities to be a boardsports fan, as evidenced by this, this, and this.

Get It While It's Hot

Here is a (free) new snowboard video by Stepchild.  

One of my favorite political blogs, Politico, has started a new site that observes the Obama Administration's every move (wow, that has a nice ring to it).

Who wants to drop $5 on a mini-nuclear reactor? 

This guy is an idiot (but the pictures are badass).

Purging Like A Sorority Sister At Big John's...

So this has been a common post-election theme among many blogs, but I like it...

I can't wait until the following people fade away into obscurity:

1) Joe the broke, hypocritical, tax-evading, welfare-receiving, unlicensed pipe-cleaning, never-gonna-get-elected-to-any-public-office, shit-head, wannabe plumber.

2) Karl Rove, the Jabba the Hut of Washington politics without whom the world will be a much better place.

3) Sarah Palin and her gaggle of family members; granted, she will still be in the news, but she won't make the front page. You'll have to dig a bit to keep track of this Republican Valkyrie, at least for a year or two.

4) James Carville; you picked the wrong Democrat you stupid f$#%.

5) Joe Lieberman, Jerimiah Wright, William Ayers, Louis Farrakhan, Tony Rezko (not that they really mattered in the first place.

6) Tom Bradley (the African American gubenotorial candidate that the Bradely effect is based on)

7) Elizabeth Hasselback; the show is called "The View," not "The Views." I demand ideological solidarity from my middle-aged, female socialites. Time to take out the trash Joy Behar.

Junior Kick-Start

I feel as though I should attempt to write a profound wrap-up of this years election cycle, but I think I'm going to leave it be. We've all read the news more than usual, we all know the outcome, and we're all excited about it. That's good enough for me.

I will say this, the election of America's first African-American President is the most monumental positive event that has happened in my lifetime. I will always remember this election and the feelings that came with it; vindication, trust, hope, giddiness, pride, and (as of the last few days) arrogance. And just in case I ever forget how great if feels at this moment, I know I have plenty of friends who were right there with me that would be more than happy to remind me (and I got my copy of Wednesday's New York Times just to be sure).

The monuments of our generation are no longer 9/11 and the complacency of the Bush years. We are the generation of young voters who, for the first time ever, split 2-1 for a presidential candidate. We are the demographic that put Obama over the edge. We changed the game.

And I'm damn proud of us for it.

One Proud Papa

My pumpkin made it onto Yes We Carve! (half way down the page)

Getting Downright Emo This Sunday...

I'm a really big fan of this, knowing full well how much of a sap I am.

(anyone recognize the song in the background?)  

Kyle is a big fan of this, and we all know how big of a sap he is. 

And if Charles doesn't tug at your hear-strings even a little bit, then you may not have a heart in the first place. 

Halloween '08

Three things I learned from my first-post college Halloween.

1) Halloween is actually a one day holiday in most parts of the country; not a blank check booze-fest that encompasses the weekend before, week of, and weekend after Halloween.  

2) Creating your own Halloween props is way more fun than buying them. 

3) Party affiliation has no bearing when it comes to a female's desire to look like a skeezer; nine of ten Sarah Palin impersonators are democrats.  

Some Seemingly Good Ideas are Best Left Unexplored

Thursday we went to celebrate the release of a product that may down in history as one of the biggest culinary disasters of all time.

The Product: Baconnaise, the bacon infused mayonnaise (believe it or not, its veg friendly).

The Premise: 

"Come celebrate the release of Bacon Salts newest product, Baconnaise, by watching Bacon wrestle Mayonnaise in 200 gallons of mayonnaise."

"We'll be offering free BLT's all night"

"There will be scantily clad female athletes fighting each-other in whipped condiments."

Things They Forgot to Mention:

- You will get covered in mayonnaise.

- The BLT's are actually two pieces of shitty bread and some wilting produce covered in Baconnaise (with no actual bacon to be found anywhere).

- The scantily clad female athletes are members the University of Washington Rugby team (shudder)

  

 

When all was said and done, Mayonnaise suffered big losses on numerous fronts.  

He lost the wrestling match.

His reputation is now forever be tarnished by his marriage of convenience with Bacon.

Everyone that went to this event is now ten times more likely to prefer Mustard on their sandwiches.

Despite some real drawbacks the event was actually a blast and, as my friend Kyle brought to my attention, "Only in America." 

Making it rain...in the desert

Obama's Arizona strategy,

"Pride comes before the fall" or "the best defense is a good offense?"

I can't really decide. Maybe he just wants to dominate the last few news cycles before the election? But, will it look arrogant to undecideds? (all 12 of them)

I was already turned off by his $4 million TV spot the other night; a tactic reminicent of Ross Perot's infomercials in the 1992 election.

(which I attempted to find and link on this post, until I realized that the internet barley existed in 1992; if you google Ross Perot infomercials the first hits are Geocitites and Encarta.)

Hail Hitler and Vote for Obama

If this isn't the most counter-intuitive, fucked up piece of journalism you've read in a while, I want to know what is.

...and not just because the Alaskan viaduct is a death-trap.

Here is an intriguing and expressive idea from a guy I don't often agree with.

An Attempt at Understanding

I would like, sincerely, to hear from both Democrats and Republicans in my age group.

What are the issues that lead you to support the McCain / Palin ticket or the Obama / Biden ticket?

Are you a fiscal conservative? A social one? A Liberal?

Are you in favor of universal healthcare in the U.S.? Are you in favor of limited or expanded gov. roles?

How do these ideals find their way into your lives? What measures do you believe McCain or Obama will take to defend these interests? Why do you feel Obama or McCain (or Palin / Biden)is a threat to these interests?

I'm obviously pro-Obama, but I'm asking these questions out of honest interest, not to ambush your responses with my own rebuttals.

Let's Talk About Hope

I was pleased with the outcome...

Lake Washington

Two decent photos I took during summer on Lake Washington.  

Also, here are some better ones taken by my buddy Jon Steinberg on a different day.

(Mt. Rainier)

Start Here,

I can't help but feel amazed, and somewhat overwhelmed with new technology these days. I fancy myself to be a pretty tech-savvy guy, but it seems that lately I can't even keep up with the levels of connectivity that are now possible.

This, if it works as it is supposed to, seems really big (thanks to Ali for the heads up). I know this isn't a new idea, but I'm just starting to cope with the pros and cons. Once they start selling discounted textbooks, you would never have a huge backpack of books to carry around. The environmental impact could be huge (paper saving); especially in terms of periodicals. Newspapers are a colossal waste of material; they are usually read once and discarded, and moreover, often overprinted. The cell-phone style connection makes it easy enough for adults to understand; no messing with wireless networks and keys means my parents could probably cope with it. The melding of hand-held technology and the world of literature might be enough to bridge the gap with younger generations who find reading cumbersome. The only foil I see to this plan so far is the library. I would immediately plan to buy this as a Christmas present for my dad (who reads far more than he should given his neurotic worldview), but he gets all of his books from the lib at a fraction of the price it would cost to buy them on the device.


My recent Mac purchase has allowed me to video-conference with my parents, sister, and three of my best friends on a regular basis (probably too regularly upon reflection of a Saturday night conversation). Again, its not new, but I found myself caught off-guard by the ease of use, quality of communication, and the feeling of actual interaction you get from both hearing and seeing a person on the other line. Granted, I'm easily amused by many things, but video conferencing is awesome for families and friends seperated by long distances.

Feelings of inadequacy often characterize our parents' relationship with technology, and its been one of my favorite things to hold over their heads. It's something I had yet to experience until recently; its not nearly as funny as I thought.

Cheese-Grease (leftovers)

...here are some jams that come out today...

...I'm going to do my best to replicate the pumpkin on the right tonight over some beers...

...and Andy has very clearly articulated my feelings towards UofM fans here...