The gang comes to Seattle

It was eerily quiet at home this weekend after everyone had left...kinda like the feeling you get after watching a concert and walking outside the theater. It was great to have everyone visit for several days here in Seattle. It was the works....standard fare that includes Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Ballard Locks, and the Underground Tour.....and much more with a ferry trip to Bainbridge Island, travles to Lake Quinault, Forks, and La Push (yes, we had some Twilighters in the group :) ). The food roulette included Brown Bag, Ray's Boathouse, Serious Pie, Shakey's Pizza, and the Crab Pot. Yummy!

Spring Training 2010

Our annual trek this year brings us back to our first hotel near Scottsdale. Living in this location has its perks....for one, we just walk to the ballpark for the games (woohoo! no parking hassle!).....plus, it makes it easier to walk around town. The Friday game was against Colorado.....Saturday against Arizona. The sun was cooking.....'till Sunday....our lone road trip to Surprise, AZ.....cancelled by a rain out......no biggie...we just went to downtown Phoenix and watched a movie (Alice in W).

Yak and Garden

This weekend I attended a gathering sponsored by the WWTA (Washington Water Trails Assoc) in West Seattle. I attended a talk on apparel (lead by a Kokatat rep) and photography by Gary Luhm. During the break, I strolled to the nearby Chinese garden. There are still parts of the area still undergoing renovation, but the open sections are very nice and a peaceful walk along paved and gravelled paths was a great way to enjoy the day's sun.

Checking in

I was watching the evening news and heard them report a day between 1/21 and 1/25 as the most depressing day of the year (man, the year just started and they've declared the sadest day already??!?).....looks like it "...factors in the weather, consumer debt from holiday spending and failed New Year's resolutions...". For me, the whole month of January has simply been one busy month at work. The weekends have been mainly rest and errands, but I did get a chance this past weekend to join a Skagit valley eagle watch activity in Rockport, WA. I had my camera gear with me, but was handed a paddle as I boarded the raft...and even though I had a lot of opportunities to pause and take out my camera (the river was just a class I), I just didn't have the motivation to do so...and so if I wasn't paddling I was just enjoying the view. It wasn't peak season so we only saw 13 eagles during the two hour trip (in peak season, the guides say you could spot a hundred easily). The offsite part of my January schedule is finally over and so I get to come regularly in the office again...hopefully get a good routine going and pace for a few more breaks.

Home for the Holidays 2009

Seattle snow was nowhere in sight in December 2009 so flying home was no problem. I came home a few days earlier this year and that gave me enough time to meet with a lot of friends before Chirstmas Day. Mom and Dad were going to Las Vegas for Christmas and so we all kinda found ourselves tagging along for a couple of days. Nothing new to report about Vegas except that they now have dancers (at night) on the casino floor...certainly a ploy to lure men in the casino (yes, i think it worked :) ). Vegas was not spared by the economic slowdown and this was clearly demonstrated by how a number of casinos who used to feature only upscale restaurants now have small food courts.

2010 has come somewhat quietly...which I personally think is pleasant. But it also comes on the heels of how times are still tough and there is still a lot of caution and sadness in the air.

My time home this year felt like a long time and I actually was able to take a lot of idle time to help my brother and brother-in-law move appliances, play a 1st-gen xbox (its still good, man ;) ), stare at planes in the sky during the day, stare at blinking towers at night.

Morning Glory

Ahh there's nothing like starting a slow vacation day reading the morning paper. I love Chronicle's eggshell paper. The colors and text are brightly clear and the texture is great on your fingertips.

A Hoh before thanksgiving

The weather was not being cooperative, but that didn't stop us from visiting the Hoh Rainforest. Armed with covers, jackets, and umbrellas, we drove in and shot on location to fulfill our mission :). Given that we were actually in Forks, WA, there was a lot of Twilight to go around (signs & merchandise). At the local store where we bought lunch, we were told a lot of businesses actually made as much as they would have all year in just the past couple of months.

If you had to be really picky, which songs will you carry with you?

I recently got a new MP3 player and wanted to load it up with selections from my CD library. Making the selections was a very tough exercise. For some reason, I made it a point to be stubborn and select only tracks that I can play continuously without hitting the forward button. This meant leaving out some normally good but not great songs. For artists that I truly admire the most, it was hard not including everything, but the rule was simple. Afterwards, looking at the inventory, I was curious to find out which artists had the most tracks in the collection. Here's the top 21:

21) Ednaswap (8 tracks) - the original band that performed "Torn" (made famous by Natalie Imbruglia), Annie Preven's rough voice suits the bands riffs. My personal favorites are "Blown Away" and "The Goodnight Moon" from their 1995 Chicken EP.

20) Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton (8 tracks) - Emily is probably more popularly known as the voice of the band Metric, but I prefer to listen to her with The Soft Skeleton. "Doctor Blind" always feels like it was based on a film story and I find myself daydreaming when I listen to it. My personal favorite is "Winning".

19) Madonna (8 tracks) - You gottta have some Madge in your list, right :). I consider it a guilty pleasure. Personal favorite: "Substitute for Love".

18) Regina Spektor (8 tracks) - For anyone who enjoys Tori or Fiona's piano, Reginka is usually not far behind. She's playful and a great side trip from Tori's clouds. "Us" was the song from her Soviet Kitsch album that made her famous, but "Ode to Divorce" is usually what I get fond listening to.....my personal favorite is from her recent album (Far), a track called "The Calculation".

17) Sarah McLachlan (8 tracks) - The Freedom Sessions album is one of those unsung heroes in ones discography, and the alternate versions there of "Good Enough" and "Hold On" are much more beautiful than their airplay counterparts. My personal favorite is "Elsewhere".

16) Cat Power (11 tracks) - Time for some Whiskey...it's time to listen to Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power). "3 Times" and "Rockets" from her 1995 debut album are my personal favorites.

15) Alanis Morissette (12 tracks) - Can't have Madge without Alanis :)....another guilty pleasure. One rare treat you will find is from a 1998 acoustic album (I think only sold in Japan?) that has a nice version of "Not the Doctor". My personal favorite is "You Learn".

14) KT Tunstall (12 tracks) - In between her breakout album and Drastic Fantastic was a side project called "Acoustic Extravaganza" and I think it had great material it could have been the next album. It contained a great track called "Ashes" (personal favorite).

13) Sia (12 tracks) - I have to admit Sia was not the first artist I discoverd from Zero 7 (that would be Tina Dico), but later on after listening to Colour The Small One and then Some People Have Problems, I just couldn't get enough of her. Personal favorites are "Numb" and "Beautiful Calm Driving".

12) Tears for Fears (13 tracks) - Songs from the Big Chair is a wonderful memory from my teenage years and it contains their biggest hits, but it's actually lesser known tracks "Broken" and "The Working Hour" that are my personal favorites. "The Working Hour" especially since it features a young unknown on sax named Will Gregory (the other half of Goldfrapp). Ultimate TFF track: "Woman in Chains". It's under my skin but out of my hands. I'd tear it apart. But I won't understand.

11) Sheryl Crow (14 Tracks) - She's got a lot of really good hit songs, but when she slows down, that's when I love her the most. Personal favorites: "Home", "We do what we can", "Perfect Lie".
10) Pearl Jam (16 Tracks) - A very short track called "Sometimes" from the No Code album is my personal favorite......if I had to choose just one.....otherwise, I have to throw in "I am mine" and "Black". If you just happen to be passing by, go listen to "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town". If you watch the live performance of it, it's even better. Easily solidifies a crowd.
09) Lisa Loeb (16 Tracks) - In this compilation, Lisa holds the record as one of the few artists who have a complete album that I copied whole.....and that would be the 1995 Tails album. Personal favorite: "It's Over".
08) Garbage (17 Tracks) - I once watched a concert only because they were the opening act. The Version 2.0 album is i think their best. Personal favorites: "Medication", "You look so fine".

07) St. Vincent (17 Tracks) - Such a creative force. I didn't think she could get any better than her "Marry Me" album, but follow-up "Actor" blew me away. Personal favorites: "The Apocalypse Song", "We put a pearl on the ground", and "Marrow".

06) Tori Amos (33 Tracks) - granted I have not been happy since the "Scarlet's Walk" album, I still share a long past of great music from Tori. Personal favorites: "Your Cloud", "Lust", "Precious Things", and "Cloud on my Tongue".











05) Goldfrapp (30 Tracks) - Alison and Will hold the other record of having a complete album copied into the compilation (that would be the "Seventh Tree" album). Their collaboration is just magnificent. Personal favorites: "Utopia", "Pilots", "Lovely Head", "Road to Somewhere".


04) Radiohead (27 Tracks) - Depth, creativity, power....so much to discover in all their albums, I have yet to fully digest the entire catalog and I'm glad about that.....it will sustain me for some time. Personal favorites: "Creep", "No Surprises", "High and Dry", "I Might be Wrong", "There There".
03) Jonatha Brooke (21 Tracks) - She dishes out beautiful lyrics and  great melodies. At her best live. Personal favorites: "Crumbs", "The Choice", "At the Still Point".
02) Fiona Apple (21 Tracks) - she holds the third and last record in this collection for having a whole album copied (the Tidal album). I'm proud to have been there in the very beginning, watching her in San Francisco's Warfield where she performed the entire Tidal album. Personal favorites: "Never is a Promise", "The Child is Gone", "Get Gone", "I know", "Oh Well".

01) PJ Harvey (36 Tracks) - All hail to the queen :). I discovered her late, actually, with the 2000 Stories from the City Stories from the Sea album. But as I listened to previous albums, the farther I got, the more deeper appreciation I had for her work. Personal favorites: "The River", "Horses in my Dreams", "Victory", "50ft Queenie", "We Float".

Roaming Weekend

This past weekend an old batchmate from college was in town and so we roamed the city with your typical "visitor itinerary" (pike place market, space needle, etc.). We also had a chance to join a friend's neighborhood Halloween party and its an amusing thing watching people really put a lot into their costumes. Another treat was the nearby park where my friend was staying. I'd usually get there early so I can make this pit stop, sit down and just stare at Puget Sound. On this particular day there was someone flying a kite. It was quite a relaxing thing to watch.

Checking In

It's been a while so I thought I'd check-in for a bit. It's work as usual at the office, but the past couple of weeks I've been nursing a sprained ankle. I wish I could honorably say I got it while negotiating a tight turn on my mountain bike, spinning for a reverse layup in basketball, or sliding to home plate in a baseball game. But it was an uneventful stroll outside the post office and not seeing the curb...well I was reading something...aw, forget it...I sprained it out of stupidity. To add to the misery, I got sick a day later (the doc did run a flu-test on me and I was clear). Anyway, that's history. Anti-biotics cured my infection and I've had two sessions of physical therapy that have really done well for my recovery. My limp is pretty much gone although I still walk cautiously and I still wear protective wraps. I think the PT was right in predicting she could get me rehabilitated back in about 3-4 weeks.

Fort Worden

Fort Worden in Port Townsend is a beautiful place and the soldiers who first occupied it were very fortunate to have had this place of tranquility to go with their military service. I was there for the west coast kayak symposium and elected to stay in one of the dormitories. It's a little eerie if you think about the fact that this place had been in service since 1904 and I wonder about the different enlisted men over the years who may have stayed in the very room I was occupying. I had trouble sleeping the first night. One of the first things I discovered when I entered the room on day 1 was that....well....no TV. I've gotten so used to having a TV lull me to sleep that pure silence kept my mind too busy to sleep. I started thinking...."well imagine you're a convicted criminal and this is your jail cell.....or.....you're in a mental institution and you are confined to your quarters until you come to your senses." Eventually, I got tired and dozed off (finally!)

Friday morning was delightfully slow. I had breakfast at the commons, then attended a class on hypothermia. I walked around the military base for hours after that, taking pictures as I go. After lunch, I went to the beach for one of the kayak sessions and went on the water on a Gulfstream (by Current Designs). It's a nice boat and reminds me of the used Andromeda that I recently acquired (from Cascade CK). I tried a few more that day but none much to say. I was tired that night and had no trouble getting to sleep. The following day I joined an early morning group for a paddle. This time I tried a Nigel Denis kayak. It was a bit windy but luckily the NDK was maneuverable and so leaning was not a problem. I could have probably stayed for the day but I had pretty much felt satisfied will the activity so I drove home afterwards and spent the rest of the weekend resting and doing housekeeping at home. I've still got memories of Fort Worden and I know I will visit it again.

Labor Week

The past week was an odd week. Starting with an off day Labor Day Monday was nice, but Tuesday and Wednesday threw me into Jury Duty hell....there is a two day minumum, of which I fell into the pool for the first case of the day...the biggest one most likely. I could not get excused despite my desperate pleas (short of lying, which I could just not do...am glad that part of me still works) and with the prospect of being sequetestered for at least five weeks, morale started to really dip...until on the last couple of hours on day 2 when the lawyers finally did not see me as their type of juror...and suddenly everything again in the world was bright :). Thursday was the company meeting at Safeco field and like past years its a lot of presentations and energizers, but what's brewing up at reasearch is what I always look forward to...in the past Bill used to do the honors, but the folks from research are equally as enthusiastic and fun to watch. Friday was a "Day of Caring" and I was with my co-workers at an assisted living factility clearing up landscape. The week is over. zzzz.

Good Morning

The Apocalypse Song
(2007, Annie Clark)

Wait
I'll be swifter than the speed of light
carbon my body a billion years of time
you wake with stitches over both your eyes
and deny me my body and all earthly delights
its time
you are light
i guess you are afraid of what everyone is made of
all your praying amounts to just one breath
please keep your victory
but give me little death
its time
you are light
i guess you are afraid of what everyone is made of
so take to the streets with apocalypse refrain
your devotion has the look of a lunatic's gaze

Stroke Clinic

I spent this weekend in Dan Henderson's efficient forward kayak stroke clinic in Renton. The image above is a capture from Dan's video recorder. This is the first part of the clinic.....the video will be discussed later in class (where your forward stroke is disected and evaluated). We are then given assignments or adjustements in our stroke to work on when we get back in the water. I picked up a lot and improved my stroke. It's great to come home feeling you've taken a good step forward in becoming a better paddler.

Burn baby burn

In the first time in my life here in the US......I actually used the tub in the bathroom! Hey, it was a great idea.....was simply hot outside and what way to cool down than fill a tub with cold water and submerge. Did have the radio on for some entertainment ;)

Four casinos and a wedding

Ok ok so I'm playing with the title....it really is, by sequence, a wedding, crossover, and four casinos. More than a week ago I made a quick trip down to California to attend the wedding of an old friend of mine. It was a private ceremony so we really didnt get to see the bride and groom until the reception, which was done in a beautiful private residence in Atherton CA.

A few days after, my mom, dad, and brother paid me a visit. This was my mom and dad's first time in the Pacific Northwest. We made the standard Seattle stops on day 1 with the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. I sadly made the wrong estimation of not making any arrangements with the rotating restaurant, so we just went straight to Pike Place Market and then just had a late lunch at a Mongolian restaurant near my place. Before night's end, we travelled to Anacortes WA to get close to the ferry terminal.

The following day we got on the ferry and spent a day in Victoria, Canada....visiting primarily Butchart Gardens and downtown. My mom loves gardens so this was a real treat for her. We had a few hours before the return trip so we went to downtown Victoria and just walked around the wharf. The ferry ride back had a stop at San Juan Island and this reminded me of another return trip from BC that was at Lopez Island. It was that stop that planted a vision of the island in my head and not too long after that I was back at Lopez for my first kayak lesson.

Back in Seattle, the next day, we drove to Tacoma to the Museum of Glass. It had been just my second trip to Tacoma (the first was at Point Defiance) and first time at the museum. The highlight of the place was the Hot Room where there is a demonstration of glass making. This must be really popular in the winter time with all those furnaces!

On the last day, we had breakfast at Anthony's Homeport in Kirkland, then went to the Museum of Flight, where my mom and dad got to read up on a lot of history of not only Boeing, but aviation in general. Notable discoveries: a Corsair (from Blacksheep fame), an SR-71, Air Force One (the old one), and the Concorde.

Oh....and yes.....just in case you were wondering about the casinos. My mom loves playing the slots.....so even though it wasn't planned, we went to a different casino every night (midnight to two is what my mom considers the "magic hours"). We visited Tulalip (near Marysville), Angel of the Winds (near Arlington), Emerald Queen (Tacoma), and Snoqualmie (North Bend).

A Camp at the Crocodile

It's been at least a decade since I last visited the Crocodile. That one other time, I was just a tourist, but now I am a local (somewhat) and so it was nice to see the place still around (it did close and got new owners). It was a great show. Nina's voice was a little rough, but that actually made it better (if you ask me). They performed a lot of songs from Colonia. "The Crowning" is much better live ;).

Terry Gross in Seattle

I've been listening to NPR for pretty much my whole stay here so far in the Pacific Northwest and always look forward to hearing Terry Gross on the ride home. I've downloaded interviews from iTunes as well (loved her interviews with George Carlin and Conan O'Brien). It has to be that grandmotherly voice mixed with smart wit that makes her approach so captivating. On days when someone else is covering, when I turn on to listen to her Fresh Air program and hear someone else's voice, I always immediately switch off (nothing against the sub, but it's such a big void when it's not her). I don't think she's promoting anything, but she's doing some speaking engagements and happened to come to Seattle at the Paramount Theater. It was funny listening to people (and wow the place was full) whispering ("should I close my eyes", "should i not look?"). She shared a lot about her approach to interviewing, clips from conversations that were either funny, didn't work, or was simply amusing. It was also an opportunity to speak more about herself (something I'm sure a lot of us listeners have wondered about). It was an evening well spent.

Baseball Weekend

This weekend the Giants were in town to play the Mariners and I was fortunate enough to have acquired tickets beforehand (as in before Griffey announced his return to Seattle) and that probably explains why the locations I got were pretty close (first base side, foul ball territory). I just took a chance that my brother would be able to make the trip from the bay area and luckily he made it and so we were in the park Saturday and Sunday (Cain won Saturday, Zito lost on Sunday). I did also have a ticket on Friday and that was quite a special day because another returning Mariner, Randy Johnson, was playing. The folks here still appreciate him and cheered and stood up to acknowledge him. When he finally walked off the mound, he stopped and tipped his cap to everyone in each direction. That was quite a warm moment. The other two games was business proper....Cain threw a dominating number of strikes and got rewarded in the late innings when Sandoval, Uribe, and Lewis (finally catching up and getting his stroke back) produced. Sunday was the opposite with Felix Rodriguez dominating with strikes and Griffey giving everyone (including us) a nice show of that beautiful swing. Sunday's game also had a surprise player in Eli Whiteside who was called up from the minors to cover for Sandoval (sore elbow). He's got a quite a potent bat. I'd really like to see him get a shot at making the team as a regular someday.

KS at Port Defiance

I kinda sacrificed the backlight for this shot....but the mountain view was tempting. The kayak symposium at Port Defiance State Park was also my first visit to Tacoma. This place is a great spot....fine beach for launching and the water is calm. This event is bigger and has a very busy stream of people. The classes fill-in fast and i was lucky to get a spot in the edging clinic. It was a great opportunity to try demo kayaks and I took a couple of Necky models for a spin....er...paddle. I like the Manitou 14 composite. During the edging clinic I used a Hurricane kayak....not too happy with the absence of thigh braces.