I'm there. Awesomenesity. Yup.
p.s. More on that later
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Awesomeness insues on Capitol Hill
I had a rad time hanging out last Friday at Seattle's famous Capitol Hill Block Party. Got to hang out with my good friend and soon to be ex-band mate Pete. Got to blow him out of the water with my bowling skillz (mind you neither of us broke 100). Let's not talk about my pool skillz. Please.
Seeing one of my favorite bands in concert was super fun - Menomena. Pete turned me on to them about a year ago. With just 3 dudes on stage they made an incredible amount of sound. Check out this video that I ::heart::
But let's not forget the highlight of the evening, the incredible Vampire Weekend! Governor Chris Gregiore was there to introduce them and pander for votes. A nice touch, but it felt a little too much like Hillary making a stump speech. Neither here nor there. Vampire weekend was awesome. Very tight. They sounded just like their album which is excellent. I think they are a perfect mix of Paul Simon (I'm a fan) and the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic (I'm a big fan). If you haven't heard their stuff, check it:
http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend
I felt pretty old being around a bunch of kids having fun, but it was a good time regardless. Just know everybody knows, Peter Jordan is a republican at heart. I won't take it back until he admits that Al Gore isn't an "extremist", he is a actually fairly moderate with extreme commitment to climate change. Admit it, and I'll take it back. Simple.
Seeing one of my favorite bands in concert was super fun - Menomena. Pete turned me on to them about a year ago. With just 3 dudes on stage they made an incredible amount of sound. Check out this video that I ::heart::
But let's not forget the highlight of the evening, the incredible Vampire Weekend! Governor Chris Gregiore was there to introduce them and pander for votes. A nice touch, but it felt a little too much like Hillary making a stump speech. Neither here nor there. Vampire weekend was awesome. Very tight. They sounded just like their album which is excellent. I think they are a perfect mix of Paul Simon (I'm a fan) and the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic (I'm a big fan). If you haven't heard their stuff, check it:
http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend
I felt pretty old being around a bunch of kids having fun, but it was a good time regardless. Just know everybody knows, Peter Jordan is a republican at heart. I won't take it back until he admits that Al Gore isn't an "extremist", he is a actually fairly moderate with extreme commitment to climate change. Admit it, and I'll take it back. Simple.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Donating your downtime
Something fun I want to share with my peeps on the innerwebs...
You can put your computer to work while you are not using it for your own uses for a variety of causes. The smart people at Berkley originally developed the BOINC platform based on their SETI @ Home project. It allowed individuals to donate their computing downtime to process the massive reams of data they collect from satellites to analyze the data in hopes of finding signs of extra terrestial intelligince among the cacophony of outer space. It currently has 2,006,653 computers in 252 countries working together to help analyze the data. It doesn't really have a measurable impact on your own computer, but it is fun to paritipate in a massive community of people working on the same project.
You just simply download the software, go through some basic setup, and let it run while you are away from your PC. Easy!
I started using the system around 2002ish for SETI@Home but stopped doing it after reformmatting my PC and kind of forgot about it. I started doing it again because there are tons of cool new projects that the platform can be used for now. For example:
MalariaControl.net - a research project focused on finding and fighting the malaria.
ClimateControl.net - helps analyze huge reams of climate data
Rosetta@Home - analyzes the way protiens fold?! Potentially huge impact for fighting disease
There are many others centered around solving massively complex math problems, crunching physics experiments, and playing crazy complex games of chess. You can find your favorite project here.
I dig the idea of my lil' old mac helping sciency types out figure out how to help people. I'm not really using it anyhow most of the time. Compute and enjoy!
Minding Manners
It has been just under a week since I made my public "meat free" declaration. For the most part it is going well. I'm not going hungry or craving bacon too badly (I always like me some bacon though...). I am blessed with a wonderfully supportive partner in Felicia, who was disturbingly ecstatic to hear about me swearing off meat. She has a huge variety of vegetarian dishes she knows how to make that are tasty enough that I forget that I am "going without". We eat really really well at home, there is always a bounty of local, organic foods, plus a bowl of ice cream every night, so I can't complain.
The difficulty of me of this whole endeavor so far is managing the social stigma that comes with not eating meat. You can see I am reluctant to call myself a vegetarian, because that has so many connotations that may not fit me or what I am doing. I actually just don't want to get beat up. Seriously, there is a hostility that forms when a group of people are sitting down to eat together, and one person is choosing to eat something different. Do they think they are better than the rest of us? Are they getting enough to eat? What are they thinking, what is wrong with the meat that I am eating? There is some kind of implicit threat that comes from eating vegetarian. It is subtle but tangible- and divides people along friendship and political lines. Its almost like the social stigma of being a vegetarian is bigger than that of being overweight...
Anyhow, in this case I am going to choose my battles. If I am on my own or with my family, I am going to continue to be pretty strict about our meat consumption. When we go out to eat, it is easy to have a yummy meal without ordering something silly like a garden burger- I would rather get grilled cheese and fries. I digress. The vast majority of the time, we get to choose what we eat without input from others, and we can choose with our conscience. I figure that will cover about 90-95% of our eating habits. However, if we are guests at somebody's home, I am not going to make them go out of their way to provide vegetarian options, or go off on some soapbox rant about the meat economy. This is an issue I care about, but I am not at the point that I am going to be an evangelist about it, except maybe on my blog ;).
There is something very special that happens when people eat together, a spiritual connection. The bible is rife with references about 'supping' together. Sharing food together is a symbol of friendship and connection. The biggest symbol of conflicts coming to a close is when enemies sit down to share a meal together. Thus, I want to respect the relationships I hold dear with friends and family and not take exception to how we eat together.
Am I comprising? Pretty much, yes. However, I feel it will help make our little stand here into a lifestyle that we can sustain in perpetuity, not just an impassioned fad. Your support in this effort is welcome and appreciated!!!!!!
The difficulty of me of this whole endeavor so far is managing the social stigma that comes with not eating meat. You can see I am reluctant to call myself a vegetarian, because that has so many connotations that may not fit me or what I am doing. I actually just don't want to get beat up. Seriously, there is a hostility that forms when a group of people are sitting down to eat together, and one person is choosing to eat something different. Do they think they are better than the rest of us? Are they getting enough to eat? What are they thinking, what is wrong with the meat that I am eating? There is some kind of implicit threat that comes from eating vegetarian. It is subtle but tangible- and divides people along friendship and political lines. Its almost like the social stigma of being a vegetarian is bigger than that of being overweight...
Anyhow, in this case I am going to choose my battles. If I am on my own or with my family, I am going to continue to be pretty strict about our meat consumption. When we go out to eat, it is easy to have a yummy meal without ordering something silly like a garden burger- I would rather get grilled cheese and fries. I digress. The vast majority of the time, we get to choose what we eat without input from others, and we can choose with our conscience. I figure that will cover about 90-95% of our eating habits. However, if we are guests at somebody's home, I am not going to make them go out of their way to provide vegetarian options, or go off on some soapbox rant about the meat economy. This is an issue I care about, but I am not at the point that I am going to be an evangelist about it, except maybe on my blog ;).
There is something very special that happens when people eat together, a spiritual connection. The bible is rife with references about 'supping' together. Sharing food together is a symbol of friendship and connection. The biggest symbol of conflicts coming to a close is when enemies sit down to share a meal together. Thus, I want to respect the relationships I hold dear with friends and family and not take exception to how we eat together.
Am I comprising? Pretty much, yes. However, I feel it will help make our little stand here into a lifestyle that we can sustain in perpetuity, not just an impassioned fad. Your support in this effort is welcome and appreciated!!!!!!
A long overdue sortie
We just enjoyed a long overdue family hike. Be it busy schedules, misplaced priorities, or just kind of forgetting about nature, it has been a LONG time since we went out in the woods as a family. It actually may have been Calvin's first time in the great outdoors that wasn't the park or lake, etc. He was as excited as I've ever seen him.
Our destination was Rattlesnake lake, a quick 30 minutes out of Seattle that felt incredibly remote. There is a serene lake with a curious fishing policy: single barbless hook only, no bait allowed. To any fish stupid enough to bite on to a dull piece of metal and hang on for dear life- you deserve to be eaten. There is also a stunning rocky ridge you can hike up to in about an hour, with a trail that leads all the way to Snoqualamie falls if you are up for a 10.2 mile walk. We didn't make it up to the top of the ridge- easier said than done with a 17 month old... instead we found a fire road that nobody was on and let Calvin have the run of the forest.
We don't any pictures to share as we left the cameras and cell phones at home, just a few fun memories:
- Chasing a deer through the woods- Calvin was determined to find her and have a deer ride. No such luck...
- Finding a patch of tall silvery mushrooms- they looked delicious but we all were to scared to touch them.
- Listening to Calvin scream at the top of his lungs so he could hear his voice echo in the trees
- Getting soaking wet, muddy and massarced by mosquitoes and remembering it fondly
There is something magical about the woods in western washington. I don't know if it is the mist, the moss that hangs like beards on the tree stumps, the cool energy you feel from the plants- it makes one feel a little mysterious and nostalgic. Maybe I was just getting a little intoxicated from all of the fresh oxygen coming of the flora. It seemed to offer me a certain clarity that was much needed after a completely topsy turvey last 6 months. It was a pure joy to watch my little one romp around like it was his living room. We will not deprive him of the outdoors so long next time, nor ourselves either.
By the way, we still haven't had an official family camping trip yet. If any friends or family want to join us to help remedy that, hit me up!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Be Kind Rewind
http://www.dvguru.com/2006/10/03/the-dvd-rewinder/
Yes it is real and it is fantastic!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Comic Sans Saves The Day!
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