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Thanks for all the Memories, Crocodile Cafe
The P-I and the Seattle Weekly are both reporting that local icon the Crocodile Cafe has closed its doors for good after over 15 years of operation in Belltown.

Given how Belltown has changed in those 15 years, and the fact that (for me, at least) its glory days were long behind it, I can't say I'm really surprised. However, I spent many a magical evening there over the years, and I mourn the official passing of a Seattle institution. At one point, I could walk in there any night of the week and chances were 80% or better that I would enjoy whoever was playing that evening. The staff were friendly, and there was something special about the place. I discovered countless 'new' bands in that room with the post in the middle. Those memories are dear to me. Here are a few of them that come instantly to mind:

My first time seeing Stumpy Joe, at their farewell show. Lots of local bands paying tribute to them by playing their songs.

The Young Fresh Fellows and Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver, celebrating Scott McCaughey's 40th birthday. Then-Mayor Charles Royer sent someone down to the club with a plaque declaring it to be 'Scott McCaughey Day'. Someone brought a bunch of pairs of 'Scott' sunglasses and handed them out to most of the audience. I still have them. Scott fell off the front of the stage singing 'Back Room of the Bar' and his glasses were knocked off. The first and only time I've ever seen his eyes.

I went to see Sicko there many many times. One of those nights, I'd never heard of openers Scared of Chaka or the Groovie Ghoulies before. Both turned out to be FREAKING AMAZING, and became favorites of mine who I followed for years.

Discovering both Nashville Pussy and the Eyeliners one July 4th. Both of them blew headliners the Humpers out of the water.

Moshing to the Presidents of the USA with Neil Patrick Harris (TV's 'Doogie Howser'). He looked a little uncomfortable at first, but rapidly came to enjoy himself.

And a few of the other bands I've seen at the Crocodile over the years: the Fastbacks, the Model Rockets, the Doll Test, Goodness, the Ventures, Visqueen, They Might Be Giants, the Picketts, the Blasters, the Muffs, Los Hornets, the Supersuckers, the Knitters, Girl Trouble, Hammerbox, Huge Spacebird, Rocket from the Crypt, the Riffbrokers, Shuggie, 70 Proof, 80 Proof, the New Bomb Turks, Carrie Akre, the Dudley Manlove Quartet, the Donettes, Easy Big Fella, El Vez, the Fall-Outs, the Splash Four, Gas Huffer, John Wesley Harding, Kim Virant, King of Hawaii, Love Battery, the Makers, New Sweet Breath, No. 13 Baby, the Minus Five, Roy Loney & the Longshots, Sgt. Major, Steel Wool, the Boss Martians, the Tripwires and Zeke.

That's a HELL of a list, in my book. The Croc may be gone, but they had a great run, and I won't forget.

Current Mood: sad
Current Music: the Eyeliners - Party 'til the Break of Dawn

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten - Thumbs Up!
If you're a Clash, Mescaleros or Joe Strummer fan, I recommend this movie. It was a fairly balanced documentary of his life, both the light and the dark, and I learned a fair amount about his life that I hadn't known before. The director, Julien Temple, is the same guy who did The Filth and the Fury about the Sex Pistols.

I liked the balance between light and dark. It's easy to iconify someone when you only know the positive, but having learned a bit more about some of his struggles, I have all the more reverence for him. He didn't have an easy time of life, but managed to hold his head high and make the world a better place.

I left the theater both uplifted & with a new resolve, and depressed that he was taken from us far too soon. I can only imagine what he'd be doing now. Wish I'd met him.

It's playing here in Seattle for the next two days at the Varsity Theater, and looks like it will be in Austin and St. Louis soon. Keep an eye out for it.

A Waste of Air
The Scene:
It's a gorgeous Seattle afternoon. Chris is on his motorcycle, homeward bound from work, enjoying his commute and looking forward to the evening. He is stopped at a light next to woman in a Mercedes SUV. She is expensively dressed, having an animated cell-phone conversation, and smoking a cigarette.

The previous owner of my motorcycle changed out the original exhaust pipes for louder ones (they're not thunderous, but they're louder than I'd like). Most of the time I wish he hadn't, but on this one occasion I really didn't mind--Something about my neighbor-in-traffic rubbed me the wrong way. After a few seconds, she glared at me, rolled her window up and went back to her conversation. I gave the throttle a quick twist or two before noticing that there was a very young girl asleep in her back seat and that Mom has left daughter's window open. She can't help who her mom is, and I'm not about to disturb her nap because of it..

WTF?
* You're driving this gas-guzzling monstrosity.
* You obviously think highly enough of yourself to pamper yourself with current fashions.
* You're subjecting a helpless child to your tobacco pollution.
* You'll roll your own window up so my (admittedly) noisy bike won't disturb your cell-phone conversation, but you don't think to give your kid the same consideration?

You, ma'am, are a waste of air. Please wake up, give some thought to your surroundings and realize that your actions affect others.

I feel better now.

Buddy
I went to go see Buddy last night at the 5th Avenue and thoroughly enjoyed it. The show was entertaining in its own right, but made all the better for me by the presence of Billy Joe Huels as Buddy Holly and Kelly Van Camp as the Big Bopper.

I'm familiar with both of them from their various bands, and both of them did a stellar job of being their characters while adding a bit of their own personalities. The staging was excellent and there were some nice touches that helped bridge the gap between a sit-down play at the 5th Avenue and a rock & roll concert. The show focused on performances, with the important non-musical parts of Holly's history inserted in between. The performances back up this approach and I felt my hair standing up on end more than once. The "Day the Music Died" plane crash was respectfully given a light touch, and the encore smoked, with a very very special surprise at the end that I won't spoil here.

Buddy opened this Tuesday and plays through March 4. If you're a rock & roll fan, don't miss it.

...and a Happy New Year!
2006 was quite a year for me. Three things particularly stand out as I write this.

First, I proposed to and married an amazing woman. I'm really glad I waited to propose in the friendly confines of the Highway 99 Blues Club, rather than in front of hundreds of strangers in Las Vegas. We were married in Denny Blaine park on the shore of Lake Washington, on a clear day with Mount Rainier "out" in all its glory. Ruby Dee performed the ceremony ("by the power vested in my by the State of Washington and some guy on the Internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife"). She and her band performed at the reception (Highway 99 again), along with our friends the Black Crabs, and as far as I can tell, a good time was had by all =). Having everyone around for the festivities was a truly special time, and I wish that happened more often.

We have been "practically married" for quite a while and I didn't really think anything would change, but having tied the knot, it's subtly different. The word "wife" took some getting used to, but I'm finding it now flows pretty easily off of my tongue. As a classic "late bloomer", I never thought I'd have anyone so special in my life. Thank you for proving me wrong, Crystal.

Second, After ten years at {the Borg, the Evil Empire, The House that Bill Built, Microsloth, <insert defamatory name here>), I left Microsoft in favor of a small, local startup. When I stopped going to college, I resigned myself to the likelihood of not having a "career" as I think of one today. I had a few hourly jobs doing things I didn't want to be doing, and really didn't expect that to change. When a friend told me "You should go write web pages at Microsoft for $15/hour", I was skeptical. I could make more money than I'd ever dreamed of, doing something I loved and was already doing in my spare time for free? SIGN ME UP!

It was a completely different environment than I had ever dreamed a job could be. They treated their people excellently: the salary was a big step up; there was no dress code; hours were flexible as long as my work got done; I got to work with hellaciously smart people who really cared about what they were doing; I got to work on something that millions of people used every day. Heady stuff! Most of the time, it didn't even feel like work. Over the course of my ten years there, I grew immeasurably, and in more ways than I can imagine.

Over time, however, the culture changed and I grew frustrated. It stopped being a really special place, and became just another job. For a while, I tried to grin and bear it in the hopes that things would improve, but all I got was more and more unhappy--my physical and mental health were suffering, and so were many of my relationships. I didn't see how I could possibly find another situation like the one I had had, but in the end I didn't have any choice.

Once that decision was made, the proverbial weight was lifted from my shoulders and I felt like a freed slave. I've always rooted for the underdog and felt a lot better about small, local companies than large, multinational ones. After a relatively short job search, I've landed at Essential Security Software, who makes software that helps people keep their email private. The whole company is about 20 people, and I'm making a difference there. There's a spark in the air, and it feels like the "good old days" at Microsoft. I have a spring in my step again.

Third, I recently bought a motorcycle. I've wanted one off and on for years, and having made the two major changes mentioned above, figured I might as well go for the hat trick. The bike in question is a 1991 Kawasaki Vulcan 750--big enough to ride on the freeway, but small enough for an inexperienced rider like me to manage. I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course a few years ago, and have been taking things slowly in order to gain skill and confidence. I'm really starting to see how this could become a lifelong passion.

Yesterday and today I braved my work commute (roughly 10 miles each way, most of it freeway and including I-90 across Lake Washington). Yesterday was clear and traffic was light. Today there was some light rain and traffic was heavy. No matter, I thoroughly enjoyed both (in completely different ways)! My awareness is completely different than in the car (better in some ways and worse in others). It's very freeing but a little bit scary being so exposed. I really feel the wind, and I am a much more cautious driver on the bike. I don't change lanes all that often, and I leave lots more space in front of me. In the car, I'm pretty Type A--all about getting where I'm going as efficiently as possible. I don't have a clock on the bike, and I get there when I get there.

Otherwise... I'm doing my best to balance work, website, gaming, wife and life. The holidays were pleasant. I have a new niece. I'm glad of new friends and old, and of the music in my life that keeps me sane. I don't really do resolutions, but I wish you all the happiest of New Years--Best of luck in 2007, everyone!

Current Music: the Amazing Crowns - Halos & Horns

Las Vegas

kaladori attended the Western Veterinary Conference, and the co-worker who was supposed to share her hotel room was unable to make it. So... a week in Las Vegas with the hotel paid for? Sign me up!

Las Vegas is expensive, and six days of it is a bit much. If it's three days, it's easier not to pay attention to how much everything costs. But spending six days there, I felt the need to be pretty thrifty. I gambled some, saw a few shows, and generally just snapped out of my routine. All in all I had a great time and relaxed a lot.

( Read more... )

Oi to the World!
This is my favorite Christmas song. It reminds me that even though the world is full of hatred and ugliness, they don't always have to win out. With George Bush and his cronies driving the handbasket, it's more appropriate than ever. Hearing this always lifts me up and helps remind me what Christmas SHOULD be about, instead of what it's turned into.

( lyrics )

In other, slightly-related news,

kaladori's brother is home safe from the Middle East, and for that I am thankful.

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: the Vandals - Oi to the World

Politics quiz
So I took this quiz, mostly so my friends could chuckle, but what the hey =)?

I had some real issues with this. "I would defend my property with deadly force", for instance. I would defend my FAMILY with deadly force, but not, say... my TV. But I'd bet that the answer is treated as if the question were "are you a crazed gun nut?". "Being poor and black is an advantage getting into college" (paraphrased). Is that in the very specific sense that colleges offer preferred admissions in that case, or the very broad sense that poor black children tend to have less opportunity to get the education that PREPARES them for college? Once again, depending on how you interpret the question, a very different answer. Anyway, I muddled through and here's what it said:

You are a
Social Liberal
(80% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(31% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Strong Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating

I think of myself as more libertarian than that, but then this quiz is far from exact ;).

Random Stuff
Just back from seeing the Mezcal Brothers with Crystal at Jules Mae's. Neither of us had been there before. It's in Georgetown, which is a somewhat surreal no-mans-land in southern Seattle. Had dinner at a small restaurant right next to Boeing field that obviously caters to Boeing folks. Model planes hanging from the ceiling. Plane posters and framed Blue Angels pictures on the wall. The night was to commemorate the 8th anniversary of KEXP's Swingin' Doors. We got the chance to talk to one of our favorite local guitarists for most of an hour, and found out a lot about his history and how he ended up in Seattle. We also found out that the all-ages portion of the Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball is in trouble (thank you, Washington State Liquor Control Board), that Devo had to cancel their Bumbershoot show, and that Elvis Costello will be headlining Sunday night in their place.

All of that is secondary to the actual show though: The Mezcal Brothers SMOKED. Crystal and I tried out our newbie swing-dancing moves, and we have a long way to go, but dancing in public is a big step and it was really nice =). We talked to local scene queen SweetPea afterward to try and get some advice about where to take lessons, because we hadn't been completely happy with the Century Ballroom. I appreciate their wish to teach us some of the more historic swing steps and styles, but my interest is pretty narrowly focused on rockabilly and stuff that I can use at shows.

EMP called me the other day, asking me to renew my lapsed membership. I told the woman on the phone that I hadn't been using the membership; that while I liked the IDEA of EMP, the actual implmentation left me a little cold. She then suggested that I spend $20 more than previously to get a combination membership to EMP and the Sci-Fi Museum. So let me get this straight: You've taken half of a museum that I don't go to, turned it into another museum that I haven't been to, and now you want me to spend EVEN MORE money than before for the privilege of not going?

Ummm.... no.

Our living room is now home to this beast:

It arrived on Tuesday. Wednesday was wonderful: I got out of bed, exercised in the privacy of my own home, and got to work feeling energized (and earlier than usual). I was also able to leave work later for my trainer appointment. Total time savings: one extra shower, two two extra clothes changes. I like how this is shaping up!

Christy McWilson (of the Picketts) took submissions recently to help name her backing band. Everyone who voted for the winner got their names put into a hat for an iPod Shuffle filled with Christy's music. The name they drew? Mine! *boggle*

After some email-tag, Crystal and I met up with Christy and picked it up today. She's great, and I really enjoyed our conversation. Needless to say, I plugged in the new SWAG on the way home, and I'm impressed with what a slick little piece of technology it is. It's stunningly simple to use, weighs next to nothing, and holds 512MB of music (about 100-120 songs).

Family are in town from Nebraska, and we'll be spending the weekend out at the ocean. I'm looking forward to it!

Another Year...
This past Thursday was my birthday, which always puts me in a reflective mood. I just haven't had time to actually sit down and reflect yet... before now. That's pretty much been the story of the past year: busybusybusy, with little time to stop and reflect. If you buy into numbers and coincidences, this past year was to have been a big one. Three has always been "my" number, and last year was full of them.

It's taken me a little while to think of how big a year it really was: the first thing I think of is the fact that I spent most of it unhappy at work, feeling trapped and helpless. At one point I was pretty seriously contemplating what I would do after I left the company--not that I WANT to, but it seemed likely for a while. I brought it up with my Test Manager, and have since changed teams. The change is marked: I'm settling in nicely and excited about work again. I've got a lot to learn, but I'm happiest when I'm learning, I feel like my (new) manager is in my corner and am already having some success. I'm also thankful that our Test Manager values his people enough to make shifts like this instead of just cutting them off at the knees.

A large part of the "busybusybusy" has been the fitness program ("20/20") that

kaladori and I have been on. Between the workouts, dietician meetings and countless other appointments, it's like having a second job. Changing our diet has been difficult, but the time commitment is the real hardship on me. Add a couple of hours of fitness time on most days to work, commuting, trying to fit in time with Kala, and there's very little "me" time left. It's been worth it though: I've lost about 50 pounds, and REALLY need to buy some new jeans. Kala keeps telling me I look like I'm walking around with a loaded diaper. I've got more energy. I'm sleeping better, though that's partially offset by having less TIME to sleep. I've never been much of a runner, but am now able to jog for 20 minutes straight. I feel great physically, and I'm sure it's contributing to my mental well-being and confidence at work too.

The third big thing worth mentioning about the past year is the amazing woman I have in my life. I was pretty leery of setting up household with

kaladori and her two (now our three) cats, given how my previous girlfriend moving in quickly killed the relationship. Happily, it's had the opposite effect for us, and I love having her in my life. I enjoyed our trip to Michigan to spend time with her family, though I wish it had been under happier circumstances than her brother being called to serve his country half a world away. Thankfully, he's in Kuwait rather than Iraq, and he seems to be holding up well. I've been bad about writing him so far, but I'm going to give that a shot this afternoon.

I'm also adjusting to having three cats in my life. A recent visit to an allergist really seems to have helped, and the fact that Jalen (kitty #3) is so loving does too. His previous owner brought him to Kala to be euthanized because she couldn't afford to treat his broken leg and the associated complications, but Kala wouldn't have it and we adopted him instead. I don't think he knows what he was up against, and that's probably for the best; We couldn't save the leg, but he's bounced back nicely and has wormed his way into the hearts of nearly everyone he's come in contact with. He's growing like a weed, and watching it is very fulfilling.

I wish I had more time to work on ForceWeb, to play games, go to shows, keep up with people and generally just enjoy life (cue "Cats in the Cradle" please, maestro!), but we've recently made a couple of visits to my best friend, his wife and their new son. The site is slowly progressing, and we saw a PHENOMENAL show last weekend. We were going to try to see BeauSoleil the night before, but it didn't work out. Kala, doll that she is and interested in my Cajun heritage, got me four of their CDs as part of my birthday gift, so I've been rocking out to accordion and fiddle in the office and the car for the past few days and loving it. Money's been a little tight for her lately, and she wasn't able to afford the grandiose gift she had in mind (she won't tell me what it was), and feels like she didn't do enough, but it's one of the most thoughtful gifts I've gotten in a long time *hugs*. Money's also been an issue for my mom lately, so she took me to see "Ray", which (standard Mom-drama aside) was nice and very "me". I'd been meaning to see it but not gotten around to it (story of my life lately), and not only did it really affect me, but it was nice to see it with my mom. She's not perfect, but she does know me well =).

Those two exceptions aside, I know my family mean well, but I'm really unhappy with the way we do birthdays. I don't know what to change, but it's frustrating and not very satisfying. On my birthday, I try to step back and take stock. Part of that is the people in my life, and I appreciate them making some effort to observe "my" day. They don't need to go all out, but a little bit of thought helps me feel appreciated. One of the ways I try to judge my life is whether I've made the world a better place through my presence and actions, and I guess I'm more sensitive when I'm in birthday-reflection mode. Enter the Family Dinner: We get together and have dinner and light conversation. It's the usual family dynamic, we talk about work, the family, whatever is going on today, and in general it feels like any other family dinner except that there are some gifts involved. I'm less interested in the gifts than I am in feeling like I make a difference in these peoples' lives. Most of the time I can go my own way and not worry too much about what other people think, but around my birthday that starts to matter more. It's probably not healthy, but nobody's perfect ;).

I'm as bad about this as anyone else: on my sister's birthday a couple of months ago, I didn't have anything brilliant in mind. I procrastinated and never did come up with anything that seemed worthy of her. In the end, I called a few times but was unable to reach her, so had to settle for leaving a message. I later found out that that's better than most of the other people in her life did, and that's just not right. Bless her heart, she's seen the family heading down the same road ("where should we have dinner?") and is getting involved and seeing what she can do to make this year different.

Other thoughts:
A co-worker recently loaned me a couple of compilation CDs. Turns out we share similar pop-punk history, and one of the CDs really got us to talking. In lamenting the state of local music today, he made the comment that pop-punk is largely dead and we're left with "Capitol Hill Indie-Rock" or "Ballard Roots-Rock". Even though I live on (and love) Capitol Hill, we agree that the CHIR isn't very satisfying. Thankfully the BRR does appeal to me, though not to him. Nice observation, Adam. Things have gotten a bit staid lately. I could do with a good dose of pop-punk! /mourn

Henry Rollins FINALLY has Shock and Awe up on his website. This is the DVD that he filmed here in Seattle this past spring. We were in very last row of the house with

corii and

guaire. If you know Goo, you can give him a hard time for bumping his head on the celing at the Moore =). A lot of it is political, so I was disappointed that it didn't come out before the election. Our copy recently arrived, so I think we should have a showing soon, so more people will know what the hell I'm referring to when I say "SirItWouldPleaseUsGreatlyIfYouWouldSignOurBomb!!!Hoooo-AH!", "The President don't..... talk good", and "Courageous..... spatial........... entrepeneurs".

Elvis Costello is coming back to town, and we have tickets! Last year's 8th-row seats were better than this year's ~20th-row, but it should still be a great night. Last we talked,

corii and

guaire will be going too. It'll be nice to see them and catch up.

Anyway, that's enough for now. It's gym time! Imagine that =).

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: BeauSoleil

First Post!
It's been a long week. I've been making the effort to get into work earlier, and it's been hard. Upset stomach and a little spacy in the mornings, and going to bed earlier costs me some of the best hours of my day, but I am hoping it will pay off.

Work has not been going so well lately. I feel like I've been doing some good things, but it hasn't been appreciated. I know I've had a lot to learn in my position, but haven't felt like I've been able to focus enough to really make good progress. My boss has needed more, faster, than I've been able to give him, and I hadn't felt like the relationship had been working for a long time. Luckily, our group has an open-door policy, and after many re-schedulings, I was able to talk to someone about it. This week, something came of that, and the result is that I'll be moving to a different position on the team, working for a different manager. The position is a better fit for my skills, and I can see potential for quick growth and a lower frustration level there. The new manager is something of an unknown quantity, but I'm cautiously optimistic about work for the first time in weeks if not months.

kaladori and I went to the Taste of India last night to celebrate =).

The fitness program continues. I've lost a little more than 40 pounds, but it's slowed down and I'm hovering right around 200. I'm down to two appointments a week and one every other week, instead of the four/week I had before, and they're generally later in the day than befoore. I'm really enjoying the extra flexibility in my schedule--I still need to spend a fair amount of time at the gym, but at least I get to decide when.

And now I have this journal, thanks to

kaladori. I've been meaning to write weblogging into ForceWeb, but it's low on the priority list. She couldn't wait, and now I have this account. And since LiveJournal offers XML feeds, I'm looking into setting up people's LiveJournals to appear in ForceWeb, and if any of our users use other major weblogging services, I'll look into wrapping them too. No idea how it will go, but if it works, it will let the weblog experts do their jobs and free me up to do other (more pressing) things. Best of all, no one (less people?) will get pressure to switch weblogging services down the road =).