New/Old Place

Remember Marco's Supper Club?  It was at 1st & Wall for years and years.  I only had the chance to go once or twice owing to extreme poverty, but it was pretty excellent.  Well, that eventually closed and in its stead, the Lamplighter opened up.  I only went there for drinks twice, because...well, just because.  I can't tell you whether it was good or bad, but it did have a nice atmosphere.  Well, that's gone and now it's the Jerk Shack.  I don't think it means that only jerks eat or work there - I sure hope not - but rather it's the Caribbean style of meat preparation.  Apparently, it's still run by the Lamplighter people; just that the concept has changed from lighting lamps to Caribbean spices.  It looks worth a try.  Of course, it's pretty meat-centric, but as you can see, there are some veggie dishes, too.  Also, it appears that their happy hour is worth a perusal.  So there. 

Good luck, guys.  I'll be visiting soon.

Your Sunday Squirrel

Here are a few shots from last weekend at Denny Park.  The fellow above is just mesmerized by a humble peanut.  We were fairly surrounded by squirrels.  Many peanuts for all, there were.  And the cooperation was pretty remarkable; no rodents fights worth mentioning. 

The guy below, yes, I'm aware that it's pretty out of focus.  I just like it because it's an action shot where the squirrel contrasts with his background.  Sure, I take a lot of blurrel photos, but this one is better than most. 

Welcome to Placebo Avenue!

You may have noticed some changes along 2nd Ave.  There are stop lights at Vine and Cedar now.  There's a two-way bike lane, which has cut the through-lanes from three to two.  (It was four lanes wide when I moved in.) And those gizmos pictured above have popped up on every corner.  It's really nice that the city has put them there at taxpayer expense and all, but the sad, simple truth is that they're placebos.  All the lights along 2nd Ave. are on timers.  I doubt that those walk buttons are even connected to anything.  Sure, you may feel like you're controlling your destiny, but you're being fooled.  It's a placebo, and all of its fellow walk buttons are placebos.  Do what I do; cross the street when there aren't any cars.  Don't press buttons.  These nominal vestiges of authority are only there for people to run into when they're drunk.  In conclusion: placebos. 

Oh, and there's this...

Here's a red squirrel in Estonia.  He seems to like the snow. 

Your Sunday Squirrel

We went to Denny Park today and the squirrels were eventually out in force.  Sweet Becko got some very good shots, while I...I got some shots.  This is one of them.  We're going again tomorrow. 

This Is What I Did on New Year's Day

I work as a contractor for WSDOT on the 520 Bridge.  The ironic thing is that I've only been across the bridge once.  Oh, the irony!  Well, word got around that the pedestrian/bike path was opening.  There was going to be this big ceremony for it on December 20th, but due to the train derailment, it was canceled and the path was opened without ceremony.  I thought it was a golden opportunity to cross the bridge again - this time on foot.  And that's just what we did.  Sure, there were all these bikes zooming all around, but we reached Medina and then turned around.  It was a great way to spend New Year's Day. 

Sweet Becko was there, too.  Her new Doc Martens boots gave her a pair of blisters.  They were a gift from me, so you're welcome. 

Happy New Year!

After the Two Bells, we went to the Space Needle.  Once again, the display was really impressive.  Here are a few of the highlights:

Although 2017 was a lousy year for anyone with an attachment to humanity, there were some very good moments for me personally: I released three albums and got engaged.  I also landed a real job.  So that's your 2017 in a nutshell.  This year promises two albums and a wedding. 

So Long, Two Bells

Well, the Two Bells has been a Belltown fixture for a very long time.  It was where I conducted most of my business for Mackris v. O'Reilly back in the day.  And I managed to go there at least several times a year, every year.  I even played a few gigs there during my jazz days.  So it's with a note of sadness that we say goodbye.  The owners decided to retire.  What's in store for it?  Uncertain.  I hope that something good emerges from it.  The crummy neighborhood should have more joints like the Two Bells.

Sweet Becko and I stopped in for a final drink on our way to the Space Needle last night.

The place was really hopping.  Others appreciated it, too.  I'm sad to see it go.  

By the way...

I got engaged right before Christmas.  It's quite nice.  I'm a lucky guy.  Wedding this spring.  

Holiday!

My Xmas was great.  And I hope yours was, too.