Coming Soon to the Moore!

I was a little surprised that Knopfler is playing at the Moore. I thought he was more of a Paramount guy, but then I remembered that it's been way more than 20 years since either Knopfler or Dire Straits has had anything resembling a hit. And it still pains me that their biggest tune was "Money for Nothing." God, I hate that song. Here you have Knopfler, a well-known guitar wizard, and his band, all accomplished musicians, singing a moronically simple ditty about being rock stars, which they weren't until they sang that tune. I also don't like "Walk of Life." You know, Dire Straits started off crafting intelligent, somber gems and then exploded onto the larger scene with idiocy. Knopfler has always been an inspiration for those of us whose vocal ranges are somewhat limited. I don't think he has a bad voice; it's just that there aren't many notes that he can sing well. And he's done really well with what he has. So let's wish him well in all his pursuits, but honestly, I never want to hear "Money for Nothing" ever again.

Your Sunday Squirrel

It's a blurrel! This week I only saw one squirrel. Just one! Ordinarily, I'd be worried, but so many times in the past, they've always managed to emerge in force. I'm not sure they were entirely comfortable during that windstorm we had, but they probably made it just fine. Still, I wouldn't like to weather the storm in a tree - even if it's a really big tree. Anyhow, there are still squirrels at Denny Park and it's all a matter of timing if you want to see them. Obviously, my timing this week was rotten.

After Hours

Buddy Rich & Jerry Lewis. Drum Battle

Here's something from way back in 1965 with Buddy and Jerry playing drums together. It shows just how good Buddy was. Sure, he was also a psychotic bully, but he could really pound those tubs. You'd think that a guy would be able to vent his aggressions on the drums and then live a happy, normal life, but with Buddy the opposite was true. The more he played, the meaner he got. Oh well, he's dead now and it doesn't matter. My favorite part of this clip is when they move the camera to the side of Buddy's drums so you can see what he's doing. Almost none of it is what you'd call "tasty," because Buddy didn't play that way. He used brute force all the time. There's nothing subtle about his drumming, folks. And then there's Jerry. You know, he's not a bad drummer. He's not as good as Buddy, but you can tell he's been practicing a little. Still, he's better off with comedy.

Say Hello to the Taco Truck-o!

This is just what Belltown needs, mis amigos - tacos from a truck! Even though I got the tip from "Brad," I probably would have discovered this soon enough anyway. I mean, it's just right next to Dan & Rey's on 3rd. between Blanchard and Bell - oops, I mean Dan's Belltown Grocery. I still call it by the old name. It parks where the old Crawford-Waage Hardware used to be. I tell you, I am seldom disappointed with things I buy from trucks. I still haven't gotten anything from them, but today might be the day. I don't think I'm up for a tongue taco, because that's frightening. But I might go for a normal one. Speaking of tacos, I went to the taco stand at the Market this week. It's right across from the Creamery. It was really quite good. I'd go there again. If these guys are as good, then I've found a new lunch source. Check them out and let me know how you like them.

UPDATE: No Truck today...

McGuire Scaffold-Watch! Week: ???? + 50

Still very much there. The dwarf army is still hard at work. And there's still no end in sight. I'm willing to bet real money that when I come back in June, it will be there - to welcome me back. Jeez, in the time the scaffold has been up, they could have torn down the McGuire and rebuilt it minus all the crappy defects. But that would probably be impractical. If it wasn't for the defects, it would have no personality at all. Anyhow, let's hope that today's pending windstorm doesn't blow any unfortunate dwarf from his perch on the McGuire's slopes.

Security House Scaffold-Watch: Week 24

This is from a few days ago when it was springtime. Now it's winter again. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting here writing music and suddenly noticed that I was shivering. That's usually a November/December thing. But no, April brings its own misfortunes. I'm told that it's the cruelest month. Well, I'm a believer. Today is supposed to be windy. I don't see it yet. But a windstorm in Belltown is always an exciting thing. It's nice to know that no matter how high the winds are, there is no way in hell you're gonna lose power. My folks up in Snohomish are a different story. Even in light winds, they lose electricity. But they have a generator handy that runs on propane. My dad says that he sometimes doesn't even notice when the generator kicks on. Of course, if the cable goes out, then it's a crisis. Anyhow, the Security House seems to be in the same state as last week with nothing going on and little else to talk about. Perhaps the winds will shred the attractive plastic shroud. I'm sure SH residents wouldn't mind that one bit.

Countdown: Three Weeks

Gosh, I'm totally not ready. My Russian is still sub-par and my Ukrainian is just slightly above non-functional. On top of that, I'm still dealing with contact issues. It's been three days and I'm already sick of my glasses. They are large and thick - so thick in fact that if you look at the edges of the lenses, you can see the back of my head. Replacing just that single contact is going to cost at least $400. That's the Lens Crafters price. Other places are way more expensive. By law (and it's a very sucky one), you have to have an eye exam every two years. That's $200 right there. The contacts are another $200. I'm gonna stick with my old-fashioned hard lenses, because unlike all other contacts, they don't need to be replaced. The lens that I lost on Wednesday was 17 years old. I kid you not. Gas permeable and soft lenses get replaced every year (or even more often than that) at that same $200 a pop. So I guess I'm resigned to that expense. I like my glasses. They really do make me look like Mr. Science, but I don't want to wear them all the time. The last few days, I've been feeling really tired and such and I'm sure it's because of the eye strain caused by the difference between my contacts and my glasses. So I'm just gonna head over to Lens Crafters at Westlake and make myself an appointment.

Trip-wise, I'm ready to go - technically. I mean, I've got my tickets and my new passport just arrived. It's quite elaborate. From cover to cover, it's totally American. It's got pictures of the Statue of Liberty, bears eating salmon, a locomotive, cows, some yokel out plowing his field, a riverboat, Mt. Rushmore and even the moon - although that doesn't belong to us. So yes, it's a cool thing to have. My picture is actually really good. I look perturbed and mysterious. It should go over well at Ukrainian customs. Other than suspending various memberships and obligations, I'm ready (technically) to depart. I just don't feel ready.

In other news, last night was our Jillian's trivia championships. I was actually pretty nervous for this one. It was this weird format where they take the top four teams (there were other teams participating as well) and give them four rounds of questions. The top two teams after that advance to play head-to-head. We placed third, so no head to head for us. Our downfall? Top ten hits from 2009. I hadn't even heard most of those tunes. Argh. It's really frustrating sitting there unable to help. So this season is over. The new season starts on April 22nd, the night before I leave. Am I gonna play? You bet. And then I'll leave.

After Hours

Karen Chéryl. Les nouveaux romantiques

Here's a popstress from the seventies and eighties trying to stay current with a tune about the new romantics. Except for having two guys dressed like amateur pirates, there's nothing new romantic about this. There were several groups that embodied the style, but I think Adam and the Ants were probably the best example. Their music was drum-heavy and they liked to wear war paint. Yeah, this tune is just some lightweight commentary on that brief and dubious trend. There is one thing that's quite noteworthy: check out Karen's mullet. It's an actual, full-on femullet. She's like five years ahead of the times. That style wasn't prevalent until the late eighties, but here she is sporting in in 1982. It's quite breathtaking and it totally eclipses the fairly lame song.

Is This the New Eye Guy?

As you know, I have my favorite creators of bad graffiti in the neighborhood. First, it was the one known as Scary Skull Guy, who mysteriously disappeared around the end of the summer. And then my attention turned to Eye Guy. His stuff was more interesting and ubiquitous, but he also has stopped. I know that there are others, but almost all of them are dumbass taggers. There's a new guy around. Let's call him "Eat Worms." Here's what his stuff looks like:


There's not a whole lot to his work, but at least it's not just some dumbass tag. Of course, I would never go out and eat worms. That's just gross. But I dunno, somebody else might. So keep a lookout for Eat Worms. He may yet be worthy of additional note.

Remember Those Fireworks?

Y'know, the ones from this weekend? They looked like this:

Only much better than what a cell phone can deliver. They were shot off to commemorate the 100th birthday of General Construction. Hey, happy birthday, guys. You don't look a day over 93. OK, so if you do remember the occasion, keep it in your head, because there ain't gonna be any fireworks displays in Seattle at all. Lake Union just packed it in because they couldn't find a benevolent corporation to plaster its name all over everything. Ivar's bagged last year, as you'll recall, because, well, I guess it was delayed grief for Ivar's passing some two decades ago or whatnot. What isn't canceled is the usual Belltown plague of M-80s tossed around the neighborhood by those wandering troublemakers who don't live here. They usually get lit off right under my window. I have never been able to imagine how that sort of thing relates to American independence. Anyhow, there will be no joy in Seattle this Fourth. Also, no fireworks. Boo.