Political Banter

I'd usually steer clear of politics in the blog, since there are already plenty of political rants out there. Instead I'll just make a few points:

- Democrats: Congrats on the victory thus far. Now don't screw it all up!

- Rumsfeld fired: For a guy who has done little but fuck shit and apologize his whole career it's amazing he's held on so long. I wonder what high-paying CEO job he's gonna get now: Bechtel? Kellogg? RAND? G.D. Searle? Acme Stamping Machine Co.?

- Rumsfeld's replacement: He comes pre-tainted with scandal!

- Virginia Senate: If only I hadn't moved! I could have cast that one Macaca-crushing vote! Damn.

To everyone that's been waiting for a change in the government, you got your wish yesterday. Don't turn around and go home yet though, keep the pressure on the Dems to enact change. If it takes too long for them to do something, anything, to change the situation in Iraq, the GOP will turn the tables on them come 2008.

That is all.

Tim and the Amazing Technicolor Living Room!

As usual, I am once again apologizing for my tardiness in putting up new posts. I think this time around I have my most valid excuse yet: We have been remodelling the new house.

For a look at our progress, check out my new picasa web album here.

Ewa is much better at updating her photos however, so there's more to be seen here. (Including the promised pictures from Labor Day weekend.)

That's all for now. We finally get the internet switched on at the new place Friday, and so updates should be more frequent then.

Oh yeah, and if you happen to be here in the Northwest around late Nov., come by for Thankgiving. Already attending: Stupor, Dana and Drew Diefenblahblah, Mr. & Mrs. Hoochie and a couple Canadians trying to cash in on a second Thanksgiving. Trips to Mts. Hood and/or Baker are in the works, snow permitting.

Labor Day and Beyond...

Labor Day weekend didn't start out so well. Business forced me to make a sudden trip up to Seattle on Friday that kept me on the road until 8:30 that night. This was a bit of a nuisance, since it was my three year anniversary with Ewa and we had plans. She came with me though, and we kept eachother entertained on the long ride. The rest of the weekend was wonderful. We went camping (my idea) and horseback riding (her idea) in the Mt. Baker/Puget Sound area of Washington. The weather couldn't have been better. I learned that polska kielbasa is 10 times better than hotdogs for grilling over a fire. Pics will be up soon on a flickr account.

Things have been progressing steadily on the home front, and I will be signing the papers and getting my keys tomorrow. We won't be moving in right away though, since there's some work to be done, and we still have out current place through the end of November. "Before" pictures will also be up by the end of the weekend. I suspect things are going to get even busier for me soon.

In anticipation of being busy after we get the keys to the house, we've spent our week taking in our new obsession, Lost. I know, late to the party, but there nonetheless. I don't watch much TV, even with the DVR, but I've found I have no problem sitting down every night and watching a DVD worth (4 episodes) of this show. To feed this new obsession I've signed up for the new Blockbuster Online service. Same fees as Netflix but we get 4 free in-store rentals a month, for when you just can't wait for your DVD to show up.

Ewa got a job yesterday, contracting part-time to Intel doing Polish translation QA. The plan is for her to split time between that and substitute teaching. I'll feel a lot better signing those papers tomorrow now that I know we'll have two incomes.

Finally, it's starting to snow up on Mt. Hood, which has me getting giddy about the upcoming snowboarding season. Granted, there's still 2 more months until they start the lifts, but with the weather turning in a more fall-like direction, I know it's going to start raining soon. Then I'll be seeing my only sun for 5 months from the top of a mountain.

"There's got to be a better way!"

Could anyone please explain to me how MasterCard's new paypass system is so revolutionary? So I can now "tap" my card to pay for stuff, instead the usual "swipe" motion. Great! I still need to sign for my purchase anyway, or if I'm using the debit feature I have to type in my PIN. Is there a problem with swiping-related injuries in the United States? Something that tapping can solve? At least it's not as bad as those retarded min-cards that Bank Of America sent out a couple years back. I refuse to change my payment motion until I can get a chip implanted in my hand and just snap my fingers to pay for stuff. That'd be cool. Besides, I'm tired of looking like an idiot when I am standing in line tapping my card on a machine where the stupid paypass thing doesn't work.


That reminds me of a sci-fi short film I saw one day. In the future, everyone has a card with a kind of timer on it, which they can use to purchase anything they want. However, for every purchase, a little bit of time is subtracted from the timer. Only problem is that the timer indicates how long your life will be. Essentially, increased spending results in shorter lifespan... interesting concept. Takes out the middle man we have right now: work. 'Cuz right now the whole increased spending = more time at work = shorter lifespan isn't for me.

This Land is My Land

Well, it's official: I'm buying a house.

After wrangling with some old lady over the price of a house a couple weeks ago, we gave up on her and the prospect of purchasing a home... or at least we'd though. That night, I went home and searched the listing service, finding a very decently priced place, located even closer to the downtown area than the one we'd bid on earlier. A quickly placed call to the realtor had us taking a tour of the house the next day, with 4 other groups of potential buyers! We liked it, a pseudo-bidding war ensued, and we emerged victorious.

Now is where the real fun begins. The inspection revealed what I had expected: that that house is really old and is going to need some work. It was built in 1936, for god's sake. The location is perfect though, and the work is manageable. Wrangling with multiple banks to find the best loan has been a hassle, and getting contractors to come out for estimates has proven even more difficult. As long as everything proceeds as planned, I should have the title in my hands some time mid next month.

The thought of posessing my own little piece of land, with a house on it, is pretty exciting. I see potential for this place, and I'm excited about doing the work to take it there. It's taking a bit longer for Ewa to warm up to the idea, but either way, we will both be happy to stop paying rent.

I'll get some pictures together for the next post. Anybody up for a housewarming party next month?

On another note: Check out "So This is Goodbye" from the Junior Boys. Give it a listen, and let me know if you would like to catch them at the Doug Fir next month. Other live music I plan to check out in the next couple months: Decemberist @ PetAID, Killers @ Roseland and Sufjan Stevens @ Crystal Ballroom.

Back to Blogging

Sorry everyone, it's been a while. Went to Germany for a couple weeks (business, building up my tolerance), came back, got caught up at work during the week I was home, then went to Blacksburg, NoVa, Baltimore and Philly for a week to hit up a couple weddings after that. Congrats to the happy couples: Dana & Drew, Brez & Lisa.

Now though, I'm finally back with no plans to travel for a while, especially by plane. Sure, now I've still got some catching up to do at work, but there's no urgency anymore. It's a feeling I haven't been able to enjoy in a while.

Ewa and I finally have a weekend together with nothing to do, nowhere to go. Sure, we might go somewhere (the beach, tubing, hiking, etc.) but for the first time since she's moved in, we don't have to pack our suitcases and rush to the airport. So far this week has been great too. We've been able to enjoy our meals, spend time with the dog, and even check out a couple houses.

Yep, tonight I am meeting up with my realtor to put an offer in on a house we checked out on Monday. I don't want to hype the subject up to much yet, since we are lowballing the seller, and might get rejected. However, if things work out, then things are about to get real interesting. I'll keep everyone updated on the situation.

Unfortunately, with all this stuff going on, I have to duck out on the annual Labor Day weekend excitement. I feel pretty bad about this, and as a consequence got my drunk ass in trouble in Philly complaining about something beyond my control. The best thing that's come out of my non-attendance though, is a nice litigious e-mail I received from one "Brother Catto".

• Apparently: “By a preponderance of evidence, it is abundantly clear that Defendant was on notice that his presence is required at this yearly event, nay, ceremony.”
  
• Sooo... “Defendant has not met the criteria for excuse set out in Catto's Second Restatement of Contracts. Therefore Defendant should be found in breach of Contract, as well as in a state of extreme pussitis.”

IKEA, Flickr, and Little Gray Books

I find it somehow fitting that as I am moving my old IKEA furniture from my current (old) place to my new (current) place this week, that the Jonathan Coulton Project, or JoCoPro, should post this video.

This work was inspired by the flickr video that made the internets rounds this past winter. Jonathan Coulton is a rare kind of comedic/musical genius, akin to They Might be Giants. He's got a new song out every week for your enjoyment.

On a related note: If you own an iPod, and are into the whole podcasting thing, you should check out the Little Gray Book Lectures. John Hodgman, author, PC "spokesperson" and Daily Show resident expert, hosts a variety of guests to instruct/inform you on topics such as the superiority of America over Europe and how to successfully sell electronic organs. Coulton is the musical director, providing an original theme song for every lecture.

All Hail the Sasquatch Festival!

Shame on all the people that missed the Sasquatch Festival this year. The weekend was full of good people, cheap beer and great bands. Despite being stuck in a 30 min. hail storm on Saturday (see what I did there with the title?), a good time was had by all.

Saturday, we were able to catch Architecture in Helsinki, Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine and Ben Harper. The hail caused some scheduling problems, so I missed The Tragically Hip's set, which is regrettable. We were given reprieve between the storm and the second half of the concert to tend to our tents. I was happy to find that my new tent was one of the only tents in the immediate area that had survived dry and intact, which was a nice feeling. Anyone up for camping later this year?

Sunday was much more relaxed than the previous day. The weather had cleared up and we had all morning to ready ourselves for the day's bands, which included the Arctic Monkeys, the Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie and Beck. The Queens of the Stone Age fans were the most annoying of the bunch and Matisyahu's set served well for nap time. Apparently, this was the Arctic Monkeys' first time at an outdoor theater, but they didn't show it, and put on a great set. Decemberists on the other hand, are more suited for a small venue than a rock arena. For me, the highlight of the show was Death Cab, and they were much more energetic on stage than their music belies. Beck was, well, Beck.


The only large outdoor venue, other than various stadiums for HFStival, that I've been to is Nissan Pavillion. The Gorge is at least 20 times better than that. Weather rolls in from the West the whole day, and you can literally watch it be wisked away by the winds of the Columbia Gorge (unless it's hail, apparently). The campgrounds are nice enough, considering there are thousands of people in attendance, but I was not aware that one could pile shit up that high in a port-a-potty. Next year, I'm thinking of renting an RV.

All the news that's fit to blog.

Happenings of Late:

- Stupor left on his six-week Bering Sea expedition a week ago. I got a chance to hang out with him in Olympia before he embarked. Olympia is a cool little college town, but a bit of a hippie fest. The town is home to Evergreen State College (famous alumni: Matt Groening, Michael Richards). Omnia Extares, indeed. Caught a Mariners game up in Seattle too. Details on his polar voyage can be found here.

- The house search continues. More details when I actually find a place that doesn't pop off the market the next day.

- Been considering trading in my truck for something a little more fuel efficient. I don't know how long the wait for a Prius is, but I'd really like one of those. A couple other cars I was looking at were the Civic Hybrid (gotta experience the CVT) and the Golf TDI (always wanted a German car). My only worry is that not having 4wd will limit my ability to go snowboarding in the winter, and in my opinion the SUV hybrids are not fuel efficient enough to merit the expense. Another idea that I was considering was getting a motorcycle to drive on nice days... those things get ridiculous gas mileage.

- Spent last weekend in Williamsburg for Ewa's graduation. Despite a few logistical problems, all in all it was a good weekend. The commencement speaker was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the speech was great, despite the religiosity. Sandra Day O'Connor made a short speech also, being the newly anointed Chancellor of the College.

- Thursday was the 26th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Although I was obviously not born (concieved, however) when the disaster happened, I get a nice reminder of the explosion every clear day on my way to work. It's a long drive from Portland to the Volcanic Monument, but I would highly suggest a visit for anyone making their way through town.

- Good friend of mine, Dana, and her fiance came to visit this weekend. Good times on the town... Don't remember much past the Rogue Brewpub, though.

A Couple Great Big Steps

Last time I posted, I hinted at a few big things that I wanted to talk about.

First of all, recently I've been thinking of buying a house out here. I've found a realtor, been looking at a few places, and will probably settle on one in the next month. The whole process is a bit nerve-wracking. I'm looking to get a house that I can work on, but I don't want to end up with a total piece of shit. I'm also trying to get a place within walking distance of bars, shopping and parks. That rules out houses in one of those generic housing developments, which is fine with me, but pretty much every house in downtown Vancouver is turn-of-the-century old.

Buying a house comes with that certain sense of settling down, and with that comes my second tidbit of news. I asked Ewa to marry me on April 18th... and she said yes of course. So now there is a wedding summer of 2007. Ewa is moving out here in a little more than a month, and I hope to have the house situation mostly taken care of by then. I'm pretty damn psyched about this, since Ewa and I have never actually lived within less than 2 hours apart before except for a few weeks in the summers. All our time spent together thus far has had a certain intensity because we always knew that it would be limited, and now we'll actually have a chance sit back, relax and enjoy being together, without having to worry whether we are getting everything done that we'd planned to do.

Bling!

Well, that's the news for now. I'm running behind on some posts, and I've got a few written at work that need to be posted. I'll try and be a little faster with the posts in the future.

As if anyone cares.

The Short Trip "Home"

Haven’t posted in a while, and as I sit here watching Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, I've decided my time would be much better spent recalling the events of the last few weeks.

The engineering conference was about as exciting as you might expect one to be. At least the company footed the bill for a few good night of drinking, and I got to practice my German to boot. Oh yeah, and I got to see the Red Sox kick the O’s collective asses.

The week working out of the Baltimore office was equally as exciting, except I was staying at the Morelands' place in Annapolis. I had a couple good nights of drinking with Brez and Big Tom. It was good to reminisce about old times, and I am pretty damn psyched for Mr. Bresnei’s wedding. Three words: Open. Raw. Bar.

Now, speaking of weddings, as most people reading this blog know, Neil and Leah got married a couple weekends ago. Neil is one of my best friends, a former roommate, and my co-pilot on more than a few hastily planned trips and I couldn’t be happier for him. Now, that said, I expected a lot out of him at this wedding. Of course, if you were at the reception or, more importantly, the after party, you know that it was a hell of a good time, and it will be tough to beat. This is the first time that I’ve woken up the day after a wedding more hungover than after the bachelor party (though with my bank account in much better shape.)


I’ve got a couple more important things to mention on this blog about the last couple of weeks, but that’s just going to have to wait for another day. Fifty’s winning me over with classic lines like “I’m a gangsta grandpa, and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it.” Gotta go get learned…

My Quick Trip to the East Coast.

After a short week of work (2 days), I am leaving tomorrow morning bright and early for the East Coast, and will be there until April 16th. If you want to catch up with me while I'm there, here's my tentative schedule:

April 5: Flight
April 6-8: Conference (Baltimore)
April 8-9: NoVa
April 10-12: Work (Baltimore)
April 13: Williamsburg
April 14-16: NoVa (Neil's wedding)

Saturday the 8th is a good night for me to hang out, so let me know what you are doing.

Wookiees are from Kashyyyk!

Washington is the home to Bigfoot. Apparently there are more sightings here than anywhere else in the U.S. I've been in the woods out here quite a bit, yet I have never heard or seen him. Maybe my dog keeps scaring him off. Unlikely though, since my dog is a wuss.

However, another thing that Washington is home to is the Sasquatch Music Festival. This year's lineup includes Ben Harper, Death Cab for Cutie, Beck, The Tragically Hip, Sufjan Stevens and The Decemberists, along with many others.

The festival will be held at the Gorge Amphitheater in central WA. Check out their website, and tell me it doesn't look awesome. Guaranteed to be a hippy festival. There is a camping ground there, and apparently everyone camps out after the shows every night and parties till the early hours of the morn. Oh yeah, and if you are worried about the rain out here in the NW, don't fret, central WA is a desert.

I have so far convinced my roommates to go, but I'm looking to recruit some more people. Anyone that's interested and wants to come out here to the great Northwest, can crash at my place before and afterwards. Hopefully, by then I will have my own house, but even if I don't, we can make room at my current place.

Sooooo... Look at your calendars and see what you are doing Memorial Day weekend (May 26-28). Come see Portland and Washington, and hear some great music!