Well faithful readers of this fine web log, I finally have something to write about. While I have been busy with random adventures these past few weeks, I have encountered nothing so exciting that I must let the denizens of the internet hang on my every word.
I knew going into this weekend that my main adventure would be going to the University Street Fair. Based on the weather this past week, I also guessed that it would be very sunny and warm. My prediction paid off, as it reached a high of 77 degrees on Saturday. I was reminded that this once a year event was going to be coming up as few weeks back I saw a profile about the festival on a local public access show. Being a fan of street festivals and all that they offer, I figured that this would be a good reason to spend a day out in the sun. I asked my friend Jon if he wanted to come along, agreeing to meet at a nearby park and ride and skipping the headache that the task of finding a parking space in that area of Seattle would provide. The bus ride was about 20 minutes total and dropped us of right near Husky Stadium. Figuring that we could both use the walk, we traveled the 1.5 miles across the UW campus to the "AVE", the main road that travels through the University District. Really the whole is much like any other street fair or farmers market that you would come across on any weekend from the months of May - Sept. This includes the standard trinkets, produce, and homemade candles and crafts. Oddly enough, there were also cell phone and internet companies that had set up booths. Seriously, they actually had phones on display and were signing people up for contracts on the spot. This being the U District, there were of course many activists advocating many different causes, most dedicate to marijuana legalization. Food was your standard elephant ears, cheap noodle dishes, and super greasy hamburgers. I had a hamburger that was good for about 30 seconds before I got tired of eating it about half way through. I ended up buying some Blackberry honey before we got on the bus to the second part of the day.
Earlier in the day, Jon had invited me to a BBQ in North Bend. Knowing that rarely anything happens so close to where I currently live, I agreed to come. After stopping to get a change of clothes, I got my directions and left. The BBQ ended up being held at my friend Chelsey's house. The highlight of the evening was a game of Mafia, a murder mystery game my friend Stephen had made up. Each round, one person is the "mafia" member who chooses someone that they want to kick out of the game, during this time everyone has their eyes closed. After everyone opens their eyes, it is up to the players to choose who they think is the "mafia" member. If they choose the player that is not a mafia, than that play has to leave the game. This continues until the mafia member is guessed correctly. The BBQ lasted awhile before everyone got tired and went their separate ways.
Before I leave I have to tell everyone to visit my friend Danny's blog at http://dannysseoul.blogspot.com/, where you can learn about his amazing adventures on the far side of the world. He also occasionally writes for http://www.seouleats.com/, so you should probably go to that site as well.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Comic Book Convention
Getting up the cold blustery morning of this last Sunday, I honestly had no idea what to expect. Would my lungs be filled with the pungent smell of thousands? Would I get trampled in a stampede of humanity? Turns out none of these things happened, the end result being far more sedate than I imagined. Hearing about it the night before, I was told that the best attitude to have while going in there was to treat it somewhat like an art fair. The main attraction being to see artists demonstrate their craft and see how they do it, all while seeing the hawk their wares. Hearing that this was a pretty popular event, my brother and I left at around 9:30 in the morning, with the goal being to get their early and beat the crowds. We ended up arriving to a nearly empty convention center. For a comparison, the last two events of this caliber that I went to went was PAX and the international auto show. Both places featured nearly sold out, capacity room only crowds. Both were also much grander affairs. While PAX and the auto show featured millions of dollars in marketing on display at the booths, at comicon most were nothing more then setup card tables. Fitting, because as it turns out, most comics are small independent affairs that are published MAYBE by a small local publisher. Though I may not be that into the comic scene, I do greatly admire the fact that these people are willing to come interact with their fans for probably very little money.
However, there were bigger names advertised that attracted much bigger crowds. Walking through the various booths, I momentarily had a lapse in direction and almost ran into a group of people standing in the middle of the floor. Thinking it was simply a group of friends saying hi, I looked to my right and noticed that the booth next to me had pictures of one of the people I almost bumped into on display. That's right, I almost bumped into the Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. Maybe its because it was earlier in the day, but I have to say I was some what shocked to see that such an iconic figure sitting alone at a booth drinking a water bottle. I probably would have went to talk to him and take a picture if it wouldn't have cost $60. He was far from the biggest star that in attendance that day, as I saw none other then Mt. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. Though I somewhat regret not getting in line to at least shake his hand, I figured in the end they probably wouldn't have even let me get in line, as they didn't need me taking up space in a line where there are people willing to pay $60 for a simple 5 second autograph. Instead, I was content to at least stand 15 feet away from him, so I could at least say that I saw him in person. I have to say that both for Ferrigno being 60 and Nimoy being 78, both look at least 15 years younger than they actually are. Going by "Pumping Iron" rules, Ferrigno has beaten Schwarzenagger, as Ferrigno is still extremely ripped and in good shape. Not gay, but I can at least admire someone who is still in really good shape at that age.
That's it for this time folks. Will I have a new job next time? Maybe.
However, there were bigger names advertised that attracted much bigger crowds. Walking through the various booths, I momentarily had a lapse in direction and almost ran into a group of people standing in the middle of the floor. Thinking it was simply a group of friends saying hi, I looked to my right and noticed that the booth next to me had pictures of one of the people I almost bumped into on display. That's right, I almost bumped into the Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. Maybe its because it was earlier in the day, but I have to say I was some what shocked to see that such an iconic figure sitting alone at a booth drinking a water bottle. I probably would have went to talk to him and take a picture if it wouldn't have cost $60. He was far from the biggest star that in attendance that day, as I saw none other then Mt. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. Though I somewhat regret not getting in line to at least shake his hand, I figured in the end they probably wouldn't have even let me get in line, as they didn't need me taking up space in a line where there are people willing to pay $60 for a simple 5 second autograph. Instead, I was content to at least stand 15 feet away from him, so I could at least say that I saw him in person. I have to say that both for Ferrigno being 60 and Nimoy being 78, both look at least 15 years younger than they actually are. Going by "Pumping Iron" rules, Ferrigno has beaten Schwarzenagger, as Ferrigno is still extremely ripped and in good shape. Not gay, but I can at least admire someone who is still in really good shape at that age.
That's it for this time folks. Will I have a new job next time? Maybe.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Taco Time brings people together.
Sometimes I swear that the world's oil companies make most of there money from the citizens of North Bend Washington's travel needs. To literally get anywhere you have to drive at least 15 miles. Now there is a fair amount of grocery stores for ones needs (though these stores are often lacking in the type of food I enjoy), however to get just about anything else you are looking at at least a 15 mile drive into Issaquah. For those that work in Bellevue, you are looking at a 250 miles a week, which for my car is at least one tank of gas. Multiply that by how many number of people live in this town and you can see that is a lot of gas that is being used. Because of this, it often irks me that everything is so far away, as time is another consideration that is to be addressed if you want to go just about anywhere out of town. That said, for as familiar I am with having to travel a fair distance to get just about anywhere, I really enjoy it when things come to me.
Sunday was one such day, as Devon invited me over to his parents place to help him watch his dog while his folks were out of town. My first thought when I received this invitation was about how hungry I was, specifically for Taco Time. Now I know that eating at Taco Time after one has experienced the bliss of taco trucks is tantamount to blasphemy. However, until one actually opens up in the King County area, Taco Time shall serve as an suitable exception. After ordering a Beef Natural Soft Taco for the two of us, I drove over and arrived about 5 minutes later. After arriving, we proceeded to consume our much craved for meals. After this we let the dog out and decided what game we would co-op through.
Because I have never played it before, we decided to co-op all the Spec Ops missions of Modern Warfare 2. Now though I'm not really what you would consider a fan of the game, I will enjoy just about anything if someone else is there to suffer through it with me. Admittedly, I probably would have been pretty bored if I had been playing though the game by myself. Since I had another person playing through these missions, all of which are designed around playing with another human, I found that it wasn't really what was in the game that was fun, but the team work that was required. As an example, one of the missions involved one player being in the cockpit of a helicopter, while the other play was in the ground. The goal of the helicopter pilot was to clear a way for the other player. While this may seem like standard fare for this type of game, the teamwork and social aspect added an extra enjoyment layer that otherwise would have been missing.
After we beat a number of these maps, we decided that it was time to part ways for the day. Right about now you are probably wondering why I spent 4 paragraphs describing something as simple as a videogame session. To that I must explain. Devon demanded that I spend at least 4 pages on this blog. To that I say 4 paragraphs instead feels like a good compromise.
Sunday was one such day, as Devon invited me over to his parents place to help him watch his dog while his folks were out of town. My first thought when I received this invitation was about how hungry I was, specifically for Taco Time. Now I know that eating at Taco Time after one has experienced the bliss of taco trucks is tantamount to blasphemy. However, until one actually opens up in the King County area, Taco Time shall serve as an suitable exception. After ordering a Beef Natural Soft Taco for the two of us, I drove over and arrived about 5 minutes later. After arriving, we proceeded to consume our much craved for meals. After this we let the dog out and decided what game we would co-op through.
Because I have never played it before, we decided to co-op all the Spec Ops missions of Modern Warfare 2. Now though I'm not really what you would consider a fan of the game, I will enjoy just about anything if someone else is there to suffer through it with me. Admittedly, I probably would have been pretty bored if I had been playing though the game by myself. Since I had another person playing through these missions, all of which are designed around playing with another human, I found that it wasn't really what was in the game that was fun, but the team work that was required. As an example, one of the missions involved one player being in the cockpit of a helicopter, while the other play was in the ground. The goal of the helicopter pilot was to clear a way for the other player. While this may seem like standard fare for this type of game, the teamwork and social aspect added an extra enjoyment layer that otherwise would have been missing.
After we beat a number of these maps, we decided that it was time to part ways for the day. Right about now you are probably wondering why I spent 4 paragraphs describing something as simple as a videogame session. To that I must explain. Devon demanded that I spend at least 4 pages on this blog. To that I say 4 paragraphs instead feels like a good compromise.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Twenty Ten or Two Thousand Ten?
Hey there everyone. Welcome to the first blog of the new decade. While some may argue that the decade may start next year, I would argue that decades are based on base ten numbers, i.e 10, 20, etc. Since the new year is a time for resolutions, one of mine involves this blog. Personally I would like do more then write about my day. While will still do that, I would like to practice writing reviews or comments about news items. Basically, look for more experimentation in the future.
New Years was actually pretty cool and chill this year. Asking around, there didn't seem to be much going on and I was planning on having the first stay at home new years in a good long while. However, Wednesday night my friend Jason told me that he was having a cocktail party. Being as I love both cocktails and parties, I decided to drive into Renton and see his house for the first time. When I arrived, I was greeted by a wide range of chips, dip, cheese, and little smokies. Besides Jason and his wife Kristin, there were about 3 other people in attendance. Cocktails were also free flowing, culminating in a drunk game of UNO. After we watched the ball drop, we started watching the movie The House Bunny on Netflix instant streaming. By this time, it was around 3:30 in the morning and eventually we all fell asleep in the living room. The next day, we all got up groggy after getting very little sleep and proceeded to head down to Sherri's restaurant for good pancake breakfast.
New Years was actually pretty cool and chill this year. Asking around, there didn't seem to be much going on and I was planning on having the first stay at home new years in a good long while. However, Wednesday night my friend Jason told me that he was having a cocktail party. Being as I love both cocktails and parties, I decided to drive into Renton and see his house for the first time. When I arrived, I was greeted by a wide range of chips, dip, cheese, and little smokies. Besides Jason and his wife Kristin, there were about 3 other people in attendance. Cocktails were also free flowing, culminating in a drunk game of UNO. After we watched the ball drop, we started watching the movie The House Bunny on Netflix instant streaming. By this time, it was around 3:30 in the morning and eventually we all fell asleep in the living room. The next day, we all got up groggy after getting very little sleep and proceeded to head down to Sherri's restaurant for good pancake breakfast.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Celebrating an american holiday with the most canadian of sports.
Minutes ago I realized that I hadn't updated you, my loyal readers, on what I did on the weekend of Thanksgiving. Well get ready and get off my back. Don't tell me what to do or i'll cut you. Wait, that's a bit harsh. I love each and everyone of you and using threats of violence will only serve to scare and hurt. Perhaps this exchange will give you an idea of what I witnessed on Black Friday, the night I saw my first hockey game. Steve, my friend from the great white north of Canada (seriously, i've heard some wear shorts in the snow), was in town and we had made plans to hang out. The tentative deal was that I would show him the wild city of Bellevue, while afterward we would drive down to Kent to see the Seattle Thunderbirds play. We decided that we would fill our bellies with a good bowl of Pho before the game at a place called "What the Pho". Obvious, slightly corny play on words aside, it was actually pretty good as this place usually tends to be.
After we finished filling our tummies, we drove down to Kent to attend the game. My first impression of the atmosphere made me realize what I miss most about going to public sporting events. That thing being the copious amounts of drunk people that attend, especially when said event is not only located in the south end of King County, but is a sport as violent as hockey. For those wondering why I would hold a stereotype of southenders being loud and drunk, watch any episode of Almost Live aired in the last 20 years. Not that I should be judging, as I love the whole atmosphere of people being loud and crazy. The best part of it was probably when a group made up of people dressed in Seattle Sounders gear started shouting soccer chants, leading the crowd to heckle them back for roughly the first half of the game. Anyways, the real action was what was happening on the rink. The game started off fairly calm, and Seattle was up by 3 points at the end of the first half. However, like Seattle based teams are apt to do, the fell apart roughly half way through the third quarter. This brought on probably the best and most famous part of the game of hockey, that being the fights. It was at this point I realized one point that separates hockey from other games here in the states. In baseball, players are suspended for multiple games and have to deal with weeks of controversy if get in so much as a pushing match. However, in hockey, you are allowed to finish a fist fight with another player to completion before the ref will step in a give both players a 5 minute timeout. In the end, We ended up losing by two points, though it was still a fun experience that I recommend to anyone who wants to see something different than what people usually think of when they think of a Seattle sports time.
In closing, it is snowing outside right now. I wish it would stop. I have to drive enough during the week and not knowing how the roads will be can be hectic. Hopefully the roads will be clear in the morning, as i'd much rather look at the snow than have to drive in it.
After we finished filling our tummies, we drove down to Kent to attend the game. My first impression of the atmosphere made me realize what I miss most about going to public sporting events. That thing being the copious amounts of drunk people that attend, especially when said event is not only located in the south end of King County, but is a sport as violent as hockey. For those wondering why I would hold a stereotype of southenders being loud and drunk, watch any episode of Almost Live aired in the last 20 years. Not that I should be judging, as I love the whole atmosphere of people being loud and crazy. The best part of it was probably when a group made up of people dressed in Seattle Sounders gear started shouting soccer chants, leading the crowd to heckle them back for roughly the first half of the game. Anyways, the real action was what was happening on the rink. The game started off fairly calm, and Seattle was up by 3 points at the end of the first half. However, like Seattle based teams are apt to do, the fell apart roughly half way through the third quarter. This brought on probably the best and most famous part of the game of hockey, that being the fights. It was at this point I realized one point that separates hockey from other games here in the states. In baseball, players are suspended for multiple games and have to deal with weeks of controversy if get in so much as a pushing match. However, in hockey, you are allowed to finish a fist fight with another player to completion before the ref will step in a give both players a 5 minute timeout. In the end, We ended up losing by two points, though it was still a fun experience that I recommend to anyone who wants to see something different than what people usually think of when they think of a Seattle sports time.
In closing, it is snowing outside right now. I wish it would stop. I have to drive enough during the week and not knowing how the roads will be can be hectic. Hopefully the roads will be clear in the morning, as i'd much rather look at the snow than have to drive in it.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Lady Gaga has a new CD out
Seeing as how roughly 100% of my readership listens to Lady Gaga, I figure my entire audience is now captivated. Since I last wrote, some pretty crazy stuff has happened.
As I am writing this, I am eating the leftovers of what is my 3rd thanksgiving-type dinner this week. It all started on Monday with the potluck at my work. Everyone was responsible for bringing at least one dish and as you can imagine with a office of more than ten people, there was a lot of food. Though I am pretty sure it was to my detriment, I loaded up not one, but two heaping plates of Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Pie, and other standard fare. Unfortunately in the battle between Alex and food, food won this round. Not that feeling bloated all day taught me any lessons, as I promptly went through the whole process again the very next day, including eating half of an entire pie. However, that's not to say that the whole thing wasn't delicious. That said, today's dinner was still delicious and after tonight I should probably have enough leftovers for the next week.
This past week I also had two more milestones at my work. First, more people came to my Americorps class then have ever came before. While usually I have one or two people come at most, this time I had a whopping seven people come to watch me give my spiel. For the first time ever, I had to actually keep to somewhat of a presentation format, instead of the Q and A sessions I am usually used to. Adding to my still growing list of skills was the fact that his past Monday was the first time that I had to give a lesson to my entire office. One of the projects I have been working on is getting the office setup and trained in this new assessment program people will be giving to job seekers that come in. While my plan was to give the different groups that make up my office their own individual training sessions, the powers that be though it would be a good idea for me to instead give everyone in our office a short lesson on the program at the same time. While I have never given an individual presentation on such short notice, I was told that I did very good job of explaining the benefits and drawbacks that the program has. My next step is to contact people after the break and get them setup on individual training sessions.
Outside of work, I get to see my friend Steve tomorrow. While he has shown me his home city of Vancouver before, this time it is my turn to demonstrate our strange American customs and way of life to him. We haven't decided where to meet yet, but Sushi or Pho could very much be involved. Also, Devon hasn't been seen in 3 weeks. It is possible he may have been kidnapped by the creatures that live behind his house. Seriously, the last text I got from Devon was about a gargoyle that was staring at him from his porch.
Anyways, its time that I get started on my Christmas list. I don't even know what I want, but I figure I can think of a few things I might want.
As I am writing this, I am eating the leftovers of what is my 3rd thanksgiving-type dinner this week. It all started on Monday with the potluck at my work. Everyone was responsible for bringing at least one dish and as you can imagine with a office of more than ten people, there was a lot of food. Though I am pretty sure it was to my detriment, I loaded up not one, but two heaping plates of Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Pie, and other standard fare. Unfortunately in the battle between Alex and food, food won this round. Not that feeling bloated all day taught me any lessons, as I promptly went through the whole process again the very next day, including eating half of an entire pie. However, that's not to say that the whole thing wasn't delicious. That said, today's dinner was still delicious and after tonight I should probably have enough leftovers for the next week.
This past week I also had two more milestones at my work. First, more people came to my Americorps class then have ever came before. While usually I have one or two people come at most, this time I had a whopping seven people come to watch me give my spiel. For the first time ever, I had to actually keep to somewhat of a presentation format, instead of the Q and A sessions I am usually used to. Adding to my still growing list of skills was the fact that his past Monday was the first time that I had to give a lesson to my entire office. One of the projects I have been working on is getting the office setup and trained in this new assessment program people will be giving to job seekers that come in. While my plan was to give the different groups that make up my office their own individual training sessions, the powers that be though it would be a good idea for me to instead give everyone in our office a short lesson on the program at the same time. While I have never given an individual presentation on such short notice, I was told that I did very good job of explaining the benefits and drawbacks that the program has. My next step is to contact people after the break and get them setup on individual training sessions.
Outside of work, I get to see my friend Steve tomorrow. While he has shown me his home city of Vancouver before, this time it is my turn to demonstrate our strange American customs and way of life to him. We haven't decided where to meet yet, but Sushi or Pho could very much be involved. Also, Devon hasn't been seen in 3 weeks. It is possible he may have been kidnapped by the creatures that live behind his house. Seriously, the last text I got from Devon was about a gargoyle that was staring at him from his porch.
Anyways, its time that I get started on my Christmas list. I don't even know what I want, but I figure I can think of a few things I might want.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Exhausted!
So last time I presented one of these amazing literary events to my readers at home I was only 2-3 days into my job. Now, that I have been at this gig for a month, I can safely say that it has been one of the more exciting jobs I have had. Granted my last two jobs involved me being a punching bag for a bunch of angry, entitled consumers, but they were at least interesting endeavors that provided endless stories. So far I have been apart of such projects as coordinating software installations on all the computers in the office, helping people edit and create their resumes and cover letters, helping people find jobs, teaching classes about americorps, teaching classes about the youth job market, and other such things that escape my mind at the moment. Already I know that I will be in charge of following up on program that Microsoft ran. I also help a wide range of people, as everyone from former executives for the Sonics, to retired machine workers come to see me for their help. All this has amounted to one of the most satisfying jobs I have ever had. Granted I have only been at it for about a month, but its nice to feel like you can go somewhere during the day and feel a sense of accomplishment about what you are doing. Especially when you have a lot to do.
Other then work being pretty sweet, I have been enjoying going to happy hour as of late. In fact, my friend Devon and I decided that it would be a pretty good idea if we went at least once a week. So far our establishment of choice has been the Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Bellevue. Food is 5 dollars, while beer brewed on site is 3 dollars a pint. The entire meal is quite filling for what you get. I personally recommend the Chipotle Chicken Pizza. It consists of fresh chicken breast, jalepanos, onion, and fresh tomatoes. And i'm not talking about a slice for 5 dollars, but an entire pizza to yourself. The beer is also very tasty and you can't beat that it is brewed on site for the price you pay. I would like to try some other places and much of my lunch time is spent browsing the events section of the Seattle Times looking for other places to go. However, if you are looking for a cool place to chill out after work, you could chose worse places I guess. Well, at least more expensive ones.
Before I go, I have to give a shout out to Uncharted 2, aka one of the best games ever. I am already about half way through, but so far it combines history, action, and a great story in to a complete package that is awesome. While no one element is perfect, the way everything comes together makes it better than even a lot of movies. For those with a PS3, I recommend you at least get a chance to play it.
Other then work being pretty sweet, I have been enjoying going to happy hour as of late. In fact, my friend Devon and I decided that it would be a pretty good idea if we went at least once a week. So far our establishment of choice has been the Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Bellevue. Food is 5 dollars, while beer brewed on site is 3 dollars a pint. The entire meal is quite filling for what you get. I personally recommend the Chipotle Chicken Pizza. It consists of fresh chicken breast, jalepanos, onion, and fresh tomatoes. And i'm not talking about a slice for 5 dollars, but an entire pizza to yourself. The beer is also very tasty and you can't beat that it is brewed on site for the price you pay. I would like to try some other places and much of my lunch time is spent browsing the events section of the Seattle Times looking for other places to go. However, if you are looking for a cool place to chill out after work, you could chose worse places I guess. Well, at least more expensive ones.
Before I go, I have to give a shout out to Uncharted 2, aka one of the best games ever. I am already about half way through, but so far it combines history, action, and a great story in to a complete package that is awesome. While no one element is perfect, the way everything comes together makes it better than even a lot of movies. For those with a PS3, I recommend you at least get a chance to play it.
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