Anthony's World

I went to the Capitol Hill Block Party yesterday for most all of the day. It was pretty crowded and I got to see alot of entertaining live acts. Here's a quick blurb on all of them:

Smoosh, main stage - The 12 and 14 year old girls still amaze me at their talent. I wonder how good they'll be when they're all grown up. They were seen running around with their little kiddie friends later during the block party festivities.

Silversun Pickups, main stage - The LA-based rock band has made a big splash on KEXP and the Seattle scene and now I really know why. I missed them last time I had a chance to see them in April when I got to the show too late, but now I can't wait to see them next time. I really like their indie-pop meets My Bloody Valentine sound. It's pop-core but loud at many times. Pretty pleasing.

Minus the Bear, main stage - While I've seen them before, I didn't mind seeing them again. They're music is solid, yet at the same time often too bland and too repetitive, which is a knack I've had on them since I first started listening to them years ago.

The Divorce, Neumo's - I remember seeing this band back in 2001 when they were playing random shows at Frat parties and small, small bars. They sounded like a pop boy band with instruments, and every time I've seen them since, maybe once or twice a year, they've gotten better and better. This past show was rockin'. They had lots of energy and sounded fantastic. The crowd was really into them.

Grayskuls, Vera Stage - I've heard alot about these local rappers but had not made it out to see them despite them playing shows at Neumo's and Chop Suey frequently. I've heard little of their music online so this was really a first time experience and it wasn't bad at all. Their beats were solid underground style rap. The duo reminded me a little bit of Timbaland & Magoo with a deeper voice MC rhyming alongside a high pitched MC. The asian guy in the group with the higher voice was goofy but cool at the same time.

Common Market, main stage - I've heard alot about these guys too and I knew that DJ Sabzi was their DJ (many may know him from Blue Scholars), so there's alot going for them already. They got quite an introduction from The Stranger newspaper and then they just exploded with tons of energy and great sounding hip hop music. Sabzi's production called for the blend of popular rock music of the past and hip hop beats. RA Scion's MC skills are pretty solid and this combination of rock and rap sounds like music to my ears.

Labels: events

I am currently boycotting the following places:

Starbucks - This one has been long in-running and unless its a dire emergency that I need a boost and nothing else is around, I will get a chai or drip. I ban starbucks because of many reasons. First and foremost, they do not even prepare espressos anymore. They have a machine do it for them. I love electronics and all that jazz, but coffee needs to be made properly, and to charge customers the same or more than other places that manually pull espresso shots is ludicrous. Plus, their espresso and their lattes taste like filthy garbage when compared to many of the other great local cafes and baristas around the area. Open your taste buds people, and try something new. Also, their CEO just sold the Sonics to Oklahoma City, and that's even more reason to boo them down. They do get great kudos for running a massively successful business though.

Ivar's Lake Union - What once was one of my favorite happy hour spots is now still alright but just not the same. Maybe it's the fact that I went here too much, but it's also that their service has been pretty lacking lately, and that their menu isn't so pleasing to the non-seafood lover, and that their prices went up with it. I'm on a temporary hiatus from this spot along with another friend, but we'll see how long it'll last.

The Great American Casino - Some local place in Tukwila one of my co-worker's loves way too much. The food stinks. I'd rather, well, I'd rather go to McDonald's. Who cares if the food is cheap if it's sickening.

Fry's - I am not totally boycotting this place, cause I'll go in here when I need to, but I will always look to other places first prior to going here. It's far from home, yet close to where I work. Still, the service is by far the most wretched thing in all of the retail customer sector. The cheesy dress shirt and ties are hilarious because the people who work there look so corny in them, and they don't know how to talk to people in a professional-like manner. It's scary. One time, a guy told my friend that if he bought this certain type of RAM for his computer, his motherboard would "blow up". Seriously! Either he's pushing way too hard to get the sale on the more pricey hardware or he's a complete moron. Word. You never buy a thing at Fry's and expect to get out of there in 10 minutes, I kid you not.

Labels: news and politics

Reading the paper or reading CNN.com or just turning on the television (i actually dont do that very often) is quite frightening. First the major news -- we got's Bush raging war all over the place. Great wonderful. 2 more years... Then we got the North Koreans shooting up weapons of mass destruction and can't control their missles. Sweet. Next, we have crazy shooting sprees locally, and then today I find this article on some 21 year old kid with a butcher knife swinging and striking his older brother, father, and mother before being taken down by the police. What the hell? He must be watching too many Texas Chain Saw Massacre like movies. Crap that's scary.

Over the weekend, we had a shooting outburst at the Bite of Seattle on Saturday evening! Yikes!

And of course, I can't forget, the craziness and hell that is going on in Lebanon.

The world is a vampire.

Labels: news and politics

Ken Jennings won 74 straight Jeopardy! matches in a row back in 2004 to become a tv game show legend. This is what he had to say about Jeopardy!

It's funny, and from his blog.

Dear Jeopardy!,

Hey, I hope you remember me. It's been a while since we talked. We were a bit of an item a couple years back, in all the papers, but I think we both know that was just a summer thing. The last time we saw each other…well, the magic just wasn't there. That's why I don't mind when I see you with a new special someone. Or two. Nearly every night! … I'm sorry, is this sounding passive-aggressive? I don't mean to badger you. I remember that, when we were together, it seems like all I ever did was nag you with questions.

Let me start again. What I really wanted to talk to you about was your image. You've got a good twenty years on you now, and that's Trebek-era alone. Times have changed since your debut, but when I watch you, it's the same-old same-old: the same format, the same patter, the same fonts, the same everything as when I first crushed out on you in fourth grade. You're like the Dorian Gray of syndication. You seem to think "change" means replacing a blue polyethylene backdrop with a slightly different shade of blue polyethylene backdrop every presidential election or so. Would you mind a few suggestions on how you might really freshen up your act a bit?

First up, the categories. Maybe when Art Fleming was alive, America just couldn't get enough clues about "Botany" and "Ballet" and "The Renaissance," but come on. Does every freaking category have to be some effete left-coast crap nobody's heard of, like "Opera," or, um, "U.S. History" or whatever? I mean, wake me up when you come up with something that middle America actually cares about. I think it would rule if, just one time, Alex had to read off a board like:

* PlayStation
* The Arby's 5-for-$5.95 Value Menu
* Reality TV
* Men's Magazines
* Skanks from Reality TV Who Got Naked in Men's Magazines
* Potpourri

Second, the "Clue Crew." See, this is what I'm talking about. You want to hip up the show, and Trebek's not getting any younger, so why not have five attractive young people reading some of the clues instead? I'll tell you why not: because they look like they beamed in from some 1970s PBS show. The van from Big Blue Marble got frozen in a glacier and suddenly here are these five wholesome, now-getting-creepily-old "youngsters" in 2006, driving around in a van solving mysteries and yammering on about Fort Sumter or the canals of freaking Venice. You know what would be awesome? Suddenly the Clue Crew is reporting from some dark forest. The "Brain Bus" or whatever ran out of gas and they're looking wan and emaciated. Then, one show, one of them disappears (I'm thinking Jon, but we should discuss) and the other four are looking a little better-fed. The clues they read are now like, "This rugged, isolated forest stretches for miles somewhere in the eastern United States, with little game or fresh water." And then she looks at the camera and adds, "No really! We don't know where we are! Alex, for the love of God, send help!" Then the tape cuts out. It's Blair Witch, only, unlike Blair Witch, it's not a hoax. You really drive them out somewhere and leave them.

Third, that damn electric blue everywhere in your decor. Was that hip in 1984? Was that the only electronic-age color that Solid Gold wasn't using in their set that season? Why do you want your show to remind me of my TV screen when there's no tape in the VCR? Here's what I'm seeing instead: bright fire-engine red behind all the clues. If you start to get viewer letters (median age of Jeopardy!'s viewership: 91) telling you that the new red clues "angry up the blood" then you have done well. If the same viewers are also outraged that Crankshaft has been replaced with The Boondocks, do not be alarmed. They have confused you with the comics page editor of their local newspaper.

Fourth, why are there no physical challenges? It doesn't have to be Nickelodeon déclassé, buckets of green ooze falling from the ceiling. It could be tasteful and restrained. Like, if you know the answer, you have to run from your podium to the gameboard, jump up to touch the clue in question, and give the answer. "What is an Arby-Q?" Then you run back to your podium to select again. Some of these contestants, frankly, could use the exercise. Oh, also, there are angry bees.

Fifth, this might seem like a minor detail, but why the exclamation point in Jeopardy! ? It just seems like you're trying too hard. Face it, it's a sixties relic. Sure, all my parents' favorite movies end with an exclamation point: Oliver! Hatari! Support Your Local Sheriff! But this is a subtler time. Do you really think that, today, Best Picture Oscars would have gone to Million Dollar Baby! and Crash! ? Certainly not. Change the punctuation and suddenly they look like Blake Edwards movies.

Finally, Alex. I know, I know, the old folks love him. Nobody knows he died in that fiery truck crash a few years back and was immediately replaced with the Trebektron 4000 (I see your engineers still can't get the mustache right, by the way.) But that's beside the point: "Alex" is the franchise. You can't just bring in Ryan Seacrest without warning, more's the pity. But I think a few little host tweaks would do a lot of good.

1. On Price Is Right, Bob Barker ends every show with a plug for his personal favorite cause. "Spay or neuter your pet!" or whatever. Something like this would humanize Trebek. I propose a new sign-off, along the lines of, "Can our returning champion do it again on tomorrow's show? Tune in and find out, everybody. Legalize cannabis. Good night."
2. You know how Trebek likes to read foreign words in these thick, strained accents, thinking he's being muy auténtico? He should continue to do this, but instead of delivering them himself, he needs to have a little ventriloquist's dummy with a sombrero to pipe in with those words. (The sombrero can be switched with a beret for French words.)
3. Whenever Alex says "Correct!" to a contestant, he should do the two-index-finger point, like Isaac in the Love Boat credits.

You and I have a lot of history, Jeopardy! You know I think the world of you…you're putting my kids through college, for crying out loud! So I think I can be open with you in a way that others just can't. I hope you take this advice in the spirit in which it was offered. Remember, I only criticize because I…

Love,

Ken

XOXOXO

Labels: news and politics

thinking too much is the first sign of insanity. serenity now.

Labels: life

Reading more about this junk, and all the sappy stories from the writers of ESPN.com is just making me more upset about this whole Sonics transaction. There's so many people who say they can careless that the Sonics are leaving, but I'm sure they won't feel the same way when it actually happens next year.

At the same time, I hope the city does not give in to the Sonics demands to fund an entire new arena.

Labels: sports

The all out attack that Israel is doing over in Lebanon is startling, but not unexpected. There's just so much craziness happening in the world that this is little to be shocked by. I find it really concerning that people condemn the attacks yet don't care that Bush is putting an all-out war against "terrorism" in their homelands. It's the same freakin' thing! I'm not one to support war and to support attacks, but it's just the simple truth.

Now, I am somewhat surprised that Israel has kept increasing force to the outskirts of Lebanon, and don't seem to be letting back, despite the numerous pleas for cease fire. But the fact that the UN wants to take action against Israeli leaders is borderline absurd, and which I totally agree with the US Ambassador with.

Even funnier, and Scott brought up this point in my phone call with him today, is that Bush goes on an all out "search" for "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq (of course, it wasn't about oil...), and when North Korea shoots actual weapons of mass destruction towards Japan, no one does squat anything. And we all know North Korea has tons of that stuff too.... Of course, North Korea has no oil, or anything we need for that matter.

Labels: news and politics

Well, what can I say? There's all this speculation that the Sonics will move out of here - to go to greener pastures... or in this case browner ones. Oklahoma City? This team of buyers just bought out the Sonics from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz today, officially. Why did he sell to a non-local team? That's blasphemy. I do understand that its a business, and he's gotta do what he's gotta do, but for the sake of faith, he made a mistake buying the team, ruining it, and then to sell it to an unknown? That's, well... i dont know. I'm sad.

I sort of wished the Ackersley group never sold this team away to Starbucks mogul Schultz. First off, his coffee company smells like rat's anus. They switched to an automated espresso pulling system that sucks the flavor, density, and goodness out of coffee, and then brainwashed citizens into drinking this crapiness thing thats no better than putting 75 cents into a vending machine and seeing coffee magically drip out of a tap. Argh! ok. So he buys the Sonics and instead of firing Wally Walker as GM, he freakin promotes him to President and then goes off and hires mr crappy Rick Sund to be our new GM. Serenity now! The team got super lucky having Nate McMillan as coach, someone who can earn respect of overpaid cry babies and then what do the Sonics do next? Drive him away. Plus they get rid of every freakin' draft pick that was ever good and replace them buy drafting players like Johan Petro and Robert Swift (serenity now). If Sene wasn't having such a good summer league, i'd be even more pissed off.

Anyway, Schultz took over an aging yet still wholesome Sonics team, revamped it and brought it sinking to the ocean, with one somewhat fluke season under Mr Sonic. It sounds alot like the story of the Mariners. How well have they done since getting rid of Pat Gillick, Lou Pinella, etc.? Ya.

So in conclusion, get ready for the Seattle Super Sonics of Oklahoma City in 2008!

Let's be optimistic for a second... maybe this new ownership will be good for Seattle. Maybe they won't care so much for a new arena because they realize Key Arena is quite fine for a basketball game. I mean, really, it's just a basketball game. Maybe they want a new arena but aren't forcing the entire city of Seattle to pay for all of it -- maybe they realize that Seattle has other issues to worry about such as the light rail system, the viaduct, the floating bridges, the homeless and unemployed, and countless other major problems. Maybe they'll stay in Seattle, fire Wally Walker, Rick Sund, and then go out and revitalize this team with a player or two with some spark of energy and some attitude -- someone not afraid to cut and slash through the lane -- not all of these perimeter players who just cuddle outside the key and shot jumpshots til all of eternity... I play that way, and i know that's no way to win a game.

Just maybe... they'll make some right moves.

Labels: sports

ok, don't invite me to ivar's anytime soon. i've gone there 3 times over the last 6 days. ahhh! Today I went because my buddy Martha was back in town from San Francisco! Yay! I ended up stopping by and hanging out with Mike and some other people on the way home. I hadnt seen him in a while either, so that was good. Ok. no more Ivar's. Please. Take me somewhere better. Let me make some suggestions: The Rock, Greenlake/Eastlake Bar & Grill, McCormicks', Rock Salt, Ohana...

Thanks.

Sea-Men softball 2006 is now over. We lost unfortunately today to a team we beat in the regular season. Sad. oh well, we move on.

Fun day all together for me though. Got to hang out with some friends (jennifer, melissa and katie) for pho, played some softball with some more friends (aka the lost), had some drinks and food out on the waterfront at ivar's, and then watched Pirates 2 in the evening with a couple of people (adria and griff). pretty neato.

Labels: sports

Why can't this project ever go right? Argh! Work is going crazy for me right now. I've canceled my trip to Germany. No more Europe... sigh!

People who go out of their way to grab attention bug the heck out of me.

Key songs make me mellowdramatic - here are some examples:
Cure - Pictures of You
Wrens - Thirteen Grand
Get Up Kids - Hannah Hold On
Snow Patrol - Run

New Thom Yorke album is intersting. It's not a whole lot different than any other recent Radiohead record, yet it's more pop tasty and melody based, and less guitar.

Well, for the third time in four years, I went to Las Vegas in the Summer. This time I went with a bunch of my cousins and my cousin Thang's buddy Ray who are both from Phoenix. I met Ray earlier in the year while down in Phoenix for a business trip, so it was cool to see him again.

We had a blast! I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep and all day/all night extravaganza. We gambled a bit, clubbed both nights, ate bad food, walked around, goofed off, drank, drank, and went on some mini adventures. It was great! But now... I'm back at home and back to work where all hell is breaking loose. I think my eurotrip is now cancelled and could be postponed indefinitely -- we'll see.

I'll post some pictures as soon as I stop being lazy and get my digital camera out of my car and upload them to my computer.

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Two car crashes occurred and four people were arrested in excitement over a gasoline giveaway Wednesday to reward the city for its safe-driving record.

For the most part, hundreds of drivers waited patiently for hours for about $30 worth of free gasoline each that Allstate Insurance provided at one station.

However, some motorists started lining up before midnight and the queue stretched far from the station into a residential area, trapping some residents in their driveways, said police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz.

That led to fights and arrests for disorderly conduct. In one case, three officers were sent to a hospital as a precaution because they were spattered with blood from someone's bloodied nose, Schwartz said.

The two crashes apparently occurred when queued-up motorists tried to let friends into line, Schwartz said.

"Any time you offer free gas when it is $3 a gallon, it is not surprising people would get excited," she said.

Allstate gave away a tanker truck load of gasoline as a reward to Milwaukee for ranking No. 1 among mid-sized cities on its safe drivers list. The insurance company gave free gas to more than 700 motorists, said company official Bill Mellander.

The giveaway lasted a couple of hours, Schwartz said.

Clarence Jefferson said he thought he'd be first in line when he got there at 4 a.m. -- but found hundreds of others already ahead of him. Pumps were turned on at about 6 a.m.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "It helps. Every bit is worth it."

People are crazy! It is not worth it -- to wait in line for hours upon hours for a $30 tank of gas, and that's only $30 if you have 10 gallons of gas to fill up. You'd have to time yourself, or your car in this case, to have 10 gallons left to fill to get that maximum payout. Is 4 - 6 or even more hours of your life worth $30?

Labels: news and politics

Today has been wonderful so far. After an AzN experience weekend, I got to kick it with the boys and girl (Adria) with some Greenlake softball today. It was great. We had 18 people show up to play softball and the game was intense. The final score was 19-18 with the final runs scoring on 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth. How's that for a close match?

Other than that, doing the same thing I'm did last year which was bbq it up on Jake and Gord's rooftop in Fremont and watching the fourth of julivar's fireworks show on Lake Union from there. It's going to be great, and while the usuals may not be there, there are a bunch of others that will be going to substitue. :)

Fun times. I'm going to Vegas this coming weekend, and then in 3 weeks, I'll be going to Paris, Kaiserslauten, Eichstetten, and Zurich!

I'm still excited for France's defeat of Brazil yesterday. Heavy, heavy favorites Brazil and England both lost yesterday in the World Cup quarterfinals, and to my dismay, England was team of choice.

But, I'm shell-shocked by the amazing display of football that France just brought out of nowhere. They are probably one of the three most experienced teams (including the previously mentioned Brazil and England), and are of an older age bracket than much of the rest of the competition, yet they played solid, and dominating football against the might Brazil.

And then there's the re-emergence of three-time FIFA Man of the Year Zidane. He's been a human magic show the past couple matches. He was breath-taking against Spain in the Round of 16, and then he showed how to control the ball and dictate his team to victory against Brazil, not just any ordinary team. Brazil - the team with legenday defenders Cafu, Roberto Carlos, and Kaka -- not to mention a strike force that has Adriano on the bench and FIFA man of the year Rolhidino and 3 time FIFA man of the year Ronaldo. Anyway, mighty impressive victory for France. Brazil was heavy favorite, and did not even have a shot on goal until the last few minutes of the match -- that is complete dominance.

Now back to the other match -- England and Portugal. I missed it unfortunately, but I saw the Rooney play and it was ugly. He deserves a red card for that whether Christian Ronaldo asked for it or not. Its even worse cause Wayne Rooney and C. Ronaldo are teammates on ManU. Stupid. He's pulling a Beckham of 1998, and I hope he turns out as great as Beckham did (even though he's still overrated, though has a monster set kick).

Germany 2 Italy 1 - hometown favorites are playing great football. Italy finally starting to show offensive prowless
Portugal 1 France 0 - This will be a good one, but I think the younger and more exciting Portugal team can beat out the conservative and experienced France squad unless Zidane pulls off more magic.

Portugal 1 Germany 0 in the finals.

Labels: sports

So I just bought these thingies above. They're the Oakley Hatchet sunglasses (pewter frames/iridium black o-lumina lenses). Freakin' cost me a fortune even with Lan's discount, so I better not get these ruined by: (1) playing baseball and stepping on them after they fall off my head while running down a fly ball, (2) having a large person sit on them in my car, (3) dropping them on hard cement, (4) sliding to make a diving catch while having the sunglasses in my pocket, (5) or just forgetting them at a tennis court -- because all of this has happened to my sunglasses in the past