Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Rat Boy
Ever since I saw him in The Outsiders oh so many years ago, I knew he was a freak.
Tom Cruise on Oprah
“The thing about Brooke is, like all people who harm their feet, her broken bone is caused by toxins in her blood,” Cruise said in a four-minute monologue on the topic. “But the podiatry industry wants to conduct an x-ray so they can suck the minerals out of her foot and sell them to psychiatrists, who then process them into anti-psychiatry drugs, which are forced upon children and are the leading cause of low SAT scores.”
Whatever dude.
On a totally unrelated topic, Derek sent me this, and it is cool, especially how he made it.
Tom Cruise on Oprah
“The thing about Brooke is, like all people who harm their feet, her broken bone is caused by toxins in her blood,” Cruise said in a four-minute monologue on the topic. “But the podiatry industry wants to conduct an x-ray so they can suck the minerals out of her foot and sell them to psychiatrists, who then process them into anti-psychiatry drugs, which are forced upon children and are the leading cause of low SAT scores.”
Whatever dude.
On a totally unrelated topic, Derek sent me this, and it is cool, especially how he made it.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Booby Traps!
If you are looking for something to do the weekend of June 3-5 (after my Opening, of course), head out to Astoria for the 20th anniversary of The Goonies. You can watch the movie, take a 3 hour bus tours of the movie sites, watch a Goonies documentary, and meet Chunk. You can even get married or renew your vows in a group ceremony at the Goonies House!!! Most importantly, according to an Astoria website there is this: "The Wet Dog Cafe & Pacific Rim Brewing Co. will be welcoming Goonies fans with a special brew."
Mouth : "Is this supposed to be water?" Mama Fratelli : "It's wet, ain't it? Drink it!"
Mouth : "Is this supposed to be water?" Mama Fratelli : "It's wet, ain't it? Drink it!"
Thursday, May 26, 2005
My New Website!
So Derek whipped me out a fancy pants new website to hilight my paintings and graphic design work. Check me out on the internets!
Saturday, May 21, 2005
My First Art Show
I am terrified to announce that I have my first solo art show coming up in June. :)
There is an Artists' Reception Friday, June 3rd, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Spiral Gallery (where I am a member of the artist co-op). You can find out more info and directions to the gallery at the Spiral Gallery website. Here is part of my e-postcard (cheaper than real ones!) and press release. The 6 of you that read our blog regularly probably got the e-card too.
SPIRAL GALLERY JUNE 2005 SHOW: LESLEY ATLANSKY
Estacada's Spiral Gallery Co-op is pleased to present its June 2005 Featured Artist, Lesley Atlansky. Atlansky's show, titled Living Will, is the first for this Estacada area painter. An Artists' Reception will be held Friday, June 3rd from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The show will run through June 27th 2005.
Lesley Atlansky's show features work done primarily in acrylic or gouache, with a few pieces in oil and soft pastel.The impetus for embarking on a solo show was sparked by a conversation on Ethical Living Wills that Atlansky heard on National Public Radio on the way home from the doctor. In 2004, at the age of 32, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The idea of an Ethical Will struck her deeply, as unlike a legal will, it focuses on passing down the authors values and principals to their children and future generations. Atlansky thought of her artwork as being her way of passing down who she is to her children. She broke out of her comfort zone of painting what she saw in the outside world, and began painting what she saw and felt on the inside.
There is an Artists' Reception Friday, June 3rd, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Spiral Gallery (where I am a member of the artist co-op). You can find out more info and directions to the gallery at the Spiral Gallery website. Here is part of my e-postcard (cheaper than real ones!) and press release. The 6 of you that read our blog regularly probably got the e-card too.
SPIRAL GALLERY JUNE 2005 SHOW: LESLEY ATLANSKY
Estacada's Spiral Gallery Co-op is pleased to present its June 2005 Featured Artist, Lesley Atlansky. Atlansky's show, titled Living Will, is the first for this Estacada area painter. An Artists' Reception will be held Friday, June 3rd from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The show will run through June 27th 2005.
Lesley Atlansky's show features work done primarily in acrylic or gouache, with a few pieces in oil and soft pastel.The impetus for embarking on a solo show was sparked by a conversation on Ethical Living Wills that Atlansky heard on National Public Radio on the way home from the doctor. In 2004, at the age of 32, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The idea of an Ethical Will struck her deeply, as unlike a legal will, it focuses on passing down the authors values and principals to their children and future generations. Atlansky thought of her artwork as being her way of passing down who she is to her children. She broke out of her comfort zone of painting what she saw in the outside world, and began painting what she saw and felt on the inside.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Search for Decent Beer
We live in Beervana. So why is it so hard to find a decent pint? Sure, I could have some Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter or Sierra Nevada Pale on tap just about anywhere. But sometimes I want something different. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, it is. We needed a new keg for the kegerator, so we went on a fact finding mission around Portland.
First we went to Alameda Brewing, on NE Fremont. We hadn't been in a long time, and knew that the former brewer had moved on. His beers were unique and pretty fabulous (or fablious as Owen likes to say), but we had high hopes for the new brewer, who had previously worked at Lagunitas. He had also worked at Pyramid, which in retrospect was a good bit of foreshadowing we should have paid more attention to. So at Alameda, Dok got the ISA (Indian Summer Ale, the hoppiest beer on the menu that night) and I got the Turk's Head ESB (the second hoppiest). My beer was decent, but the taste was ruined after I had a sip of the ISA, which was pretty lame. Too sweet, not hoppy enough. We were pretty disappointed, and none of the other beers struck our fancy. We had just finished a keg of Protaganist Porter, so we didn't want something dark again and didn't try their stout. On the food side, the homemade veggie burger made with the spent brewing grains was spicy, big and delicious.
On to our next stop, Portland Brewing. Wait, that's MacTarnahan's Brewing. Wait, no, now it is Pyramid Brewing. Anyway, Derek had their IPA, and I had the Highlander Pale Ale. Can you say "fucking awful"? I've never had a more disgusting beer. I think they use bleach, not water, in the brew process. Highlander used to be so good, that hop oil gave it a fantastic aroma. This had no aroma, and no flavor. We choked it down and left quickly.
We were headed to Tucks Brewery, when we stopped at John's Marketplace. So. Much. Beer. We got a mix 6 pack (HopDevil Ale (Victory Brewing), Bigfoot Ale (Sierra Nevada), 2 Sirius (Lagunitas), Alba Scots Pine Ale (Heather Ale in the UK) & Hop Wallop (Victory Brewing)). When we paid, we asked if they sold kegs. They do. They showed us the list. We could barely contain our excitement. We got a keg of Rogue Brutal Bitter. "My favorite!" I said, and I drank it up. Sure, we could have probably gotten it from the distributor for less money, but the distributor isn't open at 8:00 PM on a saturday.
We decide to still go to Tucks, even though we had our keg. There is a fried chicken restaurant attached to a smoky lounge, and a brewery across the parking lot. We sampled the porter (hints of vanilla) and the farmer's daughter (sort of belgiany), and settled on the IPA (what else?). Not terribly hoppy, but a decent beer. The bartender and the waitress were EXTREMELY friendly.
The next day we went to Mt. Angel Brewery in Mt. Angel (duh) for lunch. Now, we have been there before, and had beer that they brewed. With the word "brewery" still in the name, you would think that would still be the case. Nope. And although they mention that they brew their own root beer, they don't have any there. Their menu even says "Mt. Angel Brewing Company Beer: We offer a wonderful, refreshing selection of beer for your enjoyment." Then they list Deschutes, New Belgium, Pyramid, Spaten, etc. No beers of their own. Thanks for the 80 mile round trip drive for nothing, chumps!
First we went to Alameda Brewing, on NE Fremont. We hadn't been in a long time, and knew that the former brewer had moved on. His beers were unique and pretty fabulous (or fablious as Owen likes to say), but we had high hopes for the new brewer, who had previously worked at Lagunitas. He had also worked at Pyramid, which in retrospect was a good bit of foreshadowing we should have paid more attention to. So at Alameda, Dok got the ISA (Indian Summer Ale, the hoppiest beer on the menu that night) and I got the Turk's Head ESB (the second hoppiest). My beer was decent, but the taste was ruined after I had a sip of the ISA, which was pretty lame. Too sweet, not hoppy enough. We were pretty disappointed, and none of the other beers struck our fancy. We had just finished a keg of Protaganist Porter, so we didn't want something dark again and didn't try their stout. On the food side, the homemade veggie burger made with the spent brewing grains was spicy, big and delicious.
On to our next stop, Portland Brewing. Wait, that's MacTarnahan's Brewing. Wait, no, now it is Pyramid Brewing. Anyway, Derek had their IPA, and I had the Highlander Pale Ale. Can you say "fucking awful"? I've never had a more disgusting beer. I think they use bleach, not water, in the brew process. Highlander used to be so good, that hop oil gave it a fantastic aroma. This had no aroma, and no flavor. We choked it down and left quickly.
We were headed to Tucks Brewery, when we stopped at John's Marketplace. So. Much. Beer. We got a mix 6 pack (HopDevil Ale (Victory Brewing), Bigfoot Ale (Sierra Nevada), 2 Sirius (Lagunitas), Alba Scots Pine Ale (Heather Ale in the UK) & Hop Wallop (Victory Brewing)). When we paid, we asked if they sold kegs. They do. They showed us the list. We could barely contain our excitement. We got a keg of Rogue Brutal Bitter. "My favorite!" I said, and I drank it up. Sure, we could have probably gotten it from the distributor for less money, but the distributor isn't open at 8:00 PM on a saturday.
We decide to still go to Tucks, even though we had our keg. There is a fried chicken restaurant attached to a smoky lounge, and a brewery across the parking lot. We sampled the porter (hints of vanilla) and the farmer's daughter (sort of belgiany), and settled on the IPA (what else?). Not terribly hoppy, but a decent beer. The bartender and the waitress were EXTREMELY friendly.
The next day we went to Mt. Angel Brewery in Mt. Angel (duh) for lunch. Now, we have been there before, and had beer that they brewed. With the word "brewery" still in the name, you would think that would still be the case. Nope. And although they mention that they brew their own root beer, they don't have any there. Their menu even says "Mt. Angel Brewing Company Beer: We offer a wonderful, refreshing selection of beer for your enjoyment." Then they list Deschutes, New Belgium, Pyramid, Spaten, etc. No beers of their own. Thanks for the 80 mile round trip drive for nothing, chumps!
Friday, May 13, 2005
Fun with Children
Last week we taught O to say "Snootch to the Nootch!" in honor of our visit to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Westwood, CA. We bought the bobblehead trilogy. He can identify them as well.
Today he was repeating "No Way!" "Way!".
We also taught him a new word game to play. Follow my lead: I 1 poo. (here is where you say "I 2 poo"). I 3 poo. (your turn). I 5 poo. (almost there!) I 7 poo. (and voila!). Repeat after me... EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
When that gets tiring, try "Gimme 5, up high, down low, too slow!" I refrained from teaching him how to play bloody knuckles.
At least we only influence our own kid. Our friend was wearing a Strongbad shirt and when we left our other friends' house, his 2 year old was saying "bye Strongbad!"
Today he was repeating "No Way!" "Way!".
We also taught him a new word game to play. Follow my lead: I 1 poo. (here is where you say "I 2 poo"). I 3 poo. (your turn). I 5 poo. (almost there!) I 7 poo. (and voila!). Repeat after me... EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
When that gets tiring, try "Gimme 5, up high, down low, too slow!" I refrained from teaching him how to play bloody knuckles.
At least we only influence our own kid. Our friend was wearing a Strongbad shirt and when we left our other friends' house, his 2 year old was saying "bye Strongbad!"
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Idealism v. Reality
Derek wanted to blog about this interesting essay on the idea of making a living in a world without copyrights, but didn't have time. Can't say I agree with all the author's ideas (which are applicable to art, software, music, etc), but they are intriguing nonetheless.
snippet: "Compare the business of selling software to the business of farming. Like the solo programmer, the small-scale farmer does productive, unpaid work for a long time, throughout the planting and growing season. Only after the harvest does the farmer make money. However, the amount of money made during the second phase is bounded by and directly correlated with the amount of work done during the planting and growing phases. If she plants 100 tomato plants, she can sell $2000 worth of tomatoes. If she does twice as much work and plants 200 plants, she can sell $4000 worth of tomatoes. She eventually runs out of tomatoes and is forced to do productive work again if she wants to make more money.
On the other hand, the solo programmer can stop being productive indefinitely while selling copy after copy of a popular software application. Of course, only the lucky (or extremely talented) programmers strike it rich by writing popular applications. Many more do unpaid work only to produce software that never becomes popular, and they see no payoff at all. The same goes for anyone doing creative work and relying on copyright to make a living after the fact. Therefore, "selling copies" is worse than just "not productive": it is also not a reliable way to make a living. We can place all methods of making money on two spectrums: productivity and reliability. The business of selling copies measures poorly in both regards."
snippet: "Compare the business of selling software to the business of farming. Like the solo programmer, the small-scale farmer does productive, unpaid work for a long time, throughout the planting and growing season. Only after the harvest does the farmer make money. However, the amount of money made during the second phase is bounded by and directly correlated with the amount of work done during the planting and growing phases. If she plants 100 tomato plants, she can sell $2000 worth of tomatoes. If she does twice as much work and plants 200 plants, she can sell $4000 worth of tomatoes. She eventually runs out of tomatoes and is forced to do productive work again if she wants to make more money.
On the other hand, the solo programmer can stop being productive indefinitely while selling copy after copy of a popular software application. Of course, only the lucky (or extremely talented) programmers strike it rich by writing popular applications. Many more do unpaid work only to produce software that never becomes popular, and they see no payoff at all. The same goes for anyone doing creative work and relying on copyright to make a living after the fact. Therefore, "selling copies" is worse than just "not productive": it is also not a reliable way to make a living. We can place all methods of making money on two spectrums: productivity and reliability. The business of selling copies measures poorly in both regards."
