Irish Violet

Sign o' the times

2010-03-01T22:31:00Z

The good news is, this looks worse than it really is. But, what is true is that after 36 years as a beacon in Pioneer Square, Elliott Bay Book won't be calling it home anymore.

The silver lining is that the store isn't closing, merely moving to 10th Avenue on Capitol Hill: dripping ice cream cone distance from Molly Moon's, close enough to Neumo's to hear the PA, next to Cal Anderson Park and Oddfellow's. In short, you could spend a heckuva great day without moving more than one block in any direction.

Pioneer Square seemingly will never outgrow its Skid Row roots and the loss of Elliott Bay won't help the 'hood at all, but for the most literate city in the US, not losing Elliott Bay is the best news of all.

A tree grows (in the yard of a boy who used to live) in Brooklyn

2010-02-23T23:31:43Z

Now let's hope it bears fruit. Rainier cherries to be precise. It is indeed still February here in the Pacific Northwest, but we've had a winter of global climate change: no snow, less-than-average rain, and temperatures recently that kissed 60° F.

So, I'm trying my hand at growing something taller than an 6" indoor houseplant. We'll see how it goes.

Americans are financial scofflaws

2010-02-15T06:30:03Z

The sample size is small (two) but I haven't even lived in my house for two months yet and already I've received collections notices for two people who never -- at least not in the last four years -- lived at my address.

First is one Jessica Panhallegon who seemingly went on a Gulf states bender. Emergency services were procured in both Houston and Baton Rouge that have yet to be reimbursed. Anticipating hearing from hospitals in Mississippi and Alabama next .

But Ms. Panhallegon was merely an appetizer. Andrew Jackson, your student loans are past due. No mention of what school of higher learning Mr. Jackson attended, but he's nearly $70K in the hole, and the friendly collections letter -- yes, I opened it -- already has told him that his credit score will be ruined. Poor soul.

At least, there is some positive financial news. I received direct deposit and General Electric shareholder dividend notices as well -- the addressee's name escapes me at the moment though. Perhaps I could funnel the incoming receipts to cover the outstanding debts.

Aught to have written this already

2010-02-10T20:41:23Z

Long delayed in posting this; I'm sure the lads are already on to compiling their best-of lists for the 20-tens. And, I'm not done anyway so this entry will be updated in stages. Herewith, my favorite ten albums released from 2000 - 2009.

In looking back through what I bought, heard about, and maybe even listened to over the past ten years, two themes seem to stand out: albums released in the second half of the decade are unfairly marginalized -- in fact, I suggest compiling best-of-the-decade lists every five years to compensate -- one of my top 10 albums was released from 2005-2009. And, the first decade of the 21st century seemed to have inspired more song cycles/pop operas than I can recall. Off the top of my head, Drive-by Truckers, Decemberists, Green Day, Rev. Hammer, My Chemical Romance, Sufjan Stevens, the Hold Steady. Remarkable, and I'm sure there are many more.

So here's my list...annotated commentary on the jump. Not all completed yet, so check back often. Or even occasionally.

10. Tabla Beat Science -- Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove
9. Spoon -- Kill the Moonlight
8. Death Cab for Cutie -- We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
7. P.J. Harvey -- Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
6. Jay-Z -- the Black Album
5. Sun Kil Moon -- Ghosts of the Great Highway
4. Radiohead -- Amnesiac
3. Arctic Monkeys -- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
2. Sleater-Kinney --- All Hands on the Bad One
1. Green Day -- American Idiot

]]> Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove
9. Spoon -- Kill the Moonlight
8. Death Cab for Cutie -- We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
7. P.J. Harvey -- Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

6. Jay-Z -- the Black Album
At one point, the thought was this was his "final" album, but seemingly it has turned into the end of the beginning or the beginning of the middle, or something like that. Colossal tracks like "Justify My Thug" (with that killer Madonna sample) and "99 Problems" will likely endure musically, but "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" arguably led to the celebratory action by many athletes of "dusting off" their jerseys after a score. Does influence reach much further than that?

Along with Radiohead, an argument can be made that Jay-Z was the artist of the decade considering the caliber of releases, his being first hip-hop artist to headline Glastonbury, his role as CEO of Def Jam, his general nice-guy mantle. In a genre not exactly known for magnanimousness, his late-notice fill-in for the Beastie Boys at All Points West following the announcement of Adam Yauch's (MCA) cancer was kicked off with "No Sleep til Brooklyn," class all the way. Oh, and the Black Album was half the inspiration of Danger Mouse's Grey Album, a sensation that introduced most of us to Danger Mouse, the visibility of which begat Gnarls Barkley and "Crazy." All roads lead to Jay-Z?

5. Sun Kil Moon -- Ghosts of the Great Highway
4. Radiohead -- Amnesiac

3. Arctic Monkeys -- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
As those who knew me from circa 2006 until the release of Humbug last summer know, I thought Alex Turner could do little wrong. (Humbug was a lot wrong and the less said about it, the better.) I didn't think too hard about my favorite Aughties album, but I couldn't decide what should be 2 and what should be 3. Sleater-Kinney wins for "lifetime achievement," but the record I probably played the most was the Monkeys' ridiculously fantastic debut. Brash, loud, danceable, with overstuffed verses and choruses full of put-downs, slang, and - what the heck -- name-dropping the Montagues and Capulets, some Shakespeare yeah, as all proper British lads should. And delivered in a thick Sheffield brogue. Ah, bliss.

Ground-breaking? Not necessarily musically, though Arctic Monkeys - arguably - were the first band made by harnessing MySpace, or at least marshalling the power of the internets. By the time Whatever They Say... was officially released, they had already had a #1 single and the album is the fastest-selling debut in UK-chart history. Take that, Oasis. In the meantime, I'm spinning "Fake Tales of San Francisco" for the millionth time. "...all the weekend rock stars are in the toilet practicing their lines...."

2. Sleater-Kinney --- All Hands on the Bad One

1. Green Day -- American Idiot
A massive effort and worth all the attendant praise, awards, etc. The punk rock blazers are there ("She's a Rebel"), the Billie Joe ballads are there ("When September Ends"), the ridiculous hooks are there (every song), but there was more: mid-song tempo changes ("Jesus of Suburbia/..."), verbal gymnastics aplenty, and the visceral need to get the frustration off their chests comes out of every, um, digital byte.

The two towering singles - "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Holiday" are back-to-back in the sequencing which seemingly shouldn't work on face value given their wildly different tones butit does and sets the stage for the denouement of St. Jimmy. The band toured behind the album relentlessly and performed at the Berlin stage of Live 8 blowing everyone else away, regardless of continent. (In the live gig, cause concert subcategory, only the (briefly) reunited Midnight Oil's crushing the cricket pitch in Melbourne for Sound Relief betters it.)

Rumors of an American Idiot movie version have seemingly petered out, but a staged musical was produced at the Berkeley Rep theatre on the lads' stomping ground - just a handful of miles from 924 Gilman - and the show is now confirmed to have a Broadway debut. Perhaps the country has moved on, speaking of the political circus (perhaps not), but the music still deserves a big stage.

And so it begins...

2010-01-26T16:39:36Z

One down, 29 years 11 months to go. Ah, the American dream -- indentured servitude to your mortgage. I mean, home ownership! Hooray! Totally worth it, I mean it. Really, I'm psyched.

Bonked, 25:40

2010-01-19T00:56:09Z

OK, I'm sure I'm supposed to see the bright side. I mean, I did actually strap on running shoes, raise the heart rate and sweat a bit. But, the seemingly magical time of +/- 25 minutes again was my current running barrier. According to Map My Run, I hadn't saved a running workout since October 5 (you do the math), and while I have ridden my bike since, I very well may not have run since then. So, 25 minutes should be a cause for minor self-congratulations, no? No, not so much. Route below, no I didn't finish it without walking.

The Year of Spending Dangerously

2010-01-13T23:28:10Z

OK, I know 2009 is over, but I'm not quite ready to put it to bed, blogolistically speaking. And still to type are my thoughts on the last decade, musically speaking.

But if there was some theme to the last year, spending my hard-earned Benjamins seems to have been it. Off the top of my head, sort of chronologically:

New dining chairs
New car
New sofa, though I can't recommend shopping at Dania
New laptop (here's a hint, back up your hard drive every so often)
And the kicker, new house

Also in the "low three figures" were a new MP3 player and a new suit, but those are going linkless.

So, 2010, the year of frugality? You'd think I'd slow down with the turning of a calendar page and a 6-figure mortgage, but the new started like the old with a new (well, new to me but really vintage) coffee table and dining table. Eh, it's only money. It grows on trees, right?

One part amusing, fifteen parts frightening

2010-01-07T16:35:40Z

I suppose I should be flattered at the promotion; didn't know the dreaded middle management qualified as being an "executive." As was suggested to me, I should share this with my father, I'm sure he'd be proud.

But, more to the point, it was shocking and not a little bit frightening to see a "news story," or at least a short brief with a byline, about me and my recent home purchase published on BlockShopper. I've tried to formulate a reasoned opinion around the two-faced beast that the internet is and here's some more empirical evidence.

No, I'd never heard of BlockShopper either, but on their About Us page, they claim to provide "original news and data" as they are run by "experienced journalists." And the kicker: "For us, this is a journalistic exercise; we aspire to be part of the 'next generation' of local media companies, taking local news gathering to an entirely new level."

What makes this whole bit amusing is the lack of journalism involved. Shania Sampson took public record information -- my purchase of a house -- and coupled it with my LinkedIn profile. She turned bullet points into sentences, but that was extent of the journalistic exercise. She/they even copied the shitty little jpeg profile picture of me. So, do I and the photographer get a share on any ad revenue?

A quick look back at 2009

2010-01-06T00:24:02Z

Five days into the new decade. Anyone still remember 2009? Herewith, a quick look at some of my favorite spins. For a while ~~this~~ last year, a long while, I thought I was going to make good on my oft-threatened promise at having a top 10 list with three #3s and no #1, but some good music and a sense of not wanting to upset the DAA applecart won out.

Annual award winner for most overhyped album that I just don't get at all:

Small Band category: Grizzly Collective Animal Bear
Yes, I know these are two different groups, but their records seemed to be released simultaneously, the foaming-at-the-mouth was nearly unanimous, and while there are interesting moments on each, I can't even put together a good 5-song EP from both combined.
Medium Band category: Wilco -- Wilco (the album)
I have to admit I've never "gotten" Wilco. My favorite of theirs is Mermaid Avenue, songs they didn't write played with Billy Bragg.
International Conglomerate category: U2 -- No More Eno/Lanois Behind the Boards

Almost but not quite:
Florence & the Machine -- Lungs
Silversun Pickups -- Swoon

Lily Allen -- It's Not Me, It's You

Sloan -- Hit & Run ep

And, here we go...

10. Green Day -- 21st Century Breakdown

Went to the well once too often. A second overly ambitious song cycle is something of a misfire, but I applaud the attempt and there's enough solid material here worth listening to again and again. Was going to be extraordinarily hard to top American Idiot and the safe route might have been to re-issue Dookie, but they went big and tripped. But just some minor scrapes, the kids will be alright.

9. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
The Glaswegians' third outshone Arctic Monkeys' disappointment this year. The dapper lads could have continued to remake their successful formula; instead they offered some new twists (an eight-minute track that borders on house music, for instance) while not totally abandoning the darkly clever and seductive sounds that got them this far. A top-notch live act, to boot.

8. Anouar Brahem - The Astounding Eyes of Rita
Released on ECM, need I say any more? The astounding sounds of North African jazz is probably the only way to describe it.

7. Gossip - Music for Men
With the dissolution of Sleater-Kinney, Gossip may be the best live band going right now. The downside of that reputation is that studio efforts don't nearly measure up. Music for Men comes close. No doubt Rick Rubin is to credit for that. And, well, Beth is worth every drop of ink spilled about her.

6. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
The back story only adds color; stick with the solid rock sound and fascinating lyrics.

5. BLK JKS - After Robots
After Metric, I think I listened to this record most often this year. If the compilation Indestructible Beat of Soweto was the gateway to African sounds for many 20 years ago but you haven't listened since Graceland, let BLK JKS introduce you to 21st century South African rock.

4. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
Recent releases had a bit too much filler for a band so talented. Yes, the two songs that fill over 25 minutes to close the album probably wouldn't be noticeably different if they were cut in half, but they feel right in this collection. The groove also feels organic and natural not the forced sounds on recent-ish releases like And Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.

3. Sonic Youth - the Eternal
Gerard Cosloy, the Youth finally paid you back. After leaving Homestead for SST in the mid-80s, and then releasing the titanic Daydream Nation on Blast First!, the
Youth de-camped for the majors for more than 15 years. On their first record songs to be released on an indie, albeit the well-funded Matador, (an yes, I'm discounting the purely experimental SYR releases), Sonic Youth drop one of their career's finest.

My theory on the Youth posits that when Kim is engaged and less hippy-dippy, the album holds. Thurston's and Lee's contributions are givens; Kim is the wild card. Like Daydream Nation, she and Thurston are sharing vocals on songs more so maybe she just needs to write more songs with her husband. No more dissecting, just listen.

2. Metric - Fantasies
I really thought this was going to be #1 for me as it was played early and often and loudly by me all spring and summer and fall. Infectious, rollicking, danceable, hooky, fun, solid from start to finish. If not for a ridiculously ambitious success, it would have stayed #1 for me on December 31st too.

1. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
I've had my moments (in a bad way) with the Decemberists in the past. I believe
they won or shared my "Record That Everyone Seems to Love and I Don't Get in
the Least" award one year. Colin Meloy has already looked at song cycles
or a sole source of inspiration (The Crane Wife) and come up lacking, but the Hazards of Love absolutely nails it.

"The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" wouldn't feel out of place on a P.J. Harvey record. (Pete(r), ahem.) "The Rake's Song" is a delicious musing on murder. Why folk rock lends itself to storytelling so well is beyond my simpleton ways. But I can say this collection is the best folk rock song cycle since the Rev Hammer's Freeborn John about the life of John Lilburne. (Look it and him up; well worth it.) In the interim, I'm going to have another listen to Margaret's fate.

Planning for Poor Customer Service

2009-12-04T20:27:59Z

That the "art" of customer service left the building at least as long ago as Elvis did is not news. Oh, I know Nordstrom wrote the book on customer service, and I don't doubt that you could recite time after time when some salesperson/waiter/phone rep went above and beyond and brought you some extra peanuts on your last flight, or whatever.

But, how about a business going out of its way to pre-program a discount code into their cash register system for poor customer service? Such with Seattle's restaurant the Alibi Room where a modest meal request was ignored. Ta-da $2 off. Well, plus the $2 not charged for making a call drink "as martini." The value of cluelessness? Last night, apparently $4.

The waiting is the hardest part

2009-11-11T16:38:48Z

"In processing."

Not wholly certain what that means, but that's the current status of my home loan. Not as Orwellian as "in the system," the term the tool at Sur La Table, aka Surly Table, used when I was making a purchase. I assume he wanted to know whether I wanted to receive email from them, but it came out wrong. He didn't help his cause when he couldn't add change to make 53 cents, but that's another rant for another post about the innumeracy debacle automated cash registers have wrought.

But yes, a home loan is "in processing." Which means I'm actually in contract to buy a house. This one...

So the experience didn't become the source of much blogging as I had thought it might, but maybe - undoubtedly - there are more stories to come. For now, I'm in processing.

Petty was right. Well, most of the time at least, the waiting is the hardest part.

Picking a Nit with Seth Godin

2009-10-16T22:37:09Z

Disagreeing with Seth Godin probably isn't a smart career move, but I've had the "accidental career" anyway. His recent blog post equating Twitter with high school is certainly humorous, but he's one social network off. Undoubtedly, Facebook most resembles high school.

Firstly, who "won" in high school? No one, not even the Duck (R.I.P. John Hughes).

Never-ending drama: High school? Check. Twitter? Not so much. Facebook? Looking up old classmates to see who has gained weight, has a receding hairline, married the class clown, is saddled with five kids in some flyover state, etc.

Worrying about what irrelevant people think: High school? Check. Twitter? Not so much. Facebook? The fan pages, the what are you most like "quizzes," the Fives, the polls, the RSVPs.

QED, Facebook is the social media app most like high school, not Twitter. Or is that junior high?

Congratulations, I think

2009-10-09T15:30:55Z

Um, wow. That's about my only, and intellectually insignificant reaction to hearing that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The snark in me asks, for what? "Strengthening international diplomacy" according the official citation. Excuse me? When? He inherited one-and-a-half wars from his predecessor and said he would talk to Iranian leaders without pre-conditions. OK, and?

I don't know. He hasn't given a PowerPoint presentation, attempted to broker peace in the Middle East, or Northern Ireland, been under house arrest for nearly two decades, gone into war zones to provide medical assistance, for instance.

So, congratulations Mr. President, I think. With great honors, come great expectations.

We all scream...

2009-09-29T15:34:17Z

This summer, Seattle seemed to spawn new gourmet ice cream and custard stands on every corner. So, I decided to take the plunge and buy my own ice cream maker.

If you know me, you know that I love ice cream. But if you held a gun to my head, or threatened me with countless hours of listening to Yanni unless I could name my favorite flavor, it would be coffee, hands-down. With the big launch of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew coffee and my new maker, it was a given that I needed to make home-made coffee ice cream.

Ice cream is really just four base ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, and egg yolks. Added ingredients should just be for flavor, such as: vanilla bean, blackberries, bourbon (three great tastes that taste great together); or coffee.

So, here you go. Heat the cream and some sugar, add your VIA™ Ready Brew.

Whisk constantly. As an aside, make sure the whisks and ramekins keep their distance.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with some sugar. Save the egg whites for a healthy breakfast option.

Go a little crazy, add some cinnamon for extra flavor.

Once steam starts to rise from the cream and the egg yolks are pale yellow and fluffy, add about a half cup of the cream mixture to the eggs and mix.

Slowly add the egg yolks to cream mixture and bring the temperature to 175-180, stirring constantly to prevent the egg yolks from cooking.

Voilà, the custard is ready. Now stick it in the fridge.

Add to your ice cream maker and wait. (For my Cuisinart, it takes 25-30 minutes of spinning.)

A short time later.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew coffee ice cream. This won't last long in my freezer.

Now it's for real: I'm actually watching HGTV.

2009-09-18T23:10:40Z

Yes, yes. Me and everyone else who started a blog thinking we would actually post regularly have abandoned it. Luckily, my readership is one so there's no real need to apologize for not posting more frequently.

The fall has always meant rebirth to me, back to school and all that, so I'm going to try and resolve to post at least monthly going forward. Aim low, right?

At least I have a new activity that's starting to occupy a fair amount of time: house hunting. Hence the HGTV reference. Not sure it will provide much in the way of scintillating blog posts, but here's hoping, no?

Needless to say, the cartoon from Robert Mankoff in a recent issue of the New Yorker was chuckle-worthy on many levels.