smog city blues

so, we went to the rollerderby the other night. uhhhh, i gots to say, we had a better time the first time we went. now, lest people think i'm just some sort of fair weather fan, it's not just because they were losing.

it was because they were getting pasted. i can handle losing. i've followed, and been on losing teams. i know that the girls were giving it there all. but 3/4 of the jammers were terrible. betty rocker kicks mad rear, and hari kari was doing her bit before she got hurt, but the new jammers on the team are bad. bad enough that they couldn't catch up with the pack to even attempt to score. they need to get some speed wheels or something.

i'm hoping that this isn't any indicator of the season to come. i'll go again, but i'm hoping that it's a bit more competitive. maybe it was just season opening jitters.

walmart is evil

here's further proof that walmart is fundamentally corrupt: they have a clause in their shabby health care policies for workers that says if you're using their health care, win a settlement (not against them) they can sue you for your winnings.

and they will do it and win. fine print.

evil fine print.

cal nevada championships & more

hey, got a little free time this weekend? well, today and tomorrow you could go over to fresno state and see the california/nevada championships for track and field. it's not quite as prestigious as the title implies, but it definitely is a good track meet. friday is preliminaries and saturday is finals, so if you can only go one day, make it saturday.

some highlights on the schedule for saturday
10 a = men's hammer, followed by women's. (hey, i'm a throw coach.)
12:30 pm - men's shot put
1:30 pm - women's long jump
2:15 p - 4*100m relays
3:15 p - 400m (followed by the 100's)
4:35 p - steeplechase


it'll be good, lots of talent out there. go and enjoy.

early retirement

last night, heather and i headed over to north fresno to visit a friend in the hospital. he seems to be doing well enough, but then again, he's in the hospital.

anyway, we figured we would grab a bite to eat while we were out there. there are a ton of food options, and we settled on tgi fridays. why? i don't know. but, every so often it seems like we go there.

so, as we looked at the menu, heather came across something quite funny:



in case you can't read that, the cinnadunkers were forced into early retirement. what's a cinnadunker?

according to the friday's website, they are, "Steaming hot fresh dounuts tossed tableside with cinnamon sugar. Served with cream cheese dipping sauce."

the funny thing is, this is a new item on the menu. the website even says they're new. what i want to know is if they were terrible? or were they just that bad for you that even fridays decided to remove, errrr, retire them?

juliana hatfield hates the hills

and yet she watches them. i know how she feels. it's a (insert bill walton voice) terrible show (/bwv) and yet i've watched several episodes. hatfield, a musician who has been releasing albums and selling them for hecka cheap via the internet for years realizes that she's stuck in a strange bind: if you really want to sell albums you've got to be on mtv in one of it's many forms. yet, to be a part of that beast kills you, eats at you, and contributes to the downfall of our culture. okay, mtv's not that bad, but you see what i mean, right?

read some more, if you like, over @ stereogum, who has a link to hatfield's myspace blog and you can even check out some of her new music there, too.

pennywise reason to believe

the music industry continues to change and adjust, especially in light of teh internets. the latest example is the punk band pennywise. i have a few of their albums, and their song 'bro hymn' is a favorite. throw that tune on and i'm ready to bang around in the pit. of course, then i realize i'm old, out of shape, and would probably hurt myself. and look like an idiot being an old guy in the pit.

but back to what i was saying. pennywise has teamed up with myspace and something called textango to release their latest album free. free freakin download. they've also released it for sale in stores, but you can get it for free online. and, it's not just some low quality download. it's a very high quality zip file.

so, yeah, i signed up and downloaded it. i haven't listened to it yet, but i'm guessing i'll get to it tomorrow.

honestly, i'm just impressed by the amount of artists that are seeking alternative ways to get their music out there. sure, it generates publicity to do something like this. it'll sell tickets, and i'm sure a fair amount of people will end up buying the album in the store. the download is only free for a week or two, and then it'll just be in stores. just like i paid for the box set of the latest radiohead, there will be devotees to just go buy.

and, i want to give some kudos to myspace. social networking can be a whole lot of things, but myspace music is a pretty cool place for music. they've made the careers of some artists (e.g. lily allen). and, they're a free spot for artists to showcase music. of course, now they're a super tool for rupert murdoch and the fox empire, which i'm not sure bands like pennywise are down with. but that's still a part of the nature of the beast i suppose.

good news

1. our car came home today. all fixed and nice. hopefully, other drivers will manage to avoid crashing into heather while she drives. and, it was done a full week before they estimated (i think they gave us a long estimate in the first place).

2. you can feed the stingrays again @ the fresno zoo. i think i may have to go do this sometime.

3. the tilt-a-whirl is open at rotary playland. i'm guessing it's totally worth the $2 to ride it. i know that the octopus was worth the same.

saturday pupusdromo

now, that title can sound very odd to the uninitiated. heck, it sounds funny even if you know what pupusa are.

anyhow, i won't be hanging out friday night, as i've got to roll down to redlands, ca for a track meet. but, i'll be back friday night 1-ish or later, so i wanted to throw some saturday ideas out there now.

(i'm really bummed to not be in fresno friday. heather is joining steve and a few other friends to see a smiths tribute band at the club right near our house, audie's olympic tavern (formerly club fred). this band, is called sweet and tender hooligans, features a guy that is known as the mexican morissey. i've always been interested in seeing them/him.)

8-10 - tower beautification. yep, the monthly get together in the tower to pick up trash and give it a little spit shine. this month is normal, but next month we're doing it in conjunction w/earth day, and are a part of the city of fresno's earth day activities. so, this month you can practice your trash picking skills.

lunch time - i totally want to check out a new place called pupusodromo laurita, on the corner of broadway & divisidero. click over here and read how people are ranting on this place. and, you can see the menu.

late afternoon - go see this movie. i know some of you dislike adam carolla, but it still looks funnyish to me. and, i'm thinking if we can hit the cheap matinee we won't be out too much $ if it stinks.

evening/night?

share the road

a friendly video message from the u.k., but something as a cyclist and motorcyclist that is important to me

test your alcohol i.q.

not sure if it's good or bad, but i can't say i'm too surprised.

97%ALCOHOLIC

then again, the questions weren't that hard.

get your booze test on.

oh danny boy

here's to hoping your st. paddy's was a good one

subjectivity of art

i love art. i enjoy trying to create art. and, i enjoy listening to people chat about their impressions of art, even if i don't agree with their assessment. today, as i enjoyed coffee and a sandwich at cafe corazon, i took the time to look at the photos currently hangng on the wall. to me, they are provacative pieces. they are bold, and show women in a light that they aren't often seen in as a part of our society. i'm not 100% sure, but I think many of the subjects are of a latina background, further pushing the cultural edges. these photos definitely come from a new generation.

so as i looked at the work i was also able to eavesdrop on the conversation of a few others. the woman definitely wasn't enjoying the art as much as i did. she didnt think it was appropriate for a small cafe. we're all entitled to our opinions, and a lot of viewing art can come back to perspective. now, it's not like she was offended or really put off, just didnt like it as i did.

i hope if she is back next month she will feel my work is more appropriate. or at least we can chat.

btw, cafe corazon has an amazing pasta salad.

fuegificent

tonight @ 5 the fresno fuego are playing against chivas usa. if you remember, we beat them last time we met. here's to hoping it happens again.

fuego vs chivas usa
chuckchansi stadium
5 pm
$15

saturday things

so adam and i met sara and georgia for a beer this afternoon over at sequoia. well Georgia didnt have one, but she's only sixteen months. give her time. and she did make a mess and embarass her mother.

now i'm ready for a nap.

what i've been dealing with

as you may be able to tell in that blurry picture, the powercord for my powerbook g4 was breaking. i had some duct tape on it, but it was on it's last leg, and i knew if would be a short time before it broke completely. so, i was off to the apple store.



there, i purchased a replacement cord. so glad that we have an apple store in fresno. it's definitely quicker than ordering it online and waiting, and i love that i can talk to someone in person rather than on the phone for tech issues.



here's the new cord in action. and, since i was in the store i thought i'd pick up something else.



new covers for my iphone screen. i've been using the film that come on the phone as a cover, and after several months it was all scratched up. so, bought a two pack of anti-glare covers.

now, this next one wasn't today, but yesterday rather. it caught my eye and i thought i'd snap a pic.



ummm, is that a quotation from someone? is the president, or whoever is in charge of the postal service, telling me thank you for not smoking in line? or, are you being sarcastic and not really thanking me and therefore encouraging me to smoke in line? that's our gov't at work, folks.

congrats!

gas - around $3.50 a gallon
oil - over a $100 a barrel right now
gold - record high of over $1000 an ounce
and you can't buy jack


marriedtothesea.com

yep, that's right.

i don't beleive in atheists

chris hedges piques my curiosity.

interesting interview in salon today, i think i'll pick up his new book for some provocative reading.

the short line of it, the "new athiests" are the same as Christian fundamentalists.

4 random things seen driving

over the last few days, i've seen a few odd or slightly noteworthy things:

-on tuesday, i saw a car with 4, yes 4, josh groban bumper stickers. you must really heart him.

-on wednesday, i was driving and there was a truck slightly behind, and in the lane to the left of me. some edged out a little to make a u-turn and this truck got all over his horn. because, you know it was slightly dangerous. the truck then proceeded to run a red light. and by run, i mean that this light was red for a good three seconds before he even entered the intersection.

-today, i saw a girl by city college (i'm presuming she was a student) with a walkman. a freakin tape playing walkman!

-just after seeing the girl with a walkman, i saw one of the worst cars ever, and the owner was trying to sell it. it was one of these:



the price, $8000. that's right, 8 grand for one of the biggest flops. to me, that means the owners still owes about 8k, and is trying to get out. thanks, but no thanks.

dinner review - mr. sushi

i've been waiting ages for a sushi place to open in my neighborhood. there was one years ago, but that's history, this is now. so, when i saw that a sushi place was going in a few months ago, i early anticipated the day it would open and i would eat there. i wasn't able to get there on opening day, but four days later is pretty good.

i went there with two other people, and we were quickly seated. the restaurant has twenty tables that seat four, and could be pushed together for bigger groups. they also have a bar that seats twenty or so. we were seated at a table next to the front window, which is nice because it affords some people watching while you eat.

for our dinner, we ordered several rolls, some maguro (tuna) and some edamame. the edamame appetizer came out first and was piping hot. it could have used a little more salt for my taste, but still a good start.

i had the maguro and it was delicious. the tuna melted in my mouth, tasted perfectly fresh, and, well, was delicious. i also had the tiger roll, which was a california roll topped with shrimp and eel. the flavor of the roll was very good, and the eel had a nice little crunch to it.

my wife had a cucumber roll that she thought was sort of average. she felt that there was a bit too much sesame on the roll for her taste. and, she also put a little too much wasabi in her dish so it was pretty spicy, but that was her bad.

our friend ordered the asparagus roll and the spicy tuna roll. he said the asparagus roll was good, and even though the asparagus was steamed it still had a good crunch to it. the spicy tuna roll was fantastic! it's tuna with a spicy sauce and some yellow onion, although the onion was faint if even there. but he loved it.

the restaurant had a nice atmosphere, with good music. my friend ate there the other day and they told him that the owner picks all the music, and it's mostly 80's & 90's stuff.

the food was a good price and the portions were sensible. honestly, i've eaten @ some other sushi restaurants in fresno and felt stuffed after the meal. tonight, just right. and the prices were nice. the only drawback was that we didn't get a refill on our drinks. but hey, it's only the first week they're open, i'm sure they'll get all the kinks iron out.

724 e. olive
fresno, 93728
559.485.3978

and i'm calling it mr. sushi even if the sign and the top of the menu look like mr. mr. sushi. the deal in the window is just mr. sushi.

kids' days sucks

i'll come right out and say that i don't like kids' day. kids' day is a longstanding tradition where the fresno bee, our local fishwrap, sells special edition newspapers that benefit the local children's hospital. the local, for profit, children's hospital. why don't i like it?

1. if i wanted to donate to a charity, i would. if i wanted to donate to a for profit enterprise, i would. i don't need to buy a paper, and i don't need to be harassed at every corner.
2. i dislike the people aggressively selling papers on the corner. do you like people just panhandling for their own profit on the corner? this is only slightly different.
3. i don't like being yelled at while i'm stopped at a light. really, when you're in a car, at least you can roll up the window or turn up the radio and tune them out. on a motorcycle, they're right up on you. yelling. yeah, if i wanted a paper, i would buy one. you don't need yell. everyone knows you're there. on every corner.
4. these corner paperhawkers are usually getting in and out of traffic, which is dangerous for them, and for you. it's really dangerous for me. people already are distracted enough and motorcycles are difficult to see. i don't need more distraction. to have a pair of people on every corner, and then have some more in the median is a bit problematic for traffic.
5. if, by chance, you happen to buy one of these inflated rate papers, you're still not off the hook. they want you to buy more. seriously, you can show them the paper you already bought at another corner, and they'll just shout back, "buy another!" no. no i won't.

so, if you want to buy one, fine. i'm not going to. and i'm not going to feel bad about it.

shakespeare is an idiot

here's a little video i threw together from tonight's performance of shakespeare is an idiot.



i enjoyed the show. not as much as pentecostal wisconsin, but hey, it was worth the cost of admission. it had some funny points, and i appreciated the different takes on shakespeare's work. and will albriton stole the show for me.

pentecostal wisconsin

here's the line of people waiting to get into pentecostal wisconsin. which was hilarious. it got longer. this show is attracting a lot of attention, so go early and buy a ticket.



and, here is some video from the show:



today @ 4 was the last show, so i'm glad that i was able to see it. the show was an irreverent look @ growing up in the church, but having serious doubts about God exists. definitely a touching story, very well performed. now, i didn't grow up in a pentecostal church, but i did grow in the church, so the jokes were pretty funny to me. and paulson nails the creepy smile of a traveling evangelist. i did wonder how much sense the story would make for someone that didn't have the church background. a friend mentioned that she had heard it was sort of one joke over and over. and, there is a bit of repetition to the show, but i think it worked well. finally, i appreciated the songs, both original and ones from his church.

later on in the evening, we saw a fire dancer outside of the landmark.

american squatter

If you read this before 10 go see american squatter at starline. Witty and introspective.

snoop dogg bites back

in case you don't know, i dislike oprah. there are various reasons. here's the latest: she talks trash about rappers but won't let them on her show to defend themselves.

now, i'm not for misogynistic rap, and it's her right to speak out against it. but, if you're going to attack people in a public forum, why not give those being attacked a chance to clear the air, or at least attempt to explain themselves.

this isn't new. or hidden. oprah has been quite public about not letting rappers on her show. she had the entire cast of barbershop on the show. well, except ice cube, the freaking star of the show. the had the cast of crash on. except ludacris, who played a significant role in the movie. and she took on snoop dogg.

all of these rappers have attempted to be on her show. all have publicly commented on how they would like to defend themselves. snoop even offered to debate her on the issue. now he says he doesn't like her anymore.

as much as i don't want to concede anything to oprah, i think she probably on point with her criticism. but, it's b.s. to continually take someone to task without giving them a chance to defend their position. it makes your position seem very hollow.

rogue 3/7 goals (updated w/videos)

here's tonight's rogue goals for me:
go see: pentecostal wisconsin. 7 pm, starline.
go see: american squatter. 10 pm, starline.

i hope to do at least one of those. probably the first.

i think it's settled. 5:30, going to see american squatter.



then, i'll go outside, pay, and see pentecostal wisconsin.



after that show, i'm going to go help w/clean up @ tower mosaic. they've got the 3rd of 4 nights of the guitar titans. i checked them out on the first night (weds). not bad. not bad at all. go, if you like jazz.

after clean up, i'm headed over to last call (formerly zapp's park) to see some band i've never heard of called fraud.

saturday, i'm hoping to take in shakespeare is an idiot (7 pm). and maybe the big rogue party (10 pm - starline!)

rademacher post art hop show before south by southwest

here's a couple of pics from tonights show:

toshi and corin (his name's spelled right now. represent channel 30 fool!)



abigail nolte and brian mcnally.



random crowd shot



i have a video to upload yet. and i bought their live cd. what?

UPDATE:
here's the video


i also had a good discussion w/vince from sleepover disaster last night about the balance of touring and holding down a job.

early st. paddy's day pic

puddles wants to let the irish know not to come around here



although you've contributed much to this world (potatoes, jameson) my cat will bite your hand. and your flag.

i'm just saying.

post art hop with rademacher

not quite sure if i'll be rogueing or arthopping tomorrow night, or a little of both, or neither. but, i will be at rademacher's show @ tokyo garden.



now, this is another one where i don't know the opening acts. i do know that one of the guys in one of the opening acts, used to live in fresno, and he used to hang out at an old neighbor's house. i always thought him a bit annoying, but i really don't know the guy at all so don't take my word for it. anyhow, if that's not a ringing endorsement, i don't know what is.

but, i do know i'm going. got to help send rademacher out on their national tour on a good note.

it's wednesday, and the rogue is firing back up

well, this year there actually have been performances on all ten days of the festival. but, tonight marks the return of most shows. some that sound interesting from the reviews i've read:
pentecostal wisconsin - 5:30 starline
guitar titans - 6:15 & 7:30 tower mosaic
abagail nolte - 7:30 spectrum
airplane jayne - 8:45 ashtree

and, i think shakespeare's an idiot may also have a late added show tonight.


after you're done rogue'ing, stop by the landmark for sufficient watering. the dice riff raff will be there.

the adventures of molli

so, at some point i stumbled on a blog while i was hitting the next blog button. i actually think it may have been in june or july of last year, which was not too long after the blog started.

the blog was something completely foreign to me. it was a tad bizarre. yet, it was also compelling. i just kept checking in somewhat regularly to see the new posts. but, i never really wanted to share it with anyone else. it was my own little strange place to watch. when a friend moved to atlanta, where the blog seems to be from, i thought about telling her. but didn't.

but now i will. i will share it with you, in hopes that it will also give you an odd little pleasure.

i present to you...
the adventures of molli.

riding my vegas

heading east on hwy 180 in fresno, ca.



music by anthrax, covering black sabbath's 'sabbath bloody sabbath.'

my arsenal

i was lucky enough to get home to watch the last half hour of today's champion's league match between ac milan and arsenal. they tied 0-0 in their first match, and so today's match would decide who went on to the final 8. milan was last year's champ, and today's game was on their home field, where they'd never lost to an english side.

so, in the time that i was able to watch, arsenal definitely looked a little more organized, and a little stronger. and then with about 5 minutes left in regulation, fabregas hammered home a shot from about 35 yards out for arsenal.

then, they had to hold off the mad scramble of five regulation and four extra minutes. because arsenal's goal was a goal scored away, milan was going to need 2 to win in regulation, 1 to tie and force extra time.

but, arsenal would do more than just hold. adebayor would score his first ever champion's league goal, and the second on the day for arsenal. arsenal moves on, milan's champion's league season is done.

next up, i get to watch celtic play. too bad, art, i already know they lost.

it's bigger than hip hop

for a while i had a brief love affair with current, the network started by al gore. i didn't care that he started it at all, but i really dug the short format of presentations, that it wasn't just a bunch of shows, and that users could submit pieces. well, eventually i stopped watching. but, i saw this clip online today and new i wanted to put it up here. frankly, it's because i love this song. although it's a bit difficult to hear here, it has one of the sickest bass lines. and dead prez have amazing flow.

for some dumb reason the code they supplied for the embedded player isn't right, so here's a link to the song.

rogue review protean visions

here's a little bit of weekend recap as well as talk about the band i saw tonight during the rogue festival.

yesterday, adam and i went and saw persepolis. i went into the movie without knowing much about it. i knew it was some sort of animated movie that dealt with war. obviously, there is much more to the movie. it was a beautiful film, and well worth seeing.

in the lobby, adam confessed his love for patrick duffy, and decided to get married before we saw persepolis.



after the movie, we went over to sara's parents and had dinner. she was in town because her birthday last week, and her parents were making corned beef. we were fortunate enough to get to come over, too. it was great. by the time we were done with dinner, we weren't really feeling like checking out any rogue shows.

today was a lazy day. in the evening, i went over to tower mosaic and worked the door with mike.



it was a nice evening, not too cold, but i should have brought a light coat. mike and i chilled out, and we got to hear some great jazz. now, i'm not a huge jazz fan, but live jazz is pretty cool. especially when the band playing has horns. guitar jazz is nice, but give me a trumpet or a sax any day. tonight was a band named protean visions. they were a quartet featuring a trumpet player. cool stuff. i don't know if they have any other rogue sets, but they're worth checking out around town if you get a chance.

as i listened to the band play tonight i reflected on how many young, great jazz musicians fresno has right now. now, they're not all just jazz musicians, but still there are a ton of young, good players in town. i would guess that the four guys tonight were all in their early twenties. eva scow and javon davies, who played @ tmc on thursday night are both 19. the guitarist playing with them is 23. and this is only a few. really, if you even moderately enjoy jazz, fresno is a great place to be right now. and, yes, tmc is helping out by providing a place for these guys to play. tmc hosts an open jazz jam on the 2nd and 4th sundays of the month. first hour, the house band plays, the second hour/hour & half is a chance to sit in w/great players.