undercurrent benefit show

the undercurrent show was amazing. and i came late. here's some photos (video will be added as i load it onto youtube). really, i only managed to make it to the last 4 hours of the show and had a great time. all the bands i saw rocked, and i heard the bands before had great sets. and, guayaberas were in full effect.


the crowd at the bar


adam (far right), kasey, and brian. carlos (undercurrent staff) appears to be growing out of brian's shoulder.


h-mac and the fresnan pretending not to talk about me. seriously, you two, i'm going to crush you both in the blog olympics. you will be hiding in shame.


the sleepover disaster




norma and darrin


kasey and heather


crowd shot while julia dawn plays


julia & sam rocha






patrick contreras, musician extraordinaire



(i have to fix the second video i took of patrick. it's 11 minutes, and youtube only allows up to a 10 minute video, so i've got some work to do.)


john thomas & corin from channel 30. warren armstrong saw the pic i took of them over @ the fresnan, i wonder if he'll see this one?


brian & matt, undercurrent staff


nick nocketback (undercurrent staff) and me


julia dawn

undercurrent birthday bash

so, in case you haven't heard yet, this is what you should be doing if you're in fresno on saturday



there is no excuse to not be there for at least part of the 13 hours. that's about 77 cents an hour! $10! !

john welty = george bush

yesterday fresno state's president did something that would warm the heart of g.w. bush, he ignored his constituents. welty's position as president of the university is slightly different than president of the united states, but he still is supposed to lead following the will of the people.

you see, fresno state's student body voted against a fee hike. sure, it was only a proposed fee hike of $52 per semester. but, the overall cost of going to school is also going up. factor in the crap economy that we're in, and $104 more a year isn't something you just want to tack on.

why does fsu need the money? well, a little of it ($20) goes to academics, and that's good. the rest, to athletics. this is raise would be a $52 increase, and none of the student fee currently goes to athletics (although students do currently pay a $7 fee for athletics in at another point). pretty big dip into student's pockets to help out sports, who get 62% of the increase.

this is a school that has repeatedly bungled finances. it's been shown that the administration was diverting funds devoted for academics to athletics. this same group of leaders had been sued and lost 3 times for discriminating against female coaches/athletic department staff. and, they've settled out of court similar grievances with faculty. sure, these judgments are handled by insurance, but the behavior that caused it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in welty and his administration.

and now you want more money for sports? well, g.w. welty, just take it. ignore the will of the people. ignore the student vote. ignore the students that spoke out at meetings on the issue.

this isn't written by someone that is anti-sports. i'm a coach. and, i'm a coach of a program that is facing budget cuts (at another university). i understand what it is to try and run a college athletic program in difficult economic times. i'm only an assistant and i see how hard it can be. sports need money. but you can't just ignore the stated will of the people you represent.

news round up

so, i was reading different news sites today, and saw a couple of things that were noteworthy:

apparently, using cameras to invade everyone's privacy doesn't reduce crime. and if there's a society to prove that, it would be the british.

there's a war going on, and a lot of people just don't care. not surprisingly, that frustrates protesters. just this morning i was saying to a co-worker how the last 8 years have taught me that protests don't matter any more. you can have millions show up, and the gov't will give you the bird (and maybe a stick upside your skull) and go about its business.

bloggers, be careful. you may be charged with sedition. it may be malaysia, but we're doing our darndest to suspend habeas corpus and get there, too!

scojo is off the market. and, she's got a bad album of tom waits covers coming out.

if you're working on your masters in homeland security or getting a bachelors in criminal justice, you may not want to be selling drugs. of course, those crazy ideas didn't stop frat boys @ sdsu.

carl lewis, former olympian, thinks that using banned substances in sports should be criminalized. now, i may not disagree, but i definitely don't want to hear him sing the national anthem again. yes, i do, it's hilarious.

take me out to the blogpark

today was the closest thing for me, a blogger, to getting paid. well, sure, some bloggers get paid, just not me (anyone want to scratch a check?). you see, today i was treated to a grizzlies game. and this wasn't just any old ticket, we're talking luxury box. post enough junk on a website, and maybe they'll invite you to a game, too.



at the game i was joined by other famous users, but i didn't meet them all. i've met wiffle before, and it was cool to chat, and even get interviewed by him for dorktown & flowing with famous. and i think a hint of greatness might have rubbed off on me because i got to sit next to famous whitewater. sadly, we heard an announcement about fresno famous users being there and to check out the website, but we didn't get on camera.





and the game was even pretty good, too. there were a few dingers hit, including two by scott mclain. fresno's pitching was good, and i think that the starting pitcher nick periera had 11 strikeouts. and, the closer had snazzy shoes (not pictured). finally, i was surprised to see major leaguer omar vizquel playing for the grizzlies. this is the first work he's done all year as he recovers from knee surgery. he looked pretty good in the infield, but his bat needs to come a little more alive when he heads back up to san francisco.

weather: good
seats: good
price: free is excellent!
company: good

all in all, a nice day at the ballpark. if you haven't been out to the chuck yet, get there. and, apparently they've got good garlic fries

honest r&b

this may be one of the funniest videos i've seen since 'lazy sunday.'

and no, you may not want to watch this at work. although, there is no bad language, or nudity, or that sort of thing. but, it is about r&b and lovemaking. and your boss may not think you should watch it at work. hell, your boss probably doesn't want you reading blogs at work either. so, what the heck, watch this at work.

radiohead - all i need

radiohead's done a great video for the song 'all i need' off of in rainbows. check it out.

they're not letting you embed it, so please click here and watch the video.



such moving juxtaposition.

post art hop show 5/1 nik frietas, david dondero, rademacher

last night was a really good show. el olio was totally absent (no r.c. even) but that didn't hurt the show at all. heck, it may have helped it because it trimmed the time on the line up. 4 bands can be a bit much when you're starting @ 10. having 3 probably allowed the bands to all play a few more tunes.

both nik frietas and david dondero killed it last night. i arrived during frietas' first song, and was instantly drawn into his sound, talent, and confidence on stage. malcom & greer from rademacher joined him onstage for a few numbers, and that was a nice touch.



david dondero was great. he had a nice little band playing with (bass player, drummer, lap slide guitar) and the alt/country sound was going off. his music had a great energy, and he played through a few minor issues (broken string - swapped for a rademacher guitar, mic stopped working - switched out for a different one). he was really receptive of the crowd, and they showed their love in return. it seemed like a good portion knew his stuff, and he even interupted the start of one song to play a request that was shouted out.


david dondero - rothko chapel

rademacher seemed to really enjoy the show last night as well. during their set, it really seemed that they were having fun, playing, singing, shouting along with each other and the crowd. maybe they realized they had to really step it up because the other bands had done so well. or, maybe rademacher is just that good now. whatever it is, they delivered the goods.


rademacher - careful with that


rademacher - playing for fun

free wine

that's right, i'll be serving wine tonight @ my art hop show. can't say that it will be expensive wine, but it'll be palatable.

i'll be showing 9 pieces. they're all pieces that i'm proud of, that i enjoyed working on, and that i'd be willing to part with for the right price.

come one, come all.

thursday, may 1 (tonight!)
art hop reception
5-8 pm
severance building - tower district
1401 n. wishon, at floradora

art
free wine (and i think some appetizers, too)
me
conversation

post art hop show update

so, i received an email from malcom sosa of rademacher. it seems that el olio wolof won't be able to play @ the post art hop show. however, their front man, rc will be playing a solo set.

for those of you who've been anticipating your first el olio show, you'll have to wait. but, rc is a great singer and guitar player. and, i think he writes much of el olio's stuff, so i'm sure his solo stuff will be interesting, cool, and worth your time.

mario kart steals it from grand theft auto

today i picked up the best game released so far this year. that's right, i got mario kart for wii. forget grand theft played out 6 years ago, mario kart is legit. not only did i get the game, but i also played it for about 3.5 hours straight. i'm taking a break right now, but i'll be playing it again later.

may day is on the way

it's sunday night, but i'm already thinking of thursday. which, can sometimes be a bit problematic to be thinking that far ahead. you miss things. but, why am i thinking about thursday? two reasons:

art hop. i'm showing again. and, i'm trying to have mostly different stuff up than i currently have @ cafe corazon (crap, i need to take down my show there!) anyway, you can stop by and see my show @ california arts academy - severance location. 1401 n wishon, 5-8 pm.

reason 2 - post art hop show @ tokyo. of course, rademacher will be there. but you know who else will be there? el olio wolof. i've compared them to a "pentecostal tim burton carnival," and i mean it. and, david dondero. don't know him? check out his music here. and, he's got a song called rothko chapel (i hearts mark rothko).

UPDATE: !!!!!! not really sure how i missed his name on the flyer, but nik frietas is also playing. he's a former visialian who has made it sort of big time in the indie scene. well, not sort of big time, but big time indie, whatever that means. there's a good article from the bee about him here.




also, this week adam and i will be recording episode too of the view looks good from here, fresno so expect a new post up over here on wednesday or thursday.

jimmy justice busts the nypd

saw this interesting video on boing boing. essentially, it's this guy videoing and interacting w/a member of the nypd.

warning, the language is very salty. or blue. or nsfw. or whatever way you want to acknowledge that there is language that may be offensive, and so use discretion of when you'll watch this video.



cops.

someone sounds a lot like bush

either the bbc isn't that good at reporting the news, or someone's campaign may be a hair out of touch.

"The economy once again emerged as the most important issue for voters, with more than 80% of those surveyed saying the nation was already in a recession.

On Tuesday, Mrs Clinton emphasised what she says is a strength - her leadership ability and foreign affairs credentials."

hmm, economy, #1. clinton stresses foreign policy & leadership. which one of those is economy.

and then she said, "If I'm the president, we will attack Iran... we would be able to totally obliterate them."

sure, it was in response to the idea that iran had attacked israel, so it wasn't like it was some sort of preemptive strike on them (cough cough, i'm looking at you mc cain). but, obliterate isn't exactly the type word that cries out diplomacy, or even wise foreign policy.

what it does remind me of is a certain other president that loved to sabre rattle. but he was a decider, so i guess it all works out.

it has arrived

i would be remiss if i didn't point out that adam and my podcast is now available via the clicky-web.

get it here.

and, it's currently being reviewed by itunes so hopefully you itunes people (like me) will be able to subscribe there as well.

and, after you listen, please leave a comment. we want to know what people think, make it more interesting, receive your hate as well as love, and so on.

from leah

my friend leah is crafty. she makes amazingly cool hats, shirts, purses, etc. check out some of her stuff here. in fact, go and buy something from her here. she'll even ship it to you. she's sent something as far as germany, so far.

anyway, leah made this scarf for me:



now, if you're cool, you'll notice a pattern that's only visible from certain angles





how nice is a skull & crossbones scarf? that nice. well done leah. and don't worry, i'm working on your mix cd for the exchange.

undercurrent birthday bash 2

i know it's a couple a weeks away, but i want to help promo what will be a great day of music

ding dang y'all

last night i had my heart, mind, and larynx ready to sing. the plans were laid, we had a good group going, and all seemed perfect. that is, until 10 minutes before we were going to leave.

a few of our friends had arrived @ tokyo and had headed in. the didn't hear what the bouncer said on the way in, but they noticed that a dj was setting up and it was empty in there. so, they talked to the bartender, and he told them that there was an after party for some show at the rainbow ballroom. no karaoke.

turns out that it was an after party for the kottonmouth kings. no thanks. make new plans.

go on brush your shoulders off

somebody's put together a little post-democratic debate video with some jay z in an amusing way




go, obama, dust your shoulders off.

perception frequently varies from reality

as some of you know, i occasionally teach sociology. in fact, i just finished teaching the first week of sociology this term. one of the ideas behind sociology as a social science is moving beyond common sense to actually studying society to create theories of how we live and perhaps suggesting how we can live better.

but, i'm never really all that surprised when people won't make that step past common sense. really, we know the world around us, and we've made our minds up, despite what the facts may tell us.

this is why a book like freakonomics is interesting to me. the authors are trying to show radically different conclusions to common beliefs held by our society, and are at least trying to back it up with statistical evidence. now, i haven't read the book, and probably won't agree with everything they say when i do. maybe i'm still trying to push past the common sense of it, or maybe they're not right.

anywho, today i was reading the online version of the local fishwrap as i listened to songs that i am considering performing tonight (karaoke - tokyo garden - 10-2). the first story that piqued my interest to read past the headline was this one.

the headline, "numbers say violence is down, but is it?" says everything. you're already doubting the factual evidence that yes, school violence is down. the numbers demonstrate that there is less violence in school during this decade than in the previous one. schools are safer.

and then this:
"Still, some experts question the accuracy of campus crime statistics.

Students are attacking teachers and staff "all over the country," said Joe Parks, a professor in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at Fresno State."

well, joe, do you have actual facts to prove that, or just word of mouth, and all that fear that you've swallowed? or are you going with the line that larry moore of the teachers union is throwing out, that school districts are lying about the numbers to protect their image?

and then the article throws in some more fear based "news" by mentioning an incident of a teacher being attacked and then the recent shooting by a police officer on a fresno campus.

so, we're left with this:
facts show violence is down
some people say those facts are lies (or at least skewed)
be afraid

this trips me out, because it's not like the idea that schools are unsafe is a cherished ideal in our society. it's not like we're saying that freedom doesn't really exist in our country, or that trickle down economics doesn't work, or that capitalism may not be the most representative economic form for Christianity, or that the american story of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps isn't true. those are all a part of our dominant ideology and so people will always struggle to accept something that contradicts those. i would think that most people would like to accept that fact that violence is down, schools are safer, that they can be fairly confident that their child will be safe on campus.

and yet the perception of unsafe schools persists. it must be that awful rap music's fault.

karaoke @ tokyo garden

the t.g. calendar looks blank, so i think karaoke there on friday is a go. come one, come all.

i'll be stealing songs from the get go.

something different for the riff raff?

hey, there is a hip hop show tonight @ starline, and i'm thinking about going. but, i'm torn because it interferes with my love for our general riff raffery.

go over to this part of the beehive (God bless you, mike oz) listen to a few songs (via youtube videos) and let me know if you're down.

that is, assuming we can get tix @ the door. $10 seems totally worth it to me.

some pictures for friends

i was poking around the ol' series of tubes and saw some pictures that reminded me of friends. so, i started trying to find pictures on boing boing for as many as i could. if i didn't get one for you, it's only because i couldn't find one, not because i didn't think of you.

kasey, you got this whole post started because, well, you love sandals on men. and what's better than fuzzy sandals for men or women?



nick, this is a statue of the first dog in space (that lived through it)



mike, this is super mario underwear.



sara, this is a lego character that teaches biochemistry. (link)



adam, this is an amazing staircase. build me one.



jay, i forgot what this monkey thing was all about, but it cracks me up. remember when we used to talk on the track bus about who would win in a fight, and i always loved throwing in monkey with a knife?



justin, it seems like you should have these bowls. you bought us bowls for our wedding w/similar notches to put chopsticks in. thanks, we probably didn't send you a card.



heather, this is a card that you can plant, it's got seeds in it and will grow those, well, plants.



and these are psychologist finger puppets.



and, well, this is for me, because what's more pimpin than fur coats?

spinners for sale

it seems that the local record store, spinners, is for sale. anyone interested in buying it? if i could, you know i would. then i could hang out and fulfill my high fidelity fantasy.

so, if you want to buy it, and want to hire me part time, i'm in.

fresno grizzlies vs tuscon sidewinders

so, saturday night we headed over to the chuck to watch the grizzlies play the sidewinders. the game started around 7, so the sun was setting on the stadium as i arrived. this is fortunate, because we were sitting in the left field bleachers. they're cheap tickets ($7), and for night games they're pretty nice. you get some breeze, and you feel really close to the action. we started sitting in this area during fuego games, and this was the first time i've watched the grizzlies from there. i'll definitely sit there again for night games. the sun/heat/etc may be too much during a day game.

most of the game was either good pitching or bad hitting, i'm not sure which. the grizzlies had a 1-0 lead for a bit, and then it was tied @ 1. the game looked like it could go to extra innings, and then tuscon took the lead in the top of the eight. i actually figured we were done for even though it was only 2-1.

but the grizzlies proved me wrong. the grizz put in pinch hitter who promptly was down 0-2 and looked to strike out. and then he homered to left. not quite near enough to us to grab the ball, but close enough for us to watch the small scrum. then the grizzlies got some men on with timely hitting. the bases were loaded by an intentional walk. this turned out to be a bad move because the pitcher threw a wild one and the winning run came in. three quick outs in the top of the ninth and the fans went home happy.

some other moments from the night:
- i bought a new hat. the grizzlies changed up their logo and color scheme to be more in line with the giants, so i sprung for a fitted cap. this is the first grizzlies hat i've owned, and mainly i got it to represent fresno & the giants. i was always baffled why the aaa affiliate didn't work the same color scheme.
- my hot dog was cold, this chili fries were mediocre, and the pretzel heather had tasted a bit off. mike said his pretzel was stale. not good for the second home game of the season.
- we were sitting behind a very strange, and later rather drunk man that provided some comedy. the guy was wearing a kobe bryant jersey and two hats (one lakers, one free grizzlies hat given out @ the game). he was yelling the whole night, which was fine. the comedy comes in when he decided to go get a beer in one of the later innings. on his way out he stepped on someone's nachos. twice. cheese all over his shoe. didn't say sorry, didn't really acknowledge that he just stepped in someone's nachos, just kept going. on the way back he stepped gingerly around the nachos and then told his wife that someone spilled nachos. yeah, it was you. he later dropped the beer he was drinking (#5), which was fine, because clearly he had enough. later, supernut needed to use the restroom and he plowed into a family on the way out and in. these are the same people with the nachos. again, no sorry, no excuse me, just plow through. while he was in the restroom he missed the homerun. ha ha.
- mike had the comedic drop of the night with, "remember when kobe bryant jacked your nachos?" this was funny, loud, and somewhat awkward because kobe's wife was sitting in the row in front of us. but we had a good laugh about it then, and later as well.
- we got on the jumbotron. i think it was in between the 8th and 9th inning. the funny thing is, the didn't get our whole group. there was only 6 of us, but i think they cut off the ends. so, heather, mike, kasey and i were on it, but not adam and dennis. adam might have been on, i'm not sure. but dennis was a tad upset the cut him off.

coming soon

something is about to happen over here.

grizzlies anyone?

hey, i'm wondering if anyone wants to go to a grizzly game this weekend? on friday, they're giving away orange shirts, and it's the home opener. also, 50 people can win free me 'n ed's for a year, which is would be fan-effin-tastic. saturday, they're giving away free hats w/the team's new logo.

both start @ 7 pm.

i recommend the food, the coffee, and maybe the art

i hope i'm not jinxing things, but i talked to someone interested in buying two (two!) of my pieces. she came into the cafe today for lunch or something, enjoyed my art, and remembers seeing some of it in last year's rogue show. so, she left her card w/the shop and i gave her a call. she's supposed to call me back later in the week, after she takes her husband by to see if he liked it, too (from the rogue).

often, when i talk to people about vocation, life and art, i try and say something to the effect of, "if i was doing this for the pay i would have quit a long time ago." and it's mostly true. i'm not doing art because i'm trying to get paid/make a living/whatever.

but, damn, there is something nice about that psuedo-validation of selling work.

on a funny/strange note, i was at the cafe having a bite to eat before i went to track (one of the things i do that regularly pays). i was grading papers (part of one of the other things i do for regular cash), drinking some coffee, and as i already said, having some lunch. as i left, i passed two ladies that were on their way in, and were talking about the food, something about hoping it was good. i interjected that they had a delicious chicken tortilla soup today, and continued on my way. turns out one of those ladies was the one interested in my work. so glad i recommended the food.

track athletes are smarter

maybe it's just the announcers, or perhaps the whole crowd, but i just heard the word matriculate used correctly. the announcer mentioned how a particular runner had gone to high school in the same city as her college and had matriculated.

well done, track announcer.

april 7, 2008

heather's birthday is on monday. we'll be going out to dinner, and if you'd like to come along, too, give me a holler.

as of last check, heather wanted to go to indian food. we'll see if it ends up that way.

(and yes, i know that the ncaa basketball finals is monday night. sports will take a back seat to heather. for me, at least.)

post art hop show update

so, i checked w/rademacher's myspace, and the scheduled line up for tonight's post art hop show is:

gypsy cab
lite fm
rademacher
el olio wolof

$6 (or maybe $5 - flyer says one, rademacher's myspace says other)
tokyo garden
show starts sometime after 9. i'm guessing w/4 bands, it'll be closer to 9 than 10.

i'd have to be dead to not be at this show. fortunately, i'm alive.

mcc sale fresno

ah, it's that time of the year. the time for fresno pacific's big yard sale...errr....the west coast mennonite central committee's sale. all jokes aside, the mcc sale is a great function that raises money for world relief (under the mcc umbrella ella ella ella eh eh eh).

so, if you're in fresno on friday evening or all day saturday, head over to fresno pacific and hit up the sale. one warning: parking is always a mess over there @ the time of the sale. but, definitely have a fritter or dozen, if you can, eat a sausage sandwich (those mennos know how to make great german sausage). if it's cold, look for borscht. and if you must, eat a mennonite dinner role, i mean zwiebach.

unfortunately, i won't be able to join you, i'll be working @ a track meet.

even the kids know

sure, maybe he's just caught up in the hype, but he's picked the right one.

art hop, el olio wolof and rademacher

just wanted to remind or notify those that don't know, tomorrow (thursday) is jam packed in fresno for you and me.

first, there is art hop in downtown and tower. get out, and of course, come by my show @ cafe corazon. 5-8 or later.



then, go see the show of the month @ tokyo garden. el olio is releasing their cd, will be playing, as well as rademacher. and another band (i think it's either light fm or aspen hallow. or someone else.)



be at both.

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.