talking about fresno

ah yeah. was watching american dad and caught this beauty in the first few minutes of the episode. wait for it...



yep, there it is, "you look like you should be holding up round cards at a dog fight in fresno."

from hipster to hippie

saw this linked on laughing squid, thought i'd check it out. pretty funny, and i wonder if all the little hipsters that follow fresno groups like yesterday's chonies are headed down this route.

happy mother's day

not entirely true, or untrue of my own life experience, but it was funny. happy mother's day!

star wars trilogy retold in 2:13 using legos

awesome and witty. i'm sure my nephews will love this.

fresblogging and journos

it's been an interesting debate/discussion over the last five or whatever years as blogs began and have become somewhat part of the journalistic community. and, the established media has begun to blog, some of them very well. others, not so well.

locally, the bee does a pretty decent job of blogging with the beehive, the sportsbuzz is hit or miss, and i'll be honest, i don't read the opinion blog. cbs47 also does some blogging, and in my opinion, is on the other end of the scale. they all don't blog frequently and so really, mike scott is sort of what i consider the channel 47 blog.

here's where i get to it: when journalists blog, are they creating news, and is that good? i'm not saying that journalists shouldn't blog, but it is clear that they differentiate between their blogs for their journalism. mike oz has even told me that, although not exactly in those words. if i can remember it correctly, mike told me a while back that his blogging tends to be more his personal feelings, thoughts, things that took his interest, whereas his articles & columns were more straight journalism. the paper is held to a much higher standard, i think, than the blog. that's not to say that mike doesn't do his homework on his blogging because he clearly does.

so we turn to mike scott's blog. today in a post over at fresno famous i called mike scott's blog visual vomit and blogging diarrhea. scott references his blog on air frequently, and today during the noon news he brought up the "controversy" (his word) over on his blog between roller derby and the city. it seems that scott is using the blog to leak information, and the info is somewhat speculative and questionable. is it even a real story? if it is, why not do the leg work and present it as such?

am i out there on this, or scott crossing the line, losing journalistic integrity, or something completely different?

comment help?

sometimes i wonder about comments on blogs. i like comments, i leave comments, although i'm more inclined to comment on smaller blogs than on big mega blogs. anyway, a little while ago adam had a good(ish) dialog going on about comments on the bee's website. in that post, adam talked about how he liked the interaction and community that is created in the beehives comments, and i tend to agree.

but today, as i was reading a few posts, i got a bit annoyed. there are some commenters that repeatedly leave sexist, homophobic, or other comments that just aren't helpful to discussion. i know that all beehive comments must be approved, so they don't have to approve these comments. should they?

i know there are a-holes out there. i realize there are sexist people out there. but what are the contributing to the blog? why do someone have to come on to rebut their annoying, unneeded comments?

anomic art show

if you have time, swing by tower violin studio tonight and check out some of my art during tonight's art hop.

1468 n. van ness
(north of audie's olympic)

darth vader records for tom tom

may the 4th be with you!

freedom in iran - a local connection

it's cool meeting local media types, and it's been awesome getting to know local reporter corin hoggard. we've become close enough that i get to do his wedding in a few months. and, i always try to pick his head on news stories, to see what's not being reported or if i'm too dense to understand a story or whatever else. last night, corin did a piece that is really worth checking out. it's worth a watch, as it's about a woman that was imprisoned in iran. there were a lot of questions about what she was doing there, why she was arrested, and what freedom means in a place like iran. check it.

monday haiku

ranch dressing mess in
back yard was downfall for me
bruise on knee and hip

i loved you in that

just saw a commercial for the remake of a nightmare on elm street, and saw a close up of freddy kruger. it was just a brief shot, but i thought, 'that's rorschach from the watchmen.'

a few clicks on the keyboard over to imdb, and yep, i was right.

i didn't realize that he was in shutter island, a film i enjoyed.

go where?

monday haiku

wrote one post last week
partially because i was
out of town three days

monday haiku

stoner holiday
on tuesday so watch out for
all the baked ones

surprise show review

yesterday i received a text and also saw a facebook post that rademacher was doing a surprise show at tokyo garden with the band mad happy. i'd never heard of mad happy, but thought i'd go because it would be rademacher's first show back as a four piece. that's right, last show they were a new three piece featuring r.c. on bass, and now they're a four piece with r.c. on bass, eli on drums, johnathan hadden (back from n.y. & in the band) on rhythm guitar and malcalm sosa on lead guitar and vocals.

i knew it would be a small show, and did my best to spread the word a little via text and twitter. two friends decided to join me and i headed off to the show.

so, as mad happy sound checking, one of my friends was saying how he bought their cd the last time they were in town. he admitted he was a little "influenced" at the time, and we were giving him a hard time about his purchase. by the end of their set i was considering a cd myself, although i abstained. but here are some thoughts i jotted down last night:

- secret surprise show = no people
- strange band fresno people don't know = no people

seriously, mad happy had one fan there. there was me & my two friends. there was one guy sitting at the bar. three other people came in later. seven people for two bands.

- mad happy was a little too demanding during sound check. i know, you want your monitors right, but they guy just seemed a little primadonna-ish

- bring your own fans. really, we wondered after the show when it was planned. mad happy basically drives around the country in a car with their baby and their dog. so, i'm sure they get in touch with people and set up shows, but they've got to have some network of fans.

- very fun stage presence. they're a two piece, and the guy is just dancing and flying all around the stage. the girl might've been more animated, but she had her baby in a frontpack.

- that's right, there was a baby. on stage. with headphones. the baby with headphones was a pretty funny touch, especially when we called them earmuffs during a song that was littered with f bombs.

- since most everyone was city at the bar, the band made a joke that we were at an anti-bar-mitzveh. a mitzveh being a blessing, a barmitzveh being a party to celebrate, i guess he didn't feel we were having enough fun. but we were.

- music was cool. it had a jewish feel, with hip hop harmonies. really, the vocal interplay of the two was dope.

- the said they would trade green for a cd. not green paper, but green. they also said they'd trade green paper for cd's as well.

- i never would have expected that i was coming to a jewish hippy hip hop show when i left the house tonight.


----------

- rock-a-macher showed up tonight.

- the sound was very tight. reintroduction of john hadden wasn't a problem at all, even with just 1 practice as a four piece.

- mike on lead guitar = good!

check out the song i bootlegged that inspired the previous comment. it's called charles.

- r.c. on backing/shouted vocals is super nice

- sounding the best i've heard in quite some time

- when jonathan was in the band before he was the only one playing guitar, and i think this limited him. with mike on guitar as well, hadden was able to play with more flare tonight and it was cool.

- the show ended up being basically a trial run/band practice for rademacher's upcoming weekend shows (cellar door in visalia, the smell in los angeles)

have another bootlegged song if you got some magic.

hey, i had a good time last night. it was only $3, and it felt like a private show.

parsley cafe

if you read enough of my reviews you'll see i like: 1) local business; 2) downtown business; 3) fulton mall. knowing these things, it pains me somewhat to write a poor review of one of those things.

i rode my bike downtown to pick up some grizzlies tickets for tonight's game and figured i'd grab some lunch as well before heading home. i was riding down the mall and saw the parsley cafe. i remember it from my trips to milano's pizza (r.i.p.) and thought i'd grab lunch. they had a cheeseburger lunch special for $4.75, which is a nice price.

the cheeseburger - nothing special basic store bought patty, basic cheese, basic bun. the lettuce was nice. it's not that the burger was bad, it just wasn't anything.

the fries - frozen fries fresh outta the fryer. basic shoestrings.

what really bugged me about the experience - watery ketchup. seriously, i shook up the squeeze ketchup bottle and went to put some on my burger. water comes flying out first. this wasn't just the separated water that goes into the ketchup when you shake it. extra water. so, i put some watery ketchup on my burger and shook it up more before putting some on my plate for the fries. still watery. and, it was so watered down that it was flavorless. really bummed me out.

hey, it was cheap and quick, and just okay.

Parsley Garden Cafe

1237 Fulton Mall
Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 485-8995
Fax: (559) 485-8995

foursquare cops

i'm not too sure about this foursquare deal, although malcolm sosa of rademacher did make some interesting points on why i should use it the other night. but, i'm not going to tell you those.

just enjoy this witty video

scallop lunch

i was at fresh and easy on monday doing some grocery shopping and i saw that they had a package of scallops on reduced price. you know, the whole sell by date thing. i enjoy eating scallops, but have never cooked them before and decided that this would be the time.

i had a few days to decide on a recipe, but also wanted to go with something somewhat basic to allow the scallops' own flavor to be dominant. i settled with salt & pepper sauteed in butter with a little bit of garlic.

scallops are surprisingly easy to cook. basically, you allow the butter to melt and and brown and then drop in the scallops. allow them to cook for two to three minutes, and then turn them over. cooks for another two to three minutes and your done.

the scallops turned out great. at that time they're a sort of medium done-ness and aren't rubbery or too stringy. and the simple seasoning worked out nicely.

monday haiku

treme debuted last
night and it was compelling
no need steve zahn's butt

the underground garden art piece

i'm taking part in a collaborative art project called "the underground garden," put together by local musician blake jones. it goes hand in hand with the release of the newest album from blake jones & the trike shop.

basically, each artist (there are a ton) are being given a 12"x12" piece of plywood to work with. the prompt is to think about how the local art/music scene is reflected by the idea of an underground garden.

here is my unfinished piece - it's due back to blake by 4/19.



admittedly, this is a crap picture. for whatever reason, i couldn't get a clear picture of the piece. i think it's because of the smearing i used. the piece is done in oil pastels, something i haven't used in a long time. i enjoyed working with them again, and so maybe there is an element of rebirth in it for me. i wanted to use a tree, a common symbol of life to be a symbol, or reflection of the growing arts and music culture in fresno. in the piece you see fruit of different valley plants (grapes, oranges, cotton, strawberries, all coming from the same tree, the same soil. but, this is also a take on the actual underground gardens, where there are fruit grafted onto other trees and so you have a tree that produces multiple fruits. fresno's art & music culture is beginning to bear fruit. it also comes from different branches. in the piece, there are 4 main branches, but this is more symbolic, as there are more than four branches, and more than four types of fruit being born here.

i'm more or less done with piece, i want it to be a quick reaction based on the inspiration.k it's not something i want to work and work and work on. that's not a reflection of the fresno art & music scene, just me & this piece. i'll be adding a polyurethane coat over the top to seal the pastels, and to give is some depth & shine.

the whole collective piece will be unveiled on april 24th at audie's olympic.

(cross posted at artbyedwardstewart)

bassfeinz kru at audie's

i've been enjoying the nights that these guys are putting on over at audie's. not sure i like every dj, but overall it's been nice. check it out.

the tower shopper

this ended up on my doorstep today:



i'm not sure if it's from the same people that do the other tower coupon flyer, but i'm intrigued. i flipped through the guide and it covers quite a few businesses. not as many coupons, but you can go to towerdistrictonline.com to win stuff.

filthy urchins

i was slightly annoyed as i pulled out of my driveway this morning to see this mc donalds cup in the street in front of my house.



and this napkin on my curb didn't help either.



i was really pissed when i came home and saw the used condom in the gutter.



seriously, people, who's gettin it on in front of my house, and what sort of loser just litters condoms?

wikileaks video of apache attack n iraq

what a wonderful death metal world

monday haiku

another work week
another set of ducats
made for my wallet

post art hop show review

so, i tried to write up a review of the post art hop show on friday, but blogger was down and i was unable to get it done. now, as the weekend comes to a close, i've got a chance to reflect and write a little about the show.

i didn't feel like driving, and neither did the other person i was sure that was going to the show, so i pitched the idea of walking. we're two strapping young(ish) men and spend a lot of time walking in our neighborhood. however, tokyo isn't quite in our 'hood, but it's not really that far away. i mean, i've walked it in the daytime, and i've ridden my bicycle down there once at night, but i hadn't walked it. it's funny how your mind tricks you on somethings, i almost completely forgot an entire block in the walk. so, by the time we reached tokyo, we were a little warm despite the chill in the air.

since we walked, we arrived around 9:45 and the first act was already on. it was scheduled to be local punk group it'll grow back, but instead it was just their frontman, josh tehee on an acoustic guitar. i had a bit of a difficult time getting into josh's set because it seemed they were still working out the sound system, and proper micing of the guitar. even though i didn't get into the music, i had a good time chatting with josh after his set. he's a funny dude, and i tweeted, "Josh tehee is the poop. funny, talented and an all around nice guy."

after josh was done, it'll grow back came on stage and started to sound check. the first note was so crazy loud that we decided to step outside for a bit. we actually listened to most of their set out there, and it was still pretty loud. for the last few songs we went back in and i made ear plugs out of paper towel to cut a bit off the top. my ears thanked me the next day. i'll be honest, i'm a bit unsure about trumpet solo. they are obviously talented and enjoy what they're doing. but the metal doesn't quite do it for me, and i have a bit of trouble getting into/deciphering the lyrics.

next on stage was the band spider problem, up from the l.a. area. they had a sort of low fi, garage punk sound. i had asked eli from rademacher about them the night before and he said they were good, and that the lead singer was usually rolling around on stage or half naked. there was no half naked, but definitely a lot of stage antics like climbing on stuff, jumping into things, smacking other members of the band. whatever, i was really into the music. it was loud and fast, but very enjoyable. (and yes, i did fashion another set of earplugs from a paper towel for their set as well.) i tweeted about digging the show, and i saw several others from the show had done similar things. i even plunked down the $5 for a cd.

last on the night was our hometown heroes, rademacher. this was my first chance to see them playing with r.c. of el olio wolof on bass. here's my tweets from the show, "holy isht. #rademacher is super dope with radioactive cauliflower on bass. and I'm going 2b deaf tomorrow from all these bands." "if youve ever seen rademacher you need to see rademacher again." "rc reminds me of shel Silverstein. I think it's the beard." the funny thing about the last tweet is that r.c. is a big silverstein fan, and when i mentioned to him he seemed rather happy, and rattled of some silverstein poetry. it was a great cap to the night. seriously, rademacher is as musically tight as i've seen them in a long time. r.c.'s skill on bass is easily observed, and it was great to have malcolm back playing guitar. the songs popped, although there were a few slip ups along the way. but hey, new line ups take a little time to iron out all the creases.

a cab ride later, i was back in my neighborhood and home.

galactic empire state of mind

way better than that jay z mess.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

post art hop at tokyo garden

a few weeks back our beloved rademacher had a line up change. i heard it was happening, but didn't blog about it, although i think i did post about it on facebook.

radioactive cauliflower (of elio wolof fame) has joined the band on bass, and malcolm has switched back to guitar. eli's still on drums, which is a good thing.

anyway, rademacher has played a fresno show on a sunday night and i decided not to go. i wish i had because i heard it was a hella good show. i won't make that mistake this thursday. it's post-art hop at tokyo garden, and rademacher is on the bill featuring rademacher's new line up. also, trumpet solo, spider problem and it'll grow back are on set to play. it should be a rather good show.



i'll be there singing along. join me.

on blogging

7/27/05 was my first post. that's a long time to be blogging, although i do know that there have been bloggers out there that have been much more prolific in both content and history. that's cool. i have to admit, content has been a little sparse lately here. i just haven't had too much to talk about. and, i think i've been a little bit busy with work (teaching & track) as well as life and fun (pub quiz ftw!).

this blog has gone a lot of different directions over the last five years. some of it is personal, some of it has been fresno stuff, some is just randomness and more. and, it will continue to be all of those things.

anyway, just wanted to let you know i'm still out here. thinking, living, and yes, even still blogging a little.

dj woody at resurrect

there's a guy in fresno that's been putting on shows every other monday night at audie's olympic. now, someone putting on shows isn't all that special, but he's doing a night of music that isn't really all that ordinary. and, he's actually drawing a decent little crowd. friend of the blog, woody, has spun at two of these weeks, and here's his set from the most recent show.




i'm super excited that these are being recorded and put up on the web. i really can't wait for the release of last week's set because i was there for a few minutes, but didn't stick around. hey, i was tired. but, monica pasillas, who did one of my tattoos (and several friends) spun a set of 90's hip hop that i heard was amazing.

so, congrats to professor stone for putting on the resurrect shows. they're super dope and i hope they keep growing.

abbazabba what?

regular abbazabba is much better than chocolate abbazabba.

that's all.

wondering cat

omg lolcat!

monday haiku

the pacific on
h b o is quite good but
never saw band of bros

french redo milgram's experiment

i was super excited to see this story today.



i know, i know, who gets excited about seeing a study about people shocking each other? i do. i do because i love milgram's study about compliance to authority and i'm interested to see how frequently it can be duplicated. not that i doubt it, but because every time that it's duplicated i can point out that duplication to those who doubt that they would do such a thing. really, i have students that will argue with me that they wouldn't shock someone just because they were told to do so. yes, they would.

facebook abuse

pretty funny stuff. has some swear words, so be warned.


EMBED-Facebook Abuse - Watch more free videos

n c a eh?

it's pretty weird for me right now. this is the first year since probably around 1991 or so that i haven't filled out a bracket. and, i don't even have any desire. usually, i would've printed out a bracket as soon as they were out on sunday and have been deciding if i was going to do more than one. and, i know i would've had a little $ in a pool.

for some reason, it's not happening this year. i haven't even looked at a bracket, although i did halfway listen to a podcast that was talking about it. i'm sure i'll watch some games, but i won't be feverishly following it on my iphone while i'm away for track on friday.

so, as i thought about this today, i tried to figure out why i don't care this year. i mean, i really don't watch college basketball except for the tournament every year.

i'll be honest, i think it's soccer. yep, soccer. i'm busy thinking about the world cup, even though it's still like 85 days away. it's great following members of the usmnt abroad as well as watching the usmnt prepare for the cup through friendlies (even though stu holden got his leg broke - effin nederlander). i'm following the knockout rounds of the champions league (watched chelski take one on the chin today and get eliminated - and the game affirmed my belief that john terry is a piece of crap). the epl is in full swing and arsenal has worked their way back into the hunt for some silverware. i'm stoked. and, i'm even starting to think about the impending mls season, and hoping there is no lock out. will landon be in galaxy gear? how will our team do without beckham? or will becks rehab here in the u.s.?

soccer, you're my only friend. oh wait, that's abba zabba.

iron bird cafe

so, i was hungry for some lunch today and sent out a tweet for suggestions for a downtown lunch. i received several good responses, but one stuck out to me - iron bird cafe. i hadn't been there yet, so i decided to give it a shop. i like coffee (i'm a little jittery from today's excessive coffee input), and i knew they had food. so off i went.

upon entering, i was impressed with the clean, modern look. there are couches, tables, chairs, and it all looks nice. i appreciate the art on the walls and even hope to maybe show here some time.

i perused the menu and decided on the chicken sandwich. it's got grilled chicken, tomatoes, mixed greens & cheddar with a pesto aioli spread on toasted sourdough. the sandwich came out in a decent amount of time, and i enjoyed it. i will say i'm still a little hungry. maybe some chips or something on the side would help it out.

the coffee was good, and i tried out both varieties. i think i'm going to hit up a cup of the decaf before i leave.

i love it that they've got free wifi. and, the staff is very friendly (much better than the coffee shop in my neighborhood).

i'll definitely go back in the future. their hours are great. who stays open downtown until 11:30 at night? iron bird does. awesome.

why did you do it that way?

i missed the opening of the rogue festival last week, but tonight it gets going again. and, even better, i'm taking part in the festival tonight. come over to ashtree studio and hear me and two other artists talk about our work and discuss it all with the audience. it should be a very good time.

if you can't come tonight, i'll be doing it again on thursday and friday evenings @ 7pm.

7:00 PM Wednesday March 10
with Aileen Imperatrice and Adam Wall
$4

7:00 PM Thursday March 11
with Adam Wall and Sergio Huerta
$4

7:00 PM, Friday, March 12
with Sergio Huerta and Aileen Imperatrice
$4

episode 43 of tvlghfh

hey you podcast listeners. we have a new episode up. click over to the view looks good from here, fresno and give it a listen. or, check us out on itunes. feel free to leave a comment on itunes, or on our blog. but mainly on itunes.

monday haiku

back in fresno now
returned to work this morning
world hadn't ended

naia indoor nationals day 1

it's thursday, and we're getting underway at the naia indoor nationals. today, fpu has a heptathelete going and a pentathelete going early (& all day). in the evening, our women's 1600 meter relay team takes it's first race, hopefully qualifying for the next round. i'll work with our multi-eventers today in shot put, and our shot putter & weight thrower will practice a bit today as well.

the trip has been fun, and we saw quite a bit of snow yesterday. today will bring a little slower driving, as i don't want to hit ice patches and crash.

monday haiku

indoor nationals
is where i'm headed for week
tennessee updates

the smurfette principal

this is a great video about gender in cartoons. i love these sort of sociological discussions, and may work this video into an upcoming class discussion. it's twelve minutes long, and yes, requires sound playing ability. enjoy.

12 angry men and the fuego

this should be a pretty fun weekend. tonight, heather and i are going to take in 12 angry men. wow, that sounds terrible. i mean, we're going to see the play 12 angry men over at second space theater



i loved this movie and am excited to see how it is adapted as a live show. and, $16 isn't that bad of a ticket price. i think we'll probably go out to dinner before and make quite a night of it.

on saturday morning, i get to head up to turlock for a track meet. this could be interesting because they have a brand spanking new track facility. the bad thing is that i have to leave at 6:30 in the morning. ugh.

saturday evening i get to check out the fresno fuego vs the san jose earthquakes. i'm sure both teams will look a little sloppy, as they're both in their pre-season. hopefully it won't rain too hard on us.



and let me give a special thanks to fresno famous. i won the tickets for the fuego game on their website. it seems that no one enters their contests because i have quite knack for winning tickets off them.

rest in peace

so, today is an odd sort of day. it feels right that it's raining.

this afternoon i was watching schindler's list after mowing the lawn, while i cut out a stencil for the last painting i need to finish before this weekend. my brother called with very bad news.

my uncle, whom had been battling cancer for the last few years, had passed away. we knew it was close, and he was in a home hospice situation. i don't know what to say here, or how much to say. my uncle was a man that i deeply respected, and enjoyed the times i spent with him. but, we weren't super close. i think my brother & sister in law were closer to him, and that's fine. i deeply appreciate all the love and support that my aunt & uncle have given my dad and my family. i'll miss him and feel for the loss that my aunt and cousins, as well as the extended family, are experiencing right now.

pittsburg airport video fun

stuck in an airport due to a snowstorm? what do you do? sleep? read? use the internet? why not screw around and film yourself?

that's what this woman did and it's awesome!



i especially love like the last 45 seconds.

monday haiku

been a while since last
monday haiku, whatever
it's still free content


shutter island was
thought provoking and well done
loved the aesthetics


need to finish rogue
paintings so they can hang in
ashtree next weekend

on procrastinating

i admit, i'll put things off sometimes. today's example is twofold. i need to finish up the syllabus for two classes that begin monday. normally, i have them finished and i would upload them to our online system at work and print out the copies for students today. not gonna happen. i'm pushing that off until sunday, and really i just need to alter a few details on previous syllabi.

the second example is my rogue paintings. neither of the two in progress are done. i've needed to work on them. i should be doing that. i think i'm going to have to force myself to get off the couch, stop surfing the internet, and work on those paintings. not exactly how the creative process works, but i've go to do it that way because i'm not getting things done and it's mainly because i'm just not doing it.

crap. it's so much easier to not do things.

southwest and the kevin smith dilemma

you've all heard about kevin smith, famed director, being bumped from a southwest flight due to his weight. he was allowed on a later flight without issue but tweeted the hell out of the issue.

here's my thoughts on the issue:

-poor handling - the issue on the plane was handled very poorly. if smith was already seated, why bump him? why come up to someone on a plane and make a spectacle of the person? it just doesn't make sense to me unless they legitimately pose a danger to other passengers (in the event of an emergency). i also imagine that smith was a bit embarrassed or put off and probably didn't make the situation any easier on the flight crew.

-he should have been bumped - smith admits he regularly buys two seats because he prefers the comfort but was flying standbye and was only able to get one seat. that's fine, but he was seen to be in violation on southwest's 25 year old policy on size. if they have a rule about large people, and he normally buys two tickets, he shouldn't have flown in one seat.

-if he wasn't too big for one seat, and he later flew in one seat, he shouldn't have been bumped. it's not like he lost a ton of weight between flights.

now, i'm a larger individual, although i don't know if i'm as big as kevin smith. many people don't realize it, but my 6' frame usually runs around 250 lbs. now, i wish i was ripped like some pro-football linebacker, but i'm not. i don't always fit into seats very well on planes, but i'm not too big yet. and, i've flown on some itty bitty planes, and even spent a flight from salt lake city next to a guy that was probably a few inches taller than i was, and a bit heavier as well. it was uncomfortable, but i sucked it up and lived with it for the duration of the flight. i can empathize for anyone that has to sit next to me on a flight because they're probably feeling the same way. if i was too big to actually fit in the seat properly, i feel that i would have no right to impose upon the people seated next to me. airplanes are very close quarters, and size can present safety issues.

i saw a person speaking out on nightline against southwest and the airlines in general and compared the issue to height. while it is true that an extremely tall person's legs may block the row, they don't affect the aisle. and, a tall person's legs aren't going to be all up in your space.

the habit burger grill

the habit was getting a lot of buzz on twitter today, so i thought i'd check it out. i went online and checked out their menu before taking my wife there for dinner, and it seemed like it would be a decent meal.

once we located the place in fig garden village (it's at 702 w. shaw, west of whole foods, next to starbucks) we parked and walked in. we got there at just the right time because there was no one in line, but the line was soon going out the door. the decor is nice, but the inside seating is a bit limited. they do have a very spacious outdoor seating area, where we ate.

my wife is a little skittish on ground beef as we recently watched food, inc. and you see how scary meat packing plants can be. so, she ordered a veggie burger. this ended up being somewhat disappointing because it's just a gardenburger, which you could buy at a store and grill yourself. it was pretty bland, and she would recommend getting it with cheese to give it a bit more flavor. she also had the fries, which were pretty unimpressive. i tried them after they were cold, and they weren't so good.

myself, i wanted to have the pastrami sandwich, but unfortunately they were sold out. dang. so, i went with the tri-tip sandwich with barbecue sauce on sourdough. i had the onions grilled and skipped the tomato. i was rather pleased with my sandwich. the tri-tip was moist and the sourdough crunchy. the sandwich was a bit messy, but in a good way. i rounded out my meal with some onion rings which were pretty tasty.

i'll go back, at least to try the pastrami, but probably for other stuff, too. although, i must admit that charburger isn't a very appetizing name to me.

the habit burger grill
702 w. shaw
fresno, ca. 93704

here's their menu:















and here's our meals

whiskey toothpaste

yes please

pub quiz on famous

i'm fresno famous...again. yep, famous whitewater, the man behind the curtain over at fresno famous wrote an article about our pub quiz. click on over and give it a read.

shake weight

someone told me about this revolutionary new workout machine and i finally saw the commercial



hilarious.

band reunion at a wedding

i still force myself to watch snl. i dvr it, and watch it when i have time. sunday evening, after the superbowl, i decided i'd check out this week's episode with ashton kutcher. there were a few decent moments, but overall i thought the episode was weak, as usual. as i was fast forwarding through one of the last commercial breaks i noticed there was only a few minutes left, figured the show was about over and stopped the episode. i deleted it, as usual, and went about my evening.

i missed the best skit. fortunately, my good friend teh internets had the video and i watched it tonight. awesome.





fred armison, you hard core god.

hammered

i don't advise that you drop one of these on your foot:



monday at track practice i was fixing one of our men's hammers. the swivel was smashed and i was replacing it with a new one. i set down the hammer ball on a bleacher bench and looked up to talk to one of my athletes. it's not smart to set a 16 lb. round weight on a less than flat surface.

before i knew it, the hammer had rolled off the bench, fallen about two feet and smashed down on my foot. the majority of the weight slammed right on the joint where my big toe meets my foot. big pain real quick. throbbing to come. now, stiffness and dull pain. hopefully lesson learned.

this also sucks because for the majority of many practices i'm on my feet. about an hour and a half after crushing my foot i was helping an athlete with shot put and was demonstrating some technique. a small little hop into position and ouch, yep, foot's still hurting idiot.

fortunately, it doesn't seem like i did any real damage to my foot. it's maybe a little swollen, but not a lot of pain to the touch. i'll be alright!

dj woody returns!

there's a new crew of dj's in fresno or the greater fresno area. okay, i don't know exactly how new they are, but they are putting on shows @ audie's every 2nd monday of the month. this monday (2/8) features my homie woody. stylistically, i'm curious what he'll be playing. he's played dubstep, drum & bass, jungle, grime (i think) and more.



added bonus of this show, it's free.

poor atm etiquette

here's what i think this person is saying, "dear society, eff you. i don't have enough sense, care, or respect to leave the atm while i am on the phone. instead, i will stand at the atm, blocking it from being used by others while i prattle away on the phone. i know i could easily take this phone call elsewhere, but i think that i am more important than all the people standing in line, patiently waiting for the other atm's to open up because i am occupying this one."



i went to the atm yesterday and encountered the above situation. as i walked up, there were four people in line, one who left as i got in line. at this bank there are 3 atm's, and this one was rendered useless by this person. i stood and stared, as did the man in front of me, at this woman as she talked away. mind you, it was sprinkling, and we all wanted to get out of the rain. but this woman showed no regard for others. her phone call was worth blocking the atm, WHICH SHE WAS NOT USING. i actually used the atm next to her when it was available, so i was privy to some of her phone call, which could have been taken somewhere else.

btw, i blurred out the face of the child because i didn't feel she deserved the public shaming (on the internet) just because she was there with a jerk. sadly, she was receiving plenty of public shaming as everyone waiting glared at them.

rotary storyland/playland membership

so, as a lifelong fresnan, i grew up going to storyland. loved the jack & the beanstalk slide, the animals in exhibits, and the whole experience. i continued to love it in recent history as well. i don't remember ever going to playland, but i would imagine that i did. in the last few years i've really come to love going to playland and riding the rides, even if i am terrified of one of them. to me, a day where i go to the zoo for a bit and then hit some rides at storyland is an excellent way to spend my day.

a few years ago, a guy i knew through seminary and other things, barry falke, took over as the head of rotary storyland/playland. as far as i can tell, he's done a great job improving the places, and really pushed to get fresno to see and use this great, local attraction. and, even the pricing has come together in a way that excites me.

check this out:
"It's almost time for the Parks to open! Saturday, Feb. 13 will opening day for the 2010 Season.

Because of your connection to Storyland & Playland, we want to invite you to utilize a special offer on our 2010 Fantasy Membership!

Our Fantasy Membership includes:

* Unlimited Rides at Playland
* Entrance into Storyland
* 15% off at concessions
* $2.00 off an adult entrance into the Chaffee Zoo
* $1.00 off a child entrance into the Chaffee Zoo
* Members only Movie & Ice Cream Social at Storyland
* $25.00 off any birthday party package


We know money is tight these days, and we want Storyland & Playland to be your affordable family entertainment. The special 2010 Fantasy Memberships are available at a special discount off our already affordable rates for a limited time. Prices for our 2010 Fantasy Membership are:

Family of 4: $125.00 Family of 4 with special offer: Just $99.00
Family of 5: $145.00 Family of 5 with special offer: Just $119.00
Family of 6: $165.00 Family of 6 with special offer: Just $139.00

This special offer on our 2010 Fantasy Memberships will only be available until Feb. 12, 2010. To take advantage of this amazing discount, simply click the purchase now button below, and enter the coupon code: promo2010."

i asked a few questions via facebook about the offer, like, what about families of 2 or 3? the demand hadn't been there previously, but they were willing to work things out, which is totally cool, imho. i also asked what defined family, and basically the two main (adult) members have to be members of the same household. the other two, well that's up in the air.

so, guess who bought a family of 4 pack. that's right, this guy. i know we've got nephews and a niece, plus a whole gaggle of friends and family that will be enjoying this package with us. i almost wish i had bought the family of 5 pack.

who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?

so, the title of this post refers to a classic episode of cheers, and here's the related clip.



now, i bring this up because last night at pub quiz i busted that line on a contestant. basically, a team challenged an answer. technically, their answer was correct, but it wasn't the answer we were looking for, much like cliff's answer in the clip above. so, in explaining why their answer wasn't right, i tossed that line at them. i don't think they recognized it. kids these day.

now, it's also funny because trebek shows up at the bar, accidentally (skip ahead to the 5 min. mark in the video below) and explains to cliff why it didn't work out for him.



btw, we had 105 people at pub quiz last night, and it didn't seem like it was just a swell of people due to the high jackpot. i think many of those people will be back next week but we'll see. the jackpot was won by a team that had been there all four weeks, and the winning team featured a member that has repeatedly tried out for jeopardy and has made it to the stage test level. here's to fran actually making it on jeopardy and not pulling a clavin.

post art hop show at tokyo garden

it feels like it's been quite some time since i've been to a post art hop show. honestly, i probably haven't been since november, or maybe december. so, tonight i'm excited to get out and go. and it'll be a good one.



rademacher
light fm
jonah and the whale
$5

a post for jay

monday haiku

avatar sold out
elementary my dear
watson not in holmes

the internet is made of cats

i mean, it's not true, but dang it's funny

rademacher rumors

so, facebook tells me that current rademacher guitarist jonathan hadden is moving to new york and will be leaving the band soonish. but, i have also heard that r.c. from el olio wolof may take over bass duties and malcolm sosa will return to guitar. i've got to say that it would be hella cool. we will see what happens. also heard they mat be bringing in a new guitarist as well. we will see.

i'm very exciteded about this news as a rademacher fanboy. we will see how it all goes.

blame the victim

today in one of my classes we were discussing moral absolutism and moral relativism. this can lead to interesting discussion, or it can yield nothing. i'm enjoying this particular class because the students are very opinionated, and i find that my beliefs are pretty far away from many of theirs. today was such a case.

in looking at possible absolutes, the book has two different statements to discuss. here they are:
adults should never sexually molest children.
rape is always wrong.

in the first statement i find it helpful to have the class clarify why it means to molest. then, we can talk about what it means to be an adult or a child or if those even matter. i mean, should adults sexually molest other adults?

anyway, the second statement also can yield interesting discussion as we parse out rape, consent, force, statutory laws, and more. but today, today took the cake. you see, after i brought up california law and how you can't legally consent if you're under the influence of drugs or alcohol, i had student basically say, "if you're drunk at a bar, you're asking for it. especially if you're dressed slutty." now, those weren't exact words, but definitely the intent. oh, yeah, i forgot to mention that it was a female student that said that. and she went on and on.

this led me to push them on other crime. is it your fault if you get attacked or robbed? well, pretty much. they told me that if i was walking in a neighborhood and was wearing all red and got stabbed, i should have known better. even if i didn't know the neighborhood, i still should have known and it's my fault. i had a student tell me how he was getting gas late at night, some random guy hit him in the head with a bottle, and yet it was his fault. why, you ask? well, because he should've got gas earlier in the day, and he knew better.

w.t.f.? seriously, wtf? there were a few students that agreed with me, but overwhelmingly the class was unified in blaming the victim.

poster on poster

sometimes i'm surprised by people. really, this isn't a rant or anything, just an observation on weird things people do.

today (tuesday) i was in a stairwell at work and saw this:



you see, we're doing some haiti fundraisers, and they've posted signs about what's going all around school. hallways, stairwells, and so on. this sign, they've posted over a motivational poster. in a way, it's funny that they put it on some tacky motivational poster. but, really, how lame is it that they put this up with some sticky stuff in the freakin middle? why wouldn't you just take down the other poster, and then put up the sign? i mean, if there's a nail or something, you've already got a way to hang up the sign.

wacky. just wacky.

pork new york dinner

i've told you before about the pork new york steak. well, i made one tonight for dinner.

after thawing the pork out, i made a rub that mainly consisted of crushed black pepper and garlic, with a little bit of sea salt. i would tell you measurements, but i really don't have a clue on the pepper or salt. i do know i used 1 tsp of the pre-crushed garlic. i also added a small amount of olive oil to flavor and coat the meat. after seasoning the meat, i let it sit for a bit so the flavor could take hold a bit before cooking.



while the meat seasoned i cooked some black eyed peas. i grew up eating these little deals, along with things like fried okra and other southern dishes. i admit, i have yet to make okra right. it generally comes out way too oily and soggy. maybe i'll get it some day. anyhow, i was just doing black eyed peas as a side tonight. while they were finishing up i broiled the pork for about 9 minutes, flipping at 3 & 6 minutes. after cooking, i let it rest on the plate for 2 minutes and then plated the black eyed peas.



so, how did it taste? pretty good. i was happy with the peas, and overall i thought the pork new york was decent. it wasn't great, and i think it could've used something to give it a little more kick. but, i still enjoyed my meal

bad mystic cat

so, i came across this video and it made me laugh. yes, you need speakers. or headphones. but it's funny.

tuesday

what i should be doing: working on rogue paintings
what i am doing: watching soccer - epl is on live!

i'll make a change soon, but right now, i'm camping out on the couch.

monday haiku

nine thirty and now
i'm finally getting to
check teh internets

usmnt vs honduras 1/23

btw, i've got some thoughts and pictures up over here about my recent trip to see the u.s. men's national team.

bad blogger

yeah, i've been quite lax on my blogging lately. and, i know i wrote a piece last week about how i was going to try and get more done...and then didn't. my work schedule changed, coupled with afternoon stuff, and just being busy. and then i've got to mix in my general ability to forsake everything else to watch tv. yep. so, i haven't blogged much. been reading blogs though.

so, here's some stuff going on:
pub quiz is doing well after two weeks. we had 62 the first night, 77 the second. i wandered around during the second one and really tried to talk to each team, see if they're enjoying themselves and whatnot. seems like every is having a very good time. there are pics and a write up over @ our blog. for those that haven't already, you can also become a fan of us on facebook (fresno pub quiz) - we already have 90 people as "friends."

track season is getting into full swing. we've been doing our off season practice for a while, but now we're getting into season. of course, we've managed to have all of 2 practices due to all the rain. we were scheduled to have a throwers pentathalon today, but it was changed to tomorrow due to all the storms. sadly, this means i won't be there because i made plans to be out of town on saturday (since the event was today). later this afternoon i've got to go out to the track to do some work getting the venue ready for tomorrow's event. hopefully it won't rain and jack that plan up, and won't rain tomorrow. my throwers need to get some events under their belts. practice is good, but a meet always brings more energy, nerves and other stuff that they've got to get used to.

speaking of saturday, i'm headed to l.a. for my second usmnt game. this one is just a friendly, but it's against honduras, who also qualified for the world cup. our team won't be at it's best, as many of the bigger names won't be playing, but it will give us some insight of what our subs will look like in south africa, as well as help decide some of the positions still up in the air on the team. for more comprehensive breakdown, i suggest the shin guardian. i'm also excited because this is the first game i'm attending as a member of the american outlaws. and, i'm going with what is somewhat the basis for our potential fresno chapter. adam, carrie and her brother are signed up and official, vince and mike will get on board very soon, and myself. now, there may be more fresno area members out there, and we're in the process of locating them (or getting people joined up). it's fun to be a part of a supporters group, and it will be cool to link up with the l.a. outlaws group, and other outlaws from across the u.s. to pre-game at the off campus pub, march into the match together, and have a blast in the supporters section. hopefully the weather in carson will be nice enough. btw, it'll be my first match at the home depot center, home of the galaxy.

i haven't been to a movie or a local show in quite a while. need to change that soon.

anyway, i may post some cell shots from tomorrow's game, and some other stuff over the week. /end

pub quiz 1/20

just a friendly reminder of wednesday night's pub quiz @ landmark. $125 from last week's jackpot is rolling into this week's jackpot.

bohemian rhapsody a la bluegrass

fun little remake of queen's bohemian rhapsody by hayseed dixie.

rudy jr.'s chicken man

about a year ago someone told me about the goodness that is chicken man. it wasn't far from my house, but i'd never heard of it. so, i filed that recommendation away in my head for future use. yesterday, i finally made it over.

honestly, this place is tucked away between streets. it's unassuming location and building might fool you into thinking that the food might not be so good. you'd be wrong to think that. their food was amazing. and, the quality of food is why a odd location and building don't hurt the business. seriously, it's that good.

i went with two friends who had eaten their before, one who had been eating there for quite a long time. they both had the sourdough burger with cheese. the burger looked great, and comes on slices of sourdough bread. they also both ordered a piece of chicken on the side. myself, i decided to order some jalapeno poppers and the four piece chicken. the poppers were awesome. these weren't some store bought, frozen poppers. these were fresh, made right then in the restaurant poppers. and a bunch of them. when the chicken arrived, the waitress let me know that they threw in an extra piece. who does that? super nice. and wow, the flavor on the chicken was great. yeah, it's fried chicken, but it wasn't overly greasy. i mean, there's grease because it's fried, but it wasn't gross.

none of us finished our lunch, but we all took home our food for a tasty meal for later. me, i took home three pieces of chicken that heated up for a nice lunch today. i'll definitely go back and try more of the menu - like the burgers & ribs.

update on life

hey, i've been a little busy lately so i haven't put anything up on the blog. we had a blast at pub quiz last night w/62 people.

today, i took two naps. one after class, but before lunch, and then a long one after lunch. it seems i haven't slept a lot lately. well, not during normal hours. but i feel well rested now.

tomorrow, i'll try and post something real, and interesting. but for now, just wanted to say hi.

death metal rooster

hell to the yeah!




rarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

edward stewart pecha kucha

video of my presentation from last night for those that missed it.

monday haiku

presenting pecha kucha
tonight at starline at eight
twenty slides on art

r.i.p. ipod photo

you had a nice, long life. i bought you in 2005 and you were my first ipod. before you it was cd players and travel cases filled with plastic. we became very good friends and i loved your long battery life on road trips. over the years i used you to show off my artwork, record presentations and meetings and even played an occasional game of solitaire.



i know, we didn't spend as much time together over the last few years because i had that new fangled iphone. and this last year i got a new ipod "classic." you became heather's after her ipod mini went belly up. and through it all you worked beautifully. it was almost a badge of honor to break you out and have people by shocked by such an old ipod.

but it couldn't last forever. sadly, your hard drive wound down for the last time. sure, we'll replace you, but we will miss you as well.

eyeball tattoos

holy crap.



more info here.

pub quiz at the landmark

Pub Quiz
Wednesday nights at the Landmark
644 e. olive
$5 a person, teams of 1-6
Cash payout to winning team & other prizes
Happy hour & drink specials
starts @ 8, arrive early
hosted by the View Looks Good from Here, Fresno

lunch review - cosmopolitan tavern

i had long heard stories about the great food at the cosmo. i'd never been there, but always thought i'd give it a try. after seeing a picture of the cheddar burger on a local website i figured that it was time to get myself down there. my wife was off work, and so we were able to enjoy a nice lunch date.

upon entering i was a little unsure if we should seat ourselves and waiter for a server or what, but then i saw two cash registers where people were ordering their lunches.

i had a cup of the italian wedding soup, which was the daily special. it had a nice flavor, and the meatballs in it were great. the soup was a tad salty, but maybe that's just to my taste.


for my main i ordered the cheddar burger. after all, it's what got me down there. i also had some fries and a drink. honestly, the burger was great. it had a very good flavor and the lettuce on the burger was fresh and crisp - a great touch often neglected. the fries were decent, but i was pretty full from the burger and soup that the fries were a bit of an afterthought.



my wife ordered the tomato and basil sandwich, which she really enjoyed. actually, there were almost too many fresh tomato slices on it, and she took off a few just to make the sandwich a little more manageable for her. she ate half, and took the other half home for later. she also had the sweet potato fries which were good (i had a few myself).






overall, a very nice experience. people tell me that it's super busy between 11:45-12:30, so be warned that you may have to wait a short bit to get seated or for food. it's worth it though.

cosmopolitan tavern
1546 Fresno St
Fresno, CA 93706
(559) 264-5110

rock out baby

ah, videos of babies doing things are always cute.

the estonians

man, some of the blogs that i didn't check for a few days over vacation had a lot of content to sift through. i thought this re-do of the simpson's intro was pretty funny.




also, here's a link to an artist's website who creates simpsons stained glass windows.

monday haiku

back from vegas now
catching up on blogs and such
don't tweet these ten things



hard to fall asleep
at decent time due to
vacation sleep sched

stewie griffin's family feud answers

stewie griffin’s answers on family feud during family guy episode tonight (he was being held by lois, who was also answering)

something you sit in – my own feces
name a popular fruit – clay aiken
something in your closet – scary monsters
favorite holiday – 9/11
what do you do on weekends – black guys

when his answers weren’t used he said, ‘wait a second, i said feces? where’s my answers? oh, you’re just going to pretend i’m not here just like robin william’s agent pretends he’s still funny.”

i love fog

fresno has gotten a lot of negative press lately. over the last few months we have been slammed as the dumbest city by one group, had a negative article in the usa today, have been jokes on conan and jay, and even sent out some invites on youtube to the aforementioned comedians. if you follow the fresno blogosphere you've probably seen reference to some of those things.

in response, several fresnans have tried to be much more proactive about pushing the good things of fresno. james collier and barry falke are two guys i've met and are doing good work on their blogs. of course, there is also the fresnan and the beehive, all doing good things promoting fresno. and, yes, i'd like to think that adam and i do a fair share on our own blogs as well as on our podcast, the view looks good from here, fresno. but, new voices are also popping up on the scene. one that really intrigues me is 31 days of fresno, which is a facebook group (and a blog page). here is the description "31 Days of Fresno is a challenge to all Fresnans to post something they love about Fresno every day during the month of January. There has been a lot of talk about how to improve Fresno, and one of the things that always comes up is that in order to make Fresno a great place to live and to visit, we need to change how we view Fresno ourselves. I challenge you all to join me in this! If you're coming up short on things to love about our city, check out our links- you might find something you didn't know about before! Feel free to post your Fresno love on our page, it would be great to see what everyone else loves about living here. Please keep rude comments to yourself. We're trying to create a Fresno-positive community here"

cool idea. i doubt i'll post something every day there (i've already missed the first two days) but i'll check it regularly. and, i'm going to try and post more fresno positive stuff here right now. honestly, i haven't really put up too many posts lately that hyped or reviewed shows, or talked about stuff going on. i just haven't done too much. but, i'm getting to it. i promise.

so, here's something i love about fresno: the fog. now, i don't love it when i can't drive because it's soooo thick, but i enjoy a good fog (especially if it breaks up later in the day). i was in vegas for the n.y.e. holiday, and enjoyed their nice, clear skies. as we flew back i napped a little but awoke for our descent back to fresno. as we dropped in, i was greeted by the fog. it was strange, i couldn't tell how thick it was or how low we were. it was actually sorta frightening, since i was in a plane and had a slight worry we'd smash into the ground, but once we dropped through the layer of fog and i saw city lights (not the strip club but actual city lights) i looked fondly on fresno. i was glad to be back home. later in the night i stepped into my back yard and again looked up to enjoy the fog. the moon was pretty full and was shining through the mist. beautiful.

enjoy fresno over this next month.