Sorry to get all political and righteous on ya'll, but now that NYT has stopped their bullshit Times Select deal--which forced us to pay for their editorials and commentator's articles--you really must go read Bob Herbert's piece called the Ugly Side of the GOP. He talks about the racism implicit in the GOP party, from it's blocking the passage of DC voting rights to the top GOP candidates for president refusing a debate on minority issues. Go check it out, and fuck the GOP.
So here I am, at Holly's coffee shop, catching up on some articles from last Sunday's NYT. I was checking out the Sunday Styles section because there was this article I found interesting called "Putting Money on the Table." The premise of this article is that a lot of men in their 20s and 30s are uncomfortable dating a woman who makes substantially more money than they. My immediate response was, "Who are these fucking idiots?" Maybe I am in a minority here, but ladies who bring in the money are not intimidating, they are amazing! Look at my situation, Suga' takes care of her man! She hooks me up with health insurance, contributes to rent when she lives 3,000 miles away, tried convincing me to use the joint account to pay for my groceries (hence subsidizing half of my food, but I can't in good faith do this... more than once). I mean seriously, guys who get all upity about not living up to their father's generation's idea of providing for a family with a wife and kids at home are completely and totally fucking nuts. Maybe it's an ego thing, but it's still stupid. Fellas out there in NYC who have a problem with rich chics, I have some advice for you: get the fuck over it, times are changing, as long as you bring something to the table (e.g., you're nice or funny or good in bed or whatever), she probably won't mind providing for you and maybe paying more than her share for some things. (Lucky for me, I am nice.)
Interestingly, "the median income of women 21 to 30 in NYC and who are employed full time is 17% higher than that of comparable men." Way to go ladies! Now, a little advice for the chicas in that article who can't seem to hold down a man: if you make more money and you know it (I mean like a lot more money here), pay for shit. Part of the reason you can't find a guy who is willing to go to fancy restaurants with you isn't because he doesn't like fine dining, it's because homey is po'. So hook that shit up. I mean, if roles were reversed and he wanted to go out somewhere fancy and you were not making money, he'd treat. Even if you did make money he may try treating because that is part of the chauvinist mystique. And if you insist on going Dutch, which is totally respectable, then you have to agree to eat somewhere he is comfortable paying his own way. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Yes, I agree, this post belongs on Mindy's blog.
I think I may have heard somewhere that can beer has less environmental impact than bottle beer (I am definitely Googling that when I get done posting this). I know for a fact it's cheaper. This truth and a half combined make it my new standard operating procedure. That is right, I am buying canned beer from here on out (at least until I get a job). I am also interested in buying local as much as possible, because on the one hand it lets me try new things, and on the other hand it takes less fuel to get it to the store shelves. (Did someone say hippie? Yeah, I think I heard it too. I think it was me, actually, shouting it at myself as I washed out a ziplock sandwich bag to reuse it for my PB&J yesterday. What in the hell happened to me? I didn't used to be like this...) So anyways, Kokanee beer is pretty darn good for cheap beer. It is a lot like Labatts Blue, another Canadian lager beer I am also fond of, but only a dollar or so cheaper. And it is a product of global warming, as far as I can tell, because you see it is a "glacier beer" as the water used for the beer comes from the ice melt of a glacier. See, you damn hippies, global warming ain't all bad after all.
Anyways, not 100% content with my Canuck glacier beer, I was in the store the other day looking for something even localer. (Not to mention, cheaper.) And what did I find? Olympia. Named, I presumed, in honor of the capital of this fine state. And only a little over $4 a six pack. Sold.
I get my sixer home, eager to enjoy a cold one while I watch some stupid tv show on my laptop, when I start to give the can a good once over. Union made, it says. Nice, I say to myself. It makes me feel good knowing that the makers of this fine beverage are making a decent wage and have a voice on the job. (Great, now he's a communist hippie.) Kokanee was also union made, but I expected nothing less coming from a beer made in the People's Republic of British Columbia. I turn the can over some more.
Pabst Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI.
WHAT THE FUCK!!?!?!!?
Don't get me wrong, I love Wisconsin beer. I love Pabst Brewing Company and the hipster fav PBR. But where in sam hill do those fuckers get off calling it Olympia beer, selling it in Washington, and making it in Wisconsin? I felt cheated. I still feel cheated. In fact, I am drinking said impostor beer right now, but under severe protest. Like, if I get drunk and do something totally crazy, it'll definitely have to have an asterisked by it in the history books.
Needless to say, Kokanee in a Kan wins Round 1. Next up for Big Blue? I think I'll check out Rainier beer and see how it compares to the cool, crisp, taste of global warming. I'll be damned if this sommamabitch ain't local. AND it comes in Tall Boy cans. Fuckin' A.
UPDATE: Well fuck my ass, Rainier beer is also owned and brewed by Pabst in fucking Milwaukee. It's not fair to compare Kokanee to any of the fancy micro brews that are indeed local (and in expensive bottles), so my quest for a good cheap local beer continues. Godspeed, me...
UPDATE II: This guy seems to have done a best guess approximation of environmental impact of new aluminum vs. glass vs. recycled aluminum. Not surprisingly, recycled aluminum wins, hands down. Interestingly, he claims that to recycle glass takes just as much energy as creating new glass from the primary material used to make it, sand. Go figure. The answer then is to buy beer in recycled cans, if you are able to and give a shit about such things. Interesting little blog post he wrote too, I recommend checking it out. Further investigation seems to support that aluminum recycles better than plastic bottles too, so if you are some wussy tee-totaller who doesn't drink beer but does drink soda, drink your soda out of aluminum cans as opposed to plastic bottles (unless you are comparing 2 liter bottles to 12 oz cans, that fucks up the math).
Life without TV is not as bad as some of you may believe. When we moved, I decided that my shitty 19" set was not going to make the journey across country. It just wasn't worth it, I probably paid $50 for it brand new, and its tuner was starting to go I think. I also knew I would be getting new laptop, which would have a DVD player in it, so I could still netflix movies and shows.
Now, maybe it is a function of the age we live in or some other such profound thing, but for the most part, I have lost the attention span to sit through a 2+/- hour long movie, unless it is something I am dying to see. And with HBO and Showtime, and even ABC and NBC occasionally, putting out some good shows these days, my netflix queue is almost entirely composed of products of the silver screen. Let me also say that I just cannot be bothered to actually watch shows, even when I did have a TV, at their regularly scheduled time. For one, I hate commercials, so that right there rules out anything on the networks. For two, I hate waiting a week or more in between episodes. For three, and most importantly, who can schedule their lives around a fucking tv show? Certainly not me, and if you do, you are probably lame and you definitely need to get out more. I think I would like TiVo if I had a nice flatscreen and wasn't a poor grad student. So instead I just rent all the shit I missed when it was on the air originally in DVD form. That way if I want to watch 6 episodes of something back to back to back to back to back to back (is that six?), I can. I can watch at night or in the morning or whenever. You get the idea... moving right along.
Because my little profile over there on the right says 'pop culture critic,' I am going to give you a little rundown on what I am watching these days. Feel free to disagree with my assessments in the comments.
LOST, season 3: I think pound for pound, this is my favorite. I know, it makes no sense and it never will make sense. I know, it starts story lines only to then start new ones and never finish the older ones. I get all the criticisms. But two reasons why I am so damn addicted: (a) because it is a perpetual cliff hanger, which only really works because (2) they do such a damn good job on character development. The whole flashback bit, giving backstory and depth for all the main characters before they landed on Gilligan's Island, is what really sucks me into the show. I love/hate Sawyer, I wanna make babies with Kate, I wanna kick Jack's ass in something (chess, competitive sport, doesn't matter) to wipe that smug look off his hero face. Most of the time I wanna punch Locke in the face or groin for being so arrogant, and then there are times when I think he is the best character on the show. Now, given all of that, I have no doubt that since it is on network television, it will run 2-4 seasons too long, become a mockery of itself and piss off all its real fans. Wait for it. I reckon Season 4 will be the last good season, if it doesn't suck.
Weeds, season 2: Probably my second favorite. I don't want to make babies with Nancy Botwin, because she is a horrible mother, but I do have a GINORMOUS crush on Mary-Louise Parker. Wowza. I totally get how Conrad, against all better judgment, goes into business with a chick who is dating a DEA agent. She's hot and seductive and she sells grass, too boot. The brother-in-law, kids, and neighbors all make for great comedy. Hilarious, smart show. A++
Deadwood, season 3: Got a little too pompous in the third season for my liking. At least once an episode, more often 2-3 times, we'd be treated to one character or another's inner monolougue, as he or she sat there, usually drinking whiskey, talking to hisself/herself about whatever in Shakespearian English. That was just totally unbelievable to me given the education level these folks must have had, since this period piece was set in a prospecting boom town in the the wild west (Deadwood, South Dakota). AND, it was just a terrible season finale (which also doubled as the final installment of the show). I was not a huge Sopranos person--mostly because I started so late I couldn't squeeze in the earlier seasons in time to catch up with the current ones--but for me the last episode was a let down on Sopranos Finale proportions. What a fucking let down. [Spoiler alert] I mean c'mon, shoot Hearst for chrissakes, Bullock, you goddamn wussy. You are supposed to be the baddest mofo in town (ok, well Swearengen was badder, but he didn't share the sheriff's temper), and instead of killing the bastard you just give him the stink eye as he leaves town. Boooo, more violence! You can't end a gratuitously violent show with a goddamn staring contest, just doesn't make sense.
Heroes, season 1: Took me a few episodes to get into this, but I am digging it now. Not too much to report here. They obviously figured out the Lost formula makes for good network TV. Ensemble cast + Good char. dev. + cliff hanger = Entertaining program. Pretty simple, no?
Rome, season 2: As a sort of history nut, I love this show. Critics agree, it's an amazing period piece drama set in Ceaser's Rome. HBO and the BBC (the co-producers) loved it too, only problem was it cost a couple of million each episode to make so they had to scrap it after two seasons. Great actors, historical accuracy in the storylines, and amazing sets make this one top shelf in my book.
Freaks & Geeks, season 1 (and only): I think it was at least a year, probably two, ago that my pal James recommended I add this to the queue and check it out. It was a short lived program on NBC in 2000, written and produced by the now famous Judd Apatow (40 year old v-card, knocked up), that because it as too good for network TV only lasted one season. It is set in a suburban Detroit neighborhood in the 70s or early 80s or something along those lines, and is primarily a high school coming of age type of show, with an ensemble cast of kids who are either freaks or geeks. Think of it as That 70's Show, except intelligent and without a laugh track. In fact, forget I ever made that reference, because this show is actually really good.
I used to watch Entourage but that show went to shit. And if they ever release the second season of Huff on DVD I will definitely pick that up, I love that Hank Azaria (and his wife is hot). I really liked Arrested Development, another show that was way too good for TV, and that was probably my intrduction to netflixing shows instead of movies. Never got into that Larry David bit, for some reason or another I just don't find him very funny. Similarly, I am the guy who never liked Seinfeld. Crazy, I know. What else am I missing? Any recommendations?
UPDATE: I REALLY like Heroes now, I get the hype. I was a comic book fan growing up (ok, still) so I love that whole angle. Also, the Hiro makes me laugh laugh laugh.
Finally, you are saying, FINALLY Le Domestique is back in front of his computer. I know, I know, you've all been holding your breath, passing out, turning back on your computer, then holding your breath again, all the while hittin refresh over and over and over again. But here it is, finally, my return to the blogosphere. Please, please people, your applause is flattering but is really unnecessary.
ANYWAYS, I think I love Seattle.
And here are a few reasons why... Some of you who know me well know that, as material consumeristic objects go, there are three things in life that I am passionate about, that truly bring pleasure and joy to my life when they are of high, if not the highest, quality (read: there are 3 things I get snobby about). For the purposes of this here blog, I will only trouble you with two of these snobtastic gifts from Jah: coffee and wine.
Well, guess what? I am pretty sure they have the best coffee in the world here in Seattle. Don't believe me? Go ask a Seattlite, they'll you. And I don't mean that Starbucks shit neither, I mean places like Cafe Vita, Cafe Ladro, and even the place right down the road from me now, Hollys. These places, and the people who work and frequent them, know their espresso. Which is totally a stupid and contrived thing to say, I know, but I am a person who, the very second the alarm goes off in the morning, I think of coffee. It gets me out of bed in the morning, thinking about how good that first cup will taste. I freaking love the coffee, get it? Anyhoo, I am in the right town for this addiction, and coming from DC where there are only 'Bucks (not only that, but one on every block), it is a welcoming and refreshing change to have amazing independent coffee houses everywhere.
Moving right along...
The second I get downright snobby about sometimes is wine. While I would never claim Seattle (let's even say the upper Northwest) has the best wine in the world, I do hold that there is a lot of affordable, great tasting wine here from the Columbia, Walla Walla, and Rogue Valleys. And since it doesn't have to travel very far, it's a few bux cheaper than you'll find it back East, sure there is a lot of pricey stuff, but a lot is pretty affordable. And there is much of it that is new to me, stuff I have never seen in Minny or DC and that I am excited to try.
Now, I can't [won't] comment on the elusive third gratifying and snob-inducing thing for me because, while I know it is most like around me in abundance, I have not yet been able to sample any as of yet. But let's just say that I hear it is good.
Here's another reason I think I love this place, at least so far... The other day I went into a bike shop, fully expecting to be demoralized and out at least $150, too boot (at least I say). You see, my commuter was making some bad noises, BAD noises, and fixing it seemed way beyond my own novice abilities. Now, understand that every single time I went into a bike shop in DC I left feeling stupid, incompetent, and not worthy of even riding bikes, let alone wanting to maintain and work on my bikes as a hobby. For some reason, bike nerds out east are very old boys clubbish, meaning that if you aren't in the club, you suck. And if you want them to just fix something, they'll instead try to sell you something, and it will be expensive. Basically, it comes down to them being annoying skinny-pants wearing dickheads who also suck giant bull testicles at customer service... but are they only game in town, so as a customer you are screwed. So I expected to go get a similar reception at this awesome shop in Seattle, Recycled Cycles. After all, they had those same damn skinny pants and stretched out earlobes and mohawks and the like. Instead they were totally friendly, didn't try to sell me shit I didn't need, and fixed my bike for free. Sure, I ended up buying a part and having them install it for $10, but I was going to do that anyways. I guess since there are about a dozen bike shops in a 5 mile radius, maybe even more, they have to have good customer service. Or maybe it's because there is an open and accepting bike culture here or something, I dunno, but I like it, go Seattle.
Ok ok ok, I know, Reader, are sitting there saying, "we get it, you like your new home. We don't care." And I don't blame you. So let me leave you with some pics that might be a bit more enjoyable than my ramblings. In a word, the drive from Minny to here was "long." But in three words, it was: "not that bad." Montana sure is pretty (not to mention huge, although you may have heard that before). NoDak sure is... well, it's NoDak. What more can you say? (Sorry Mindy, it is pretty in that vast prairie sorta way, and the Teddy Roosevelt Park seemed neat.) Anyways, here are some shots, primarily of sunsets and bugs on my windshield... The first three are somewere in NoDak, the last two are in 'Tana.
Welcome to Dickinson, North Dakota. 'Live here. Work here. Get your life back.'
Okaaaaay. Weird.
So we made it here, about 65 miles from the Montana border, give or take. I reckon we put in about 500 miles today. So far so good. Except that my phone broke. It still works, but I cant read the screen anymore. Cant tell who is calling, can't tell anything, whether I even have reception or not. Sooooo, please take time out of your busy lives over the next two days to give me a call and chat it up a bit. To all of you I was hoping to see one last time, I am sorry, packing and family stuff got in the way. I'll buy you a beer when you come visit in Seattle. They are fond of their micro brews there. In fact, there is a contest that you are all welcome to participate in: first friend to come visit the new digs. Winner gets a chocolate cake baked in his or her or their honor. How can you beat that?
Anyways, today went well. There was a bit of a problem picking up the truck, and we got on the road a lot later than we wanted, but oh well. The Kat seems to be far preferring this trip to a similar move blogged about over at Slurry Beta and here a few months ago. We are in a hotel right now, watching Conan on the tube.
Tomorrow night I hope to be camping somewhere near Missoula. Wish us luck.
Godspeed.
Well, since I last regalled you with tales of the firing range, I have been on a bit of an adventure oriented holiday. The most significant chunk of that time was floating down the Colorado River and experiencing about 130 of it while traversing through the Grand Canyon. That was an amazing adventure that included white water rapids, death hikes, rattle snakes, scorpions, and much much more. Some photos of rocks 'n things I encountered on this trip can be found here, in color, or here, in artistic black and white. Anyways, the trip was incredible, and surprisingly to us all I think, the food was really good. Somehow after two weeks on the river the guides were still able to produce fresh veggies and fruits for every meal. Don't know how they did it (nuclear powered cooler is my guess), but the guides were serious cooks and serious eaters and it felt like everyone ate each meal as it was his or her last, I think because with some of the rapids and hikes through the desert we did, it very well could have been. Regardless, I ate way too much given how little excercise I had and am feeling a little sluggish and out of shape at present. The bike beckons.
The second leg of my trip was equally adventurous, although I didn't fully comprehend just how much so until I was in the thick of it. Ostensibly I was in Seattle for a wedding. And it was a beautiful wedding of two beautiful people in a beautiful setting. It was a lot of fun. But the part of the trip I wasn't as mentally prepared for was meeting almost all of my pardner M's extended family. Her mother is 1 of 8 kids or something, and they are not even Irish Catholic or Mormon. No, they are a different breed altogether. I believe sociologists and anthropologists refer to them as Southernous Californicus, but I am no expert. Nice people, don't get me wrong. In fact I have zero complaints about any of them. It is just that meeting that many of one tribe and being instantly and deeply submerged into their reunion rituals for 48 hurs can be quite harrowing for anyone. Luckily I had two good avenues for survival: one entailed latching onto her fun Uncles and drinking heavily, the other involved latching onto the sibling circle of M and her Big Bro and Lil Sis (and taking responsibility for acquiring Lil Sis adult beverages at dinner... a little tip on this technique, boys and girls: when someone is ordering two drinks at a time, in this case a margarita for the youngin and a beer for myself, it is often best if the minor in question does NOT knock over her margarita onto the table and my lap and thereby drawing the attention of the wait staff; you see, subtlety and covertness are usually better tacts in this situation). ANYWAYS, I survived and it was a lot of fun on the whole.
Here are just a few of the shots from the river. If the current career paths for M and I stop working out somewhere down the road, I think we'll take up professional river running...
I mean, if you could guide tours down an amazing geological mystery of wonder and awe, work outdoors (in good weather and bad), and lead hikes to amazing locales like this one (below), wouldn't you seriously consider working for low pay and no benefits?
