zondag 31 mei 2015

zondag 31 mei 2015 Up at 5:58. Watch France 24. The clock is ticking. Senate at impasse as US surveillance statutes set to expire. "I cross my fingers and I hope to cross the Pacific," Swiss businessman and pilot André Borschberg told reporters just hours before the take-off. Solar plane begins six-day Pacific flight.

Bonne chance, André. What an achieve this would be. Up to work. It's a fairly quiet day. I take a vid during my break at Tilikum Place. The view of the Space Needle is blocked by the trees. Even at this bustling intersection, I can sit and get a little peace. I'm getting hungry. So many restaurants! The 5-Point Café... Is it true what they say? Perhaps. We cheat tourists and drunks since 1929. Home at 4:38. Whew! I'm tired. So, that is all.

zaterdag 30 mei 2015

zaterdag 30 mei 2015 Up at 12:06 PM CEST. Only 3:06 AM PDT in Seattle. Whatever the time zone...

I see that Sepp Blatter is speaking to a press conference in Zürich.

FIFA Chief Downplays US Indictment. En français s'il vous plait! I hear Blatter speak in French without an interpreter, but I understand. The reporter from SKY Sports News HQ shoots some intense questions. I have a question: Could we use Star Trek technology to explore the Universe? Watch Enterprise: Broken Bow. Never pick a fight with a human farmer - lidský farmář.

vrijdag 29 mei 2015

vrijdag 29 mei 2015 Up at 6:26. Watch France 24. Besides all of the FIFA hullabaloo... US formally drops Cuba from terrorism list. Up to QFC to pick up a few things. I can't believe that they're throwing out all those deli sandwiches. Attention! Gender-bending time-traveling boyband - Turnback Boyz!

KUOW does The Record live from Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Soup of the day at The Five Point Cafe- Whiskey!

I suggest the restaurant to some tourists... They come back to them me "The best Philly steak sandwich ever!" Busy day. Since I'm the Middle Man, I am not closing the store. Nice to walk home listening to KEXP. They play a fun song - SPOON: "TV Set" from Poltergeist. During a music break, I hear I don't think we're in Kansas anymore... That's why we live in the Emerald City - Seattle. That helps me decide tonight's movie - Oz the Great and Powerful.

donderdag 28 mei 2015

donderdag 28 mei 2015 Up at 5:32. Watch Free Speech TV. Amy Goodman interviews Julian Assange. It's been 3 years for him. Report - "Pretrial Punishment": Julian Assange Remains in Ecuadorean Embassy Fearing Arrest If He Leaves. Check Seattle Times. Transit news - Capitol Hill light-rail station nearly ready for trains to rumble. Service early next year. I like the look in the Capitol Hill Station.

Seattle Transit Blog - Inside Capitol Hill Station. The escalator leading up to the north entrance at Broadway/John.

The Stranger - Seattle's Only Newspaper - has a report as well: A Tour of the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station That's Set to Open in Early 2016. A little politics... Yesterday, Rick Santorum announced that he's running for president. Let's Watch a Little Bit of Rick Santorum's Announcement, Shall We? by Dan Savage. The Young Turks - John Iadarola and Ana Kasparian - have some opinions as well.

woensdag 27 mei 2015

woensdag 27 mei 2015 A 21-minute movie at 1:11 - Star Trek: Axanar. It's based on old Star Trek lore about Captain Garth of Izar... who (later) goes criminally insane. The Four Years War was fought between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. I love the views of Federation cities getting phaser-bombed by the Klingons. It's only 21 minutes. I need more!

Garth of Izar was a decorated, highly-regarded officer in the Federation Starfleet. His career dissolved in a dramatic descent into madness and attempted genocide, resulting in his commitment to the Elba II asylum for the criminally insane. Watch Whom Gods Destroy.

Asleep for a little while. Turn on Stephanie Miller. I love how the tables have been turned. They talk about the new wedge issues to take people to the polls. His post - The Birth of the Left-Wing Wedge Issue. It's 62° and cloudy for a walk around the neighborhood. The clouds will burn off soon. It's a little quiet today. Need some new earbuds for my radio. $10.99? I hope that they last a while. Back home. Watch France 24. What a scandal! US officials blast FIFA 'World Cup of Fraud' I love this creepy story - 9 Brains Found Next to Train Tracks in NY. So, for that, I need to watch Young Frankenstein. Brain, brain and brain!

Good old Ohio weather. My mom was telling me about thunderstorms rolling through the town.

KUOW does a tribute - Remembering Mary Ellen Mark's Work With 'Streetwise' Seattle Youth. The photographer Mary Ellen Mark died on Monday at age 75. In her honor, I watch Streetwise.

dinsdag 26 mei 2015

dinsdag 26 mei 2015 Up at 3:06. It's my latest Netflix obsession and they saved my place. Watch Grace And Frankie: The Elevator.

I'm also obsessed with the beach house! Where Do 'Grace And Frankie' Live? Asking Because I Absolutely Want To Move Into Their Beach House. During High School, I lived near the beach. Fond memories... The sunsets. Those quiet walks on the frozen sand to the pier during the winter. People watching during the fun summer days on the beach. I miss Vermilion. I bet that I would love La Jolla. Switch to Free Speech TV. At work, I sell many MANY bags. I didn't realize it was such a problem. Are you using your own bag? Never! One of the ads on Free Speech before The Stephanie Miller Show. Whew! A lot of the callers sound hungover from the long weekend. Switch to MSNBC and Melissa Perry-Harris. Interesting collection of original paintings, drawings, prints, and ceramics. Behold - Provocative Photography Exhibit Tackles Race.

We had a good dose of cloud cover for the holiday weekend, but it's 67° and sunny for this Tuesday. Poor bastards... who have to go back to work. I'm off today. A little walk around the neighborhood. What is this?

It says Coffee Makes You Queer... I'm queer enough. Thank you. And 2231 2nd Ave is a little far for me... especially since I have Victrola and Kaladi nearby. Alors, je ne bois JAMAIS de café! Hmmmm. Je ne bois pratiquement pas. Turn on Boulevard du Pacifique on CBUF 99.7 FM.

À écouter aujourd'hui. With all the radical weather recently plaguing the Midwest... wildfires and damaging storms. I want to watch The Day After Tomorrow. But this movie has its own mistakes.

maandag 25 mei 2015

maandag 25 mei 2015 Up at 5:35. Dear people... Seven months to Christmas and happy National Wine Day. Baked potato and fried egg for breakfast. Take a walk around First Hill. It's 53° and quiet. People seem to be sleeping late on Memorial Day. Back home. Turn The Takeway. Listen to the interview with the author Kenneth Davis about his book The Hidden History of America at War.

He talk about why we go to war, who fights, the grunt's-eye view of combat, and how these conflicts reshaped our military and national identity.why we go to war, who fights, the grunt's-eye view of combat, and how these conflicts reshaped our military and national identity. Expecting a busy day at work with Folklife next door. Things are rather normal. On my break, I watch KOMO filming something. Am I in the way? Local company has big plans for small vehicle.

The latest personal vehicle, called a Solowheel, is a cross between a unicycle and a Segway. Back at work, I discover what foreigners crave lately - Melatonin for sleep. I'm tired and grumpy. Glad to go home.

I don't have melatonin, but I DO have some wine. That will help. Spinach salad and beef burrito for dinner. Watch a schlocky 1953 sci-fi movie - Planet Outlaws.

zondag 24 mei 2015

zondag 24 mei 2015 Midnight movie - MST3K: 12 To The Moon. Weird. The moon people want Puff Ball and Taffy.

Asleep for about 4 hours. Schezwan eggplant for breakfast. Watch 2012 while doing a load of laundry. There ARE lots of things wrong with this movie. I'm the Middle Man at work. Spend 10 minutes at Folklife to hear one of the regulars - the Peruvian Flute Band. We're raking in the money from tourists and Folklife attendees. Home at 9:15. Pasta salad and MST3K: Zombie Nightmare.

zaterdag 23 mei 2015

zaterdag 23 mei 2015 Up at 4:08. Trouble breathing. Watch France 24. Documentary about Jacques Chirac's foreign policy. Chirac emerged as a leading voice against George W. Bush in 2003 during the organization and deployment of the United States led military coalition to forcibly remove Saddam Hussein and start the Iraq War. Are there lessons to be learned from Chirac’s foreign policy? Fried eggs on toast. Watch an episode of Grace And Frankie - The Fall. Be careful when you go out for frozen yogurt.

At work, the Folklife Festival 2015 and the cruiseship people keep us busy. Business goes up and down... and I don't know why. I take my lunch break in KOMO Plaza. I guess that the rain didn't get me, but others look wet.

vrijdag 22 mei 2015

vrijdag 22 mei 2015 Le Petit Prince view at Cannes. Watch France 24. Interesting. Ireland could become the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by a national referendum. Ireland votes in historic referendum on same-sex marriage.

It's part of today's debate. The wave of change continues. Busy day at work. It's Friday. Lots of people visit us for their party-weekend. Booze! I hear Peaches in the staff room during my break. I would love a big fat juicy sweet peach. Home at 9:22. Need to settle down. Watch Star Trek TNG: Where Silence Has Lease. How can I relax with that pesky Nagilum!

donderdag 21 mei 2015

donderdag 21 mei 2015 Working crazy late. Home at 1:16 AM. Watch Season 4 of Kickin' It... starring Leo Howard.

Asleep until 8:18. Time for Grace and Frankie. It's Netflix's new comedy series. Starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as women whose husbands leave them for each other. Mon dieu! I cringe when they throw that beautiful seafood at each other in the restaurant. Photo op!

Broccoli and bacon salad for brunch. Take a little walk around the Denny Triangle. The construction overwhelms me... especially on 8th. The dust of concrete floats in the air. Inhospitable... temporally. It will take time for the neighborhood to become habitable. By the way... Down with Seattle! Seattle no longer America’s fastest-growing city. The new figures show the city grew by 2.3 percent from July 1, 2013, to July 1, 2014 — down from 2.8 percent growth the previous year.

Lily and Jane again. Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'

Watch Nine To Five. Take a nice 4 hour nap. Catching up on my sleep. Catch up on The Flash, too. Barry discovers Gideon.

woensdag 20 mei 2015

woensdag 20 mei 2015 Home from work at 1:01 AM. Watch NOVA's Quantum Theory. It's a strange world indeed. Sleep for a few hours. Up at 7:31. Turn on Stephanie Miller. First thing that I hear... Baby Spiders Reportedly Rain Down on Australian Town. I scream in my brain a little bit. Huevos rancheros for breakfast. On the Here And Now show, they take a Look Back At David Letterman’s Top 10 Moments. To me, the most interesting is the interview with the quirky Joaquin Phoenix. It's foggy and 57° for my walk to Uwajimaya. I have the day off tomorrow, so I want to get some food for a cooking project... using my Chinese eggplant. The clouds are thick.

Walk time down to the International District - 32:12 minutes. Home again. Turn on BBC News. IS 'in control' of Syria's Palmyra.

A friend visited Latakia and Palmyra back in 1990 to see the historic ruins. It seems like a dangerous area now. Is there any tourism?

dinsdag 19 mei 2015

dinsdag 19 mei 2015 Up at 4:40. Watch Free Speech TV. Igor Volsky talks with Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) about why Congress should say No Fast Track. Rice and sausage for breakfast. Turn on Stephanie Miller. Comedian Margaret Cho calls in to talk about the U.S. fall dates for The psyCHO Tour. It sounds like an amazing show! Trying to bring some joy to the hysteria and insanity in our world. For example... Was the Iraq War a Crime or a Mistake? Yes.

With that, Paul Krugman drops an epic truth-bomb on Jeb Bush. Marco Rubio and the Iraq war debate. Watch some RT News. Marines Go Home! Scuffles Between Protesters, Police Near US Base In Okinawa. Inequality Street: UK most unequal country in EU, worse than US. It's the focus for The Keiser Report - Great Apes with Human Rights. Russell Brand posts his vlog about eroding rights. I can hear helicopters buzzing around. Turn on KING-5. This looks pretty big! Striking teachers rally, march in downtown.

maandag 18 mei 2015

maandag 18 mei 2015 Up at 2:20 AM. Watch MST3K - King Dinosaur. In the Invention Exchange, a monster in tennis shoes and wearing a smock - Jerry - attends. His buggy, weird red eyes are awesome.

Back to sleep for a couple hours. Turn on Stephanie Miller. Who's going to France? Travis! Can I go, too? Je t'en prie.

An ominous sign of the times. I see a syringe on the sidewalk. Drug use is out in the open. But I want to explore. It's our first taste of summer. It's 75° and sunny. Take the steps...

There are 141 steps down Union Street to the waterfront.

A lot of The Landings on Alaskan Way are getting renovated. Still, I would love to live down here. Access to Elliott Bay and Pike Place.

Watch more France 24. If I can't go to France today... Let's go to San Dimas 1988.

zondag 17 mei 2015

zondag 17 mei 2015 Up at 2:15. Watch France 24. The 68th annual Cannes Film Festival is currently being held from 13 to 24 May 2015. The latest from Cannes - Date or die: 'The Lobster' explores society's fixation with matching couples. The weather in Cannes - 82°F and sunny. Eve Jackson reports.

Can't sleep anymore. Egg fried rice for breakfast. Sunday morning movie - Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Up to work. Cruise tourists again. Someone asks me for directions to Kells. (Oh! I KNOW!) Amazingly, someone climbed all the steps from the Great Wheel to the market. Speak French with another... wearing a special t-shirt. Ceci n'est pas une pipe. Change clothes at home. Up busy little Pike Street. Visit Trader Joe's to get some special IPA. Poster ads for RT... Question More.

Enjoy a beautiful sunset on my way home. Pasta salad for dinner. Watch The Blob.

zaterdag 16 mei 2015

zaterdag 16 mei 2015 Up at 4:38. Turn on BBC News for the entertainment roundup. Encore interview - Jon Stewart on new film 'Rosewater'. Switch to KOMO News. About two dozen activists in kayaks paddle to the middle of Elliott Bay. 'Kayactivists' protest as Arctic drill rig moors off Seattle. A couple of fried eggs and hash browns for breakfast. It's a cool May day in Seattle. The clouds never burn off. I open the store. It's rather busy day. The out-of-towners cannot always appreciate our 5-cent bag fee. In Seattle, we have a Plastic Bag Ban. Let the nickel you pay for a paper shopping bag be a reminder to shop with reusable bags. After work, I take a long walk around Belltown. I like sharing the sidewalk with all the people. I'm not the only one enjoying the neighborhood. Turn on the Boston - Seattle game. It's retro night. They're wearing the throwback Seattle Steelheads uniform.

Chicken chili for dinner. Finally. The last episode of BoJack Horseman - Later.

vrijdag 15 mei 2015

vrijdag 15 mei 2015 Home from work at 12:59. Check KOMO News. I feel sad about it. Like it or not, Seattle becomes Shell's Arctic base. Nice to settle down at home. Relax and heat up some Gekkeikan. Watch Star Trek - Gamesters Of Triskelion. It's true. This is somebody's perverted little virgin slave fantasy...

Margaret Armen. Sleep for 4 hours. The sun wakes me up. Turn on KUOW. Listen to This Week In Fossil Fuels: What's The Alternative. I love it when these guys get together to chat.

Another question: Do Seattle "brogrammers" deserve blame for a changing Seattle? Oh, YEAH! It's a good read. Seattle Times - Amazon’s ‘Life in Seattle’ recruiting video gets satirized. Sub Pop does their own take on the situation - complete with gray skies, homeless people and the Seattle Freeze. I see the Olive Tower, the tents along I-5 and even a hypo. Thanks, Sub Pop. Let's do the Gameradämerung again. Gaos The Great is awesome! Watch MST3K - Gamera Vs. Gaos.

donderdag 14 mei 2015

donderdag 14 mei 2015 Home from work at 12:38. Relax and laugh to MST3K: I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Up at 6:30. Turn on NPR. In the era of the Bullet Train... After the crash in Philly... Lawmakers Vote To Reduce Amtrak Funding. Mushroom omelet and toast for breakfast. Short walk up Pike. Back home for BoJack Horseman. We find out the creation of sitcom Horsin' Around.

It's something different. It's a joyful oddity. Les Femmes d’Alger - a painting by Pablo Picasso - sets a new record when it goes up for auction at Christie's. Fox Blurs Famous Picasso Painting Because Boobies. In an atmosphere of giddy excitement, applause erupts when the sale was finalized - $179 million.

woensdag 13 mei 2015

woensdag 13 mei 2015 Midnight movie - Super 8. I always lose interest in this film after 20 minutes. Tonight, I watch the whole thing. The train wreck scene is amazingly scary. The alien is elusive and mysterious. Why are people disappearing? The sudden appearance of U.S. Air Force investigators and troops in town. At least five people were killed Tuesday night when an Amtrak train headed to New York City from Washington D.C. crashed on a curve in Philadelphia. Six people were hospitalized in critical condition, and 65 more with injuries of some degree. Train travel can be magical. It can go 100 mph. I remember when my train got stopped on the way to Bellingham.

dinsdag 12 mei 2015

dinsdag 12 mei 2015 Midnight movie - Monsters. The film seems experimental. The dialogue improvised. Filmed on location in Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Mysterious.

News alert from BBC - New Earthquake Hits Devastated Nepal. Sleep for a few hours. Up at 6:30. A couple of fried eggs and potato for breakfast. Turn on Stephanie Miller. Bob Cesca of The Daily Banter and The Bob & Chez Show Podcast comes on the show to talk about the latest loser moves of Alex Jones and Jade Helm. Another fine Seattle day. It's 56 and cloudy for my walk in the Denny Triangle. In the box - Why Do We Choose To Live Where We Do? A profound question indeed. Lifestyle trumps affordability in central Seattle, even for some budget-stretchers. I consider myself to be one of the budget stretchers. (But I can't believe I wasted $1 on MegaMillions.)

We're taking "climate refugees" as well... We're dealing with our own environmental concerns - the drought, jellyfish and oil rigs. On the radio - How Climate Change Could Affect The Northwest Economy. The real question: Why Do We Choose To Live In This Universe?

maandag 11 mei 2015

maandag 11 mei 2015 Up at 4:33. I could sleep more. Monday morning movie - MST3K: Samson Vs. The Vampire Women. The vampires - the accursed management at work. Curried egg salad sandwich for breakfast. Turn on Stephanie Miller. Rude Pundit watches BoJack Horseman. Should I dare myself to watch some? It's a wonderful 54° and cloudy. My perfect Seattle day! Walk up to Trader Joe's to get a few things. Trolling the beer aisle at Trader Joe’s for a Budget IPA - Boatswain Double IPA. Yes! Back home. Watch Behind The Candelabra. I should have saved this for Mother's Day. Liberace devotes his Boogie Woogie break to his mom. Chicken chili on spaghetti for dinner. Watch Star Trek: Datalore... and more.

zondag 10 mei 2015

zondag 10 mei 2015 Another restless night. Still feeling rather ill. Watch MST3K: Night Of The Blood Beast. Tossing and turning. Take my temp. Next Star Trek: Nemesis. All hands, brace for impact, Picard says calmly. Switch to RT News. A report from London - ‘No more f**king Tory cuts’: Scuffles at anti-austerity demonstration. Protesters and police face off at the gates of Downing Street. Rice and beans for breakfast. Up to work. Runners seem to be finishing The Color Run - also known as the Happiest 5k on the Planet. Perfect day for a run, too. Lots of Mother's Day cards to be sold. I notice that you can afford a cheap 6-pack Big Flats 1901 beer - $3.65 - including tax... And people count out their pennies for me. I'm grumpy. Walk home in discontent. Calling mom cheers me up. Sit down and relax. Watch Star Trek - Bread And Circuses.

Spock and McCoy are sent into the arena. They face off against Flavius and Achilles. Spock quickly overpowers his opponent and, when McCoy is in trouble, Spock uses the Vulcan nerve pinch on his opponent, ending the fight. A hail of boos and hisses from a pre-recorded "crowd" greets this turn of events.

zaterdag 9 mei 2015

sick zaterdag 9 mei 2015 Restless night. Fever, coughing, nose dripping, sore throat. Turn on RT. They play a documentary - Goebbels, the Master of lies Yes, Joseph Goebbels! Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda for the Nazis. Live from Moscow... The 70th VE-Day celebrations.

Chicken ramen and sauerkraut for breakfast. Turn on KUOW for Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! Steve Buscemi has become one of the most beloved actors of our time. Steve Is Quizzed On Government Jobs. Almost 30 years ago, I saw him in Parting Glances. It's on Netflix!

To help me feel better, I relax to watch some comical Science Fiction like Paul. I love the creation argument in the RV. We believe in the establishment of a biological order through the maelstrom of physical and chemical chaos. Next - Men In Black 3. Agent J must go back to 1969 to deploy the ArcNet, a shield that prevents the Boglodites from conquering Earth.

More of the crazy adventures of Lab Rats. A Proton Fuser creates a parallel universe. Parallel Adam is very introspective, philosophical and non-bionic. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (“the more it changes, the more it's the same thing”).