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SXSW Tally

jake — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:02:35 +0000

47 bands in total, two of which we saw twice. Here’s the list… the good, the bad, and The Good, The Bad and The Queen…

+/-
androids and apes
architecture in helsinki
beirut
bishop allen
black lips
briertone
busdriver
catfish havan
cheeseburger
chromeo
cyann & ben
daniel johnston
donovan
fujiya & miyagi
girl talk
holy fuck (and friends)
human giant w/ eugene mirman
jack penate
kate havnevik
lemurs
les savy fav
loney, dear
love drug
mew
my brightest diamond
oakley hall
oh no! oh my!
peter bjorn and john
prototypes (x2)
robyn hitchcock w/ joe boyd
rockland eagles
sloan
styrophone
tan! (x2)
the big sleep
the black angels
the good, the bad, and the queen
the gossip
the pipettes
the ponys
the rosebuds
the spill canvas
the young knives
tim and eric
turbonegro
voxtrot

pics coming soon…

Thoughts On ‘06

jake — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 03:12:09 +0000

Here’s a bunch of election-related thoughts that have been bouncing around my head today:

WHOOOHOOO!!!
OK, let’s NOT screw this up. Please, please, please… Pelosi, Reid: learn from what happened to Gingrich and Dole in ‘94. Don’t be vindictive. Oversight is fine, and we need to uncover some of what’s been going on with regard to lies and corruption. But don’t go after Bush with crazed fervor. Be the good guys. Pass effective, progressive legislation, and let Bush look like a jerk for vetoing it. Set us up for a win in ‘08, not a thumpin’ right back in our faces.
WHOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
All you progressive blogs (DailyKOS, Eschaton) who are claiming the Democrats won this election: no, they didn’t. The Republicans lost it. Own up to that, understand why, and we can at work towards building an effective progressive platform going forward. People don’t really think we have good ideas on how to run things; they just voted for change. Let’s show them they are wrong about the first thing, and earn their trust.
Suck it easy, Rick Santorum. You were the biggest douche in the Senate, and that’s saying alot. I’m amazingly glad that everyone in Pennsylvania (even moderates and conservatives) picked up on that; you deserved to lose in an even bigger landslide, but this one will do.
Today Dennis Prager jokingly cautioned conservatives not to leave the country the way liberals jokingly said they would in ‘04. That one got me thinking… liberals joked about moving to Canada. Where would a conservative go? Saudi Arabia? North Korea? OK, seriously… Taiwan? Singapore? I mean, all of Europe and Oceania are more liberal than we are, and that’s pretty much the entire First World, right?
This kind of crap needs to stop. It is time for campaign reform; what are we, six? Candidates who make it to the final ballot in federal elections should be prohibited from buying private advertising, be given equal amounts of free airtime, and should not be allowed to mention their opponents at all in said ads. This would take a big chunk of the money out of campaigning, and promote positive political advertisements which campaign on a candidate’s strengths instead of an opponent’s weaknesses.
WHOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

More to come, I’m sure.

Lay Low In a Tropical Hideout

jake — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:57:08 +0000

It sucks that we have no memory card reader on this island… I got some really amazing pics today. Sasha rented a scooter and since I have a motorcycle license they let me take a 200c little cruiser bike (sorta like my old suzuki) and together we went tearassing around the island. It was a real blast; we caught some spectacular views. We’re going out partying tonight in the biggest village on the island, Fira, before our morning “flying cat” ride to Mykonos (assuming it’s not too windy to sail). I, like you, said “a flying wtf?”. Turns out it’s a catamaran hydrofoil, probably something like this.

Anyways, next time I come to an internet cafe I’ll bring my camera dock and finally up some photos. Catch you on the flip.

Islands Tour (without J’aime Tambour)

jake — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 17:33:04 +0000

Well the internet cafe we’re at doesn’t have a SD card reader, so I can’t upload any photos, but Sash and I have arrived on the island of Santorini, famous for its white houses, blue-domed churches, and black sand beach. It’s certainly a beautiful island, and this time of year the weather is balmy and the island isn’t yet crowded with the entire population of Europe, so it feels incredibly lax and easygoing… a very sharp contrast to the intensity of Athens. To my dismay, they now use cars to get you up the cliff walls from the port to the city instead of donkeys, so my tough talk yesterday was in vain. But our driver met us at the ferry and has been very helpful (if a bit pushy), and we checked into our beachside hotel with no problems. We walked around the island for a bit, and relaxed with cocktails as we watched the Brazil vs. Ghana game; it’s pretty hard to avoid the World Cup here. Tommorrow we plan to rent scooters and check out the rest of the island. If I don’t have time to blog within the next few days: Thursday we leave for Mykonos, which in contrast to this island is supposedly a hip party spot; I’m sure I’ll fit right in.

Cheers!

Athens (Not Georgia)

jake — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:13:12 +0000

We’ve arrived safe and sound in Athens and so far our tour company, while definitely European (“oh, someone will come pick you up, probably”) has not let us down yet. Our driver met us at the airport, our hotel is clean and comfy, and today’s city tour and lunch were quite nice. Athens is an interesting city… very dense and filled with hustle and bustle. There are more batshit-crazy drivers and motorcyclists here than I’ve ever seen, though Sasha assures me it’s nothing compared to Southeast asia and I believe him. Oh, and it’s hot as hell here.

Yeah man, but it’s a dry heat.

Anyways, last night we walked around the very touristy area called Plaka, where they have lots of small shops and tourist trap bistros. We ate dinner at one and then had a beer at the hotel bar, which is actually pretty awesome; it’s on the roof of the hotel and has a great view of the whole city and the lit up acropolis (interesting side note: the tallest skyscraper in Athens, nicknamed “the Athens tower”, is only 24 floors high; the lack of tall buildings really gives the place a flat, sprawling feel, and sets the acropolis out above the rest of the city). Today we went to the acropolis and agora, and saw the Parthenon, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the tower of winds, and a bunch of other cool temples and ruins thereof. We also hit up the National Archeological Museum, which was pretty awesome; tons of classical era sculpture, which I really dig. Now we’re at an internet cafe a few blocks from the hotel and we’ve gotta go find a laundromat, since we’re running out of clean clothes.

The connection here is too slow to upload all my pictures, but I’ve selected a few and uploaded those, so take a look. Tommorrow morning at 6:25 am we head to the harbor to catch a ferry to Santorini, where I plan to ride a donkey.

Stay loose.

Ugh, You Really Don’t Get It

jake — Tue, 03 May 2005 23:47:21 +0000

Good lord, this is frustrating. When I see the kind of pure divisive malarkey John Tierney is peddling in the NYT today it just makes me want to bash my head against a wall. Ok, one more time, step by step, for the cheap seats.

Mrs. Bush’s performance, and her husband’s reaction, wasn’t a shock to the reporters who cover the White House. For years they have tried to convince their friends outside Washington that Mr. Bush is actually not a close-minded dolt, and Mrs. Bush is no Stepford Wife or Church Lady. Yes, they’re Texans who go to church and preach family values, but they’re not yahoos or religious zealots.

The coverage of Mrs. Bush’s comic debut may change some minds, but for devout Bush-bashers, it’s much easier to stay the course. If you live in a blue-state stronghold, a coastal city where you can go 24 hours without meeting any Republicans, it’s consoling to think of the red staters as an alien bunch of strait-laced Bible thumpers.

Oh, I’m quite aware that Bush is no dolt, Mr. Tierney. You, on the other hand, are a different story.

You won’t find me complaining that Laura likes horse cock jokes. It’s something we can finally agree on; I mean, hey, horse cocks are funny. And I’m only a little bit shocked that conservatives, (who are so concerned with the moral decay in this country [caused by us progressives, of course]) think they’re funny too. Next you’ll tell me they’ve changed their stance on Jackson boobies. Ah, one can only dream.

You’re right, it is easier for myself, a self-proclaimed Bush-basher, to stay the course. But I’m pretty sure it has less to do with his wife’s comedic abilites than with his horrific social, economic, and foreign policies. Then again, she was pretty funny. Maybe I should change my mind about abortion, school prayer, the iraq war, social security, health care, education, gun control, the environment, and pretty much every other issue; Laura did make me chuckle.

And let me say this one more friggin’ time: I don’t think of red-staters as alien, straight laced bible thumpers. I do however, think that a very small and vocal minority on the right fits that description, and unfortunately, they are becoming more and more active in the American government. Perhaps it’s time you acknowledged their presence and disowned them instead of us. I mean, at least we have that horse-cock thing in common.

The favorite Democratic explanation is that the red staters are hicks who have been blinded by righteousness, as Thomas Frank argues in "What’s the Matter With Kansas?" He laments that middle-class Kansans are so bamboozled by moral issues like abortion and school prayer that they vote for Republicans even though the Republican tax-cutting policies are against their self-interest.

But middle-class Americans don’t simply cast ballots for Republicans. They also vote with their feet, which is why blue states and old Democratic cities are losing population to red states and Republican exurbs. People are moving there precisely because of economic reasons – more jobs, affordable houses and the lower taxes offered by Republican politicians.

Umm, have you actually *read* What’s the Matter With Kansas? Because I have, and that’s not what Thomas Frank argues at all. He does at one point argue that conservative pundits consistently try to paint liberals as elitist and out of the mainstream with regard to social issues and then use those social wedge issues to get people to vote against their own economic self-interest. Sound familiar?

Oh, and much of the book is dedicated to his personal account of the complete economic devastation Kansas is currently experiencing due to the “lower taxes” of which you speak. Yeah, you forgot to mention that those lower taxes are for corporations such as Westar, Aquila, and Sprint; remember when all those companies laid thousands of people off and still paid their CEOs millions in severance packages? Ah, those were good times for every working man. If people are moving out to the red states (I don’t know what statistics you are quoting here), it’s because the economy sucks, you cut their welfare, education, and health care, and they can no longer afford to live in the cities.

They’re not moving for the churches, and they don’t vote for Mr. Bush simply because he reads the Bible every day. One of the main reasons they like him is that he gets bashed so often. When Jon Stewart sneers at him, they empathize because they’re used to being sneered at themselves.

Why is it you think John Stewart is sneering at the president? Because he’s a hick? News flash, you fucking moron: there hasn’t been a northerner *Democratic* president for 42 years. We hate Bush because his policies are not in line with our political opinions, not because he’s a hick. Stop telling everyone that we’re elitist just because we disagree with your views. And he’s not even a real hick anyways; he went to Yale, for christ’s sake.

They know what their image is in Manhattan and Hollywood, and they know they’re not all that different from the Democrats in those places. They, too, watch “Desperate Housewives,” and they’re not surprised to hear Laura Bush doing Chippendales jokes. They’ve spent their own dollar bills there. They don’t see anything the matter with that – or with themselves.

Oh, oh, we’re not that different? Really? Hmm, that kinda sounds like what I’VE BEEN SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS. Oh, and one more thing. The next time you plan to accuse me of turning up my nose at middle america, could you please remind yourself just who owns Manhattan and Hollywood? Cause last time I checked, Republicans seem to be the ones running things these days.

New Japan Pics

jake — Sat, 26 Mar 2005 22:35:51 +0000

I’ve uploaded a few of the pictures I took while doing touristy stuff yesterday. You can see all the japan pictures by going to my Flickr photostream and choosing the tag japan. Hope you enjoy; we’re having a blast so far.

Flickr Blogging Test

jake — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 05:45:31 +0000

Hey all… This is a test of my new mobile blogging setup using flickr.com. More on this tommorrow, but the short version is that I’m blogging from my phone. Pretty sweetner. Hopefully this will let me capture craziness as it goes down live. Cheers!

long time no blog

jake — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 06:05:53 +0000

I’ve been too lazy, busy or boring to write any new blog entries over this past month or so. You know what that means: this entry is going to be one long sumbitch [sic]. Prepare yourself for the power of the multiple section blog entry!

The Whiny Political Section

Here’s a good one; the International Rescue Committee (http://www.theIRC.org) issued a report last week that claims that over one thousand (1000!) people die EACH DAY as a cause of the civil war in Congo. ONE THOUSAND. PER FUCKING DAY. We lost 3000 one day and it was the biggest national tragedy in fifty years. We hit 1000 deaths in Iraq and it was big big news. These guys have been losing 1000 each day for SIX YEARS. That’s 3.8 MILLION people. I’ve never even heard Congo mentioned in the news in the last few years, and I really follow the news. There is something seriously wrong with that.

Attention everyone: please stop killing each other. That is all.

So evidently the entire upcoming generation of youth in China believe that if Taiwan makes a move for independence, China should attack, invade, and occupy the island. Listen to this. China even has video games in which you play as the Chinese army and invade Taiwan. Jesus.

The Funballs Section

What kinds of balls, you ask? Foosballs, of course! Yes, it’s that special time of year where we lube up our rods and begin whacking our balls once again; my winter foosball league has officially begun. We’re doing pretty good this year (6-2), and my rating has gone up to a 3.5. Go Oasis!

Speaking of balls, the FPPA (FPOL [Finer Points of Life] Pin Pals Association) – which is Wu’s brother bowling league to his softball league – is not getting off the ground. Very disappointing, considering I suck at softball and am a sickner bowler.

Oh, and ball-less but recreational nonetheless, I’ve started up World of Warcraft. Nerdy goodness (ahem lvl 16 Human Priestess on Udlum ahem).

La Vita é Bella Section

Good times at the Yahoo! YEP. Good times indeed. Too bad I didn’t take any pictures.

Hit up some hot shows since last post: Blonde Redhead, The Futureheads, A.C. Newman, Pinback, Neko Case, and Iron and Wine. Expect a big end of 2004 music extravaganza later this week.

Noticed my perfect punctuation this post? It’s all due to Lynne Truss and the hilarious Eats, Shoots & Leaves. One of the many awesomener things I got for Hanukkah this year. Among others: America the Book, Obliviously On He Sails, What’s the Matter With Kansas, and a bunch of Japan tourbooks for my upcoming trip.

Well I think that’s about it. Like I said, BIG music post coming. BIG.

Fat-to-Fit Returns

jake — Wed, 17 Nov 2004 23:30:10 +0000

…in more ways that one.

First, Mr. Mark Johnson is moving back to California; specifically, Palo Alto. The genius behind Fat-to-Fit is returning after one (semi) victorious season as a St. Louis Cardinal. Love it.

Second (and let’s be honest, much more importantly), I have decided I am sick of being a fatass, and have started my workout regiment again. In the vein of Fat-to-Fit, I have written some software to track my (and any number of user’s) progress. I call the software PinF (PinF is not Fat-to-Fit) and it allows me to enter a number of metrics daily and graph them across certain time periods. I am currently tracking my weight, body fat, and water percentage using a scale and body fat monitor. Here are some canned graphs of my progress so far.