thursday i left work early to head over to union station. this would be the first time (not counting boston to salem in '04, or paris to versailles '06) i've ever really traveled via train. amtrak cascades is amazing, though: pretty much nice airplane quality trains (soft reclining seats, legroom, TV screens in each car for film viewing, clean and obviously new). sara and i of course got stuck in a train car with two families of very wild (and uncontrolled) loud children, making our 3.5 hour ride just a little bit less fun. that said, the ride itself was beautiful and very scenic, wrapping around several bodies of water with great views of washington state. at departure, a guy behind us (who was making phone calls and obviously a recording artist/in a band; we paid him little mind until he disclosed on a voicemail that he was in modest mouse--grey suit, next to johnny marr) said something to the mother of the wildest children (yes, the one who b(r)ought headphones so she could watch north by northwest, while her 3 children terrorized the rest of the car) when he left: that little action kind of made me want to like modest mouse.

the lovely fraxl was waiting outside of the seattle train station with wheels ("i has car to pick you up with!"), and we drove towards capitol hill, where she, teh r00t, and gehn reside. we did a little bit of exploring, had dinner at some vegan noodle place (in the bowl) and walked around until around midnight.

friday sara and i woke up and headed down to the obligatory and amazing pike place market. we explored pike and pine a little, then headed back up to cap hill to look for food. i made some poor eating decisions (namely, skipping breakfast and waiting too long to ultimately eat all carbs at 4pm) so, between the heat, aimlessness, and low blood sugar/hunger, i was kind of a mess by afternoon. sara and i ended up at a very mediocre pizza place (that offered vegan toppings, with no love), but this foodie was redeemed by dinner at an amazing and perfect indian place. so delicious. friday night we went out to two clubs--electric avenue and the mercury, both atmospherically good, but the latter had much more energy and involved dancing for our little group. namely gehn, which was adorable.

and now today: onto brunch and who knows what kind of activities!

fez:
patrick wolf - magic position
jarvis - black magic
timo maas feat. brian molko - first day
hercules and love affair - blind
scissor sisters - filthy/gorgeous
lo-fi-fnk - city
yelle - je veux tu voir
the black ghosts - any way you choose to give it
gorrillaz - feel good inc
XTC - making plans for nigel
the smiths - stop me
OMD - souvenir
erasure - oh l'amour
tears for fears - mad world
joy division - she's lost control
peaches - rock show
le tigre - deceptacon
CSS - alala
the gossip - standing in the way of control
tv on the radio - wolf like me
arcade fire - rebellion (lies)
clap your hands say yeah - skin of my yellow country teeth
beck - time bomb
gang of four - damaged goods
the clash - london calling
iggy pop - the passenger
depeche mode - enjoy the silence
new order - bizarre love triangle
when in rome - the promise
erasure - stop!

the matador
jefferson airplane - go ask alice
the clash - guns of brixton
rolling stones - satisfaction
neil young - mr. soul
ELO - don't bring me down
talking heads - road to nowhere
iggy pop - china girl
edwin collins - never met a girl like you before
TV on the radio - staring at the sun
BRMC - save your souls
white stripes - faith in medicine
datarock - fa fa fa fa fa
the breeders - canonball
james - say something
pulp - monday morning
morrissey - maladjusted
oasis - live forever
placebo - i'll be
the cure - fascination street
--
depeche mode - halo
siouxsie and the banshees - the passenger
the jam - going underground
gang of four - damaged goods
the smiths - this charming man
icicle works - birds fly
erasure - a little respect
new order - ceremony
bolshoi - lindy's party
queen - don't stop me now
journey - don't stop believing

yesterday i mastered the "hot dog and hamburger" of my childhood: gumbo!



gumbo is one of those things that is completely hard to find at a restaurant, and if/when you do, it is typically misnamed (usually etoufee, occasionally jambalaya) or completely terrible. you know it's not the "real" thing when tomatoes are involved.

anyway, so i was over my sister's house, perusing the ethnic vegetarian cookbook vanessa_elle got me (which i use, a lot! fusion caribbean/creole non-meat recipes!)...and i realized all the gumbo and etoufee dishes didn't sound like what i remembered eating as a kid. so, like a good cajun does, i began with a roux, and then just experimented.

vegan gumbo:
-roux (equal parts flour and oil, stirred painstakingly slow at the right intervals)
-double the above amount of vegetable broth (or vegetable stock + water accordingly)
-green peppers, green onion, white onion, tofurkey italian sausage browned in a saucepan
-kale and spinach thrown in for the last "simmer" stage
-cayenne pepper, old bay or cajun seasoning, garlic salt to taste
-(served over) white rice

the roux takes about 20-30 minutes (and each 10 minutes improves the flavor, so long as you're constantly stirring it), then it's added to the vegetable broth (which has been heating simultaneously). stir, stir, stir over medium heat; i did all the veggies and veggie sausage on the side and basically dumped it all together, letting it simmer for about 20-30 minutes. (you can change any of the veggies/sausage ingredients; the most authentic option involves using seafood). honestly, if you can simmer this bad boy for hours and eat it the next day, you'd have the perfect gumbo...but we were hungry and waiting an hour was about all we could handle.

friday i secured nick cave tickets. i know the show isn't until september, but i am so excited that i dreamed about dr. cave last night (vaguest impression of a very intimate concert or lecture, the pace of let love in). friday evening sara and i checked out rotture to see lismore, my friend (jeffee)'s brother's band. unfortunately because of the bus schedule, i didn't even get to see them go on! instead i enjoyed the stylings of a couple DJs (decent electro-retro-glitchy-pop madness, but too schizophrenic for my taste). we left, and i ended the night at tiga with a glass of belgian beer (not very good, but they have sadly stopped carrying the only beer i've ever loved), listening to DJF play some vinyl.

saturday day i did very little. we were on the look-out for a last hurrah dinner, and trying to find a good italian place in portland (strangely, a very difficult feat). ended up at an average italian joint in the north that i liked, but didn't love; such is life. saturday night i hung out with marissa for a few hours, then we headed out to the alibi (which pretty much looks like a tiki gay cruise ship got stranded in a watercolor by old gregg.) there was a taurus birthday party going on with a bunch of people (male and female) in wedding dresses, so that was entertaining.

sunday we just weren't ready to enter the realm of "healthy eating" without really enjoying ourselves with one "last" meal (i've gone years on this pretense). so it was that we ended up at roux, a place that i discounted for their carnivorous dinner menu (though cajun! hence the tragedy), but never realized what an incredible brunch spread they had! everything was delicious: i left with such a happy belly. it was a beautiful day sunday, so we took advantage of the sun and crisp air and spent some time outdoors. sunday evening we saw iron man, a much needed escape into entertainment. and that was that.

i just had to "urban dictionary" check FTW and BFFAE. because i didn't know what either of them stood for. hi, i've been online since 1992, but apparently have fallen behind the times.

informatively, i've cut LOL out of my 'net vocabulary, but added IDK (thanks to albertamae).

i can't believe it's may already.

28 april

bitch magazine meet-up.
(play where's waldo and find rainbowrev!)

( more... )

saturday began with breakfast...which i always do in excess (arguably, the only way to do it. i love breakfast.)


the spread (blueberry pancakes, waffles, eggs, grits, and a few voodoo donuts on the side).

( nature's beauty and bubonic plague beneath the cut... )

last night james and i did a quick walk-through during the last thursdays art walk in our neighborhood. we tried it out when we first moved (nov?), but, being on the cusp of winter, things had started to clear out, and artists entered hibernation.

it looks like spring has reignited the alberta arts district's famed weirdness. unbelievable. i love our street and i can't wait for next month. or summer.



(i couldn't wait to post this picture. it didn't work in the square format for project 365, besides i have an equally awesome shot for thursday to include.)

happy friday! man it's going to be a great weekend.

the vaguest impression of a large (human-sized) white bird--something between a stork and a crane--coming after me slowly and, gracefully but aggressively, trying to enclose his mouth on me. i remember grabbing both sides of his beak, separating them but keeping him from clamping down repeatedly, until he gave up and slowly walked away.

ottis redding - tramp
rufus & carla - 'cause i love you
wilson pickett - mustang sally
little richard - bip bop boom
elvis - jailhouse rock
bill haley and the comets - dim dim the lights
buddy holly - maybe baby
the beatles - love me do
rolling stones - under my thumb
van morrison - brown eyed girl
velvet underground - white lines/white heat
t-rex - slider
roxy music - 2HB
the clash - straight to hell
--
the damned - feel the pain
velvet underground - venus in furs
placebo - drink you pretty
pulp - the professional
mick harvey - i love you (nor do i)
blonde redhead - misery is a butterfly
tv on the radio - wolf like me
hot chip - over and over
patrick wolf - tristan
peaches - lovertits
happy mondays - 24-hour party people
pulp - razzamatazz
the national - fake empire
jarvis - running the world
interpol - NYC
low - words
--
prince - darling nikki
siouxsie and the banshees - passenger
depeche mode - halo
erasure - always
the smiths - stop me
the cure - strange day
joy division - she's lost control
lords of the new church - russian roulette
new order - it's called love
lightning seeds - pure and simple
stone roses - i want to be adored
pulp - this is hardcore
--

GIG PLUG: friday @ the crown room, for a disco/70's party. (DJF is going to do most of it, but i'll play part of the night.) 9:30PM-close.

an interesting read (thanks, vanessa_elle) regarding textbooks and their conservative bias. of course, it's houghton mifflin.

honestly, this is unsurprising to me, and surely any of you who work/ed in educational publishing, but is interesting to think about. i experienced so many instances of bias--censorship, excessive PC-ness, omission of "touchy subjects," etc--that it's actually a shock that more instances of this kind of thing haven't come up. (you can find the 65-page textbook critique here.)

last year i read the language police by diane ravitch, which explores (exposes?) all the nitty-gritty publishing dirt about censorship, sensitivity and bias guidelines in textbooks. i highly recommend it to every teacher, parent, and person working in the publishing industry.

matador, monday 14 april, sare-bear birthday edition

bob dylan - sarah
hall and oates - sara smiles
jefferson starship - sara
(fleetwood mac - sara)
--
the clash - magnificient seven
pulp - monday morning
dandy warhols - bohemian like you
arcade fire - rebellion (lies)
louis xiv - hey teacher
white stripes - no faith in medicine
neil young - mr. soul
janis joplin - piece of my heart
the damned - jet boy jet girl
gary glitter - leader of the gang
the cramps - her love rubbed off on me
alien sex fiend - i walk the line
--
tegan and sara - back in your head (remix)
pulp - cocaine socialism
hercules and love affair - raise me up
jens lekman - sipping on the sweet nectar
scissor sisters - filthy/gorgeous
erasure - a little respect
M.I.A. - paper planes
the rapture - whoo! alright! yeah
LCD soundsystem - daft punk is playing at my house
the smiths - girlfriend in a coma
bitch & animal - best cock on the block
--
dion - last kiss
lavern baker - jim dandy
janis siegel: bei mir bist du schon
elvis - don't be cruel
amy winehouse - you know i'm no good
the cramps - all women are bad
nick cave - do you love me?
led zeppelin - kashmir
abba - thank you for the music

jupiter hotel, private wrap-party, saturday 19 april

the beatles - come together
the monkees - stepping stone
t-rex - bang a gong (get it on)
the sweet - blockbuster
david bowie - jean genie
blondie - atomic
erasure - take a chance on me
pet shop boys - west end girls
wham! - everything she wants
automatic - obsession
duran duran - planet earth
soft cell - tainted love
erasure - a little respect
INXS - original sin
depeche mode - just can't get enough
siouxsie and the banshees - kiss them for me
madness - our house
--
pulp - common people
blur - boys and girls
echo and the bunnymen - lips like sugar
david bowie - young americans
dexys midnight runners - come on eileen
madonna - lucky star
gogos - we got the beat
prince - let's go crazy
billy idol - dancing with myself
aha - take on me
yaz - situation
erasure - chains of love
depeche mode - personal jesus
--
james brown - super freak
abba - dancing queen
hot chocolate - you sexy thing
beegees - jive talking
stevie wonder - superstitious
INXS - don't change

OMD - souvenir
the cure - charlotte sometimes
yaz - only you
sisters of mercy - 9 while 9
cocteau twins - blue blue knoll
:wumpscut - wreath of barbs
fad gadget - lady shave
erasure - rapture (cover, remix)
bronski beat - small town boy
soft cell - bed sitter
mika - love today
architecture in helsinki - do the whirlwind (hot chip remix)
lo-fi-fnk - city
the presets - are you the one
IAMX - kiss and swallow
patrick wolf - boy like me
depeche mode - policy of truth
pet shop boys -domino days
siouxsie and the banshees - hong kong garden
joan jett - bad reputation
billy idol - white wedding
alien sex fiend - hurricane fighter plane
peaches - cum undone
gravy train!!! - hella nervous
gang of four - damaged goods
morrissey - hairdresser on fire
the smiths - stop me
ocean blue - ballerina out of control
INXS - don't change
plastic bertrand - ca plane pour moi
yelle - je veux te voir
le tigre - deceptacon
shiny toy guns - le disko
the gossip - standing in the way of control
erasure - stop
real life - send me an angel
automatic - obsession
young gods - did you miss me?
DOA - you spin me round (like a record)
franz ferdinand - do you want to (remix)
LCD soundsystem - daft punk is playing at my house
scissor sisters - i don't feel like dancing
beck - peaches n' creme
prince - raspberry beret
imperial teen - yoo hoo
pulp - disco 2000
blur - boys & girls
gorillaz - DARE
simian mobile disco - i believe
the knife - heartbeats
the cure - lullabye
hall and oates - family man
jarvis - fat children
rialto - crash
david bowie - rebel rebel

i'm throwing sunday into next week's post, and thus posting a day early.

7 april

i discovered this stone in the backyard just recently. i have no idea what it means (though suspect it's pink floyd merch?).

( a week of vanity, color and patterns. )

last fall, during our southern exodus, we ate at this diner in holbrook, AZ called joe and aggie's. after telling them of our oregonian destination, the owners told us about this place he once visited called the grotto that we had to promise to go to.

we didn't go there last sunday because of that promise, per se, but there is a part of me that thought of sending joe and aggie a postcard from the grotto, anyway.


for $5 you can light a candle at the grotto (or do it at home for $1.75 with a candle from the grocery store).

( enter for worship. )