The Olympics are done

Well sadly the Olympics have come to an end. So now what is there to do? I mean besides wait the 529 days until Torino.

I guess there will be other ways to amuse ourselves in the last week of summer. Like perhaps, the shit hitting the fan? Let's watch!

Charming or Charmless

So, as we all know, Kerry was on the best television program in the world this week.

Some reviews of his performance have been pretty poor indeed. Did you see it? What did you think?

Here's one such negative take on his performance.

His lack of vibrancy, his utter dearth of sex appeal made Al Gore look like Charo.

Just say no

Two examples of people refusing to do what is asked of them:

• Bush Campaign Refused to Pull Olympic Ad



• Gymnastics officials want Hamm to give up gold

It's a Film About Karaoke

More exciting news of friends who actually do shit instead of just talking about doing shit. My old friend Matt, aka The Rooster, has spent the last year making a feature length film about Karaoke. It's call Unsung and it played at the Henry at the beginning of the month. It's also slated to play the Twilight Exit (my guess for where it all began) over Labor Day weekend.

Go Matt Go!

Log jam

This weekend we're heading to the coast again to hike in and camp at Rialto.

A story in the Seattle Times talks about how Highway 101 on the Olympic Peninsula is being threatened by the Hoh River.

The Hoh is the unruly teenager of Washington rivers.
And it likes to eat.

Get the Funk Out

Hey if you like funk and want to help a great cause, there is a show coming up that you should go to.

The details:

The band: Doctor Funk
The date: Saturday, August 28, 2004 at 7pm
The place: Broadway Performance Hall (Pine and Broadway)
The cause: Psychotherapy Cooperative (a small, grass-roots non-profit organization providing critical, long-term psychotherapy services to people in the greater Seattle community who might not otherwise have an opportunity to receive them.)

The Psychothereapy Coop is a group my friend Claire has been involved with for years. They are a great group providing great services.

You should go. We should go. Funk it up.

Surfing Sass

Here's little miss thing on a surf board at La Push.

The XXVIII Olympiad

The Olympics are coming! Someone tell the Greeks so they can hurry up and finish getting ready.

Now it may come as a surprise to you, but I'm a big old fan of the games.

So the pentalalon has been condensed into 12 hours (instead of over 4 days like it was in Atlanta. The five events are: shooting, fencing, swimming, showjumping (on horses, silly) and running. I just wonder what kind of economic background produces a kid who has talent in those five areas.

Also the kayaking course sounds hard core. They have built a saltwater course. Take that in your eyes competitors! It tastes different.

I'm bracing myself for more one sided American coverage. Although by the time I figure out how to see what events are showing on TV, it'll be time for the winter games. Once again, I feel like I'm the only one left on the planet who doesn't have cable.

Have you ever had a Penguin?

Turns out that Scott has just discovered Penguins after his recent visit to England (a land he describes as "full of beans and toast"). He is now harrassing the company that makes Penguin's to send them on over here.

Read about his adventure and see disturbing pictures of his combined chocoloate/foot fetish. He's a funny, funny guy.

The Turnagain Arm

Here's another one from the Alaska trip. It's a shot of the Turnagain Arm, which comes off the Cook Inlet south of Anchorage. It's name comes from the fact that it turns, and then it turns again (nifty, huh). The cool thing is that with each tide comes a seemingly neverending wave. It starts out at sea and travels all the way down the arm. It's called the Bore Tide. And crazy folk surf it all the way.


I'm also in the picture. Enjoying the nature, waiting for the bore tide, sipping on a beast.

Zeugma

A new favorite word.

From Dictionary.com , Zeugma is: "A construction in which a single word, especially a verb or an adjective, is applied to two or more nouns when its sense is appropriate to only one of them or to both in different ways."

For example: He lied about the National Guard and WMDs.

The Keystone State

It's been a hurried and haggard trip to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I'm on the third leg of the liberal barbell: Pittsburgh, Philly, now State College. The purpose of the trip was to see my darling roommate from undergrad tie the knot and to visit old friends and to just generally have a big fat cup of nostalgia.

Happy news is that one old friend (and one of the biggest smartypants I know)is running for State Senate in the 21st district: Kevan Yenerall. You can see the match up here or his faculty page at Clarion University. I'm so hoping he wins. It may be a tough battle in this traditionally Republican part of the state, but if anyone can do it, Dr. Yenerall can.