Rah Rah Pickford!

BELLINGHAM, WA — House-sitting really suits me, esp. when it is an out of town place. (Yes, I do travel as a house-sitter. Anywhere you've got a house, I'll prolly sit on it.) It allows me to check out a new town which does worlders for expanding my horizons. While Bellingham doesn't completely fall into the "new" category (I did attend WWU for a whopping 3 months back in '00), it has been nice to spend some time checking it out. One of my favorite finds* is the Pickford Cinema, Bellingham's only independent cinema. It is a tiny theatre with a tiny screen (upgrades are in their future, I hear), but the movies they play and the people there make it so much different (and dare I say better?) than a regular movie-going experience. Growing up in Anacortes, we didn't get much independent cinema (although to be fair, the Lincoln Theatre does show some good ones, but it is still a car trip away.) Anyway, enough of my waxing nostalgia. The main point of this post was to tell you about the two great movies I have seen recently, both of which I probably would have never seen had it not been for the Pickford. Into the Wild: I read this Jon Krakauer book back in high school. All I remember about it, though, is that it really inspired me. When I heard a movie of it was coming out, I was somewhat skeptical that it might shatter the memories I had formed of the story (as movie remakes of books often tend to do). I couldn't have been more wrong*. The movie inspired me the same way that the book did, perhaps even more now that I am an "adult" with my views of the world a little more solid than back in the days. There were a few parts in the movie, as well as in the book, that brought things back to reality which, although probabaly a good thing, took away from the inspirational side of the experience. Oh well. Anyway, I suggest you see it. Good times. King Corn: To put it concisely, this documentary is essentially the first chapter in Micheal Pollen's Omnivore's Dilemma embodied in movie form. That isn't a strike against it at all. And, no offense Mr. Pollen, this embodiment was much more fun to sit through. It is essentially the story of two guys from the east coast who decide they want to raise an acre of corn. They document their experiment as well as investigate the curiosities that follow. About half the time you are learning about farm subsidies and the processing of corn post-farm, and about half the time you are seeing them run amok with a tractor or interacting with the Iowan townsfolk. As with any good documentary, IMHO, it educated as well as entertained. If the film happens through your town, I highly recommend checking it out. (For all you RSSers, this post is specifically formated for the BdW layout, just so you know)

Sunday December 2 2007

File under: movies

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on Sun 02nd Dec, 2007 07:47 pm PST gretchen said: the two guys from king corn spoke and showed their film at a FOOD symposium at tufts last spring. they are pretty great and second wren's recommendation to watch it. ************************ on Mon 03rd Dec, 2007 07:52 pm PST Nesbitt said: Thanks for the effort, after all that, I tried just rolling over it today, and it worked!?!?! Good job. Also, if you liked the book Into the Wild, you should check out the book The Last American Man. It's about an environmentalist, adventurer, unique, and it is very readable. ************************ on Tue 04th Dec, 2007 02:24 pm PST mandy said: "the spirit of man is fed with new experiences." - Into the Wild(btw, check out my blog to see me new tattoo! rawr!) ************************

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Let It Snow!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,* But the fire is so delightful,* And since I've no place to go,*, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.*. (If this blog post seems more boring than usual, then perhaps you haven't yet clued into the * phenomenon*. Now is your chance to get in on the fun. Whenever you see a "*" throughout one of my posts (and sometimes comments too), hover your mouse over it and you will get the additional text. Each browser has its own peculiarities in displaying these. IE disappears the tool tip quickly. Firefox cuts long sentences short*. (To view the whole thing, right click and select "Properties".) There have been reports of Mac browsers not able to display them at all, although I haven't been able to reproduce that problem yet. If you are having trouble viewing these little gems, drop me a line with the the browser you are using and the operating system (e.g. OSX 10.4), and we'll see if we can get it all worked out. Hopefully in the near future, I will write a custom rollover function that will be a little more cross-browser compatible.)

Saturday December 1 2007

File under: misc, blog

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on Sat 01st Dec, 2007 02:25 pm PST Nesbitt said: As per your request...the little asterisks don't work for me. PS...I want snow.OS: Mac OS X Versions 10.4.11Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1 ************************ on Sat 01st Dec, 2007 07:44 pm PST paul said: the tool tips display completely in safari 3.0.4 and Opera 9.23 on XP. ************************ on Sat 01st Dec, 2007 09:00 pm PST Emily said: Wow, snow! I think I will enjoy the delightful surpises that come with living in an area with real weather. Next year.... I remember the WWU campus being quite beautiful in the snow...sidenote, the walkway between the Chem and Biology building gets snowy (and it's enclosed) That was fun to walk through. ************************ on Sun 02nd Dec, 2007 11:45 pm PST Horge said: Viva la asterisks! ************************ on Mon 03rd Dec, 2007 01:44 pm PST Wren said: Okay, for everyone who is having trouble with the *s, I've added a fix for you. Not only will it help with mac users who seem to be having trouble getting the *s, but also for IE users who don't have time to read the whole note and for firefox users who don't want to be bothered with right clicking, etc. etc. Just click on any * throughout the page and the note will come up in an alert pop-up. Hope this helps! If you are still having trouble, please let me know. ************************ on Mon 03rd Dec, 2007 02:57 pm PST Saxtor said: Hmmm, ANY star would mean the ones in your comment were equipped...* ************************ on Mon 03rd Dec, 2007 03:01 pm PST Wren said: To clarify, click on any * which is being used as an additional info link and receive the message in a pop up alert*. ************************ on Mon 03rd Dec, 2007 11:19 pm PST Firefox-Horge said: Firefox-Horge says "Cool"! Long live Wren. I didn't like the right-click technique, but I was always willing to do it to see what was in store for us. Thanks Wrenjamin! ************************

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FC 9 - Rocket Scientists

I really like this drawing. Deanna did a great job. I hope I didn't botch it with my paint bucket and cutting and pasting (not to mention speech bubbles, etc.) Anyway, I hope you like it. What started out as a month long project has now gone 2 full months without an end in sight (unless my artist goes on strike and tries to demand a percentage of the $4.23 I've made off google ads in the last 5 months*). But since there are always weeks when Deanna's too busy or doesn't like any of the ideas I have, I would like to offer the opportunity partner up on a comic or two to anyone else who likes to draw. (You don't have to be good at all. Just look at some of the ones I've put together.) If you're interested, drop me an e-mail via the contact page.

Thursday November 29 2007

File under: comic

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on Sun 12th Dec, 2010 02:41 pm PST Aurora said: so funny for so many reasons! how many times are a man and a woman in a conversation and walk away with completely different ideas of what just went down?? story of my life! this one made me laugh out loud! ************************

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Winter 2007-08 Taste of Anacortes

As the non-tourist season settles in to sleepy old Anacortes, the excuse to get people out on the town known as Taste of Anacortes is afoot again and I couldn't be happier. Last year, I attended 2 Tastes and thoroughly enjoyed them both. (Read about them here and here). This year, I hope to attend each month's Taste. Good food in small portions ain't something to be scoffed at. If anyone is going to be around Anacortes during one and is looking for a date, I'm totally free. For those content hungry*, I present you the menu for this latest Taste, at least for the Knife Route, which I took.     Flounder Bay Cafe: Prime rib with mashed potatoes, and wine if you so desired (two out of the two times our route has included Flounder Bay, it has been the best stop on the route.)     Il Posto: Bruscetta topped with a chicken meatball sauce. It was pretty good but the atmosphere in that place is about 8 degrees too fancy for me.     Randy's Pier 61: Crab pot which is a cheesy, creamy crab dip served with festively colored tortilla chips.     Rockfish Grill: Shrimp salad, which we would have enjoyed way more had we done it as the first stop. The big bonus at the "Rocker" was the Spoonshine Duo was playing. Good times.     Johnny Picasso's: Carmel drizzled, pumpkin, cream-cheese cake with coffee. I've been wanting an excuse to go in there for the past couple years and I'm glad I finally got the chance. The owner is super nice and, if that cake was any indication, the desserts are out of this world.

Thursday November 29 2007

File under: Anacortes, food

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on Thu 29th Nov, 2007 03:53 pm PST Saxtor said: Is "No Spoon Route in November" the new name for The Dish? I've never visited that restaurant... ************************ on Thu 29th Nov, 2007 06:21 pm PST kate said: I'm coming to town! I'll be there tomorrow, in fact. ************************

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The (New) Trick

Being an uncle is awesome. You get a kid to play around with but without all those pesky paternal safety instincts. From the beginning, I took full advantage of this with "games" like baby tuck 'n run* and homogenize the baby*. But the best thing that came from that "neglect for safety"* is The Trick. From about 4-months on, Cora and I performed The Trick whenever we could. She loved it. I loved it. The audience (minus the mothers, of course) loved it. Photographic evidence here, here, and here. But as her 5th birthday quickly closes in, Cora is getting a little big for The Trick (or perhaps I am getting a little weak in my old age). Since my desire to continue to gravitationally, spatially, and self-masterily expand her horizons hasn't waned, we've developed a new trick. As yet, it still requires some work. Her confidence has a way to go, but only because my ability to keep her upright still needs a little work. But I foresee this trick going good places. I'm thinking Carnegie hall in 2009. Buddo, are you with me? (We'll prolly have to work up a new promo shot though.)

Tuesday November 27 2007

File under: pics, misc

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on Tue 27th Nov, 2007 01:33 pm PST Emily said: She looks like a natural to me. Possibly a career in the circus arts? ...keep the family tradition going... Excellent new trick Miss Cora! :) ************************ on Tue 27th Nov, 2007 04:57 pm PST dave said: she needs to learn to juggle fire while she's just standing there. ************************ on Tue 27th Nov, 2007 05:34 pm PST gretchen said: oh my god, cora looks like she's 20! ************************ on Tue 27th Nov, 2007 06:41 pm PST Nesbitt said: My nephew can light his own farts on fire...I wouldn't recommend it for children under 6. ************************ on Wed 28th Nov, 2007 10:44 pm PST jenelle said: that's it! wren, you can blow fire from your mouth at the same time she farts! ************************ on Mon 03rd Dec, 2007 10:47 pm PST little adiantum and punksto said: she is a natural... and she dreams of being a tight rope walker in the circus. i'm serious... ask her! ************************

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FC 8 - Priceless

In honor of Black Friday* (also known as Buy Nothing Day), I present to you this week's comic. In a bit of a change from comics of the past, this is meant more as a political/editorial comic rather than a ha ha comic (although I would like to think that it still might elicit a chortle or snicker (or even perhaps a guffaw)). Anyhoo, I didn't drag my loyal artist Deanna into this bucket of worms in fear that a'doings might transpire. Besides, I'm getting pretty good at this whole electronic tracing thing (as long as I can find an image of the exact thing or scene I want to portray). Anyway, hopefully we'll be back next Friday with a less controversial comic that can be enjoyed by all (or at least by people who like semi-funny things.)

Thursday November 22 2007

File under: comic

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on Fri 23rd Nov, 2007 09:50 am PST Saxtor said: This is great! Great idea, and great execution. ************************ on Sun 25th Nov, 2007 04:33 pm PST Jule said: I finally read it and I agree, nothing beats living beyond your means.... ************************ on Tue 04th Dec, 2007 02:08 pm PST mandy said: you should have seen the lines in the stores on Black Friday, incredible ************************

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Post-Feast Burrito

Happy Thanksgiving! While the holiday is slightly different for me this year than last year, it will still be great. Instead of being surrounded by palm trees and beaches, I will be surrounded by friends, family, and traditional food. I sincerely hope that you are surrounded with somethings/someones that make you happy as well. Speaking of food, we all know the standard: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, and pie. It is a meal that I look forward to for quite some time, but there is something that occupies the food portion of my brain* more, for which the anticipation is even greater than feast: the post-feast burrito. I claim the invention as my own and this Thanksgiving, I would like to share the recipe with you. Start with a flour tortilla, preferably the large size*. First lay down stuffing, mashed potatoes, and turkey. Liberally drizzle gravy on top, followed by a layer of cheddar cheese. Zap it all in the microwave for a minute or so, depending upon your portions. Top it off with a little cranberry sauce, fold, and enjoy.

Thursday November 22 2007

File under: holidays, food

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on Thu 22nd Nov, 2007 05:59 pm PST Andrew said: ...don't forget to tell all where you had the most delicious pfb ever. Need I remind you? VT? Vegan? ************************

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One Angry Man

Last week, I got called in to serve jury duty. As anyone who has been called in knows, the process between being called in and actually sitting on a jury is somewhat complicated, although very interesting. It turns out I have a lot to say on this, so I've split it into three sections below for your reading convenience. Click to read my blurb on each. About the process:First, you recieve a summons letter in the mail with a date, a juror number, and a phone number to call on the appointed date. When you call the number, you are told whether you are to report for duty or call back again in a couple of days (all based on your number). The first summons I received in the mail a couple years ago, I kept calling back and calling back and eventually they told me I was excused, without ever having to go in. This time, however, after a week of being told to call back, I got called in. When you get called in, the 30-40 or so of you mill around for a bit and sit awkwardly for a bit. Then you are given a juror number, randomly selected. The judge proceeds to ask a bunch of general questions to which you respond by raising your number (have you served on a jury before, do you know the defendant or lawyers, etc.) Then, each lawyer has a couple chances to ask questions both of the group as a whole and of individuals specifically. These questions dealt more with the nature of the case (in this case, fraud and identity theft). Essentially, they were trying to figure out who amongst us would be inclined to agree with their case*. Each lawyer is allowed to dismiss up to 6 potential jurors without giving a reason. After that is discussed with the judge, he reads off who is going to be a juror. The way it works is they start taking any person, starting from number 1 from the numbers we were randomly assigned, that hasn't been dismissed by either lawyer. About my experience:I had a vague understanding of how this process was to go, so I got relatively excited to be assigned number 13. I figured at least one of the people ahead of me would be dismissed so I was a shoe in. I know most people loathe jury duty but I was pretty excited to be part of the process. And I figure it is something everyone should do in their life, so I might as well get mine out of the way early. (My buddy Dave over at Publius Baltimore has a write-up of his jury experience here.) Well, I didn't get picked. For some reason, one of the lawyers opted to dismiss me without explanation. While I know this is their prerogative and an integral part of the process, my feelings were hurt. Essentially, they thought that I couldn't provide a fair and balanced decision. Whether it was because of my age, scruffy appearance, my answers to their questions, or because of the nature of my job and the possibility it relating to the crime, I don't know. I was tempted to track them down later to find out why so I would be better prepared next time around, but I figured that might border on obsession. So while the whole experience didn't leave me "angry" per se, I would say I left pretty bummed. Observations:The Skagit Covnty Covrt Hovse* has possibly the most ridiculous security process I've seen. There is a metal detector that beeped at EVERY SINGLE PERSON that went through while I was watching. I never get beeped at the airports but for some reason, it beeped me here. And the way it is all set up, it would be incredibly easy to just walk past it. In Skagit County, for the trouble of showing up for jury duty, you get compensated to the tune of $10 a day plus mileage. So on top of the learning experience I recieved, I can expect a check for a cool $25!

Sunday November 18 2007

File under: Anacortes, misc

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on Sun 18th Nov, 2007 01:25 pm PST Ryan Walters said: I walk past that metal detector all the time...but I have a special pass. They definitely make you show it, even when they recognize you. I wouldn't discount the possibility that most of the people it beeped were actually carrying something metal. You find a lot of pocket knives and lighters on the courthouse steps. ************************ on Mon 19th Nov, 2007 05:28 pm PST Nesbitt said: I find it amusing that you were miffed at not being called. I was miffed at being called...While I understand on one level, it is kind of interesting how we tolerate the use of what can only be classified as stereotypes in choosing juries, where we would not tolerate it anywhere else. ************************ on Mon 19th Nov, 2007 07:51 pm PST Saxtor said: I'm with Wren, I was pretty bummed when I didn't get called either. Definitely a good write-up, but I imagine it would have been all the more better if they actually let you into the exclusive Jury Club. ************************ on Wed 21st Nov, 2007 12:10 pm PST Sean said: Getting out of jury duty is easy. The trick is to say you're prejudiced against all races ************************ on Wed 21st Nov, 2007 12:23 pm PST amanda said: the day after reading your blog i received a summons! luckily i no longer reside in skagit county. ************************ on Wed 21st Nov, 2007 09:32 pm PST Wren said: I'll buy it from you. I aching to try my new approach. ************************ on Thu 27th Mar, 2008 08:57 am PDT JJ said: I had the same experience. I wasn't picked. I wore a pin striped suit, and all the "scruffy" people got picked. I related an experience I had giving "postive" testimony about someone I absolutely hated, in order to show that I could be "above personal feelings," (because, like you, I wanted to be on the jury), and I didn't get picked! ************************

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FC7 - Young Love

This week's comic features the artistic double teaming of Deanna on drawing everything and of me clicking approximately 6 times with the paint fill bucket. (Please, Deanna, don't be mad. At first it was just going to be the tree and then I got carried away.) As always, don't forget to click on the image to see the whole comic and click on the "File Under:" to see other comics in the series.*

Thursday November 15 2007

File under: comic

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on Tue 20th Nov, 2007 09:49 am PST Emily said: I finally did look all the big words up...after a while I thought maybe he was trying to actually say something. Sounds about right. :) ************************ on Wed 21st Nov, 2007 12:24 am PST mike said: and a comedic genious is born! where have i been?! ...apparently missing out on many-a priceless tid-bit! ************************

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Birdhouse Factory

We all know I am a circus geek, right? (No, not that kind of circus geek, although chicken is pretty tasty. Anyhoo...) Whenever a circus type performance comes to the area, I like to attend. This latest circus, the Birdhouse Factory, particularly piqued my interest. Its website describes it as acrobatics + machines + theatre + circus. What's not to be piqued about that? Well, that turned out to be a pretty accurate description. The props really added to the shows. Whether it was the unicycle driven stage or the elaborately geared German wheel*, there was always something mechanical going on on stage. Besides the standard circus fare of juggling, aerialists, and whatnot, this show had something I haven't ever seen before, which is always a pleasant surprise. There was a trampoline act that was among the neatest things I've seen in a while. Performers would jump off a platform, perform various flips, and then land back on the platform as smoothly as if it was a video being played in reverse speed. So neat! Another really neat aspect of this circus was their schedule. They performed mainly in smaller towns up the west coast (Bellingham as opposed to Seattle), at least for this tour. So often, it seems to me, a chosen denizen of smaller cities/towns, that culture/entertainment sometimes passes us by. To see groups catering to that leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Tuesday November 13 2007

File under: juggling, events

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on Sat 17th Nov, 2007 04:21 am PST whuppin stick said: hey, let me know when they're passing through southwest japan. ************************

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