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September 29, 2005

In Middle America

There is a Counting Crows song with a line that goes “somewhere in middle America.”

Okay, so it’s not the same place as “Omaha,” the title of that song, but boy, didn’t I feel like I was out in the middle of nowhere when A and P and I hit Lanesboro, Minnesota, to hop on some bikes.

Corn fields stretch along the highway from Minneapolis to Rocheseter to there. Driving out on a paved line after more than a year without a car and making my daily trek from Capitol Hill to downtown by foot or bus was, well, kind of old school. Reading an atlas. Figuring stuff out. Wasn't this how we passed our North Carolina travel days?

Except for the wider roads, which can accommodate angled parking and SUVs, Lanesboro felt like Skibbereen, West Cork. A cute town with colorful rows of houses and little shops. People who take their time making guacamole wraps. An Irish flag, even, though on a museum instead of a pub.

This was our own little throwback to Main Street, like being in front of Field’s (is it still Fields?, or has the grocery been overtaken by that German supermarket chain LIDL? There was talk. Oh yes, in 2003, there was definitely talk.)

For most of our trip, we listened to Laser 101.7, this classic rock station that seems fixated on Ozzy Osbourne. Akira later told me he saw a “Laser” billboard, and got excited when we randomly tuned in. This is the kid who spent his allowance at recording studios playing drums. Classic.

I don’t know. It’s been less than a week and feels a little strange to be back in this intense “blue dot” that is Seattle.

As in, “So it’s not just my town in North Carolina that’s quiet and rural. It’s not just home where people drive around everywhere, work on farms, listen to the 'Hot Nine at Nine' and put spray in their hair. It’s everywhere. A wide swath of 'American culture' that starts on Seattle’s Eastside and stretches clear across to the other coast.”

As in, "Wrap your head around that."

Roll a new life over
In the middle of the night, there’s an old man threading his toes through a bucket of rain
Hey mister you don’t wanna walk on water, cause you’re only going to walk all over me
Omaha, somewhere in middle America...

— From "Omaha" by The Counting Crows

Posted by Dipika at 5:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2005

Cigarettes in the Window Box

I’m in the University District at the “Cafe on the Ave: Home of the $1.99 Latte.” Back in Seattle. Getting my fix.

For a couple of days we’ve been on the road/plane to Minneapolis/St. Paul.

I have the day off so I catch the #49 to the University District.

"Sun's out. What the hey."

Turns out today's the first day of classes at UW.

People congregate in large circles on the brick plaza, not unlike the brickyard at good old N.C. State. They're all asking each other about their summers. Campus is new, but for a second, I'm a freshman again.

I order the $1.99 latte and a crossaint. Still in travel mode. Inside they’re playing the Beck album but I get an outside table. The peoplewatching is good here.

Two dudes next to me chat like parakeets (in French). A girl fills a crossword. Beyond the railing and a window box lined with purple pansies, folks walk around like they own the place.

They’re groovin’ to hip hop tunes. Big logos for Dell and Napster flutter above the DJ’s tent, flanked by 14 elevated speakers. Free pizza at this booth. Free necklace with this newspaper. Want to be a Christian? Speak Korean? Sign. Up. Now.

Posted by Dipika at 7:42 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2005

Cal Anderson Park is open!

About a month ago, I complained about this place being closed for a long time, but our neighborhood green is finally back open!

Today, there is a opening ceremony, complete with music and speakers. Too bad we'll be missing it (we are attending another function, and then we are off to Minnesota! More on that later.)... The park itself has actually been open for a few days, and I took a stroll in it the other day. Elderlies padding around. A woman practicing tae kwan do. Kids playing around the water... Nice.

Posted by Akira at 6:50 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Name Calling

Today someone asked me if they heard my name right.

“Pacifica?,” she goes.

Wow, I thought, smiling. Now that’s a first.

Posted by Dipika at 7:46 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

10 Pieces of Fruit in a Box

Been doing some introspective thinking. Here are the questions that popped up.

10. What is antimatter? Kids can find out here.
9. Did they really go to the moon?
8. Where are my keys?
7. Have you seen my childhood?
6. Did I leave my wallet at home? Maybe I lost it. Did I?
5. How do you know when it’s time for a change?
4. Can I make a fax with this? It’s new, isn’t it?
3. Should I take the bus tunnel? They’re going to close it for two years starting Saturday.
2. Should I eat this plastic boxful of fruit, most of which is cut ungracefully in large, unwieldy chunks?
1. Today I feel sick. Am I sick? God. Could it be Avian flu?

Posted by Dipika at 5:12 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Weather Report (2)

Today’s weather in Seattle:

63°F
Clear
Wind: W at 9 mph
Humidity: 55%
69° | 47°

Today’s weather in West Cork:

“Mostly cloudy with some outbreaks of rain,” according to Irish station Today FM earlier this afternoon. “Heavy and persistent in the West.”

Posted by Dipika at 5:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

Pine and Boren

I happen to be walking up to my own neighborhood today in the middle of the morning. The usual weekend crowd is in front of Bauhaus coffee shop, watching passerby watching them.

Climbing the slope to get there, I find myself in stride with an older lady, a blind woman with a stick. She's smiling pretty broadly, and I notice her earrings are small, bright sparkles of purple and green. They remind me of summer in North Carolina, the Eno River Festival, maybe. I'm so pleased about this and at the same time worried about zooming SUVs and skaters that it's me who ends up tripping, catching the curb on my right.

Maybe, I'm thinking,this will feature in her blog.

Posted by Dipika at 9:56 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

Day trip (3)

Discovery Park is only half an hour away, but yesterday was the first time we went.

Seattle Parks and Recreation describes it as "secluded," but we could catch the #24 and get there pretty easily. It's set on the Magnolia Bluff and overlooks Puget Sound. If it had been clearer we may have seen the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. But we did enjoy open meadows, sea cliffs and good trails.

You can see the Seattle skyline from a different angle on the way there, it's past this neighborhood called Magnolia. Lots of nice houses on the way. Cool lookout points and beachside walks. Akira took this picture when we were hanging out at the end of the trail, enjoying Sunday, watchin' waves.

Posted by Dipika at 7:20 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2005

North 80th and Greenwood

Two weird things happen Friday on the ride up to Leilani Lanes Bowling Alley in Greenwood.

This Asian lady with long hair, a black dress and summery heels is holding a bag on one elbow and running somewhere as soon as she gets off the bus. A couple stops later, I see her again, randomly, running in the same direction as soon as she gets off the bus.

These teenagers get on and they're a little overexcited about it being Friday. They start doing chinups on one of the bars at the back. Everyone's having a good time until this seventh-grade girl mentions getting paid.

She's talking to the oldest one, who goes, "Do I have my mom call you to get Sean to pay me my $35?"

"He owes you $35?"

"Yeah, and I don't call your mom askin' for it, either. That's 'cause I can take care of my own business."

And I can do seven chinups in a row, easy. Watch.

Posted by Dipika at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2005

12th and Thomas

So this guy and his girlfriend are crossing the street and so am I, going the other way. None of us are paying attention to traffic, including their little dog, which is Lassie-colored and the size of a nickel.

She goes to him, “I know what you were doing on the Internet.” Kind of in an accusing tone, clearly catching him off guard. In a quick motion he lifts his chin and for a split second our eyes meet. His look nervous. Mine say, Whoa dude, now you’re in for it.

We're in the middle of the street and the dog jumps onto the right cuff of his jeans. It does menacing sounds and digs into the denim. Stuck and not liking it, the guy drags both members of his party across Twelfth.

Posted by Dipika at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Dexter and Thomas

A man in a brown fisherman's hat, brown shoes with a hole in the left toe, and a black leather coat that could have been passed over from his brother seems relaxed in one of the front seats of the #26. He knows where he’s going.

Someone says something I don’t catch and all four people up there launch into a full-on dialogue.

The white-haired gentleman gets people nodding their heads. “A spade’s a spade," he says, beginning the end of his speech. "It ain’t a club, a heart or a diamond.”

If only those who govern us, I thought, could be so straight up.

Posted by Dipika at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2005

A Line from Annie Dillard

"How we live our days is, of course, how we live our lives."

「今日一日をどう過ごすか、それはすなわち、この人生をどう生きるか、という事。」

Posted by Dipika at 6:54 AM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2005

15th and Harrison

Last night I'm walking by Victrola's, this trendy café in Capitol Hill, and five out of six people sitting outside are on their cell phones.

That's 83.3%.

Out of curiosity, I ask Google to tell me what other things are “five out of six.” In 0.11 seconds, Google spits out 155,000 blurbs. Here are some*.

Garden stuff. Five out of six of Angel Lane’s herbs are still alive after she was away for two weeks. These are: mint, chives, sage, parsley and bay, which are “happy.” The author says, "The coriander and I never really got on so its demise is no great loss.”

Goals. Four years ago, Karn Matthews scored five out of six goals for the Oxford Blackbirds to beat Bullingdon in the "Oxford Mail Boys League Under 10B league." This brought his total to 27 that season.

Guilty execs. Five out of six finance guys in the first Enron trial were found guilty in November, 2004, according to OfftheKuff.com.

Insured. Five out of six Alabamians had health insurance earlier this year, according to an Associated Press story.

Spending. Five out of six Americans were expected to buy a holiday gift online, said Affiliate Marketing World last November.

Smart. Between 1990 and 1995, the Nobel prize went to someone from the University of Chicago five out of six times.

Independent. Six percent of rent-controlled tenants in Massachusetts were needy at one point, but five out of six didn’t go to cities for public assistance.

Going the distance. Last spring, Westchester County, N.Y., reported on its Web site that five out of six "stretch commutes" are made by workers in manufacturing, construction, professional, managerial or technical jobs. Quoting a study by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it said there were 3.3 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles one way to work, about one out of every 200 trips. Nearly three out of five long journeys were by people from households with annual incomes of $50,000 or more.

Shots. A site called GlobalSecurity.org says for some kind of weapon stuff a soldier has to adjust sights so “five out of six rounds fired in two consecutive shot-groups strike within the 4-centimeter circle on the 25-meter zero targets.”

Shady supermarkets. Undercover officers far from Seattle found that five out of six supermarkets in Suffolk were selling out-of-date-food. “As shoppers descend in their droves on Suffolk supermarkets to stock up for Christmas, the Evening Star can today reveal the shocking danger lurking on the shelves of big name brands."

*I didn't fact-check these. Sorry.

Posted by Dipika at 5:43 PM | Comments (1)

September 10, 2005

Bumbershoot

So, we spent the last weekend of our summer here in Seattle checking out (mostly) local music and art scene at Bumbershoot, a long-standing festival of everything art held at Seattle Center (that's where the needle is).

夏の終わりのフェスティバル、バンバーシュートに行ってきました！　写真もちょっと撮ってきたので見てください。

Here are some pictures we took. Enjoy!

Of course, the main thing for me was the music. I had to see Trey Anastasio play on Saturday, though I was going to miss a pretty good sounding reading and fundraiser by Dave Eggers & Co. (including Daniel Handler and Deathcab for Cutie). I hear it was a hoot. Well, it'd been five years since I got my phish fix, too, damn it.

This is the foundamental problem with attending any large multi-stage music festival: You have to choose. Bumbershoot boasts like 11 stages, so you are constantly nagged by the feeling you are missing something better when you are at a perfectly good performance.

シアトル最大の芸術祭で、スペースニードルのあるシアトル・センターで毎年９月第一週末に開催されます。１１ものステージでいっぺんにコンサートやリーディング、演劇、コメディー等が繰り広げられ、外では土産物や屋台も出るので、とてもじゃないけど見切れません。どこへ行こうか迷っているうちに半日はゆうにつぶれてしまいます。

Anyways, the two standout shows for us were the Decemberists, who took the main stage on Monday afternoon under beautiful weather, and Kinski, who came on later in fancy EMP sky lounge with laser lights and big projector screen.

メインはやっぱり音楽。ポートランドのThe Decemberistsというバンドと、シアトルのKinskiが良かった。同じくシアトルのMercirというエレクトロニカのバンドも結構面白かったです。僕は実はPHISHの大ファン（だった）なので、土曜日には一人でTrey Anastasioのコンサートも見てきました。久しぶりだったので感慨もひとしお。写真は無いけど。

Kinski's main guitars (or was it the effector) broke, and the poor man had to improvise with his voice in the last couple of songs, but their playing was rock solid and arrangement impeccable, that we came out with huge grins.

Kinskiは、ノイズ系のバンドでニルヴァーナとか居た頃からやってるベテラン。豪華なステージでライトショーをバックに華麗なステージでした。途中でギターが壊れちゃって声でごまかしてたのはご愛嬌。

There were art exhibits, too. We enjoyed the rock poster exhibition (dubbed "Flatstock") a lot, but there were pretty interesting modern art installations, too. Japanese artist Miyooon's "cells" was a lot of fun. There was a sound-art themed room with loads of installations incorporating sound or noise. You could spend all day just checking these out.

もちろん、芸術祭と名うっているくらいだから、アートのインスタレーションもちゃんとあります。日本からもアーティストが来てました。写真は自然をテーマにしたインスタレーションの一部と思われる、植木鉢少女。

Posted by Akira at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Midival Punditz

So tomorrow these electronica/bhangra DJs from New Delhi are playing in Capitol Hill.

I discovered Midival Punditz at this barbecue last summer, where our host was cool and danced away to the CD. This was amazing to me. In my three years in West Cork I caught mostly singer/songwriter acoustic gigs (which I also love – Fran Hayes is brilliant). But grilling up my veggie burger in the U-District last year, it was so groovy to hear Indian music again. And I’m not talking about the kind of stuff they played on Geet Mala. I mean electronified i-music. The way they do it in London. Or Birmingham, I hear. Man.

So I meant to run out and buy these guys’ album right away, but forgot about it. Until last week.

Weirdly, the Punditz were at the Seattle music festival Bumbershoot. Then they scooted to Santa Monica and are in Houston today, but will be back to play for Seattle tomorrow. And this time, I’ll catch them. In my neighborhood. In a small venue. With Akira, who after a couple of Punjabi weddings is beginning to “get” why I love this crazy stuff.

Apparently, so do these guys. This site's called "ethnotechno."

Date: Saturday, September 12
Time: IST? (Indian Standard Time)
Place: Baltic Room, 1207 Pine Street (Capitol Hill, Seattle)

Posted by Dipika at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2005

Stargazing

Last night I saw a Venus, a crescent moon and Jupiter. And I wasn’t dreaming.

Akira and I happened to be in Volunteer Park at about dusk, which is when we make our way home. The idea was to just hang out and appreciate nature so we agreed not to chat, for a change. But then I found this bright, not-twinkling dot next to a perfect crescent moon.

“Is that a planet!?”

As Akira began a discourse on basic astrophysics, I discovered a fainter dot. A second planet.

Everyone should see this array, it is... cosmic :) Here’s how NASA says you can:

Sunset Planets 09.01.05 Venus, Jupiter and the Moon are gathering for a beautiful sunset sky show.

Something nice is happening in the sunset sky. Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets, are converging, and they’re going to be beautifully close together for the next two weeks.

Step outside tonight when the sun goes down and look west. If there are no trees or buildings in the way, you can’t miss Jupiter and Venus. They look like airplanes, hovering near the horizon with their lights on full blast. (Venus is the brighter of the two.) You can see them even from brightly-lit cities.

Try catching the pair just after sundown and just before the first stars appear. Venus and Jupiter pop into view while the sky is still twilight-blue. The scene has a special beauty.

When the sky darkens completely, look to the left of Jupiter for Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Although it’s a bright star, Spica is completely outclassed by the two planets.

Venus and Jupiter are converging at the noticeable rate of 1^o per day, with closest approach coming on September 1 when the two will be a little more than 1^o apart. (How much is 1^o? Hold your pinky finger at arm’s length. The tip is about 1^o wide.)

Posted by Dipika at 8:07 PM | Comments (3)

September 6, 2005

How to build cardboard furniture (2)

Finally, Studio A made another breakthrough product prototype (venture capitalists and furniture makers, bring it on!). This one is called DUJCK (the J is silent, of course). It's an open wardrobe cabinet. Okay it's a shelf. I think it might become a shoe rack in the closet soon it's so ugly. It's made of cardboard, glues, rubber bands, some tape and some nails (as reinforcements).

I made this sketch shortly after unveiling CHUBB and CLUTZY months ago. But you know, the summer got in the way. I also realized numerous flaws in my design as I went.

As you can see, I wanted to hoist a lot of load on top, and that complicated things quite a bit. I also didn't have too many big sheets of carboard, so I had to build this in pieces (in hindsight, it would've been easier maybe to build four little CHUBBS to stack together). As a result the top isn't quite flat, and the legs are threatening to bend sideways (though I doubt they will snap anytime soon).

Anyways, it's supporting the shelves on top (okay not as elegantly as I'd hoped, sure), and my clothes finally have a place to go.

Oh, and I should tell you that CHUBB has gone into manufacturing. A friend, Edward, is the proud owner of the first production model.

No, don't send in the orders. Unless you really want to give me your money:)

Posted by Akira at 3:18 PM | Comments (2)

September 5, 2005

Broadway and Pine

I'm across from the Egyptian Theater at ten to eight the other morning and there's a guy with white-framed sunglasses cursing out the pigeons.

He's perched on the stone retaining wall. Between him and one of Seattle Central Community College's brick campus buildings is a pool of well-cut grass. Most mornings, all that's around are some other people going to work, you, and trees.

I get on the #10 and wind up across from a lady who was at my stop.

"He's just crazy, she says. "I feel sorry for him."

I get to work and turn on the lights. I fill a glass with filtered water, return phone calls and make new ones.

The Yelly Guy doesn't cross my mind until the next day, when I show up at the bus stop and he's not there.

Posted by Dipika at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2005

Music

Yesterday I tune into KEXP and two songs catch my ear. The first one is new to me.

10:14 The Fading Collection Q Supertron Happiness Is Easy Music
DJ Comments: 9/3 Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot.

The second one has a familiar voice. Nice to hear Kristin Hersh again, but with different words.

11:36 Kristin Hersh Trouble Sunny Border Blue 4AD
DJ Comments: Cat Stevens cover

KEXP is playing a lot of songs to promote Bumbershoot, which is this weekend and is supposed to be this huge deal. Akira is psyched up to hear Trey Anastasio, this guy who was in Phish.

Today I also heard the debut album of The Friday Mile. I like the sixth track, called "Where The People Waited," because it makes you stop typing for a second. And think. Songs should do that more.

Posted by Dipika at 3:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2005

Mariners update (2)

Okay, the score is 1-2 against Yankees right now, pretty respectable given their current last-place status. The games we go to, though, seem to go south without fail (in our collective viewing the M's are 1-6). At such times, we amuse ourselves by eavesdropping on conversations...

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"Alright. WHO's EATING GARLIC FRIES?"

(hushed giggles all around)

"CATCH IT!!!      ..oh,    BOO-"
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"They thought they could pull it off."

"You know, I'm a firm believer of building a team starting with a pitcher."
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"OH, OH, OOOH!      ...hm. out."

"Go home White Sox!"
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"Hey, where's the moose?"

"He's off. Visiting family in Montana."
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"C'mon, throw the ball, #53!"
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"So, Mike's on Monday?"

"I don't know, you gotta ask him. Shit."
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"Big swing, big swing #44!"
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"Nice swing #33, nice swing there."

"[With a very Capitol Hill whine] GO HOME WHITE SOX!!"
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Yup. We went home disappointed with the score, maybe, but we were highly entertained.

Here's the score, FWTW (at the bottom of the page):

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
0	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0		4	9	0
0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0		3	7	0

Posted by Akira at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)