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I joined in today at the rally at Volunteer Park in Seattle, Washington, which then became a march across Capitol Hill, down Pine Street, and finally into a huge celebration and second rally at Westlake Center. I guestimated about 10,000 people, and am seeing estimates online now of 6,000-9,000. It was amazing, and a strong nationwide civil rights action. There were protests and actions in nearly all major American cities, it looks like. These are my photos:
Click here for a non-slideshow view of them all.
So Andi has me watching reruns of Almost Live!, an comedy show that ran locally in Seattle from the 1980s to the 1990s. It’s got some famous alumni, like Joel McHale, who is now The Soup on E!. This bit kills me. May be not be as funny to folks not living in or from Seattle:
Well, the law of intended consequences from stupid people has escalated things here way, way beyond what is required. Like I only just mentioned yesterday, The Stranger, a local newspaper in Seattle, published some photos of houses with excessive Republican political advertising on them, and put up the addresses so that you could go look at them as well. Matt Drudge got wind of it, and pretty soon half the conservative blogtrollosphere went nuts, to the point where they were publishing the home street addresses of all of The Stranger’s business staff, and the employees began receiving death threats:
After the piece came out on Wednesday morning, there was no violence, no vandalism. There was some debate on The Stranger’s website on Thursday and Friday about the piece’s inclusion of addresses—about the homeowners’ and The Stranger’s right to free speech, and about yards signs as public discourse—and some readers posted addresses of Stranger staffers in comments, because turnabout is fair play. We did not remove those comments and left our own addresses up on our website.
On Saturday morning the piece exploded on right-wing blogs, and death threats were made on our staff.
Since that final post, The Stranger staff hasn’t updated their blog–which is very, very unusual for them as they put out a frighteningly frequent stream of content there. The entire situation sucks, due to the fact that some people (the people that made the calls) have now indeed won in at least a short term via political intimidation to shut down one of the most vocal left-of-center news sources in the United States.
I’m not really that cynical–I’m more sarcastic than anything–but part of me honestly keeps wondering if this is the tip of the iceberg of what could happen in the next four to eight years, if things line up a certain way. What happens if we get Obama in the White House, control of the House and Senate, and try to push through something like the Fairness Doctrine again to balance out the hatemongering out there? Will we see more things like this happening to people that try to stand up to big business and it’s supporters, and the religious right?
The nice Beta Society people made a local slasher flick! Premieres tomorrow! Buy tickets! See the trailer and cover your junk!
(trailer is NSFW!)
They are also showing and Mystery Science Theatering the Friday the 13th where Corey Feldman kills Jason at the premiere, at the Market Theatre, Wednesday, October 29, 2008 8:00 PM.
UPDATE AND REVIEW, 10/30/08: We saw Junkbucket last night at the Market Theatre. Like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, it tells a simple, yet inspirational story. Junkbucket is an ultimately uplifting tale–it cuts to the literal boner of human emotion, and the simple need we all share and long to offer to our fellow people: that we are all, in the end, the same, and that we can all effect positive change on each other. The film additionally offered gentle, tender slasher film “kills”, which were handled with a loving, humane, and lingering attention to detail, and a positive and affirming respect for human life. The ultimate message I took away, from Junkbucket, was that human life is a special, and curious thing. Except when Junkbucket cuts off your motherfucking junk, in which case you’re just fucked. Also: STICK IT IN HER DUPA PFFT.
My favorite music venue in Seattle
Originally uploaded by joeszilagyi
I love going to shows here. The only thing that stinks a bit about it is that it’s a bit pricey, so we don’t go too often. The sound, the ambience, the food (from it’s restaurant, Wild Ginger)… It’s down on 3rd & Union.
Sent from my mobile phone.
We have a local grocery store chain here in Seattle, called Thriftway (I assume they’re local; I’ve never seen them elsewhere). Like all of these chains these days, they have a fairly decent lunch counter with pre-made sandwiches, and hot soups. We’ve both gotten to really like these little baguette sandwiches, with ham and brie cheese, that are pretty cheap. That’s all the sandwich is–usually honeyed ham, some brie, some bread. They’re amazingly tasty and filling. Well, yesterday I go to Thriftway to get us lunch. As I’m standing in the checkout line, the cashier and I both sort of caught a whiff of… something. Was it a rotten scent? We couldn’t quite place it, and it seemed to disperse.
Literally, at the same time, we noticed it. We looked around, couldn’t spot it, and went on with our business when it faded. In the parking lot, putting the bags of groceries in the trunk, I smelled it again, and looked around, but couldn’t place it. I figured some animal had died somewhere nearby. Perhaps on the roof of the store? I shrugged and drove home. When I got back inside, and set out our lunch on the coffee table, to try to catch up on our growing Tivo archive while we ate, I smelled it again.
“Honey, do you smell that?” I asked Andi.
“Did you step in something? Check your shoes,” she said, wrinkling her nose. My shoes were clean.
I looked around, at the door, at Mojo, our cat, who stared back at me in confusion. The smell then faded. I unwrapped the sandwich and took a small bite, and started working on my soup–I’m a weirdo, and usually eat a sandwich or cheeseburger last, always eating my side salad, French fries, soup, or whatever else is at hand first. The smell immediately hit us both again, and Andi unwrapped her sandwich–they were the source of the horrible stench. I figure it was the brie somehow, that went bad, but the sandwiches were date-stamped for the day I bought them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a stinky sandwich before. We pitched them both in the garbage.
The soup was good, though.
Woman: “Someone offered me $25,000 for my child. I don’t think security would have liked that.”
Two years ago today I wrote “Seattle, day 1.0“. Today is our two year anniversary of having moved to Seattle (and for Andi, having moved home).
Hello, again.
It was on September 30th, 2005, at about 7:45pm Eastern time that my wife and I drove out of Connecticut. We got onto the Merritt Parkway southbound, passed through New York State, and stayed the night down a ways into north-central New Jersey at a motel. The next morning, we turned West, began our great journey and left the coast I grew up on to go back to her home.
Adama for President by Xaotica, on Flickr. Found I presume somewhere in Seattle:
Just now, on instant messenger.
Mike: ahhh the sounds of someone puking in my alley…
Me: ha, just now?
Mike: yep… as I type he is spitting
Mike: shoulda heard the juicy splat as it hit the ground
Want to hear Wil’s keynote that I mentioned he did at PAX yesterday? Go here. How did it open? Ha!
“Thank you. My name is Wil Wheaton, and Jack Thompson can suck my balls. This keynote has been rated MA by the ESRB.”
Go listen! Andi also has pics of us and Wil up…
We had a great time at PAX today. Wil Wheaton delivered a killer keynote speech, that I mentioned here before. We got to chat with him briefly afterwards, and he took a picture of Andi’s three volumes of his books (we’d bought his new book from him at the show). I coined the phrase “Wheaton trifecta“. w00t!
The Penny Arcade Expo begins today in Seattle. See y’all there if you’re going; I’ll either be wearing a black t-shirt what just says BERLIN or a black t-shirt that says SYN on the front and ACK in the back.
Why do I suspect I’ll be looking down from up on the Space Needle today? Also, I have a craving for Lockspot. It’s peanut butter and jelly Hefeveizen and fried fish time!
Wil has a post up here about speaking at PAX (he’s the keynote). I want everyone that reads this if they’re at PAX, to give this man a standing ovation. Seriously. This guy is functionally one of our idols for a whole subset of geek culture. Why? Simple: When it was him up there, in that sweater, on The Next Generation, each and every single one of you–every one!–thought to yourself:
“That could be me…”
If you deny it, and you were around Wil’s age or slightly younger from when he did Star Trek, you’re a liar. Yes, you know you are. Support the guy that gave you that fleeting moment of joy when you were 10, or 13, or 16. This will be my first chance to see Wil (or anyone in person, from Next Generation, for that matter). They opened my eyes to the ideas of science fiction more than anyone else ever had before that. Yes, even more than George Lucas, who is technically science fantasy. Not only all that aside, but for the people like me, and you, Wil is one of us. There’s a reason why his first book was called Just A Geek.
We support our own. We don’t let them hang out to dry. Time for geek action. Standing ovation for Wil Wheaton, Seattle. Standing ovation.
Tonight, our friend Jakob flies into town, and tomorrow, Rebo does, for the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. That means in two days I’ll be making two trips down I-5 to SeaTac airport and then two more as they fly out on Sunday and Monday. People from work have been staying home and and working remotely because of the massive I-5 construction. This’ll be my first foray into it. Wish me luck…
1. Replace all the belts on your car plus an oil change: $104.51
2. Replace the two oxygen sensors on your car because of a check engine light 9 days later: $259.00
3. Replace the entire exhaust pipe that severed itself violently from the vehicle frame due to 5 1/2 years of New England rust and road salting 22 hours later: $421.34
4. Aside from routine maintenance, having no other repair costs (jinx?) on your car since it’s purchase in November 2000: Priceless.
5: Realizing that as much as I adore using Seattle Metro bus service day to day, that I feel naked not having a car for just four days after having one continuously since about 1996 (literally, each day not counting vacations to mass-transit heavy cities): Aggravating as all hell.
Only 12 more days till the Penny Arcade Expo in downtown Seattle starts! We’ve got friends coming in from a couple parts of the country, I’m on vacation most of the time, and I’m totally jazzed for it. Wil Wheaton is the keynote speaker this year. Anyone reading this going?
I’ve been swamped at work of late, and we’ve been out and about a fair bit when not working to decompress. That’s why the blog and Livejournal had gone dead of late, and it’s taking me ages to get back to anyone on e-mails and Instant messaging (among other things, that are done with…). We just got back from a three day weekend with family out on the Olympic Peninsula, and this week looks to be even more hectic. It’s the Bite of Seattle, Dolores O’Riordan is playing Seattle, and some crappy book is coming out on Friday (pre-delivered from Amazon, w00t!).
And, if all goes well, I may be the owner of one of these bad boys for only $350 this week, rather than the $550 retail price. Long, convoluted story. Suffice it to say, Sprint takes care of customers with accounts dating back over ten years for their cellular service when push comes to shove. For the nerds out there, yes, I know a ‘newer’ model with Windows Mobile 6 is out this very week. I don’t need nearly the firepower that model has, and I specifically need Windows Mobile 5 for my purposes. This model will easily last me 1.5 to 2.5 years, I’d imagine. It’s not the best smartphone for Sprint. That would probably be the IP-830W, but that’s a sexy international model. Which I can’t afford, and again, Windows Mobile 6. Alas.
I do love having a million things to do, though. It’s refreshing. So is the nice tan I got this weekend, and the fact that I spent time in as close the real world is going to get to the Misty Mountains. Just gorgeous, out there.
Folklife starts today in Seattle Center, for the holiday weekend. Anyone going? Tons of great music, each year.
The Seattle Cheese Festival is this weekend. God help my colon, but I’m going this year.
On second thought: I’m such a dork. I really want to try to get to the Maritime Festival down on the waterfront in Seattle today. It might end up being lame–no idea on that, as I’ve never been before–but the nautical wannabe in me wants to check it out anyway. I’ve always been fascinated with things like that ever since I was a kid growing up in Connecticut. Now to see if I can convince Andi to go… Then, tonight, we’ve got the Yankees at the Mariners. I finally get to see Alex Rodriguez. And I get to safely jeer the Yankees in person for the first time (only ever seen them at Yankee Stadium before, and I am not suicidal)! Of course, we’re in the upper deck, so they won’t hear me. But it’s the thought that counts, damn it.
Now, to see if I can avoid spending too much money on the GPS…
Tonight, our friend Doug is part of an art show downtown, for his print work. This will certainly lead to one too many drinks, especially given that there will be obligatory wine and chatting at the art show, and obligatory hanging out afterwards. It’ll be fun. If we have time (and aren’t three sheets to the wind) we may try to see 28 Weeks Later. Maybe.
Either Saturday or Sunday morning we’re going to run down to REI to check out their selection of GPS units for geocaching, and we likely need to do a full grocery store run (which is a pain). We usually let it go until all our supplies are run down, and then go and get 2-4 weeks of stuff at once. It’s fun, except for the half-dozen trips it requires up and down the stairs and forever unloading and storing stuff. Saturday night we also have the Mariners/Yankees game, and then Sunday is Mother’s Day, so off to West Seattle. I was tempted to check out that Martime Festival down on the waterfront as well, but aside from maybe getting to ride around Elliot Bay in a tugboat, it looks pretty bland.
There’s other stuff as well, which I know I’m completely forgetting now. I think we’ll have free time while we’re asleep.
About freaking time: 28 Weeks Later is out, tonight! We’re going to see it at the Seattle Cinerama, so I expect that seeing hordes of blood vomiting, screaming, snarling, psycopathic, and generally unhappy three-story tall people will give us both pleasant dreams tonight.
EDIT: D’oh, tactical error. We can’t see it tonight; we have a friend’s show to go see. And tomorrow night the Mariners/Yankees game. And Sunday is Mothers Day, and I can’t see my mother-in-law wanting to watch crazed Britons vomit blood… sometime next week, I suppose…
