Infinite Summer

I've decided to make the most of my convalescence. I am catching up on all sorts of media that I haven't had time to really delve into. My major project is actually a popular one this summer. In honor of David Foster Wallace's life (just after his death), loads of people are reading his Infinite Jest. There is a huge online community full of people from all of the world working their way through its dense 1000 pages together. It is a challenge, but engrossing, and I can't wait to be able to say I've read it start to finish.

P.S. If you decide to join in, here are some helpful tips from kottke.org.

Vicodin

I am apparently terrible at keeping my July 10th Resolutions... In my defense, I did just have my ankle chopped open on Monday, and have been lying around on Vicodin for the past few days. Perhaps it is a decent excuse. Perhaps not.

July 10th Resolution

I have made a new goal to write a blog post a day for one whole month. Partially, this is brought on by the fact that I am going to have my ankle chopped open on Monday, and will be in bed for at least two weeks. Also, I just want to be a real blogger, not one of those who starts a blog but then never ever does anything with it. I may change the format somewhat, I'm not sure what all I will be talking about. But, since I have a total of (I think) zero regular readers, that shouldn't shake the foundations of anybody's world. The end.

BSG Again

I know I've already written about Battlestar Galactica, but I can't contain myself. I honestly don't know how to describe how exquisite this series is. Within itself, it has astonishingly complex and compelling characters. Human relationships are messy and unpredictable, things don't always turn out the way you expect. And, below the surface, it is a remarkable commentary. Early on, the group we've come to identify as Us, the humans, did some terrible things, dehumanizing their enemies. This, unfortunately, is a position we've grown accustomed to in the United States these last few years. Then suddenly, in the third season, We are dropped into the opposite side. We are the Iraquis, and they are instantly humanized in a way I don't think I've ever seen before. We see ourselves in these characters, just trying to survive, resorting to measures that on the surface seem abhorrent. It is honestly some of the best television ever created.

The Underground Tour

As promised, I will now tell you about the tourist-traps in Seattle that I actually liked. I know that all of the... one or two... of you have been just dying to get my take. I have to say, I loved the underground tour. The tour guides are charming and hilarious. You pick up a lot of fascinating Seattle history (our founders were CRAZY). My favorite bit was the story of the... ahem... sewing industry in the early days. It was lovely. Also, there is a bar.

The Crocodile

This fabulous little music venue used to be one of Seattle's greatest music-type-dives. Then it mysteriously closed up shop about a year ago. It has reopened with a pretty swanky new interior, and it is hosting some amazing shows. I saw Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground (a great Seattle band), as well as The Builders and the Butchers there the other night. It was lovely. The floor is small enough that those of us who barely break five feet don't get swallowed up in the crowd, unable to see anything. They also have a great balcony space, if you (as a fellow vertically-challenged human being) want an even better view. The bartenders are great; the drinks are reasonably priced; overall, I'm in love with the place.

Dooce

Dooce.com is a blog run by Heather Armstrong. I suppose it would fall into the category of a mommy-blog, but it is so much more than that. She is a former-Mormon living in Utah (an experience I know well). Her writing is funny, engaging, and poignant. I met her last night at a reading for her new book, It Sucked, and then I Cried, about her experience with postpartum depression. She was brilliant and hilarious (and very pregnant). She read an excerpt from her blog about being in Washington years ago. It was about a fart. I would recommend her blog and books to anyone, whether or not you dig the mommy-blog bit.

The Space Needle

Have you ever noticed that when you live in a city, even if you are new to it, you tend not to see all of the tourist-y things it has to offer? I've found this to be the case here, but the solution to the problem is to have someone from out of town to come to visit. Last week, my dear friend from Kansas was here, so we went to see all of the sights. Some were amazing, and those I will talk about later. I have to say, though, that the Space Needle, the iconic building that anyone in the country can identify as ours, is a complete waste. You pay $16 (no student discount) for a two minute elevator ride, and a somewhat pleasant view of the city. And, of course, coffee, food, and tchochkes are incredibly overpriced at the top. I've been told that there is a building downtown which costs all of two or three dollars to go to the top, and has a better view (I don't actually remember which one it is, but I will let you know). So, the moral of the story is, don't waste your money.

Battlestar Galactica

I was a late comer to the whole BSG craze. The series just ended, and I've only seen the opening miniseries. But, I can tell you, this show is my new obsession. All three hours of the miniseries are riveting. The plot races along, but the characters are still very well-developed and three-dimensional. Even if you don't love Sci-Fi (or SYFY, as the channel now calls itself), this show is brilliant. Watch it.

The Best Show

Simply not the best. So, on TBTL(if you don't know it, check it out NOW), they occasionally have call-taking segments. They don't screen calls, and people are allowed to talk about anything they want to. Most of the time, it is quite entertaining, and occasionally it is a train wreck. But, when that happens, they know when to cut it off, and the banter afterward makes the whole experience delightful. The Best Show is like a train-wrecky call in segment on TBTL that lasts for THREE HOURS, and has no witty banter to make up for the thoroughly un-entertaining calls. Ugh. Not even funny while high.

Pizza Brava

This is one of the eight-million-and-six pizza joints on the ave. It is definitely not the best. The pizza (post oven re-heating) has an odd, gummy texture. There is some seating, but it's not particularly comfortable, kind of a high-school-cafeteria vibe. It is, however, cheap, so that's a plus in a pinch.

Sure Shot Coffee

The atmosphere is somewhere between stoner and WOW-er: dark, with acid trip style sci-fi art on the walls. The clientele features a lot of oddly colored dreadlocks, and laptops. The guy behind the counter is really nice, and will chat with you if you want. If you're not convinced yet (but, really, how could you not be?), the espresso is amazing! It is surprisingly lively, with berry flavors and almost a peanut-buttery body. I was astonished.

Showbox SODO

This is an offshoot of the Showbox at the Market. It is one of my least favorite venues for basically anything. Neither the floor nor the stage is raked, so if you are not in the very first row, or seven feet tall, you really can't see anything. I've seen two shows there: Of Montreal, and the Tim and Eric Awesome Show (on a side note, this show is only worth watching if you're extremely into diarrhea). Both were very visually oriented, so I missed a lot of the effect. The venue does get some big acts, but shows are always overpriced. The only reasons I can think of to go there are: they have a band that you absolutely have to see, and can't make it to Portland for; the point of the show is to be in the crowd, not to see what is on stage; or you just want to pay a large cover to get drunk in the lounge while some sort of something goes on at the front of the room.

Yummy Bites

It is, in fact, yummy. It's on the ave. It is cheap-ish. They have lots of vegetarian items (I recommend the tofu yakisoba). It is basically small and busy, not too noisy, and service is quick. That's all I've got.

Henry Art Gallery

The Henry Art Gallery is the sort of place you could lose yourself in, and I don't mean that in the blissful, well-stocked-used-book-store kind of way. The layout is confusing; it's difficult to know where you can/should/are allowed to go. Sometimes there is a doorway that seems as though it should be accessible, but is covered by a curtain velcroed on both sides. Only a slight deterrent, perhaps, but for me at least, it would be terribly awkward to get kicked out for walking into a supply closet.

The upside is that, if you go without a specific piece or exhibit in mind, the things that you will stumble upon are beautiful and intriguing. I don't necessarily consider myself to be one of those people who "gets" art, but I truly believe that it is essential to expose yourself to beautiful, thought provoking things on a regular basis. Life is just better and more complete that way.

Also, if you do it right, the enrichment is free. Every Thursday you can get in without paying, and if you're a UW student, it's free all the time.

Cafe on the Ave

This particular cafe came highly recommended (by those sorts of sites I am trying to provide an alternative to). It has a classy, hip look, and fairly decent espresso. I can throw my recommendation behind the tomato basil soup, it was absolutely lovely, with just the right amount of texture (I'm not into the whole stewed-tomatoes-in-a-bowl bit). The bread that came along was obviously from a bag, and needed to be drowned in soup to cover the preservative flavor. My least favorite aspect, though, was the atmosphere. This is perhaps a place you would come to study by yourself (there were people on laptops everywhere), but the vibe does not encourage the meeting of new people, or even much animated conversation with people you already know. I know that many Seattle-ites pride themselves on respecting each-other's privacy, not engaging in unwanted conversation with strangers, or even exchanging glances on the street. However, I want to walk into a coffee shop and at least feel that people wouldn't bite my head off if I were to say hello. Studying alone is why god invented libraries.

Too Beautiful To Live

Too Beautiful To Live, also known as TBTL, is a local nighttime show on 97.3 KIRO FM. It has, of late, become the soundtrack of my life. It consists of Luke Burbank, Jen "Flash" Andrews, and Sean DeTore: Japan's Number One Mixer basically rambling for three hours every week night. And it is brilliant. They tackle such important issues as the sociocultural and historical impact of The Karate Kid, as well as solving mysteries such as the Orion is A'Rising case. You can catch it every night from 7 to 10, or you can become a time bandit, and listen to it in podcast form. The website also has all of the old episodes available for download; I'm currently working my way through the entire bunch.

Tips for Local Entrepreneurs

I am greatly in favor of local, independently owned and operated businesses. I will take an independent coffee shop over a Starbucks any day, given the option. But, local businesses have have a responsibility to provide comparable quality, and ideally a little something extra in terms of atmosphere. So, I was walking along 55th Street near 35th Ave., and I saw ahead an old-timey looking barber shop. It had a somewhat faded, light up barber pole in front of a tiny, unassuming store front. Charming, I thought. As I walked by, I glanced in the window. Inside was a man lounging in one of the barber's chairs, reading a newspaper. Around him, barber-type implements were lying out on tables, and the floor was absolutely covered in hair. Much as I love the entrepreneurial spirit, I think I'll opt for the much cleaner, classier looking, and, I believe, still independently run hair salon just down the street.

Unexpected Productions

Happy 2009! I rang in the new year at a fantastic improv show by Unexpected Productions at the Market Theater on Post Alley. Now, as far as being "Off Pike," this isn't far, but it has that off-the-beaten-track feel that I am looking for. The directions I was given by a man on the street were as follows: "Walk through the alley until you get to the pig in the market. Then go downstairs, and it's just past the gum wall." Oh Seattle... As for the show itself, it was rather brilliant. Like all on-the-spot comedy, it had its ups and downs, but even the downs had me giggling, and I nearly wet myself at some of the ups. And there's a bar, how can you go wrong?