Carmageddon, Day 9

So now that section of I-5 is down to two lanes. And the result? Some slowing, of course. But no "backups to Tacoma" that we heard on the news for several days leading up to the construction.

Do you know what really makes traffic slow in this region?

1. Take a fender bender between two or three cars.
2. Set that on the side of a busy road.
3. Watch as every single driver slows down to 20% of normal speed as they take their time watching people write down insurance information for each other.
   

Grr...

Carmageddon, Day 5

Today, on the WSDOT traffic map, I actually saw two little red squares right under the I-5 construction area, indicating heavy traffic.



Two! That's like, what, a half mile of slower than normal traffic? Gasp!

Yeah, it's been a pretty normal commuting week. By the looks of it, it will stay that way throughout this project.

Carmageddon, Day 3

And the verdict on the first weekday commute during I-5 construction and lane closures? Awesome.

No, seriously - it was one of the best weekday commutes in weeks, maybe even months.

This evening's commute may fare differently, as there's a Mariners home game. If it goes smoothly, I'll probably just stop posting these daily updates since they'll sound like a broken record.

Carmageddon, Day 2

Despite the apparently high risk of traffic jams and the angst and pain that it could cause, we did venture out of the house yesterday in a car. And you know what? I-5 was moving great. There was actually less traffic on the roads than on usual weekends. Southbound coming into the city was the clearest I'd seen it on a Saturday in months!

Our crying-wolf media partners, King 5, admit that it's been smooth so far as well.

I guess the real test will be tomorrow's commute. I still think this has all been over-hyped, and it'll be OK. I may eat my words.

Aww, Shucks

OK everyone, put down those shucking knives. Looks like the great State of Washington has produced oysters contaminated with poisonous bacteria. From the report:

How does V. parahaemolyticus cause illness?

If you become infected you will most likely have watery diarrhea, accompanied with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, a high temperature and chills.

Mmmm, that's a great thing to look forward to after a half dozen on the half-shell..

Carmageddon, Day 1

Oh no, it's begun!


Interestingly, 9AM and the roads seem to be nice and clear. It is still early, though.

Interstate Armageddon!

For weeks now, local TV and radio reports have raised the flags and rung the alarm bells about the impending commuter doom that is about to befall Puget Sound. According to King 5, the gridlock begins at 10PM! That's right, I-5 will undergo some construction, which will restrict the number of northbound lanes. This will carry on for 19 days, and is predicted to snarl traffic, cause people to inconsolably weep as they're stuck in traffic, and turn our fair region into an imitation of a parking lot.

With so much hooplah about this closure, I have to think: is this more bark than bite? Perhaps it will be, given the attention it's been given. After all, if lots of people hear about it, get scared, and figure out alternate ways to get around, total demand on the road falls, hopefully within acceptable ranges. To put it another way, if the throughput is reduced by half on the road, but then half the normal commuters take alternate routes or don't drive at all (because they've been driven to that out of fear of being stuck for days out on the interstate), it may not be as bad as predicted.

I'm sure that's part of the plan, namely getting fewer people to use the narrower road. The rest is just predictions and assumptions. I'm sure there'll be times when traffic is worse. But I also think it's been way too hyped up. Chalk it up to another thing that the news media can easily report on, that affects everyone, but ultimately may not be that big of a deal.

Review: Signal (SIFF 2007)

Some horror and thriller movies like to give you a back story before the real story begins. You know, the story line before the plot really gets going, that somehow is supposed to give you insight into the characters' psyches, before things start going bump in the night? I have to say I'm not a big fan of them. It's not because I don't like back stories. It's just that most of these movies don't do a very good job with this prelim stuff. The Signal doesn't go down this route. The story is told from three characters' perspective, but the timeline is continuous, and the weirdness starts right from the beginning.

The plot revolves around a mysterious transmission which pervades cell phones, radios, and televisions. It causes people to turn psychotic; they start seeing things and acting upon urges that the signal is seemingly telling them to do. Chaos soon reigns, and we witness some key characters trying to make sense of things as they try to escape people who are bent on doing very bad things to them. And, the thing that keeps one of the key characters going through it all is love.

Too touchy-feely? Nah, don't worry, there's plenty of gore, cat-and-mouse, and dark corners to keep you interested.

The movie does have a few touches of dark humor, with some scenes expertly juxtaposing quaint, normal city life with the weird, chaotic things that are going horribly wrong. These are mere dabs of color, though, as in the end The Signal is a true horror movie.

Throughout the movie, I kept noticing things that looked somewhat familiar. Near the end, it was confirmed: a good portion (if not all) of the movie was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia! That gives The Signal an extra point (I'm a sucker for familiarity).

Overall rating: 8.0/10.0

Details:
Runtime: 99m
Countries: USA
Languages: English

When Casinos Beat Culture

I was on the way home from a Highland Games today when I heard a pretty disturbing commercial on the radio. A couple was sitting in the audience of an opera performance; the man was bored with the performance, but the woman said that they should stay because they needed some "culture". The man proceeded to say that he would much rather be at the Angel of the Winds casino, where he could:

• sit in a comfortable seat
• play the slot machines
• eat some inexpensive food
• talk to people who are friendly to you

He then proceeded to insult the singer, before the woman finally agreed with him, after which they left the performance to go to the casino.

OK, hold on. Let's compare:

Opera:

• musical stage performance comprising of typically classical music, complete with an orchestra and solo voice
• you pay money for a seat, you sit in it, and you listen the performance
• during intermission, you may get a beverage or a small snack
• a chance to interact with other people attending who share an interest in the music, and may know more about it than you do

Casino:

• Assortment of games of chance where you're statistically guaranteed to lose money
• You pay money for the privilege of losing it
• You eat mediocre, discounted food that's bad for you
• You talk to people who are paid to be nice to you

Maybe it's the fact that I listened to opera from a young age, but this commercial really insulted me. I can only imagine a visitor from another country (especially one where classical opera hails from) listening to the commercial and wondering what sort of people would subscribe to it.

I know, this is just a commercial. But if the commercial is supposed to resonate with people, and make people relate with the message, then I shudder to think of how many people this connected with.

To Anyone Thinking Of Moving To Seattle

See, rumors are sometimes true. It does rain all the time here, even in the summer. Trust me, we've all sold our cars and purchased boats of various shapes and sizes to get around the city. Umbrellas are state-issued, and Nordstrom has some designer rain coats on sale. Starbucks is considering throwing instant coffee powder out their store windows and into the water to attract customers. And I hear there's some Noah guy building a big wooden boat in Lake Union.

But seriously, it has been an unusually wet July.

The Strongest Beer Ever Brewed

We've all tasted the nasty light beers that are out there. But what about the strongest beer ever brewed? Enter Samuel Adams Utopia.

Alcohol: 25% ABV
Cost: $100-200
Availability: Very hard to get
Taste: From what people describe that have tried it, very unlike your usual beer. More like a brandy or a similar fortified wine.

OK, who has a spare hundred or so bucks to buy a bottle? I'll be happy to sample it with you. Heck, I'll even bring the chips.

The Wii Virtual Console Is The Best

It's like they designed it for 20-somethings like me, who grew up with the NES and want to play old games again.

We've already downloaded the original Super Mario. All the old tricks and hidden stuff is coming back to mind. They also have the original Zelda, which I remember going over to a friend's house to play for hours on end.

If they port Super Mario 3, I may need to take a sabbatical.

Willie Nelson At The Gorge

This past 4th of July we headed out to the Gorge in George, WA to see Willie Nelson & friends in concert. Apparently this was the first time Willie played a July 4th show outside of Austin, and it was certainly the first time we had ever seen him live.

We arrived at the Gorge around 3pm, to a sunny day of mid-to-upper-90s temperatures. Hot, yes, but at least it wasn't humid. We had plenty of sunscreen and a big Nalgene to fill with water.

The acts started around 4pm. Here's how they shaped up:

• Amos Lee - really great. Funky but relaxed, well balanced sound. Enjoyable toe-tapping songs. Quite unpretentious.
• Drive By Truckers - country-rock outfit. Started out with a pretty clangy, off-key sound but got better as their set went on. Some songs were hits, some were misses. They were louder than Amos Lee, and their harmonies were often off. Could have been bad mixing or bad monitor levels.
• Old 97's - pretty bad. Didn't sound great at all, weren't locking into harmonies, and their songs were boring.
• Son Volt - very good. Interesting songs, great sound, enjoyable set. Though why did Jay Farrar have to switch guitars after every song?
• 40 points - Willie Nelsons' two sons (Micah, Lukas) are in this band. Great solo guitar playing. Decent vocals. Some songs were ho-hum but not all that bad.

Then came Willie. He played a solid 2 hour set with back to back songs, including many classics but also about four new ones. He didn't sing as many high notes as his recorded songs have, but he still sounded great, and engaged well with the crowd. And yes, he played his old, beat up, twangy, slightly distorted guitar. It's Willie; he's classic.

After his set, it was time to head home. We left the Gorge around midnight, and even with a stop for fuel we arrived back in Seattle around 2:30 AM.

Wii!

I got the bestest birthday present ever yesterday - a Wii! My wonderful wife scoured the greater Seattle area and managed to land one. It felt like I was back in grade school getting an original Nintendo system.

I'll post some thoughts on it later. Right now I need to get back to playing it.

Compact Fluorescent Nirvana

Today we replaced most of our light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFL). The initial outlay isn't cheap, but for the number of bulbs we have, we figured it would be worth it over the long run.

Here's our initial light bulb breakdown:
- 23 can lights (inlaid, ceiling) at 65 watts a piece = 1,495 watts
- 14 regular bulbs at 100 watts
= 1400 watts

- 5 regular bulbs at 60 watts = 300 watts

Total = 3,195 watts

At a conservative 5 kilowatt-hour rate, turning on all our lights for a solid day would cost nearly four dollars.

Now, we have bulbs that are a scant 15 watts, but supply the same light output. That means a total of 630 watts, which means a full day's output cost of 75 cents.

We're quite happy with the light quality itself. Initially we were a little wary of the "fluorescent" part of the CFL, but the bulbs produce a nice soft-white facsimile of an incandescent. The only downside to these lights that we can see are that they're not dimmable. But we don't have dimmers nor do we really want them.

So at least now at least I can say my carbon footprint is a tad lighter.

Review: One Day Like Rain (SIFF 2007)

One Day Like Rain has a lot of great shots. Shots that contrast something strange with some common activity of daily life. Grainy, washed out images. Impressions of animals and plans in their natural environment. Time-lapse scenes of sunlight filtering through leaves on trees. Indeed, this movie is chock full of great shots.

Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing I can say about this film, which for me alternated between periods of vacuousness, pretention, boredom, and fogginess.

The film presents a very loose thread of a plot: Gina, a quirky teenage girl living in California, has somehow gotten wind of an impending doom facing the world, and she is working out how to save the world as a result. She invests time, effort, chemistry sets, crystals, and her friends in an effort to do this. She makes some sort of chemical concoction that she gives to her friend, Jennifer, who drinks it and later dies. She then goes off with her boyfriend and has a romantic night out in the woods before the world apparently ends.

You may think I'm overly summarizing a lot of plot details that go along to flesh out the above, but I'm not. This is more or less all the scaffolding you get for the overarching story. The rest is a series of ambiguous scenes and empty, needlessly opaque conversations that make up the whole of the movie.

The dialog revolves around fuzzy statements and endless repetition of lines that don't advance the story one bit. "She's got it", you hear over and over. "She's trying to save the world." But you're not really shown how, or why, or when, or what she's really doing. I suppose you're intended to guess. But after a while the guessing game gets really old.

OK, so if there's not much of a plot, there's at least characters and development, right? Wrong. With the exception of Jennifer, I found all the characters flat and uninteresting. They spring out of nowhere, say a few tired lines, sit and stare out into space, and then bam! you're onto the next scene. The movie fails to make me care about any of the characters, which leaves them to be just mindless agents trying to convey something falsely deep and meaningful to the audience.

What the movie lacks in plot, dialog, and character development, it tries to make up in symbolism. Unfortunately, the other extreme takes hold here: the symbols are in your face and practically crammed down your throat. During several scenes, I was almost expecting some subtitling to show up, pointing out, "Hey, look! Two clocks on the wall ticking away...time is running out! Oh wait, check it out, one of them stopped!".

I'm all about films that offer an "experience" of sorts, or have symbolism, or can be studied from many angles. Kubrick is a great example of this: you can watch The Shining as a horror flick, or you can break it down and study its use of symbols, or how the scenes are shot, or what the characters are saying. But it's still a feature, and it's still something you can sit down and watch and enjoy and not have to study. Not so with One Day Like Rain. Director Paul Todisco has made what is potentially a film to study in film school, but what he didn't make is something that a general audience can enjoy without deconstructing it on a white board in a lecture hall.

In the Q&A after the movie, Todisco mentioned that the film came to him in about a week or two. I have to say that it certainly shows. Todisco took his time with how the film was shot. Too bad that his efforts in the other aspects of the movie didn't pan out.

I'm disappointed in SIFF selecting this film for a premiere. I was seriously considering becoming a member this year. But if this is the sort of stuff SIFF will program throughout the year, then count me out.

Overall rating: 1.0/10.0

Details:
Runtime: 90m
Countries: USA
Languages: English

Popcorn Ban

I love it when our local civil servants take up arms against a noble cause. With such energy in rectifying this problem, you would think all of our city's issues would be resolved!

One Reason Why I Don't Eat Beef

Millions of pounds of tainted ground beef do not a happy dinner plate make.

Review: Paris, Je T'aime (SIFF 2007)

I'm a big fan of potluck dinners. Everyone goes off and makes something unique and different, and then everyone gets together and samples a bunch of dishes. Some are good, some are new, occasionally one isn't that great, but in the end you've tried a variety of dishes and you've filled your stomach in the process.

So it was with Paris, Je T'aime. 18 mini-movies, each no longer than five minutes, tied loosely together by the theme of love, and by characters who are only casually intertwined (in ways we don't learn until the end of the film). It's a movie-goer's potluck of sorts: you get a wide variety of small bites, and in the end you feel satisfied that you've seen a great overall movie that explores a topic through many dimensions.

The nice thing about the overall film is that the theme wasn't expressed in a singular way. Like the chefs and their secret ingredient in Iron Chef, every director has a unique style and approach to their mini-movie. Some were humorous, while others were more dramatic. Some were fast-paced, and others were more lingering. I believe there had to be an editor of sorts overseeing the project, as the spectrum of movies were carefully balanced in the entire work, as was the overall tone (it went from light, to dark, to light again).

Not every mini-movie received high marks from me (there was one quite surreal one with a salesman and an aggressive salon worker that caught me off guard and left me wondering whether someone had edited an incorrect portion of another film into the movie), but they were almost all interesting enough to deserve a viewing.

And, the best part about this project is that if you absolutely hate one of the mini-movies then, just like the weather in some parts, all you have to do is wait and something new will come along.

Overall rating: 9.0/10.0

Details:
Runtime: 120m
Countries: Lichtenstein / Switzerland / Germany / France
Languages: English / French

Where Oh Where Can I Get A Wii?

After playing the Wii a couple of times at a friend's house, I really want one. Trouble is, they're nowhere to be found.

• I've looked around online, including keeping an eye on "wii tracker" web sites that tell you when they're in stock. No luck.
• I've stopped into stores on a whim, to see if they have any in stock. No luck.

All my friends who have one scored one by following plan B above. Namely, they happened to walk into a store at just the right time and land one of a few that happened to be available. Trouble is, those times of availability are few and far between.

You may say, "Hey, there's bundles! You can get a Wii + 3-5 games!". Nope, sorry. I want the console and the games I choose to buy. The bundle games typically don't interest me.

Apparently folks on sites like Craigslist offer to sell new Wiis for a small ($50?) premium. I'm not quite that desperate...yet.