Like A 3 Year Old On Drugs

Meet Gus.


Gus is our new kitten.

Gus is the most hyper thing we've put into our house to date. He has more energy than the two of us + our two other cats put together. Plus, he's a bit nuts.

Example:


Here's Gus in the sink, fearless of water, ready to pounce on a towel.

Need I say more?

Steven's Weather Vortex

Want to read more about weather in Seattle, and weather events around the globe? Don't trust the likes of TV weathermen like Jeff Renner? Head on over to Steven's Weather Vortex.

Seriously, Steven knows his stuff. So much so that he's getting a PhD in it. Subscribe and get the low down on weather.

I Will Build An Airplane First Before Flying Delta Again

This Thanksgiving we chose to travel back east, both for doing the family get-together but also to celebrate our niece's first birthday. We flew Seattle -> Atlanta -> Chattanooga, because it ended up being cheaper than a direct ATL flight (and Chattanooga put us closer to our destination).

The flight there was fine. On the way back, the adventure began. Here's the story, in four acts.

Act 1 - "But I can drive myself!"

We're getting ready to head back to the Chattanooga airport on Sunday. I check the flight status of the Chattanooga -> Atlanta leg, and it's getting more and more delayed, and we're worried about missing our Atlanta -> Seattle flight. So we call Delta and ask whether we can just drive ourselves down to Atlanta and take the second flight. "Yes," the answer was, "if you're OK paying $130 a person on top of your ticket price." Reason: the SEA <-> ATL direct flight is more expensive than the one that adds the Chattanooga leg. "Switching" to a direct flight would cost more (even though we'd be in the air less time and driving ourselves down to Atlanta, and even though we had confirmed seats on the Atlanta flight).

On principle we decided to not do this, and instead drove up to Chattanooga.

Act 2 - "Where's the plane?"

We arrive in Chattanooga, check in, go through security, and then wait at the gate. No plane was at the gate when we arrived. 5 minutes later, we hear the following announcement: "OK, folks, sorry to inform you, but the flight to Atlanta has been canceled." Reason: weather issues down in Atlanta (rain, fog).

So, we go back to the ticketing agent in Chattanooga. They have some trouble getting us seats on a Delta flight back to Atlanta the next day, so we say "what about other carriers?", aware of Rule 240. Soon, we get a 2-leg, 2-carrier flight out of Atlanta, leaving in the afternoon: Delta from ATL -> Dallas, and then American from Dallas to Seattle.

We get a confirmation number for the Delta flight. "What about boarding passes for the American flight?" I ask. The ticketing agent told me to not worry, and to check in at the American gate when I got to Dallas.

Delta then proceeds to pay a taxi cab $250 a person to drive us to Atlanta, where upon
we get picked up by family and stay the night. Yes, that's $500 to get us to Atlanta, when we could have driven ourselves.

I call Delta on Sunday night again, just to make sure about the Dallas check-in. The person on the phone assures me that we'll get boarding passes for the ATL->Dallas leg, and then American will issue us boarding passes for the second leg when we're in Dallas.

Act 3 - "Where are our seats?"

The next morning, I call American just to make sure things are peachy. American indeed finds our names on the flight from Dallas to Seattle, but doesn't have seats for us. "Wait," I said, "2 people at Delta told me I did!" Nope, sorry, the flight is overbooked. At best, we're standby. They tell us to call Delta.

We call Delta, and the Re-Issue desk guy tells me that we never got confirmed on the American flight. Reason: Delta and American don't have linked computer systems. While the ticketing agent may have been showing free seats on the American flight, she should have actually picked up the phone and called American and gotten a confirmation, as this Re-Issue guy was trying to do for us now.

However, there were literally no free seats in the air on any carrier, at any time, through any city for Monday. The earliest he could do for us was a Tuesday 7 AM departure from Atlanta, with a 25 minute layover in Salt Lake City. We grudgingly agree.

Act 4 - "Racing to the gate"

The 7AM flight left without a hitch. We ask the flight attendant whether we can get off the plane first, given the very short connection. She declines, saying "Oh, we'll get to the airport early." Turns out that we don't, and we get off near the end of the line of passengers. We run through the airport to make our connection. Fortunately Salt Lake is a small airport and we make it in time.

And, finally, we arrive in Seattle, 36 hours later than initially planned.

Epilogue

Now, the first problem was weather-related. Can't help that. What sucks about Delta is four-fold:
- They couldn't use common sense about letting us drive ourselves to Atlanta, instead trying to milk us for the higher direct flight cost.
- They ended up paying more for us to get taxied down to Atlanta on their dime.
- They didn't reserve our initial re-issue seats on a different airline, like they said they would, and like we asked multiple times.
- They didn't even have the courtesy to let us get off the plane first so we could make our short connection, which was due to their error in the first place.

The final kicker: I asked for some form of compensation for their error. The result: $50 vouchers for a future Delta flight. 50 bucks. That's it.

I'm frankly shocked at the incompetency and low level of customer service I received from Delta. I'm not surprised at all now that they're bankrupt. Their practices are antagonistic to customers, and it's hurting them in the end. If this is how they treat all of their customers in our situation, I don't understand how they're still in business.

See you, Delta. It hasn't been nice.

No More Glamazonia?

In case you haven't heard the news, Glamazonia will no longer be hosting Gay Bingo. Slog post is here, and Lifelong AIDS Alliance's response is here. If you've never been to Gay Bingo, let's say it's a 21+ fundraiser for LLAA, complete with bingo, booze, food, and an entertaining drag queen as the host.

Successful fund raiser? You bet: they consistently sold out, and attracted a diverse audience (gay and straight) willing to shell out money for entertainment and a good cause. But now, with no more Glamazonia, the appeal of the show is being questioned.

Here's a letter I sent to the LLAA in response. Tongue-in-cheek and sarcasm-filled, of course.

David and the Gay Bingo staff,

I recently heard a rumor that Glamazonia was dropped from LLAA and Gay Bingo. I rushed over to your web site to see if the rumor was true, and sure enough, I found your post on the matter.

What great news! I wholeheartedly support your move to drop Glam from LLAA. You see, my kids (Filbert, 5, and Seamonkey, 9) and I love Gay Bingo. We go every chance we get, sitting up front at a queens table, enjoying the sights and the sounds, dressing up in costumes appropriate for the theme, and relishing in the BINGO, of course! My kids love the pizza, and I enjoy the drinks (I can have one now and again, my support group says). But every time that tall, built Glamazonia comes out, my kids start freaking out, crying and screaming.

"Who is that?" they ask me. "Why is she saying what she's saying? Why am I being forced to listen to such harassing language?" (yeah, they're pretty precocious with their vocabulary). I try to calm them down, explaining to them that Glamazonia is just another one of God's creatures, and to remember that not everyone shares the same Puritanical values that our Mayflower ancestors did. But it doesn't quiet them down one bit. Sometimes I'm forced to give them a sip of my Long Island Iced Tea to keep them quiet and let the other people at my table enjoy the show. An outrage, that Glamazonia's actions drove me to that!

From the beginning, Gay Bingo has been one of those wholesome family events that kids and parents alike could enjoy together. Like the Zoo events at Woodland Park, or the Village Children's Center down near the Space Needle, or the Krazy Klowns Horror Freak Ride Show 2000 (that's still around, right?), Gay Bingo has been the place to enjoy some safe, G-rated fun with kids and "kids at heart". When Glamazonia took the helm, however, things went downhill. I couldn't believe the stuff she was exposing my innocent kids' virgin ears to. And her language! Gosh-diddly! Often, my kids have to run to the safe clutches of one of those nuns, the Sisters of…oh, you know, those saintly women. I thought those nuns would keep Glamazonia in line, what with their religious, cloistered upbringing. But I guess Glam was just there to do whatever the heck she wanted.

Thanks again for dropping Glam. I assume now you're in the market for another host. May I suggest Casey Treat? He's great with groups, and he could even add some group prayer to the event!

Another (Graphical) Reason To Quit Smoking

I don't smoke. In case you do, and you need some more motivation on why you should quit, check out a video of the amount of tar distilled from two packs of cigarettes. Now, think about that stuff in your lungs. Yummy.

Death To Polystyrene

We recently bought a bed from Crate & Barrel. We had the bed delivered last Friday, and it came in two boxes. Assembly was easy (no IKEA-like lengthy error-prone manuals). And the bed, plus mattress and foam topper, is quite comfy.

So why am I miffed at C&B? Because those two boxes the bed came in were filled to the brim with polystyrene foam (Styrofoam, in other words). 5+ bags of it, when broken down into manageable chunks. And, our recycling won't accept polystyrene (which I can only assume is the norm for most cities and municipalities).

This seriously put a dent in my opinion of C&B and how "with it" they are in terms of eco-friendliness. And yes, that's becoming increasingly important to me, as I think it should everyone on this planet.

Welcome to the 21st century, Crate & Barrel. May I direct you to some alternative packaging options that can be recycled, in place of polystyrene?

Orange Savings Account Is Far From The Best APY

I've seen a rapid increase in the amount of TV advertisements that ING Direct has been sponsoring. They pitch their Orange Savings Account, which has an APY of 4.20% (as of this writing).

Now 4.2% is a great APY considering what your corner bank typically offers. But it's far from the best.

Bankrate.com has a nice list of high-yield savings and money market accounts, and they show over 40 offerings that are better than ING's, many of those with no min balance, no fees, and low or no minimum to open.

Why not spend some of that TV budget returning more interest to your account holders, ING? You've got about 4 dozen horses ahead of you right now.

The Cost Of Driving

About $3.60 for a gallon of (premium) gas*.
About a gallon to commute to and from work.
About 240 workdays a year (excluding holidays and vacation)

That adds up to over $850 a year.

I need to take the bus more often.

*My car calls for it. I'd do the cheap stuff otherwise.

Stop The Political Telemarketing!

This weekend, my phone has been ringing off the hook. You'd think I was featured on some TV show, and people are calling to comment on the smashing shirt that I wore or something. No. Instead, people who are paid by political campaigns to call registered voters have been calling me, urging me to vote for their candidate.

Now, the interruptions are bad enough, but what's worse is half of these calls are recordings. They're not even willing to sit a real human on the other end of the line, but instead want me to listen to a computer spouting a recorded message of support from a local public figure.

Next time someone calls, I'm going to inform them that I am seriously considering voting against the candidate who they are trying to get me to vote for. I know, I know, "you have to play the game" politically, and if you don't make these calls and your competition does, then what?

I'll tell you what: how about your platform & promises be enough to carry you through an election, instead of relying on last-minute "please please vote for me!" calls?

And the reward for this election season being over next Tuesday? The run-up to the 2008 elections, of course, and the never-ending rhetoric, ads, and mud-slinging that will accompany them. I feel like I'm already done with those elections, and they're still a year away.

Seattle Voting Guide: The Name Game

OK, so it's time to elect some more people to office. In the past, we've done a picture-only analysis and a web site analysis. This time, we'll go for names. That's right: word association, word roots, or other gut reactions to people's names. Hey, from a guy who gets his last name mispronounced most of the time, I can relate.

King County Prosecuting Attorney
Bill Sherman. Hmm...Sherman. Hey, wasn't that some sort of general guy? Wow, that's pretty cool. Satterberg? Sorry, doesn't ring a bell.

Name Game vote: Bill Sherman

King County Assessor
What? Noble vs. Nobles? That's way too close! Can't...compute...difference.

Name Game vote: write-in "Noble(s)"

King County Council District #6
Pope is very holy. But Hague sounds like Hogue, the winery. Redemption vs. sin. Well, that's easy.

Name Game vote: Jane Hague

King County Council District #8
Constantine. Hey, that sounds like the namesake of Constantinople (no, not Istanbul). Cool. Potter, while reminiscent of the fantasy series' hero, doesn't do it for me. Wizardry teens vs. a friggin historical anchor and capital of three empires? Try to Patronus that one.

Name Game vote: Dow Constantine

Port Commissioner Position #2
Tarleton is kinda wacky, while Edwards is boring. Wow, this is a tough one. Neither really ring a bell... OK, Wikipedia for the tie-breaker. Whoa, check out that depiction of Banastre Tarleton! What a great headpiece!

Name Game vote: Gael Tarleton

Port Commissioner Position #5
Fisken? That sounds kind of imposing and sly, doesn't it? Like, "He's going to fisken you, watch out." Bryant sounds pretty safe. Plus, they make heating and cooling systems. Who doesn't want a cozy home, after all?

Name Game vote: Bill Bryant

Seattle City Council Position #1
Godden. That sounds quite Supreme Being doesn't it? But Szwaja! Whoa, look at that consonant-to-vowel ratio!

Name Game vote: Joe Szwaja

Seattle City Council Position #3
Harrell. Boring. Velázquez. Exotic!

Name Game vote: Venus Velázquez

Seattle City Council Position #7
Della. Hey, isn't that an actor? Cool. But Burgess, it means elected official! He's practically made for the job!

Name Game vote: Tim Burgess

Seattle City Council Position #9
Clark. Like Clark Howard, consumer advocate! Fenton? As in, the funeral home? No thanks.

Name Game vote: Sally Clark


Remember: vote early, vote often!

How Much Did You Pay For Radiohead's New Album?

You first.

Update: Looks like most people paid $0.00.

Scupltures Of Naked People Are Not The Best Political Platform

Meet Judy Fenton. Judy is running for a seat on the Seattle City Council. OK, Judy, welcome to the race!

But wait, let's see what Judy stands for. From her site:

PUBLIC ART: Parents and teachers work hard to instill safe boundaries for our children, the precious next generation. Public art must not blur and confuse those boundaries!

Hmm...what does that mean? A Seattle Weekly article sheds some light:

Specifically, Fenton is concerned about the fountain at the base of the Olympic Sculpture Park that depicts a man and a boy standing naked facing each other. "We spend a lot of heartfelt time and effort teaching our children boundaries and guidelines, telling them if somebody touches us in ways that aren't appropriate what they should do," Fenton explains. "If somebody sees that statue, it will undo that and confuse them."

...

Ok, Judy, seriously? A statue of a naked man and naked boy facing each other, arms outstretched, is one of the issues you're basing your entire campaign on (and, presumably, one you think is a cornerstone issue that must be resolved in this city)? Come on. Seriously?

Ha! I get it - it's a joke, right? You really meant that you wanted to give more funding to the arts, including naked statue art. Right?

Oh crap, you're serious?

...

OK, then, I can only do one thing. I'm declaring my position on artwork for Seattle. From now on, I believe that all public art depictions of one Judy Fenton of Seattle, WA be barred from display in any public place.

The reason? You see, it scares the hootenanny out of me that someone believes these statues are a problem, and believes it is so much an issue as to run a political campaign on it. And, you see, that confuses me and undoes all the heartfelt time and effort that public art has strived to instill in me. Sorry, Judy - I just can't have that. You know, just like children can't bear to look at statues of naked people.

This Is Exactly What I Don't Want An F-18 To Be Doing

Check out the first picture in this news article. Is that an F-18 flying mere feet above the surface of the San Francisco bay?

Yes, this is kind of neat, until (and I'm going to run the risk of sounding like a parent here) someone gets hurt. Furthermore, it's one thing to risk your own life. But why those people on the water? This seems beyond standard "air show risk" to me, and on into "reckless abandon".

Cupcake Royale Fall Flavors Arriving Soon

Seasonal cupcake flavors are arriving soon at your nearest Cupcake Royale
. Pumpkin, Apple, and Carrot (Cake) options will make the cooler weather a bit more worth it. And, to kick things off, the Ballard shop had some baby cakes available in these flavors, to get everyone in the mood.

Do You Want 5 Gallons Of Sweet Tea With That?

Someone ate a record 21 pounds of grits, winning the first World Grits Eating Championship. I like grits and all, but 21 pounds? That seems both challenging and disgusting at the same time.

I love how the article has to define what grits are. I suppose there are still some uninitiated folk out there. For the record, grits with cheese and bacon is delectable.

Greek Festival = Greek Eats

This weekend was the annual St. Demetrios Greek Festival. The festival is a great chance to get together, learn about Greek culture, see some people dance and play music, and have a good time out of doors.

OK, but the real draw is the Greek food. Roast lamb sandwiches, souvlaki, gyros, and pastries of all sorts.

True to form, we started with the pastries this year as we were waiting for people to arrive. We shared a flaky, moist Kataifi and a nice Galatoboureko. After various savory dishes, we ended with some Loukoumathes and took some Melomakarona for home (so what if it isn't Christmastime?).

Every time I attend a festival, my baking aspirations wake up a bit. Then, I realize it takes a good bit of time to make all of these sweets. OK for a weekend here or there, but those tend to fill up quickly with other activities. What is an aspiring baker to do?

I know. Blog about his delight at eating Greek food yesterday, while stuffing his face with those leftover Melomakarona. Στην υγειά σας!

Wake Me When It's Sunny Again

It's weird - I thought I had tabs on when the summer was over and fall set in around here in Seattle. But it feels like summer ended early this year. Consider:

• It's 6:30 PM and it's cloudy and rather dark outside.
• The temperature is 62 degrees right now, but the overnight low is 53.
• The 10-day forecast has our highs in the 50s.

I could have sworn that in years past, it wasn't until October that we had this sort of weather. Hmm, maybe those are just wishful memories.

OK, at least we have a bounty of fall produce to look forward to, not least of which is no less than a gazillion varieties of apples. And cider. Yum!

Drinking And Dining At Smith

We recently decided to eat and drink at Smith, a relatively recent (but by no means new) addition to the 15th street strip on Capitol Hill. I'd been there once before for a beer, and the menu looked interesting. This time, we were going to sample the kitchen's wares.

Decor
I describe Smith's interior as Tweedy English Hunting Club crossed with hipster. The exterior presents some dark awnings that cover large open windows and doorways. The interior is heavy in wood, and the walls are filled with taxidermied deer and fowl as well as paintings of people in regal poses. There are booths, 4-top tables, and large 14-top tables that can seat large parties or seat smaller groups communally. While the decor may be a throwback to times of old, the music is definitely caught up with the times, thanks to the modern jukebox near the entrance.

Drink
Come for the beer, stay for the liquor. Smith boasts a variety of American, British, Irish, Mexican, and Belgian brews, both on tap and in bottles. And they have a full bar, which is more broad than deep (as in, they don't have 10 single malt Scotches, but they have more than one).

Food
Here's where it gets interesting. The cuisine is full of rich dishes that seem to span the Chunnel between London and Paris. Here's what we had:

• Fried duck leg. As good as it sounds. Super thick, seasoned fried batter covering a large thing and drumstick of delectable, dark duck meat. Very flavorful.
• Devils on horseback. Dates stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in what I believe was pancetta. A wonderful combination of sweet, salty, and tangy.
• Beer potted cheese. A thick, creamy cheese spread accompanied with homemade cracker to spread it on.
• Summer vegetables. Green and white beans, tomatoes, and peppers sauteed in an anise butter sauce.
• For dessert, a very thick, rich chocolate pot du creme.

The good news is that we only sampled about a sixth of the menu. Some dishes are more adventurous (pig's feet, head cheese), while some look more familiar (pasta, pork sandwich). If what we had is any indication, Smith's kitchen is an excellent mix of wonderful flavors with a not-your-usual-pub-fare spin.

You can't ask for more than a nice atmosphere, a good beer, and great food. Add to that friendly, unpretentious, prompt service, and you've got a winner. We plan to return to Smith to enjoy more of their fare, donned in our (virtual) tweed jackets.

Buy Versus Build

The last PC I owned, I built. Meaning, I separately purchases the case/motherboard/CPU, the hard drive, the RAM, the CD-ROM drive, the floppy drive, and peripherals. I got to pick the components I wanted, and I ended up saving a couple of hundred dollars over a comparable pre-built machine from the likes of Dell or HP.

It was time for a new machine. So I had to weigh the options again: buy one outright, or build one like I did before? This time, I went with buy. Frankly, I don't have the time to spend putting everything together and making it work, and there's hardly a price difference these days. If I were building a high-end gaming PC there probably would be a difference, but not so much for a mainstream PC that I'm looking for.

The inner geek in me is crying a little tear for not assembling my own PC this time around. But I'm also secretly looking forward to having a box arrive with a PC that's pretty much ready to go as soon as I pull it out.

Carmageddon Is Over

That's right - this Saturday all northbound lanes of I-5 are open! The news folks need another excuse now for not reporting real news.

On that note, I should write about something more noteworthy, too. We just got back from a little camping trip out near Westport (outside of Aberdeen), on the coast, so maybe I'll write about that. After we rest up and get some grub, that is.