My Pint Glass Collection

When I travel, I like to go to breweries. I also like to collect pint glasses. As a result, I've built up a nice collection of over 50 pint glasses from around the world.

Most of them come from where I've lived (MN, WA, and CA) and near where I've lived (OR and WI), but I've collected a few from Europe and the rest of the US, too. Here's the list, broken down by location. It doesn't include event glasses (like my Oktoberfest glass) or other novelty glasses.

Washington
Big Horn Hefeweizen
Big Time Brewing Company
Hale's Ales
Henry Weinhard's
Mac & Jack's Brewing Company
The Pike Brewing Company
Pyramid Ales
Pyramid Ales: Titled Kilt Ale (2)
The Redhook Ale Brewery (2 different styles)
San Juan Brewing Company
Thomas Kemper Brewing Company
Walking Man Brewing

Oregon
Bridgeport Ales
Deschutes Brewery
Full Sail Brewing Company
Rogue Ales
Rogue Ales: Dead Guy Ale
Widmer Brothers Brewery

California
Anchor Brewing Company: Liberty Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Company: The Boonville Beer
Boulder Creek Brewing Company
Carmel Brewing Company
Gordon Biersch Brewery
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Lost Coast Brewing Company
Lost Coast Brewing Company: Great White
North Coast Brewing Company
North Coast Brewing Company: Red Seal Ale
Tied House Brewing Company
Ukiah Brewing Company

Minnesota and Wisconsin
August Schell Brewing Company
Leinenkugel's: Grandma's Trusty Old Brew
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus Brewing Company: Spotted Cow
Stevens Point Brewery: Point Classic Amber
Summit Brewing Company
Surly Brewing Company

US - Other
Alaskan Brewing Company
Boston Beer Works: Bunker Hill Bluebeery Ale
Bucket of Blood Saloon
Harpoon Brewery: IPA
New Belgium Brewing Company: Fat Tire Amber Ale

Europe
Bulmer's Vintage Cider
Carlsberg
Guinness (3 different styles)
Löwenbräu AG: Löwen Weisse
Newcastle Brown Ale
Rathaus Bier
Smithwick's
Spaten

I still regret glasses that I lost over the years (including a great "Ya Sure, Ya Betcha!" glass from Redhook's Ballard Bitter), but overall I like the logos and the memories of local breweries.

Reading List 2007 - 2008

These are all (or almost all) of the books that I've read over the last two years. The are listed in roughly chronological order and rated from 1 -10, based on how much I liked the book.

You Shall Know Our Velocity - 2
Blink - 7
The Crying of Lot 49 - 5
Tipping Point - 8
Crossing California - 8
Generation Debt - 4
The Road - 10
Ultramarathon Man - 5
In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead - 5
The World is Flat - 8
Sideways - 7
The Windup Bird Chronicles - 8
The History of Love - 7
Everything is Miscellaneous - 6
Discomfort Zone - 4
The Omnivore's Dilema - 7
The Audacity of Hope - 7
The Long Tail - 3
What is the What - 9
No Country For Old Men - 9
Falling Man - 7
A Thousand Splendid Suns - 10
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 8
What the Best College Teachers Do - 3
Bad Monkeys - 8
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - 10
The Golden Compass (re-read) - 10
American Pastoral - 10
Yiddish Policeman's Union - 6
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - 7
Set This House In Order - 8
What to Eat - 8
The Plot Against America - 9
Fight Club - 8
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian - 7
In Defense of Food -6
Who's Your City? - 4
Absurdistan - 10
Political Mind - 4
CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions - 6
The Gathering - 5
Ten Little Indians - 8
Out Stealing Horses - 8
Desolation Angels - 5
Never Let Me Go - 9
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - 10
Ishmael - 5
When You Are Engulfed in Flames - 6
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - 8
Showing Our True Colors - 6
If You're Feeling Sinister - 2
Russian Debutante's Handbook - 8
Lush Life - 8

Best Music of 2008

Most music critics called it a down year for music after the avalanche of extraordinary music that was 2007. 2008 had plenty to offer, though, including Moby and R.E.M.'s best albums in roughly a decade; the emergence of new bands like Frightened Rabbit, Noah and the Whale, Los Campesinos, Fleet Foxes, and Vampire Weekend; and another strong showing from the Pacific Northwest.

Maybe the best gift of the year was Belle and Sebastian's The BBC Sessions. Their live recordings aren't included in my Top 20 list because most of the songs were previously released, but I still obsessed over every word and every note as the live versions of some of favorite songs brought back memories -- and I cherished the four "new" songs. We were also lucky enough to get a live Colin Meloy album, with him singing and playing some of my favorite Decemberists tunes.

But we're mostly concerned with this year's new music, so here we go: The Top 20 Albums of 2008.

01. Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight
One of the best rock albums of the decade, Midnight Organ Fight delivers song after song, always building to something and always delivering with a catchy underpinning to its brutally honest and desperate songs. Built around a devastating and recurring use of warmth as a metaphor for love, this album offers some of the best lines in recent memory -- and in a Scottish accent, no less.
.:. Best Song: Keep Yourself Warm

02. Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down
Noah and the Whale were the band that I fell in love with this year. Their debut album is full of the boy-girl harmonies, strings, and catchy choruses that send a shiver up my back and put a smile on my face all year long. Each time I listened to Peaceful, I felt like giving it a hug -- because I loved it and because it felt like it was made just for me.
.:. Best Song: Five Years Time

03. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Easily the most accomplished album of the year, Dear Science plays like a master class in modern American music and modern American life. Every song has a groove, a brain, and a heart. It's as great as everyone says, and then some -- the rare work of art that plays to the masses as well as the insiders.
.:. Best Song: Golden Age

04. Los Campesinos - Hold On Now, Youngster
Los Campesinos singing-yelling coed lyrics are both hyper-literate and just plain hyper. They throw in every instrument in the book, more energy than a kid full of sugar, and enough knowing winks to challenge anyone in indie pop to a cute and clever contest. The result is one of the most infectious debut albums in recent memory. And they've already successfully followed it up with We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.
.:. Best Song: Death to Los Campesinos

05. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
I liked Wild Mountain Nation well enough and thought that they were okay in concert after that album, but I didn't expect an Americana masterwork like Furr from Blitzen Trapper. They come through with an unexpectedly great album, though. Full of tuneful strumming and classic sounds, Furr is a summary of a genre of music and an exciting new sound at the same time.
.:. Best Song: Furr

06. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs is my favorite grad school band returning to form, even with the big budget. Death Cab have figured out how to do the major label thing, try new directions, and still make heartfelt, melodic music. They even threw in a few songs like "Cath..." and "Grapevine Fires" for old-timers like me.
.:. Best Song: I Will Possess Your Heart

07. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant EP
Dripping with beauty, Fleet Foxes are the new pride of Seattle. Their famously four-part (and famously bearded) harmonies started to click for me during a sunny brunch at a vegetarian restaurant. The warmth of the music wrapping around me like the sun through the big picture window.
.:. Best Song: Your Protector

08. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
I got Vampire Weekend all wrong. When everyone hyped them as the greatest thing ever, I thought that they were Paul Simon rip-offs. When the inevitable backlash came with their wild success, my affections for their super poppy Afro-beat songs grew. Then I saw them in concert and was fully convinced that they were the real thing.
.:. Best Song: A-Punk

09. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...
That's right, a rap album in my top 10. Atmosphere's Lemons transcends the genre with its short-story lyrics, laid-back rythms, and timeless-modern urgency. It might be too slowly paced for most rap fans, but it was the perfect album for for relaxing (and feeling cooler than I really was) while I drove around town.
.:. Best Song: You

10. Moby - Last Night
Moby stopped being cool with critics a decade ago when he followed Play's with a series of so-so albums. But the critics shouldn't have given up on him because Last Night is the perfect rave night send-up for indie kids.
.:. Best Song: Ooh Yeah

11. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Bon Iver is a ghost -- a voice that's almost not there, but unmissible and haunting. For Emma (which was released in 2007 and re-released in 2008) filled the background on many nights of reading in front of the fire, lodging its beautiful but lost urgency in my subconscious, forcing its way into the forefront of my mind in its amazing choruses.
.:. Best Song: Skinny Love

12. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Facing down the death of the album, Okkervil River released the best double album of the decade. Only they didn't. This follow-on to last year's transcendent The Stage Names was recorded at the same time and has the same big feel, but it was released on its own this year. It's not quite as great, but I'l never complain about more goodness.
.:. Best Song: Singer Songwriter

13. R.E.M. - Accelerate
Before releasing Accelerate, R.E.M. played SXSW, like a new band trying to make a name for themselves -- a smart move after falling into irrelevance over the last a decade. Also smart were the concise and catchy songs that filled the album with the urgency of a new band and the chops of the all-time great band that is R.E.M.
.:. Best Song: Houston

14. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
The Helio Sequence are a late addition to my list, as I somehow overlooked them for most of the year. It was an unfortunate oversight because they've made a beautifully produced, intricately layered college rock album with more hooks than you'd expect from that description. Dreamy and propulsive.
.:. Best Song: Hallelujah

15. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
The best live band in America keeps treating us with excellent albums. While Stay Positive doesn't reach the heights of Boys and Girls, it feels more like The Hold Steady's Hold Steady album -- like what their stories and music have been building toward all these years. Whether or not the get their unified scene, they've given us another a fine album.
.:. Best Song: Sequestered in Memphis

16. The Lucksmiths - First Frost
The poor Lucksmiths. They've released very good albums every couple of years for more than a decade, critics have sung their praises (politely but not effusively), and then they have largely been forgotten outside of their small but devoted fan base. Too bad because they've got a diverse catalog that ranges from clever and catchy pop to the more subtle and quiet sounds of First Frost, maybe their most mature album.
.:. Best Song: Lament of the Chiming Wedgebill

17. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Taking a break from the Bright Eyes moniker and ostensibly a full-on album, Conor Oberst didn't take a break musically. These relaxed -- and even more countrified -- songs are up to the Bright Eyes standard, and refreshing for their informal feel.
.:. Best Song: Danny Callahan

18. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
At this point John Darnielle is one of the most reliable song writers in America. And if you like his acquired-taste singing voice like I do, he's also one of the best performers. On Heretic Pride, he sketches a series of short stories filled with details and darkness. I hope that he never stops telling us stories.
.:. Best Song: Sax Rohmer #1

19. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
The two geniuses behind Wolf Parade combine their talents to create head-bobbing indie pop goodness. At Mount Zoomer, while not as immediate as Apologies to the Queen Mary, tells us that, as long as Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner keep working together, we'll be getting good stuff from them for a long time -- and we'll start to hear their complementary sounds meld more completely together.
.:. Best Song: Soldier's Grin

20. The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
Stephin Merritt and company buried their pop genius in a gimmicky wall of distortion, but the songs were still as gooey and cynically ironic as ever under the fuzz. And after a few listens the distortion fades away to a classic sounding album.
.:. Best Song: California Girls

Best Songs Not In Top 20
A number of albums just missed the cut for me or had one or two really great songs. Here are my favorite songs of 2008 that aren't not covered by the top album list. In alphabetical order:

• Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" and "Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo)"
  
• David Byrne and Brian Eno - "Home"
  
• Dr. Dog - "The Rabbit, the Bat, and the Reindeer"
  
• Hot Chip - "Ready for the Floor"
  
• Mason Jennings - "Fighter Girl"
  
• M83 - "Kim & Jessie"
  
• MGMT - "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel"
• Nada Surf - "See These Bones"
  
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "We Call Upon the Author"
  
• Of Montreal - "Id Engager"
  
• Or, the Whale - "Call and Response"
  
• Santogold - "Lights Out" and "L.E.S. Artistes"
  
• The Ting Tings - "Shut Up and Let Me Go" and "Great DJ"
  

Summer in Seattle

I regularly tell anyone who will listen that the best season, anywhere in the world, is summer is Seattle. The gray skies are gone for three months, and the whole city glows like nobody's business. It is like one big outdoor party, and I took full advantage this weekend.

Cinema on the Lawn
On Friday night, Jana and I went to South Lake Union for the Cinema on the Lawn. The movie was Heathers, the well-loved dark comedy set in the unreal world of 1980's high school. It was fun to sit outside on a perfect night and watch the movie with the rest of the city. And it was great to see the Space Needle shining in its yellow Sub Pop glory as we made our way out of the park.

Biking to Redhook
On Saturday we went for a bike ride with friends. We took the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River trails north to the Redhook brewery in Woodinville. The ride was spectacular -- tree-lined trails, views of Mount Rainier, and incredible weather.

At the brewery, we enjoyed lunch and a pitcher of their summer seasonal outside on the deck. We also joined a tour for more beer drinking, a bit of history, and a brief brewing lesson. I learned that Redhook's "new" Long Hammer IPA is really just their Ballard Bitter (Ya Sure, Ya Betcha) with a more marketable name. I also learned that people love to bike to the brewery. I'd estimate that we saw 300 bikes on the racks in front of the Alehouse. Impressive.

Concert at Sunset Tavern
After a long ride most people would be tired, but instead of going to bed I stayed up late for a concert at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard. It being a perfect Seattle weekend, two of my favorite local bands were playing: Tullycraft and BOAT (along with the best ever indie pop band in Denton -- Fishboy).

The show was intimate and friendly. When Tullycraft introduced a sing-along, they started by asking how many people had seem them before. Half the crowd raised their hands, which made me nod my head and think, yeah, it's like playing for friends. It was that way for all the bands, with the groups in the audience leading the cheers and dancing along.

The opening band, Fishboy was an absolute revelation. They blasted through their nasally, nerdy songs, sounding like a poppier and more twee mixture of They Might Be Giants, Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Mountain Goats. (Yeah, you read that right. Check them out.) They had the crowd won with just their music, but the hyper trumpet playing, break dancing, and stereo smashing put them over the top. Great sweaty show.

Tullycraft, the band that I most wanted to see, were next. Now that Death Cab are anything but local, Tullycraft have stepped up to the honor of my favorite local band on the strength of their two most recent albums. Despite their great albums, Tullycraft are incredibly self-deprecating (they probably said that they sucked a few too many times during the show) and friendly. The downside of Tullycraft's local feel is that the show felt a bit small-time. The setlist was too short and the sound was too mediocre to meet all my expectations, but it was still damn fun. I sang along and bobbed my head, smiling up at the stage as the whole of Tullycraft smiled back at the crowd. Good times.

BOAT had the anchor leg, which surprised me after seeing them open for Blitzen Trapper and Menomena. They seemed like a promising little band in that show. This time they were kicking off their West Coast tour, and they were a different band -- a band getting ready to take a stab at being known. Their stage banter was poor but their stage presence and sound were big. They played new songs from their Topps EP and some of the best tracks off their two previous albums. The choruses were as loud and energetic as they were catchy, and the new material was stellar. They closed the show by asking some of the crowd and the opening bands to come on stage and shake percussion instruments. The crowd framed D. Crane and his guitar, and the dude looked like a real rock and roll hero. Cool stuff. I hope they make it.

Kayaking on Lake Union
On Sunday morning I got up early (at least early for the morning after a show) and went for a run at Dahl Playfield. Dahl Playfield is just down the street from our new house, and it has a nice running trail around the perimeter. I did eight laps, upping my pace each time.

After cleaning up around home, gardening, and preparing dinner, Jana and I headed to Agua Verde to kayak with friends. We paddled to Gasworks Park and toward the southern end of Lake Union before heading back. It was another amazing day, and half of Seattle was out cruising on the water. It felt great to be out on the water and right in the middle of the city at the same time. As we dipped our paddles in the water and took in the sights, I couldn't help but smile and think to myself: there's no better season in the world than summer in Seattle.

After kayaking we had dinner with friends on our backyard deck, enjoying an another incredible evening. After dinner we played ping pong in the basement and ate our home made ice cream. It was quite possibly the perfect Seattle weekend.

The Weekend that Wasn't

What I didn't do this weekend:

• Haul Ash Bike Ride from Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville to Red Door Alehouse in Fremont and back
  
• Obama and Decemberists Rally in Portland
  
• Beat the Bridge running race near UW and Montlake
  
• Seattle International Film Festival
  
• Seattle Cheese Festival at Pike Place Market
  
• Tickets for the Moby show at Neumo's (too slow)
  
• The camping trip at Mount Rainier that we had planned
  
• Norwegian Constitution Day parade in Ballard
  
• Who knows what else? Everything was happening this weekend
  

That might sound like one hell of a lot of missed opportunity, but it was still one of the best weekends that I've had since I got back to Seattle. The weather was amazing -- bright and sunny and 80's -- and the city was absolutely glowing.

On Friday after work I biked to Golden Gardens Park to meet Jana and her UW friends. We drank (lots of very strong) mojitos, grilled burgers, and had a beach fire. I had never been to the park before, which I now know to be a criminal oversight. It is a great beach with incredible views of the Olympics. The sunset was amazing; it was like going out to the ocean in California without the hour-long drive. I was completely in love with Seattle that night, and it wasn't just the rum talking.

On Saturday we went househunting. After looking at lots of places in Wallingford and Green Lake, we tried one in Wedgwood that didn't look all that promising in pictures. The pictures lied. It was a great place on a dead-end street, right across from a park. We couldn't believe that it was still on the market. We put in a bid right away.

After some grocery shopping and homework, we headed out to another party. This one was with many of the same UW friends, but it was at a house instead of on the beach. We grilled kabobs, drank (lots of very strong) margaritas, and ended up dancing in the kitchen. (Yes, even I was dancing.) Other than getting slaughtered in foosball it was another great night. The weather was just so amazing, and the dog even got to enjoy the party (and the chicken masala).

On Sunday we made pancakes for brunch with the last of the blackberries from last fall. Afterward, we sat on the back step and read the paper and In Defense of Food. Lyra rolled in the grass and got her belly rubbed.

After sitting around a while and doing some school work, I realized that I needed to get my act together and rent some skis for Ski to Sea next weekend. I found nothing on the internet, so I started driving around town.

Nothing at Second Ascent (but the Ballard Farmer's Market was hopping), nothing at REI, nothing at Play It Again, and nothing at the mountaineering store between REI and Play It Again. I was headed home in dejection when I decided to try to run-down little bike and ski shop that I drive by most every day. They were selling their old rentals for $20 more than the one-day rental fee a place in Bellingham was charging. I got skis, boots, and poles for cheap. Perfect.

When I got home, we made one of our favorite Indian dishes and then heard that we got the house that we wanted. That was a perfect way to cap an awesome weekend. We watched a few episodes of The Office and went to bed very happy.

Beautiful Spring Day

Saturday was quite possibly the most beautiful day in the history of Seattle. Just two weeks after we had snow, we had 75 degrees and sunny. It was so glorious that everyone wants to share what they did.

Not wanting to miss the fun, here's what I did...

I slept in late and then headed over the Magnuson Park for the semi-annual library book sale. They fill a massive warehouse with hundreds of thousands of books, almost all priced at $1. I spent a few hours there and walked away with books by Philip Roth, Roddy Doyle, Saul Bellow, Sherman Alexi, Thomas Pynchon, Rick Steves, and more. I love book sales.

After the sale, Jana and I headed to the grocery store to buy supplies for our dinner party. The store was almost empty. Who would go shopping inside on such a beautiful day? It wasn't all bad, though. To get to the grocery store we drive over the hills on 65th, and the views of the mountains to the east and the west are stunning on a sunny day.

Back at home we opened up all the windows for the first time in months, cleaned the place, and did prep work for dinner. I really wanted to get outside, though.

Fortunately, I had about an hour for a run. I put on my shorts and tank top. (Goodbye to running in hat, gloves, and a jacket!) and headed for the Burke-Gilman Trail. The trail was absolutely packed: bikers, walkers, runners, more bikers, recumbent bikes, dogs, strollers, hand-crank bikes, oh, and more bikers. Everyone was smiling and happy to be out on the trail.

I was so excited that I ran the first two miles at about a 5:40 pace. That's fast for me, so I decided to change my plans for a steady 7-miler to a 2 mile sprint followed by 3.5 miles of easy (6:30) cruising, followed by another 2 mile sprint. In between runs, I took breaks to stretch and to talk with people on the trail.

While I was getting ready for my last sprint, a biker who I'd passed on the easy cruise stopped to say Hi. She was amazed by how fast I was running. I played humble, but I enjoyed hearing that -- and knowing that I was about to run quite a bit faster. I stretched a while, let her get ahead, and then took off. Nothing like passing an impressed biker at an even faster pace.

After the run, I cleaned up and we got ready for dinner. We had ten guests from Jana's grad school program in our little apartment. It was a good time. Jana made Thai Iced Teas with Baileys and we had peanut, mint, and cilantro pesto over pasta, broccoli, red peppers, and tofu. Plus fresh pineapple and cherry cobbler for dessert. After dinner we had a big game of Apples to Apples. It was a great end to a great day. Hooray for Spring!

Magnetic Fields at Town Hall

After almost a decade of waiting, I finally saw The Magnetic Fields when they came to Seattle last week to play Town Hall. I still wish that I'd seen them during their 69 Love Songs heyday, but this show was a good substitute. They played a full set of 25 songs, focusing on their most recent release Distortion, but including quite a few from their seminal triple album.

Town Hall was mostly a good venue for a Magnetic Fields show. A beautiful old building with pews sloping gently toward the stage, it's definitely a better fit than a noisy bar, but maybe a bit too old and sleepy for a indie pop concert. The whole audience and the whole band remained seated for the entire concert, almost like a symphony performance. I appreciated being able to relax and see easily, but the show lacked energy.

Stephin Merritt didn't do a whole lot to increase the energy, acting like a misanthropic bastard most of the night. Sometimes that meant cutting humor, but mostly it meant that he came off like a detached and angry bastard who knows he can act like a detached and angry bastard because he writes better songs than just about anyone alive. Claudia Gonson did her best to provide lighter stage banter between songs, but let's face it: people go to Magnetic Fields concerts to see and relate to the genius behind those amazing songs. Outside of singing and strumming his bouzouki, the closest that Merritt came to relating was when he went into the crowd to get someone to turn off their video camera.

But the songs. They didn't disappoint. The songs from Distortion sounded much better live, without all the distortion that hangs over the album. I felt like I was hearing some of them for the first time, and was glad that Shirley Simms joined the tour to sing on the new songs. I particularly liked "California Girls," "Drive on Driver," "The Nun's Litany," and "Too Drunk to Dream." I liked that people actually laughed out loud when they heard the lyrics. It made listening more communal and made me feel like the audience was actually relating with the band.

I also liked the clean and professional sound throughout the performance. I credit Sam Davol and John Woo, who sat quietly in the middle of the stage, holding the performance together with their attentive and precise cello and guitar and playing. I think that they made the more formal setting work because they seemed so serious and deliberate with their movements.

The highlights of the concert for me were the songs from 69 Love Songs. They are just flat out better than the songs on the current album, not matter how they play them. I wish that they would have played more songs from that album, but that time has passed. The best "oldies" for me were "Come Back From San Francisco, " "The Night You Can't Remember," and "Papa Was a Rodeo." The duet at the end of "Rodeo" always send a chill down my spine, even if it is a bit cheesy.

The songs from i also sounded surprisingly strong, especially "I Don't Believe You," "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend", and the closer, "It's Only Time."

Overall, it was a good concert. It confirmed my love of The Magnetic Fields many wonderful songs and helped me appreciate their new album. I wish that Stephin Merritt had been a bit more personable and energetic, but I guess his fussiness and crankiness were just about right for the mini-symphony staging and performance. The man is a genius after all.

Mercer Island Half Marathon

I wasn't all that satisfied with my performance in the Relay Del Sol, especially my pace after about 4 miles, so I decided just last night to do the Mercer Island Half Marathon.

I didn't really know what to expect. I hadn't raced a half marathon in a few years and I hadn't run at all in the week after the relay, having chosen post-race beer and ice cream instead of light running and a good diet. But I wanted to see Mercer Island and figured that I could use the race to build up my endurance and get ready for the next relay.

What I didn't realize last night was that the race course was extremely hilly. The biggest hills went up only about 150 feet, but they just kept coming. Almost none of the terrain was flat, and the second half of the route was particularly challenging.

That didn't stop me from going out too fast, though. I did the first 3 miles at a 6:14 pace, which is way too fast for me and not a particularly good strategy considering I'd twice failed to maintain my pace after 4 miles just the weekend before.

Fortunately, I realized that I still had 10 miles to go and that I needed to slow down, so I settled into about a 6:45 pace -- a bit slower uphill and a bit faster down. I got passed repeatedly and passed almost no one, which felt strange and demoralizing. But I knew it was my penalty for going out too fast, and I just kept to my race despite the fast field.

Around mile 13, I had to climb one last steep hill. Fortunately Jana was there to cheer me on. I worked my way up the incline and sprinted down the last few yards between the top of the hill and the finish.

I timed myself at 1:27:50. That's not a spectacular time, but it was satisfying considering my lack of preparation. And it was actually a PR because I hadn't run a half marathon for such a long time.

I think that I should run some more races. Maybe I'll even learn to stop going out way too fast. Maybe.

Menomena, Blitzen Trapper, and BOAT at UW

The other weekend I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the Menomena, Blitzen Trapper, and BOAT show at UW. I wanted to see all three bands, particularly Menomena and BOAT, so I was thrilled that a ticket cost a mere $6 -- with no ticket charges!

The venue, however, was a disaster. The show was in the basement of the HUB on a makeshift stage that barely raised the performers above the crowd. Believe it or not, this setup was even worse than the HUB Ballroom staging for the Hold Steady and Art Brut show.

At least the performances were good.

BOAT, a local band, started the show. I've wanted to see them for some time, having read about them at Three Imaginary Girls and heard a couple of their songs. They play sing-along indie pop with a charmingly lo-fi aesthetic, and they seem like friendly, normal guys on stage. I liked their set quite a bit, and because the concert ticket was so cheap and I could buy directly from those nice guys, I bought both of their albums. They were extremely thankful and earnest, which was refreshing. I love supporting local bands.

Blitzen Trapper played second. Their sound fits somewhere between scruffy alt-country and Pavement-style indie rock. They barely fit on the stage, and their diminutive lead singer was barely visible behind the bobbing heads in front of me. Their set opened with more of a polished sound than I expected based on their album, but eventually turned into more noise than song. Their set was the least interesting of the night for me, but that's what I expected.

Menomena were the headliners, and for good reason. Friend and Foe was one of the best albums of 2007. I've heard that they're pretty amazing live, that people finally "get" Menomena after seeing them. A big part of getting the band is seeing how only three guys play such dense and interesting music on such a variety of instruments. Unfortunately, I could see only Justin Harris and Brent Knopf. I couldn't see Danny Seim's percussion work at all, and I couldn't see Knopf switching between his many instruments. That detracted significantly from the show.

What I could see was how much emotion Harris and Knopf had on their faces while playing. Menomena's songs rely on a series of cathartic moments, and those moments are much more focused and intense live than they are on the album. When Harris pulled out his baritone sax, I could see and feel the anticipation of his great sax lines. They played most of Friend and Foe and a few other songs, which was exactly the right set list. As they closed out with "Evil Bee," I was more than happy with their performance.

But I couldn't say the same thing about the venue. I'd like to see both BOAT and Menomena in a better venue.

Up Next: I saw The Magnetic Fields at Town Hall just the other night. Write-up coming soon.

Weekend in the Columbia River Gorge

A few weeks ago Jana and I drove down to the Columbia River Gorge for the weekend. We'd never visited the area before, but we'd heard about the amazing scenery and the waterfalls. The weekend didn't disappoint.

We stayed at the Columbia Gorge Riverside Lodge in Stevenson, WA. It is a collection of cabins sandwiched between two parks, right on the riverfront. The rooms feature outdoor hot tubs with great views. Everything about the place is perfect except that it is right on a busy train line.

I was willing to forgive the train noise, though, because the lodge is also a 30-second walk from the Walking Man Brewery. We made our way to the pub the first night for dinner and drinks. The pizza was forgettable, but the beer was exceptional. I had a sampler tray with all 10 brews that they had on tap. My favorites were High Road Scotch Ale, Homo Erectus, and the Black Cherry Stout. Some really good (and strong) stuff.

The next morning we went out for a serious hike. Because we had Lyra with us, we decided to hike up Dog Mountain. It was a steep hike, with almost 3000 feet of elevation gain and snow at the top, but we had a good time. The views of the river were exceptional, and the forest had the sort of Northwest trees that pulled me back to Washington. I've read that the hike is even better in the spring, when the mountain is covered in wild flowers, but we couldn't complain. Standing at the top of our peak, we could see Mt. Hood to our south and Mt. St. Helen's to our north. Great hike.

The next day we decided to see waterfalls on the Oregon side of the river. We drove across the Bridge of the Gods (love that name) and headed for Highway 30. There are amazing waterfalls all along the road, some that you can see from your car and some that require a couple miles of hiking. The most famous (and the biggest) of the falls are the Multnomah Falls. We saw those falls and at last a half dozen more spectacular drops. I'm particularly fond of waterfalls, so I was in heaven. This collection of falls rivals Yosemite's.

After taking in all the waterfalls, we headed back north on 5. We had good views of Mt. Rainier as we made our way north. It was a great weekend. I love traveling in this part of the country.

Bonus: For once, I actually took some pictures!

Arizona Relay

I flew down the Phoenix over the weekend to run in the Relay Del Sol. My team won the race last year, and we had a strong contingent again this year. The competition was stronger this time, though, and we finished 3rd.

Here's how my legs (10,22, and 34) went:

• My first leg was long -- 7.4 miles -- and rated very hard, but I expect to do well because I was fresh and it was cool in the middle of the night. I started out way too fast (11:15 at two miles), but hung on to finish about a minute and a half under the projected time. Everything felt good except my stomach about 10 minutes after the run.
  
  
• My second leg was just before sunrise. It was suppoed to be short -- 3.3 miles -- but they put the exchange points in the wrong place, so it turned out to be about 3.7. I expected to do 3.3 in less than 19 minutes. When I saw a "One mile to go" sign with about 16 minutes on my watch, I wasn't a happy camper. I think I came in a bit under 22 minutes, but it was a frustrating run.
  
  
• My third run was bad. It was in the 80s and I wasn't ready for the heat. My legs were dead and I hadn't been able to sleep at all. I had to cross 7 major intersections -- stoplights with 8-lanes (including turn lanes) across. The good news was that I was expected to run a reasonable 6:21 pace and the route was slightly downhill. The bad news is that I just couldn't do it. I only had 3 decent miles in me, and had to fight through the last 3 miles. I ended up at about a 6:28 pace, ready to fall over.
  

Despite my struggles and our team's failure to defend our title, it was a good race. I'll be in better shape for the next relay -- plus, who can complain when they have beer at the finish.

Two Trips to Whistler

I was lucky enough to take two trips to Whistler, B.C. during January. Whistler is a ski resort north of Vancouver. It will host many events during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I had a great time there, and I expect that the area will be perfect for the Olympics.

Here's a summary of my two trips....

First time to Whistler
Our college friend Mitch and his wife booked a condo for a weekend and invited their friends to join them. We were more than happy to take a trip to one of the best ski resorts in the world. Plus, we got to drive up with Mitch and catch up on old times.

Our plan for the weekend was both active and relaxing. The relaxing part consisted of hanging out in the condo, drinking lots of wine, enjoying the hot tub, reading by the fireplace, and making a great dinner with Jana.

But skiing was the highlight. After not skiing for many years, this was my second time on the trails for the winter. The trails at Whistler surround Lost Lake, and they're spectacular. We rented classical skis from the kind folks at Cross Country Connection. Their trail side rental hut is incredibly convenient, and rentals are reasonably priced.

We skied for a couple hours, took a lunch break, and then headed out for a second round. The trails are lit at night, so we stayed out until it was dark. I had a great time, thoroughly enjoying the scenery and the company on the trails. It felt wonderful to play in snow and experience real winter after all those years in California. I was in heaven.

On the drive back, we got to see just how beautiful the snow-covered, mountainous area is. (We couldn't see all the ocean and mountain views on the drive up because it was dark.) The road between Whistler and Vancouver follows the narrow space between the mountains and the water, and the views are spectacular. It is worth taking the drive, even if you don't want to ski.

Second time to Whistler
By coincidence, I was back at Whistler in less than a week for a fun work trip. We stayed in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and had a couple days of events planned.

Almost immediately upon arrival, I ran down to the Cross Country Connection and rented myself some skis. I went for skate skis this time, because I wanted to see if I could still do it (hadn't since high school) and because I wanted to move fast.

It turned out that I also got a serious workout. I covered all but the hardest trails, and covered many of the trails repeatedly. I skied to the tops of some high hills, and got amazing mountain views. Because it was a weekday, I was almost alone on the more difficult trails. Just me, the trees, and the snow. I had such a great time that I decided I would take up cross country skiing more seriously. I'm in the market for some skis now.

After a tough day of skiing, I spent some time in the hotel hot tub and eventually made my way to the party. They had lots of food and drinks -- and lots of games. I played a hockey shooting game a few times (did better after a couple beers) and played a remote control car racing game repeatedly. I won only one race, but it was still fun.

The next day was all downhill skiing. I hadn't gone downhill skiing for about 10-15 years, and when I'd skied before it was on hills in safely flat Minnesota. This was my first time on a real mountain.

I hopped on the chairlift (very happy I didn't fall while boarding, a common occurrence when I was younger) and headed up the mountain. (I stuck to the Blackcomb side.) The chairlift ride looked like a small percentage of the mountain, and moved incredibly fast, but it still went really, really high up. I was intimidated, but pointed my skis down the easiest run that I could find. No problems!

After my first run I went higher up the mountain and stuck to the blue (medium difficulty) runs. I was able to handle the steeper in large part because of my skis. Skis have improved so much in the last 10 years; I found turning and stopping to be some much easier than when I skied before.

I skied for about 3-4 hours, but as the day wore on I realized that I was getting very chilled on the lift rides up the mountain. (I'd really rather cross country ski up a hill than ride a chairlift up.) I packed it in by early afternoon, grabbed a sandwich, and once again enjoyed that incredibly scenic ride south to Vancouver.

Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to Whistler in the future. I enjoyed the feel of the village and particularly enjoyed the cross country skiing. Maybe on a future trip I'll be able to try to Olympic Nordic Skiing venue, just a few miles away.

My Big Obama Weekend

On Friday I attended the Obama rally at Key Arena. It was an amazing event. The line to get in wrapped around most of Seattle Center; I barely got in, and ended up sitting near the top of the arena. People were sitting and standing in the aisles. Thousands of people were crowded outside the stadium just to hear the audio. Obama came on stage almost 2 hours after the scheduled start of the event, but people were still very much excited and loud. You could feel how badly people want to start over and save the country, and how confident they are that he can do it.

I talked with an older guy seated next to me. He was about our parents' age. I asked him how this campaign compared to the McGovern campaign for excitement. He said he was one of the true believers back then, but that in the back of everyone's heads was the reality that they couldn't win. He's more excited now because this movement is much bigger and will be much more successful. He also said that this campaign is tangibly "for" something, and not just against the war. Great perspective.

After a series of introductions and endorsements (mayor, congressman, governor), Obama took the stage to a deafening roar. The ovation could have gone for minutes, but he quieted the crowd and started into his talk. The amazing thing about him is that his words are big enough for the whole crowd, but it still felt like he was talking to me personally.

The very sad part of the event for me is that I had to leave early to get back to work. I ran out of the arena in the middle of his speech feeling regret and excitement. My bus was actually ahead of me, but it was stuck in traffic and I ran fast for a half mile to get ahead of it. I thought to myself, Yes We Can!

On Saturday afternoon, Jana and I headed to the local school to participate in the caucus. We expected a large turnout, and we got it. The gym was completely full of our neighbors. And almost all of them were there to support Obama. His victory was a foregone conclusion; the question was How big would his victory be?

When they told Obama supporters to go to one side of the room and Clinton supporters to go to the other, a mass of people rushed to the Obama side. We were packed in tight, while the Clinton side had empty chairs, lonely people, and maybe even some tumbleweeds. It turned out to be 3:1 or more for Obama, which was the case across much of Seattle. Statewide, the caucuses went about 2:1 for Obama, which made for a resounding victory.

Obama is gathering more and more momentum as a diverse set of supporters get behind him. At this point, if he doesn't get the party nomination, it will be a major upset. I certainly hope that doesn't happen. More than anything, this country needs to start over. And we need to start over by moving in the right direction. Obama is the candidate who can do just that. I can't wait until I get to vote for him in the general election -- and I really can't wait for January 20, 2009.

Top Albums 2007

25. Watch the Fireworks - Emma Pollock
More than just a consolation prize after the break-up of the Delgados, Emma Pollock's solo debut is a confident step forward. Her voice has always been stunning, and while I loved the Delgado's interplay between male and female vocals, I'm glad to hear her singing showcased for a full album. "Paper and Glue" best summarizes her solo success, but the whole album is uniformly appealing.

24. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse
If Modest Mouse made an album and I listened to it and liked it but couldn't remember the songs, would that album exist? That's a flip way to describe a really quite good album, but Ship was the first Modest Mouse album for me that didn't leave an indelible mark. Still, it has the distinctively jittery and thumping rhythm of a Modest Mouse album and the satisfyingly yelpy growl of Isaac Brock's singing voice. Those strengths ensured that it eventually grew on me. You could say that I "Missed the Boat" (my favorite song on the album) at first.

23. Under the Blacklight - Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight is the sound of a potentially great indie band dying, but it is also lots of fun. It is my guilty pleasure for the year. Yeah, they sold out and produced a bunch of songs that I swear I've heard before, but Jenny Lewis' sultry an d seductive voice makes up for it. My favorite tracks are "Silver Lining," "The Angels Hung Around," "15," and the complete sell-out "Breakin' Up."

22. Once - Original Soundtrack
Once is an amazing and beautiful movie that would be almost nothing without the amazing and beautiful music of its stars. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's voices soar together on songs like "Falling Slowly," "If You Want Me," and "When Your Mind's Made Up." Listening to the album brings their emotions and insecurities right into your ears and helps you re-live one of the best movies in years. Just like the movie scenes without the two stars together, though, the songs without both halves aren't quite as good as the ones with them together.

21. Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
It's mellow old-man Wilco, and I like it. Jeff Tweedy is off the drugs and getting older, so it makes sense that he's laid back. The obvious reaction from critics was to wonder why Wilco stopped experimenting and rocking. What isn't so obvious about this album is that it is full of classic guitar lines, welcoming piano and organ, and one of Tweedy's best singing performances in a while. It's time to grow up with one of my favorite bands, and this is a perfect album for a laid-back weekend afternoon at home.

20. Cassadaga - Bright Eyes
Cassadaga is uneven and moves a bit too close to country for my liking, but it still has some of the best songs in the Bright Eyes catalog -- and that's saying something. "Four Winds," "If the Brakeman Turns My Way," "Soul Singer in a Session Band," and "I Must Belong Somewhere" are all exceptional tracks. I searched the latter's lyrics for advice on where to live. Did I belong in California or Washington? Or back in Minnesota? It was a good enough song that I was willing to ask Conor for advice.

19. Wincing the Night Away - Shins
After a band changes your life, you don't want them to change. But that's exactly what the Shins did, following up the perfect Chutes Too Narrow with an imperfect but far more adventurous album -- the kind of album that promises more life-changing in the future. Sonic changes aside, Wincing is most certainly a Shins album. It just requires some adjustment, especially the second half. It starts out strong -- and without surprises -- with "Sleeping Lessons" and "Australia." But then "Pam Berry" interludes into the New Pornographers-inspired "Phantom Limb," and the Shins are off to the experimental races. The new sound grows on you; it just takes longer than you'd expect for a Shins album.

18. New Moon - Elliott Smith
Another beautiful posthumous release from the saddest man in indie rock. The quality of this double album, while not quite on par with Smith's best stuff, is a testament to his consistent brilliance. It is a particularly great gift for fans of either/or and his eponymous album, as most of the songs come from that era. Every time I listen to an Elliott Smith album, I thank my younger self to seeing him in concert while I still could. An amazing talent.

17. Reunion Tour - The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans treated me to the most surprisingly wonderful concert of the year, and they also released another first-rate album. Despite the recent infatuation with Canadian bands and quite possibly the best lyrics in rock and roll, the Weakerthans have flown a bit under the radar. Reunion Tour isn't quite the star-making album that Left and Leaving should have been, but boasts some of their best songs: "Tournament of Hearts" (the best curling song of all time), "Sun in an Empty Room," and "Civil Twilight."

16. Cease to Exist - Band of Horses
I never got to experience Band of Horses as a local band. They formed after I moved away from Seattle and took off for South Carolina before I could make it back. But I won't hold that against them as long as they keep making songs that prove that "the world is such a wonderful place." The first half of Cease to Exist does just that with its lush guitar and Ben Bridwell's distinctive voice. On some songs his singing makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. They've definitely found a distinctive and emotive sound that, which it evokes the southern classic rock of their new home, still sounds entirely fresh.

15. The Con - Tegan and Sara
Here's my Tegan and Sara equation:

Tegan's voice + Sara's voice + Strummy Guitars = Magic

The Con, which takes on an almost punk aesthetic with its short and energetic songs, often has only two-thirds of the equation. Fittingly, it has fewer highs than the full-equation So Jealous did for me, just because the sound isn't as immediate and personal. But it is a fuller and more complete album from start to finish. The Canadian sisters are increasingly solid songwriters, with an amazing sense of harmony. I particularly like "Relief Next to Me," "Like O, Like H," "Nineteen," "Back in Your Head," "Soil, Soil," the title track, and well, you get the idea.

14. Emerald City - John Vanderslice
John Vanderslice is almost as fixated on 9-11 as Rudy Guiliani, but with Vanderslice it isn't a manipulative political ploy; it is an honest reflection on the aftermath of that tragic day. Vanderslice's brooding yet comforting voice, the plunked-out minor-key piano, and the crunchy guitars all sound a warming and a lament for our nation. Flawlessly produced, Emerald City is the sound of a musician in his top form.

13. Shepherd's Dog - Iron and Wine
Fans usually lament their low-fi heroes' transitions from hushed and simple recordings to full-band hi-fi recordings. No one should shed tears for Shepard's Dog; it makes Sam Beam's considerable previous efforts sound like warmp-ups. This collection of songs is beautiful, fully-realized, and instantly classic. The songs feel so cinematic and so much of a place that I keep expecting an entire movie to feature Iron and Wine songs the way that Good Will Hunting featured Elliott Smith. It'd be a damn good movie.

12. Night Falls Over Kortedala - Jens Lekman
By all rights Jens Lekman should be a novelty act. He has such a throwback sound that it almost winks at you, and his lyrics can be so precious that you don't know whether to give him a hug or dismiss him. After Kortedala you definitely can't dismiss him -- Jens Lekman is a serious musician. "The Opposite of Hallelujah" is one of the best pure pop songs of the year, bouncing along with uncanny energy. "A Postcard to Nina" tells the story of being tricked into tricking someone else with such wit that it never gets old. I don't expect this album to ever get old, either.

11. Friend and Foe - Menomena
Portland, along with Brooklyn and Montreal, has become the center of indie rock world over the last few years. One of the best bands to emerge from the Rose City is Menomena. Friend and Foe, Menomena's second proper album, is by no means a collection of singles, or necessarily even songs; it is a sound collage filled with memorable bits and pieces that poke out as a full-bodied horn or a series of piano notes or a distant lyric ("Oh, to be a machine...") and stick in your head for months. Listening to how those pieces fit together -- and trying to understand how they constituted songs that sound like real rock songs from sounds on a computer -- makes each additional listen more and more rewarding. Hooray for Portland. Hooray for Barsuk records.

10. In Rainbows - Radiohead
Remember when a Radiohead release was a big deal without internet gimmicks? When every other band was the junior varsity team? I do. For me Radiohead will always be defined by The Bends and OK Computer, classic albums they released during my influential high school and college days. I can't quite get excited about a Radiohead album the way that I used to, but that's okay this time because the music stands up very well on its own. In Rainbows is one of their best releases, full of haunting pop songs and compelling soundscapes. The return to sound (just a bit different from return to form) is not just a rehash of old ideas, it is evidence of a vital band that figured out how to grow up. After the success of In Rainbows, the next release might just be a big event for me.

09. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
For the first few months of the year, Neon Bible was by far my favorite album. As I listened more and more, I immersed myself in the album and the album rewarded me for repeated listens. Then I stopped listening. And I didn't really miss it. When I went back to the songs months later, most of them didn't work nearly as well for me. "Antichrist Television Blue" and "Keep the Car Running" were still great, some of the best songs of the year, but the others lost something when they weren't in the context of the entire album on repeat. Still, Neon Bible has an essence that can capture your imagination -- and, despite being a step down from Funeral, it is confirmation that The Arcade Fire will remain a force.

08. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon
Spoon are so consistently good that Britt and his mates are almost getting boring. Their songs, however, are anything but boring. "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" and "The Underdog" add horns to great effect, the latter taking up the Van Morrison's pop mantle. "Rhthm and Soul" and "Black Like Me" shimmer and shake with a confidence that flows in your ears and right to your feet and fingertips. They all pull together to make yet another great album. That Spoon aren't all over the radio is one of the great mysteries of our time.

07. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
Play and Give Up. That's the shortlist of electronically-derived albums that have captured my attention as much as the non-stop hit parade that is Sound of Silver, a tour de force that redefines the genre -- and makes it a hell of a lot better. James Murphy's album oozes personality and has a better indie pop sensibility than most indie pop. The two long tracks in the middle, "Someone Great" and "All My Friends" carry an already great album to a higher level. "Someone Great" confirms the weight of losing someone without forcing that weight on the listener, in a way that rivals John Darnielle. And "All My Friends" turns a few deceptively simple piano notes into more than 7 minutes of raucous good times. Why can't there be more albums like this one?

06. Boxer - The National
Boxer can't quite touch Alligator song for memorable song, but it might just be a better album than the one that made Matt Beringer and band into indie favorites. Like its predecessor, Boxer requires plenty of late-night listening to sink in. But when it does, it will sink deep into your soul as a constant, comforting thrum. Among other things, Boxer is an album about realizing that you've grown up and coming to grips with what that means. Themes of uneasiness with aging, maturity, and modernity emerge, especially on highlight track "Mistaken for Strangers." It is empathetic because you can hear in the timbre of Beringer's voice and the restrained passion of the guitars that the National know exactly how it feels.

05. Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
I fell in love with this band while listening to their short but not slight second album over and over again. Offering by far the best Belle and Sebastian impression of the year, this Chicago band with boy-girl lyrics and twee storytelling sounds more like Jeepster-era Stuart Murdoch than today's Belle and Sebastian. "Never Thought I'd Feel This Way for a Boy" is a hand-clapping, singalong about coming out to yourself. "Then and not a Moment Before" has a riotous horn solo. And "Everything You Paid For" has a transcendent, dreamy float while name-checking Salinger and Steinbeck. I can't wait to hear what they do next.

04. Every Scene Needs a Center - Tullycraft
The absolute opposite of a "grower," this Seattle-produced hookfest is instantly memorable and lovable. It exudes energy and playful wit while skewering punks, emo boys, and scenesters. Although the lyrics and the oldies feel of the music are great, the most important key to the happy-fun-time success of the album is the back-and-forth interaction between Sean Tollefson and Jenny Mears' singing voices. Just try not to sing along. I've got a new favorite local band, and some back-catalog albums to buy.

03. Challengers - The New Pornographers
Why critics ignored this album is an absolute mystery to me. All three primary contributor were coming off exceptional solo albums: Slow Wonder, Destroyer's Rubies, and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, so we new something great was coming. The surprise was that they saved their best for this album. Bejar and Newman are absolutely at the top of their game as songwriters as they convincingly complete the New Pornos' transition from the kitchen-sink exuberance of their debut to repeatedly cathartic grown-up pop. Mass Romantic might retain the buzz as their best album for years to come, but this will be the one that we listen to, repeatedly and happily, for years and years.

02. Stage Names - Okkervil River
When I heard Black Sheep Boy, I thought that Okkervil River would make a great album some day. I didn't know that they'd make it so soon. I can't listen to Stage Names without feeling overcome by the raw emotion, the honesty of Will Sheff's voice and the excitement of the guitar and horns. "Unless It's Kicks" and "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene" are the most devastating back-to-back tracks since The Hold Steady led off with "Stuck Between Stations" and "Chips Ahoy." Just try to listen without singing along (yelling, really) and dancing. The second half slows to a more subtle, tender pace, but remains just as affecting. And the lyrics for "Plus Ones" are just too damn clever. A career making album.

01. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Of Montreal
A synthetic indie-pop carnival for the ages. Kevin Barnes bared the insecurities of his soul, wrote amazingly catchy and complex songs, and in the process, made Of Montreal into one of the most essential bands of the decade. Hissing Fauna is a completely original blueprint for the next decade of indie pop. I expect that many bands will try to copy the sound and the aesthetic, but that none will succeed so completely. Bonus points for the nearly as wonderful EP: Icons, Abstract Thee. Extra bonus points for the best running song of the year: "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" is two miles of an incredible beat. This album just blows me away over and over again.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving was great this year. I experienced so much of Seattle, and had a great time with friends. Here's the story:

On Wednesday night Jana's cousin Riana came up from Portland. Then Thursday afternoon I picked Holger, Antje, and their baby Lara up at the airport. They were visiting from CA; it was the first time we'd seen them since we moved away. We laid low the rest of the day, just hung around home and Magnuson Park.

We waited until Friday for our Thanksgiving meal, which worked out great. My friend and running partner Mark arrived from CA around lunch time, and we started cooking. Massive meal. Turkey, phyllo stuffed with artichoke hearts and onions, spicy green beans, sweet potatoes, salad, and stuffing. We ate until late afternoon and then headed downtown. Antje and I dropped off Jana's cousin at the train station and then wandered around Pioneer Square and the waterfront with Lara. We even saw a fireworks show. That night we played Apples to Apples, had pie (pumpkin and apple), and drank tea and apple cider. Hooray for apples.

The next morning we made blackberry pancakes with the berries we picked behind our apartment when we first moved in. Yummy. Then we went downtown to pick up our marathon race packets. Mark and I would run the Seattle Marathon the next day.

We spent the rest of the day downtown. It was all decorated for Christmas, and we gave ourselves a nice tour: Pike Place Market, the first Starbucks, best spice store I've ever seen (World Spice Merchants, the waterfront, another Starbucks (lots of coffee for others this weekend), Pioneer Square, Magic Mouse Toy Store, Elliott Bay Book Company, the new library, Seattle Art Museum, a gelato shop, Pike Brewery, and a view of the market at night. Then we went home for some sleep to get ready for the marathon the next day.

Mark and I barely got to the marathon in time -- we got there after they sang the national anthem. It was cold (sub-40 degrees), but it would warm up. We planned to run slow because Mark was sick and had a marathon next weekend. I wanted a 3:30 pace. Mark wanted 4:00. (His PR is 3:09 and mine is 3:04.) We started at the 3:30 pace, but Mark was coughing and struggling, so we slowed down in the second half. I didn't mind at all because it was sunny and mid-40s by then. Most of the run was right along Lake Washington -- very beautiful. Most of the people running near us were just about dead, but I felt great and relaxed as I smiled and took in the views. We finished in 3:47, which wasn't bad considering how sick Mark was.

After the marathon we went to Hale's Ales in Fremont/Ballard. Pretty good beer, although I forgot to order the sampler and just got an IPA. After Hale's we went to Gasworks Park to take in the view and then checked out the Fremont statues: Troll, Interurban, Lenin (we had East Germans with us!), and the rocket. I really love Fremont. We also checked out the Google office and the drawbridge.

Then it was time to tour the Theo chocolate factory. (Yes, beer and chocolate are great post-marathon rewards.) They have a great tour, with lots and lots of samples. I loved their coconut curry chocolate. Seriously good stuff. After the tour we did more Fremont wandering and eventually made our way to Jai Thai, right at the Center of the Universe. We sat in the front window and really enjoyed the meal. It might have been a mistake to sit cross-legged at a traditional low table after a marathon, though. My legs were killing me when I stood up.

The next morning we did a tour of UW. Mt. Rainier was visible from Red Square. After the tour I brought our friends to the airport and took a long hot bath to soak my sore muscles and read The Golden Compass. Perfect weekend.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. And some more pictures.

Emma Pollock and the Hungry Pines

The Delgados were one of the best indie bands of the last decade, but I never got to see them live before they disbanded. They played the Crocodile after releasing their best album, Peloton, but I got sick and missed the show. I've always regretted missing it, and last Thursday's Emma Pollock show at the Crocodile was my best chance to remedy that.

Before Pollock took the stage, The Hungry Pines had their chance. They haven't released an album yet, but I thought they were exceptional. Their lead singer, the quite adorable Irene Barber, hid on the side of the stage and behind her bangs, but her confidence grew throughout the night. She has a surprising voice that allows the band to move from shoegaze to more indie pop sounds.

I found myself bobbing my head happily, getting into the songs in a way I rarely do for openers that I don't know. The rhythm section, center stage like the backbone of the band, was really solid -- and lead guitarist Chrysti Harrison added interest with some great licks. I think The Hungry Pines might become the hot new Seattle band over the next few months. Have a listen.

On to the headliner...

I had high expectations for Emma Pollock based on Watch the Fireworks, her stellar debut as a solo artist. She didn't quite live up to those expectations, but I think it had more to do with the crowd than her performance. The Crocodile is a small venue, but it felt empty as she took the stage. Noticeably empty, feel bad for the performer empty.

I might have started to feel bad for her, but she shook it off and came out rocking. The first couple songs were all glittery guitar goodness. Her voice was angelic -- It has always sounded great on record and it was a revelation live. Her band was solid. I thought I was about to be treated to one of those tiny shows that years later thousands of people claimed to have attended.

But then she slowed things down and the small crowd started to affect her. She did her best to deal with a couple rude drunks and the general lack of energy from the crowd, but I think she wasn't used to the small crowds after playing with the Delgados and then opening for New Pornographers. Despite some good onstage chatter about the Glasgow music scene and filming a video, she had lost her momentum.

I think Pollock's problem was that she didn't have enough songs to overcome the awkwardness of a small crowd. With just one album under her belt, she has only 5 really solid, rocking live songs that work in any situation: "Paper and Glue" (her best song live), "Acid Test", "If Silence Means That Much to You","Adrenaline," and "Hear Comes the Heartbreak." Those songs were great, but it might have been a more dynamic concert if she filled in the gaps with some Delgados songs -- they are partly hers after all. I know that would have helped me enjoy the show more and would have made up for my missing that Delgados show years ago.

It was a still a good show, and I'm still a fan of Watch the Fireworks. I guess my expectations just didn't match the audience.

Upcoming concerts:
Dec 4: Voxtrot, Tullycraft, and Math and Physics Club at Neumos
Dec 7: Scotland Yard Gospel Choir at the High Dive

Hold Steady and Art Brut at the HUB

Time to do some catching up...

A bit over a week ago I saw the Hold Steady and Art Brut at the HUB Ballroom on the UW campus. The HUB Ballroom is more like a high school cafeteria than a real concert venue -- never attend a concert there unless you must. The whole night would be a battle between the high quality of the bands and the terrible venue.

I showed up a song or two into Art Brut's set, apparently after Eddie Argos had a bit of a piss over the lack of booze and early start time at the HUB. He and his band were busy making it up to the still small but growing crowd. He'd ask, "Ready Art Brut?" and they'd bang their way through another song.

Argos's voice is an acquired taste, but he's in on it, which makes Art Brut all the more entertaining. After a couple songs he asked the sound guys to turn off his monitor, noting that he didn't actually sing, that he was fine with being off key, and that his bandmates really didn't want to hear him. The crowd did, though, and he got them going by jumping off stage and pogo-ing around the with crowd for a song.

As Art Brut ended their set, Argos apologized for his earlier negativity, but apologies were no longer necessary. He was already back in the crowd's good graces.

I expected Art Brut to be a good opening act, but with songs like "Emily Kane" and "Good Weekend" they made it more of a twin bill than I expected.

Next up was the headliner, The Hold Steady, one of my favorite, most literate bands. I'd seen the Hold Steady before, so I mostly knew what to expect, especially Craig Finn's hyperkinetic stage presence and twitchy white boy dancing.

I stood at the back of the room last time, so this time I got right up from -- close enough to see the Finn's spit fly, Franz Nicolay's tooth pick dance around his mouth, and Tad Kubler's fingers all over his guitar. Before forming the Hold Steady Kubler and Finn played together in Lifter Puller, and I noticed a camaraderie between them that I was surprised to have missed before.

They played a good mix of their albums, focusing less on Boys and Girls than they did on the last tour, and even trying out a couple new songs. They were particularly on for "Southtown Girls," which has become one of my favorites, in no small part because I grew up a few miles from Southtown Mall and because Nicollet, Lyndale, and Penn were the extent of my geography at a young age.

Unfortunately the sound was a mess for most of the night. "Massive Nights" sounded awful, the sing-along chorus turning into a muddled yell. And there were more stage problems, like the lights causing one of the monitors to start smoking.

The band dwelled on the lack of drinks at the HUB, which was understandable but almost sad as stage banter. The Hold Steady are a bar band, the kind of group you want to see with a drink in your hand, but they're also one of the best live bands around and have at least one of the best albums of the decade. If you can't enjoy them sober, drunk, or high, there's something wrong with you.

I guess that's a good way to summarize the night for me: Despite all the problems with the venue, it was still a good show by really good performers. I left with a T-shirt featuring the Hold Steady's take on the old Twins logo, firmly identifying with my fellow former Minneapolitans and quite content that I'd seen two bands in their prime.

Last Minute Seattle Voters Guide

The election is tomorrow, so I spent a good chunk of the weekend researching the initiatives, resolutions, and candidates on the ballot. Below you'll find a summary of how I plan to vote.

Initiative 960: Require supermajority for budget
Vote no.

This is a Tim Eyman initiative. If you are still reading and not running to vote against it, here's more reason to do so. California requires a supermajority to pass the budget. It always gets stalled, always hurts the state, and always ends up a compromised mess. This initiative relates to raising taxes, but will have a similar effect on legislative effectiveness, leaving us subject to the whims of the minority. To make this initiative even worse, it would cost over a million dollars in unnecessary paperwork.

Measure 67: Insurance Fairness
Vote yes.

If insurance companies wrongly deny claims, they pay a stiff penalty. This type of law exists in almost all states, and it makes good sense. Insurance coverage should not be a guessing game.

Resolution 8206: Rainy Day Fund
Vote yes.

Puts 1% of state revenues in a fund for bad times. While a constitutional amendment to make it happen seems like a bit much, the management of the fund and the rules for how it can be accessed make good sense.

Resolution 8212: Inmate Labor
Vote yes.

Letting inmates work at real jobs (inside prison) helps to pay the cost of the prison system and makes prisoners more likely to contribute to society when they get out.

Resolution 4204: School Levies by Simple Majority
Vote yes.

I don't have any kids, but I always vote for tax increases for public schools. Always. And I'm always disappointed when levies get a simple majority, but not the required supermajority to pass. This resolution fixes that problem and keeps the minority from denying our kids a quality education based on an aversion to taxes.

Resolution 4215: Higher Ed Investment Plan
Vote yes.

They want to invest higher education funds in more lucrative markets. This idea concerned me a bit at first because I don't want universities to lose their money, but state investors have successfully done the same thing with other funds for a long time. I trust them, and I like the idea of universities getting more money.

King County Prosecutor
Vote Bill Sherman.

Both candidates seem reasonably qualified here, but Scatterberg, who claims to be a nonpartisan Republican, was involved in some vote-counting funny business in the last election.

King County Assessor
Vote Scott Noble.

The only tricky thing about this choice is that the opponent's name is Jim Nobles. The guy without the "s" has been doing this job very well for a while. When part of government isn't broken, we should celebrate and vote in favor of that good work.

King County Council District 2
Vote Larry Gossett.

Unopposed.

King County Council District 4
Vote Larry Phillips.

Unopposed.

King County Council District 2
Vote Dow Constantine.

From what I read, Dow's been doing a good job. His opponent, John Potter, doesn't seem to be a serious candidate.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position 2
Vote Gael Tarleton.

These Port positions are officially nonpartisan, but Gael is the pro-environment Democrat and her opponent is a faux-environmentalist Republican.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position 5
Vote Alec Fisken.

Same as the other port position, just more so. Fisken eliminated much of the corruption on the port commission in his first term, and we need him to keep doing that.

Seattle City Council Position 1
Vote Jean Godden.

I usually lean away from incumbents and almost always lean toward the more liberal candidate. This is an exception. Godden is just a more complete candidate than Szwaja.

Seattle City Council Position 3
Vote Bruce Harrell.

This was a tight race until Velaquez's racist YouTube video and her drunk driving escapades. Harrell appears well qualified and obviously more responsible.

Seattle City Council Position 5
Vote Tom Rasmussen.

Unopposed.

Seattle City Council Position 7
Vote David J. Della.

This was a tough choice, at least at first. Della has been on the council for one term, and he didn't seem to do much. Burgess has endorsements from all the environmental groups. Based on that data I was leaning toward Burgess. But then I read way too much substantial evidence that Burgess is anti-gay and anti-women. Even if those views don't frequently impact city planning, I just don't want a leader with those views. Let's give Della a chance to show more initiative in his second term.

Seattle City Council Position 9
Vote Sally Clark.

This one is easy. Clark is one of Seattle's most effective city councilors. Her opponent, Judy Fenton, is running on a platform of removing a piece of public art that shows nudity.

Seattle Charter Amendment 17: Preamble
Vote yes.

The city council wants to add an innocuous preamble to the city charter. Doesn't do much for me either way, but blocking it seems stupid.

Seattle Charter Amendment 18: State of the City
Vote yes.

The mayor traditionally gives an address at the beginning of the year. For some reason that city charter says that he should give it at a less logical time. This is just a bookkeeping fix.

Seattle School District Director 1
Vote Peter Maier.

Both candidates are viable, I just don't like a couple of black spots on the incumbent's record. Soriana cost the district much trouble and money when she took her opposition to necessary and prudent school closures outside of the school board and to a legal venue. She also was against a bond to raise money for schools. Maier offers a fresh perspective and a long history of supporting public schools.

Seattle School District Director 2
Vote Sherry Carr.

I've read the the Seattle school board was dysfunctional, and now I've read that much of the blame could be placed on Darlene Flynn's shoulders. Her opponent, Sherry Carr has served as the president of the PTSA and is running specifically to make the board work again. I like the sound of that.

Seattle School District Director 3
Vote Harium Martin-Morris.

The other guy is a complete nut job.

Seattle School District Director 6
Vote Maria Ramirez.

Both candidates are reasonably well-qualified. The difference for me is that Sundquist has a history of helping students that don't need that much help. (Sending his daughter to private school and starting an IB program at his kids' school.) Ramirez has a history of helping disadvantaged students and working in the trenches. While I think that Sundquist might get more done on the job, I think that Ramirez's voice is invaluable for the board.

King County Initiative 25: Make Elections Director elected office
Vote no.

This position is nonpartisan because it is not an elected position. That is a good thing. The operations of an election should not be partisan.

King County Proposition 1: Medic One
Vote yes.

Medic One saves lives and costs little money. No one is against this proposition.

Sound Transit Proposition 1: Roads and Transit
Vote yes.

The proposal is expensive and imperfect, but it deals directly with the single biggest regional problem: transportation. Commuting here is a disaster. I'm excited by the prospect of all that rail transport and I think the money for roads actually makes sense. I'm willing to pay high sales tax for a better quality of life.

Spamalot at the Paramount

On Saturday night Jana and I headed downtown to the Paramount to see Spamalot. When we were in New York a couple years ago Spamalot was the big buzz show, but it had sold out long before we tried to get tickets. After missing out on the show in New York, we were happy that the touring company came to Seattle and that we were finally able to go.

And that's what Spamalot is, one big happy time. Lots of goofiness, lots of looking on the bright side, lots of what you'd expect from a Monty Python musical. As advertised, Spamalot "loving" rips off classic Monty Python movies, mostly The Holy Grail and The Life of Brian. The most effective bits ("It's only a flesh wound," "I'm not dead yet," Knights who say "ni," Taunting French castle guards) are taken directly from the movies, and are still completely hilarious. Sometimes even more hilarious because they are even more over the top. The less effective bits parody other musicals, but they are still a good time.

You might notice, though, that I'm writing about bits instead of the whole musical. That's because Spamalot doesn't really hold together as a story with characters that you really care about. It's just a bunch of stuff that happens. Funny and charming stuff, but more like a comedic variety show than a classic musical.

So, there you have it. Spamalot is definitely a fun time out, especially for Monty Python fans, but it is far from the greatest musical of all time. Just lots and lots of fun.

In case you're wondering, here are my five favorite musicals:

1. Avenue Q
   
2. Les Miserables
   
3. Rent
   
4. Wicked
   
5. Fiddler on the Roof