Happy Birthday You Awesome Freak you!

Our good Friend, Matt Silver's birthday only comes around once per year. We love to celebrate everyone's birthday with him and today is especially special. Happy Birthday Matt. I love you! (look me in the eye when you say it!!!)

Matthew Silver!

We just want to say Happy Birthday to everyone's favorite IT guy and one of our bestest buds!!!!!! Happy Birthday Matt!!!

Remembering the Old Days

I have this vague memory of singing this song when I was a kid. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. I even have a memory of a cartoon kangaroo and a real life kid interacting with each other. As I grew up and sang the song for my friends, no one seemed to remember it. I started thinking I must have made it all up and there was no such song. Until one fateful day when I was rummaging around the 7” punk vinyl section of Records (on Broadway) in Sacramento. There it was, staring at me, smiling, telling me it was real, I was not just making it all up- the single of the song Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport by Australian artist Rolf Harris. While the cover was a bit worn, the record was pristine. It looked as though it had never even been played.I was elated, but with a sticker price of $25, my heart sank. Months went by and there the record sat, untouched, unrelentingly expensive. More than a year had passed and still I coveted it from afar, not willing to pay $25, and too afraid to ask the shopkeeper if he would sell me the prize at an exponentially reduced price. I assumed they knew something that I didn’t regarding its value. Maybe this was a special, rare copy that deserved the high price tag. I wasn’t asking because I didn’t want to face the rejection. In mid February of this year, I finally swallowed my fears and jumped in, head first. I asked the clerk if he would be willing to sell me the record for $5. That’s right. I low-balled the shit out of that thing. To be honest, even though I loved the song, I wasn’t willing to pay more than $5 for it (you can listen to it anytime through youtube.com) so I was just asking for what I wanted. To my surprise, he agreed and I am now the proud owner of the song that I’ve sung for as long as I can remember talking. Now, the mystery to solve is, where the hell did I hear it?

23

That is how many days there are left until Lory Gil and I will be sipping Negra Modelos in a much warmer climate.
And this is what we will be looking at...

Reliving my Youth

Some people go to Star Wars conventions, some people go to comic book conventions, some people go to tech conventions. Me? Well, in addition to the above-mentioned nerd-fests, I’ll be attending a punk rock convention. That’s right, for the past five years, the artistically unassuming town of Austin Texas has been infiltrated with the dregs of the world for a weekend of blast beats and guitar shredding Japanese guys, otherwise known as, Chaos in Tejas.
My BF, Craig, and I have discussed making the trip a few times, but we always put it off until it was too late and tickets were sold out. This time, no hesitation, I reserved a room, called in a favor for some “frequent-flier” tickets and snatched up a five show pass.
Bands come from all over the world for this little shindig. This year, Bastard will be in attendance. They traveled all the way from Japan, and from the late 1980s in a sense. They broke up back then and have not played together since. Another Japanese great, Crow, will play as well. The band X, from Australia (no, not the exponentially more famous L.A. band, X), will be headlining one of the main shows. The Subhumans, from the U.K. will be making a spit-stop. Bands from Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden are also on the schedule.
There are 57 bands confirmed so far. Last year, shows took place in bars, on bridges, in basements and on boats. Music plays all night in one form or another. It is going to be one punk rock weekend. Anyone who says I’ve gone suburbanite can eat my poop!

I'll let you know how much fun I had when I get back. If I get back.

All-You-Can Anything; Turns Out, it's Pretty Rad

Until recently, I had never heard of “all-you-can-eat” sushi. When I did learn about it, it kinda sounded awful. I mean, most all-you-can-eat style restaurants are mediocre, at best. Add raw fish to the equation and I’m thinking about stinky not-so-fresh fish and crusty Wasabi. I reluctantly agreed to this dangerous adventure with my Apoc. Meow cohort, Kortnee, and our friends Anna Joy and Norah. AJ had recommended a place in West Sacramento called Raku, so off we went.
I'm not dead, so you know the fish was fresh. But it was more than fresh, it was wonderful! For a mere sixteen bucks, you get all the sushi rolls, hand rolls, Nigiri, Chicken Katzu and Edemame your fat face can eat.

And, boy did we eat! No less than 14 rolls, 4 pieces of Nigiri, all of the above mentioned appetizers, plus mini-doughnuts and sesame rolls. We showed that fish the business end of our mouths and all of it was delicious.
What’s next on the all-you-can-eat menu? Chocolate Truffles? Cristal?

Birthday Weekend

I'm back at work today after an amazing weekend spent with some very amazing friends. (And believe me, getting up this morning to come back was no easy feat)
We had a little party at my house Saturday night which included a house full of party guests, a spread full of delicious little treats, a freaking present table and a beautiful home-made cake. (Thanks Taryn!)
Yesterday, my real birthday-day, was a blast as well. Ted and I did so much stuff!
We had dim sum in the morning, drove out along the river road to take photos with my new Diana+F camera, stopped at the Bogle winery for wine tasting, made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, had dinner at our favorite cheesy Western-themed Steakhouse where we dined on Sirloin and lobster, had Lory, Craig, Roach and TimTim over to share a rum cake that roach made me along with a couple of bottles of wine and finished off the night with a quick game of scrabble and an episode of "This American Life."
I had a perfect weekend, perfect birthday and perfect people in my life.
Thanks dudes! Here's to being 27.

Photos and stuff still to come...

And Penny Too!!!!!

My sweet little niece, and Sam's little sister had a b-day this week too. She turned 5 yesterday and got the dolly that I made for her.

Happy Birthday Penny Lou, you amazingly sweet little kid, I heart you very very much!

Sam-Bot!

Yesterday my super-awesome-super-adorable nephew turned 8 years old!
I sent a package with a card and a crochet robot I made for him.
My brother sent me this photo last night. Sam went bowling for his birthday and the bowling shirt he's wearing in the photo belonged to my brother when he was an itty bitty on a children's bowling team. (My mom was way into bowling and my brother and I were both involved in Youth Bowling Leagues when we were little....weird, huh?)
Anyways, I digress....

Happy Birthday Sam, to the raddest 8-year-old in the world!!!