GIMME A BRAKE: Today MPA was mostly all about auto maintenance. The kids learned how to jack up a car and remove a tire, and they got to see the inner workings of a front disc brake system. We put shiny new rotors on the front of the 1998 CR-V. So pretty! BLACK AND WHITE: Last week, we spent a couple of days making cookies. Not just any cookies, but special, 'artsy' ones to go along with a presentation of the Mukilteo Historical Society meeting. The topic of the evening was Native American art, and so we made cookies matching that theme.
We would have been better off making the cookies after listening to such a lecture, but the timeline didn't work that way. :) We researched images online and chose some we thought we could pull off in cookie form. Then, it was a matter of baking the cookies (the majority of which were hand-cut to a custom size), and then making fondant and topping them. The fondant was our 'canvas,' - then it was 'just' a matter of painting on raven, hawk, orca and other designs with a really small brush and black food coloring.
We also made a few Mukilteo lighthouses for good measure.
SHOWTIME: So, Thursday night we went to a show. Not just any show, but up- and-coming (well, actually already here and CRUSHING IT) Greta Van Fleet. Three young (under 25) brothers + a drummer, rocking it hard.
We were lucky enough to get to see them last September. They were supposed to play two nights back then. We had tickets to the first show, they canceled their second, and I predicted to the family that when they rescheduled a make up, they'd add a second date. They did just that, and that's how we wound up seeing them again on Thursday night.
Unfortunately this show, like their last, was 'festival' seating, which means every man, woman and child for themselves.
We had balcony tickets and wanted front row of the balcony, so we arrived about 3 p.m. for a show with doors at 7.
It meant 4 hours on the concrete, but we knew what we were getting into, and this wasn't our first rodeo, so we planned accordingly. We had layers upon layers. Umbrellas, multiple hats and gloves. Plastic garbage bags for seating and wearing. Snacks. Water. Multiple charged batteries for our cellphones. We were ready for the rock'n'roll apocalypse.
We scouted out where the nearest bathrooms were and how to access them, and did just fine for ourselves on the sidewalk, fortunately.
Once inside, we got the best seats possible, and enjoyed a sit for a bit. Until ... the fire alarm went off.
Actually, truth-be-told, everyone disregarded the fire alarms. I think we were all kind of secure in the assumption that the excessive fog machines on the stage set off the alarms. That, and we'd waited four plus hours to get into our spots/seats, no one was moving unless they saw flames, I predict.
We did some people watching before the show. A number of Seattle music scene honchos were on hand, including Chris Ballew, former frontman of the Presidents of the United States of America and currently kiddie rock star, Caspar Babypants. In the photo below, he as his wife (artist Kate Endle) are chatting with a friend.
Around 9 p.m., Greta Van Fleet finally took the stage.
Fortunately, they were worth the wait. :)
LONG WAY HOME: After the great Greta Van Fleet concert at the Paramount, we could have hopped on I-5, but we chose to take the long way home. We wanted one more drive down the Viaduct - a 60-plus year old waterfront freeway that closed down forever on Friday, January 11. Filmed through a gritty windshield dotted with dog nose prints, my video of that journey is not a glamour shot, but it's our last shot.
As a child traveling to Seattle, sitting in the backseat of a Volkswagen and heading northbound Viaduct and into Seattle, the Emerald City sparkled like a rare jewel. And I will never forget the first time driving into Seattle, some 15 years ago, via the Viaduct and knowing I was driving home. The tunnel is another means of transportation, but it can never replace the Viaduct.
(Note: The lovely song playing in the background of the video is "Lost in My Mind" from The Head and the Heart - a Seattle-based band. Obviously I do not own the rights to this song and am not profiting from posting on my commercial-free blog. Incidentally, one of the band's videos was filmed on Seattle's Great Wheel. You can check out their music here: http://www.theheadandtheheart.com
BOWIE BIRTHDAY: Last night, we headed to Central Cinema in Seattle for a birthday party for dearly departed David Bowie.
In addition to some music videos, the cinema screened one of Bowie's movies, "Labyrinth." We've seen it several times, but doubt we'll ever tire of it. AGDQ: I'm not going to sugar coat or deny this. We're spending an inordinate amount of time watching other people play video games this week. Hey, what can I say? The football season is all but over, baseball seems so very far away ... what are we to do to otherwise entertain ourselves? Just kidding, that's not the real reason we're watching video games. We're tuning in to a special event called Awesome Games Done Quick. I assure you, our watching is not just a mindless, staring-at-the-screen affair. While watching, we're nearly nonstop talking about history (which game consoles and games came out when), as well as listening to and engaging in tech talk (game design, graphics, and more).
I'll have CJ and Annabelle give you the scoop. Annabelle's up first.
Awesome Games Done Quick (abbreviated as AGDQ) is a yearly charity even that rotates locations. For seven days with no breaks (other than setup sections and necessary ads), many gamers from across the country "speedrun" their favorite games live on stream. To "speedrun" a game means to play the game as fast as possible, with certain "categories" changing the method used.
Arguably the most important part of AGDQ is that all donations and proceeds go to charity. The organizers of AGDQ work with the Prevent Cancer Foundation to raise thousands of dollars twice every year; once at the beginning and once during the summer. The event is completely volunteer-driven, so you can rest assured that every cent you donate will go to the cause.
The event this year is held in Rockwell, Maryland and is only in its third day of running, so I strongly encourage donating before its end! The donation page can be found at https://gamesdonequick.com/tracker/ui/donate/agdq2019, and the game list is accessible at https://gamesdonequick.com/tracker/runs/agdq2019.
And now, CJ's take. ...
Games Done Quick(GDQ) is a biannual video game speedrunning (meaning "to complete a video game as quickly as possible") marathon which raises money for the organizations Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. In each year from 2011 on, there are two marathons: Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) (held in January,) and Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) (usually, but not always, held in July.) Interestingly, in 2010 (Games Done Quick's first year) only one marathon was held, titled Classic Games Done Quick (CGDQ,) in January of that year. Most GDQ marathons run for one week.
GDQ has certain traditions and rituals, likely to remind the runners and attendees as to the roots of the event. For example, a staple at every GDQ event is "the couch." Not a couch, but the couch. To the extent of my knowledge, every GDQ marathon since CGDQ has used the same three-person (or four if they're feeling ambitious) couch to host persons of special interest. For example, during a speedrun of the indie classic I Wanna Be The Guy (IWBTG) a few years back, IWBTG creator Michael O'Reilly was present on the couch, and often spoke about the game's development and popularity. Speaking of IWBTG, it is also a GDQ tradition to have an IWBTG fangame featured on the marathon's penultimate night.
As of the time I'm writing this, the most recent GDQ marathon is AGDQ 2019, which is currently ongoing.
BOXING: We're still working our way back to 'normal' here at MPA post-holiday doings. One of the projects we had to get done was a birthday board for January. Inspired by all of the post-Christmas boxes about the house, we decided to go with a cats-in-boxes theme. We printed out a bunch of cats (art style inspired by the card game Cat Box), wrapped small empty boxes, and put name tags with birthdates on them. We also made a birthday banner and a 'table,' along with a cake atop it. Yesterday afternoon we installed it. Hope the kids at school like it! FIGURATIVELY: While I was down in Vegas last week, darling daughter-in-law Rachel introduced me to a cool TED talk about how to read Chinese. It won't make you become an expert, but it's an interesting foray into reading the foreign (to us) language. Check it out here:
TRAINING DAY: We're hoping things get back to 'normal' here at MPA pretty soon. It's been a whirlwind of out-of-the ordinary activity, that's for sure. Between December 25 and January 3, I only slept in my own bed once. On Christmas day, we headed down to Bend, Oregon, and stayed there for three nights. One of the things we did while there was go see a cool train display. I'll have Annabelle tell you a bit more about that.
Every year, Deschutes Public Library in Bend, Oregon, hosts an event spanning the week of Christmas. Michael Lavrich, better known locally as "The Train Man," uses the library's conference room to set up an impressive display of model trains. He's been bringing his trains to the library for 18 years, and collecting them since he was 50 - meaning multiple generations have had the joy of seeing the trains.
As a former kindergarten teacher, Lavrich finds joy in bringing smiles to the faces of the kids that visit. According to his page on the Deschutes Library website, he enjoys controlling the train on the outer track the most since he can slow it down or stop it in front of the most intrigued children. While the trains have to take occasional 5-minute breaks so they can cool down, traffic through the room produces a line all the way out the door.
The Train Man has become a staple of Christmas in the Bend area, and for good reason! The event is totally free, as long as you're willing to wait in line. It only lasts one week, from December 21st to the 28th, so catch it while you can if you're in the Bend area!
As Annabelle mentioned, we did have to wait in line to get in to see the display. We waited about 20 minutes, I'd estimate. The good news is, when you're in line at the library, there is plenty to keep you entertained!
We were fortunate that during our time around the display, it included a break where the conductor shared some factoids with the crowd. CJ can tell you more about some of the things we learned. ...
The first full-scale steam locomotive is often considered to
have involved Richard Trevithick's steam engine, which, on 21 February 1804,
powered a train along a tramway in what is now the United Kingdom.
According to Michael Lavrich, model trains might predate
"the real deal," in the sense that they existed before actual,
full-scale locomotives did.
Lavrich told us that, about once an hour, model trains need
to "cool down" for a period of about five minutes. Lavrich used this
time to tell us information about the model trains.
Last year's model train event marked the nineteenth year in
a row that Lavrich has displayed his trains at the library. According to the
Deschutes Public Library website, this means that kids who saw the first train
events might have children of their own by now.
The train display takes about four days to set up and four
days to take down. According to Lavrich, this means that the train display
basically takes up most of his December.
There were so many little details to look at. The train community's inhabitants were a varied lot, everything from holiday icons to historic figures, cartoon and movie characters to 'regular' town folk.
MATINEE: One of the activities on our recent trip to Bend was CJ and Annabelle were treated to an afternoon matinee with Nonnie. They chose to check out the new Spider-Man movie. Following is Annabelle's review of the movie. ...
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a stellarly animated movie focusing on Miles Morales, a young teen who has to become the successor to his universe's Spider-Man after said hero's death. The bad news for Miles is that Spider-Man got mixed up in a dimensional portal just moments before his death, which caused Spider-Man's equivalents from 5 other parallel dimensions to be sucked into the main one. Between his newfound powers, other Spider-Men, and the dimensional portal now threatening the city, Miles must learn how to harness his new powers quickly and get the others home.
The movie features some of the most stunning animation I've ever seen in movies. It's an expert blend between 3d and 2d, using a lower framerate to further it's "comic book coming to life" feel. It uses Ben-Day dots, which are usually associated with pop art, for most of its visual effects and shading.
This movie, in terms of plot execution and visual style, is a huge step from Sony Picture's last animated film; the near-universally hated Emoji Movie. As of now, it's "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 97% approval rating. The movie still hasn't made much profit in the theater, so I strongly urge any fan of superhero movies - and even non-fans - to go see it while it's running. The only warning I can think of is the fact that much of the intro, some plot elements, and the outro include flashing lights which may strain some people's eyes. If this doesn't bother you, it's a must-watch.
Here's a trailer for the movie. ...
MAKING A LIST: Recently, CJ took it upon himself to come up with a list of his favorite grunge albums for each year between 1985 and now. He does share it with a little caveat, however, noting, "some of these were reluctant choices, e.g. Stone Temple Pilot's No. 4 and Shangri-La Dee Da (which are almost post-grunge albums)."
1985: Green River — Come On Down
1986: Melvins — Six Songs
1987: Melvins — Gluey Porch Treatments
1988: Mudhoney — Superfuzz Bigmuff
1989: Nirvana — Bleach
1990: Alice in Chains (AiC) — Facelift
1991: Nirvana — Nevermind
1992: Nirvana — Incesticide
1993: Nirvana — In Utero
1994: Nirvana — MTV Unplugged in New York
1995: AiC — Alice in Chains
1996: Nirvana — From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
1997: Melvins — Honky
1998: Jerry Cantrell — Boggy Depot
1999: Stone Temple Pilots (STP) — No. 4
2000: AiC — Live
2001: STP — Shangri-La Dee Da
2002: Jerry Cantrell — Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2
LAST ONE STANDING: We recently spent a little time in Bend, Oregon. During our short visit, we were able to see and do a number of fun things. For CJ, the pinnacle of the sightseeing involved visiting the last Blockbuster video store in America.
I would think nearly anyone who lived during the boom of the VHS era would have a Blockbuster memory - or many memories. I certainly remember heading into the stores, hoping that a copy of the biggest, newest release would be waiting on the shelves for me. Also, in the days of CJ's big brothers' childhoods, Blockbuster (and other stores) provided hours of kid-friendly entertainment. (Keep in mind, this was back before there were dozens and dozens of cable channels with programming to choose from.)
CJ would be happy to tell you more about the Blockbuster story. ...
Blockbuster is/was a chain of film and video game rental stores (and later, an online video rental service) that, throughout the 90s and 00s, was synonymous with movie night for countless people and families throughout the developed world (particularly in the United States and Australia.)
Since reaching its peak in 2004 (and making the decision to end late fees at the end of said year,) Blockbuster has been on a gradual decline, managing to go from Goliath to David within the course of about a half-decade. This was largely due to the rise of online movie and TV streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu (and, to a lesser extent, the presence of video rental kiosks such as Redbox.)
In late 2013 and early 2014, the last of the corporate-owned Blockbusters were closed, and, over the course of the next four years, fifty more franchised Blockbusters across the United States were closed, thus leaving only one, in Bend, Oregon (where I'm writing this report.)
The Bend Blockbuster (or, as it is sometimes known, "Bendbuster") has become a tourist attraction, largely due to its nostalgia and novelty. If or when Bendbuster closes, it will end the era of American Blockbuster stores, and possibly Blockbuster stores period.
A poster in the Bend store let us know a documentary about the last Blockbuster is in the works. We look forward to checking it out (but not from a Blockbuster store!).
The Bend Blockbuster was festive for the holidays. There was even a little Blockbuster tree. In a smart marketing move, the store has merchandise. CJ was most pleased to come away with a t-shirt.
