Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Secret of Kells


I watched this animated film last night film and I loved it. It's beautiful and richly animated with a very stylized celtic theme. It doesn't mess itself up by getting too serious or heavy or by falling into many of the cliched traps that it so easily could have done. I also liked the Irish accents and names and how they tied in celtic mythology with early christian tradition and history. The girl in the video is Aisling (pronounced Ashley) and she sings in gaelic: "White fuller, white fuller(the cat's name, Pangur Ban), there is nothing in life but mist, and we are alive, but for a short, sharp while." She is a forest spirit, a fairy, and in this scene helps to free her friend Brendan from where he is locked in the basement. It is an amazing film, nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature and I recommend it to anyone, of any age, and especially to those with celtic roots...

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Giants Shock the Phillies...


Cody Ross hit two solo homers from the 8 spot off Halladay and Timmy out pitched him for the win. It's such sweet come-uppance after all the trash talking, overconfident, no respect crap the Phils fans have been spouting. The Giants shock the world and put the Phils in a must win position at home tomorrow. I tried to warn Philly fans about the Giants but they weren't trying to hear that. Nothing feels better than shutting them up. There's a magic feeling to this team of misfits, castoffs and rookies. It's them versus the world and the world had better not take them lightly. The Phillies found that out tonight. Go Giants!!!

DJ Sulli Mix

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This is a new mix from my friend and former co-resident DJ Sulli aka Sean Sullivan. Sean is a great guy and a talented DJ and producer and owner of the Amfibius Recordings label. He has been playing house music since the early 90's and isn't subject to many of the fads in the genre and manages to play a timeless style that is contemporary but with a classic feel. This mix is free to download if you care to. Enjoy!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Giants beat the Braves!!!


The Giants beat the Braves tonight to progress to the NLCS against the very formidable Philadelphia Phillies. Looks like game one will be one of the greatest pitching match ups in NLCS history, Lincecum vs. Halladay. The Giants will have to play very well and catch more than their share of breaks and beat a very talented Phillies team to win the NL Pennant. Tonight was the last game of Bobby Cox's long and storied career as manager of the Atlanta Braves. I have always hated the Braves and Cox by proxy but you have to tip your cap to one of the greatest managers of the modern era, second only to Joe Torre in postseason wins I believe. You have to beat the best to be the best and it looks like the Giants will have to play their best ball of the year in the coming games to be the champs. After four hard fought one run games the Giants may have to dig a little deeper. I have faith in our boys and I think that we can do it. Don't stop believing!

Don't stop believing!

...this could be the season. Black and Orange til I die!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Giants Win!!!


It began as a 2 hit gem for Jonathan Sanchez who ended up striking out 11 batters along the way. Those 11 strikeouts would have been a Giants post-season record except for the 14 Ks that Lincecum had in game 1 of the series. The Giants starters have not allowed an earned run in the series so far and that is just unbelievable. Cain had an unearned run in game 2 but that's all the starters have allowed. The rotation is the strength of this team and the Braves have been unable to put much offense against them so far. Giants setup man Sergio Romo on the other hand has been dreadful. He gave up two hits to the braves without getting an out in game two and tonight he gave up the go-ahead home run to pinch hitter Eric Hinski in the bottom of the 8th. The Giants were down to their last strike with two outs in the ninth and a runner on first when Freddy Sanchez (my favorite Giant) singled to put the tying run in scoring position. Then Aubrey Huff, who has struggled at the plate in the series so far, singled sharply to right field to plate Travis Ishikawa and tie the game up at 2 runs a piece. Sanchez moved to third on the throw home, which was wide and the Braves catcher Brian McCann moved up the line tripping on Huff's bat and falling hard on his wrist. Then Buster Posey appeared to ground out to the Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad but it skipped through between his legs in a very Bill Buckner-esque play that allowed Sanchez to score easily as he was running on contact with two outs. It was the third error by the Braves second baseman in the game and his 4th in the series. The Braves have been hobbled by injuries to a few of their infielders as well as their closer Billy Wagner and those injuries are turning out to have a huge effect on the series so far. I will not be surprised if Conrad is run out of town post haste if Atlanta fails to progress. This kind of win is exactly what the Giants needed after a tough extra inning loss in game 2. They now have the momentum and Lincecum in reserve if a game 5 becomes necessary. Overall it was a roller coaster ride of a game but it ended well and was an even bigger gut punch than the Braves handed us the game before. It's nice to know that the Giants can come back from the brink this way because that's what champions do. Game 4 tomorrow, go Giants!

Lame Commercial...


Ok that commercial really bugs me. I don't usually blog about crap like this but I had to get this off my chest. Those kids were not racing home. Those kids were gonna bully and beat up the little guy. I guess that after they produced this spot Chrysler decided that bullying isn't something they want to have associated with their brand and changed it to the "race you home" idea instead. If not, why is he hiding from his "friends"? Why is he diving into his mom's car and thumbing his nose at the kids chasing him? It's so obvious and insulting and this commercial is getting a lot of play so I just had to say something. I'm not sure this ad is helping them sell many minivans but it sure is bugging the hell out of me, that's for sure. Get a clue Chrysler, damn!

Inland Knights at Triple Crown...


After getting my heart torn out of my chest by the Giants game on Friday night I decided to go out to the city and get my mind off of the heartbreaking loss. I had been on the fence about going out that night but the idea of sitting around my apartment stewing about the game seemed like a bad idea so I made the ride across the bridge to The Triple Crown to have some drinks and hear some beats. One of my favorite DJ duos, Inland Knights was in town from England and they are very talented house producers and co-owners of one of my favorite labels Drop Music. Some of my favorite tracks of all time have been produced and/or released by Andy Riley and Laurence Ritchie and Drop Music. Needless to say, they did not disappoint and some bumpin house was just what I need to lift my spirits. I love the Triple Crown in every way except one, it's HOT in there. Like way hot, underground party hot, sauna hot, hard to dance unless you're in front of the fan hot. Anyway, I had a good time and saw some friendly faces and reconnected with some of my favorite local DJs and promoters.

Watch an interview at Trip C with Inland Knights HERE

Giants lose a heartbreaker...

I was gonna write a whole blog post about game 2 of the NLDS but to hell with that, you can find that info elsewhere and I'm not gonna relive it if I don't have to... Let's just say they had it in the bag and gave it away... =[

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Timmmaayy!!!!

Tonight was your standard 2010 Giants nailbiter 1-0 victory over the Braves. It was slightly unusual in that it was a post-season shutout victory and an unbelievable performance by Tim Lincecum in his first appearance in the playoffs. He held the Braves to two hits and struck out a franchise post-season record 14 batters including the last two outs of the 9th inning. It was a breathtaking thing to behold and will be part of Giants lore for years to come. The offense didn't do much against Atlanta starter Derek Lowe and the Braves bullpen looks downright filthy so I'm hoping the bats can heat it up a little bit in the coming games. Although the Phils and the Yanks look to be the juggernauts of this year's playoffs, the Giants just need to take it one game at a time and worry about those teams when the time comes. For now we just need two more wins to progress to the NLCS and 4 more after that to make the World Series. Anything can happen and if it's meant to be and it looks like the pitching is gonna lead the way. Go Giants and go Timmmmaaaayyy!!!!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Social Network


I went and saw "The Social Network" last night and I liked it a lot. After doing a little research it seems that like most movies based on real events, the creators took some liberties with the facts and details. I'm ok with that and I think it wasn't a slam against Mark Zuckerberg as had been portrayed in the media, which prompted him to donate one hundred million dollars to schools in Newark, New Jersey, and on Oprah no less as mitigating PR. More power to him as the youngest billionaire in the world. I began to think about how not long ago Facebook was just some geeks in a dorm room and now just about everyone I know uses it. I'm a bit of an addict myself, and probably spend more time on there than I should. It is very interesting how someone with a great idea can change the world and how you have to fight to keep your idea, because someone will try to take it. There seems to be a limit to what you can do in life before someone sues you. Nature of the beast I guess. Also, if you're interested in finding out just how insignificant you are, go see this movie filled with elite Harvard clubs, old money privilege, overachieving geeks, and huge sums of money being thrown around like it's perfectly normal. It will put your place in the world in perspective in a hurry I promise you...

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Kanye on SNL



Simply amazing. I love the imagery and the songs. Also of note is that he changed the lyrics from "Power" (fuck SNL and the whole cast, tell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass) to something a little more friendly. I also liked that he performs playing an MPC on "Runaway"...

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Giants are NL West Champs!!!!


It was a long, tortuous and exciting season and now the Giants are on top! They send the Padres packing excluded from post season play in a rousing 3-0 win at home on the very last day of the season. I am a very happy guy right now. I cried a little. I can't describe what the Giants mean to me. I am a fan for life and Orange & Black flows through my veins. Way to go Giants, now lets get ready for the playoffs! I'll be watching every pitch and rooting for my boys. Anything can happen now.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass


Every year in Golden Gate Park, SF Bay Area residents are treated to a world class Folk, Country, and Bluegrass festival, free of charge and open to all comers. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass had it's tenth anniversary this year and it just happened to be the first time I have have gone to check it out. Many of my friends attend regularly and I always wanted to give it a whorl, and I am very happy that I finally did. I met some friends at their place in the avenues, within walking distance of the event for some lunch and a few beers before we made the trek into the park. There are 5 stages with music going all day at each so there's no way to see it all but we managed to catch a little of Joan Baez's set at the very packed Banjo Stage. I'm glad to have got a chance to see her for a bit as she is a legend and a virtuoso of folk music in this modern age. Unfortunately there was nowhere to sit and hardly a place to stand so we moseyed over to the more relaxed atmosphere of the Porch Stage and layed out a blanket with a great view of the acts.
The highlight for me was seeing an artist named Skip Gorman. He played guitar, fiddle and mandolin, all with a deft hand, and sung songs about cowboys and the frontier and open prairies that were sweet and sad and took me back to the ranching days of my youth. He seemed about as authentic as they come and was very pleasant to hear. I could feel an ache that is rare for me except when hearing old timey music like this that made me melancholy and yearning for my younger days on the range in New Mexico, roping and riding and going to the rodeo. I never listened to this kind of music when I was a boy so it's difficult to explain how it stirred up these memories, but something about Skip's songs made me see a place in my mind where the views are long, with sagebrush and mesas, green valleys and arroyos. A feeling of great freedom and intense loneliness, and the vast distances between men. Skip Gorman's music takes you back to a harder but simpler time, and there is a part of me that wishes I could be there. Life can be so complicated and furious sometimes, I often wish I could tack and saddle my horse and just head off in any direction to be alone for a bit, across this great country before there were so many fences.
Here's a quick bio and a sample of this talented man who for a while yesterday moved me across the years and the land, at least in my mind and heart...
FYI, that's Skip onstage in the background of the top pic...

Saturday, October 2, 2010

El Guincho - Bombay

This song and video are both off the scale. Be warned, there is some nudity and strong imagery NSFW...

EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Euro Style Dinner...


A little brie, Point Reyes blue cheese, smoked salmon, peppered salami, crackers and a pomegranate... yumm... =]

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Home.

I live in Oakland now and I love it but I lived in SF for 13 years and it will always feel like home to me. Lived there longer than any other place in my whole life, so it's in my blood.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Nico the Monkey Dog...



This is Nico aka "Monkey" and I am watching him this week while his mommy is in the Caribbean(jealous). He is a cute and spunky Boston Terrier and he reminds me so much why I want a Boston of my very own someday. We get along great and cuddle on the couch at night and he sleeps in the bed with me as well. It's a real treat and even better because I'm getting payed for it. He's not so into it when I watch the Giants games because I get excited and make a racket and he's not sure what to make of that and he gets a little skittish when I hoot and holler and clap my hands. I'll make a Giants fan of him yet...

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunset Civic Center...



I'm house/dog sitting for a friend who is in Trinidad & Tobago or Turks & Caicos, one of those Caribbean countries with two names, for a scuba adventure. She's paying me to keep an eye on her lovely house in the Piedmont area of Oakland, and give her pup lots of love. I'm happy to oblige because he's a cute little guy and he likes me. I got Nico (the dog in question) situated and rode into the city for the Pacific Sound Sunset Civic Picnic in the Civic Center plaza of SF. Daniel Bell ended up being the surprise special guest, which was a real treat because I would have had to drop $35 to see him spin the night before at an underground party. His set did not disappoint and he managed to play a mix that kept both the house and techno kids happy, me amongst them. It was hot and sunny again because summer comes late to the bay area, but this year seems to be more intense as though the sun is trying to shove 4 months worth of radiation into a couple weeks. I found a spot in the shadow of both the sound and sun next to a speaker stack where I could dance a little without bursting into flames or going deaf. I find that the music always sounds best just outside the cone of sound just slightly to the side of the stacks where it is loud but not deafening and ear plugs are not required. I also registered to vote at my new address in Oakland and got informed about some statewide propositions. The Sunset crew were not just providing free entertainment but also trying to get folks to do their civic duty and vote and I was happy to oblige. After bumping into many familiar faces and old friends, I bounced out to Truly Mediterranean on 16th street for a Falafel Deluxe and then hit the bay bridge back to the lil doggy. He was happy to see me and that always makes me feel good. I would love a little Boston Terrier of my own someday. Someday...

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Saturday in San Francisco



I had to drop my bike off at O'Hanlon Motorcycles for a major tune Saturday morning which is an all day thing so I decided to spend the day in the city while the work got done. It was hot and sunny in SF which is nice for a change but I had on long pants for the ride across the bay bridge so I was a sweaty mess after all the walking around I ended up doing. Anyway, after dropping the bike off I called my good friend and former roomy Deirdre and we met near the 24th Street BART station for some brunch. We wanted to eat at Boogaloos on Valencia, but as usual there was a line out the door so we went to the new Crepe Vine location down the street instead. I had the eggs bennie with sauteed spinach fruit salad and she had the cornflakes crusted french toast. Yumm on both! After commiserating about the recent drama in our lives we went back to my old pad and spent some quality time in the garden and I helped her move some furniture around the living room.
I got a call from my friend Tadd who had seen my Facebook post about being in the mission(first pic) and we decided to meet at Dolores park(second pic) for some cold ones and people watching. It was nice to walk down Mission street and reminisce about my many years in the mission district. I suppose it will always feel like home to me in a lot of ways and I miss it. Dolores park is always a scene when the weather is nice, with people for days picnicking, tanning, and just generally enjoying themselves. Tadd and I caught up and gossiped a bit and watched folks bolting down the hill on a homemade water slide while listened to a DJ that had set up in the vicinity. Tadd is expecting a baby around the new year and his fiance' was away for a girls retreat and baby shower in San Louis Obispo so he was happy to have the company, as was I. It turned out to be a great way to kill the second half of the day and he was kind enough to drop me off back at the motorcycle shop to pick up my bike.
They do such a great job woking on my motorcycle at O'Hanlon and I'm always happy that I took it there. My bike always seems to be so snappy and responsive after a tune up, I can really feel the difference a quality mechanic can make. I had to drop a chunk of change on the 32k mile major tune and brakes, but since I recently had the tires and chain replaced I shouldn't have to spend much money over the next several years on maintenance which is a load off my mind. Now that I don't commute to work anymore it will likely take me much longer to reach the next 16k mile tuneup, but for now my bike is in top notch shape, mechanically if not cosmetically and should take me another 100k miles before it requires replacement.
It was nice to get the work done as it was slightly overdue, and even nicer to get to spend the day with friends and being spontaneous on a gorgeous day in SF. If the Giants hadn't lost to Colorado in extra innings that night, I might have been tempted to call it a perfect day...

Friday, September 24, 2010

A Decade of Apple Improvement...

The technical specs for Apple's 2000 iMac and the 2010 iPhone 4:

According to Moore's Law the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years since it's invention. Above is exhibit "A" in proof of this concept in action. Apple's number one selling device is (roughly) at least twice as powerful, a hundred times as portable(by weight), and three times as affordable than it was a decade ago because of this paradigm. It's exciting to compare these devices at this fundamental level and extrapolate it into the future. Moore's law is is supposedly going to begin a flattening of the growth curve within the decade barring any unpredicted advances in processor technology due to the limits of scale for molecular circuits. It should be noted that the same has been said about every decade since the advent of this convention, so it may be impossible to predict the exact limits of the exponential growth of data processing.
The main drawback to Moore's law is the intrinsic and perpetual obsolescence of our computing devices. The picture above is also exhibit "A" for this problem. I look forward to the same graphic a decade hence, and revel at the thought of remembering our quaint iPhone 4s in the same manner that I do now for the original iMac.

Mozilla Seabird Smartphone Concept...



I love my iPhone. I have seen and tested the alternatives, and the android phones are certainly giving the industry standard a run for it's money but I have never been tempted to defect from Apple. Until now. Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox browser have thrown their hat in the mobile tech ring with this sexy concept video. The video has me drooling and I would seriously consider this phone as my new rig from what I see here. At this point it's still just a concept, so I can assume that it would take at least a year to hit the market, and I'm also assuming that it would be pricey with all of those hardware features. A phone with not one, but two PICO projectors, IR tracking, and a built in bluetooth headset? Delicious! And that's coming from a die hard Apple fan-boy. Competition is always good for the consumer, so here's hoping this is the direction that we are headed in mobile tech. Raise the bar, and then raise it again I say...

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Favorite Sites...

I wanted to post something but my creativity seems to have taken the day off so I'll just post a bunch of sites that I enjoy trolling... =P

I'm a moderator on this forum, but it's probably not terribly interesting for someone who doesn't play this particular game:
Axis & Allies ForuMini

Tech:
Gizmodo - In fact I read most of the Gawker Media Sites, they have great content.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog - For all things Apple.
The Apple Core - Shout out to my boy Jason O'Grady.
Engadget - Dry but thorough tech stuff.
Wired - Online magazine.

Politics:
Huffington Post - I am getting less and less fond of this site. It's become the liberal Drudge Report.
Crooks And Liars - A one stop shop for your unapologetic progressive outrage.
Slate - Decent writing, more balanced that HuffPo but definitely slants left.
Salon - Same description as Slate.

General:
BoingBoing - Love it!
SlashDot - News for nerds.
Pitchfork - Only good music.

That's the cream of the crop. I suppose I can add anything I may have overlooked later...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Hooked on Minecraft!



There's a buzz about this new game Minecraft so I thought I would check it out and wow, just wow. It's so simple and intuitive and bordering on genius. Although the graphics are painfully simple, the scope and possibilities are endless. Explore, collect, craft, build, and then delve deeper and deeper into the earth in search of rare elements and adventure. It has a very Robinson Crusoe vibe to it. You start with nothing in a strange land and must build a shelter, tools, and weapons from scratch. The sun rises and sets with a regularity that makes every action seem urgent. Monsters come out at night requiring you to spend a fair amount of time indoors, which is a great time to mine and explore underground...
There is nothing in the world that you cannot change to suit your whims, and everything is a consumable resource, but there is an underlying message of living within your means. If you cut down all the trees for their wood then you are out of luck, unless you bothered to plant more as you went along. The environment is yours to exploit and consume, but there is a very real world price to pay for your choices. Be careful you don't turn paradise into a lunar landscape in your lust for bigger and more...
I can see myself pouring way too many hours into this game. You can make a whole day disappear escaping into this world where you are all powerful and can constantly tweak and improve your creations. I'm so addicted, and loving it...

Monday, September 20, 2010

New Mix - "It Is What It Is"

It Is What It Is by Tycho Sean

This is a new mix that I made from a collection of songs that I have been loving lately(see sidebar). I wanted to see what I could put together using my new Novation Dicer Serato Controllers. There are a few rough spots because the trims on my mixer need to be replaced, and they short out intermittently. I also should have practiced this set a few more times before recording it but whatever, it's recorded live so you get the idea. Please enjoy and feel free to download...

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Fort Ord Airsoft



I just got home from a day of Airsoft action at the abandoned army base Fort Ord in Marina California, near Monterey. I went with two of my friends, Devin and John, who essentially got me into the game, and who both have more experience than I do. Devin, who is pictured on the right in the shot above, may not be intimidating to look at but he is a beast on the field. Single handedly clearing buildings with his sidearm, or barking commands to less experienced players, he is well respected by the organizers and really knows what he's doing. He lent me his Model 1911 pistol with a hard holster which is a necessity at Fort Ord as primary weapons are not permitted for indoor engagements. With all the house to house fighting at this airsoft course, I was glad to have it but never got to fire it at an opponent. I'm still getting used to the game and tend to use my time for supporting fire and flanking maneuvers. I did get to try out my brand new JG AK-47 Auto-Electric Assault Rifle (the vid in this link is the exact model that I have), and the Blackhawk Tactical Vest that I got for a great price from a local guy off of Craigslist.
The Fort Ord airsoft course is run by Roundhouse Productions and is located on a portion of the old abandoned army/navy base that was vacated in the 1990's. The play map is a rectangular grid of buildings, mostly two story barracks with the glass windows removed and the interiors gutted. There is a sloping hill on one side of the complex and various overgrown trees and beds of wild ice plant. Here are some pics to illustrate:


We went dressed as civilian militia with T-shirts and blue jeans as apposed to full camo BDUs. Fort Ord is pretty strict about the dress code so it's easy to identify what team people are on. With house to house fighting and people firing from windows you have to be able to tell friend from foe at a glance. I will probably have to get some BDUs at some point because my friends will often wear theirs and I prefer to play on the same team as them. Our militia dominated the first scenario, taking the objective from the enemy and keeping the opposing team from taking it back for the duration of the round. Each round of action goes for roughly an hour to an hour and a half. The second round game was a little more fairly matched as our enemies were given five minutes to take control of the strategic points before we could deploy. We then had to sytematically clear buildings across the fort, dislodging them from defensive positions and pushing them back as we went. I had just made my way to the firing line at the far end of the fort where most of the action was happening when they called game over. I had been in some scrapes along the way, being pinned down by crossfire from second story windows and a sniper that I could not see no matter how hard I looked for him. He sure could see me because he would pepper my position every time I poked my head out to take a look. I died more times than I killed but I had a ton of fun and that's how it goes when you're learning the ropes. One of the main drawbacks of airsoft is that it is an honor system with no paintballs to mark hits. I swear I shot a couple guys who didn't call their hits but that's also how it goes. We stayed for the raffle, which is included as part of the registration fee, but we didn't win any of the prizes and decided to skip the final round of play. My back and legs are thanking me for that right now. Sore, sweaty, and dirty, maybe I should go hop in the shower and leave this blogging stuff for later...

Friday, September 17, 2010

Giants vs. Brewers Orange Friday



I attended what was likely my last Giants game of the season tonight. It was a lackluster game with the Giants playing sloppy defense and struggling mightily against Brewers pitcher Randy Wolf. Madison Bumgarner pitched well but the offense took the night off and the defensive mis-cues really ended up hurting us. 3-0 Brew Crew was the final score. It was however a packed-house sell-out crowd, partly because there are only like 8 more home games left in the season and partly because the first 20,000 fans received free Buster Posey T-shirts as an Orange Friday promotion. My date was not a big t-shirt wearer so I scored two of them, mine and hers. Suh-weet! The tickets I bought were the definition of nose bleed. Top row upper deck with our backs to the blasting foggy wind coming through the plastic mesh that is there more to keep you from getting vertigo than to give you any sort of protection from the elements. The view was good though, and the company, and the garlic fries. We'll get 'em tomorrow boys! Go giants!

Arcade Fire Genius


When Arcade Fire created this interactive HTML5 based music video, I'm not sure they realized what a game changer it would be. This is the future. Like Michael Jackson's Thriller of decades past, Wilderness Downtown is ahead of it's time and raises the bar for all new artists seeking to make an impression through the medium of music videos. MTV pioneered the presentation of this art form but has all but abandoned it to the purview of the web and rightfully so in my opinion. Arcade fire has taken it even further afield with a personalized and rich media presentation drawing from Google's seemingly endless well of information. The video above is a screen capture vid of someone's browser based experience as I cannot embed the film itself. Because it is not a video per se, but a series of browser window presentations linking to Google Maps, it has to be experienced live and I will provide a link below so that you might try it out for yourself. The music and the concept are both top notch. I will warn you that this might be a heavy load for the processors of older computers and will not work at all for browsers that have not yet been updated to support HTML5...

Wilderness Downtown Link

Nex


I didn't intend for my reborn blog to have a culinary focus but this week has been one of amazing meals and a renewed love of good food. Last night I had dinner at Nex, which is "Next" door to Mua and has the same ownership. My good friend and coworker Hamid handles three shifts a week at Nex on top of his day job and he has been asking me to come in and take it for a spin. I invited a lovely lady to join me for dinner, who shall remain unnamed, and she does not eat meat or poultry so we focused on the fish and non-meat dishes. We were very happy with our selections; the gnocci with mascarpone porcini cream sauce (delish), the grilled blue prawns(heads on, succulent and crunchy), and the oyster special with jalapeno sorbet(drool). We also had the Nex flatbread pizza with caramelized onions, feta, olives, and anchovies. It was the perfect choice with rich flavors but not too big and the dough was very fresh and tasty. Desert was the chocolate pot-a-creme and complementary glasses of a moscat desert wine. The cocktails and service were excellent, and I felt like a VIP. If you are a fan of Mua but looking for a more mellow environment and an alternative selection of items, just hop next door to Nex. You'll be glad you did. If you see Hamid, tell him Sean sent you...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Valkyrie Tattoo




After work yesterday I made the ride up to Valkyrie Tattoo in Penngrove just outside of Petaluma, CA. It was the final sitting for my tattoo, which is my first, and quite possibly my last. I have to say that those who told me I would get addicted to inking are not correct in my case. I'm not sure that I will get any more tats, although I do have a few ideas floating around so you never know. Harry and Jen are the artists at Valkyrie and Harry did my tat in a work trade for some DJ services I provided for a wild house party he and his wife Debi threw in May. It was a fun party and I would have done it for free so the gift of the tattoo is even more touching. I have enjoyed the process and the compliments that I have been getting as a result so thanks to Harry and Debi and Valkyrie Tattoo!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Chop Bar


I have been enjoying treating myself to some nice lunches at Chop Bar in the Jack London warehouse/loft district of Oakland around the corner from my work. I was pleased to find out today that it is co-owned by an old acquaintance Chris, the former owner of Bruno's and East Side West in SF. He was there to seat me and we quickly caught up. Chris suggested that I try the Bahn-Mi pork sandwich or the meatloaf daily special but I was feeling like something lighter and got the soup of the day (potato) and the heirloom tomato salad. Both were very good though I had to salt the soup (no biggie), and they got me in and out without stretching my 1/2 hour lunch and I might also mention that their pulled pork sandwich was all the rage at the Oakland food festival EatReal. A nice addition to the neighborhood and a great reminder of what a small world the Bay Area can be. Small world indeed as Chris was also having dinner at Bar Agricole the same night that I was...

Leafy Green Spring Sampler...

Leafy Green Spring Mix '10 by Tycho Sean

I'm recording a new mix sometime this week that I'm excited to share. This is my spring 2010 demo. It's very rough and mixed live, no automation, but I'm fairly happy with it...

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Bar Agricole



After Power to the Hippies was over I scooted over to Bar Agricole to meet my old roomie and friend Brett Kokoruda for dinner and drinks. His lady Jen was visiting from Boston and looking radiant, as well as Miles, the guy who occupies my old room and his GF. Also joining us was the wife of the owner who's name escapes me at the moment but she was lovely and great company (as well as hooking us up with 50% off our bill). It was the best dinner I have had in recent memory and I wish that I had more pictures of the food to share here. I did manage to get a shot of the desserts before we inhaled them which is a good thing. The food, drinks, atmosphere, conversation, and company were exemplary and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a casual but quality place for a date or a private party. Top notch mixology and an ever evolving menu make Bar Agricole a sure fire treat for those who consider themselves connoisseurs of contemporary cuisine. Simple, high quality and unpretentious, it's just the kind of place I love, although I did feel a little underdressed after Hippy-Fest in the park... Five stars, especially at half price...

Power to the Peaceful


The Power to the Peaceful concert in Golden Gate Park was last Saturday and it was a gorgeous day in SF. So sunny in fact that I got a bit of a sunburn. I met my friends Debi and Harry Tucker and their daughter Stella for a nice day of hippy music and people watching. Last year I commented that I was the only person there without a tattoo so I was happy that it was no longer the case. It's a free all ages concert in the park for peace and love and all that, and though I'm not a big Spearhead fan I always like to go and check it out. The crowd was large, almost 70,000 or so, and diverse so the people watching was entertaining. It would have taken me an hour longer to get there from Oakland if I wasn't riding my bike and able to slip through traffic and find easy parking. What a scene. All the underage guys were rocking Justin Beiber haircuts and all the underage girls were showing off their bodies but looking very uncomfortable doing it. It's amazing the things that you notice as you get older. I also find it interesting that those who rail against capitalism the most are there in force selling T-shirts, cold beer and water, pot food and just about everything else. I wanted to spend more time at the DJ stage but Debi and I mostly posted at our blanket and caught up and listened to the bands. Harry with young Stella on his shoulders went on a mission to the front of the stage and got to meet Michael Franti after the concert was over. Debi and I were more than happy to hold it down in the rear where we could chill and talk. Sunscreen next year, just to be safe...

Tim Love Lee on East Village Radio...


Great weekly radio show by one of my favorite DJs, Tim "Love" Lee. Checkit, and the archives. In case you were wondering, he's the one with the beard and the British accent...
Two For Tennis • East Village Radio

List of Upcoming Updates...

1. Moved to Oakland almost a year ago. Pics of my Apartment.
2. This week:
• Final sitting for my new tattoo Wednesday. Pics of that.
• Giants game Friday night. Pics of that.
• Airsoft at Ford Ord near Monterey on Saturday. Pics of that.
3. Getting back to my Jiu Jitsu practice ASAP after falling off hard.
4. Any tech related stuff that I have been thinking about in the last year of blog absence.
5. Politics of course.
6. Gaming and geek life.
7. Wuddever else I want to share I suppose.

It's been too long...

But I'm finally thinking about dusting off the old blog. I have had time to reorg my life and come up with some content ideas. Not that I had many readers to begin with, but perhaps actually adding regular content is the best remedy for that...

More to come...