Kooza!!!

(from the I Can't Believe They Can Do That! department)

Hi everyone,

We went to the latest Cirque Du Soleil travelling production last night - Kooza.  It was in a big tent at Marymoor Park in Redmond.  Really well done.  

I'll leave the description of the show to other bloggers, but it's kind of a modernization of traditional circuses.  There's a ringleader, clowns, acrobats, etc.  They're not exactly the same as a Ringling Bros. show - but the roles are there, just done in a Cirque Du Soleil way.  

A note about the aerial work.  Some of it is incredible.  There's a section they do with a spinning structure that defies belief.  The tightrope walking is pretty amazing too.  But - seriously - all of the performers were outstanding.  Hard to pick the best, really.

The music was really good too - really tight band playing live.  The current touring group features a drummer named Eden Bahar, who holds the Guinness World Record for "Most drumstick spins in one minute (one hand)".  He set the record of 149 on 13-Sept-2018.  They gave him a solo spot in the show - he really shined, without being overbearing.  

Finally - we did manage to get a picture at the event:

You'll notice I'm wearing my down jacket.  I had on a blue-green t-shirt that matched the backdrop.  I kept disappearing in the photos.  Luckily - I had a zip-up down jacket - or you would have seen a much different photo!

They also gave us the raw image:

All in all - it was a magical night.  We had a lot of fun!

Cheers,
Paul

Dana Ice Skating

(from the Just Because It's Cool department)

Hi everyone,

Here's a movie I found recently.  From a Valentine's Day homeschooling ice skate we went to:

Yup - that's my wife.

This was shot on February 14th, 2017 at the Highland Ice Rink near Shoreline, WA. with my Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose formed a band - back in 2012!

(from the Way Way Back Machine department)

Hi everyone,

I was doing a little cleaning of my Personal OneDrive, and I found this note I'd taken in January 2012, when Rose was about 4.  She'd had started describing this band she was going to form - she had the name, the lineup and everything.

The name?

Fight Band!

Here's what she'd envisioned:



Doesn't that sound awesome?  I'm ready to start conducting anytime!  Get ready for Fight Band, Minnesota!

UPDATE Nov. 29, 2024:  

She'd drawn an album cover too - this was apparently an IHOP kids menu activity that kick-started the whole thing:

Cheers,
Paul

Rose enjoys a pancake!

(from the It's best with chocolate chips department)

Hi everyone,

Nothing major in this blog post - just me and Rose having breakfast at IHOP.

First, the before pictures:

Rose isn't smiling because...

She's already been eating chocolate chips!

 

Now the after pictures:

 

Rose practices her paprazzi moves

 

Yes, Daddy - I've eaten half a gigantic choco-pancake!

Why do you look so worried?

And finally - from my phone's front cam:

We love pancakes! 

 

I got to try the Red Velvet pancake - it was really good.  I did find out something interesting - the waiter said that the IHOP special menus are no longer placed on the table by default.  This means that when you see the ads for the limited-time pancakes on TV, you have to ask your server for the special menu to order them.

 

Cheers,

Paul



Rose is a Zen master

(from the Is it Zen? department)

Hi everyone,

One of the stories we like to read to Rose for bedtime is Zen Ghosts by John J. Muth.  He has a series of these books, featuring a large panda bear named Stillwater, who is also a wise spiritual master.

Well - we decided to read her another of these books - Zen Shorts.  Afterwards, I mentioned the Zen koan I always keep handy:  The Rhinoceros Horn Fan.

Rose found that koan interesting - so she told us her own version.  In her version, she replaced the fan with cake and the rhino with ice cream.  Awesome.

I grabbed my smartphone, started recording and asked if she'd tell the koan again.  Here's the result:

Unfortunately, she didn't quite tell it the same as she did the first time.  Still - it's quite the koan, isn't it?

Cheers,
Paul

More Angry Birds + Rose

(from the It's Better With Lunch department)

Hi everyone,

Dana & Rose joined me for lunch today at the Grecian Corner.

While we were there, I got another photo of the Angry Bird on the Space Needle. This is a much brighter shot, since the sky and sunlight is better today:



Also - Rose was being her adorable self, playing a game called "You can't photo me, Daddy!":




Notice the new style in boots Rose has invented. She calls it "criss-cross".

Finally - this last shot was an accident - I almost deleted it, but looking at it now, I'm glad I didn't.



Cheers,
Paul

Angry Birds invade Seattle!

(from the What's that on the Space Needle? department)

Hi everyone,

The latest version of Angry Birds - Angry Birds Space - launched yesterday in Seattle.

As part of the promotion, they had a special display on the Space Needle. I took a few pictures:







Finally, here's a photo taken with the Space Needle as seen through Fisher Plaza to give some sense of scale:



(Compare/Contrast with the normal view from one of my previous blog entries: Look - it's the Future! (or at least June 21, 2011)

Cheers,
Paul

Rose, the artist

(from the I am an Artiste department)

Hi everyone,

We went out to brunch today at The Cheeky Cafe. (Highly Recommended!!)

As per usual, Rose got a children's menu and some crayons. She proceded to go to town on the menu, and insisted that we give it to the restaurant to put it on the walls.

The restaurant happily obliged:



Rose was beside herself with glee:



(Rose's drawing is the one with a lot of purple!)

The cool part is that we actually got two menus - and Rose drew on both. So - we had some art to take home as well!

Cheers,
Paul

A Note To Daddy From Rose

(from the I can't make this up department)

Here is a note from Rose to me as transcribed by Dana. I present the entire text verbatim, without any editing whatsoever.

Dear Daddy,

Please be careful. Please be safe and I like you. Every time you have to be careful with my jewelry and with my Merry Go Round and you get a prize.

Don't be angry unless you're the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy is angry because he wants to keep all of his teeth.

I really like getting milkshakes with you. I like him playing my Princess video game and my Lightning McQueen video game.

Daddy loves me very much. I love Daddy's very much too because I love him.

I love you, Rose. Thank you for the letter - it made my day!

Cheers,
Paul

Camping at Scenic Beach State Park - July 28th to July 31st, 2011

(from the Camping with Toddlers department)

Hi everyone,

Well - we had our first family camping trip last weekend. Our pre-school - King Street Cooperative Preschool - organized a camping trip to Scenic Beach State Park. We didn't have any camping gear, but we were able to borrow a tent, propane stove and air-mattress, so we ended up camping in style!

We were pretty busy running after toddlers, but I did manage to snap a couple of photos. In the first photo, that's Rose on the far right.







By the way - that was one big starfish!!

UPDATE: Dana just sent me the photos she took. Enjoy!











Cheers,
Paul

Rose is wise beyond her years

(from the Sophocles was a kid once, too department)

Hi everyone,

We had a classic Rose moment this morning. I was in a super hurry, trying to get out the door to head to work. Almost simultaneously, I had a fan fail on my main server, lost my checkbook, and had to make the morning coffee.

Running around at full speed in the living room, I finally exclaimed: "I am never getting out of this house!!!"

I then heard a small voice from the couch: "There's a door - over there - in the middle."

I think Dana must have laughed for a full minute or so.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Rose Pietromonaco, the wise voice of reason. Thank you, Rosie.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose Meets The President

(from the Looking through my photo collection department)

Hi everyone,

I found a photo that one of my co-workers, Patty, took last year - probably around 20-Jan-2009. Cute, huh?

Cheers,

Paul

Conan & Andy visit an Anime studio!

(from the I wish I could do anime voiceovers department)

This is pretty cool:



Cheers,
Paul

Kotaku's summary of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

(from the I laughed until it hurt department)

Saw this on Kotaku and had to share it with all of you:

http://kotaku.com/5269159/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children-complete-in-15-minutes

Cheers,
Paul

Laser Cats!!!

(from the Who will win in a world of... department)

Hi everyone,

No reason for this post - just because I can. So - without further ado - I present: Laser Cats - the complete trilogy!

Enjoy!

Part 1 - Where It All Began:



Part 2 - The Adventure Continues:



Part 3 - The Good, The Bad, and The Laser:



Cheers,
Paul

More April Fools Fun!

(from the I should have posted this yesterday department)

Hi everyone,

I posted this to the Wire mailing list yesterday for a giggle. Thought I'd share it with you.

NOTE: I edited this just ever so slightly for the blog - there were a couple of typos and a sentence that didn't make it into the released version.

Hi everyone,

Found this news story on Reuters - thought this might interest some of you.
^_^

Cheers,
Paul

-------

Avril Lavigne announces new remix of "Girlfriend" with 70's punk icons Wire

(from Reuters UK)

Avril Lavigne announced today via her MySpace page that she will be releasing a "totally rad" version of her single "Girlfriend" featuring members of the 70's punk group Wire, with all proceeds being donated to charity. Initially, the single will be released via digital distribution through iTunes, with other formats to be announced shortly.

Proceeds from the single will go to a suite of charities including Make Some Noise, Amnesty International, AmericanCPR.org, Camp Will-a-Way, Music Clearing Minefields, U.S. Campaign for Burma, Make-a-Wish Foundation and War Child.

"Really, I'm just thrilled to be working with them. They're like, the best band ever. Plus - don't tell anyone - but their drummer, Robert, is totally hot!" said Ms. Lavigne via her MySpace webpage. (http://www.myspace.com/avrillavigne)

In London, Wire issued the following statement via their PinkFlag website (http://www.pinkflag.com)

"Lately, Wire has been looking to get more involved with modern media and the Internet. As pioneers of modern music, Wire have always been at the cutting edge of pop culture. Reading thru Avril's Facebook page of her favorite artists and charities, Wire realized a golden opportunity presented itself to create a new form of performance art, fusing abstract pop elements and catchy sing along choruses. We plan on calling this 'pouty rock'."

Footwear maker Doc Martens has agreed to underwrite the production costs of the new single, as well as commemorate the event with a new "Avire" 8-eyelet, cherry red boot design. These boots are expected to reach retail outlets in early May in conjunction with the promotional campaign for the single.

Online response has been strangely muted following the announcement, with some fans of both Avril and Wire reacting in shock and disbelief.

Official Wire mailing list "The Ideal Copy" members staged a revolt by literally burning their copies of Wire's latest release "Read & Burn 03". Ms. Lavigne's fans, interviewed via an on-line poll at Hot Topic (http://www.hottopic.com), expressed disbelief as well. This was summarized best by an on-line post by lolcatz83: "...duh...who are these wir3 guys? OMG Avirl is *so* hotz!!!!1!!!!lol"

"Look - the whole thing is just ridiculous. Wire are supposed to be standard bearers of abstract, minimalist music that only appeals to musos," said Miles Goosens, Ideal Copy list maintainer. "I can't believe our heroes would sell out and record that kind of populist crap. Plus - I can't afford those boots. This sucks."

Single copies of the "Girlfriend" remix - now entitled "Girlfriend (No Warning Given)" - will be released to the press tomorrow, with iTunes posting the song for official download within 48 hours.

Good huh? Note how the first letters of the each of the paragraphs in the main section spell out a hidden message.

Cheers,
Paul

New item on the menu?

(from the BBC Rules!! department)

Hi everyone,

The title sounds innocent enough, doesn't it?

Restaurant sorry over F word bill

Had me laughing for quite a while.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. It's on the BBC - it's safe for work, family, etc.

Yet another great news headline from Japan

(from the Where do they get these? department)

Had to share this with everyone:

80-year-old granny tries to suffocate bossy husband with futon

An 80-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday for attempting to kill her bossy husband by covering his face with a futon, police said.

Awesome, huh?

Cheers,
Paul

Headlines: Japan vs. England edition

(from the I luv the BBC and Mainichi deparatment)

Hi everyone,

Once again - Japan and England have two of the best headlines. One is from the BBC and one is from Mainichi News. Pick your favorite!

Japan:
Old man acquitted for fatal shooting of paint thinner-addicted son

England:
Smoking 'raises psoriasis risk'

Where do they get these wonderous stories?

Cheers,
Paul

Don't try this at home!

(from the I Luv The BBC department)

Hi everyone,

There's something amazing about the BBC news service. Where else would you get a story like this?

Doctors save man with vodka drip

Summary: Australian doctors have kept an Italian tourist alive by feeding him vodka through a drip for three days, medical staff in Queensland say.

This isn't a funny story or anything - but that headline is amazing. Almost as good as this one:

Policeman shot in butt with own gun while battling porn vending machine bandits

But - since that's from Japan, where they actually have porn vending machines, that's almost too easy.

Cheers,
Paul