A bit of advertising on behalf of  joeyboy -- buy his kangaroo shirts. They're cute.

http://macropushirts.spreadshirt.com

I'll spill the beans if asked!

Name a kink, fetish, or something potentially sexaaay and I'll let you know my thoughts.

I've been fiddling with some recipes from the Momofuku cookbook, and  joeyboy suggested that I give the monumental Bo Ssam a try. Challege accepted!!

For those not familiar, Bo Ssam is the specialty dish at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC. You have to order it 24 hrs in advance, it costs $250 or so, and feeds 8 people. It's kind of daunting.

The crazy thing is, it's actually dead simple to make. David Chang of Momofuku even says, "This is the dumbest, easiest recipe." I'm starting out by curing a bone-in pork butt with salt & sugar overnight. Then I'm going to chuck in in the oven for six hours and put a glaze on it. Yup, that's it.

There's lots of extra mini-recipes for 'banchan' (little sauces) to accompany it, and I'm also supposed to shuck a dozen oysters, so that adds some complexity. But hopefully I'll be able to serve a $250 meal for about thirty bucks.

I've been following some of the bad date comics from  ouisch and it inspired me to write down a few of my epically bad dates from the past... here's one. Enjoy.

During a rather desperately lonely time, I'd been poking around on some dating sites, and decided, what the hell, I'll just go for it. And for some reason, I decided the place to start was a furry dating website, where I set up a blind date with a guy who sounded interesting and was definitely eager to get together. He suggested a local coffeeshop, which sounded like nice neutral ground.

I got there a bit early, got a coffee, and waited at a table, watching people come in. I spotted a guy with scraggly facial hair, an Indiana Jones hat, and a faded t-shirt with a cartoon fox iron-on. I waved and he ambled over… with a chubby baseball-hatted guy following. We shook hands and sat down, and he introduced his roommate. "Thanks for getting together for coffee! I love coffee!" he said, laughing nervously. "Yeah… coffee," I nodded, feeling incredibly awkward. We chatted and made small talk, sipping lattes, while the guy's roommate looked around, sighed a lot, and tapped his fingers on the table. When roommate-dude's celphone rang and he stepped away to make a call, my date leaned over and hissed, "He doesn't know I'm gay… and he doesn't know this is a date! But we do EVERYTHING together, so he had to be here… sorry! Don't say ANYTHING about furry! Or dating!" My date backed away just as his roommate returned for more silent, bored tapping on the table.

Conversation became more and more awkward as we quickly ran out of anything to talk about, given the stack of lies I had to skirt around. To make things even more uncomfortable, my date -- while in the middle of a sentence -- casually pushed his finger into his nose, slid a large booger out, and wiped it on the shoulder of his shirt, where it remained for the rest of the evening, green and glistening.

After about an hour of this, and several attempts by my date to play footsie under the table (which resulted in him kicking me in the shin), I thanked him for the… evening, shook his hand, and left abruptly. Never have I wanted more to run out of a room screaming.

It wasn't a huge surprise when R.E.M. broke up, given how long they've been a band, but the news still hit me out of left field. They've been a favorite band of mine for over 20 years and have steadfastly and stubbornly plowed their own field, for better or worse, without churning out albums' worth of Losing My Religions.

I've seen a lot of posts out in the TwitBook realm from people saying "who cares, I figured they broke up ten years ago… their last good song was Everybody Hurts." Here's a dozen or so tracks they've done on their non-blockbuster albums (up to and including their newest one) since their big massive hits that, to me, show that they might have slowed down, but still had the goods to put out vital tunes. I slipped in one older obscure track that I always loved, too.


Sad Professor
https://youtu.be/kUKQCUAZqpI

Be Mine
https://youtu.be/J6A0Jdf-pL8

Leave
https://youtu.be/cZUmrpzmYCg

Chorus and the Ring
https://youtu.be/RW9mSBQU_88

Low Desert
https://youtu.be/Z_KWBeWv5iU

Undertow
https://youtu.be/f-KzOqdiDUE

Circus Envy
https://youtu.be/1pK5ot1jhFw

Beat a Drum
https://youtu.be/1-C407raLS4

It Happened Today
https://youtu.be/SRR1a4LAdNA

Until the Day is Done
https://youtu.be/AOh9LHhpryM

Houston
https://youtu.be/gRZ7lqREnz8

Half a World Away
https://youtu.be/MLMnpB51vVM

I'm a slightly older otter today :3

I'm helping put together a really awesome event that's going on in August. It'll be set in the 1930s, has all kinds of Lovecraftian creepy stuff and monsters and horror, and will be a scary good time.

If you're into that kind of thing and want to check it out, go here. I guarantee thrills and chills.

http://www.cthulhularp.com/

While I was getting cash from a convenience store ATM yesterday, an old Popeye-looking fella hobbling on a cane was greeted by the Pakistani dude behind the counter. Old Popeye handed the guy what looked like a cake box in a plastic bag, and I overheard the following conversation:

Old Man: This is for you!
Clerk: What is it?
Old Man: It's for you!
Clerk: No, seriously Jerry, what is it?
Old Man: Heh heh. It's for you. It'll make ya.. HOO-WAAHHH.
Clerk: Uh....
Old Man: You know! For tonight! So ya can make your lady happy. It'll get you GOING!
Clerk: Oh!! That!! Thank you, but I need four of them.
Old Man: Four? You need three more?
Clerk: Yes, my friend! Four! So I can go UP! DOWN! LEFT! and RIGHT!
Old Man: Heh heh heh!!!

So either the store clerk was just humoring the old coot and playing along, or there's a whole weird underground sex-aid supply chain that I'm unaware of, with cake-sized Viagra that makes people hump their women sideways.

About a year ago, I had a shrimp dish in a tiny hole-in-the-wall Mexican place in Columbus Ohio which completely kicked my ass with flavor. The restaurant is gone, but I've been craving it since. So tonight I took a shot at recreating it, somewhat.

I pan-roasted dried Guajillo peppers until they were smoky, then put them in hot water to reconstitute. While they were soaking, I charred the skin on a couple of tomatoes over open flame, then whizzed 'em up in the food processor with a little red onion, tomato sauce, sundried tomato paste, and spices. I added the soaked peppers and some roasted garlic cloves and blended it into a spicy paste.

Meanwhile I was caramelizing some red onions with a chopped jalapeño. Once they were browned, I added the tomato/pepper paste, some tomato sauce, and a half cup of chicken broth, and let that cook down and thicken. Once it was thick, I added cilantro, lime juice, two pounds of peeled shrimp and stirred until cooked.

I served it with avocado slices, cilantro, lime wedges, and toasted corn tortillas.

It wasn't anywhere as spicy or smoky as when I'd had the dish, but it was still pretty good!

(In which we see that Teko has watched an enormous number of animated films.)

ANIMATION MEME
- X what you saw
- O what you haven't finished or saw sizable portions
- Bold what you loved
- Italize what you disliked/hated
- Leave unchanged if neutral

CLASSIC DISNEY

[X] 101 Dalmatians (1961)
[X] Alice in Wonderland (1951)
[X] Bambi (1942)
[X] Cinderella (1950)
[X] Dumbo (1941)
[X] Fantasia (1940)
[X] Lady and the Tramp (1955)
[X] Mary Poppins (1964)
[X] Peter Pan (1953)
[X] Pinocchio (1940)
[X] Sleeping Beauty (1959)
[X] Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
[X] Song of the South (1946)

DISNEY'S DARK AGE

[X] The Aristocats (1970)
[X] The Black Cauldron (1985)
[X] The Fox and the Hound (1981)
[X] The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
[X] The Jungle Book (1967)
[X] The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
[X] Oliver and Company (1986)
[X] Pete's Dragon (1977)
[X] The Rescuers (1977)
[X] Robin Hood (1973)
[X] The Sword In The Stone (1963)

THE DISNEY RENAISSANCE

[X] Aladdin (1992)
[X] Beauty and the Beast (1991)
[X] A Goofy Movie (1995)
[X] Hercules (1997)
[X] The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
[X] The Lion King (1994)
[X] The Little Mermaid (1989)
[X] Mulan (1998)
[X] Pocahontas (1995)
[X] The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
[X] Tarzan (1999)


DISNEY'S MODERN AGE

[X] Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
[X] Bolt (2008)
[X] Brother Bear (2003)
[X] Chicken Little (2005)
[X] Dinosaur (2000)
[X] The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
[X] Fantasia 2000 (2000)
[o] Home on the Range (2004) -- to this day, the only Disney movie I've walked out of
[X] Lilo & Stitch (2002)
[X] Meet the Robinsons (2007)
[X] Treasure Planet (2002)



PIXAR

[X] A Bug's Life (1998)
[ ] Cars (2006) -- I'll get around to it someday
[X] Finding Nemo (2003)
[X] The Incredibles (2004)
[X] Monsters Inc. (2001)
[X] Ratatouille (2007)
[X] Toy Story (1995)
[X] Toy Story 2 (1999)
[X] Wall-E (2008)
[X] Up (2009)
[X] Toy Story 3 (2010)


DON BLUTH
[X] The Secret of NIMH (1982)
[x] An American Tail (1986)
[x] All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
[X] An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)
[X] Anastasia (1997)
[X] The Land Before Time (1988)
[ ] The Pebble and the Penguin (1995)
[ ] Rock-a-Doodle (1991)
[x ] Thumbelina (1994)
[X] Titan AE (2000)
[ ] A Troll in Central Park (1994)
[X] Bartok the Magnificent (1999)


CLAYMATION

[X] The Adventures of Mark Twain (1986)
[x] Chicken Run (2000)
[X] Corpse Bride (2005)
[X] James and the Giant Peach (1996)
[X] The Nightmare Before Christmas
[X] Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
[X] Coraline (2009)

CGI GLUT

[X] Antz (1998)
[X] Happy Feet (2006)
[X] Kung Fu Panda (2008)
[o] Madagascar (2005)
[X] Monster House (2006)
[X] Over the Hedge (2006)
[x] The Polar Express (2004)
[x] Shrek (2001)
[X] Shrek 2 (2004)
[ ] Shrek The Third (2007)
[ ] Monsters vs. Aliens


IMPORTS

[X] Arabian Knight (aka The Thief and the Cobbler) (1995)
[X] The Last Unicorn (1982)
[ ] Light Years (1988)
[X] The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
[x] Persepolis (2007)
[o] Waltz With Bashir (2008)
[X] Watership Down (1978)
[ ] When the Wind Blows (1988)
[X ] Yellow Submarine (1968)


STUDIO GHIBLI/MIYAZAKI

[ ] Grave of the Fireflies (1988) -- I know, I know
[X] Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
[X] Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
[X] Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
[X] Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
[X] My Neighbors The Yamadas (1999)
[X] My Neighbor Totoro (1993)
[X] Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
[X] Only Yesterday (1991)
[X] Pom Poko (Tanuki War) (1994)
[X] Porco Rosso (1992)
[x] Princess Mononoke (1999)
[X] Spirited Away (2002)
[X] Whisper of the Heart (1995)
[X] Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea (2009)

SATOSHI KON

[X] Millennium Actress (2001)
[X] Paprika (2006)
[ ] Perfect Blue (1999)
[X] Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
[ ] Memories - "Magnetic Rose" part (1995)


SHINKAI MAKOTO

[ ] She and Her Cat (1999)
[ ] Voices of a Distant Star (2001)
[ ] The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
[ ] 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

OTHER ANIME FILMS

[X] Akira (1989)
[ ] Appleseed (2004)
[ ] Appleseed: Ex Machina (2007)
[ ] Arcadia of My Youth (U.S. Title - Vengeance of the Space Pirate) (1982)
[X] Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2003)
[ ] The Dagger of Kamui (U.S. Title - Revenge of the Ninja Warrior) (1985)
[ ] Dirty Pair: Project Eden (1987)
[ ] End of Evangelion (1997)
[ ] Fist of the North Star (1986)
[ ] Galaxy Express 999 (1979)
[X] Ghost in the Shell (1996)
[ ] The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
[ ] Lensman (1984)
[ ] Macross: Do You Remember Love (U.S. Title - Clash of the Bionoids) (1984)
[o] Metropolis (2001)
[ ] Neo-Tokyo (1986)
[ ] Ninja Scroll (1993)
[ ] Patlabor the Movie (1989)
[ ] The Professional: Golgo 13 (1983)
[ ] Project A-ko (1986)
[ ] Robot Carnival (1987)
[ ] Robotech: The Shadow Chronicle (2006)
[ ] Silent Möbius (1991)
[ ] Space Adventure Cobra (1982)
[X] Steamboy (2004)
[ ] Sword of the Stranger (2007)
[X] Unico and the Island of Magic (1983)
[ ] Urotsukidoji: The Movie (1987)
[ ] Vampire Hunter D (1985)
[ ] Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust (2000)
[ ] Wings of Honneamise: Royal Space Force (1987)

CARTOONS FOR GROWN-UPS

[X] American Pop (1981)
[x] The Animatrix (2003)
[ ] Beavis & Butthead Do America (1996)
[o] Cool World (1992)
[X] Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
[] Final Fantasy: Advent Children (2005)
[ ] Fire & Ice (1983)
[X] Fritz the Cat (1972)
[X]Heavy Metal (1981)
[ ] Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)
[o] Hey Good Lookin' (1982)
[ ] Lady Death (2004)
[ ] A Scanner Darkly (2006)
[X] South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
[X] Street Fight (Coonskin) (1975)
[X] Waking Life (2001)

OTHER ANIMATED MOVIES

[X] Animal Farm (1954)
[X] Animalympics (1980)
[ ] Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon The Movie (2007)
[X] Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
[X] The Brave Little Toaster (1988)
[ ] Bravestarr: The Movie (1988)
[X] Cats Don't Dance (1997)
[X] Care Bears: The Movie (1985)
[x] Charlotte's Web (1973)
[X] Fern Gully (1992)
[ ] G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987)
[ ] Gobots: Battle of the Rock Lords (1986)
[ ] He-Man & She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985)
[X] The Hobbit (1977)
[X] The Iron Giant (1999)
[X] Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
[X] Lord of the Rings (1978)
[X] Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992)
[X] My Little Pony: The Movie (1986)
[x] Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982)
[X] The Prince of Egypt (1998)
[x] Powerpuff Girls: The Movie (2002)
[ ] Quest For Camelot (1999)
[ ] Ringing Bell (1978)
[x] The Road to El Dorado (2000)
[X] Space Jam (1996)
[X] Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
[X] Superman: Doomsday (2007)
[X] The Swan Princess (1994)
[X] Transformers: The Movie (1986)
[x] Wizards (1977)
[X] Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
[X] Wonder Woman (2009)
[X] Balto (1995)
[o] Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No .

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages/comments you and asks. And believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming... things are not exactly as they seem.

3. It is harder than it looks, but NO explanations !!! You will want to... but don't!!!


Kissed any one of your Facebook friends? --- Yes
Been arrested? --- No
Kissed someone you didn't like? ---no
Slept in until 5 PM? --- No
Fallen asleep at work/school? ---Yes
Ran a red light? --- Yes
Been suspended from school? --- No
Experienced love at first sight? --- No
Totalled your car in an accident? ---No
Been fired from a job? --- No
Fired somebody? --- Yes
Sang karaoke? --- Yes
Pointed a gun at someone? --- No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? ---Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? --- Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- Yes
Kissed in the rain? --- Yes
Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- No
Seen someone die? ---No
Played spin-the-bottle? --- No
Sang in the shower? --- Yes
Smoked a cigar? --- Yes
Sat on a rooftop? --- Yes
Taken pictures of yourself naked? ---Yes
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? ---No
Skipped school? ---Yes
Eaten a bug? --- Yes
Sleepwalked? -- Yes
Walked a moonlit beach? ---Yes
Ridden a motorcycle? ---No
Dumped someone? ---No
Forgotten your anniversary? ---No
Lied to avoid a ticket? ---No
Ridden on a helicopter? ---No
Shaved your head? ---No
Blacked out from drinking? ---No
Played a prank on someone? --- Yes
Hit a home run? ---No
Felt like killing someone? ---No
Cross-dressed? ---Yes
Been falling-down drunk? ---Yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? ---Yes
Eaten snake? --- No
Marched/Protested? --- Yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? ---No
Puked on amusement ride? ---No
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- Yes
Been in a band? --- Yes
Knitted? ---Yes
Been on TV? --- Yes
Shot a gun? ---Yes
Skinny-dipped? --- No
Caused someone to need stitches? ---No
Ridden a surfboard? ---No
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? ---Yes
Had surgery? --- Yes
Streaked? --- No
Taken by ambulance to hospital? ---No
Passed out when not drinking? ---Yes
Peed on a bush? --- Yes
Donated Blood? ---Yes
Grabbed electric fence? ---Yes
Eaten alligator meat? ---No
Eaten cheesecake? ---Yes
Eaten kids' Halloween candy? ---Yes
Killed an animal when not hunting? --- yes
Peed your pants in public? ---No
Written graffiti? --- No
Still love someone you shouldn't? ---No
Think about the future? ---Yes
Been in handcuffs? ---No
Believe in love? ---Yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? ---Yes
Taken a picture naked? --- Yes
Painted your room? --- Yes
Made out with a member of the same sex? --- Yes
Danced in front of your mirror? --- yes
Have a crush? --- Yes
Been dumped? --- Yes
Gotten in a car with people you just met? --- Yes
Been in a fist fight? --- no
Snuck out of your house? --- no
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? --- yes
Made out with a stranger? --- no
Met up with a member of the opposite sex somewhere? --- yes
Left your house with out telling your parents? --- no
Had a crush on your neighbor? --- no
Ditched work to do something more fun? --- yes
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? --- yes
Kissed a picture? --- yes
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? --- yes
Made a snow angel? --- yes
Cheated while playing a game? --- yes
Been lonely? --- yes
Owned more than 5 sharpies? --- yes
Dated someone more than once? --- yes
Own an instrument? --- yes
Been to a club? --- yes
Felt an earthquake? --- yes
Touched a snake? --- yes
Witnessed a crime? --- yes
Pole danced? --- no
Made love in a park? --- no
Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole? --- no
Ever gone to school partially naked? --- no
Been a cheerleader? --- no
Didn't take a shower for a week? --- yes
Ever too scared to watch scary movies alone? --- yes
Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? --- no
Laugh so hard you cried? --- yes
Forgotten someone's name? --- yes
Slept naked? --- yes
Thought about running away? --- yes
Ran away? --- yes
Had detention and not attend it? --- no
Cried over someone? --- yes

[01] Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post
I HAVE THE GUTS!! *hrrrrr flex*

[02] Would you do meth if it was legalized?
No way. Horrible stuff.

[03] Abortion: for or against it?
I believe life begins at conception (no, a soul does not magically enter your body when you emerge from a vagina), so choosing to end a life isn't something to decide lightly. It's tragic and sad. But we live in an overpopulated world, and telling a woman what she can and can't do with her body is not the choice of the state to decide. Abortion is each woman's choice and often a good decision.

[04] Do you think a country would fail with a female president?
Nope. Strong women make strong leaders.

[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?
If you mean "do I agree with it", I don't think that "an eye for an eye" is a very good way to go about things. But the whole legal system around the death penalty is so massive and convoluted that it's not as simple as that, really.

[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
Absolutely. It's already decriminalized where I live. Legalization's just the next step. Frankly, I think pretty much all controlled substances should be legalized. It's not the government's responsibility to tell me what I'm allowed to put in my body, should I choose to.

[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?
For. Would you buy a car before test driving it? *badum ching*

[08] Do you believe in God?
I think we're all full of God. God is love, quite literally. It's a spirit and a knowingness that's bigger than yourself. It's not an old man in a sky-throne and it's not an angry, petty, douchey deity who's writing down my sins in a big book.

[09] Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
Absolutely, 100%.

[10] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?
Anyone who risks the life of themselves and their family to try to come to America, work hard, and improve their lives doesn't deserve to be kicked out and treated like a criminal. They need to do the responsible thing, become citizens, and do what they can to not be screwed by employers who want to exploit cheap illegal labor.

[11] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?
Which twelve-year old? And why does she have a baby?

[12] Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?
I challenge you to find a 21-year-old who hasn't already been drinking, even once, for three years or more.

[13] Should the war in Iraq be called off?
Since it was an illegal war in the first place, yes.

[14] Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?
Every person should have the option to choose when they want to check out, to some extent. Living wills should be respected and given more authority. Does that mean anyone should be allowed to commit suicide when they want? No. It means people should be allowed to dictate the legal circumstances in which they're allowed to die.

[15] Do you believe in spanking your children?
I have no problem with it.

[16] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?
There's a time I would've said "sure, no problem"; hey, it's just cloth, and I can buy another one, right? But I think as I've gotten older I've gotten more patriotic and understood more about what it means as a symbol. I respect it too much to desecrate it.

[17] Who do you think would have made a better president? McCain or Obama?
Obama. I donated, I volunteered, I voted. And so far, while I don't agree with all of his decisions, I feel that he's done an outstanding job.

[18] Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Will they? Sure they will, and that's fine. Am I afraid? God no.

I'm sure most people have seen the cute Kia commercial with hamsters riding in their Kia. Seems like it was pretty popular, because now Kia's gone HAMSTER MAD.

Their new commercial has a fully-realized hamster NYC. Freeze frame any scene and you'll see tons of details... hamster graffiti, hamster billboards, "HAM-STAR" ads... even the record store that's on screen for about 1 second (at most) is filled with album covers for hamster musicians.

It's kind of amazingly cute.

http://www.advertolog.com/kia/adver.....h-that-654455/

A very cute kids' book illustrated by Harry Rountree, 1917, featuring a naughty little bunny. Classic British proto-furry stuff.

http://personal.uncc.edu/jvanoate/t...../wickedtim.htm

The first 'real' TRON LEGACY trailer has been discovered deep within the MCP....

http://www.program-glitch-esc.net/

Holy crap, it's Alan!
Holy shizzle it's a Recognizer!
Is that David Bowie?!
HOLY DAFT PUNK.

I'll try it too. Go for it!

http://www.formspring.me/TekoOtter

2000 - Cincinnati. Graphic designer doing website design for P&G at small ad agency. Playing drums in a folk-rock group. Second year of organizing a benefit music festival. Doing my first album covers for said folk-rock group. Crappy apartment above a restaurant in a hipster part of town.

2001 - Moved up to Art Director at ad agency, which is growing quickly. Third year of benefit fest - moved into a much larger venue. Folk band broke up and became a rock band; still playing drums. Moved to Ft Thomas Kentucky with a buddy from work. First theatre design work on a local production of "Fellowship of the Ring". In a tentative relationship.

2002 - Ad agency lays off most of staff; I'm promoted to Senior Art Director among a skeleton crew. Music fest grows to a multi-city event with its own CD. Now doing theatre posters part-time: my first paid freelance work. Rock band self destructs. I've got an impressive goatee. First visit to Boston; I meet Iyu, Aethan, Scruffy, Baker, Esel, and others.

2003 - Promoted to Creative Director, working 60-hr weeks. At the same time, I'm the designer of a theatre production of "Return of the King", which eats up all my time for most of the year, but I fit in another visit to Boston. Benefit fest is planned to be larger than ever, but roads closed around the venue make it a disaster. Roommate meets a girl and moves out.

2004 - Poured myself into my work; 80-hr weeks are typical as ad agency work explodes and we move to a massive new building. Still living in Kentucky. Trip to Switzerland with family; trip to California. I join an acoustic trio (singing and drumming) and play lots of late-night shows in bars. Benefit fest collapses and we put together a last-minute Christmas benefit show that's surprisingly a lot of fun. Promoted to Interactive Director at work.

2005 (the crazy year) - Roommate gets married; I'm one of four best men. Grandfather dies. Visit to SF for Flash convention and fun times in the Castro. Flying all over the country for work as I'm promoted again, made an executive, and promised a company-ownership position. Visit to Anthrocon where I stay with Iyu, Aethan, and friends. Vandringar moves to Cincinnati and we explore abandoned buildings and take many photos. Folk trio starts getting popular; we record an album in a studio and the producer loses the masters… lead singer quits. Visit to Boston, then to WDW with Boston friends. Second annual Christmas benefit show gets huge press; I'm interviewed in local papers and we raise tons of money for charity. A change in management at my company results in my immediate firing for very sketchy & creepy reasons; I decide to go freelance.

2006 (the OTHER crazy year) - Sister gets married; I'm best man. I'm freelancing full-time but work is slow to start with. Still doing theatre posters. Spend a lot of time hanging out at the local aquarium; they ask me to be an assistant otter-keeper. More exploring abandoned houses; Vandringar and I publish a book of our photos. Several visits to Boston. Another trip to WDW. Amazing visit to Japan with Kamui. I return from Japan to find a note on my door telling me my apartment is now a condo and I've got two weeks to move or buy it; I move to a temporary basement apartment in Kentucky. I'm invited to move in with Iyu and Aethan in Boston; I throw out all my furniture and move east.

2007 - Living in Boston. Freelancing full-time; mostly work for TuneCore.com. Playing my first LARP and my first RPGs in a long time. Lots of road trips. Renovate my bathroom. Learn about the fun of freelance taxes. Theatre company dies, happily, so no more posters. Two weeks in Cincinnati for freelance work reminds me of what a lousy city it is. Trip to Disneyland. I start eating seafood after many years of strict vegetarianism.

2008 - Boston. Freelancing and LARPing and D&Ding and lots of Boston stuff. I do my first album cover (for Frank Black) and start doing them as part of my freelance work. Trips to NYC, Cape Cod, and lots of renaissance fests. House renovations. Lots of friends get married. Trip to New Zealand in fall.

2009 - Boston. Travel to Cincinnati and Detroit for more weddings as more friends get married. Travel to WDW early in the year. Work picks up hugely and I'm doing mostly album covers now; I go from obscure bands to doing album art for Aretha Franklin and Jon Anderson. Textbook design for MIT; ads for public radio. More trips to NYC. I try to cling on but finally give up on being a vegetarian after 15 years. Christmas trip to Disneyland (and Club 33!) ends the decade.

I wish I could simply tell everyone to go see Black Dynamite, since it's one of the funniest things I've seen all year and completely brilliant, but since it's in limited release (midnight showings, mostly) I'll just hope folks can find somewhere it's showing near them, hopefully with a rowdy crowd of people. But for godsake don't download it from Kazaa and watch it all alone in a QuickTime window while reading FA posts.

If you haven't seen the trailer, watch it:
http://www.blackdynamitemovie.com/media/trailer

The movie lives up to the promise of that trailer and doubles it. It WILL put your ass in traction. And I say that as a bona-fide jive turkey honky cracker.

Our house handed out candy, as always, but this year we had amazing warm weather, resulting in more kids than I've ever seen out trick-or-treating... and some of the more creative costumes. I love it when little kids come around who are completely in character and take their costume very seriously, even having a little schtick they perform at each house. They love Halloween for more than just a bagful of mini candy bars, and they love it even more when 'grownups' play along. Here's some of our visitors from last night...

Young boy dressed in elegant victorian garb, whose friend announced him as "Lord Percival".

Adorable little Heidi-looking girl with a tinfoil & cardboard sawblade embedded in her neck, stage blood dripping from it. "Trick or treat! Look, I cut my neck while walking up your stairs!" she giggled.

Kid dressed as a gigantic white glove -- his right arm was the thumb, left arm was the pinkie, and his head stuck through the middle finger. As he left, he 'waved goodbye' with his whole body.

A kid dressed as a calculator. I recoiled and said "ooh, math is scary" and he deadpanned, "I make it simple."

Two kids dressed as chefs with huge curly mustaches, white toques, and mixing bowls to hold their candy. They talked in ridiculous French accents. One of them pointed to our giant inflatable spider and said "Oui oui! I vill make a casserole out of heem!"

Kid painted white with white raggedy clothes and a bike chain wrapped around him -- a creepy ghost. He took his candy, leaned in, and breathed, "Rest in peaaaacee...."

A toddler in a Winnie the Pooh outfit. "It's Pooh!" someone said, and he looked down at himself and grinned at us.

A boy in a handmade felt Scandinavian-style dwarf outfit with pointed green hat, overalls, and a stitched mushroom on the front. His hair had been curled to poke out the front of his hat. "Do your little dance!" his mom kept saying. He blushed and said "Uh… trick or treat, I'm a dwarf."

A boy wearing overalls covered in egg-carton paper and a massive hat made of styrofoam cups glued together into a hemisphere. "I'm a space invader," he explained, looking pretty confused about what he was supposed to be. His mom pointed to her friend. "She's the crafty one!"

A little girl wearing a very handmade Totoro costume: grey sweatshirt with black chevrons glued to the front, a grey stocking cap, and a paper plate on her forehead with Totoro's eyes on it.

So  cargoweasel summed up the experience of seeing Where the Wild Things Are perfectly: it's my nine-year-old self up on the screen, with all of the neuroses and weird kidlike impulses that adults forget kids have. But Spike Jonze remembers what it was like to be a weird little kid, and puts that right up there to relive. The movie's a reminder that those feelings of alienation and joy and wildness, of wanting a private little hiding place, of needing to belong and be accepted... those feelings never really go away. They're just raw and exposed when you're 9, and that's what you see in this movie. Raw nine-year-old emotions blown up to Wild Thing size.

So yes. I loved it. It shook me, but it's worth it.

Where are you staying?
At the con hotel. Hopefully overlooking the atrium!

What day are you getting there?
Friday.

Who will you be staying with?
Aethan and Iyu.

Do you do free art?
I can doodle!

Do you do trades?
I'll trade you an old C&C Music Factory CD for what have you.

Do you do badgers?
Wow, maybe.

Will you have Art in the Art Show?
Wait, what art show?

What is your gender?
DO NOT QUESTION MY MANHOOD

How old are you?
35

Can I talk to you?
Sure thing!

Can I touch you?
Gosh, meme, that was sudden.

Can I hang out with you?
You're sort of creeping me out, meme.

How can I find you?
Look for the guy with the Teko badge!

Other cons I may go to ?
Maybe AC!

Oh what the heck, everyone I know's doing it!

Feel free to ask me anything, and we'll see how it goes.

So I started thinking about bands I've seen live, and ended up jotting down a list of the ones I remember. This list is pretty comprehensive, but doesn't include bands that I wasn't really paying much attention to at big festivals I've attended (such as Spin Doctors at Woodstock '94 -- urggh)... or any of the awesome local acts that exist for a year or so before disappearing.

B-52s
Beastie Boys
Blues Traveller
Calexico
Crowded House
Cyndi Lauper
Dave Matthews Band
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Dirty Three (x3)
Dread Zeppelin
Gary Louris
Golden Smog
Grant Lee Buffalo (x2)
HEALTH
James
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant
Los Lobos
Low (x2)
Lyrics Born
Morphine
My Brightest Diamond
Nine Inch Nails
PM Dawn
Patti Smith
Paul McCartney
Peter Gabriel
Pink Floyd
R.E.M. (x2)
Rasputina
Robyn Hitchcock (x2)
Rufus Wainwright
Rusted Root
Smashing Pumpkins
Son Volt
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Sting
The Decemberists (x3)
They Might Be Giants
Vetiver
Wilco
Yes (x3)