When Casinos Beat Culture

I was on the way home from a Highland Games today when I heard a pretty disturbing commercial on the radio. A couple was sitting in the audience of an opera performance; the man was bored with the performance, but the woman said that they should stay because they needed some "culture". The man proceeded to say that he would much rather be at the Angel of the Winds casino, where he could:

• sit in a comfortable seat
• play the slot machines
• eat some inexpensive food
• talk to people who are friendly to you

He then proceeded to insult the singer, before the woman finally agreed with him, after which they left the performance to go to the casino.

OK, hold on. Let's compare:

Opera:

• musical stage performance comprising of typically classical music, complete with an orchestra and solo voice
• you pay money for a seat, you sit in it, and you listen the performance
• during intermission, you may get a beverage or a small snack
• a chance to interact with other people attending who share an interest in the music, and may know more about it than you do

Casino:

• Assortment of games of chance where you're statistically guaranteed to lose money
• You pay money for the privilege of losing it
• You eat mediocre, discounted food that's bad for you
• You talk to people who are paid to be nice to you

Maybe it's the fact that I listened to opera from a young age, but this commercial really insulted me. I can only imagine a visitor from another country (especially one where classical opera hails from) listening to the commercial and wondering what sort of people would subscribe to it.

I know, this is just a commercial. But if the commercial is supposed to resonate with people, and make people relate with the message, then I shudder to think of how many people this connected with.

To Anyone Thinking Of Moving To Seattle

See, rumors are sometimes true. It does rain all the time here, even in the summer. Trust me, we've all sold our cars and purchased boats of various shapes and sizes to get around the city. Umbrellas are state-issued, and Nordstrom has some designer rain coats on sale. Starbucks is considering throwing instant coffee powder out their store windows and into the water to attract customers. And I hear there's some Noah guy building a big wooden boat in Lake Union.

But seriously, it has been an unusually wet July.

The Strongest Beer Ever Brewed

We've all tasted the nasty light beers that are out there. But what about the strongest beer ever brewed? Enter Samuel Adams Utopia.

Alcohol: 25% ABV
Cost: $100-200
Availability: Very hard to get
Taste: From what people describe that have tried it, very unlike your usual beer. More like a brandy or a similar fortified wine.

OK, who has a spare hundred or so bucks to buy a bottle? I'll be happy to sample it with you. Heck, I'll even bring the chips.

The Wii Virtual Console Is The Best

It's like they designed it for 20-somethings like me, who grew up with the NES and want to play old games again.

We've already downloaded the original Super Mario. All the old tricks and hidden stuff is coming back to mind. They also have the original Zelda, which I remember going over to a friend's house to play for hours on end.

If they port Super Mario 3, I may need to take a sabbatical.

Willie Nelson At The Gorge

This past 4th of July we headed out to the Gorge in George, WA to see Willie Nelson & friends in concert. Apparently this was the first time Willie played a July 4th show outside of Austin, and it was certainly the first time we had ever seen him live.

We arrived at the Gorge around 3pm, to a sunny day of mid-to-upper-90s temperatures. Hot, yes, but at least it wasn't humid. We had plenty of sunscreen and a big Nalgene to fill with water.

The acts started around 4pm. Here's how they shaped up:

• Amos Lee - really great. Funky but relaxed, well balanced sound. Enjoyable toe-tapping songs. Quite unpretentious.
• Drive By Truckers - country-rock outfit. Started out with a pretty clangy, off-key sound but got better as their set went on. Some songs were hits, some were misses. They were louder than Amos Lee, and their harmonies were often off. Could have been bad mixing or bad monitor levels.
• Old 97's - pretty bad. Didn't sound great at all, weren't locking into harmonies, and their songs were boring.
• Son Volt - very good. Interesting songs, great sound, enjoyable set. Though why did Jay Farrar have to switch guitars after every song?
• 40 points - Willie Nelsons' two sons (Micah, Lukas) are in this band. Great solo guitar playing. Decent vocals. Some songs were ho-hum but not all that bad.

Then came Willie. He played a solid 2 hour set with back to back songs, including many classics but also about four new ones. He didn't sing as many high notes as his recorded songs have, but he still sounded great, and engaged well with the crowd. And yes, he played his old, beat up, twangy, slightly distorted guitar. It's Willie; he's classic.

After his set, it was time to head home. We left the Gorge around midnight, and even with a stop for fuel we arrived back in Seattle around 2:30 AM.

Wii!

I got the bestest birthday present ever yesterday - a Wii! My wonderful wife scoured the greater Seattle area and managed to land one. It felt like I was back in grade school getting an original Nintendo system.

I'll post some thoughts on it later. Right now I need to get back to playing it.