Presidential Debate - Round 1

I watched the first presidential debate. America has a very tough decision to make. It's as if the country is vegetarian and has been presented with a choice between a cheese burger and a beef burrito. Do you go with the meal with less meat or the one with more veggies?

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Tracy" by Mogwai

Harrah's Casino...Oh Yeah!

Marie and I took a trip to Harrah´s Rincon Casino & Resort out in the boonies somewhere. Mark told us it's "up here in North County" but the place was so far that we seriously should've made sandwiches for the road trip. This place was in the northest part of North County. We met Stacy, Carol and Mark at the casino and spent the evening at the bar sipping beer, playing video poker and laughing at silly jokes. Oh, yeah, also there was a decent cover band playing Hendrix, Ray Vaughn and Zeppelin songs. I usually disapprove of cover bands, but this one was pretty good. Live drums look so cool when played well!

By the way, the video games are totally pre-programmed, right? It's a myth that people actually win, right? Right? Right?

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Tightrope" by Stevie Ray Vaughn

This Be Ali G...The Most Bestest! Respek!

I am overdosing on Ali G. Chris blogged about the show and kept raving about it. He gave me Da Ali G Show - The Complete First Season DVD and I've been watching it every evening in the past 3 days. Sacha Baron Cohen, the dude who plays the 3 different characters on Da Ali G Show, is a true genius. I find most of the show hilarious. But it's addictive so I purposely left the DVD at a friend's house so I can get a break for a couple of weeks. I feel like I am going to get sick of it or that I'm going to overdo all the references to classic Ali G, Borat, or Bruno expressions. I need to give it a rest.

Respek!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys

Yahoo! Soul Search

Seriously. Do You Want To Know Your Own Destiny? Ask Yahoo! Type in "What Is My Destiny" in the Yahoo! Search box, and you'll get the burning answer. This is better than fortune cookies.

Speaking of Yahoo searches, a while back I blogged about all the cool stuff you can ask Google. Well, it turns out that Yahoo is just as knowledgeable. Check out the list of useful questions you can get answered using Yahoo! Search.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Makoomba" by Nuspirit Helsinki

What A Trip!

Lacquer has an awesome new video directed by Michel Gondry and Oliver Gondry. Check it out: "Behind" Video

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Yachts" by Coco Steel & Lovebomb

From The Emergency Room To The Thin Room

Marie and my sis took me to the Emergency Room. Why? Well, I already knew what I had after consulting with Google Medical Center - Olecranon Bursitis something something blah blah blah. Whatever. The girls freaked out when they saw the tennisball-sized swelling on my elbow. The doctor asked me why I went to see him and I pretty much did his job by diagnosing my own condition for him. He laughed. Medication was prescribed, and I was on my way.

The evening took us to a much better room. DJ Scelfo had put us on the VIP list and I cured my inflamed elbow with some cocktails and some nice groovin' to some flowing house beats at the Thin Room. Music is my medication. I rest my case.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Emergeny Room" by Serahtonic

Nu, Pogodi!

Checked out some old school Russian Animation at the Saville Theater tonight, hosted by the SDCC World Cultures organization. I liked a couple of short films but can't remember the names now.

Marie helped design the flyer, which was the coolest part of the event.

Most of the short animated films were rather dark but in a lame way. Depressing. I can't explain it. Not to put other people's work down, but truthfully, what I saw wasn't my cup'o'tea. Actually, on a second thought, I am putting people's work, and not really their work, but the regulations imposed on the artists by the government during Communist Russia. I was waiting and hoping for Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin's Nu, Pogodi! (I'll Get You!), which I used to watch as a kid, but no luck. Nu, Pogodi!, the game, was the first handheld electronic game that I used to play until my eyes turned red. Check it out - the hungry wolf is not waiting for Little Red Riding Hood, but instead is stacking up on eggs himself. This game was the bomb. Forget Gameboy. If you wanted to develop carpal tunnel at an early age, you would get one of those Nu, Pogodi games.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Dirty Larry" by Dimitri From Paris

Goal!!! I Mean, Touchdown...Or Something

JC, Mike, Lorin, the Bellos, Keefe with girlfriend, and I, all got together at Indigo Joe's in Encinitas for some College Football action - the Houston Cougars vs. the Miami Hurricanes. Cool way to introduce me to the American tradition of watching a football game in a bar while munching on a sandwich and blah blah blah-ing. And to clarify, that's not Soccer that we were watching of course - the name of the real and greatest sport in the world has been hijacked for use in America for a sport closest to Rugby, but with added protection, like helmets and pads and stuff. I was digging the experience, especially when being privately tutored by JC about the rules of American Football and watching a game with a fanatic like Chris, AKA Canes305 who was upset that his team won only by 25 points and not by at least 30. I guess he was betting money on the game or something. Anyway. Go Canes, I guess!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Shady Lane" by Pavement

My Time

Great company. Tasty Chianti. Great pasta. Excellent gelato. That's what it's all about. This is the good life. Marie, my sis and Jason took me out to dinner tonight at Cafe Zucchero in Little Italy. A perfect evening. I wish my parents, who sang "happy birthday" to me on the phone early in the morning, could've been with us. I also wish The 5678s hadn't completely sold out their show at The Casbah tonight; I would've liked to see the Japanese rock band of Kill Bill Vol.1 fame. Am I wishing too much on my birthday? Sing it:

"I wish I was little bit taller,
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
and a '64 Impala"

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Happy Birthday" by Jimi Hendrix

Here Comes Your Pixies

Finally.

After all these years I got a chance to see The Pixies live. They played tonight at the UCSD RIMAC Arena. Fun show. The band looked older, balder, and heavier, but if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't have been able to tell it was not the young high-energy spirit of the Pixies. They sounded just like they sound on record. Very tight. Impressive. And Gigantic!


Except for "Dig For Fire" and "Allison", they played all of the songs I hoped to hear: "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Velouria", "Is She Weird", "Here Comes Your Man", "Debaser", "Gigantic" and "Where Is My Mind".


I was really impressed by how tight this band was, and at the same time, how good each player was. Frank Black is a great singer/guitarist and he really can yell hysterically. Joey Santiago impressed with his fluid guitar playing. Loved the experimentations with his wah pedal. The drummer, David Lovering, was rocking out like an 18-year old. And I really liked Kim Deal singing a song all by herself. I don't know what song it was, but it was great.


It was cool to be rocking out, and all of a sudden as I turn my head to the right to spot Andy Panda standing almost next to me. He was loving the show just as much as Marie and I were enjoying it.


I took some video clips too and will try to post some of them on here, so visit back to check them out.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Velouria" by The Pixies

Kite Aerial Photography

Go check out Scott Haefner's 360° Virtual Reality Panoramas. Very nice!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "High" by The Cure

aMuse Me

Since the first time I experienced Muse live, I've become hooked on their space rock. Saw them yesterday, but that was not enough. Besides, the 2pm timeslot didn't really cut it. Tonight, they played at the Open Air Theatre on the SDSU campus as part of the 94.9 Independence Jam mini-fest. I knew this was a special night, because something very coincidental happened when Marie and I found our seats. We were making ourselves comfortable, when the person to the left of me over one empty seat called out my name. It was Glen - Jason's friend. What? No way. So in an arena that seats some 5,000 people, my seat ends up right next to Jason's! Unbelievable. What are the chances? The universe works its ways very mysteriously sometimes. The lights went down, the crowd stood up. The band rocked out, and I lost my voice. Excellent! Muse delivered just as I had expected. Heavy, energetic, rockin', full-sounding, inspired in-your-face live show. The singer/guitarist/keyboardist is without a doubt one of the most talented musicians/performers out there. Can't wait to see this band live again, hopefully in a smaller venue (yeah, right!) I've become a real fan. Marie loves them too now. Give us more Muse, please, oh you mysterious Universe!...and do seat Jason and other friends next to us again...

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Bliss" by Muse

Third Coming At The Fourth Inland Invasion

I missed the first or the Second Coming of the great Stone Roses. Never saw them live. Today, Ian Brown, the singer of the Stone Roses, played at the Inland Invasion 4 Festival at the Glen Helen Pavilion. The opening of his set sent chills down my spine. A rotating stage slowly revealed his backup band and the man himself while the coolest sounds of the intro to "I Wanna Be Adored" were creeping in. Wow! Unreal. I had dreamt of seeing the Stone Roses so many times. Never had a chance. Today I witnessed the closest to it, hearing Ian Brown's totally out of tune voice singing such classics as "Waterfall", "She Bangs the Drums", "Made of Stone" and even "Sally Cinnamon". What a treat! I was expecting him to only play music from his solo albums - ever since the band broke up in 1995, Ian Brown has played Stone Roses songs live only once. So was it as good as I wanted to be? No. Did I love it? Yes. Even thought Ian's voice was so off, I was hearing the songs perfectly in my head. Seeing his stage presence (that Liam Gallager copied and made his own) was very surreal. I gave up on the dream of seeing the Stone Roses some 8 years ago. Today I was ready to take anything. Ian Brown is known for having a hot head, and he showed his attitude this afternoon when he told the 60,000 people crowd that the headliner, Morrissey, will not perform tonight. Apparently that upset the festival organizers - Ian Brown's set was cut short and one of the festival organizers called him an angry brit. Funny.

Ian Brown wasn't the only reason why Marie and I drove up to Devore today. The first band we saw was Muse, who absolutely rocked (at the absolutely wrong 2pm timeslot for their driving space rock music). Brilliant! Not nearly as fantastic as the first time I experienced Muse live, but still - Marie and I loved their set. Check out a video from their performance of "Time Is Running Out" - 100k::300k.

After Muse, we saw A Flock of Seagulls, sans their hairdos. Sound was crappy. Crowd was happy. After their show we "ran, we ran so far away, we couldn't get away"...

Next up we saw The Killers. Good songs. Ok live. Not sure the singer has it in him. Loves the attention while singing, but is lost during the instrumental parts, concerned about how cool or not he looks.

After Ian Brown's set and the official announcement that Morrissey was sick at home and won't be performing, the upset crowd was calmed down with the festival organizers' announcement promising a free special make up show from the Smiths' singer sometime in the near future... Tears For Fears helped heal the pain with their soothing symphonic sound. The band started their show with the speakers completely quiet. They were playing and singing, but the crowd of tens of thousands wasn't hearing anything. Ooops. Once the great voices of the band were finally amplified, the band was well received and their sing-along songs embraced. By now it seemed like everyone wearing a Smiths or Morrissey shirt was relaxed again, and besides, it was time to stop crying for Morrissey and kick the blues...it was time for the whacky surfpunk of Devo. Great fun. Weird. Punky. Cheesy. Stupid. Smart. Yellow suits and bucket hats were worn by these now 50 year old men who put the younger bands to shame with their fresh rock energy. Check out the video for "Whip It" - 110k::300k. Devo looked like a bunch of old guys who put down their muffins and the morning paper at the local donut shop, dressed themselves like clowns and decided to rock out like they are 17. Alright by me!

Billy Idol. Seriously. This guy completely surpassed my expectations. Crooked mouth, great voice, rock attitude. Check out the video clip for yourself - 100k::300k

The last band we saw was Franz Ferdinand. Not great, not bad either. "Take Me Out" (100k::300k)really is a great song. The crowd was bouncing. It was great to see the thousands of bobbing heads and the tiny stage far in the distance as we climbed up the hill way in the back up on the lawn. The fresh air of the evening chilled our sunbeat heads. It was time to drive back home some 10 hours after we saw the first band today. Rock'n'roll is life!

Happy Birthday, Christian!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "I Wanna Be Adored" by Stone Roses

Rock'N'Roll Martini

My sister surprised us all tonight by preparing spectacular apple martinis. The real kicker was the smoke bubbling over the top of the glass. Having this magic drink is like drinking the stage antics from a glam rock concert. Way cool! The trick? Dry ice. Isn't Halloween coming up some time soon?

Krassy Can Listen To It: "From Out Of Nowhere" by Faith No More

No, He Doesn't Know

Unreal. Yet another visit to Red Robbin and like the last time I was there, once again I felt like I'd stepped into a movie scene of some weird comedy. Top shelf served all around. Top lingo heard abound. And the characters themselves, Rod, Keefe, Bello, and I, were in disbelief of the dialogue and the characters in this bizarre movie scene. Is it wrong when you almost can't hold it inside anymore and everything is so ridiculously comical that you are ready to burst out laughing in somebody's face? It's just so hard not to. And is it really your fault? I don't think I'll be doing the Robb Dogg thing anymore.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds

Stacy Will Be Missed...Greatly

Stacy is one of my favorite people. I've known her for about a year and a half now and have had so much fun hanging out with her. She is so funny! Always cheers me up! She has decided to move to Florida to be closer to her parents, and especially to take care of her dad. Respect!

Tonight some of Stacy's friends from work got together at the Double Tree Hotel to have a drink and wish her good luck. This hotel bar and pool patio is really cool, by the way. Chill place! And Stacy was in top shape tonight, being funny and sociable and just her own cool self.

Stacy will be greatly missed by Mare and I. We won't be selfish and will just let her go. It's not like we can hold her back anyway...And we wish her best in her new beginnings. Bittersweet goodbyes...

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Flower's Grave" by Tom Waits

I Can't Believe I Met Adrian Sherwood

Tonight I met a living legend. Hats off! Adrian Sherwood, the guy behind the On U Sound record label, is one of the most visible producers and remixers of contemporary music. He has left his fingerprints on recordings by Depeche Mode, Primal Scream, Air, Nine Inch Nails, Einsturzende Neubauten, Simply Red, Ministry, Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, Sinead O'Connor, and Asian Dub Foundation.

Tonight, Adrian Sherwood brought his band, Tackhead, to The Casbah. Fantastic! Two months ago him and his band played the Glastonbury Festival in front of 50,000 people, and tonight, some 100 San Diegans are privileged to experience his live music at the intimate Casbah. Tackhead is some kind of a supergroup, composed of musicians who have played or recorded with The Stone Roses, The Cure, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, Bootsy Collins, Duran Duran, Tina Turner, Madonna, Annie Lennox, Mick Jagger, R.E.M., Seal, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Brian Ferry, Joe Satriani, and Peter Gabriel. It is such a treat to have the opportunity to witness Tackhead's wacky music performed by professional musicians who are basically people who have become one with their instruments, playing music effortlessly, fusing sounds, rhythms and textures in some very magical yet natural way.

Adrian Sherwood played an exciting DJ set, enjoying himself as much as the packed crowd. He made himself very approachable, and of course, I had to go and shake the hand of someone who has been part of the creation of some great music. Chatted for a bit and I handed him some of my demo recordings. He showed enthusiasm and expressed interest in hearing something new, leaving a smile on my face with the words "I am open to hearing anything new! I'll 'ave a listen! Thanks a lot! Cheers, mate!" Oh, and yeah - I don't have any contact info on the CDs I handed him.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode

Some People Have Bad Taste In Music. Let Them Know!

I found my hero - this guy, Eman Laerton, goes to concerts of lame bands and using his megaphone tells the people waiting in line that they have bad taste in music. Ingenious! Visit his site YouHaveBadTasteInMusic.com, get inspired, and help save the world by telling friends (and strangers, for that matter) to stop listening to bad music!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Crystal Ships" by The Doors

Sunday Lazy Sunday

Hit Perry's Cafe (AKA The Breakfast House) with Marie today. Some experiences are so perfect that even though the same, they always seem unique. Some things should never change! Time and again, visiting this place as a start to a lazy Sunday, puts a smile on my face and the right amount of caffeine in my bloodstream.

The afternoon got me together with Chuck and Anna for a nice talk about their wild experience at Burning Man and some tasty root beer floats. I wonder, can you make a regular beer float? Sounds gross, but makes me curious. I won't try it. You do it. Oh, yeah, next year I'll definitely go to Burning Man!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2

The Infinite Depths Of A Curious Mind

I was invited to DJ at a party tonight, but declined, because I know my head would be elsewhere, as tonight it is the 3-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I am not letting the terrorists change my way of life; it is more about mourning the deaths of thousands of innocent people who were killed on 9/11 and pondering the vicious world we live in. I can't help it. My thoughts are preoccupied, especially on this day, with the complexity of the conflict that is the cause for death and destruction.

Of course life goes on, and of course I can't allow terrorists to dictate the way I spend my Saturday night; I almost even went to the Beastie Boys concert. But better spent, the night brought my longtime friends, Joel and Erik, and Marie and myself, together. We spent the evening talking about everything, from terrorism, to education, to business, to music, to travel, to personal stories, to comedy, to ice cream brands...Both Joel and Erik have always fascinated me with the infinite depths of their curious minds.

Joel's visit to San Diego was way short, and that's too bad, because I wish I could've spent a week just talking, or even just listening to the guy. Am very happy to know a good old friend has found his path in life and is happy doing what he does.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Pow" by Beastie Boys

How Fast Do You Read?

Ok, we know you type fast, but how fast do you read? Don't forget to blink every once in a while...

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Everyday Is Like Sunday" by Morrissey

Look Up As You Take A Bite

Have you noticed that when a person is about to take a bite, first they work their plate action with the fork and the knife, and then, as they bring the food up to their mouth, they look up and usually straight ahead? Why is that? Silly question, I know, but it has been preoccupying my thoughts lately. This phenomenon is very natural and automatic. There is no thought process involved, I don't think - it's just an act of instinct. "Where else would you look?" is the obvious question answer, I suppose, but really - it's fascinating that people do this.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Can't See Me" by Ian Brown

Vegan Desserts

Tania and Tom have become vegan. And did you know that there are hundreds of vegan recipes available for your no-meat/no-dairy diet? Tonight Tania served vegan spinach and rice meal, vegan pumpkin soup and vegan cookies. For dessert, she offered vegan vanilla ice cream. Curious? Visit her vegan desert recipes web site, VeganBaker.com.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "The Magic Number" by De La Soul

Deux-Montagnes, Deux Pingouins, Deux Aéroports

Last night Marie and I spent the evening and the night in the cozy home of old friend Dyman and his wife Vera. They live in a charming small town some 20km outside Montreal called Deux-Montagnes. Their hospitality was super. Ultra cool. I am speechless. Ask Marie, if you don't believe me...

In the morning we Metro-ed as fast as possible to the Biodome to hang out with my favorite animals - the penguins. I wish I had more time to sit down and just observe these funny creatures.



Off to the airport for a flight back home via Detroit. We didn't have enough time to leave the airport in Detroit, but by the look of it, I am curious to see one day what's going on in the automobile capital of the world.



Back in Santa Ana the battery of my car was dead. Got a jump start from the parking attendant and hit the midnight freeways of Southern California. 2am at home, ready to get back to reality.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses

Film Posters

Le Festival des Films du Monde took place this weekend in Montréal. I loved some of the posters:

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Hell Is Round The Corner" by Tricky

Montréal In Pictures

Marie and I were tourists today. Looking at this, looking at that, learning about this, learning about that...Took the city tour, then combed the streets of Montréal by foot.













The evening and most of the night were spent with my cousin Nick and his wife Nelly, drinking Turkish coffee, telling stories, and going over our family tree. All of a sudden I no longer felt like a tourist in a city miles away from my roots and from my current home.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "D'yer Mak'er" by Led Zeppelin

Wherever The Night Wind Takes Us

Our plans to travel to Florida changed in the last minute, so we had to figure out a new plan for the weekend as quickly as possible. Marie and I were in a traveling mood already so it was hard to decide not to go anywhere. Both her and I have been wanting to visit Montréal for a long time now.

Montréal it is, then.

After some hours spent on the internet and on the phone researching flight/hotel options, at 2am we were all set - departing at 3am by car to Orange County to catch a plane from John Wayne Airport. We were in Montréal at 5pm. We had made hotel reservations for Sunday and Monday night, but not for Saturday. So we arrived in the Canadian city with a suitcase and a good mood, optimistic to find a room for the night. After calling 57 hotels/motels/hostels, the voice on the other end of call #58 finally gave us the answer we were, by now, dreaming of - "Yes, we have vacancy for tonight."

Checked-in at the Comfort Inn next to the Airport and didn't want to waste another second, so quickly jumped on the Metro and headed for the city. As soon as we climbed out from underground at our destination, we both knew we were almost in Europe. Just what we expected - Montréal is some interesting hybrid of European architecture and vibe mixed with American culture and lifestyle. Took a nice walk through old town, spinning our heads left and right, browsing restaurants, cafes, street performers and architecture. Ready to be weekend tourists and absorb as much as we can from what this city offers. Can't wait to see more of it tomorrow...

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Paris Lounge" by Gotan Project

Akiyoshi Kitaoka's Messing With Your Vision

You don't need to have a drink or ride a rollercoaster to get your head spinning. Just stare at Akiyoshi Kitaoka's illusion work!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Gritty Shaker" by David Holmes

Winds Of Change

Was supposed to hop on an airplane this afternoon and jet across miles of skies to spend the next 4 days in Miami, Florida. Easy tiger.

Nature taking charge will leave us making other plans.

Two weeks after Hurricane Charley devastated Florida, Hurricane Frances took shape in recent days and is approaching the state with wind speeds of up to 150km/hr. Were Marie and I excited to join Chris, Lorin, Kev and Amber for a long Labor Day weekend in Miami? More than of course. Even bought us ponchos and were devilishly playful with the fantasy of going to Florida, experiencing the hurricane, and making best of an unpredictable adventure. Exciting, in a strange way.

The decision not to go has been made, after a phone call from Chris telling us that it's "really really bad" and that he's headed back home as soon as possible. Bummer. But thinking about what the residents of Florida have to go through in comparison to us having to change plans, I feel more than lucky. Would've been exciting to see Chris, a true Canes fanatic, at the Canes vs. Noles College Football game, but, oh, well...It wasn't meant to happen. Now we're waiting patiently for mother nature to do what she has planned for the folks in Florida and we cross fingers for the locals as well as for Chris, Kev and Amber to make it out of the hurricane mess safe and sound.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Anarchy in the U.K." by The Sex Pistols

The Living Room, Alive

Marie, Brandon, Rick and I enjoyed some nice cold cocktails at the W Hotel's Living Room tonight. Easy-flowing light blue conversation, easy-flowing light brown house beats, and easy-flowing sips of pleasure...a string of moments making up a pleasant experience. And then some more of it all. This was a perfect way to relax after a long day of work.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Sinnerman" (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix) by Nina Simone