SeattleCasbah.Com

Dude, its a Dell!

Its here! My new 42" Dell Plasma TV. Took me about a half hour to get everything setup - but its done and I'm very excited! Cable company comes on Thursday, I'll have the digital cable installed then.

Woo-hoo!

Franklin Falls

A last minute change in Christmas plans meant that my weekend had suddenly freed itself. Since the rain wasn't due until the evening, I decided to take a quick trip out to the mountains and check out a trail.

On clear and warm summer days, the trail to Franklin Falls is packed with families seeking a trail good for both kids and elderly alike. An easy trail that follows close to a river, you almost literally stumble into the falls, where the shallow water allows families to wade in the pool below the 50 foot drop. Not in the winter, however. There was hardly a soul seen on the trail to the falls, a testament to the six inches of snow on the ground (a foot in places). Fortunately, the pass had experienced freezing rain the week previously, so I was able to navigate the trail without the need of snowshoes (though I'd recommend them). The thick snow on the road forced me to park a mile and a half before the trailhead, turning what is normally a leisurely two mile hike into a five mile trek. The payoff was worth it though, as I discovered that the falls had frozen over, turning the area into a beautiful ice sculpture.

This trip was also the maiden trail voyage of "the ex". I couldn't be happier with how she performed. There were a few cars parked before the first bridge on the road to the trailhead, where the snow plows stopped and four inches of snow remained. I carelessly decided that "I don't have a four inch lift for nothing!" and pressed on through the snow. It wasn't until the snow hit 7 inches that I became stuck. However, unlike the last trip to Denny Creek, I was able to put her into 4WD and coax her back to more solid ground.

Still, I was closest to the trailhead on this day. ;)

U2 in Portland

U2 played in Portland this past weekend and I was fortunate to catch this show (thanks, Palmer!). I headed down on an icy Sunday to meet up with my old friend Shawn from Milwaukee, visiting his bro in Portland. It was also an opportunity to meet his girlfriend, Catherine, who I had heard so much about via Shawn's descriptive sugar packet/relish graph last June.
See:




Anyway, the ice melted away and U2 definately blew the roof off of the house. You can read about the show at U2's website, but I'll add that I thought the band was playing with extra energy tonight, with Bono going into lengthy discussions with the crowd and integrating a number of covers into the night (including the Clash's "Rock the Casbah", which covered my second favorite band ever). Other highlights: As U2 broke into "One", I departed from my section to track down Shawn and Catherine (not an easy feat given they were across the stadium and three sections up), but somehow I found them. Returning to my seat, I was acosted by either an effeminate straight man or a gay man, who "loved my shirt" and wanted to know what size it was, going so far as trying to pull the tab out of my shirt. Finally, I *love* the fact that you could buy beer at the Rose Garden( Key Arena needs to lighten up a bit for the concerts)! Great night and memory, I'm sad I'll have to wait another couple years to see them again!
Thanks to Shawn, Chris, Catherine, and Jonquil - great to meet you all!

Beauty...

and the beast. Last October I stopped by an Infiniti dealer on my way home to visit my folks. I'd been there before, to check out Infiniti's beautiful G35 coupe. It was always to look, but not touch...as Wayne Campbell once said, "One day, she will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine." This particular day though, I got a bug in my ear and thought it would be funny just to right then and there get the car, then see the look on my parent's face when I rolled in. I know, makes no sense. In case you are keeping track, I won't make a $5 bet with someone, but I will buy a new car as a practical joke.

Anyway, this mother of all impulse purchases wasn't the most practical of cars, especially from a hiker's point of view. So, finally tired of renting cars and bumming rides just to get to the woods, I decided that every good looking girl needs an ugly step-sister. Announcing the newest member of the Rhoades' family, I call her "the ex-girlfriend".

You see like a girlfriend, there are definately some plusses that attract you: new radiator, tires, roof-rack, windshield, stereo, amp, full size spare, and a 4" lift. But like an ex, there's a lot of wear (219k miles), you never know when she's going to go crazy, and she smells like a wet dog.

So, I'm hoping for a sort of dsyfunctional relationship. I hope she's well enough to get me where I'm going - and more importantly - get me back from where I went. We'll see...

lost and found

I was cleaning out my storage closet a few weeks ago and stumbled upon my old camera, still loaded with film. Curiosity got the better of me and upon developing the film, I found pictures from a Halloween party almost five years ago. So I thought I'd share a few shots here. Enjoy!