It's going to be a movie!

Please don't let the cast suck. Please don't let the cast suck. Please don't let the cast suck.

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Go, Watch, Now.

Part III will be up on July 19th and all three will disappear at midnight on July 20th.

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more cat pictures

Dude. fficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title">FALCOR! Heh.

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Per Tacomachickadee.

And to those who say, why not "boy"? Well, I think you're missing the point. It's not about excluding boys. It's about including girls.

Posted by: Ensie at 10:34 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As an outside sales person, I fought for years for a Blackberry. I never did get one. None of our 60+ sales force throughout the United States was ever given the one tool that could have made our lives so much easier. Then again, I was only given a laptop a few years ago.

When I actually went to my boss and asked for the specific reasons I was not allowed to have a Blackberry I was given these answers:

1. They cost $500! We can't have just anyone running around with such an expensive piece of equipment.

2. You'll have to be available and more responsive to your customers, and do you really want to have to do that?

3. When traveling, you can always stop at a coffee shop that has Wi-Fi, get a cup of coffee (not paid for by Bob's Hogs), and check your email on your laptop.

4. (After a meeting with my #1 customer where response time was the #1 reason they said they often went with us and actually suggested that I be given a Blackberry to increase our business with them) "First lets see the business increase, that I'll look into getting you a Blackberry." Huh?

I can't tell you the number of significant sales I've lost over the years because I was traveling and couldn't get to my email, or had to ridiculously ask my high profile customers to call me with a huge proposal instead of just being able to read the stupid thing online.

So, a week after almost our entire sales force was cut, I walked my ass into the local AT&T store to pick up a smart phone. No more crappy-ass Razr for me (man, I hated that thing). I immediately gravitated toward the Blackberry Pearl, but the double button typing immediately put me off. I checked out the Blackberry Curve, which I thought I wanted, until I saw the Blackjack II....

I debated for a few minutes until I saw the difference between the Blackberry and Blackjack browsers, and the ease in use. The Blackjack just feels more intuitive. I was able to take it home and set it up quickly. I was downloading applications, getting new ring tones, and customizing it immediately, something I've seen Blackberry users struggle with.

It holds up to 10 email accounts, I can use both Opera and IE to browse, Frinklin found Octrotalk for me so that I can use GChat in addition to texting...what more could I ask for?

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Squeeee!

I'm totally in the new Tacoma City Arts magazine this month - the July issue with Deborah Ritchie on the cover. It's now monthly, and it's just out. Apparently copies are now available at the Stadium Thriftway, but I haven't seen them anyplace else yet.

Looking through the current issue, it looks like a really good one. The piece on Deborah Ritchie of Deborah Page, the highlight of Frost Park's Chalk Off, the preview of the Tall Ships festival...I'm really looking forward to reading through the entire thing.

And why am I in the mag you may ask? Just a quick question about what I'm reading recently, in which I mention Jenette Faluda's book Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir, which you can see a preview of here:

You can also check out her blog Half of Me here, where she goes by the handle "Pasta Queen".

Her book is an interesting look at what it's like to go from over 300 lbs. to half that weight, and the mental and physical adjustments that come with that change. Faluda lost the weight on her own, without the help of diet programs, and continues to maintain her weight loss, holding herself accountable to her own conscience and her blog readers.

Posted by: Ensie at 12:42 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I fear I'm about to duplicate Tacomamama's review of the Horatio Theatre's new show Hypothesis. This time it's not a play, or even a musical; it's a magic show, which is something a bit unexpected (or maybe not) from Erik Emery Hanberg's theater company.

I'm not a big one for magic shows, and I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive after watching the far too long "preview" on Exit 133. I made it about 2 minutes in. It's not that the idea of watching someone get into a body bag and get out across the street isn't interesting, it's just that watching someone in a body bag for 8 minutes on a relatively minute screen on a computer tends to try even the most patient of tempers.

However, internet previews are one thing, and real-life magicians are another.

Watching Geoff Kanick on stage was an entirely enjoyable experience. He has charisma and (most of the time) doesn't take himself too seriously, which makes for a good combination. Kanick worked the small preview audience of about 15 people well, asking at least half of them to join him on stage during different points of the show.

Combining a mixture of traditional tricks with interesting psychic feats kept the audience on their toes. I could quibble here and there with timing issues, but over all the show is fun and funny with a gasp here and there.

I highly recommend a trip down the rabbit hole with Mr. Kanick!

Definitely worth the low price of $10 a ticket, available at the door or at Brown Paper Tickets.

Hypothesis with magician Geoff Kanick
June 13 7:30 pm, June 14 7:30 pm, June 15 2:00 pm
Live at McAstocker Theater, Bellarmine Preparatory School
2300 S Washington
Tacoma, WA 98405

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I never really wrote about attending the Emerald City Comicon, although I really should have. I always seem to pick up really interesting art instead of just comics at these things. It's a tradition. A couple of years ago I picked up Chris Malidore's The Revolution Has Begun penguin art. This has disturbed visitors to my desk ever since. He's expanded since then and created the Survivalist Penguin, and a couple of others that he doesn't appear to have on his website yet. You can pick up his art locally at Spy Comics in Federal Way.

This year I fell in love with a couple of pieces by Katy Hargrove. She grabbed my attention by wearing a massive headdress (relatively effortlessly) while she worked her table). Her portfolio included a lot of fabulous creations, but what really caught my eye were her cockatiel pieces. I quickly snapped up buttons of both, sharing the story of my own recent cockatiel loss.

Never one to shy away from controversy, before leaving the table I had to take a peek under the "18 and over" page that covered a framed piece of art. I was delighted to find a hysterical looking boob streaking across a blue background. I debated buying it then and there, but nearing the end of my set budget for the day, I decided against the purchase.

Over a delicious dinner that evening at Redfin Sushi I told my group of friends that I wished I had the space in my home for a "weird art" gallery. A place where I could place all my odd purchases and never regret them. Not that these pieces wouldn't be beautiful or excellent examples of their genre, just that they may be quirky or bought just for me. A place I could put my framed, freaked out boob; had I brought it home.

I stayed home on the second day of the 'con, while Frinklin wanted to go back with friends. While there, he saw that the boob had not yet sold and made the executive decision to purchase it and make it mine.

While I don't yet have a house large enough to have a room devoted to my own art collection, I'm sure I'll find a space for it. In the meantime, it's making me laugh every time I see it.

Posted by: Ensie at 11:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Frinklin sent me something ever so fun to play with.

Head over to the Walk Score website and enter in your address. It will map our your home and surroundings and the "walkability" of your neighborhood, taking into consideration the convenience of the nearby destinations. You receive a score from 0 to 100 depending on just how fully walkable things really are. Their scale is broken down like so:

90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

My score was 57, which is reasonable. We have a lot of restaurants and a few shops as well as a hospital (if one might walk there) well within walking range, but grocery stores are pushing the limits of walkability when you start to talk about carrying a lot of stuff back with you. I would assume that most of Tacoma is fairly walkable.

You can actually get a map to place on your blog. I thought it would be funny to see the walkability of my parent's neighborhood. They live out in the boonies:

They scored a 6. Not so walkable there.

Posted by: Ensie at 12:31 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Now, there's a Sizzler within three miles so it's not all bad! My mom's address scored a 25. A little better than your parents but still pretty awful. The house I grew up in scored an 8. I'd say that's about right!

Posted by: Jenyum/Tacomamama at May 24, 2008 08:23 AM (LMqvC)

2 We got a 51 ... but two restaurants listed aren't really there. I'm guessing there's a N/S switch going on. Though I'd love to have Gateway to India and a teriyaki as close as it SAYS. I know I'm in the suburbs of the Proctor District ... sigh.

Posted by: tacomachickadee at May 24, 2008 09:49 AM (nWV/l)

3 The house I grew up in got a 2, but I think only because it counted an asparagus farm a mile away as a restaurant. Otherwise I think they'd be at 1 or 2. The nearest thing of any category was several miles away. In case any of you wonder why I'm perfectly happy in T-town with a score of 51 ...

Posted by: tacomachickadee at May 24, 2008 09:53 AM (nWV/l)

4 That's a great tool to objectively determine how "walkable" an area is. As an example, Fife has installed some great new sidewalks and treees but the distances between uses is so large its hard to walk to anything so every trip ends up being one in a car.

Posted by: Erik B. at May 24, 2008 10:53 AM (OVI7B)

5 Wow! Our site for cohousing (1002-4 S 12th St) got an 85! They are a bit funky on the search criteria though. Under schools, they listed Bates about 10 times (probably for the different "majors", and an LLC with Park in the name was listed as A PARK! All together, though, I'd say we picked a good place. Still looking for members!

Posted by: Earthdaughter at May 24, 2008 11:08 AM (JllhC)

6 Walk Score: 5 out of 100

Posted by: Eden at May 24, 2008 02:25 PM (BDCWt)

7 My home address gets a 60, which is better than last year when it left out even more, but it still leaves out Dave's market and Lowell elementary, which would probably boost it considerably. Lowell is actually much closer than Grant, but both are easily walkable.

Posted by: Jen at May 24, 2008 05:52 PM (LMqvC)

8 Yeah, there are definitely some glitches in the alogorithem (is that how you spell that?) that is used to figure out the acutal walkability. But it's still interesting to look at. My parent's house actually has some sort of odd "Quality Hydroseeding" place listed as a school nearby, which I don't believe has anything to do with education.

Posted by: ensie at May 24, 2008 09:35 PM (0Y/90)

9 Just for fun, I looked around on walkscore's site and found this interesting information on how they arrive at their scoring. http://www.walkscore.com/how-it-doesnt-work.shtml We can actually help them "fix" some of the errors in our neighborhoods and improve the accuracy for Tacoma. (P.S. It's algorithm.)

Posted by: Patricia J. Menzies at May 25, 2008 05:24 AM (JllhC)

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Discussion of this great SNL skit came up the other night when describing Kevin's nightmare concoction of cereal (CoCo Puffs, Whoppers, and chocolate milk).

"This one time!..."

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I'm not entierly sure how I've managed to go this long without writing about Bookmooch considering the fact that I've used it every single day for the last couple of months obsessively. It's officially become my favorite new thing to play with because a) it allows me to get rid of the excess books that have been haunting my house for years, b) I get new books that I actually want, c) I get mail, which is fun, and d) I get to use my Stamps.com shipping program and paraphernalia.

Assuming one isn't familiar with Bookmooch, it's a simple website where you can trade in your current books for points. Your points can then be exchanged for books other users have that you would like. Easy peasy! Typically books are worth one point each as you send and receive from one person to another within the same country. Books "mooched" to and from foreign countries can cost 2 - 3 points.

At last check I have sent out 39 books and received 13 (which sounds bad, but really, I've been wanting to get rid of a lot of crap). I'm waiting on 5 more to arrive and have one book to send out currently. I have 25.1 points currently. Books that you want to give away are kept in an inventory that is browsable by other members. Books that you would like to receive are added to a "wishlist." Every time a book on your wishlist becomes available you are sent an e-mail. You can also get an RSS feed of the wishlist if you prefer.

The best part of Bookmooch is the cost. It's completely FREE. The only cost associated with trading books is the shipping cost. But since books are bound, printed matter, they can ship as media mail. This can take longer to ship but typically costs very little. Most books cost between $2 - $3 to ship. Considering the average cost of a paperback can be $12 - $14 and a harcover can be as much as $30 this is really quite a deal!

Bookmooch has a blog and has recently been writing about some very cool stuff. Making books and bookmooching more green has been a big topic as of late. Things like reusing packaging and making sure that you can order the reused packaging right on the website. They also have started working with publishers to have books available directly.

Being a voracious reader, Bookmooch and Paperspine are exactly the type of things that I've been looking for. While the library is great, the fact that there are fees (I recently racked up $50 in fines at the Tacoma Public Library for the five books I had out) keep me from going back. I can find more recent titles, keep them as long as I want (own them if it's Bookmooch), and not have to worry about returning them to anyone. What's not to love?

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Today I came home from lunch with Jenyum of Tacomamama to find a package on my doorstep. Upon opening the package I found a delightful gift. Some may remember my obsession with the book The Fruit Hunters by author Adam Leith Gollner. I raved about this book when I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) from Simon and Schuster a couple of months ago. The book is an absorbing read from beginning to end and made me care about a topic I previously had little interest in. I can't wait to see how Gollner's work is received and what he chooses to write about next.

So, anyway - the surprise gift. Because I had gushed to my Simon and Schuster contact about the book she sent me a signed copy of the finished hardcover! Not just signed, but signed to me! Adam Leith Gollner knows my name!

OK. He likely had a huge list of books to sign for various people and I was just one of a massive number getting books signed to them. But still! This is cool.

I also just received a couple of other signed finished books that are being republished (after being self-published, then published by Slave Labor Graphics). Ariel Schrag's amazing books Potential and Awkward and Definition are being published by Simon and Schuster. Potential is being developed as a movie to be directed by Rose Troche. I own the Slave Labor Graphics editions, but having signed copies is so nice...

Posted by: Ensie at 02:06 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Today I came home from lunch with Jenyum of Tacomamama to find a package on my doorstep. Upon opening the package I found a delightful gift. Some may remember my obsession with the book The Fruit Hunters by author Adam Leith Gollner. I raved about this book when I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) from Simon and Schuster a couple of months ago. The book is an absorbing read from beginning to end and made me care about a topic I previously had little interest in. I can't wait to see how Gollner's work is received and what he chooses to write about next.

So, anyway - the surprise gift. Because I had gushed to my Simon and Schuster contact about the book she sent me a signed copy of the finished hardcover! Not just signed, but signed to me! Adam Leith Gollner knows my name!

OK. He likely had a huge list of books to sign for various people and I was just one of a massive number getting books signed to them. But still! This is cool.

I also just received a couple of other signed finished books that are being republished (after being self-published, then published by Slave Labor Graphics). Ariel Schrag's amazing books Potential and Awkward and Definition are being published by Simon and Schuster. Potential is being developed as a movie to be directed by Rose Troche. I own the Slave Labor Graphics editions, but having signed copies is so nice...

Posted by: Ensie at 02:06 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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While watching some DVRed Ninja Warrior episodes this evening, a fabulous invention was brought to my attention - Mop Shoe!

If you aren't familiar with either, let me introduce you to both:

First, Ninja Warrior. G4 happened to be on one day at The Red Hot while Frinklin, Cassioposa, Kevin, and I were eating dinner. While the original Japanese show features men, Women of Ninja Warrior is far more entertaining for my money. The women's courses tend to focus more on agility and less on strength.

And, who doesn't need Mop Shoe?

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How come Seattle has Ellen Forney doing their public art and we get...this when it comes to art?

WTF?

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Seriously Nordstrom. Stop sending me stuff like this! I only have so much will power!

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Frinkling brought a really great interview with Alison Bechdel to my attention. She discusses her bestselling work Fun Home, the experiences following that publication, as well as the upcoming graphic novel she is working on.

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I found an interesting article in Seattle Business Montly this week on a new company called Paperspine.com. Paperspine is the startup brainchild of Microsoft employee Dustin Hubbard. The company is modeled after Netflix, but instead of sending you movies when you subscribe, Paperspine sends you books.

Subscriptions start at $9.99 for 2 books/month and top out at $25 for 5 books/month. I think they are charging about $5 a month too much per package, but that didn't stop me from subscribing to check it out. I didn't read all to carefully through the FAQ, and received a surprise when I started browsing - Paperspine only carries paperback books at this time (although the article I read mentioned audio books?), which severely limits the inventory they carry, but likely keeps their costs down significantly. Frinklin and I immediately added 10 books to our queue and should have our top three selections in 3 - 5 days.

Paperspine's website has some limitations right now. The categories have some odd definitions, and are kind of hard to search. What is "Contemporary Fiction" and how are the titles listed within? How do I find the Chick Lit, which is definitely different from Romance? Where are the Graphic Novels? The site failed a major test by not carrying Time's Book of the Year for 2007 (and one of my favorite authors), Alison Bechdel's Fun Home.

I should stress that Paperspine is currently in Beta, and that Hubbard has recently added a "Lipstick Blogger" to write about women's books. He also has plans to add a purchase option for people who love their rented books too much to send them back. If you can't find a book on the site that you want to borrow, Paperspine will order it for you. The site is actively requesting feedback at this time, so things should improve.

I'm hoping this will limit my book purchasing addiction while allowing for plenty of reading of backlist titles I've been meaning to catch up on. I love the Tacoma Public Library, but find that I'm great at racking up fees and getting my card suspended. This may be the perfect solution.

Posted by: Ensie at 09:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Have you ever felt like something was missing from your life? Jon Arbuckle has.

It's a testament to the Garfield comic strip (you can go to the official Garfield site but I'm warning you now...) that when you remove Garfield, the comic stands on its own as a lonely, sad picture of a man losing his mind. In a funny way, of course.

Check out more at Garfield minus Garfield.

This is a great new way to enjoy Garfield, as the strip itself hasn't been funny in fifteen or twenty years.

Thanks to Frinklin for bringing this to my attention.

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I know! I know!

You're like - JESUS! Two blog posts in two days!? What have we done to deserve this?

But I had to write about the fabulous experience that my toes had last night at SAVI Day Spa.

Cassioposa and I have been on a quest to find a descent manicure shop in Tacoma for some time. We figured we would visit a number of ghetto places around town, eventually stumbling upon someplace unknown yet amazing. You know - the dream that all girls dream - an inexpensive nail shop with a miracle worker inside that can magically transform your shredded nails into strong, healthy, gorgeous nails overnight. All for under $20 a visit.

And we tried. We really did. We hit up several shops. Old ones, new ones. Until a few weeks ago we tried someplace really new and it was as though the place terrified our nails into not growing at all. Both of us have been suffering from short, peeling, split nails ever since. Plus we were seated far away from each other so we had to shout our conversation and then we were up-sold the entire time on eyebrow waxes and massages. Um, no. It was terrible. So we took a break.

And then I decided yesterday that my toes just couldn't take it anymore (email to Cassie, "Toes are claws! Need pedi!") and I needed and pedicure. But not at some ghetto place. I was determined to find something great, and in Tacoma. But try Googling "Tacoma Best Pedicure" online and you'll get a ton of results for Seattle. It's rather depressing. I soldiered on and eventually landed on the SAVI Day Spa at the Hotel Murano downtown. After a quick phone call to make sure they had room for two in the evening, our appointment was booked for 6:30.

We arrived right on time and valet parked (any service over 30 minutes gets free valet parking), admiring the new lobby decor. SAVI is in the corner of the building and we found our way quite easily there. Once in, Kelly welcomed us by name, given some paperwork to fill out for potential future visits, and offered drinks and appetizers. Since we had just come from The Melting Pot's happy hour we declined, sadly. But a glass of wine with your pedicure sounds just about perfect, don't you think?

At that point we each removed our shoes and ascended to the pedicure thrones. I can't imagine being more comfortable as Shelly and M (I'm so sorry I forgot your name!) worked on our feet. It was like heaven! We laughed and talked while our feet were pampered and rubbed, scrubbed and polished. There were no lulls in the conversation as we chatted with each other as well as Shelly and M.

Part way through our pedicure Co-Owner Sharon joined us to start our manicures. She provided us with some excellent advice as to why our nails might be spitting and chipping so badly since the last manicure (formaldehyde in the nail polish?). When she finished working on my nails they looked nothing like the sad things attached to my fingers I had brought in with me. Thanks Sharon!

They nearly had to shove us out the door when we were finished, we had such a lovely time at SAVI. I would have happily stayed forever.

We went with the lowest priced option for mani/pedi. The pedicure was $45 and the manicure was $30. Plus a big tip for the excellent overall experience. Definitely worth it. There are a number of other options that I'm sure I'll be checking out in the near future.

Posted by: Ensie at 11:52 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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