http://mike.karikas.com Mad ramblings and videos from a Seattle-based cyber-cowboy. en-us Copyright 2004-2009 Michael Karikas rss@karikas.com rss@karikas.com Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:07:00 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Mike's Weary Fingers 1.0 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=146 Update - my bearded mug now featured on CNET and BeardHead.com! Howdy! It's been a busy year so far... lots of new sites I've been putting out, along with some fun and wedding planning. Jon and I hit the slopes last weekend for our annual Neutrino snow day (and official business meeting) - check out the highlights! It was also the debut of the best purchase of my entire life - the Mighty Beard Head! I've also been sucked into the Twitterverse. Actually, of all the social networking things going on Twitter really suits me! I think I need to tweak this blog to just pull in my Twitter feed, since I update that every day or two, as opposed to every two or three months! Here's a quick run down of some sites I've launched this year so far: Books on Boobs - for Elisabeth Squires, a.k.a. "The Boob Lady". She is the authority on all things boob-related, and her site is not only super fun, but really informative. She's also a hilarious, delightful client to work with. My site is full of pirate puns, her site is full of boob puns... it's a perfect match. Smith Brothers Farms - the "milk man" for Western Washington! Delivering their own hormone-free, organic milk and other fresh products across the local land, these guys have been around forever. Features a crazy, giant geographic database of all their routes and milkmen that ties into an address search and all sorts of other administrative things. Veranda Beach Club and White Sands of Long Boat - a duo of awesome vacation rentals near Sarasota, Florida. For Michael Saunders & Company. Restricted - an upcoming film about going all the way to find a cure. Miami Real Estate - for Audrey Ross in Miami, Florida. A re-launch of her existing web site - she's one of the top kahunas in real estate. This is the place to go for miami real estate! VG Panda - a site for my friend Panda. I can't take much credit for this, I just setup Wordpress and turned him loose! More web sites and small projects coming in the next couple months... fuel to the engine that is the wedding of me and Alice, coming 2010 to an Oahu near you! Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:07:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=146 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=146 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=145 This is about two weeks late, but check out my 2008 Christmas card! Last week I got back from a Christmas trip to Hawaii w/ Alice. It was rushed - half the time was spent planning our wedding there - but was still chock full of good times. We both tried surfing for the first time, and that was fantastic. Kind of like snowboarding but instead of going with gravity you're being pushed from behind. And it's much warmer. And there's no hard snow to fall into - instead you have water! With razor-sharp coral beneath. But that's part of the challenge. I'm hooked! During the plane flights there and back I watched the first two seasons of The Venture Brothers, currently my favorite televisiony entertainment. It's just so good. Even when it's really, really weird it's still very good. I hadn't paid much attention to the show, and the couple times I saw it I couldn't understand if it was trying to be serious or funny. It is both. My good Wisconsin buddy Zac helped turn me on to it, telling me that he's reminded of me far too often when The Monarch is on... I can see that. Two night ago I had a dream where I was at a big party, and didn't know anybody, but it was really fun and full of Vikings. I did something that pissed them off and they put me on a rack, and I saw from a third person perspective them stretching my arms until the snapped off (incidentally, I was also wearing a Viking hat). When my arms came off there was no blood, just a little pain... and I kept walking around the party without any arms. Couldn't hold a beer. Couldn't do much without arms other than walk, really. I started to think "Crap, this really sucks! Alice is going to be really bummed out when I come back with no arms." I headed towards the front door to go around to the pool area, of course, and upon approaching the door my arms materialized back! Yeah! Those Vikings just wanted to teach me a lesson, they didn't want my arms to be gone forever. Obviously this is a result of me returning back to Ballard (Vikings) and watching too much Venture Brothers (because of this guy): Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:33:00 -0600 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=145 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=145 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=144 .red {color: #f00;} .blue {color: #00f;} .purp {color: #9F0078;} Check this out - I saw this digital camera that is like a (needlessly?) high-tech Polaroid. In addition to taking photos, it also prints them for you out of an attached printer. But the fantastic part is that the Japanese commercial for them features the cameras actively pooping the photos out. Incredible! Go to http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/xiao and after the animation loads, click on CM Gallery. Amazing. I could write for days about what's been going on - my utter elation with the election (and my favorite parody, which refers to Obama as Hopey McChange-Pants). Being proud to be an American, and a Seattleite. Seeing Gwar. Talking to Don Hertzfeldt. Checking out 9 books on wedding planning all at once. It's been an exciting couple of months. But instead I thought I'd share a couple of songs I used to have on my answering machine in college. Back before I had actual businessy people calling me I always had fun answering machine stuff on. My first answering machine message was a 'duet' of sorts, with me and my long-time homie Zac who moved up here with me from Oregon. To the tune of "Intergalactic" by The Beastie Boys. You've reached the house of Mike and ZAC We'll call you when we get BACK Leave a message at the BEEP If you're a salesman go to (answering machine beep) My other memorable one was done solo with music behind it. My roommate at the time's father complained endlessly about it since it went a minute and a half or so. Oh well. To the tune of "Want You Bad" by The Offspring. Well you have called me on the phone You might be surprised to find that... I'm not home. Where or where now could I be? Maybe work or school or even... sleeping. (don't remember, don't remember, don't remember, don't remember - drums) Leave your name and, Leave your number... I'll call you back! In the bad or sunny weather... I'll call you back, back, back, back, baaaack! Those were good times. Check out Telekinesis - I saw them last week at the Sunset and they were superfantastic! Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:59:00 -0600 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=144 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=144 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=143 Hey! So I'm not really here - still in the trenches of economic-craziness work rush. But I thought I'd share a few things with you. Halloween kind of snuck up on me this year, so no big plans for the first time... ever. But you know, when it comes down to it, I don't think I could ever top the Colonel anyway. If you are able, I highly suggest you visit Seattle's contribution to "Thrill the World", a worldwide movement to have as many people dance Michael Jackson's Thriller dance on the same day. Worldwide. I really meant to go but could not attend, as I need to ensure rent continues to be paid. It's all going down at 11:00am at the big park in Pioneer Square! Check out the Thriller Event details here and help me reprazzant. Strangely parallel to the last debate (I hope you vote). Hot damn I miss watching Batman. Wow, indeed. Who knew Louie Louie (the famous Kingsmen version) was recorded right here in Seattle? Hmmm! Don Hertzfeldt rolled through town a few weeks ago and premiered his latest film. It was crazy amazing. I had a quick akward chat with him and it made my day! Go buy Speed Racer! It's a great movie! K bye! Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:05:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=143 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=143 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=142 So I was doing something on Google Maps yesterday and discovered something! I pulled up some directions around Seattle and was dragging the route around to try different routes (you can click on the 'route' on the map and pull it onto different streets to modify the way you get to where you're going). Anyway, I noticed that if I pulled it into the ship canal (the passageway between Puget Sound and Lake Union) Google follows a trail! The directions end up as 'kayak across the Pacific Ocean'. And the funny thing is, you really can kayak down there (though I don't think you can actually take off from Gasworks Park). Click here for the example. I tried to embed it here but it switches over to 'regular' roads... Google, whatever. I have seen Google map trickery if you put in directions from New York to Paris, for example, that bring you across the Atlantic... but I didn't know that they had directions to jump in the water from one of Seattle's better parks! Super fun. Jon tells me that this could be the underwater route that the Duck Bus takes when it goes from land to water configuration, but I doubt it, as you can drag this route out in Google Maps out far, far into the Pacific. I started the directions above from 3400 Phinney, home to the fantastic Theo Chocolate Factory and super fantastic Circus Contraption. I often sing their praises, and this is the last week for their much-anticipated new show, so... check it out Seattle people!!! I saw it twice and it was indeed The Show to End All Shows. Alice, bless her sweet lovin' heart, granted a wish of mine and gave me this Hello Kitty Muppet-Puppet. I have found that I run around the house doing impromptu ventriloquist acts now, and even pull it out when I'm talking to people on the phone, enacting their speech out in Muppetry. Here is my new foam bff: And of course everybody knows this now, because everybody loves The Offspring, but The Offspring's new album "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" came out last week after five years of nearly nuthin'. But don't take my word for it, you can listen to the whole new album at my playlist here. It is fantastic, and I dare say that the track You're Gonna Go Far Kid is up there with my faves, though very different for them. They are my top band of all-time, staking their claim in my heart and mind way back in high school, never to be budged. And they're playing Bumbershoot this year downtown... I can't wait! Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:30:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=142 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=142 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=141 (looking for my engagement story? It's over here now!) I've been sick a lot lately, including this weekend, where I've given in to the conclusion that I keep getting sick because I'm overworking and overstressing... work. In defiance of work I spent the weekend just hanging out with Alice and didn't even open my laptop or check email for two days! That is unheard of. But it was good to help me recover physically, as well as... inside. It's all best expressed by these lyrics from Cloud Cult's latest album: I've had enough of hiding underneath my covers I'm done with all that poop that brings me down down down Don't bring me down down down I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired I'll laugh my whole way through the hurricanes and fire That's why you don't wanna bring me down That's why you don't wanna bring me down That's right! I have been having fun though, I went to the Sasquatch Music Festival for all three days and it was fantastic, and saw Crystal Castles a couple weeks ago in Seattle which was loud and great (although they kind of snuck off the stage when nobody was looking, which was kind of lame). I also uncovered three conspiracies at Sasquatch. First, there are a lot of non-Canadians trying to give Canadians a bad name (as obnoxious jerks and unbelievably awkward, which are qualities I've never noticed in Canadians but frequently see in Americans, HMMM!!!). Next, the beer conspiracy. They charge so much for beer ($11 and $12, come on) that only the rich and elite can afford it. It keeps people from getting too crazy at the show and keeps them getting crazy in the campground after the show instead, where you can drink the $5/case cheap swill you picked up on the drive over. Brilliant, and an abomination. Lastly, Vitamin Water. This year we enjoyed free Vitamin Water and Vitamin Energy stuff for the first two days. They just handed them out! Free! It was great. Excellent marketing. I probably drank a few gallons' worth. But then, on day three... no more free Vitamin Water. My friend Sara said it best when she said "I'm experiencing a vitamin B deficiency"... exactly. They hop you up on vitamins the first two days so by day three you need to buy some. And it is available for sale. For a mere $5/bottle ($6 for the energy ones). Despicable. Here's a little something I picked up at Alpacapalooza this year! As an interesting side note, I ran into my math teacher from high school at Alpacapalooza this year... now he's an alpaca rancher in Walla Walla! Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:55:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=141 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=141 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=140 So the big news is... one week ago today I proposed to Alice, my fantastic girlfriend of nearly three years... and she said yes! Of all the times I've driven her to tears, this has been my favorite. We're both ridiculously happy and I've just felt better and better each day since. It's really, really trippy to have this newfound joyous feeling floating around me. I've had many, many requests for the full gory details of the proposal and am happy to oblige. Without being too stereotypical, I've found that guys I tell want the 30 second version while most women want the 30 minute version. While my writing style caters to the latter, I'll indulge in both. Before I do though - Tuesday (April 8) is my birthday, and in celebration I'm going to permanently settle down at Shorty's in Belltown. All you Seattle people are certainly welcome to come down and say hi. They open at noon! And, Alice is going to rent out the back room there and have a big party (with two free drinks for everybody!!!) one of these weekends (not my actual birthday), though it may not be until May. Keep that in mind, I'd like to start figuring out what a good date is for people. How I Proposed: The Abridged Edition Alice is from Hawaii, and that's where her parents live. I had planned to fly out there secretly for a just a couple days, ask her parents' blessing in person, then fly back with a ton of delicious Hawaiian-only food. Then we'd have a picnic at our first date spot, I'd bring out the food, she'd be surprised, I'd tell her about the trip, I'd do anything for you, propose, yes, crying, joy. That didn't happen because when I told her parents I was flying down to talk to them they understood and appreciated my motives, but feared Alice would take my flying to Hawaii behind her back the wrong way. I respected that, canceled all my plans, and thought of an emergency Plan B. Plan B involved reserving the nicest table in a semi-private room at the restaurant at Salish Lodge, overlooking Snoqualmie Falls. I brought in six photos of us that I had framed and added titles to beforehand, along with some personalized poetry for each photo. I arranged for each one to be brought out during the dinner (which was 6+ courses so that worked out very well). Each photo was for a certain time in our relationship, from the beginning, to dating, to moving in, etc. Photo #5 was actually a mirror, titled "What's Next?", with the most romantic, sappy poetry you've ever heard. That's when I would pop the question. So I surprised Alice with the dinner, thankfully she honestly thought I was just surprising her with a really special dinner, and was being extra sweet with the photos. When the "What's Next?" photo came out she was awfully suspicious, more so when I got down on one knee and proposed to her. She said yes! She even came down on the floor and we hugged, kissed, etc. Afterwards I had the server take our picture with a Polaroid I'd brought to tape onto the mirror in the photo frame. Afterwards I had one last photo brought out, of us as old geezers, with poetry like "Even when we're changing each other's bedpans I'll still love you just as much", which she liked. And life is good. How I Proposed: The Shameless, Verbose, Extremely Detailed, Premeditated Version Part 1 - Preparation and Plan A Alice and I have been thinking about marriage for a while, and talking about it, and it even got to the point where we had pretty much settled on the fact that we were going to get married. That was about the time we moved in together, roughly six months ago. I started seriously thinking about getting a ring around her birthday in January. From our previous talks I had known exactly the kind of diamond Alice wanted, though it would be very difficult to afford. John Brian Losh once told me, in his best mobster tone, "Never pay retail for a diamond." Good advice, though I needed to figure out how to accomplish that. I absolutely did not want to compromise on the diamond I knew she wanted. And... Alice loves a good deal more than anybody I know. I knew if I could get a good deal, it would only score me extra points with her! My good homie and biz partner, Jon, knew all this and mentioned to me (I think on February 5?) that his aunt was at the Seattle Gift Show, where all the wholesalers get together to shill their stuff, including loose diamond vendors. I could represent Neutrino and get in. So I went to the show and checked out all the jewelers (and pirate goods suppliers but that's another blog), asking all the booths about loose diamonds and getting quotes, and felt really good about a jeweler in Bellevue called J. Lewis Jewelery. That's who I eventually ended up going to, and wow, did Jill find me an amazing diamond! She had to special order a few for me to look at, but they were fantastic, and based on her advice and what I had learned online, I knew she'd love it. Internally Flawless, F (colorless), round brilliant, excellent symmetry, .53 carat, and right-on with all the proportions. At an amazing price. Exactly what Alice wanted. I carefully took that diamond over to Getty Jewelers in Redmond Town Center, since that was the jewelry store owned by Alice's family friends (she used to teach their kids piano and tutor a bit), and I wanted them to make the ring and set it. After swearing they wouldn't tell Alice anything about it, they made me a beautiful platinum custom ring that would fit her, with a setting that would keep that diamond from ever falling out. When it came out I thought the band was actually a little thick, but I think that was just me being nervous, as when Alice saw the ring she nearly did a backflip she loved it all so much. Turns out that it's almost exactly like this guy over at Tiffany's, only custom-made for Alice's little finger and a little more secure. Anyway, to the proposal. I'm very serious (which I hardly ever am) about Alice and I being married, for like ever, and wanted to do everything right, including asking her parents for their blessing beforehand. But, her parents live in Hawaii, so I could either talk to them on the phone (nah) or fly there and talk to them in person, which sounds kind of silly but this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing! At first I thought flying there would indeed be too much, but as Jon put it, "It's only a 5 hour flight! You could totally do it!" So I figured shoot, I would, and I could bring back a bunch of food that you can only, only get in Hawaii (Alice grew up there and misses that food dearly). Then shortly after I came back I would take her on a picnic to where we had our very first date (Discovery Park), then when we reached the beach there I would unpack the food. As I unpacked it she would see that it was really food from Hawaii, which would be confusing, and I would also unpack the little ring box... and tell her what I did, how I would go anywhere and do anything for her, then propose... and it would be lovely! So I did a lot of preparation for this. Plane tickets (coordinating this took a couple days since I had to figure out my own schedule, Alice's scheduler, her parents' schedule, etc without telling anybody), hostel reservations, parking reservations, bike rentals, bus schedules from the Honolulu airport, maps, a plan for each day, a special cooler for the food, delicious wild salmon for her parents (from Spaccarotelli, some of the best salmon I've ever had), a lock for the hostel, SPF-70 sunscreen so I wouldn't get a tan, etc. I would be gone from April 1 to 3, under the guise of going on a retreat with Jon to his family's cabin on Lopez Island in the San Juans. As I lied to Alice telling her that's where I was going a red alert went off in my head that said "You are lying! You are lying!"... so it's good to know I have that reflex. My face got all red, too, but apparently didn't blow my cover. Anyway. I thought it was fitting that the day I left would be April Fool's Day, as that would make me feel a little better about saying "I'm going to the island now! Be back on Thursday!" Then I finally called her parents the Monday before the trip (March 24). I talked to her mom and she was really excited about me coming, offered to pick me up and let me stay with them, etc. She definitely knew what I was going to talk to them about of course, though my message was basically "I'm coming to Honolulu for a couple days, just to talk to you and your husband, and please don't tell Alice." I got off the phone and felt really good about things, as getting their 'ok' to meet was the last piece of the puzzle. But, that night they called me back, and the next day I talked to her mom again who told me they had changed their minds. They understood what I was doing and thought I had good intentions, but because they knew Alice they were afraid she might take it the wrong way (specifically, me telling her I was going to Lopez Island instead of Oahu... Island). I understood and respected that, we ended the call very well, and I canceled and returned nearly EVERYTHING! And... I had to think of a Plan B! Crap! Part 2 - Plan B I figured that since I didn't have an orchestrated plan happening anymore I wanted to propose as quickly as possible so I could stop having all these secrets! So this was last Tuesday, March 25... and I wanted to propose that weekend if possible. Not only did I want to propose, but a lot of people close to Alice knew now and I didn't like that! I thought for some time and came up with the idea of taking her out to an amazing gourmet dinner, at a place that would really take care of us (she really loves good food and good service). During the meal they could bring out photos of us or something that I'd prepared previously, so Alice would know this was a personal dinner meant for just the two of us, and I could propose during that time. Looking around I had thought of a few places and asked availabilities... Canlis had a private table but was booked solid on weekends until May, I thought about Salish Lodge over Snoqualmie Falls but their two-person private tables were all taken during reasonable times, and other restaurants looked nice but either didn't have the view I wanted or were too public (Alice is a fairly private person, which explains the lack of her pictures on this Balrog). I even asked Jon since he's a living encyclopedia of restaurants; he had some good suggestions but the only qualified overlapping ones were Canlis and Salish Lodge. So I tried Salish again and found out that they had a four person table that was available that Sunday at 6:00 (perfect for the sunset around 8:00 with a lengthly dinner), it was their best table with the best view and the most privacy (three walls were glass windows). First I called Alice at work, to make sure she could make that time. I told her I wanted to take her out on Sunday, but would need her for a few hours from 5:15 that day, if she could make it (her job is nuts right now so we need to schedule things). She said she could, so I called back Salish Lodge and took it! I told them what was going on and that I wanted to see them beforehand to deliver my photos and choreograph how the dinner would go, so we agreed I'd see them on Thursday, and I got to work on the photos. I really wanted the photos to be fantastic and very personal... I think some of the most meaningful things people can have are photos of themselves and others during good times. So I went through all our photos and chose four from different times in our relationship - the beginning, dating, going to Disneyland, and after we moved in together. I figured the fifth photo would be the engagement photo - but I don't have a photo of us getting engaged. So I thought I would use a mirror (btw, Hy-Lite on Stone Way whipped up a 5x7 custom mirror for me in like 5 minutes! And cheap!). Then the last photo would be us as old geezers together to represent our future (I ended up photoshopping our heads on the American Gothic painting). I also thought it would be nice to write a little something for each photo (have you noticed I like to write?), some poetry to talk about each time in our lives. I picked up six matching frames, got some supplies from PaperZone for the titles and poetry (special fancy paper, decorative scissors, 3-d glue dots for the titles), and got to work. I finished the last photo at my friend Sara's place after watching America's Next Top Model, which I do nearly every Wednesday. After assembling the photos on Thursday I went to Salish Lodge to deliver them and go over the plan. They were going to setup the table for two people (usually it's for four), and put rose petals on the table, a bouquet of flowers, and candles alongside the three windowed walls. Check! We went over the timing of the photos, and I explained that Alice is very financially minded (she does work for Ameriprise as a financial adviser, after all) and I wanted her to think that I was getting a great deal on this dinner and not to worry about the cost. We don't typically go out for 6-course gourmet dinners on random days so I feared this might tip her off unless I was able to justify it. I asked if they could say something when we got there like "Congrats on winning our VIP romance dinner package!" and they said no problem. I also arranged to get the bill sent to me later and to have sparkling cider served throughout dinner (Alice doesn't drink alcohol but she does like a good sparkling beverage). There was one last thing to coordinate... with the mirror 'photo' I wanted to put a photo of us on there after I'd proposed. So, I needed a Polaroid camera... and going to a bunch of places in town I sadly discovered that Polaroid is no longer making cameras or film, as of last month! So crappy! So some stores around here were still selling the cameras but nowhere, absolutely nowhere I checked or called had any film. There was no time for eBay, so I turned to Craigslist... there was one wonderful woman in the south side (Cheryl) who was selling her camera and called around to discover that her local Target and WalMart both sold film. She agreed to buy the film and meet me with the camera, so I picked it up that Sunday afternoon while Alice was working. She was thrilled to learn I was going to use it to help propose. It's a great camera too, it uses sonar to autofocus, which some scientists have used to communicate with bats (I've become a diamond expert and a Polaroid expert as a result of this engagement). As a final act I also made a mixtape for us to listen to while going to dinner and back (it's about a 45 minute drive). I arranged it carefully so it started with a song I like and she doesn't, just to psyche her out... then a couple songs she likes, then a couple karaoke songs during the long stretch of more boring road... then some more lovey songs that are meaningful to the both of us, which gradually get lighter until we're in Bob Marley and Gorillaz territory by the end of the tape. The lovey stuff started to play strong as we pulled up to the lodge. So we went to dinner, and Alice told me later she had a suspicion I might be proposing to her because we were driving pretty far, in a direction we hardly ever go, and Salish Lodge is awfully darn fancy for a secret date. When we were taken to our table (by the restaurant manager, whom I had talked to three days before), he casually mentioned, "As you know we had an anniversary dinner cancellation, and we are happy to work you in to their spot." This is what convinced Alice that this was 'authentic' and I wasn't going to propose after all. We decided to go with the six-course dinner (which I tried to push a little since it would work best with the photos!) and they began to serve us some amazing food I won't go into detail about. Totally worth it, I was even full at the end which doesn't always happen with these types of meals. Anyway, the first photo and poem came out and I thought this would blow my cover... but Alice thought I was just being really sweet since she's been working so much! Our dinner conversation was all over the place, from dinner to the beautiful scenery to burning rocks to iambic pentameter. After the main course they brought out the mirror with dessert. As they sat it down in front of Alice and left the room (ninja style!) I attempted to nonchalantly pull out the ring from my pocket while she read the poem, which let me tell you, was a doozy (it actually answers back to a poem she gave me two years ago on Valentine's Day, which I always carry around, and has a back story itself!). She was shocked and looked at me with a very shocked face, as I got down on one knee next to her and opened the ring box back. She quietly said "Oh my God!", just like in the movies, and I started to propose with a well-planned speech that I completely forgot, of course. The whole time we were both crying, then she said "Yes, I will!", and then came down off her chair to join me on the floor, where there was much hugging, kissing, and more happy tears! So several minutes later after we composed ourselves a bit I took out the Polaroid and asked our server to take our picture, which he did, and after developing ("Like a Po-la-roid pic-ture!") I taped it on the mirror (yes, I brought tape). It was a beautiful thing. We somehow managed to eat dessert, which had indeed melted (the ice cream one, though the three mini crème brûlées were perfect) and I finally got to tell her all that I have now told you. She was so happy, and I was so happy. She was thrilled that I had gotten that ring, and I had gotten it from her family friends, and talked to her parents. She also liked my Hawaii idea and said she definitely wouldn't have cared if I secretly went over there if the intent was to propose! We took a few more pictures and returned home, called our respective parents... and now we're trying to get used to introducing each other as 'fiancé'! There's no wedding date planned, and honestly it won't be happening for a couple years. She's far too busy with 12 hour days at Ameriprise, and I'm too busy with Neutrino and Karikas Interactive (and don't forget Pirate Jokes) to plan a wedding. But... we are leaning towards having it in Hawaii with a separate reception in Seattle. I've never been happier in my whole life (not even when I got Fortress Maximus as a kid). I swear I've even been getting happier each day. My grateful thanks to everybody who helped out my plans, including Alice's parents, my parents, Sandy and Danny at Getty Jewelers, Jill Lewis at J. Lewis Jeweler, everybody at the Restaurant at Salish Lodge (Simon and Brett in particular), Jon, Cheryl with the Polaroid hookup, Jeb at Spaccarotelli Akira and Dipika who kept it in their freezer for a week, and everybody who gave me their advice from Houston to LA to Seattle! Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:09:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=140 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=140 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=139 Many of you know I've been very out of touch for the last several months while I've toiled away on an enormous web project. I'm happy to say that this site has launched, and my life can now continue as regularly scheduled! Check it out - John Daugherty, Realtors of Houston, TX. That's just the main site... there are also an internal agent-only web site and a cell phone web site that go along with that. I think this site is amazing. We weren't even able to launch everything we had planned at first, but it still came out great. I'd say I'm more proud of this site than any other I can think of. We're still adding to it too, but now that this big deadline is gone I get to breathe a sigh of relief! So, life is good. I also found my new favorite house there. I was led to discover a new band this week... well, new to me. They're called the Leningard Cowboys, and they often tour and record with the actual Russian Red Army Chorus. They have their own original songs, but also cover Russian folk songs and the occasional American classic, like Sweet Home Alabama. But check this video out, it's so incredible. I can only hope they decide to tour in the US on some future day. Even in Seattle, a utopia of music, I haven't been able to find their CDs. But, that's what eBay is for. This is the video, this one! This one! Check out the Leningard Cowboys! Thank you for sharing that with me, Warren. The only other notable thing happening is that I've found an incredible source for eccentric lollipops. And I went to a dog show. And Alice made personal-sized haupia pudding cakes with lilikoi glaze that I neither saw nor ate. And my biz-partner-homie Jon's ongoing battle with the squirrel in his house has reached critical mass, as the squirrel ate clean through his in-wall CAT-5 cable this week. And I'm going to California in a few weeks. And Andrea moved to Chicago on a couple days' notice. That wraps it all up. And it's sunny outside! Later! Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:01:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=139 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=139 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=138 (edit: I was listening to KEXP on the radio and they just went off the air! The DJ announced that they're setting up an HD broadcast, and to do that their engineers need to take the signal off the air for about half an hour. So now I'm listening to silence. Bizarre!) Hello balrog. Nice to see you again. I've been in Texas ever since Christmas, not physically, but mentally, as I'm in the hard-core portion of creating possibly the greatest ever website in the history of the world for a Texas real estate company. It will be excellent. All in due time (March). I did go snowboarding with homie WonTon Jon. It was wicked sick powder yo! No joke, I was snowboarding through powder so deep that it was going over my board all the way up to my waist! You could go so far as to say I was teabagging the mountain. It was so good. Here's a clip (that's me coming down, and Jon yelling "Go by me Mike! Gravy! Gravy!" or something): Favorite thing I said in January: "Excuse me, where is your periscope?" (the Ballard library really does have a periscope inside! It's actually part of the wall behind the checkout area after you walk in!) Favorite thing somebody I didn't know said to me in January: "Thanks for the ma'am." Went like this: Homeless woman: "Scuze me sir, could I have some change, ........" Me: "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am, can't help you." Homeless woman: "Ok. Thanks for the ma'am." Favorite play on words in January: The King Cobra! One of the more recent fine Seattle establishments to be destroyed for condos was the Kincora bar, a nasty little bar on Capital Hill, now given new life as the King Cobra! Which made me think, a G.I. Joe themed bar (which it is not) would be excellent. Piper suggested that at closing they yell "Last call! Now you know. And knowing is half the battle." Favorite (only) show in January: Play! A Video Game Symphony played by the Seattle Symphony and various local choirs. Also excellent. I am forever indebted to them for playing a bunch of tunes from Chrono Trigger. Get ready for this year's Alpacapalooza - I missed last year but am so there this year. April 4-6. That's all for now, I'm kind of checked out from the rest of the world until I finish this big project (and several other small projects in orbit around it). Let's hope this is my last big project until my early retirement. Oh, hey, I came across this rad music search engine... probably the first non-Google search thingie I've been excited about in years and years! Instant music: SeeqPod. Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:05:00 -0600 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=138 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=138 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=137 Merry Christmas and happy holidays all! As is tradition I've made a new holiday card, and you can check it out here: Check it out! All of these cards take me way too much time but I love making them! Everybody benefits. Alice and I have been going to fancy parties all month, and our last was with Sara and friends... guess who was there? Santa Claus, of course! And he was running a tab. He was pretty drunk and was cracking me up all night. We got a picture: Quick story - Alice and I were getting groceries the other day and I was wearing my Domo-kun hoodie (a gift of Christmas past)... and the meme-wise grocery bagger and I had a little conversation. Bagger: I like your sweatshirt. Me: Why, thank you. Bagger: It makes me think of kittens. Me: (knowing smile and nod) Checker: Kittens? Bagger: (pause) You know... small cats? Checker: Yes, I'm familiar with kittens. That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time, though I know not everybody will find that so funny. Small cats, ha! So happy holidays everybody. I hope 2007 has treated everybody well and the next year is doubly fantastic! I know I don't talk to as many friends as I should but I keep you all in mind. My gift to you for 2007... the next time you want to make a purchase online, do a google search for the store name and 'promo code' or 'discount code'... I've had success with ThinkGeek, Amazon, and iStock Photo! Savin' da bling! It's the best discovery of the whole year =). Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:16:00 -0600 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=137 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=137 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=136 Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving. Oftentimes I spend the day hiding away from all contact with people, as many people turn into beasts with many hands, grabbing products and deals with voracious appetites! But this year I did go to the 'shopping arena', at 6:00am even, to get some crazy cheap computer goods from Staples. I won't go into many details here, but wow, it was intense (and this wasn't nearly as bad as some places). The highlight was when I was looking around in their hard drive aisle at about 6:02am and this couple frantically runs over next to me: Guy (frantic): "Where are they?" Girl (frenzied): "WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE!??!" Guy (nearly yelling): "Like this! Like a hard drive! Western Digital!" Girl (inquisitive): "Do you see them?" Guy (hopelessly): "I don't see them..." Girl (hopeful): "Is this it?" Guy (pissed): "I DON'T KNOW!!!" Turns out they were all at the front of the store and our mob of people-sheep ran right by them! Good Lord. I did nail nearly all my shopping needs, and even won a free prize at Pink Godzilla, which was nice, although I can't use it right now (wireless controllers for this little beauty). The day prior I spent w/ Alice and her Seattle pseudo-family, which meant dim sum for lunch and a traditional turkey dinner. It was great, I've never had squid on Thanksgiving before! I've been doing a lot of work lately, here are a few things to show for it: McGuigan Pepin - a wonderful real estate boutique in Montreal. Fantastic to work with!Legendary Hewitt Party Invite - I did the animation, this fellow did the art. This actually got mailed out to a bunch of people on USB drives at a much better quality!OMNI Band Web Site - I didn't do the design or animation on this (the talented Taras did), but I did do most of the behind-the-scenes work, including the video player, photo viewer, store, mp3 player...Have I ever mentioned Pirate Jokes.net's upgrade? There are more, but they either aren't fantastic or aren't publicly accessible. Speaking of pirates (arr!), Alice and I were in Disneyland earlier this month, and I wore this fine ARRRRRrrrrtichoke shirt, and had no less than three groups of people come up and ask me about it! It is obvious to me that Disneyland is the place for pirates. If you have a million+ greenbacks stashed away and would like a new home that's away from it all, yet close to the action, look no further! My grandma's house is for sale, and it's fantastic. The photos don't do this place justice, my sister's family spent all summer fixing the place up to be in tip-top shape. I personally inspected it a couple weeks ago and it's awesome! It's in Sherman Oaks, California, which is also the home of Mr. T. Check it out. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:55:00 -0600 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=136 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=136 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=135 I hope this helps somebody. For a client of mine I installed Microsoft Expression Media on my computer, and the little bugger worked fine on my laptop but would crash every time I tried to add media to it on my desktop PC. Hours were spent troubleshooting this... different versions of the software, different versions of QuickTime installed, etc. I even ended up filing an official bug for it. No luck. After more research, it turns out the problem is with QuickTime and my nVidia video card (which happens to be a GeForce 7600 GS). With recent drivers, dated approximately somewhere between August 2007 and now (October 2007), they just don't jive with QuickTime, and since Expression Media depends on QuickTime for everything, it just blows up. The work-around - go to your Control Panel, then QuickTime and the Advanced tab. Under the Video fieldset, switch it over to Safe Mode (GDI). That'll turn off any weirdness between QuickTime and your video card (because now QuickTime is essentially using software to display images and video, not your video card). That fixes it! Hopefully this will be fixed with an upcoming driver update from nVidia. An alternate solution would probably be to roll back your video drivers, but forget that. In other news... a while ago my friend Sara brought some nuts back to her place she found while gardening (job, not hobby), and I told her those were chestnuts and we could eat them. I threw one in her oven... at 500 degrees (to cook fast!)... for a while... and when it was smoking slightly I took it out. As I held it in my oven-mitted hand I saw that the top was gurgling a bit. I asked Sara and hombre Piper to check it out, and we all leaned in real close to see the gurgling... and then... ...that bastard exploded ALLLLLL over us! And the walls! And everything! It was like a hand grenade went off, I'm surprised we all still have our eyesight! It was so hilarious, Piper's all-black shirt looked like a star field, and Sara just ran around shrieking. A lot of the blast is still on Sara's fridge as a memento. Afterwards we learned you're supposed to carve little Xs in them so the internal steam can get out and it doesn't explode... and we cooked a bunch, but they tasted terrible, and it turns out they were Horse Chestnuts which are filed under 'Inedible' and 'Toxic'. Damn! Aside from that, I redesigned PirateJokes.net (with some help from Won Ton) before Talk Like A Pirate Day (I was out of town for that unfortunately, but managed to do a lot of pirate-talk). Ok, I'm out. Alice and I are headed (again! Woo!) to Disneyland next month, and this is the 40th year anniversary of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride... so beware ye scurvy landlubbers! Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:29:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=135 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=135 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=134 Here's a picture from my Harry Potter and the Book 7 Party Adventure tale, where I played the role of Captain Karikas the out-of-place Pirate. Click the image for a full Flickr stream! Man, this was a fun weekend. One of those weekends where you're happy to be in Seattle if you've lived here for a significant portion of your life. Friday was the 100th anniversary of Pike Place Market, the well-known fish-and-et-cetera market downtown on the waterfront. Love the place. Anyway, they had all sorts of local acts playing at laid-back concert there, people from Pearl Jam and Presidents of the USA, amongst many others. But, the moment came later. The lead singer for Visqueen, accompanied by Artis the Spoonman, performed the song "Spoonman" by local 90s great Soundgarden (actually written about this particular Spoonman). That was oozing with Seattleness. As Alice and I kept watching from our cement vendor booth in the market (the real vendor had left) we noticed down below that Circus Contraption, my über favorite local circus group, was unloading their stuff from their performance that night back into their Budget rental truck (that's how you roll when you're low on funds in Seattle). Finally, an SPD horse policeman was riding upon his steed, which seeming began to rock out (although later we realized it was out of control) and ran around in circles in the middle of the street to the music. That whole description may sound lackluster if you're not intimately connected with all those things, but it was a real local connection lightning bolt for me. Quite nice. Of course, since my ill-advised camera dropping back in May, I did not have a camera to record such event. But the description will live on here in this Balrog for an unspecified length of time. A couple other things - anybody regularly online is aware of the lolcats meme. It's good stuff. Invisible sandwich is my favorite. I was looking around for apartments lately and found that the Seattle PI actually had a banner ad that is in the style of lolcats: Only in Seattle? Speaking of apartments, my apartment building is for sale, but I don't know about it yet. You can tell for sure because this MLS listing says Tenants are unaware of the sale, please be discreet. =P Couple other things - I signed up for Vonage recently at Neutrino in the aftermath of Sunrocket's recent demise (that's real delightful when your business phone line just vanishes). Searching through their support files for something an error got triggered: Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in /prod/www/vonage/searchEngine/parser.php on line 41 That does not make me feel particularly safe about Vonage, that they are spewing their php errors out into the wild. error_reporing(0) that beeotch and log them errors instead! Last story - I went to the KEXP BBQ this weekend and ended up talking to Craig, the lead singer for Cloud Cult. Of course, I didn't know this because he was working the merch table and I never know what musicians actually look like. I only realized it when I saw him singing on stage! Now I know why he was so interested in how many albums I had, etc. I've also been reading his homie Steve's blog The Sneeze a lot recently, although that's a separate matter. Cloud Cult totally rocked my world, btw. Such a good show. So real. So rockin'! The KEXP BBQ was also fantastic as a whole, so... Seattle... ok, I'll end my theme here. Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:58:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=134 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=134 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=133 The biggest news, of course, is that Alice's condo is on the market as of this morning. Tell all your friends! Here's the shpiel I emailed out this morning to select individuals: "It’s true, it’s true, Alice’s place is on the market. You should tell all your friends, and snatch it up quick! Here’s a link: http://windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Listing.ListingDetail&ListingID=18439272 The description just touches on it, but the location can’t be beat. You’re just a couple blocks from Broadway and a few blocks from Pine, meaning fantastic access to the red hot nightlife, stores, QFC, Starbucks, the Egyptian, buses, you name it… with 24/7 covered parking on the hill! And yet, just those couple blocks is enough to keep you out of the way from the craziness when you need some quiet time at home. Sit on the balcony and overlook the city, imagine, reflect… isn’t that nice? And I haven’t even started on the interior… yes, it has a Murphy bed. We all know, of course, that a Murphy bed is a bed that actually transforms into a wall. This is truly a home for fans of Transformers and Michael Bay alike." It also makes a pretty good dance floor when the bed is up. Other notable things are that I bought a video game system, my first new system since my Nintendo 64 back in... '98ish? It is a Wii. I love it. I fully understand that this officially moves me from 'gamer' to 'casual gamer', but that's fine, I've only bought three video games since 2000 and accept that. It's so fun... Alice and I are suffering from worn and weary shoulders, but as we all know, that just means we need to play more to get them in shape! I'm also recovering from a bout of shrimpinitus... a terrible disease where you first accidentally poke a hole in your mouth with a deep-friend shrimp leg, then stuff raw sushi into it, then suffer remarkable fatigue, weakness, thirst, headaches, and more for 2.5 weeks. Kinda sucked. So watch out for that. The Shrimp's Revenge! After about two weeks I did discover that apparently the cure is drinking Full Sail Session Lager, courtesy of Rachel's Birthday BBQ and Croquet Extravaganza last weekend. I'm going to need to stock up on that for winter's flu season! Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:13:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=133 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=133 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=132 Tomorrow's the day - the last Harry Potter book is released, at the stroke of midnight! Well, technically one minute after midnight from what I've read, but still... I'll be there. History in the making. I've been in the mood for sure... re-read books 5 and 6, hy-potter-izing theories for the characters (Snape is only out for himself), and even made two batches of butterbeer the other day (hot and cold!). I'm crazy. After getting the book at midnight and reading all night, it'll be an experience when I go pick up Alice from her spontaneous Alaskan cruise at sunrise on Sunday! I just hope I have enough energy left to join the unholy battle of the cardboard tube ninjas (I know I'm a pirate, not a ninja, but my cardboard tube will be a cutlass and not a samurai). I'm crazy excited! Since I last spat words upon this balrog I've been to San Diego on bidness and the abandoned valleys of Wallowa for the Fourth. I've also been spending a lot of time at Shorty's, my favorite place ever, which has two new amazing pinball games - Pirates of the Caribbean (Yarrrgh!) and Family Guy, which has a mini-pinball game inside of it. Crazy genius! As each day goes by at least one or two comical observations occur that I think I'll type up and put in here. Now that I'm really here they are all gone. In their stead, please accept this collection of random links from my bookmarks (crazy): - Pirates of Puget Sound - seen at all the local pirate festivals (next one is in Everett in a few weeks) - Best way to find a Wii in the Seattle area - a few more checks and I'm all over the Wii (we have one on loan at the office right now and it's awesome) - Twisted Films of Pes - I saw his "Game Over" film last year and naturally enjoyed it, though his other stuff is a lot of fun too I think I've been working too much, and when I'm not working I'm thinking about working, so I think I need to go into space or the Amazon or someplace that doesn't have a native wi-fi signal. On a side note the town of Wallowa, OR (population 800) has a cell tower now, it's on top of Tick Hill and has given the entire area fantastic coverage. I wasn't sure whether to be really happy or really bummed. For fun, here's how you start my dad's car in Oregon (just connect the wires, duh!). Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:17:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=132 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=132 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=131 Another whirlwind month - I was in Portland for my homeboy Garhan's Wedding (now he's Mister Garhan!), then in Vancouver for a getaway with Alice, then to the Gorge for the Sasquatch Festival to have Bjork beam her giant laser at me. One of the highlights from my recent travels - in Aloha, OR, there is a giant bunny-man appropriately named Harvey who watches over the town with his enormous steely eyes. I also had the pleasure of discovering the show Mad Money, where an insane individual gives advice about the stock market while wearing different outfits, screaming, playing sound effects and launching graphical assaults on the screen like charging bulls and bloodthirsty bears. That's entertainment! What happened in Vancouver stays in Vancouver... Sasquatch was excellent... Arcade Fire and Bjork were phenomenal. Bjork really blew me away, she's such a little dainty spritey thing singing around all this crazy industrialness. And man, does she pack a big laser. I'm surprised it didn't slice right through the trees at the back of the lawn! I also heard a bit of Blow and Electrolane, both are bands I must to check out further. Circus news - Circus Contraption is having two fundraising galas for each side of your human personality: White Trash on Friday and White Tie on Saturday! I'm going to the White Tie night, should be a lot of fun. Also, last month's performance went really well, and it was a lot of fun! I need to find more opportunities to use my new breakaway jeans. Pirate news - go see the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it's quite good and shines where the second movie started to rust a bit. I'm not much for movie romance but the romantic scene involving Barbossa during the final battle is probably one of my favorite scenes of all time. And I've never seen a better shot of Johnny Depp's nose. After you've seen the movie come buy six of my latest pirate shirts - Parrots of the Caribbean (design by Alice)! I picked up Tom Hagerman (violin/accordion of Devotchka)'s solo CD from CDBaby.com - it's really good! If you've got a few bucks I recommend it, CDBaby.com is a great web site anyway. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my summer... Thu, 31 May 2007 15:03:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=131 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=131 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=130 Once again I've answered Circus Contraption's call for willing victims to make fools of themselves. Come out this Friday to watch me dance, strip, and make an ass of myself around 11:30! The show will be really fun, too. Here's the scoop (from Circus Contraption's site): --- Okay, this is gonna be good. Not only will we be debuting some new material, but we are sharing the bill with the Yard Dogs Road Show from San Francisco, as part of their "Cabaret Blitz!" tour. "Who?" you may ask? Trust us -- they're amazing. They make the whole circus jealous, because they've crafted such a fantastic show. Picture an old-timey traveling pack of carny-musicians, each with sideshow skills and dripping with visual style. Add a fantastic burlesque troupe. Shake liberally. That might get you close to the Yard Dogs. Come prepared for mayhem. Circus Contraption and the Yard Dogs Road Show Friday, May 4, 2007 8:00pm, 21 and over $18.00 general admission The Showbox 1426 1st Ave at Pike, Seattle WA Advance tickets are available at The Showbox or through Ticketmaster. --- Check it out! Aside from that the only noteworthy thing that's been happening is that the Neutrino web site is finally up. For those who aren't in the know that's the other business I'm involved in besides this one. That is important because when I'm not dancing with the circus... I'm usually working. Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:58:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=130 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=130 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=129 First thing - Awesomeness alert! Check out the Sunset Tavern this coming Monday for Kung Fu Grindhouse All-Stars! The best of the worst movies you'll ever see, including the Filipino wünder-movie Impossible Kid. I'm getting there early! Also, Edward Scissorhands, the Stage Adaptation, is coming to the Fifth Avenue Theatre, which I'm excited about. Speaking of movies, did you guys see 300? It was a pleasure to watch, but wow, what a testosterone driven flick. It didn't bother me that it wasn't historically accurate, but the goat playing pipes in the opium den was a little over the top, even for me (I didn't expect to bust out laughing during the movie... and yet I did there!). I enjoyed it, and came away with all the answers to every question I've ever had about Greek fraternities. I had a birthday yesterday (props to Alfredo for noticing). I am now 25. I talked to my dad and he said "Happy Birthday son, God, I can't believe you're 23. (mumbled sound of my mom's voice) What!? You're 25!! How... what, how are you doing? Are you ok? Shit, when I was 25 I couldn't do anything for a couple of days, I was so depressed... how can you be 25? I haven't even been married that long, ha ha!" I am a little bummed about reaching a quarter century so soon, but am getting over it. 25 is the new 21, 30 is the new mid 20s. I can still apply for Top Model until I'm 27 so I'm feeling pretty good about that. I had a good birthday, I laid low and dragged Alice around to places I wanted to go, and had the most bomb sushi dinner ever at Fuji Sushi. I think my favorite part of birthdays anymore is just hearing from people I rarely get to talk to, who send a note, card, or even a MySpace message this one day. On another note, happy birthday Jason, whose actions I learn from exactly two years in advance. And speaking of Jason, he tipped me off to what would be the best birthday present ever - an RC Pirate Ship, yarrrgh! Alice recently went to China and Hong Kong, which I was very jealous of. Despite being really sick when she came back (is there anything scarier than getting sick in China?) it was a good trip! In her absence I took a trip myself to the snowy peaks of Stevens Pass, finally snowboarding for the first and unfortunately last time this season. I went with Jon and an abundance of children, check it this mad air I got yo itz killar! Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:53:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=129 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=129 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=128 I'm beginning to accept the fact I only write here once a month now. That's ok, life is whizzing by! Now that I'm working for myself I had the realization that 'Hey, I could volunteer for places during the day when I have time!' So I volunteered at KEXP for their most recent pledge drive. Not answering the phones, but tallying together every web and phone pledge that came in for about four hours. It was probably the best volunteer experience I've ever had! I'm usually pretty nervous going into a place to volunteer, but everybody there was alarmingly cool about everything. So chill, even fairly relaxed during a frantic pledge drive. And you can't beat having John's son ramble by and offer you water, or the conversation of discussing the finer points of the Buttrock Suites with a fellow KEXP fan. After a long search of many, many months I finally bought Heelys. 2007 is the first time they've released any styles in my enormous foot size! Although kids everywhere seem to have these and can still function, for me it is a life of uncertain danger and absolute terror. The second day I had them I totally biffed it and skinned my left knee (also putting a nice giant hole in my new jeans). The third day I totally biffed it and skinned my left knee, part deux. Neither of those incidents was much fun, and it takes a surprisingly long time for my body to heal these days. But, growing pains aside, I am now getting the hang of it and have learned through pain-response, if nothing else, how to walk in them correctly to avoid further injury (my knee suffered while walking, not... skate-walking). I'm stoked to have these. My dad actually sent me some hardcore roller skates for Christmas but those are much, much deadlier in Seattle where hills are abundant and at least 20° each. I live in a city of planes. The new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is coming soon (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End)! The trailer comes out next week, and the movie is released in a mere two months! Can't believe it. I'm working hard to get a redesigned Pirate Jokes site up, but so far have only delivered a new shirt (thanks to Alice for the sweet piratical design!). I also recently broke the 600-joke barrier on the site, whoa! That's a lot of bad humor, PARRRRRrrrrrdon me! Alice and I also went to a dog show (and then the symphony - I have a ridiculous life) last week. Now we have dog fever. I've had cat fever and bunny fever before, but now dog fever. But I can't have a dog right now because not only are they not allowed in my apartment, but I'm only home a couple days a week. Or could I live a lifestyle where I bring the dog with me everywhere (this would be a smaller dog)? Hmm. I would be... questioned. Speaking of bunny fever, my good friend Sara is running a bunny adoption for the rest of March. The photography company she works for is using them for some Easter photos, but they come from a farm where it's three bunnies to a 3' x 3' cage, and most if not all of them will end up as bunny meat. That's where these bunnies are going if you don't adopt one. How about you go to Sara's site and tell her you want a bunny? I close this installment with a photo from my youth. For those of you who are familiar with my family you're probably thinking the same thing I am... "there's liquor in that bottle!" Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:14:00 -0500 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=128 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=128 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=127 This is crap, total crap. Have you seen this? Aftermath of Aqua Teen Hunger Force LED bomb scare in Boston. Looks strangely similar to the Mario Mushroom project I've been working on, only less deadly as it hasn't left my living room. Is it a coincidence that a couple months after I posted that on this here Balrog they do that sort of marketing campaign? Probably... but it didn't stop me from saying "Those bastards stole my idea!" I just don't want it to be known as "Hey, that's like the Aqua Teen bomb thing", but I suppose it's far too late for that. Today was a fun day, part of it included kidnapping Alice and going to the 2007 Northwest Yo-Yo Championships (got my button!). Aside from seeing some awesome yo-yo tricks from people of all ages, it was the musical selections that really got me. One was punk/rock remake of a song by Ursula in The Little Mermaid. But even better than that was the Kip-stylin' guy whose freestyle music was the Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers theme (remix)! Those who frequent yo-yo competitions will know that they announce your final 15 seconds to perform - for his music, the last 15 seconds was some big explosive "And now, the moment you've been waiting for... 15 seconds! And now... it's... HERE!" It was incredible. His own music mix, in time with their 15 second rule, and a 3-minute Rescue Rangers mix (which the announcer was also amazed by). I'm so glad I went. I'm going to a Vancouver PHP conference next week. Time for me to nerd it up, hoo yeah! I'm so excited I could calculate PI to a thousand places. Superbowl! Sun, 04 Feb 2007 01:43:00 -0600 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=127 http://mike.karikas.com/index.php?blabber=127