AndyO Blog

It was a busy year last year. In fact, there was so much to document it took me until now (late January) to post this!

Part 1 includes January - May

January: Leavenworth, WA

For Martin Luther King Day weekend, we took the kids to snowy Leavenworth (the closest thing we have to a Bavarian village in the North Cascades in Washington). There's a lot to do in this town, but we mainly focused on sledding, eating German food, visiting Icicle Creek and Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat, and seeing the amazing lights in the town square at night.

March: Birthdays, fire station visit, FFT, and Sandtroopers

My Mom turned 70 this year, and the whole family got together to celebrate at one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle, Palisade, on Easter Sunday.

Also on Easter Sunday (before the birthday celebration), I had lunch with New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson. (He also wrote the novelization of Rush's Clockwork Angels.) Read my blog entry, "Leaving the Cave with Kevin J. Anderson."

Fire station visit

Drew and his Cub Scout troop visited our neighborhood fire station 31 for an in-depth tour by the great crew there. My neighbor and veteran firefighter Pat help set up the visit (it's his old station). To thank the firefighters, we brought a platter of brownies, which they devoured after the tour.

Here's a photo of all the boys with one of the firefighters.

Visiting the FFT

When the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, the three remaining ships (Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour) were distributed to a few museums throughout the country. While the Museum of Flight in Seattle didn't get one those ships, it did get the NASA Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT) that every shuttle crew used. I got a chance to tour the FFT this year, and it was worth the extra admission price ($30 for adults). It's hard to understand the cramped layout of the shuttle's cockpit and living area unless you go inside. The Museum of Flight did a great job with this exhibit, and is well worth visiting if you're in Seattle.

My favorite story was told by the docent standing behind me in the photo below. Evidently, President Bill Clinton took a tour of FFT when it was at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. When he saw the water faucet (or whatever it's called on the shuttle), he said he'd always wanted to have a drink of water from a spacecraft. They told him they didn't usually use it, but he insisted. He took a drink and said it was excellent. After he left, they tried the water and it was horrible! After that time, they always kept potable water on the FFT for presidents or anyone else who wanted a drink.

Sleeping with the Fishes

As part of Drew's "expedition" at school on tide pools, his second grade class got to spend the night at the Seattle Aquarium. Since I had been busy with work and unable to volunteer as much as I wanted, I went on this trip. We did all kinds of stuff that I'd never done before, including visiting the area where they prepare all the food for the sea otters. The kids also visited the sub-zero freezer. We caught plankton off the peer outside, and then looked at it under a microscope. Drew's favorite part was eating snacks in the main aquarium.

Then we got to sleep in the giant glass dome that's under the water (so you can see all the fish swimming above you).

Drew and I staked out a spot in the hallway leading into the dome (which was fine with me, because it was a zoo inside). They told us it got cold at night, but I didn't think much about it. I mean, how cold could it get? When I woke up in the middle of the night and felt the icy air on my nose and face, I wondered if someone had left that sub-zero freezer open.  And, as is the case with any kind of camping (indoor or outdoor), I had to go to the bathroom. First, I walked up the ramp leading to the main aquarium building. I was observed by a few birds in their habitat -- obviously wondering who this guy was walking around in the middle of the night. But the doors to get out of the building were locked! So, I had to walk all the way back down the ramp, through the dome, and around that minefield of sleeping bags to use the other bathroom.

A few days later, I would receive my special t-shirt that read, "I Slept with the Fishes."

Drew's birthday

For Drew's birthday, he got special Oreo cake. Here he is posing with it:

He also got a nice dinner at Cucina! Cucina! in Issaquah with my family (and got lots of presents).

April: Rocky gets surgery, cats get new nicknames

We've been lucky, because our 15-year-old cats have been relatively healthy. But in April, Rocky needed surgery. For two weeks afterward, he had to wear "the cone of shame," as Cameron called it. He freaked out so much, we changed the cone into a kind of blanket. I would take it off every once in a while (or he would!) and let him lick for a while, but we were pretty diligent. He recovered well, but he's definitely slowed down.

As Rocky and his sister Jasmine have become "senior" kitties, they've acquired new nicknames. For example, until now their nicknames were "Rocky bo-bo" and "Jasmine Kit-ty" (usually pronounced "Yasmine"). But somehow they received new nicknames this year:

• Rocky Schwandoo (pronounced shwan-doo)
• Yasmine Quietey (pronounced quiet-ee)

May: Weddings and Disneyland

Chris and Mary get married

My rock brother Chris (from the legendary Chris Mess) got married to his sweetheart Mary at Urban Light Studios in Greenwood. Both Chris and Mary are born entertainers, and that's exactly what they did for the wedding attendees, with a full backup band (the fabulous Velveteen Lotharios). What I loved about their wedding was how it reflected their personalities: from the photos on the walls, to their wedding clothes (Mary's shoes and hat were a big hit), to the songs they played. Congrats, Mary and Chris! 

California: Disneyland and Legoland

For Brenda and Cameron's birthdays, we made a week-long trip down to California. This was Drew's first visit to Disneyland, and he wasn't disappointed. Brenda did some great planning -- from figuring out the sequencing of rides (there's a book that she found that tells you how to do it) to where we stayed. The result was our hotel was near the entrance (so we didn't have to walk too far), and we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride.

Brenda birthday was on the first day in the park. Like her birthday 9 years ago, we tried to eat dinner at the Blue Bayou near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride -- but it was not to be because of the wait time. But she did get an awesome parade in her honor.

For me, the highlight was Star Tours - The Adventure Continues. Not only was the 3D motion simulator and screen much better than the original Star Tours, it also has a "branching narrative" that can create up to 54 unique ride experiences. Drew and I went on this ride multiple times and never saw the same story. My favorite was when Vader uses the Force to shake the ship around.

On Cameron's 13th birthday, Disneyland was open 24 hours to kick off the summer season. We made several trips to the park, and in the evening celebrated with the Bielicki family who live in the area. I hadn't seen Brian and Jenni in a long time, and had never met their three children. We had plenty of time to catch up while we waited to be seated at The Rainforest Caf�. (Fortunately, Jenni used some kind of secret California handshake to get us in within an hour -- instead of the projected 2 hours!). 

Later on at the hotel, Cameron enjoyed two cream pies that we bought at lunch that day.

San Diego and Legoland

The next day, we drove to San Diego. Brian had warned me about how busy the freeway would be, and he wasn't kidding. I think it took us four hours to get to the Hotel Del Coronado, across the bridge from San Diego on Coronado Island. When we got there, I took a break in the room while Brenda and the kids went swimming.

Brenda and I had always wanted to stay at the Hotel Del Coronado (it's one of those "places to stay before you die"). The red turrets, opulent interiors, and lush courtyards are a time capsule of Victorian architecture and design. This is a hotel where celebrities, kings, and presidents have stayed. The film Some Like It Hot was filmed there in 1958.

On the last day in California, we went to Legoland and stayed at the adjoining Legoland Hotel. Drew loves building Legos, so you can imagine how happy he was to spend a day in a Lego park. I have to say that the hotel itself was amazing, with its Lego-inspired designs throughout. Here's the lobby with Drew busy building away:

Labels: Year in review

This is part two of my "year in review" for 2013. This covers July - December.

July and August: Weddings, Rush, Vancouver, Yellowstone, and more

My brother-in-law Brian got married to his longtime sweetheart Stacy in a picturesque outdoor ceremony in Mt. Vernon. I was the official videographer, so I enjoyed an "all access pass" to all the festivities, including being right next to the ceremony. Here's a nice casual photo of Brian and Stacy in between photos. Congrats to Brian and my new sister-in-law Stacy!

Rush in Vancouver

As luck would have it, Rush scheduled their summer tour stop right in the middle of my family vacation (this is the second time this has happened!). But I figured out a way to see them in Vancouver right before we headed off on a long, car vacation to Yellowstone. It was my last show on the Clockwork Angels tour, and Cameron and I had a great time.

Read more about this trip here.

Summer Vacation

Cameron and I drove home from Vancouver on Saturday morning (which took us around 4 hours due to the border delays -- instead of 2-1/2 hours). After a short rest and more packing, we grabbed Brenda and Drew, and drove off to Spokane, WA, on the first leg of our summer vacation. There were three phases to this trip:

1. Olson family reunion in Big Sky, Montana, and visits to Yellowstone park
2. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
3. The trip back to Seattle: A visit to my childhood home of Idaho Falls, Craters of the Moon, Boise, and finally my parents' house in the Tri-Cities (Camp Olson!)

There's simply too much to recount here, but here are some of my favorite images/moments in Yellowstone Park:

Artist point:

Mammoth Hot Springs:

Norris Basin at sunset:

Read more about our Yellowstone trip here

August

We visited Stehekin, WA. You can read more about our trip here.

October: The Dogs and Halloween

The Winery Dogs

I had a chance to see one of my favorite drummers Mike Portnoy play with his band, The Winery Dogs, at the intimate Crocodile Cafe. As if that wasn't enough, I had an opportunity to interview Mike before the show!

Read my interview with drummer Mike Portnoy.

Halloween

Drew and his friend Ben trick or treated through our neighborhood in Seattle. At one point, even Drew's big brother Cameron joined in. Everyone scored in the candy department. Here's a photo of Drew and Ben in costume (Jango Fett meets a Minecraft Creeper).

November: New drums, big news, and Thanksgiving in Seattle

For all his life, Cameron has been playing my drums. Now that he's stuck with the drums for a while, including his third year playing in the Jazz band at his middle school, I thought it was time for him to get his own set. So we went to Guitar Center and bought a beautiful Gretsch Catalina Jazz kit, and set it up in the packed drum room among the books, three other drum kits (two set up, one not), speakers, various snare drums, mixers, cords, and much more. But he loves his kit. Here he is not long after we set it up:

Thanksgiving by the Bay

This year we stayed in Seattle for Thanksgiving, and for various reasons we ended up eating dinner at McMormick and Schmicks on Lake Union. It was a lot of fun and a great view. Over dinner my sister Kristen shared her big news with Cameron and Drew that she's having a baby in Spring 2014. Here she's showing them the ultrasound picture of their cousin, who will be another Olson boy!

Congrats to Kristen and Dale!

December: Snow, Christmas, and New Year's eve

The week before Christmas, we had a rare dusting of snow in Seattle. For those of you used to major snowstorms, this might not seem like much. But any snow in Seattle is a big deal, due to all the hills and the lack of equipment to deal with it. It was just enough for Cameron and Drew to A) stay home from school and B) build a snowman. Then, less than 24 hours later, the snow was all gone. Cameron and Drew took it personally.

Christmas in the Tri-Cities

This year we joined my brother and sister and their spouses for a nice celebration in the Tri-Cities. My parents have lived in the same house since we were kids (although it has been remodeled), and we all wanted to get together again before they move out in the future. Cameron and Drew (the only grandchildren for now!) got a lot of presents. They loved them all so much, they didn't take off their pajamas or leave the house for two days.

Labels: Year in review

1/14 - Added a section on Camp Olson

Happy New Year to everyone. I'm finally writing up a "year in review" story, which is also kind of a holiday/Christmas card. I haven't done this for a few years, but it seemed like a good time to look back.

New Car

After 13 years, our Subaru Outback died (head gasket). The sad thing is we actually tried to fix it. This was the car that had taken us 165,000 miles, the car that carried our two children home from the hospital after they were born.
Then there was that dark and stormy night in December, 2010, when the Outback overheated before I got to the 520 bridge. I had to pull over to that bus stop right before the bridge. The head gasket had blown for the last time.
It was time to buy a new car. Here's a picture of Cameron and me on the way to picking up our new car -- the last picture of us with the old Outback:

Here we are with the new one:

Unfortunately, this car would go on to have two accidents in 2011 -- one of them involving major body work. Here's what it looked like after I was hit in that first accident (it might not look at that bad, but this was $6000+ in damage):

If you see a truck driving around from InfraSource in your neighborhood, a sub-contractor for Puget Sound Energy, give them a lot of space. They don't like to take responsibility for their employees who make right-hand turns from the left lane.

Travels

Semiahmoo - February

Brenda and I took the kids up to Semiahmoo for one night in February. There are three things I'll remember from this trip:

1. The indoor/outdoor pool with the steam rising into the cool air (actually, it was also raining).

2. The juvenile bald eagle we saw as we drove the jetty to the hotel. I thought it was a golden eagle, but the wife of colleague who studies birds identified it for me:

3. The spicy burger I ate at Packers restaurant that practically blew my head off!

Lake Chelan - June

For the past 11 years, we've gone to Lake Chelan for a conference that Brenda directed. This was our last one, as Brenda was laid off from her job in the fall. But we plan to return to Chelan again in the summer, as it's become a tradition.

Here's a picture of Cameron returning from an afternoon swim:

Here's a picture of Drew discovering the joys of the hot tub at twilight:

Hawaii - Maui - July

We took a vacation to Hawaii this year (our third trip there since 2005). Instead of going in the winter, we traveled in July for about two and a half weeks. We stayed in three places, including: Kihei, Hana, and Kaanapali. We'd never been to Maui, but I'm starting to think this is the best island for what I like to do (mostly snorkeling). But there's so much diversity on this island, with a 10,000 foot mountain, a rain forest, and some amazing beaches.

You can read about the first half here (I'm still working on the second half).

Ocean Shores, WA - August

We hadn't been to Ocean Shores in a while. And now I remember why. The vibe of this place just doesn't work for me, compared to places like Canon Beach and Manzanita, Oregon. But we had fun digging holes on the beach and flying kites.

Camp Olson in the Tri-Cities

There were a few journeys to the Tri-Cities this year: one in August and one in September. Brenda took the boys in August for "Camp Olson," which involved long days in Grandma and Grandpa's swimming pool. I joined them on the weekend, and we celebrated cousin Jennifer's birthday with lots of family, including a surprise visit by Uncle Gordy (AKA Freddy Pink) and cousin Sean.

In September, I took Cam and Drew to see Grandma and Grandpa and also visit with Dan, Kim, and their kids, who flew in from Arizona to celebrate Dan's Mom's 70th. While I'd seen Dan and Kim a lot in the past few years, Cam and Drew hadn't. Grandpa blasted the heater in the pool and we got in one last swim before Grandpa closed the pool.

Cain Lake - September

Brenda took Drew and two friends up to see her Mom and Gar in September. There was much playing in the water.

What we did on our birthdays

This was the year Brenda and I turned 44. When my Mom turned 44, my brother came up with a funny trumpet-like way of saying "forty-fouuuurrrr." Because this has become a legendary joke in my family, I thought we should celebrate 44 as a major birthday milestone. So we went to Maui.Drew had his 6th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese (a rite of passage for any kid).

For my birthday, we went to the "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit (although it wasn't on my birthday). This was one of the coolest exhibits I've ever seen, with many original models from all six movies.

For Brenda's birthday (also in May), we did a bunch of stuff around Seattle, including a visit to Cupcake Royale in Ballard:

Finally, for Cameron's 11th birthday (yes, also in May), we went to Great Wolf Lodge with three of his friends. The waterpark was one of the loudest places I've ever been.

Music

Alan White Interview

In October, I interviewed one of my drum heroes, Alan White, for a lengthy, technical drum discussion for his website. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that seemed a little surreal at the time. I found Alan to be a genuine, talented, funny person with so many great ideas and anecdotes about his life, drumming for Yes, and much more. I'm pleased with the results, and I'm glad a lot of the fans have enjoyed the interview. I'm working on a longer story about this experience that I'll publish on this blog soon.

Cameron's first Jazz performance and drum solo

Cameron joined the Jazz band at his school, which meets after school for two hours twice a week. At his first concert, he surprised me with his confidence and swing behind a drum kit (and I wasn't the only one who noticed). As I told people, I knew he could play drums, but playing with a big band in front of hundreds of people is another story. It takes a lot to perform like that. He even had a few solo fills. It's amazing to watch your kids start to do things you never did (I was never good enough on the drums to play in Jazz during Jr. High and High School).

Earlier in the year, Cameron played in his school's talent night. He played a drum solo in front of a lot of people (again, something I haven't done). You can watch it here:

Rush - Time Machine Part 2 - Phoenix and The Gorge

Once again Rush traveled around the United States, Canada, and Europe on the second leg of their "Time Machine" tour. I saw two shows in 2011, both of them better than the 2010 shows. While I blogged about the first in Phoenix, I didn't write about the show at the Gorge, the last of the tour. One reason was I went to Hawaii shortly after that concert. But another reason was it was such a magical show that I didn't think I'd be able to put it into words. Instead, I posted pictures and a video.

Famous people who stopped by my work

Tom Brokaw stopped by my work to talk about his new book, The Time of Our Lives. It's pretty amazing to see someone like Brokaw in person, after seeing him on TV most of my life. Watching him on the stage as he talked about the United States, past, present, and future, I was reminded about how we really need journalists like Brokaw to synthesize information and communicate it to the masses. We seem to be missing real journalists now, as commentary and comedy both pass for journalism.

Michael Moore stopped by my work in October to talk about his book Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life. I wrote a long article about this experience. He was one of the most genuine, patriotic, and passionate people I've ever seen. 

Once again, Happy New Year, and peace, love, and understanding in 2012.

Labels: Year in review

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I'm finally getting around to writing up my "Year in Review." I think this is only the second year I've done this, but it gives me a chance to look back at yesteryear.

Concerts

The big news this year in the concert department was I got to see Rush and the Police. The former I've seen many times, but the latter was something I never thought would happen.

The Police stopped by Seattle for two sold-out concerts on June 6 and 7. I went to both shows. The second one was by far the best. Plus the opening band became one of my new favorites, Fiction Plane, fronted by Sting's son, Joe Sumner. Read my full review of the two Police shows.

For Rush, I saw them on two different legs of their successful Snakes & Arrows tour. The first two shows were in Washington, one at the White River amphitheater and one at Clark County Amphitheater. I took my seven-year-old son to both (he fell asleep at the second show).

Then I did something a little crazy in September: I flew with my friend MonicaZ to Toronto to see Rush twice in their home city and also in the Canadian capital Ottawa. The last show in Toronto was perhaps the best Rush show I've ever seen. It was also great to travel through Toronto and around western New York for the first time.

Finally, I saw Porcupine Tree at a sold-out show at the Showbox in downtown Seattle. This is a band I'll continue to watch.

Chris Mess

The band I play with, Chris Mess, continued to play shows around Seattle. We did a particularly fun show at the Skylark on Halloween, where we played as Cheap Trick or Treat. Here are the shows we did this year:

1. Halloween, Oct 31 - The Skylark with the following bands (read the official blog by Chris Mess)

• 8pm Strange Jerome as Bob Dylan
• 8pm Justin Phillips as John Lennon
• 8pm Peter Karis as Jeff Buckley
• 8pm Willow as Concrete Blonde
• 9pm Speedmop as The Sonics
• 9pm Aunt Jamama's Big Band Vigilantes as The Misfits
• 9pm The Hot Rollers as Quiet Riot
• 9pm Perish the Island (Luna Moth/Tableland members) as Angelo Badalamenti
• 10pm CHRIS MESS as CHEAP TRICK OR TREAT
• 10pm Blue Light Curtain as The Velvet Underground
• 10pm H is For Hellgate/Another Perfect Crime as Sleater-Kinney

2. Thursday, 10/18/2007 - The Central, with the refreshingly insane 13th Grade.
3. Thursday, 10/4/2007 - The Skylark, with the marvelously hard rocking Megasapien and Key Note Speaker.
4. Thursday, 5/31/2007 - The Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater, with H is for Hellgate. A STIFF LICKS show, an event for Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF). Performance went down while the film "Repo Man" ran in back of us. Read my blog entry about this show.
5. Monday, 2/12/2007 - The Funhouse, with Thankless Dogs and DJ Deutschermeister (AKA Herbie/Roman from The Greatest Hits).
6. Thursday, 2/1/2007 - Cafe Venus and the Mars Bar, a NadaMucho.com show with Supernals and The Diets. NizTV also filmed a video of us there..
7. Friday, 1/12/2007 - The Skylark (West Seattle), with Never Quiet, Never Still and Seeking Sanity.

Chris and I have recently recorded a bunch of new songs that you can listen to on my Chris Mess page.

My new favorite local band is Megasapien, with whom we played at the Skylark. Keep an eye on these guys.

Travels

This year, as I've already mentioned in the Concerts section, I made it to the East Coast to see Rush. As part of that trip, I saw Niagara Falls, Toronto, the outskirts of Ottawa, Buffalo, NY, and the amazing countryside between Ottawa and Toronto. You can read my entire travel blog here.

I also made an annual trips with my family to Manzanita and Lake Chelan, two of my favorite places.

Politics

The year before the presidential election has proved to be contentious. I've seen a few of the candidates in person, who have stopped at my company. So far, the most impressive was Hillary Clinton (read my blog entry about Hillary here). Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, was also a knowledgeable speaker and a good candidate. But, as Governor Richardson himself acknowledged, he's not quite the rock stars as Clinton or Obama.

On the Republican side, I saw Rudy Guiliani, who disappointed and annoyed me. Guiliani started off by telling his audience that the country is going in the right direction. So, if you like what GW has done for America, vote for Mr. Guiliani. You'll get more of the same.

At the time of this writing (Jan 11, 2008), he hasn't fared too well in the caucuses in Iowa and New Hampshire, which isn't surprising.

In addition, I saw one of Hillary's top advisors, Mark Penn, speak. He was talking about his new book Microtrends, which is all about how small groups of people can add up to be a significant voice (or vote, if you're Hillary). Mr. Penn came up with the now-famous group "soccer moms."

I also got a chance to see Michael Beschloss, presidential historian and TV commentator. I had read his book The Conquerors, and I bought his new book, Presidential Courage. The first chapter about George Washington is amazing.

On the local side of politics, I had a chance to see Governor Chris Gregoire in a small group setting. Diminutive in size, she is a powerful, passionate speaker whose command of the facts is startling. She seemed to know just about everything going on in Washington State. Like Hillary, Governor Gregoire doesn't always come across well on TV, which is one of the reasons I think she had problems against Dino Rossi in 2004, who is much smoother in debates. Rossi is running again this year on the Republican ticket, but I don't think he'll fare as well now that Gregoire has shown what she can do as Governor. 

Film

From what I've been reading, 2007 is being regarded as a stellar year for cinema. Of all the films I've seen (and I don't get to see a lot in the theater, since I have two kids), here are the ones I enjoyed the most, in order of their box office rank:

• Shrek the Third
• Transformers
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• I Am Legend
• 300
• Ratatouille
• Knocked Up
• Live Free or Die Hard
• American Gangster
• Superbad
• Ocean's Thirteen
• Bridge to Tarabithia
• Disturbia
• Surf's Up
• Juno
• Charlie Wilson's War
• 3:10 to Yuma
• Zodiac
• The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
• Becoming Jane
• Eastern Promises

If I had to pick 5 that I thought were the best of the best, they would be:

• Juno
• American Gangster
• Knocked Up
• 3:10 to Yuma
• Zodiac

Other movies from 2007 that I want to see (any of which could knock movies out of my Top 5):

• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• There Will Be Blood
• No Country for Old Men
• Persepolis
• No End in Sight
• Once
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• The Host
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• Atonement
• The Great Debaters
• Michael Clayton
• Across the Universe
• Sweeney Todd
• Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
• The Kite Runner
• Away from Her
• Into the Wild
• I'm Not There
• In the Valley of Elah
• Rendition
• Romance and Cigarettes
• Starting Out in Evening
• Talk to Me

Labels: Year in review

I know, it's almost February, but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Also, I wanted to write about a few important things that happened in the past year. So, here goes my year in review...

Family

My paternal grandma passed away in November. She was 91 and lived a full life. I realize only after she's gone that she was one of those people who quietly made a difference in the world.

We also came pretty close to losing my maternal grandma after a terrible fall, but somehow she pulled through.

It always takes these kinds of events to help you realize what's really important in life.

The weather in Seattle

We had some wicked weather in Seattle in 2006. We had storms in November and December that caused major problems. The last storm that hit us in December, the worst windstorm in a decade, bordered on a disaster. Here are some statistics I found on the web about these two storms:

December 14-15 storm

• One million people around Puget Sound were without power at one time or another.
• Wind speeds gusted to 113 mph near Mt. Rainier, and 69 mph at Sea-Tac airport.
• There were 8 storm-related deaths, and 7 people died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• 100 people developed carbon monoxide symptoms.
• Cost to restore power: $6.5 million

November storms

• A windstorm knocked out power for 120,000 people.
• Heavy rains brought the rivers to record levels and literally stranded people in Carnation and Fall City (about 30 minutes outside Seattle).
• In late November, a snowstorm covered many of the roads with ice for a few days (pretty rare in Seattle). This storm caused 60,000 PUD customers to lose power. Restoring power cost $6.2 million.

Chris Mess

In February, the band in which I play drums, Chris Mess, started playing concerts around Seattle. We also got some airplay on KEXP. Here's a list of the shows we played, as well as my blogs about some of the shows.

• Friday, 1/12/2007 - The Skylark (West Seattle), with Never Quiet, Never Still and Seeking Sanity
• Saturday, 9/16/2006 - The Blue Moon, with Supernauty (female-fronted Black Sabbath tribute) and A Gun That Shoots Knives. Ready my blog entry about this gig.
• Monday, 8/14/2006 - The Rendezvous - Jewelbox Theater, NadaMucho.com New Music Monday
• Saturday, 7/22/2006 - The Rainbow, with the amazing Yam.
• Tuesday, 6/13/2006 - The Central Saloon. Ready my blog entry about this gig.
• Saturday, 4/29/2006 - The Monkey Pub (U-District), with the Black Fairies.
• Wednesday, 4/19/2006 - The Mercury (Capitol Hill), with the Space Cretins.
• Saturday, 4/08/2006 - The Dubliner (Fremont)
• Wednesday, 3/15/2006 - The Mercury (Capitol Hill) - Read my blog entry about this gig
• Thursday, 2/23/2006 - The Blue Moon Tavern - Read my blog entry about this gig.

We also recorded a few new songs. You can listen to them on this page:

Chris Mess MySpace page

Vacations

• Vancouver Island, British Columbia - We went on vacation with our friends, the Sneifers.
• Bend, Oregon - Another fun-filled Olson family reunion.

People I saw or met

John Kerry (and Theresa Heinz-Kerry) -- He came across much different in person. He was more casual, more down-to-earth. But he was still complaining about losing to Bush in the last election. I agree with him that he should have won, but I think the real leaders get over that stuff and get on with things (look at Al Gore).

Madelaine Albright -- A very thoughtful, intelligent person. She had a lot to say about Iraq and the current administration.

Tim Russert -- Great speaker, great new book, "Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons." I gave it to my father for Father's Day.

Karl Rove -- He came across much worse in person. I've never seen a more arrogant, condescending man in my life. Oh, and he talked about how great we were doing in Iraq. I guess he was lying, since the President has since come out and talked about our mistakes.

Ian Bremmer, author of The J Curve: A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall -- An important book that everyone should read.

Freeman Dyson, George Dyson -- George introduced his father, who is one of the pre-eminent Physicists of the 20th Century. Freeman went on to speak about Biotechnnology. The content of this lecture was amazing -- all about how biology is the new physics -- how people will be playing around with Blogs I should have posted.

Matt Chamberlain -- I took a private lesson with Matt at Donn Bennett drum studios. This prompted me to start regular lessons at The Seattle Drum School to work on the Moeller technique, among other things.

The Democrats took back the House and Senate

No matter which side of the aisle you prefer, the Dems taking back the House and Senate was BIG news. A majority of Americans had finally grown tired of the way the White House and the Republican House and Senate were handling the war and other things. For the first time in many years, I finally felt in synch with the country around me.

Web 2.0

A lot has already been written about Web 2.0. The term was coined in 2004 by O'Reilly Media. Here's one definition I found on Wikipedia: "... a perceived or proposed second generation of Internet-based services -- such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies -- that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users." So, Web 2.0 is really the convergence of all these things, including blogs, video-sharing sites like YouTube, picture-sharing sites like Flickr.

Because this convergence was felt in so many ways in 2006, Time Magazine gave its Person of the Year to "You." But if you read through this, they were really talking about all the people utilizing the power of the web.

Labels: Year in review