There’s not really any other bands, hip-hop or otherwise that really make me feel as proud about coming from Seattle or being Filipino as the Blue Scholars. Make this one of the long-list of things I’ll miss about the Northwest.

Put your hands high, let your arms be the pillars that be holding up the sky.

I watched the Al Gore documentary Spike Jonze filmed that was included in Wholphin a few months ago. I want to say with confidence: That Gore would have would have won the “election”. The Gore in An Inconvenient Truth would not, because it reveled in exactly what the media painted him as; a smart guy, who enjoys being smart, is recognized as being smart, but is too smart to command any respect from people that are afraid to admit someone might be smarter than them. Of course, I’m a sycophantic idiot that you wouldn’t take seriously anyway, and most of you have already made up your mind on it, so who gives a shit, right?

But I’ve never considered the man smug, and in fact, I don’t believe he has ever thought himself as anything but humble. In the other Al Gore documentary, the one not about Global Warming, he talks about politics with ease and without condescension. Al Gore isn’t running for president again – the kid gloves are off.

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1. Jason Kottke (kottke.org) – Tons of interesting content, blogging full-time, good design and well-written. I don’t know, but maybe one of the first people to go freelance full-time without cluttering up the page with ads and without resorting to garbage posts.
2. David Pinto (baseballmusings.com) – A decade in stats with Stats Inc and now blogging full-time about baseball. Sitting around in front of his computer writing about baseball, whenever, whatever; full editorial decisions and actual insight on games. A good way to not have to work in the off-season, although I doubt that’s the case.
3. Peter Rojas (engadget.com) – Back when Rojas was the lead (perhaps only?) blogger at gizmodo, his posts were always witty, informative and interesting. I find the best bloggers can make you take notice of their particular niche, regardless of whether or not you’re a huge fan of whatever it is they’re doing. Admittedly, I like tech stuff, but Rojas was a blogstar before they were so cliche. I don’t see much of him around engadget anymore, but hell, if you can do without writing 20 posts a day, great.
4. Will Carroll (Under the Knife @ baseballprospectus.com) – I know this isn’t necessarily a blog, but it is just about daily, and on the web, so it might as well be. Actually, Will does have a blog, but I’m not sure where right now. In any case, you take a guy with the knowledge, know-how and patience to learn, good writing, good intentions, and at the same time makes you want to own a Sidekick and never want to be away from it (or a pitch) and you have Will Carroll. Bonus: he hosts a mean radio show, as well.
5. Markos Moulitsas Zúnigas (dailykos.com) – Smart, headstrong, doesn’t mince words and unflappable. Politics are hard to blog without going off the deep end and getting dismissed as a pundit. Sure, I’m sure a lot of people do dismiss him as a pundit, but hey, if you want to dismiss him because you’re on the opposite side of the spectrum to his political beliefs, go read Glenn Reynolds.

Bonus bloggers: Nick Catchdubs (catchdubs.com) and Jon Buoncorssi (from Slatch heyday)

I missed the boat on Bloc Party, and the lurking bassline reminds me of a lot of different things, but the shimmering guitars mostly make me think of late, late summer nights outside in the city. We’re only getting older, it’s a shame we can’t always get along.

[audio:11 So Here We Are.mp3]

Next time I re-discover advance posting, I’ll make sure to spread out the posts so there’s not a week-long gap between posts. I know some people need something to read while they’re at work, right?

But, I do have valid excuses, I think. Things suddenly have become very busy around here. I got into the Library and Information Science Program at Pratt Institute in New York City a couple weeks ago and Owl and I will be moving to New York in August. No matter which way I count it, that means less than two months left here in the Northwest, and even less time to:

• Sell stuff
• Move out/Give notice I’m moving out
• Apply for programs/jobs
• Find a place to live in NYC

Jeese, that sounds like a lot less than I thought it was, which makes me feel a little bit better about how much I think I need to do. But I’m probably leaving things out, anyway.

So, look for a For Sale page soon, if anyone wants to buy any of my crap. And if you know of any leads on places to live/places to eat/ places to work in Brooklyn (or close), please, please let me know, because I’m probably gonna crap my pants stressing out over this someday soon.

List is not meant as ultimatum.  Impact is greater if you experience the album in its entirety.

1. Only in Dreams – Weezer, The Blue Album
2. Say Yes – Elliott Smith, Either/Or (Or, in the alternate: Last track of Heatmiser’s Mic City Sons)
3. The Crane Takes Flight – Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Hearts of Oak
4. Scientist Studies – Death Cab for Cutie, We Have the Facts…
5. Train in Vain – The Clash, London Calling
6. In Sadding Around – Jawbreaker, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
7. Judy and the Dream of Horses – Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister

Feel free to contribute your considerations.  All responses will be read, but concurrence not guaranteed.

Caught X-men 3 last week; first big disappointment of the blockbuster season. The investment in characters was absolutely nil, even the introduction of new characters couldn’t stymie the indifference I had for Hank (Beast) and Warren (Archangel, but listed as Angel in the credits, am I missing some comic nerdery with the name change?), and any value the characters in previous films had was diminished by a pace so quick and unimaginably boring that it’s a feat in itself. Let’s treat this like what it is: a Wolverine and Magneto springboard film.

If X-Men 2 was a study in how you can overwrite a film, this is a study in the complete absence of writing. In fact, oddly enough there’s not even anyone listed with screenplay credits – There’s a few names attached, but I think no one really wants to take credit for it: It’s a mess.

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I don’t think many people out there know much about this burger at Scoop Du Jour, and it’s hard to place my finger on why it’s so good. Part of it, is, I’m sure the myth and the people this burger has usually accompanied, but it’s also the crispness of the bacon, the crunch of the handmade patty, the drip of the cheese, and the tang of the thousand island. The lettuce just falls everywhere, too, and you can follow it up with ice cream. No fries, which is another thing that makes this burger so good: No fried distractions.

There’s a bunch of new pictures up at Flickr, covering the last few weeks of visits from Neil, Lex and B-Dogg.