Scattershot: 1/29/2007

- Trivia - spanning_time ended up at a music thing so we didn't make trivia night last Thursday. We're fine with that, and we're proud of our teammates, who were robbed on one question, and ended up being the best at not winning. Sounds like fun though, so we're hoping to check it out for ourselves.

- Sculpture Park - We have a bit of a misanthropic streak going at the moment, since we think the sculpture park would be great if you got rid of all the people. We bought some film for our Polaroid, but ultimately didn't even attempt any shots, since there were So. Many. People around. Also, the whole space just doesn't seem ready for prime-time. Seems like they opened it to make a date, not because it's really fit for consumption. In any case, we think there's plenty of potential here, and we plan to spend some time there getting shots before it's all tagged to hell by graf artists (at which point we'll head back for "after" shots).

- Obsession - You long-time readers have probably noted that around these parts we're a bit obsessed with obsession. Not the stalker-type of obsession, but the all-consuming depths to which some people take their hobbies. It interests us because the world is so full of pockets of enthusiasts. We'd like to find and just see those pockets operate, even if the area of interest means nothing to us. In that spirit, this NY Times article about the publishing of collections of old comics (culled largely from individual collections) is a great read. It also references one of our favorite comics as well, Joe Matt's "Peepshow," one of the best autobiographical comics out there.

- Yo-Yo Championship - It's this weekend. We'll be in Portland, but you should go because it's a great (free) way to spend an afternoon.

Weekending - Zines, Toys and Broken Wikis

The List - We don't know how many of you were keeping tabs on the "I Go Out A Lot" List. Well, due to some Internet shenanigans, the list is gone gone gone. We're going to try to find that data and host it elsewhere, but for the time being, our stalkers are going to have to go back to doing things the old-fashioned way. We'll leave some hot cocoa outside our window for you.

Zines - We aren't really sure how the zine scene has changed since blogs have blown up, but this workshop would be a good place to find that answer.

Toys - BLVD is hosting a live action figure sculpting session to close out their current exhibit. We've often entertained the idea of being immortalized as an action figure (complete with badass glasses and red shoes), but it's so very very pricey. Maybe we'll learn enough to do this the DIY way.

The live sculpting will be a short
tutorial on his hand-built action figure construction process. It will
also be Leavitt's first public art performance since his "Push Button
Performer®" was done over 50 times in Washington State from 1999-2003.
...
This live sculpting event will
include not only figurative sculpting, but the engineering and
technical elements of prototype-quality production.

Weekending

Here are things you should do this weekend. If you have a guest in town (as we know some of our readers do), maybe these are things to keep in mind.

- 24 Hour Bike Ride - This fits right in with our new fitness resolution for the year (never mind the Crunch 'n Munch we're currently inhaling), but alas, our bike is in pieces, and frankly, 24 hours of doing anything sounds like a lot (some more difficult than others). For those more bike-prepared, there are races, music, contests and all other sorts of craziness to take the edge off. Wear your helmet.

- Olympic Sculpture Park Grand Opening - We were talking with someone that works for SAM a couple of days ago and they said that everything about the park was within an inch of greatness, and that that took its toll on the overall impact of the space. That criticism did more to make us want to go than a million press releases, if only to see the reasons for their statement. It's a big to-do all weekend, so other than the crowds (and the weather), now is the time to go.

- Fencing - We don't think fencing could become the new curling around spanning_time. It's certainly quirky enough to pique our interest, but it all just goes by too quickly. Curling sucked us in at 3am with its Zen-like competitions, while fencing is way too frantic. That said, the competitions this weekend definitely sound like a good time, even without knowing what's going on.

- Movies - We went and saw West Side Story on Wednesday. It was more wonderful than we thought it would be, since the crowd was an appreciative one, clapping after songs and otherwise enjoying the spirit of the film. On the other end of the levity spectrum there's Pan's Labyrinth. Sure, it's a fairy tale, but it's rated R for very good reason. It's incredibly dark, and you should know that going in. Still a great film though, and well worthy of its praises. It reminded us of Little Otik, which we recommend as a rental.

We Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty

Today's Word of the Day is "obsess." Appropriate for this post? Possibly.

Central Cinema, in their infinite programming wisdom, are showing West Side Story from the 17th through the 21st. Yes, we're going. We already have the soundtrack on vinyl, so we know the songs; we have the badass collector's DVD, so we know the structure of the film (and way too much trivia). So why are we so excited about seeing it? Because it's in the theater. Some people worry about the death of the movie-going experience, but there are just some movies meant to be experienced in all their theatrical splendor. West Side Story is one of them. Sure, a bunch of people are headed to David Lynch's screening of Inland Empire, but for us, gang choreography beats dreamy cinematography every time.

ps: In case anyone's thinking of buying us the official "I Feel Pretty" t-shirt, know that we wear a medium.

Test Your Useless Knowledge

spanning_time is going to be joining a trivia league. It's one that fits right in with our blog-reading habits, so we're looking to destroy all comers. There are still a couple of weeks to register, and then you can be amazed by how much knowledge one set of individuals can have over nipple slips, bad pop songs, and crappy movies. Jillian's on Thursday is the new...whatever you used to do on Thursday.

You won't find categories like "geography", or "Nobel Prize winners" or "Scientific Formulas of the 1860's" anywhere near our quiz! Instead, all categories will be drawn from 5 genres: Television, Movies, Music, Personalities, and Ephemera (yeah, we had to look that one up too). In addition, you also won't find a boring list of questions that make you feel like you're back in Miss Jenkins' 2nd grade classroom. Instead, we've designed a multimedia show that will feature audio, graphic, and video questions. We even have a "Final Jeopardy-like" bonus round every week where you get to determine the value of the correctly answered question!

[via Shimp (our team captain)]

What You Should Do This Weekend

- Go see the trains y'all (we plan to):
Pacific Science Center Model Train Show
33rd Annual Show
January 13-15, 2007
Admission is included in the regular PSC admission fees: Adults, $10; Seniors 65+, $8.50; Ages 3-13, $7.00;

Show activities vary from year to year and in the past shows have featured activities where youngsters learn safety around trains, make scenery (such as trees or rocks), and get to actually run trains on some exhibits. There are candy trains, trains that kids can ride, and even a strolling barbershop quartet.

[via Red Tricycle]

- We have to admit we have reservations about this one (they're good at declaring their amusement potential, but can they really bring the goods?):

It's the best anti-film festival the world has ever seen. Anti-film fests are a collection of movies and videos that are actually funny. Not polite type funny, not "I guess you had to be there" type funny, not "My damn 7-year-old is telling another damn joke" type funny, but real funny. The kind where the laughter has a 20% chance of becoming an abdominal injury. So, come on down to our awesome pit of awesomeness. Drink a beer, laugh out loud, and shout "What The Hell Did I Just Watch?" ya slacker.

What The Hell Did I Just Watch? Film Festival
Rendezvous, various times on the 13th & 20th
$10

- Also, who's down to go see some live wrestling?

Deconstructing the Internet

Below you'll find a video that's making insane inroads in the blogosphere. Featuring the "World Freehand Circle Drawing Champion," we have to admit that he does draw a mighty fine circle, but we're not so interested in that. What's interesting is that there's no proof we can find about such a championship actually existing. If you search, you come up with links to this video. So in effect, the guy in this video is the champion purely because he says he is*, a exercise in self-perpetuation. It's not all that different from our own attention for Rock Paper Scissors. Hell, we haven't won a tournament (and we're honest about that), but we can sure as hell talk about the academics and theory behind it, and somehow that's enough.

So if you want to be a champ in something, just say you are. Chances are no one's going to check. We're not sure that's really a good lesson for the kids.

* - We're fine with being proven wrong, so if you can find information on this mythical league of circle-drawers, let us know in the comments.

spanning_time Supports Cheap Dates

It's a bit odd to be typing about ice cream consumption when there's snow on the ground, but so what. Go here, print out the coupon, and get yourself a free sundae (with purchase of a sundae) at Baskin-Robbins. We're pretty sure whipping out a coupon won't impress on a first date, so bear that in mind.

R.I.P. Iwao Takamoto and Other Tidbits

- spanning_time Deathwatch: The creator of Scooby Doo, Iwao Takamoto died this week at that the age of 81. Scooby Doo was never one of our favorites, but we loved the episodes with crazy guest stars like The Three Stooges, The Harlem Globetrotters, or Don Knotts.

- Zoo Puts Humans On Display: Surely there are better ways to get some vacation time: "One of the human apes, Josh Penley, said the experiment was a chance to 'get myself out of my comfort zone and to get a week off work.'"

- Top 10 Most Ridiculous Products for Babies: Number one creeps us out so much we already know we're buying it once we get around to procreating. We decided long ago that our kids are going to be little science projects. We predict a lot of neuroses in their future, and correspondingly high therapy bills.

Cookoff Postponed Again

Due to illness, the playoffs, and laziness, the cookoff is postponed until February. Bonus points* to any competitor who adopts a Valentine's Day theme.

*Note that bonus points are worth exactly nothing.

Spelling Bee Finals @ Rebar

Tonight (January 8) is the final for this season of Rebar's series of spelling bees. We've never made it back since the first, but the promise of prizes and mini-games for the audience is a big draw, as is sizing up our potential future competition.

Seattle Spelling Bee Finals
Monday, Jan. 8th
8-10pm, doors at 7pm (come early to sign up for mini-games)
$5

Daily Comics For You (Yes You)

Sometimes Seattle-based illustrator Jason Sho Green (he hit our radar after his wonderfully irreverent Valentine's Day cards brought him Internet fame) has started a new daily comic at one of his URLs, Youyesyou.net. His paintings often featured his twisted sense of humor, sometimes subtly; this endeavor makes that humor the focus. Take a look and add it to your RSS reader.

Press for The McLeod Residence

The McLeod Residence had their first big gala for NYE. We were on the other side of the continent so we couldn't attend, but we've heard nothing but good things about the party, and the space is nothing short of amazing after the work that's been put in. Check the flickr stream from the photobooth to see how the party progressed. Once there's nipple and penis flashing, you know a party has passed a very important fun threshold. Nice work on the booth EQ!

There's an article about The Residence in The Stranger. You should read it.

Also, their grand opening is tomorrow. You should go.

Fried Rice Cookoff Postponed Until January 14th

The fried rice cookoff has been postponed until January 14th to allow participants more time to prepare. So far there are four entrants. We've found a recipe that we think will work out for us, and next week we'll be interning at a Chinese restaurant to learn their culinary secrets. If you're interested in attending the cookoff, just shoot us an email (timespanning (atsymbol) gmail (dotsymbol) com) and we can probably get you squared away. As with the last cookoff we'll be posting the recipes.

Some Fun To Bring in 2007

We're finally back from our adventures on the East Coast. It was fun, relaxing, boring, overwhelming, emotional, and any number of other descriptors. What it wasn't was spanning-timey. We're completely out of the Seattle loop, and long days on the couch are hardly fodder for entertaining posts (not that entertainment is any sort of prerequisite around these parts). We'll be re-engaging with Seattle over the next few days then things should get back to "normal." We're feeling some good spanning_time energy right now, which was helped by the fact that on our return flight we were at one point flipping between an Animal Planet show about animal freaks (think two headed animals) and Super Friends.

As a further welcome home, we came across the YouTube video below (thanks Ario!). Don't click yet. Go to this site and mess around with Line Rider first. The app itself is pretty addictive, but even in our obsessive brain it never even crossed our mind to come up with something this complicated. That's just the top of the iceberg though, since there's a whole fan community around this little webtoy that made the Internet rounds a few months back (if this is your first time with Line Rider, we're sorry you just lost those hours you just spent messing around). (We give props to the video creator for using music from Katamari Damacy, a spanning_time approved Playstation 2 game).