Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tally Ho!

So, it has been a very long time since I updated, so I felt like now was a fitting time.
I'm moving, folks!

To Maine!

Portland, Maine to be more specific.

I'm going to the radio program at the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies.  Hopefully to learn how to be the next Ira Glass.  I'll be there for 15 weeks.  It feels like I'm moving to a foreign country.  I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not even leaving the east coast, so I need to stop being such a baby.

When I'm not too busy with that, I will try and update this blog a little more with awesome Maine stuff.  Hopefully my laziness with blog updating will not prevail. 

Anyhoo, I'm off to a land that I imagine is filled with lighthouses and lobsters, so wish me luck!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Anchorage In A Day

Today I will give you my own special Lindsey travel guide to Anchorage, Alaska.

Say you have a day to explore the (somewhat) lovely city of Anchorage.  Anchorage is not a particularly pretty city, but it is Alaska's largest.  So if you're in Alaska and, like me, your favorite kind of travel is exploring of urban areas, Anchorage is your best bet.

To start off, you can go to the Saturday market downtown.  I guess this only works if you're there on a Saturday.
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You might see a man balancing a fake leg on his face.  While it may be weird, this is what I would consider a pretty impressive skill.
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You might also see a dog wearing goggles.  Why is this dog wearing goggles?  The world may never know.
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Do you wanna know where you can find some spices?  Head to "Caribou Corridor".
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There you'll find a huge variety of spices.  Sadly, none of these are very Alaskan-y.  But I'm sure they'll help you improve your salmon bake.
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After you're done perusing the many booths at the market, you've probably gotten pretty hungry.  Head down to Arctic Roadrunner for some huge, tasty burgers.
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My father assures me this place is an Anchorage staple.  The burgers are very tasty.
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What stands out the most, however, is the uber-kitschy Alaskan decor covering the walls... including this porpoise.
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Anchorage Museum
After lunch, head over to the Anchorage Museum, a really cool building which has exhibits pertaining to pretty much everything about Alaska.  There's art, archaeological relics, science experiment, photography, history, etc.

Oh, and giant stuffed grizzly bears.
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Also, this creepy ancient rock that looks like a face.
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A large portion of the museum is used to showcase the language and culture of Alaska's many, many Native American tribes.
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Many creepy masks were involved in the making of this exhibit.
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Elsewhere in the museum was some pretty cool, but random sculpture art.
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Also, what appeared to be a salmon-shaped suitcase.
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After taking in some culture, take in some Alaskan (and non-Alaskan) wildlife at the Alaska Zoo.

The last time I was at the Alaska Zoo, which was about 10 years ago, this polar bear was kept in the same enclosure of a grizzly bear.  I think they had been raised together as cubs and were buddies.  This time the polar bear was solo.  I wonder what happened to his grizzly friend.
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The zoo also has the traditional black bear...
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Also, randomly, llamas.
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By now it should be close to the end of your day.  It's time to go to Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant for some traditional Alaskan eating.  Meaning the portions are epicly large.
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As mentioned in the previous post, this restaurant used to be a brothel.  It's also full of stuffed animals and other kitschy, Alaskan-y decor.  But the monstrously large pancakes and the reindeer sausage make it well worth a visit.

So, that's Anchorage in a day.  It's a pretty cool place.  In all honesty though, my favorite part of Anchorage is leaving, to go down the uber-scenic Seward Highway.
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Monday, February 28, 2011

A Few Random Hours in Seattle (and some in Alaska)

Be warned, there's no real reason for this post, except as an excuse to post older photos that I really like.

I've decided that I'm strangely enamored of the Pacific Northwest.  For the purposes of this post, I'll lump Alaska with the Pacific Northwest.  Hopefully that's not offensive.

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I can't explain why.  It could have something to do with the fact that I've spend approximately 95% of my life on the east coast and thus heading West still holds some exoticism for me.  You know, exoticism in the form of tall pine trees and rainy weather and an over-dependence on coffee shops.

When I went to go visit my dad last summer, I had a 6.5 hour long layover in Seattle.  It was long enough that my Seattle friend kindly offered to pick me up from the airport and entertain me for a few hours.
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These hours entailed going to see some earthworks...
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Befriending some ducks...
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Running up this hill...
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And staring at this huge-ass navy ship.  Or at least I assume it was a navy ship.  There were men in uniform on a huge-ass ship at any rate.
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After bopping around for a few hours and staring at the Puget Sound, I had to hop on another plane to Anchorage...
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To Alaska...a land where even your local Wal-Mart looks like it could a part of some epic scenery for a Lord of the Rings movie...
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... and where your typical trip to the market holds mystery and wonderment...
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... and where former brothels become cherished family restaurants.
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Maybe I do need to one day pack up and move out west.  At least for the option of having daily moose sightings.
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Existential Kitty

I decided a few days ago that I wanted to start a blog about Jazz called "Existential Kitty".

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I'll be too lazy to actually start this blog.  But the idea came to me because I often find Jazz laying on the carpet, looking as if she's discovered some horrible truth about the world.

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A universal truth that weighs heavy upon her kitty soul.

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What deep, existential thoughts is she thinking?  What mystical secrets of life and death is she pondering?

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Or is she simply re-enacting her favorite Radiohead music video?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Person's History of a Dismemberment Plan Reunion Show

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So, as hip as I sometimes claim to be, I was not entirely familiar with much of the Dismemberment Plan's music before I bought tickets to their reunion show at the 9:30 Club.  The D-Plan were a notable DC indie band who broke up in 2003.  The announcement of a reunion tour incited a lot of hype - their first two scheduled DC shows (one at the Black Cat and one at the 9:30 Club) sold out insanely quickly.  When I found out a third date was added, I snatched up tickets right away.  I only knew a few songs from the band, but figured that it's best to seize on hyped up DC band reunions.

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I got very stoked for the show last Sunday.  DCist had been blogging about the impending concerts all week.  I'd been listening to their album Change on my iPod (where it had been sadly sitting, largely un-listened to, since college) to prepare and had gotten Emergency & I.

I think I had weird expectations for this show.  Since these DC reunion shows had been so hyped up on DCist and such places, I thought that this was going to be a Big Deal.  On par with inauguration.  Or the Prince William/Kate Middleton wedding.  I thought every famous DC musician ever would be in attendance.  Like Ted Leo.  Or Henry Rollins.  Or all of Fugazi.  

Sadly, none of the aforementioned people were in attendance, as far as I could tell.  That didn't take away from this being one of the more memorable live music experiences I've had in recent memory.

The crowd was awesome and sang along to every song in an enthusiastic, appreciative way.  Everyone was genuinely stoked to be there.  Especially the band.

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Lead singer Travis Morrison danced and flailed around.  Guitarist Jason Caddell took a flying leap at one point.  It was so refreshing to see everyone so thoroughly enjoying themselves.

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A fact I didn't know about Dismemberment Plan shows is that the crowd is supposed to rush the stage during "The Ice of Boston".

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A gajillionty people joined the band on stage to rock out and dance around.  It was something to see.




Even though going to concerts is one of my favorite hobbies, it's been awhile since one has filled me with the same sort of giddiness and excitement I felt when I first started going to shows back in high school.

Thanks, Dismemberment Plan.  It truly was an awesome night.  You should reunite more often.

Monday, January 10, 2011

My Year In Lists: 5 Favorite Films of 2010

In the tradition of my usual top 5 lists, I've decided to give you all my Top 5 Favorite Films of 2010!  I was going to make a more traditional Top 10 list, but I didn't get around to seeing most of the really hyped movies this year, like 'The Social Network' and 'True Grit'.  Oh well.  Plus I'm all about the Top 5 lists, really.  I still saw a crap ton of movies this year, so without further ado, here's my Top 5!

5: A Single Man

I reviewed this movie earlier this year, but I assure you it's still fantastic.  I didn't get to see The King's Speech before the year was out, so this movie is still my top choice for best Colin Firth performance of the year.

4. How To Train Your Dragon
Who ever thought a movie about a viking boy and his dragon friends could be so adorable and heartwarming?  Also, did not have the overall soul crushing-ness that was Toy Story 3.  To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.  This movie was fantastic.  And it makes me just a little sad that I do not have a pet dragon.  Or multiple dragon friends to chillax with.

3. Scott Pilgrim vs The World
This has pretty much everything I could ever want in a movie.  Comic book-ness, video game-ness, an awesome soundtrack, lesbian ninjas, Aubrey Plaza, vegans with superpowers...seriously, what's not to love?  This was the most stylistically fun and enjoyable movie I saw all year.

2. Animal Kingdom
This movie came out of nowhere and really blew me away.  Truly outstanding.  The story revolves around a criminal family in Melbourne, Australia.  A teenage boy, after the death of his mother, is welcomed into the fold by his uncles and grandmother and has to deal with what he discovers in their world.  Jacki Weaver, who plays Smurf, the matriach, deserves major props for her performance.  Every time she so much as smiled I got the chills.

1. A Prophet
This stunning crime drama by Jacque Audiard is about the steady rise of a young criminal, Malik, in a French prison.  The film masterfully follows his journey from scared new prisoner to a person to be reckoned with.  DCist wrote a much better review than I ever could.

Honorable mentions: Black Swan, Somewhere, Ondine, Inception, Waiting For Superman, Tangled

Sunday, January 2, 2011

A New Addition To The Family

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Right before Thanksgiving, my mother decided to get a new dog.  A friend of one of her co-workers was trying to find a home for their dachshund puppy.  I guess my mom decided that having one short dog wasn't good enough - she wanted another, even shorter one.  So she decided to take in the weiner puppy.  His name is Ryder.  Him and Shorty have become fast friends.

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Shorty even puts up with Ryder's constant attempts to bite his face.
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But they bond over epic wrestling matches.
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Shorty makes a good older brother-figure for the puppy.  They make a good pair.
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