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Sunday, March 14, 2010

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour - My next car?????

For those of you who know me well, you know two things about me and cars. 1st, I'm mainly a Honda snob but have had several other makes of vehicles including Ford, Toyota and Kia. Second, I'm not a fan of the sedan. I've been doing research on a couple of cars to replace my car in the next year or so.

I have an unexpected review today for the new Honda Accord Crosstour.

I had an appointment on Saturday to have my '07 Honda Fit serviced at South Tacoma Honda in Tacoma, WA. We dropped it off and headed out for the day. When we returned for my car, Mike turned into the wrong driveway and had to go through the sales lot to get to the Service department side of the lot.

He paused when we saw the Crosstours. I had only seen them on Honda's website, but I liked what I saw even then. We didn't get out of the car to look closer but I was every interested to see that the inside looked like.

Once I paid for my service, I drove my car up to the Sales area. I saw that my salesman was working so it was time to get a closer look at the Crosstour. The main thing that I loved about the Crosstour was that it was a hatchback! I am not a sedan person. It is also offered as a front wheel or all-wheel drive model.

The trunk area was massive! It even had a hidden compartment for valuables to be completely hidden. The rear seats can be let down from the rear with handles that were within my reach. I'm a shorty so it was nice to have things easily accessible for me.

To accommodate the hidden compartment meant that the spare tire is now underneath the car like a truck. I'm not a big fan of that, but I guess I'd just make sure I had a towel in the car for me to kneel on and not get dirty myself.

I sat in the car... Comfy!!! I sat in both the driver and passenger seats. Lots of interior bells and whistles. Can you say MOONROOF!?! I've lived without one for entirely too long now. There are heated seats for the leather interior EX-L. The volume controls are on the steering wheel. There is also two types of hook ups for iPods or MP3 players.

I did decline a test drive for now. I want Mike to be there when we are more ready to buy. There is a second competitor in the mix for me though. I'm also interested in the Mini Clubman. I need to sit in one the same as I did the Crosstour. I've liked what I've researched and peeked into in a parking lot. The price is similar. So it's gonna come down to which one I truly fall for.

-S

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rock Out ALS - The Crying Spell - Underride

Friday, March 5th 2010 was the night of the most recent Rock Out ALS event at Club Motor in Seattle, WA. ROALS (as it is known in short) is an organization that raises awareness and puts on charity events to help find a cure for ALS - Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Mad Mike" Miller is the main organizer and he plans around 4 events per year. The event on the 5th had 5 bands including: Tsavo, Alpha Hero, High, The Crying Spell and Underride. By the time Mike got off work and picked me up, we had time to see 2 of the 5 bands.

Music: The Crying Spell
Musically and lyrically, this is one of my favorite local bands. Len Hotrum has and amazing look and voice. Some are already aware of Len's voice as he is also the front man for Point One. He is joined by fellow Point One man Chase Culp on the drums and the original guitar player Eric Snyder. Dane Brooks plays rhythm guitar and new bass player Jason Phraner adds rounds out their cohesive look. This was my first time seeing Jason with the band. I liked what I saw. Not only did he have the bass lines down, he has an appealing look and moves around the stage interacting with the other guys. Their sound this night, as always, proves they belong on the road opening and headlining mid-sized venues. This sound needs to be shared.

ALS videos:
In between bands, there were ALS awareness videos that were very touching. Being a music event, the organizers made it clear that ALS can touch anyone. Sorry, I couldn't recall the first musician's name by the time I got home. But his story was compelling and full of hope with the love and support he got from his family and musical community. Software was developed that allowed him to continue creating music using his eyes to control the computer screen. His compositions, his mind, his music! Sadly, he has since passed away.

The second musician was Jason Becker. His story is amazing. Diagnozed with ALS at the age of 19, Jason Becker has been living with ALS for 20 years. His family worked with him to devise a way of communicating that works with how he positions his eyes. Family and friends interpret his eye movements for interviews and everyday communication. He is now stable, and ALS has not robbed him of his mind. Jason continues to compose with the aid of a software program.

Music: Underride - If you like this band - Stop reading!
I do have to preface this review with the fact that I took 3 full days to relax and think about what I saw, felt and currently feel about this band. It's not good. There is ONE single bright spot about this band and it's guitar player Lord Balsley.
I started off liking the first few songs, but it was the actions of one of it's members that turned me off to the point that I was ready to go right then and there. Unfortunately, my husband still had rounds to make and pictures to take.

I'll start with a description of there the band went right visually and where they went wrong. My assumption is that they are working toward a Glam look. Two of the members had it right: Lord Balsley and El Barto. Yes, they have pet names and one actually calls himself (yes, himself) Princess. El Barto is the bass player and had the best look of them all. He had a great presence and attitude which drew my attention toward him from the beginning. AKA Aaron Balsley, Lord Balsley had the hair and the outfit worked out fantastically. His guitar stills are just and added bonus.

Now for the blah - Drummer Double A - He did nothing for an onstage presence to even match the other two. No make-up, no outfit, nothing. Just BLAH! Closely followed by the singer - Rev. Rev had on a couple lines of make up, but the all black and poorly selected necklace was all that the lead singer brought to the event. His guitar player and bass player should not be the ones that command the looks from the underage girls in the front row - He should! I'll get back to those underage girls in a little bit.

Finally, we have the one who didn't know when to say NO when it came to his look. Princess. Skinny black jeans with white pinstripes and a black T with some faded looking graphics. Had he stopped near here, he would have been OK. Then we add a black vest with wider pinstripes - Still OK at this point. Then add a red skinny tie but put it on backwards. A little silly, but still OK. Here's where I really wanted to do an intervention. The white fedora, the earring that was about 6 inches long and fed through his ear to be 3 inches dangling from the front and back of the lobe to the most ridiculous gold necklace that looked like a pair of folded up sunglasses. Oh! I forgot the makeup. Some strange green glob around the eye that looked like an attempt at the Phantom of the Opera's mask. It was tooooo much. Know when to say when!!! You had it until the accessories and makeup.

It wasn't the visual aspect of the band or even their music that made me want to leave. It was the bass player. He carried that attitude too far and got gross. At one point he sprayed spit on all those little underage girls in the front. Then he decided it would be a good idea to spit into the air and catch it in his mouth again. That did it. I left the stage area and waited for Mike at the back of the venue. I was done. It's a flippin' all ages charity event! Grow some balls and have some class!

To say that I hated this band by the time they were done would be just about right. This is me holding back on my review of Underride as best as I can.

Rock Out ALS has another event coming up on May 15th. This show will include Post Modern Heroes, Dryver, Lucid Spiral, Ninthgate and Dreaded Knuckles. This is a show that I can't wait to attend!!

Please help by attending a Rock Out ALS or Rockabilly Out ALS event near you. They can be found on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock-Out-ALS/166051959008?ref=ts

-S

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Chivalry - Doormant, Dead or Dying?

I define chivalry as courtesy towards women, seniors and the disabled.

Recently, I've been witness to some chivalrous acts on the light rail and some extreme acts  of rudeness. Yesterday, I saw a man offer his seat to another man with a child. He said no thank you since he was getting off at the next stop but appreciated the offer. Just moments later though, I saw an able man sitting in the disabled section of which there are 2. An elderly disabled man in a motorized wheelchair came onto the train. He asked the man to move out of the disabled section. Instead of getting up and moving to the other section - which would have been easier for an able-bodied man to do, he told the man to motor over there himself. This meant he had to squeeze through a couple of rows. He did it, but the point is he shouldn't have had to.

How has our society fallen so far in the past 40 years? Where is the respect and kindness the West is supposed to be known for. I was able to help a lady move her luggage to the seat she wanted to be in. The suitcase was nearly as tall as she was.

It really doesn't take much to be kind and reap the benefits of that kindness. Being kind and chivalrous doesn't take as much effort as one would think. It's mainly just not being selfish. This of others more and yourself less. Try it sometime. I think you'll like that warm and fuzzy feeling you'll get inside by doing the right thing. If they don't need the kindness or chivalry at this time, they will let you know. They'll appreciate your offer and you'll know you tried to do the right thing.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Slight rant - Major annoyance

I'm wondering how doctors offices have not become more efficient. It's what they do for a living. Or do they live to annoy?

I was the first patient this morning with the doctor that I've been seeing for the past 15 years. So why is it that I still had to wait 10 minutes for the nurse to see me and then 15 minutes for the doctor after the nurse completed her vitals exam? Not to mention the line when I got to the lab for my blood work.

No matter what time of day I have my appointment, I wait. I'm thinking they should offer free wi-fi. At least then I could have gotten some work done while I was waiting!

-The S of S&M

Sunday, February 28, 2010

2010 KISW Rock Girl Gala

What a night. Thanks to Island Jenn throwing out her back, I was able to fill in for her and shoot the Rock Girl Gala tonight. Along with the selection of the KISW Rock Girls, there are 3 bands. This year it was Adelitas Way, Halestorm and Theory of a Dead Man.

Mike and I got to the Showbox SoDo in Seattle, WA at about 6 and got out photo passes (and his All-Access) from Will Call and made our way inside the venue. Doors opened at 6 so the KISW people had an hour to do a dry run of the show with the girls. 40 would be narrowed down to 16.

One of my jobs was to photograph the sponsor booths. I made my way to the Lovers table and took some shots of the shoes they had and the tubs-o-condoms and lubes. I got shots of the tequila booth and the merch tables before the crowds were let in.

Rock Girls:
Just before the show started , I made my way to the photo pit. I like being in the pit. You should try it sometime :) First up was the morning crew. BJ Shea, STP - Steve the Producer, Double R, The Rev (with some lovely angel wings on) and a New Orleans Saints decked out Top Shelf. These guys had the honor of introducing the Rock Girl finalists. The girls came out wearing white for the Saint part of the Saints & Sinners theme of the show.

The white outfits the girls wore ranged from bikinis, to minis, to things I don't know the words to describe. The footwear I think was most impressive. The fact that no one broke an ankle amazes the hell out of me! Each of the girls did a 15 second cat walk for the crowd. I shot each girl a few times. Some were great, others were complete and utter duds. A couple didn't even look like they wanted to be there. They did not command the stage at all. For the most part though, the other girls were putting forth effort. Only a few really had fun with it and played it up for the crowd.

Music: Adelitas Way
I've seen this band before. I liked the music but the energy from the singer, Rick DeJesus, was lacking in the performance in December. Come to find out that they flew in that evening for the show and were just exhausted from the road and flight. This time though, they were ON and ready to rock. Midway through their 3rd song, one of their roadies came out dancing around the stage in drag pretending to be a Rock Girl. The guitar and bass player both put pies in his face. Unfortunately this meant the singer couldn't run around the stage any longer or he could have gotten hurt slipping on pie. The music was great. I absolutely LOVE the guitar players (Creighton Bibbs) energy. He's a little Energizer Bunny. Darn cute too :)

After a 9 hour nap, I'm back to continue my blog.

Rock Girls:
The Men's Room guys were out on stage for the second round of the Rock Girls introductions for the crowd. This time it was Sinners themed outfits. Lots of black and red and lace.

Music: Halestorm:
Lzzy started singing off stage. She made her way on stage alone covered in a white hooded jacket. She has an amazing voice. Powerful, passionate and melodic all at the same time. The other members of the band made there way onto the stage after about 3 minutes of her intro. They were all mesmerizing.
At one point, a drumstick was tossed to the crowd but it missed. I picked it up and turned around to decide who I was going to give it to. I saw a girl I went to hand it to. A guy reached over and tried to take it from me. I wouldn't let go. I yelled NO! to him and he actually let go. I did get it to the girl I had intended to give it to. Made me happy that he backed down.
 The drummer, Arejay, was wearing a blue St. Pepper looking outfit complete with a huge baby blue hat that made him look like a 60's marching band member. He was insane. He brought out a set of drumsticks during his solo that were at least a yard long and a couple of inches in diameter. With his long hair, he looked like Animal from the Muppets when he got those sticks going! At the end of his solo, he made his way to the front of the stage and started to play a garbage can like a skit from Stomp. Then one by one, the other 3 came back out and joined him with their own garbage cans. It was just amazing and so flippin' fun!I found a new band to add to my list of faves after that performance. Instant fan here, big time. And a big thanks to Arejay for giving me my own drumstick at the end of their performance :)

Rock Girls:
Time for the announcements of the 2010 Rock Girls. Ryan Castle and Jeets were out to make the announcement and give the winners a rose. The 40 were narrowed down to the 16. 6 are returning Rock Girls and 10 are new to it. Mike told me later that they were impressed that he had a wife that would actually let him do this. He was in the dressing room with them a good portion on the night in between music sets and KISW segments. Four of the girls that I thought should make it did, but there was one I thought was a for sure who didn't. Mike said there were tears and disappointments back stage after the announcements.

Music: Theory of a Dead Man
I had seen the lead singer back stage before the show, but I didn't know that's who he was. He has a Chris Isaacs look going on. Bit of a rockabilly poof hairdo. Great voice and good tunes, but after my 3 songs in the pit, they got a little boring to watch. Music was still great, but I didn't need to watch anymore. I think they are a band that I will enjoy more on the iPod than live.

Overall, it was a really fun night. The girls were nice and entertaining. The music did not disappoint. Thank you to Brian from KISW for allowing me to shoot another show. I'm not Mike, but I get the occasional great shot that he can use for his KISW submissions.

Until next time... Ciao!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Hmmm.. This should be interesting!

I've set up blogging from my Blackberry for this blog. I should be able to keep up on this better with the built in commute time on the light rail.

I'll also be able to do real time posts instead of hoping I remember what I saw or what I was thinking by the time I get home! We'll see how that works :)

I just wish there could be more than one phone number though. It would be nice for Mike to be able to do posts from his phone as well. I have a feeling that I'll have more time for this though.

Time to go get ready for the KISW Rock Girl Gala. Tonights bands are: Theory of a Dead Man, Halestorm and Adelitas Way. I have already see Adelitas Way. It will be nice seeing the other two for the first time.

I'll be typing to you later gators!

We've been too lax

Stef here...

So the intent of this was to just have a daily journal of our life, opinions, observations, reviews, and so on. We've failed so far since we haven't written anything since the first post!

That is changing today!

Today I'm charging my phone. It appears that I may be a photographer at the Rock Girls Gala since one of the female photogs cannot be there due to injury. It will probably be somewhat like the Steel Panther show I shot for KISW in December. I'll go around and get crowd and sponsor shots for Mike since he'll be back stage most of the time.

I'll also put up a separate post about our weekend last week in Lincoln City, OR with Sugar Ray and the beach. Good times!!