Happy 233rd, America!
The United States hits the big two-three-three today.Which is simply an excuse to share this kickass poster.
The United States hits the big two-three-three today.
Curb Your Enthusiasm's comic genius Larry David hits the big six-two today.
Instant classic: Eastbound & Down. I watched the first season last night and laughed my ass off.
Kenny's baseball career ended after pitching for the generic "Seattle" team, presumably because the Mariners wouldn't authorize their brand to be associated with a foul-mouthed, steroid-shooting, coke-addled, dog-fighting, alcoholic, racist, homophobic, sexist egomaniac. At least not a fictional one.
In real life, another guy named Kenny Powers attempted a mile-long jump across the St. Lawrence Seaway, from Canada into the United States, in a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental. I wrote about his doomed 1979 jump in my review of the documentary The Devil at Your Heels, here. Also, you can watch the jump in this video, starting at the 1:15 mark.
My favorite ferry boat has been sold for scrap.
I turned 40 yesterday so Eliza made me this incredibly cool Quatchi birthday cake -- it tastes as good as it looks!
I've walked past Ross Palmer Beecher's art at Safeco Field a million times but never really stopped to check it out 'til today. It's super cool.
Also, there's another dozen or so pieces based on various Washington state team logos from over the years, including the Seattle Pilots, Seattle Rainiers, Tacoma Rainiers, Everett AquaSox, and the Spokane Chiefs. Each mini-quilt has a square wooden frame with a unique baseball-themed painting, bordered by a bunch of bottlecaps.
My favorite is the Mariner Moose, rendered in A&W root beer cans.
Joshua Blu Buhs's near-definitive Bigfoot tracks the elusive beast from his primordial genesis as the mythological "wildman" of disparate cultures throughout history to the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas, to the Sasquatch of British Columbia, to the critter captured in the indelible Patterson film, to the commercial pitchmonster of today.
We've been getting our first look at our wedding photos, thanks to our fantastic photographer, Sean Flanigan. These are two of my favorites.
See more here.
It was 30 years ago today that the late Sonics won the NBA Finals, becoming the only professional Seattle team to win any major sports championship (unless you count the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans).
Good times (sigh).
It was 100 years ago today that Seattle's A-Y-P officially opened.
...And it was great!
Arriving in Finland brought my countries-I've-been-to total to 25, and Helsinki marked the northern- and easternmost points from the US that either of us had ever been. We dug the train station (above), went to some outdoor market, ate at Hesburger, and stayed at Hotel Helka (right across the street from Heavy Corner). Eliza toured the Alvar Aalto House while I hung out at the next-door library, reading up on Lordi.
The actual Space Needle was a sight for sore eyes when we got home last night, following a brief London layover (we took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus and had dinner at Inn the Park). Good times, but we're glad to finally be back in town...
We finally got to ride Copenhagen's free city bikes, and though they expedited our sightseeing, they were still fairly crappy -- no wonder they get thrown in the canal.
For Eliza's birthday dinner we rode the T-bane up to Frognerseteren, a restaurant atop a mountain overlooking the city, and took a postprandial stroll through Vigeland Sculpture Park.
Now we're at Stockholm's Hotel Hellsten, having spent yesterday touring the Kulturhuset and Gamla stan. We rode up the Katarinahissen, and had dinner at Rolfs Kök with Eliza's grandmother's Swedish cousin (Hej Gun! Tack!).
Lots of Scandinavian design in Scandinavia...
Tonight we sail to Helsinki!
First thing we see last night after stepping off our plane in Copenhagen is this ad for flights to Seattle, though we've hardly been away long enough to feel homesick... We then took the Metro to The Square hotel, where we've since been adjusting to our jetlag.
Today we hiked around the city center, and then looked down on it all from the Rundetaarn. Above is Mrs. Truitt, taking it all in.
Here's another elevated view, this one from from the top of the Ballongyngen, a ferris wheel at the awesome Tivoli Gardens, open for business since 1843 (!). Beyond the trees is the SAS Hotel, where this morning we had their killer breakfast buffet.
Great Odin's raven!
You can never wash your hands too many times at any amusement park -- here Eliza cleans up in the elephant sink...
...And here she stands outside some weird-looking ride.

Tux-clad Tony Millionaire held a book signing tonight at the Fantagraphics Bookstore. While knocking back PBRs, he kindly obliged my request to sketch Batty in the front matter of his new book, Drinky Crow's Maakies Treasury. On the facing page, below, he signed it to Eliza and me.
Here is a picture Eliza took of him with Ellen Forney.
At an M's game last month I picked up the new 2009 official Mariners scorecard for my small collection... Wait -- what? There's no online gallery!? (At least none that I can find?!?)
At Friday's Mariners game I picked up the new 2009 All-Star Game ballot for my small collection... Wait -- what? There's no online gallery of those punch cards that stuff ballpark ballot boxes!? (At least none that I can find?!?)
Batman hits the big seven-oh this month.From last night's Simpsons, another reference for my Simpsons Take Seattle inventory...
Father Knows Worst (April 26, 2009).
I don't know how last night's episode ended, 'cause I fell asleep.
Particularly in Portland, where Eliza and I spent the weekend.
Elmer's has the "Big Foot Breakfast" and "Big Foot Burger" on their kids' menu (unfortunately, they were all out of these)... At the Candy Basket, home of the creepy chocolate waterfall, I scored a milk chocolate Bigfoot foot (not so big, really -- it's only eight inches long)... I picked up a Bigfoot postcard promoting Crafty Wonderland, and saw in Willamette Week that the Portland Ikea will be handing out Bigfoot air fresheners this week in honor of Earth Day.
My theory: Bigfoot abducted Cooper, then ate him.