Port Townsend

Port Townsend is an old Victorian era outpost on the eastern corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Directly across a stretch of water known as the Straits of Juan de Fuca lies Canada and Vancouver Island. After spending summer weekends making trips to the dump, doing stuff around the house and not getting outside, we threw caution to the wind and went up to Port Townsend for the weekend. Not being particularly flush with cash these days, staying in a hotel was hardly the wisest thing to do but given the fact that we haven't been anywhere this year we felt we deserved it.

The town is unique in its Victorian architecture and old red brick buildings. It was once a gateway to Alaska and a business center for loggers and miners. Today it is a beautiful pleasure boat port and destination for tourists. We enjoyed local food, coffee, a farmers market and delicious locally brewed ales. The weather was perfect for an afternoon on the beach followed by ice-cream sundays and, you guessed it - more beer. The girls found great bargains at local thrift stores while I continued on my quest for that perfect froth, (found on the top of freshly poured ales!)

Our hotel was the Bishop Hotel, owned by a first generation ex-pat named Pat Flaherty, who still fly's the tri-color above the entranceway. Built in the late 19th century it was gorgeous and very comfy (although I wouldn't fancy my chances in it when the big-one hits). We all sat in one night and watched a bunch of Steve Martin movies.
We finished up our weekend by taking the ferry back to Seattle. We were home by mid afternoon with ample time to make one last glorious trip to the dump! We're clearing the largest known weed out of our garden, a laurel, and although I've been hauling it to the dump all summer - we've only just begun! Before we left Port Townsend we spotted a deer and her fawns. We pulled over and got within ten yards before sitting down in the grass for about half an hour and watching them wander and eat berry's and foliage. Such peaceful and beautiful creatures.

Should he stay or should he go...
I say 'go'. That's what he wants to do and nothing in this world, not even a good old dose of maturity, is going to change his mind. Manchester United are at a level they haven't been at in 15 years. A wealth of young players, who all get along well, who love the team and are supported by the old guard, Giggs, Neville, Scholes etc. Why hold onto a player that is distancing himself from his team mates and his club, a likely cause of animosity on the training ground? After Ronaldo's comments this summer I can't help but wonder what the reaction will be upon his return to the dressing room.

Sir Alex Ferguson is the master of handling young want-a-way soccer stars, sheltering them from the evil clutches of corporatization while keeping them on track and focusing on their game. But there comes a point when you have to let certain individuals go. And mark my words, Ronaldo will be gone by this time next year. His antics this summer were a disgrace and at best showed his immaturity as a professional, let alone balls as a man. Ronaldo has a contract with the team that made him what he is today - the greatest football player in the world. The fact that he likens this contract to slavery is enough to throw him out the club door. Sir Alex, on the other hand, feels it is his responsibility to hold onto the player and bring him back down to earth. Old mother hen will groom her prize chick one last time. The worry for Ferguson is, if he lets Ronaldo go, what will become of this legendary player? Does Ronaldo have the potential to slide off the rails? Ferguson has always been a father figure to those over-exposed to the horde and willing to succumb to his guidance. He took Giggs out of the limelight in his teens, guided Cantona through the worst of times, gave Rooney support and unwavering belief (to name but three). Those unwilling to be the good son or those who craved a little more than football, were shown the door within a few short months.

As sure as Arsenal will fail at everything again next year, Ronaldo will be dazzling supporters of Real Madrid as a player within the next 18 months, and Ferguson will do everything in his power to make Ronaldo even better before he does. And that does not apply solely to his football skills.

My response CNN's spokesperson Glenn Beck


When was the last time an American politician created this much fuss in any foreign country? CNN prove yet again their incompetence and inability to provide newsworthy stories today with another well timed spew of bile from 'Glenn Beck'.

We all know how media leans to the left and right, but very few powerful media outlets grant personal opinions as part of their front page headline. You usually have to dig a little, unless of course it's Fox News.... and CNN. The talk-show host and self confessed non-journalist, Glenn Beck, has been granted front page headline ops for years now. This is just wrong. Any time I've responded with criticism of CNN's decision to give this guy the town square podium, my post has been ignored. So, I've decided to fall in line and give CNN what they want, my opinion on his most recent right wing rant.


Recently Barack Obama has been touring the middle-east and making stops in parts of Europe. It's hardly news that Obama is an extremely popular person. He symbolizes the polar opposite of the current regime. Proof in fact that all Americans aren't over-weight red necks with a gun in one hand, a fast-food burger in the other and a bible lodged somewhere else. Compared to the current president, Obama has electrified not just the other half of Americans but other countries in the world. Millions if not billions of people have watched in dis-belief as George Bush made error after error, gaff after gaff, lie after lie all the while supported by the most secretive, neo-conservative government in American history who's actions so far have left the world on an edge not scene since the cold war. Okay, enough - here's my response to .Beck's criticism of Obama's recent media attention .

"Mr. Beck: Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of the middle-east and Europe is receiving massive media coverage because he is carrying the candle-of-light in this dark chapter of our nations history. Besides, why is this such a surprise to you when no other presidential candidate has embarked on a foreign tour of this magnitude so close to an election? Why such shock Mr. Beck, after 8 years of belligerent, aggressive, misguided evangel-neo-conservative, right-wing leadership that has reduced our standings on the world stage to that of an empirical bully?"

The Foo Fighters
Key Arena July 16 2008

There's a reason I don't go to 'stadium' rock shows or stadium anything, unless it's a good football match or free basketball tickets, of which I won't be availing of anytime soon due to recent cataclysmic events surrounding Seattle's very own Sonics and their overnight move to Oklahoma!(?) (To my Euro-centric readers - in America, top flight teams playing in major capitol cities CAN up and leave at virtually a moments notice if the price is right. No seriously, they can).

Suffice to say, I wasn't particularly excited about seeing the Foo's the other night. Don't get me wrong I really like their music, am a huge fan of Dave Grohl and think he is by far one of the most talented musicians in the world right now. Plus he doesn't take himself too seriously which is a huge bonus in my book.

My daughter Muirenn has been dying to see them, so we bought tickets (25% of the cost going to Ticket-bastard but that's a whole other rant!), and went to the show. With a support from faded Brit band Supergrass, the Foo's didn't mess around and took to the stage at 8:50 p.m. They proceeded to play until.... 11:25 that night! The longest show I've seen since Bruce Springsteen in 1988! Not only did they play for two and a half hours, they rocked out hard and blasted through what must have been 25 songs at least. Dave Grohl's influences rub off on his stage presence with Lemmy from Motorhead and Angus from ACDC coming immediately to mind. Dave has also taken the best of 'stadium' rock 'bring it closer to the crowd' props and introduced a cat walk down the center to a small stage in the middle. It was after an hour that the band migrated to this center stage for a half dozen acoustic numbers, with a violinist, keyboard player and percussion - plus original guitarist Par Smear on guitar.

What I loved about this show was their energy and Dave's ability to have fun and share it with the audience. He joked, burped and told stories of his days living in Seattle. Every second word was an f*#% or s*%# but that didn't matter, he was hilarious. After the fifth song Dave declared they would play until they were ordered off the stage, and whether he was ordered or not, everyone got their money's worth from this show.

For me it was somewhat nostalgic as I reminisced watching Dave play with Nirvana in Dublin in 1992 and how he carried the show and reportoir with the audience even then. I remember seeing the Foo Fighters perform outdoors in Ireland years later with Queens of the Stone Age and Red Hot Chilli Peppers - who they blew off the stage. Now I'm taking my daughter to see a musician I highly respect that's my age who she will always remember as the lead singer in one of the greatest live bands today.

I still won't be going to any stadium rock shows by choice but I have to thank the Foo Fighters for proving that this type of event can still be cool and impressive, even for an old jaded musician like myself!

2500 Lightning Strikes


We didn't have spring this year. It went from winter to summer over the space of a weekend with temperatures in the 90's this past week or so. This is when the locals begin to remind one another why we stick it out during autumn, winter and spring! When the sun comes out in summer and gentle breezes come off the lakes and ocean, Seattle is probably the most beautiful city in the country.

Yesterday a few clouds rolled in and by evening we had what must be tropical rain mixed with thunder. Then the lightening joined in. Nothing major, just a near constant flash way off in the distance. It was on my walk back from the pub - I needed a few frosty ales with all that heat - when I noticed how much lightening there actually was. I counted strikes every 2 - 10 seconds. And it didn't let up. At times the sky was constantly lit, almost like a strobe light. Fantastic. Especially after a few ales.

Here's some video:


It's morning now, the air is thick with dark clouds and rumbles of thunder. Lightening remains all around the city.