SIFF 2006 Schedule

Here's my "want to go see" movies at the Seattle International Film Festival for 2006:

The Hidden Blade (samurai movie)
Lincoln Square Cinemas
06/01 4:00PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2908

Screaming Masterpieces (BJORK + SIGUR ROS!)
Pacific Place
06/03 1:15PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2827

Factotum (Matt Dillon produced film)
Egyptian
06/03 6:30PM
06/07 7:00PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2624

Black Gold (Fair Trade Coffee documentary!)
Egyptian
06/04 5:00PM
06/06 9:30PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2556

Initial D (live action film based on anime)
Lincoln Square
06/08 4:00PM
Neptune Theatre
06/11 7:15PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2684

Who Killed the Electric Car? (documentary on GM)
Egyptian
06/09 7:00PM
06/10 11:00AM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=3005

Beowulf & Grendel (Icelandic Viking and Troll movie!)
Egyptian
06/10 9:30PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2550

Man Push Cart (foreigner assimilating in NYC)
Harvard Exit
06/11 1:30PM
06/14 9:00PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2744

Americanese (asian-american romantic comedy in Seattle)
Neptune
06/14 6:45PM
Harvard
06/17 4:15PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2530

Monster House (Toy Story meets Nightmare before Christmas)
Egyptian
06/15 7:00PM
Neptune
06/18 11:00AM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2759

The Last Communist (Malaysian documentary)
Broadway Performance Hall
06/15 9:30PM
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2917

The Science of Sleep (new film by director of Eternal Sunshine)
Neptune
06/18 6:30PM
Expensive one!
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=2950

Taco Salad

the highlight of the night was kiet spilling cheese and lettuce on my car seat and yelling "oh crap, new car.. im going to get yelled at in a second..." and then he scrambles to clean it and proceeds to eat the cheese off of my car seat cover...with no hands.

Photos per Request

Here are some photos of my new 2006 Scion tC. I got the lip spoiler, security system, and floormats installed today so this is the final product... for now! Click on the thumbnails for a larger photo.

These were taking in the evening, so there's not enough real lighting. I'll try to take pictures with a better camera and with better lightning next time.

There's alot of rain coming our way and that's not a pretty thing. It may ruin my sasquatch plans. I sure hope not. I still have not got a chance to play with my new tennis racquet yet, and that's unfortunate. Maybe I will soon again, once the sun comes back out. My next softball game is in t-minus 1 hour and 50 mins, and we'll be looking for our first victory today.. if it doesn't rain out.

Let's hope not.

Holmgren's Back for Two More

The Seahawks and head coach Mike Holmgren agreed earlier today to a 2 year contract extension, which will allow Holmgren to be with the Seahawks for an entire decade! It's semi-ironic that Paul Allen originally wanted to sign Holmgren to a 10 year deal but Mike wasn't too sure about that. Three more years of Super Bowls baby. Maybe we'll win one!

Initial Road Test

That photo isn't mine, per se. It's a stock image from Toyota/Scion. But I finally got the car and its parked in my driveway. Today was the first day I actually drove it around -- to work, and to Zoka for coffee and around town. My first impression is that it drives so much more smooth and stiffer than my Corolla. It feels alot like driving a Camry, much like the one my dad drives regularly -- and that probably has a lot to do with the same engines in both cars.

After comparing this car with others in the same price range, I have no idea why you'd get something else over this car -- Civics, Corollas, Mazda 3/6, Impreza, etc. -- they're the same price yet have less features and power - minus the Impreza, which is sweet performing and handling but lacking the features and interior goodness. Granted the Civic/Corollas have outstanding gas mileage, the tC still has decent fuel economy.

Anyway, I'm expecting my options to be coming in soon, then I can get them installed next week hopefully. I ordered the lip spoiler (subtle yet adds a bit of flavor), security system, and the freakin' all weather mats, which I really want the most right now. I'm using these cheapo POSs i bought at Walmart currently. They don't even fit the car properly, but luckily it's as hot as it has been this year and so there's not real mud issues yet.

My first car...

Well not really my first car, but my first car I am purchasing myself! I decided to keep within the family and go with another Toyota, and went with the 2006 Scion tC.

Mechanical Features
Engine
2.4L displacement	double overhead cam (DOHC)
inline 4 cylinder configuration	gas engine
16 valves	variable valve timing
160 hp @ 6000 rpm	163 ft-lbs. @ 4200 rpm
regular unleaded fuel
DriveTrain
4-speed automatic transmission	front wheel drive
Suspension
four-wheel independent suspension	front and rear stabilizer bar
MacPherson strut front suspension	double wishbone rear suspension
Instrumentation
tachometer	clock
external temperature display	low fuel level warning
Towing and Hauling
cargo tie downs
Exterior Features
Tires and Rims
alloy wheels	17 x 7 in. wheels
P215/45ZR17 tires	all season tires
temporary spare tire	steel spare wheel
inside mounted spare tire
Roof and Glass
variable intermittent wipers	power glass sunroof
fixed glass rear sunroof	rear defogger
Safety Features and Ratings
Safety
ventilated front disc / solid rear disc brakes	4-wheel ABS
front seatbelt pretensioners	child seat anchors
emergency interior seatback release	rear center 3-point belt
2 front headrests	3 rear headrests
engine immobilizer	tire pressure monitoring
turn signal mirrors	height adjustable headrests
height adjustable headrests	electronic brakeforce distribution
Comfort and Convenience Features
Front Seats
5 person total seating capacity	sport front seats
cloth upholstery	height adjustable driver seat
Rear Seats
bench rear seat	split-folding rear seatback
reclining rear seats
Power Features
remote power door locks	power windows
2 one-touch power windows	power mirrors
Convenience
cruise control	power steering
tilt-adjustable steering wheel	audio and cruise controls on steering wheel
front and rear cupholders	remote trunk release
front door pockets	12V front power outlet(s)
front console with storage	manual rear seat easy entry
first aid kit
Comfort
air conditioning	front reading lights
dual vanity mirrors	trunk light
Entertainment and Telematics
In Car Entertainment
Pioneer premium brand stereo system	AM/FM in-dash single CD player with CD MP3 Playback stereo
160 watts stereo output	6 total speakers
mast antenna	auxiliary MP3 audio input

Dimensions
Exterior
Length: 174 in.	Width: 69.1 in.
Height: 55.7 in.	Wheel Base: 106.3 in.
Ground Clearance: 5.2 in.	Curb Weight: 2970 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 37.6 in.	Front Hip Room: 53.2 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 54.3 in.	Rear Head Room: 36.6 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 50 in.	Rear Hip Room: 47.3 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.6 in.	Rear Leg Room: 33.6 in.
Luggage Capacity: 12.8 cu. ft.	Maximum Cargo Capacity: 60 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5
Performance Data
Performance
Base Number of Cylinders: 4	Base Engine Size: 2.4 liters
Base Engine Type: Inline 4	Horsepower: 160 hp
Max Horsepower: 6000 rpm	Torque: 163 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 4200 rpm	Drive Type: FWD
Turning Circle: 36.1 ft.

Fuel Data

Fuel
Fuel Tank Capacity: 14.5 gal.
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Automatic: : 23 mpg / 30 mpg
Range in Miles: (City/Highway)
Automatic: 333.5 mi. / 435 mi.

I added a rear spoiler, as shown in that computer generated image. I'm pretty excited, though I won't get the car til Monday or Tuesday since it's on order. Next thing to buy is an overly priced home in Seattle. Yikes!

Bush vs Clinton, Free Music, and Happy Endings

Bush vs. Clinton:
CNN recently released results from a survey comparing Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

(CNN) -- In a new poll comparing President Bush's job performance with that of his predecessor, a strong majority of respondents said President Clinton outperformed Bush on a host of issues.

The poll of 1,021 adult Americans was conducted May 5-7 by Opinion Research Corp. for CNN. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Respondents favored Clinton by greater than 2-to-1 margins when asked who did a better job at handling the economy (63 percent Clinton, 26 percent Bush) and solving the problems of ordinary Americans (62 percent Clinton, 25 percent Bush). (Watch whether Americans are getting nostalgic for the Clinton era -- 1:57)

On foreign affairs, the margin was 56 percent to 32 percent in Clinton's favor; on taxes, it was 51 percent to 35 percent for Clinton; and on handling natural disasters, it was 51 percent to 30 percent, also favoring Clinton.

Moreover, 59 percent said Bush has done more to divide the country, while only 27 percent said Clinton had.

When asked which man was more honest as president, poll respondents were more evenly divided, with the numbers -- 46 percent Clinton to 41 percent Bush -- falling within the poll's margin of error. The same was true for a question on handling national security: 46 percent said Clinton performed better; 42 percent picked Bush.

Clinton was impeached in 1998 over testimony he gave in a deposition about an extramarital sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinksy. He was later aquitted by the Senate.

The fact that the margin between Clinton and Bush is as close as it is bothers me greatly. But that's just my political stance...

Free Music:
Check out the official Sigur Ros page for some awesome free mp3s of their best songs and live material including an entire live show from Iceland, which is actually very good quality.
http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk

Happy Endings...

Today a mother was reunited with her long lost daughter, who was kidnapped in 1976, 30 years ago! That's a nice touch to mother's day I think. The article resides here.

Oh Thank Heaven

What a weird day. I had the first of a two day Boeing New Engineer Orientation training today and all in all, it felt like an infomercial for us to be System Engineers and to work for Phantom Works. Eh. But what I did find amusing, even shocked, was that people were dumbfounded that I (and my organization in general) had: (1) work laptops, (2) traveled to other boeing buildings around puget sound, (3) travelled anywhere at all for work, and (4) have actually seen airplane parts or airplanes being assembled. I'm surprised they didn't ask me if I'd actually built any of this so-called Composite stuff before... I was overly amazed really.

Then there's the drama that insued after work over softball, codes, and people's feelings. Sigh. Why can't we all just get along or at least share our feelings in a humane and respectful manner?

Anyhoo, I'm glad our Central Intelligence Agency is falling into shambles... We might put some intelligence into it?

Radiohead!!@#@#$@

I'm really considering Radiohead at Berkeley show on June 23rd or 24th. Tickets go on sale on the 14th. I might just try to get them and see how it goes.

All's Well

So the Sea-Men lost again. We're doing good.. 0-2. We have played two really good teams though. The team we lost to today, Wingdome, won last week by like 22 runs or something ridiculous -- today we held them to 6 and we scored 3 ourselves. Technically we lost it all on one play. They had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out (i think), and then their batter hit one to left and it was over thrown to 3B allowing them to score two runs, then Gord our pitcher tried to throw out a guy at 2nd cause he was in between bags. Well unfortunately, the ball went off the 2b's glove and went to the OF, and the guy on 2nd scored.... 3 runs, and the deciding factor perhaps.

Our defense, besides that, was pretty solid. Jake made a few awesome catches, one diving out of bounds on the dirt to catch a foul ball, and he made a dive up the middle to get a force out on 2nd. Derek ran down a ball in foul territory in left, and I made a catch coming from left center to the shallow right field to grab a ball and colliding with Jake in the process (i called him off but he couldnt stop in time). Hehe. It was fun!

Sea-Men back in action

Just about 2.5 hours before gametime and I'm getting ready to leave for some quick coffee and food and then to the field to warmup. Today our team (the Sea-Men) play those jerks that closed down their restaurant in the U-District -- Wing Dome. Mmm they make good wings.

Here's our league homepage. [CLICK]

Single Lap Shear

I took this graduate level class on Adhesion Mechanics this quarter because I thought it'd help me get a better feel for what I'm going to be doing at Boeing and also cause adhesion is one of my favorite subjects and it counts towards a potential Master's Degree. I should have known it would be a rigorous course in mathematics given that it was a Mechanical Engineering course, as I have taken classes in this department before, including the grad-level Fracture Mechanics class.

Very quickly you can tell the difference between a Materials Science course and the equivilant Mechanical Engineering course. For instance, I took that Fracture class in ME at the same time I took a fracture-like course in MSE during my senior year of undergrad. Both classes covered the same topic, but in completely different ways. Prof. Ramulu is a essentially a Materials-like guy but he teaches it in a Mechanical Engr's perspective, aka, lots of math and number crunching. In the MSE course, it was based off the physical and chemical science of the fracture of materials. It's quite different, though taking both at the same time really helped me learn it better.

This time around, I am working adhesion in real life as an engineer/scientist, and taking adhesion in mathematical/computational form as a class. Not so sure it works as great in the education department... All I get out of it is a refresher course in proofs, deriviatives and touching up my excel skills.

Sigur Ros Sigur Ros Sigur Ros

Just got back from the Sigur Ros show at Benaroya Hall. And as expected, Sigur Ros kicked a whole lot of butt. Untitled #8 is freakin incredible live, again. And yes, to Scott's dismay, they did play HAFFSOL, to end their regular set. Sorry you missed it man. Benaroya Hall is incredible. I want to go back again.

The Draft, The Life, the Work, and The Chicken Scratch

Quickly:

Seahawks had a pretty good draft. They filled their holes and got a starting cornerback who has 2 degrees in real majors (Kelly Jennings), and a solid defensive end to rotate with Fisher and Wistrom (Tapp).

Work is a meat grinder this week. I'm working 4 big projects all at once. 3 kind of fall into each other, but the other one is completely different, and thus, is on the backburner, though it very soon could be the most important of them all. Eeek!

Sigur Ros tommorow! I am excited. They will be wonderful at Benaroya Hall. I'm sure of it.

Speaking of music, I totally recommend the new Pearl Jam. I haven't bought a Pearl Jam CD since TEN, but I did buy their latest self-titled release. It's pretty solid.

I also recommend listening to I LOVE YOU BUT I'VE CHOSEN DARKNESS. Not only do they have a stellar name, but they actually sound great. Check them out if you like those early 80's new wave bands such as Joy Division, early Depeche Mode, Wire, and even old Cure, mixed with Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and some of these other Post-Rock bands. Pretty sweet combo, I think.

I also finally bought the LYRICS BORN remix album, which is freakin fantastic. It's a collection of remixes and new songs which include the likes of DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, RJD2, E-40, Lifesavas, Dilated Peoples, Dan the Automator, Casual, and more! It's a fantastic hip hop record.

But anyway, maybe now that my outdoors activity buddy is out of town, my first softball game is over with, and I'm working late into the evening (instead of playing), I can study and hopefully prepare for my midterm on Friday. But we'll see about that...