Its the end of the year as we know it...

And I feel fine!

Random thoughts for the short week.

The End. A cool Flikr photo pool of still shots of movie endings.

Thirsty? This page suggest 15 totally drinkable wines that go well with anything. And, most importantly, are affordable. Perfect for bringing to that New Years Eve party.

Ben Gibbard is marrying the chick from Elf. No link, but just thought I'd mention it. I like his tunes. And she has a cool voice too. (Okay- I lied, heres a link for him, and her.)

I'm going to place those photos of the president elect coming out of the water all Halle Berry style on the beach in Hawaii all around my home and office- I figure if he can find some time to hit the gym, maybe I can too. Or maybe its the cigarettes that keep him trim.

Yes, I do think Goliath National Bank is modeled after a real bank. have I ever told you the story of how I used to work with the guy who said Barney was modeled after him? I didn't really believe him before, but I do more now.

Most of embarrassing wast of time for me in '08? It was the 15 min we spent watching A Cappella groups on you tube the other night. Like this. If you choose to follow the link, opt for some of the male groups. Their voices are less annoying.

Which then somehow reminded me of this performance, INXS choose the right guy for their band - that JD dude was a tool and they play tooley music, but this other kid should've been a star.

Probably more to say, I'll be back another day.
Gin Hahn,
T

Links o' the week

Here they come, a few things that were interesting this week.

Time to Short Sell JPMC?

I'm upset - the store won't personalize my 3 year old's birthday cake.

Guy, you're kind of a hero to me. For $92 million, I'd even consider five years with that batshit crazy chick.

My favorite christmas tune of '08.

I was thinking of finding a way to modify my motorcycle - this seems to be a big trend in the bay area. I think my neighbors would LOVE it.

This story can't really be real. So I love that a "credible" news organization ran with it... Or maybe it is real. I suppose I'd watch an episode.

Enjoy-
Gin Hahn,
T

Setting the bar....

Okay guys, listen up.

I know the holidays are coming, and you might be panicking about what to get that special someone in your life. But don't over-panic and fuck it up for the rest of us. Or even yourself.

Sure it would be romantic to propose under the christmas tree, or buy her that stunning 3 diamond necklace, or that amazing surprise vacation to some romantic destination.

But don't do it. And here's why.

1. You'll never be able to top it. From now until the end of eternity, you'll always be trying to top Christmas '08. (This goes for Valentines Day and New Years Eve as well) And if you plan on spending a lifetime together, well...
2. I'll never be able to top it, well that's not entirely true. First off, I'm not worried about topping it, MyICE takes me as I am - bad grammar and all. But still once its out there, its out there, and these are tough times. If you go and give her an Acura, then that catholic guilt'll kick in and next thing you know I'm at the Acura dealer too.
3. You're friends'll never forgive you. 5 karat ring, push gift, Fuck You Man, its a recession.
4. Because its not that sentimental. Unless your first date was on Christmas or Valentines Day then those days don't hold any extra value to you, yet. Especially if you've never shared one together.
5. Plan this shit out. -- Look if you're a guy, gift giving is hard, dare I say impossible. We all know you aren't thoughtful - that's our little secret. Every year, you have 3 or 4 big days you have to buy a gift and be thoughtful for. Don't make that all fall in the same month. As it is, Christmas and New Years are a challenge, what happens if she has a birthday in January - you are hosed. - The best possible scenario is to be on some type of quarterly plan. - Valentines is in the first quarter, Christmas is in the last, when is her birthday? Figure that out and propose and put an anniversary in the opposite quarter. If you stick yourself with two in one month, you are guaranteed to disappoint the love of your life at least once a year. Guaranteeed!
6. Because you have enough game to get laid on special occasions as it is. You don't need to cheapen it by buying her love.

Okay- you've been warned - please don't make me say I told you so.

And ladies- if your man follows this plan, I guarantee you'll be much, much happier in the long run.

Gin Hahn,
T

PS- I wrote this with no one particular in mind, but if you think I might be writing about you, then you better follow my advice. Its for your own good. Stop the madness.

This weeks linkfest

Here are a few things I've found interesting.

Track the Pirates. Live - in real time.

I've been really digging this show... Elvis Costello Spectacle with...

Jimmy Fallon hired the Coolest Band on Earth for his show.

Ms. December 1972 was Hot!!! (NSFW - View @ your own risk)

Hitler reacts to the Apple cup. (Thanks Ross.)

Gin Hahn,
T

Back in Business

Sorry- my Blogging SW stopped working a few weeks ago and it has helped with my laziness.

Jason, have no fear - you will be immortalized soon enough.

Hope the old grey mare kicks the bucket.

Gin Hahn,
T

Dad, here's a Shocker for you...

Well, almost.

Our brilliant president is just trying to show that he's cool like all the kids.

Dad, remember the phrase two in the....

Gin Hahn,

T

We're afraid of Kim Jong Il?

Watch this video and then decide. If only all fights could be resolved like this.

Korean Baseball

Gin Hahn,

T

November, you are a cruel bitch...

Every year November sucks.

Aside form the birth of my youngest child, each year November has had its struggles.

Deaths in the family, job losses, first marriage, all have happened in November.

So the events detailed below should have not been a surprise to me. (Or you if you were following me on twitter.)

I am an optimist.

When I left my house yesterday at 1pm I was excited about the really cool gifts I was going to be buying for my 10 year old to celebrate his upcoming birthday. I knew just what he wanted, where I was going to get it, and that I'd be back home in about 25 mins. I was able to look past how I had spent my last 15 mins looking for my car keys.

So five minutes later, when I saw the glow of the Toys 'R Us sign as I sat in traffic, I was undeterred. A little traffic jam is no big deal, I'm 50 feet from the turn, surely I'll be there in a moment.

A few minutes after that, as I sat in the same spot, I realized that the car was starting to sound funny... Hmmm thats strange, I wonder what can it be? Just then I looked down and all around the dash to discover the fuel light on. Crap! As I tried to pull to the side of the road up hill, she gave out on me. Luckily, I was able to get 90% of it out of the road, and I was only blocking a turn lane. Lots of room to go around me.

After muttering to myself for a few moments about how stupid I was, I pulled out my trusty AAA card and made the call.

A very polite woman answered and we had a nice chat about how she'd get someone right there... just as soon as I told her my address.

"I'm on the street that is on the south side of the northgate mall, between it and the park and ride."

"Sir, do you know what street that is?"

"No, but I'm sure the driver will"

"Well, if you are at the mall, I'll have to have him meet you at a store."

"I'm not at the mall, I'm on the street outside the mall. On the south side. And my car is almost blocking traffic, so I don't want to leave it. (This was a good idea)"

Okay- so now you see how the next several minutes of that conversation went. We finally decided that the best thing would be for her to give my number to the driver and he could call me when he was on the way. (Surprise, he found me. No call needed)

So I'm sitting in my car, feeling like a stupid you know what, when one of Seattle's Finest rolls up. 

He starts flashing his lights, calls it in, and punches some things on his computer.
Finally after a few minutes he gets out of the car and strolls up to my window.

"Everything okay here son?" (Nice, yes- I am older than him most likely)
"I suppose so, I ran out of gas and am just waiting for AAA"
"You ran out of gas? There isn't even a gas station around here, how did you manage that?"
"I don't drive this car often and forgot that it was low."
"Do the gauges function properly?"
"I believe so, I just didn't see the light"
"Well you know you really should check for that every time you get in the car"
"You know you shouldn't be blocking the street"
"I know, but I ran out of gas and the car wouldn't roll up hill."

Yes, that is actually how it went, and it went on... But I'll move on, as he finally did.

Ten more minutes went by, and another cop car rolled up.

"Everything okay?"
"Ran out of gas, waiting on AAA"
"Okay, you'll need to move soon."
"Okay."

Then literally about 5 mins later... (They must know I have donuts in my backseat.)
This one has two guys and they just roll up and roll down their window.
I go to roll down mine, only it wont budge... now the battery is dead.
So I open the door....

"Everything okay"....

Finally, Justin from AAA shows up. Actually, he works for a towing company, which used to be owned by my grandfather. So also this whole time I was waiting for some creepy driver I knew as a kid to come up and call me kiddo and give me a lecture about not getting too low on fuel, and then call all my relatives and tell them how foolish I was, but luckily Justin was about 22 and super nice. He poured in some gas, then gave me a jump. I was off.

Knowing that I needed to let that battery charge for a bit and that you can't let it run while you fill it up, I decided to head over to Sam's Club for gas. I thought that would hopefully be enough time, and I could get there without running out of gas.

I made it, wearily shut the car off, and went to fill up. I swiped my club card.... membership expired. 

Shit! Now I gotta go someplace else for gas.

Hop in the car, cross my fingers... it starts! Phew! Disaster averted! 

I head on up Aurora to the next station and fill up.

On the way back, I run a red light. Totally on accident, from a dead stop. I'm really thinking I need to just go home and call it a day. 

But I forge on.

I get back to Toys R Us. And they are completely sold out of everything relating to Bakugon. Which is the only thing on my list. Anything and everything Bakugon. Grr.

Okay - I can manage, I'll just head up to the Alderwood Toys R Us. 

Same story. 

Starting to feel like a terrible dad. The guild in my head. Why did you wait until the last minute? Of course he wants the most popular toy. Why don't you know its the in thing with all the kids these days. Don't you listen to your kid?

I stop and use the restroom. 

My fly has been down this whole time. 

Awesome!

I go across to Target. Same story different store. Fine. I'll go to the mall.

Alderwood Mall. The only mall in America without a Toy Store.

Lynnwood Fred Meyer? Nope!

You know what? I'll go home and order it on Amazon, express ship, it'll be fine.

I struggle back down towards home in the commute and the rain, cursing my day, but keeping my head up. I'll go on. It'll be better. MyICE is having dinner tonight with a friend, I can sit at home and watch a stupid movie that only guys think are funny, eat a cheeseburger and relax. The day's not lost.

I pull up at home, hop out of the car, get to the door and... 

No house keys. 

Guess I'll shop a bit more.

Fast forward to this morning.

I am bound and determined to get off to a better start. Today will be a good day.

I get up a bit early. Shower, shave, iron a shirt. I'm ready! 

Forget about the big gash I made in my face shaving. 

I'm a survivor. Today is not yesterday. Today is a good day. 

I pull the bike out of the garage, its going to be so nice to get out there and feel the breeze. 

I see the Trash guy coming up the street. I nod, he waves gives me the thumbs up cool bike look. 

Its going to be a good day.

He grabs my trash can, empties it out and puts it back where it started on the curb, then turns around and trips over my recycling bin. Knocking it over and all into the street. I was already off my bike and going to get the can to put away so it doesn't get blown down the street. 

He looks at me, says "Sorry, you got it?" and moves on.

Today will be a better day. I am certain. This won't get to me.

I pick up the recycling and hop on the bike. Now I'm getting out of here. It's still only 8:20. 

I'll be early, get some tea, get a good start.

I head down the street. Test the traction a bit. Not great, but I know how to manage this.

I knew traffic would be bad today, but I'd been thinking all morning about my possible go around routes.

My first one, flooded. I can't ride a bike thru that.

On the way to the next one, on a side street by the zoo where everyone is trying to go around traffic. 

Two cars smash into one another right in front of me. I was smart and going slow, but now I know. 

Today may not be my day either. I'll be at home. I can do no harm. The black cloud will lift tomorrow.


Gin Hahn,
T

I'm your source for election news

Yes we can....

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Gin Hahn,

T

Struggling

Maybe if I embrace it in text on a screen it'll help.

I'm having a tough time. Professionally, its chaos. At home, I'm getting by, but not really the guy I want to be. Kids, well, we're all trying. Its complicated and never really gets any easier with humpty dumpty complicating things for us.

Hmmm, do I feel better? Not really, but I tried - I'll try some more.

I have no easy creative outlet and its suffocating me. Obviously, I'm not much of a writer - I may be, but probably have too much to say that hurts that I don't let it out - creates a block.

Musically - I don't play enough, when I do, its okay - too rusty for anything original to come out, and my fingers are out of shape so everything is clumsy and painful. And my voice only comes out after a few drinks - probably not a technique I should try to coax nightly.

November is "write a novel in a month" month - I thought about trying, but at the moment I'm too creatively bound up to get past it was a dark and stormy night. 50,000 words just won't be coming out of these fingers.

Food- its about the only thing (except for myIce) that is bringing me a whole lot of joy - not eating, although you might think so to look at me - I'm back up a few pounds - I've really been enjoying cooking lately. No, its not a future career path, sure I'd love to own a little neighborhood bistro, but I'm already 100K in debt - I can't really afford to go another one - and I'd probably be kind of like a food nazi anyway. You could come in, and drink what you like, but most nights you'd be eating what I like to eat - if I'm on a meat a potato kick, well- that's what you'd be eating. Seafood- vegan - probably not in my kitchen - I'll reheat you come mac and cheese and you can pick out the dairy.

Anyway - it seems like I spend a few hours a day thinking about what tonight's menu is gonna be. Fun for me, but most likely a chore for those who have to share a home with me. They usually don't want to worry first thing in the morning if they'd prefer chicken or beef for dinner. Or if I should give the homemade pasta another shot even though it tasted great, but the presentation was less than glorious. Who wants to always live in a test kitchen?

And then there are the dishes - I freakin' hate to clean the kitchen - so that kinda gets in the way of my cheffin'.

Anyway, I'm doin fine - just too much time to think about the things you can't control and that can be pretty stifling.

Do me a favor - don't drop me a line and see how I'm doing - remember while I write to you, I don't expect you to read. You are hypothetical, just in case I need to remind you of the rules. This is where when I get a chance to, I jot my thoughts, leave a link to something that I'll think is stupid in five years. Its my time capsule. Spelling and grammar don't count... this is my therapy. You just get to glance in and make judgements, share them as you will, but keep them from me - I'm critical of myself enough for both of us.

Gin Hahn!
T

We will NOT be having a poolside wedding

He goes to give her the ring and disaster strikes.

Gin Hahn,
T

The best way to watch Fox News

Fair, unbalanced, and with a laugh track.

Don't watch it all, but listen for a while, its pretty good.




Gin Hahn,
T

Crank that Soldier Boy

Gin Hahn,
T

Bailout, Rescue Plan, Wall Street, Main Street.

First off, don't ever come to me for financial advice. I'm not a numbers guy, I don't give winning stock tips, but I do tend to understand these issues and maybe can help you understand.

ABC News has a good cartoon explaining the current financial crisis.

Here is why its important to you and me. While it is widely unpopular to bailout wall street, this isn't really about bailing out wall street - its about saving main street.

Lets talk about fundamentals. Sure we can all talk about how the sub prime mortgages are the root of these problems. I agree - but sub prime mortgages are a cultural problem. Its not just wall street greed. Its your greed and my greed too.

You bought a house 10 years ago. It has more than doubled in value. You joke with yourself about how you would never in your wildest dreams pay what your house is now worth. But at the same time, you take out a HELOC on your house to fix up the kitchen, or buy a new car, or cover your living expenses.

The housing market starts slowing down, because others also think your home isn't what it was worth. Now, in effect you are a subprime borrower. You own less than 20% of your home.

I'm bored. Watch the clip - figure the rest out yourself.

Understand - this isn't just some greedy folks on wall street that have created this problem. Its cultural. Its part of keeping up with the Joneses that so many americans have bought into.

Buckle Down,

Loan me a few bucks,
Gin Hihn,
T

I'll keep my politics out of this.

John McCain suddenly notices that there may be a problem with the economy. Better cancel the debate where you might be able to share with us your vision to improve things and instead go to Washington and roll up your sleeves on this matter.

On a lighter note, if you aren't invited to the wedding, you can still send Bristol a gift.

I found that link on her mom's masterful blog.

Gin Hahn,
T

Sportsnight! Netflix it.

Hey there Aaron Sorkin fans- if you missed this show when it was on the first time, go buy it or toss it in your Netflix que.

It was, and I'm pretty sure still is one of the best.

Here's the Amazon Link for Sports Night.

Gin hahn,
T

I care about you, don't make the same mistake Sarah Palin did.

Greetings Readers,

Do yourself a favor, watch this clip and be smarter than the World's Most Famous Hockey Mom.

On another note- while breaking into her account is against the law, the fact that she has that account and is using it for government business is also against the law.

Love her, hate her - I don't care - just don't become her.

Gin Hahn,
T

Upgrade to iTunes 8 - Now

Why?
Because I'm lazy. I have a ton of playlists, but making them and keeping them organized is a pain in the ass.

At least my ass. I love technology that gives me what I want and allows me to be lazy.

The new feature in iTunes does just that. Never think about a playlist again. Just pick a song you want to hear, and click Genius. iTunes does the rest. It builds a playlist based off of that song.

Its sheer Genius.

Gin Hahn,
T

John McCain is here for me to poop on.

I Love Triumph!

Gin Hahn,
T

In honor of

Looks like we'll be having Rainbows for the big Radiohead show tonight. Which oddly seems appropriate.

They are a band which I missed the first time around, but about two years ago I really got into. They were one of those bands that I didn't hear on the radio, but everyone told me I would like.

Everyone was right. I turned my oldest son on to them. He digs them, but says they are freaky- he likes to listen to them when he goes to bed, but then he says sometimes it creeps him out and he can't sleep.

For me, I'm just excited to be going to a concert tonight. I love live music. I've heard they are great live. Its been a while since I've been to a show.

We're going with some good friends, which should be awesome because they say that this place is a nightmare to get out of after a concert - 2 maybe 3 hours. So we'll pack some treats and hunker down.

Gin Hahn,
TFK

PS- Sorry for the lame post - feel bad about not writing, but my mind is on other things. I thought this would ease my guilt, but really its just worse. Friggin' catholic school.

BTW- I think I've mentioned it here before, and I know "real" fans think this song is lame- but I love Creep and if they don't play it tonight I will cry.

I'm man enough to cry.

It's hard to respect a quitter.

I love Artie Lange.
Some mornings I pee my pants listening to him. He makes me laugh so hard I don't do sit ups to keep my rock hard abs.

If you don't know Artie, he is the lovable, degenerate sidekick of Howard Stern. Artie's had his struggles, we all have. He drinks more than I do, he loses more money gambling than I do, and thankfully, he weighs more than I do too. And yet he still seems to hit the office every morning by 5 am.

But I still love Artie. All his flaws, just make me love him more.

That's why I was so sad to hear he'd checked himself into rehab this week. I know this sounds odd, but I hope he rediscovered an old habit that he needs to kick, because if he didn't, and its just the regular Artie stuff.... Then maybe 'ol T needs to do some checking in too.

Nah.

Gin Hahn,
T

We know, why don't you?

You'll never get lucky because your feet stink.

Gin Hahn,
T

The lost art of the mix tape.

Remember when you fell in love with Hector? But your parents wouldn't let you see him because he was 17 and you were 15? And they just didn't understand so you made him a cassette tape full of love that let him know exactly how you felt?

And then you met Bobby at summer camp.

Anyway- If you did a good job, Hector may have kept that tape, and he just found it under the seat when he was cleaning out his old Ford LTD to trade it in for a Prius. And now its posted on this site.

Gin Hahn,
T

If you're not too smart...

You may show up here, or here.

And we will laugh at you. Because you most likely won't find the humor in yourself.

Gin hahn,

T

Hi Five of Trouble

Dear Gentle Reader,

Okay so thats what Dear Abbey or Erma Bombeck or some other old bag used to say- reality of this situation is that now you really know wwhere I'm heading.

Anyway- the stats show that for people who aren't related to me, people like the list type posts. (Oddly, people related to me seem to favor this post)

Also- if they (family members) are reading this, they most likely will want to stop here and not read on. Otherwise read at your own peril. Bring it up on Thanksgiving if you will, but eb warned- I won't hold back.

You've probably heard of a hi-5 list.
Thats the five people you get a free pass on. Its like a dream situation that never happens, right, your significant other says "Sure you can do it with Ryan Reynolds, and I'll give you a Hi Five for it", cause you both know it'll never happen and if it did you'd really have something to talk about.

Anyway a Hi-5's are one thing, but at my advanced age (sure one of my best buddies is dating someone who could be my daughter) there are some girls out there who just make it feel like I'm asking for trouble.

So here is my Hi-5 that just feels wrong.
(In no particular order)

Minka Kelly - Okay, she's actually old enough to not get me in trouble, but she plays young so well. Have you seen the show Friday Night Lights? Well you haven't because Nielson ratings say so. But you should. And then your catholic guilt would shine through too.

Joey Potter - Okay, truth is Katie Holmes is gotta be batshit crazy or the worlds most patient gold digger. Because she's still married to the gay anti-christ Tom Cruise. But Joey Potter still makes me a little crazy. Damn, I wish I was her Dawson.

Li Lo - Man, I could help this girl out. Am I the only one who didn't fall asleep when watching Freaky Friday or Herbie the Love Bug? And now that Samantha Ronson thing too? Too much. Something about freckles and that smokers voice.

Megan Fox - Transformers. Hot. Dirty. Trouble.

Natalie Portman - Princess Leia's Mom is a hottie. Nuff said. Not sure, check out the coliseum scene in Star Wars Episode 2. Not to mention Beautiful Girls, but thats real trouble. Also try that Zach Braff Movie.

Speaking of Zach Braff- I have a weak spot for
Mandy Moore.

Carrie Underwood - Lets just say I'd love to make her want to carve her name in my leather seats.

Probably enough for now, any more and they'll have to lock me up.

Gin Hahn,
T

Who reads this shit?

I don't usually read software license agreements, but I saw a bunch of bold all caps shit while doing a recent update to iTunes.

WTF?

Their lawyers are more whacked than my ex.

THE APPLE SOFTWARE IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES OR OTHER EQUIPMENT IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE APPLE SOFTWARE COULD LEAD TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.


Wait... There's more.

You also agree that you will not use these products for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, or nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

Frankly, I'm not sure if I can live by this agreement.

Gin Hahn,
T

Okay Smart Ass.

Listen up anonymous. Don't entice my pent up lazy ass wrath or you will feel the pain of my....

Whatever. I could give you my excuse for a lack of posts, but truth is the site is ad free and I gots to pay the bills so lately I been bill payin instead of bloggin.

Well that's changin- at least for the moment.

Here is a link that is not safe for work, but cracked my shit up. Warning: If you are a croc lovin' clown faced titty curtain wearer you may be offended by this site. But you probably should visit anyway- its in your best interest.

Long time, no see...

Hey there, miss me?

I'm back. Sorry it's been a while. I've had a lot going on here in my world. I've been to Middle America for more stretches than I'd like to admit. I've worked more evenings and weekends than I get paid for. I've seen the bottoms of a few more bottles than I probably should have, but we all have our own ways of blowing off steam.

In other news....
MyICE is moved in. That's right, we have the same mailing address. And get this, we share other things too. I'll let you guess at your own details there, or just make shit up- its up to you.

Yep- we are in full on domestic bliss mode right now. And we're happy about it too. It's funny to me as I survey what once wasn't necessairly a bachelor pad - but certainly was a place where guys lived - and note the changes, they aren't bad, they ain't girlie, its just that this place looks like a couple may live here now... or one extremely metrosexual guy. So maybe its not that different after all.

At any rate, I am truly a lucky guy to have found someone who is willing to just kind of squeeze in where she can. She is a special lady. Not gonna let her go. Or chase her away. And that's not the only reason she's great in case someone wants to try to turn that around as a backhanded compliment of some form or another.

Been missing you all and feeling guilty for being away, but its just been crazy.

We'll chat more often okay?

Gin Hahn,
T

Dinner with Sir Paul

Okay you foodies and music fans.

You can have dinner with Paul McCartney, you know that guy, he was in that band, not Wings...well yeah Wings, but before Wings...

Anyway, you can have dinner with one of Englands wealthiest bachelors for only $25 bucks. Virtually. And you can eat food from the naked chef, as long as you cook it yourself.

Regardless, its for a good cause. So Adopt-a-minefield.

Gin Hahn,
T

Please, Please, Please...

James Brown Live at the Apollo was one of the greatest albums of all time, if you've never heard it, give it a listen.

But seriously, Hillary Clinton needs to stop. Give up. Concede. Go Home. I just watched her speech where she once again didn't.

She wants our opinion. Here it is. Get out of the race. It is for the good of the party. We don't want you. Bill doesn't want you. But I won't go there, and I should note that is my opinion and toss in an allegedly, but really, he's a guy, and I think he's straight so I feel pretty safe in saying that I'm correct.

I was a fan of Bill's, but the right wing will drag us into an even further funk if we have another Cinton in the white house.

So lets move on. Barak or John lets get deciding.

Gin Hahn,
T

Latest signs...

Here's one for all you conspiracy theorists that think any of these are signs that the end of the world is getting close.

Eathquake in China, Fires in Florida, Typhoon in M-something, Hillary doesn't know when to quit...

Fuck all that, the real sign that the end is near is this.

Seattle Seahawk stud linebacker Lofa Tatupu was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Whatever, he's a football player, happens all the time you say. Okay, how about this - he just signed a $42 million contract extension. Okay, he was celebrating.

He was driving a 2006 Hyundai.

The end is near.
T

Ed. note: I was obivously punch drunk, that was really funny to me at the time... now, not so much.

Sorry...

I'm still here.
Been crazy busy.
Actually posting this to take a break from work. Yes, its almost midnight on a Saturday night. And to think you were once jealous of the glamorous life I lead. I probably should have taken breaks like this more often over the last month.

I've been to Dayton Ohio for 2 of the last 4 weeks. I know what you're thinking. "Wow, they must have some great..." well let's just stop you right there, because whatever you think it is, they don't have it.

On the bright side, I discovered this on I tunes - in the podcasts. There are a ton of great concerts from NPR. Check out the All Songs Considered podcasts.

I've listened quite a few times to the Ben Gibbard one. Its a keeper. I was pissed when I synched my iPod and lost it from there because I'd already listened to it. That sucked, would have helped on the plane while I was sitting between the hot fat people.

And yeah- I'm fat, so if you are bigger than me, I can call you fat. And get your cheeks off of my seat. I paid full price for my ticket, I shouldn't have to share it with you.

Sorry, my edges are showing.
Peace.
Gin hahn,
T

Sometimes its better not to peek.

Gin Hahn,
T

Night 2: Enoteca San Marco

I love Mario Batali.

Its not really a secret. My tivo knows it, it picks up at least two episodes of his show every day. I watch it and pretend that I'm a world traveler - eating glorious rustic meals in small costal towns in Italy. For night 2 we ate at Mario's little place in San Marco square. I hear its like being in Venice, only cleaner, and it doesn't get dark, and there is less crime. And most everyone speaks english.

Anyway as we waited for our party to arrive, I snuggled in with a nice glass of Joe's Rosso. I gotta tell you Joe Bastianich is one hell of a winemaker. Okay- I like to drink, and I don't really know all that much about it, except that I know what I like. And I like Joe's Rosso. Talk about a good deal too. Joe and Mario really do a great job of making great food and wine available to the masses.

I had the special - it was handmade sausages from Seattle's own Salumi, 2 hot and 2 not as hot served with an eggplant and potato ragu. Awesome.

Others at the table seemed quite impressed with their meals as well, and I can state, without a doubt that the pizza crusts were the best ever. I stole a bite as one passed me by and it was definately worthy of a return trip. Airfare included.

Gin Hahn,
T

Review: Tao Las Vegas

Wow- What an amazing feast for the senses.

So we landed in Sin City about 8:30 friday night. Reservations were at 10:15. Shouldn't be too much of an issue, right? Wrong. We barely made it by 10:30. This city needs to solve the strip traffic problem somehow.
Anyway - we had called ahead and let them know, they said they'd hold our seat an extra 15 mins. This ain't Seattle folks. Resteraunts full at 10:30 at night? Culture Shock!

So we arrived. Were given a pager and told we'd be seated soon. MyIce navigated the bar for us and got us something to drink while we stood and took in a bit of the atmosphere. This is an incredible place. A place to see and be seen. Now let me interject here, I have no desire to be either, we just got off the plane - but you can bet, even though she got up at 4:30 this morning to get to work - MyIce was worthy of being seen. And I was both honored and defensive when I realised that I wasn't the only one in the place that knew it.

After about 10 min of people watching, our little pager went off. In no time we were sitting amongst a dizzying whilrwind of activity. Before I knew what had happend we had ordered. And within moments I was in chopstick heaven.

Spicy potstickers that make your tongue tingle with delight. Up next, deep fried asparagus and green beans. Interesting, better with the sauce, not exactly healthy, but not bad.

Up next, Chicken Phad Tai - Amazingly delicious and delicate noodles, perfectly cooked chicken and just the right amount of kick. And to top it all off, we had the finger lickin' good dragon something or other spare ribs.

All filled up - I gotta tell you it was amazing meal. I know I planned to eat my way through Vegas - this was a masterful first step.

Gin Hahn,
T

On Tap Tonight: Tao

This place is beautiful. I'm going to drink it all in.
Review to follow.

Gin Hahn,
T

Snow... It's following me around

Okay- so I was in Milwaukee Monday. They had gotten 15 inches the Friday before. I headed back home Wednesday morning, just as it started again.

I picked up a young one at baseball practice, and on the way thru the drive thru it started up again.

This morning as I prepare to go to the airport for Las Vegas, its happening again.

Its almost April. If it follows me to Vegas, I give up.

Gin Hahn,
T

Damn, I'm going to miss this.

Hi Fans,

I made a fatal mistake of not putting something in my calendar and then getting some dates confused. Because of this I had to sell my Springsteen Tix. I'm bummed because they were really good seats - on the floor, up front, wristband and all. Anyway - if you aren't going either- here's a glimpse.

Enjoy- Gin Hahn,
T

This weeks giggles.

Because I'm too lazy to be even mildly original today, and I dig this new website.
Hula.com

Gin Hahn,
T

Ross is gentle, kind and benevolent.

'Nuff said.

Gin Hahn,
T

T: Gentle reminder.

You can't argue with Crazy.

Ignore it. Don't let it get to you. Don't let it under your skin.

They can't be reasoned with. Logic doesn't exist.

The best that you can do is live your life. Be happy. Be yourself. Don't let them in, they don't deserve your precious time.

Gin Hahn,
T

Read This, Please!

Apathy has set in. People are resigned to losing a professional sports team here in my hometown. I can't imagine it. I don't want to live in that world. I have had a difficult time the past few years summing up for non-sports fans the value of pro sports in the community. People don't like to hear about the hundreds of small businesses it keeps in business. People can't act on past warm fuzzy feelings.

This article on espn.com sums all those things up pretty well. Read it. And if you still don't think we need to keep a pro basketball team in Seattle, then I suppose we can agree to disagree - as long as we agree you're stupid.

Gin Hahn,
T

Eat out and make a difference

From Dine for DARFUR

"1 CAUSE, 1 DAY, 1 GOAL

Your neighborhood restaurants let you make a choice to make a difference

Each day you make decisions that affect your life—where you buy your coffee, your lunch, your dinner, your glass of wine. On March 4, 2008, we offer you the opportunity to make these same choices and have them make a difference in the world. Purchase your food and drink at a ‘Dine for Darfur’ establishment and 25% of that money will be generously donated to aid relief efforts in Darfur. By choosing to eat at participating restaurants on March 4th you are choosing to support your neighborhood restaurants in their effort to make a difference in the world. In its first year, operating solely in Seattle, Dine for Darfur raised $70,000 and brought thousands of people out of their homes to show their support for the cause. This year, with the participation of restaurants throughout Washington and Oregon the event is sure to grow exponentially. Please join the effort for Dine for Darfur and help us show the world what our community can do."

So this Tuesday night we'll be at either The Hi-Life or King's Hardware.
Hope to see you there.
(Email if you want to join us)

Gin Hahn,
T

Sorry Matt Damon

Jimmy is back with a little response for Sarah. If you thought her clip was funny, well lets just say you are gonna "love Jimmy's Apples."

I have to make a point of watching this show more often.

Gin Hahn,
T

Look for the curve, and they throw a change-up...

So I had a discussion with my boys today that I have been dreading for quite some time. I knew my youngest would most likely take it well, but you never know for sure. And my oldest, well I didn't expect much good, but sometimes we just have to keep moving on with our lives. It really is what is in everyones best interest.

So anyway I had these talks with them. I did it seperately so that they could each have their own reactions and not have it colored by the other.

How did it go you ask? Well the youngest was better than I dreamed, he seems excited about the prospects of this change in our lives (at least for now) and really took the news quite well. (He has even said several times today how happy for me he is- unsolicited even.)

The older, well, he just didn't want to talk about it, which I respected. He has the news, and we can discuss it when he is ready. I told him that I'm sure it brings a million questions to his mind, or will at some point, and I will chat about them anytime he wants to. I told him I won't always have answers to all his questions, but that no matter what I love him and his brother and we can and will get thru anything.

All in all, the day went way better than expected. Actually, I'm in shock. I half expected him to walk out the door and that I'd never see him again. (He may go home tomorrow and find that his mom sees that as an option, and push him too it - but we all hope not.) Instead, we actually had several interactions today, he didn't spend all day hiding out in his room. Our relationship is healing.

I know the other shoe will drop at some point, but for the moment, I'm at peace. Tonight will be the best sleep I'll have had with them in the house in quite a while.

Gin Hahn!
T

Get Smarter

Try iTunes U.
In what just might be one of the best deals going, you can visit the site and download real life lectures and sometimes even course materials. And get this-- much of it is free.

Today, I listened to award wining author Thomas Friedman give a lecture to MIT students about what he calls "Globalization v3.0" It was pretty interesting to hear someone connect the dots in tangible ways about how technology, insourcing, and outsourcing are bringing us all closer together.

Gin Hahn Indeed!
T

Don't drink when you're working

Gin Hahn,
T

A perspective change

There is very little fancy or unique about how I make my living. What makes me stand out in my field is that I am always looking at things with a different, maybe skewed, view.

You know, why do we do what we do, why do we do it the way we do it? If no one knows, someone better find out. And most of all, I've been thinking, what if we did it like...

Anyway, to help me think different, I'm always looking for others who are looking at things differently, and trying to find see what I can steal from them.

This is one of those "guys with a different view on the world" (From the TED talks - if you missed my post about them in the past, you should definately check out this site, there are some amazing thinkers there.)

Hope it helps you out of the box you are in.

Gin Hahn,
T

Five thoughts for this week...

These are the things that seem to be my most frequent comments for the past week or so.

1. This is a few weeks old, and I bet you've seen it by now, but it still cracks me up to even think about it. And I get it stuck in my head, how do you like them apples?

2. Yes, I have definately outkicked the coverage. I am way out of my league. I have done well. I am the luckiest guy in the room.

3. Maybe Spring 2010, but we aren't even ready to think about that yet.

4. See #2.

5. Vacation was awesome. If you are traveling to the Oregon Coast I suggest you look into the place we stayed. Email me, I can send you the link.

Gin Hahn,
T

What If? (A post in progress)

I just finished reading an incredibly shitty novel. It was one of those ones with great potential, but it felt like the author got bored with the premise about half way thru. I suppose we all have days like that at the office. Anyway, I bought the book a while back at the airport and had been reading it while I traveled. It was just to pass the time, so I suppose I got my monies worth.

So here's how I operate. During normal life, I barely have time to read anything longer than the playboy letters column, so when I travel I tend to pick up one of those best seller page turners. I call them airplane books. And they usually get me through a trip. Anyway, the last several "airplane" books I have read have in some way or another been in the theme of the DaVinci code. You know, Christianity is a scheme, the Templars know the truth and its one of the worlds great conspiracies. I'm an easy target. I don't believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I've never been able to take the bible literally. I don't believe Barry Bonds. I tend to think that the new owners of the Seattle Supersonics only ever wanted to move the team to Oklahoma City. 

But I digress. Since finally finishing this latest crap of Templar shit - I'd say the name here, but I don't want to encourage the endorsement. I know that if I mention a book here, people will read it- That's just the kind of power this little blog wields-- I'd rather that you read something worthwhile like the latest Tucker Max book.

Anyway this one, and a few of the others I read the past year or so while traveling have got me thinking. 

What if...

What if one day, we woke up and there was irrefutable evidence that the basic fundamental principles of christianity were in fact a great hoax? What if there was a gospel according to Jesus Christ, written in his own hand? What if in it, he proclaimed to be a normal man, a prophet? What if he talked about his family, his wife, his children?

How would the world change? How many people would suddenly feel like they had nothing to live for? Would we have tons of whack-o's coming out of the woodwork? Would anyone believe it? Would it matter?

There's more questions, but I'm tired of thinking at the moment - maybe I'll come back to this someday.

Gin Hahn,

T

Where have you been?

Sorry- I've been busy. Then I was sick, and then I was really busy.

So much has gone on in such short period of time. I wrote a few posts, but had technical difficulties - so they didn't make it on the site.

Here are a few passing thoughts I had the past few weeks.

How precious is it that OJ went back to jail for contacting a co-defendant? He knew he wasn't supposed to, that's why when he left a message for him via his bail bondsman ( At You Ring We Spring Bail bonds no less.) using an alias. Nice! Nobody recognizes his voice, and he certainly SOUNDS like a guy named Jose.

Heath Ledger, whatever happened, its sad. 

Its also awesome that Jack Nicholson warned him about playing the Joker, but the press ran with it as warned him about drugs.

Or how about the fact that Britney Spears is worth $120 million to the economy?

Some days it is all just a bit too much to take.

Speaking of no talent attention whores, check out Paris Hilton singing. It's just further proof that her best work is only visible in night vision.

Golly, I should vent more often.

I miss it. Remember, this is about me and not you.

In other news. MyICE and I are taking vacation together next week. We're heading down the coast. House on the beach. Its supposed to snow. No worries - we'll have a fireplace, tv and a hot tub - only thing missing is a case of wine and you. (Guess  one I'm joking about.)

Anyway, there is a chance I'll post if the mood strikes me - the house has wireless. There's also a pretty good chance I won't. We'll just have to see what happens.

Gin Hahn,

T

Seriously...

I'm sorry- there is just no way to comment.

Its too crazy. You know exactly who and what I'm talking about.

That's the thing I don't think anyone understands. Just how fucked up does a woman have to be to lose her children?

Some systems aren't fair, they appear to be broken. Deal with it. Move on. 

Live life the best you can.

Do what is right for you and your loved ones.

Gin Hahn,

T

Another Great Thing About the Mac

Here is a hidden little gem.

If you have a mac- and run are running the latest version of the operating system, did you know that it can summarize yourself for...yourself (Austin Powers). I've been using this feature lately when writing really long emails to big groups. It lets you tell the quick story for those with ADD and then the ones who care more can read the extended dance remix. Kinda cool.

Gin Hahn,

T