Celebrating in the Emergency Room (a.k.a. How I Spent Election Night 2008)

So, it is not very often that I write stories of personal trials and tribulations on this blog. Sure, you get opinionated political rants and movie endorsements, but you rarely get a story about something going on in my personal life. Yet, I figure this is a story worth telling. Here is my story of the night we elected Barack Obama!

I had been running behind all day...people were going to start showing up around six pm for the joint election results watching party I was having with my neighbors across the hall. Other than a sink full of dishes, my apartment looked pretty damn clean. People were already arriving. James (my best friend growing up) and Saku (my law partner) were already at my place, and Arrendt and Jake had at least 10 people in their apartment (including a super cute girl named Lauren who I only got to talk to for a few minutes because of the events about which you will read), when news broke that Obama had won Ohio. We were giddy. A bunch of us took celebratory shots of whiskey! That pretty much meant Obama was going to win the election. It somehow seemed fitting that I was with two of my closest friends, who are both black, when we knew we were likely to have our first black president. I was literally jumping up and down with glee.

Shortly thereafter my parents arrived. My dad was still parking the car, and I took my mom over to meet the neighbors. My mom had brought over gourmet lasagna she had prepared, to add on to the Tofu Yakisoba Stirfry I had made, and I started to cut pieces of cheese from a tin of Cougar Gold to put with crackers. Somehow, in the process, my hand slipped and the serrated edge of the can nearly sliced off the top of my right index finger. Luckily it stopped a few centimeters short of taking the entire piece of skin off, and just missed my knuckle, but I had to be rushed to the E.R. after it became apparent that the bleeding was not going to stop and that the cut was pretty bad. Here is a picture I took in the emergency room (hence the low quality):

Once I got to the E.R. they asked me all sorts of questions and then I got to go sit in the waiting room and watch the CNN election results show (the MSNBC coverage I had been watching at home was so much more enjoyable!). Then at 7:53 pm, I had to go back into a room to be evaluated...yeah that's right...SEVEN MINUTES BEFORE THEY WERE GOING TO OFFICIALLY CALL THE ELECTION.
So there was no celebration for me, just text message after text message of people expressing their joy. The calls started to roll in too (me having to say time and time again that I was sorry I could not talk but I cut myself and they don't allow phones in the E.R.). Then I got a tetanus shot. Ow.
Luckily, right before Obama made his speech, the nurses started streaming CNN. So, at the nurse's station we all stood, watching his speech. All of the nurses, me, my mom, the guy who broke his ankle because he missed a step while canvassing for Obama, a cute gay couple who were holding hands, and a disgruntled doctor who wanted to be watching the speech and not working. About half way through the speech they took me back to clean my wound and stitch it up. (At the end of the speech, apparently all of the nurses and patients out there hugged). Once that was all said and done, it looked like this:


Seven stitches and four hours later I was out the door and headed back to my apartment. I was very happy, but at the same time I was feeling pretty down about Prop 8 passing in California. On the way back we ran into a giant parade of what must have been a thousand people celebrating, but my mom wouldn't let me get out of the car. Everyone had left my apartment but Saku, (my co-dj on KGRG) Nicole, and my dad. People had continued to show up at my party who never even got to see me, let alone celebrate with me. I was super bummed. I was in a ton of pain, but luckily the two whiskey drinks I had (and the vicodin I took) tempered it a bit...so after Nicole left, Saku and I headed out into the streets of Capitol Hill;. Stupidly, in my haze, I forgot to bring the memory card for my camera, so I will have to rely upon other people's videos to show you what went down.

First, we caught up with a small parade of about 50 people heading downtown. But right when we got on the cusp of downtown, Saku and I decided to head back up the hill to Broadway to see what was up. And, once we got there, everything was OFF THE HOOK! Here is a video of what it was like:

Obama Election Celebration in Seattle from Ray Lucke on Vimeo.

It was even crazier before I got there...this was the scene:


and here are a couple videos of the crowd singing the national anthem:

and


I have never seen anything like it before in Seattle. People were laughing. People were crying joyfully. I was just kind of in awe. I was in pain and the gravity of everything hadn't hit me yet. I was excited though. And I ran into a bunch of friends up there. I think I am still kind of in shock. In 2004, I cried tears of sorrow. This time around, it is tears of joy. What a momentous day in American history! I am sorry that I missed a lot of it, but hey...I have a story to tell and we can now begin healing from the past 8 years. 8 years of civil rights being set back 150 years. 8 years of war. 8 years of agony. Thank god it is almost over!

The Passing of a Seattle Legend: R.I.P. Tuba Man

November 4th was not only a day of celebration, it was also a day of sadness as Seattle mourns the passing of Edward McMichael. Known as the "Tuba Man" to those who crossed paths with him, he passed a week after being severely beaten by five young teens. Two fifteen year olds have been arrested and the other three are still at large. According to the AP, the police are saying the death was directly related to the assault a week prior.

The Tuba Man was a fixture at Seattle sporing events. You couldn't go to a game without seeing him outside playing. He was so beloved in Seattle that they have set up a Memorial Fund to honor his memory. So, if you have any extra cash, donate...he will be missed outside of Seahawks and Mariners games (although I saw him frequently at the late-Sonics games). Sad news.

Grendel Election Endorsements & Voter Guide: Washington State & Federal Elections

That’s right friends, here is my voter guide for this upcoming election. While I will focus primarily on Washington State, don’t you worry California, some of your three billion propositions (don’t foget to vote maybe on Prop 12,963 to make Jim beam the official drink of Wednesdays!) will be covered. Now, to avoid getting too long winded, here we go…

FIRST AND FOREMOST…VOTE YES ON PROP 1 TRANSPORTATION! Enough of Seattle being a backwards, no mass transit having, hick town. JUST DO IT FOR CHRIST SAKE!

President: John McCain vs. Barack Obama vs. Third Party Candidates
This one was harder than you may think. And, no, I would never consider voting for John McCain (frankly, if you aren’t making over $1 million and you vote for McCain, then you probably voted wrong). In short, the Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez ticket is very intriguing to me…it has nothing to do with Ralph Nader though. Sure, he may be one of the best citizen activists we have had. And no he did NOT cost Gore the 2000 election…Gore did. But Matt Gonzalez is extremely appealing to me. He was a member and president of the San Francisco County’s Board of Supervisor’s, and narrowly lost defeat as a Green against Gavin Newsom in the 2003 SF Mayoral race. But, in the end, this election is too important, and I am not about to tell my kids that I didn’t vote for the first Black President (barring another stolen election).

Governor: Dino Rossi vs. Chris Gregoire
This is easy. Sure, Rossi has a handful of good ideas. But we’re saying, like, four! He opposes funding for women’s health care, says he will veto any bill legalizing gay marriage, and Rossi says things like “I will not lower minimum wage,” meaning, also, that he will not RAISE it! Sure, I do not particularly like Gregoire, but Rossi would be a fucking nightmare.

U.S. Congressional District 7: Jim McDermott vs. Steve Beren
How can you not vote for Dr. Jim?! He is one of the few great Congressmen in this country.

Secretary of State: Sam Reed vs. Jason Osgood
There was a time where Sam Reed was a respected, non-partisanesque Secretary of State. Then he had to go and show his true colors as a Republican hack when he applauded a court decision to allow Rosi to run as GOP instead of as Republican, so he could distance himself from McCain. Ridiculous. Find me on the next election’s ballot as the candidate of the “Liberal Whiskey and Music Party.”

School Superintendent: Randy Dorn vs. Terry Bergeson
Terry Bergeson, the champion of the WASL, seems to not even understand the significance of her own test. Is it good? Bad? Who knows…she sure hasn’t taken a stance on it, and without proper funding e may never know. Dorn is Executive Director of the Public School Employees of Washington and wants to fix WASL. Vote Dorn.

Initiative Measure 985
Oh man. On first blush, this seems great. But, knowing it is a Tim Eyman bill, you KNOW you have to look deeper. That douchebag is always trying to fuck something up. This time, it is our transportation system. Sure, opening the HOV lanes after hours sounds great. They do it in California. Yet, it is the other aspects of the bill that are bad. Opening up carpool lanes 18 hours a day may be good, but it also (as the stranger points out) takes local funds for transportation and puts it in a statewide pool, takes money away from education and health care/public safety, and prohibits tolls that will be required to retrofit the decrepit 520 Bridge. Just vote no. Please.

Initiative Measure 1000
Death with dignity. I have the right to die if I want to. And the best way is for me to consult with two doctors who can help me do so pain free if I have less than 6 months to live. The scare tactics the opposition use have proven unfounded in Oregon, where they have the identical law. I understand if you don’t want this ability for yourself, but don’t use your morals to tell me what I can do with my life. Vote yes.

Initiative Measure 1029
Requiring further certification for home health care workers is a great idea. But it is expensive, will drive up public and private costs, and almost doubles the training required. This is a good idea, but a poor outcome. Let the State Legislature do it. Vote no.

King County Charter Amendment 8
Nonpartisan County Council elections?! Hell no!

City of Seattle Propositions
Prop 1: Yes for Pike Place Market.
Prop 2: Yes for Seattle’s Parks and it will barely cost you anything.


Here are some other races that you’ll just have to take my word on:
Attorney General: John Ladenburg
Lt. Governor: Brad Owen
State Auditor: Brian Sontag
State Treasurer: Jim McIntire
Commissioner of Public Lands: Peter J. Goldmark
Insurance Commissioner: Mike Kreidler
King Country Superior Court-Positions 1, 22, & 37: Holly Hill, Tim Bradshaw, Jean Rietschel.

The Return of the Crocodile Bolsters Seattle Music Scene

My buddy Andrew Matson is reporting in the Seattle Times that the Crocodile Café will reopen in April. For those of you not in the know, the Croc was one of the best venues in Seattle. It had the best sound you could find in the entire city and had a great atmosphere to see a show, having a capacity of 350 (although it usually averaged around 300 a night). It was a place where you could have seen Nirvana, Mudhoney, Elliott Smith, Modest Mouse (when they were still local), and even the Beastie Boys (who played a Jazz set there not long before it shut down). I even saw an amazing Lucero show (with William Elliot Whitmore and Whiskey & Co.) there with Zack from Like Claws! back in October. But then, in December, it was abruptly closed.

It now appears as if we may have it back, this time with a larger capacity (of about 400)and the back bar turned into a pizza shop. And luckily Jim Anderon will still be running the sound...so everyone rejoice...THE CROC IS BACK!!

Liberals for Corporate Handouts (or Why I Will Miss My Supersonics!)

People are always surprised when they find out I was born 9 weeks early. My response to this has always been that I was so excited about the Sonics winning the Championship (my mom took me to the Championship Parade inside her belly) that I just had to get out of that womb and into the real world. Little did I know that that would be the last time Seattle would celebrate a professional championship (yes yes, all you Storm fans, I know…they won the WNBA Championship. In fact, I was at both games that they won in the finals that year and celebrated their WNBA Championship with the crowd in Key Arena…BUT IT IS NOT THE SAME!). And today it was ensured that my beloved Sonics would not be winning another as they are on their way to Oklahoma City.

That’s right, the city of Seattle has settled its lawsuit with the Sonics and the team is now officially free to move. What does the city get in exchange? $45 Million… and another $30 million in 5 years if the state legislature does not authorizes at least $75 million in public funding to renovate Key Arena or we don not get a new NBA franchise by then. Seattle also gets to keep the team name, history, and colors. According to the city, this put the pieces in place to regain a franchise, as the NBA has said a renovated Key Arena would be suitable to replace the team.

Now, those of you who know me well know how liberal I am. So how could I possibly support the sort of corporate handouts that comes along with professional sports? I am a man full of contradiction…I love my Seattle Sports teams. I have season tickets to the Seahawks. I split season tickets to the Mariners with 7 other people. I have season tickets to the Sounders FC and they don’t even start until 2009. I go to most Washington Huskies football games, and I attended every home game but one from 1986 through 1998. And last year I had a 25 game plan (over half a season) to the SEATTLE SUPERSONICS! So, when all the liberal groups I was a member of starting saying all those years ago how no money should go to the Sonics, I broke rank and talked back to them, igniting a flame war causing me to no longer associate myself with such groups.

For those liberal groups, it was as simple as corporate handouts. Why should we give this large corporation money? They would bring in evidence of the negative impact that bringing a team to a region had on the local economy. Although I repeatedly tried to point out to them that 1) the team was already here so these stats were meaningless, 2) what should be looked into is how many jobs would be lost and how many local businesses would be affected, 3) there are many monetary and intangible benefits of having a team including how much money is raised for charity and how the city can come together around sports franchises, and 4) the way the team sought to create this “corporate handout” was through the extension of a pre-existing tax.

First, like I said, they would constantly cite figures about the negative economic impact a new team coming to the region brings. When I tried to point out that these statistics were not relevant to the current discussion because the team was already here and we should instead focus on the economic and intangible benefits that the team brings and balance that against the investment that would be made, they were having none of it. Logic be damned, as long as the Sonics left, they didn’t care what route they would be takes.

Then came the discussion of the money that would leave along with the Sonics and the other monetary benefits of having the team in Seattle. The millions in charity work that the Sonics do (which is more than the Seahawks and Mariners combined, the $20 million in sales tax that was paid to the state each year that has ALREADY been figured into the state budget (and thus spent), the 1200 jobs that would be lost by those who work directly for the Sonics and events surrounding the team, and, as economist Lon Hatamiya, former Secretary of Commerce of the State of California, estimates, the direct impact of nearly $1 billion in the last five years that the Sonics have brought into King (and an adjoining) County. In short, A LOT OF REVENUE THAT THE CITY AND STATE WOULD BOTH DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY NOT BE SEEING. This isn't even considering such benefits to local business as detailed by the local business owner I heard on the radio today who talked about how Sonics games brought in an extra $1000 worth of sales those 41 days per year, something that does NOT happen for him during concerts at the Key...he is now going to have to lay off 10 employees and his business may just out right fail!

What this meant was that the money given should not outweigh that received. So how did the Sonics under then owner Howard Schultz want this handout? By extending a tax on hotel rooms, rental cars, and restaurants that already existed (yes the same thing that the city was against then but IS NOW IN FAVOR OF, or so Mayor Nickels would lead us to believe at his press conference this afternoon). Now, the people who argued against extending this tax said that it should go to schools, hospitals, and roads. Other than certain state constitutional restrictions that may preclude such a thing, I would support that. Fine, let’s extend this tax and use it for schools. Seattle Public schools could sure use the improvement. But you know what? It didn’t happen. It wasn’t going to happen. So as long as that is the case, why not use it to preserve the $1 billion in economic impact the Sonics have brought us over the last 5 years? Afterall, sometimes you have to invest money to get a return (as Tacoma surely knows, after investing $21 million in a new golf course that will translate into a total economic impact of at least $100 Million from the 60,000+ fans that will be attending the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.)

People ask me about the Key Arena, and why Seattle deserves a team if the Arena is so bad. Those of you who ask such things (mostly you folks down in the Bay Area) obviously have never been to a Sonics game. The Arena itself is one of the best possible places for a fan to watch a game. While you may be sitting way up in the rafters, you still have a great seat. The whole issue for it not being NBA friendly is that it doesn’t have good enough corporate boxes. I don’t know about you, but whether a stadium had great luxury suites has NEVER influenced my opinion of the stadium…you know why? Because I have probably been in one for one Sonics game, one Seahawks game, and a handful of Mariners games in my entire life.

And finally, for those of you who think that Seattle shouldn’t get a team because no one goes to games…the fan base is still here. People just didn’t want to support a lame duck franchise that is deliberately losing to try and leave town. Just listen to these chants at what has now officially become the final Sonics home game ever.
Save Our Sonics!

Bennet Sucks!
And here is the final minute of Sonics basketball at Key Arena. Somewhere in the stands I was weeping as Kevin Durant led the Save Our Sonics chant. Even my dad couldn’t hold back the tears.

Now, to the settlement itself…if the city was going to lose the lawsuit and the Sonics would leave anyway (which was unlikely), it was a good deal. If it would have prevented the NBA from working with us in the future, and the team was just going to leave after 2 years and we’d never get a franchise, it was a good deal as long as we get a team. But for me, nothing can replace the memories the team brought me. And I hold both the ownership group of Howard Schultz and the politicians across the board accountable for that.

From staying up past midnight in about 1986 and hiding under my covers listening to a triple overtime shootout against the Trailblazers to sitting in the very last row during an early 90s playoff game with my mom, the Seattle Supersonics were an important part of my life. Lest you forget…I was the fat kid growing up. Girls didn’t like me. So what did I have? Music and sports. While you were off going on dates, I was watching Big Smooth knock down threes in the Colisseum. I was watching GP steal the ball like it was nothing. And I was watching Squatch sail down from the rafters in front of sold out crowds. You had Sarah and Erin and Allison. I had Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Nate McMillan, Xavier McDaniel, Dale Ellis, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, and Steve Scheffler.

Maybe someday, when a team moves here, I will be sitting in the new Seattle Supersonics arena with my very own kids. In the meantime…Squatch and I will be here crying in our beers:

Circus Contraption @ Neumo’s (26 April 2008)

On Saturday night, Liz and I headed over to Neumos to see this band called "Circus Contraption." If you haven't seen them yet, I think you probably need to. Really, they are more than a band...they are an experience. Sprinkle together 1/3 circus freak side show, 1/3 macabre horror, and 1/3 big band jazz…and you might even begin to describe the show.


Here is a short clip of one of the songs they performed (this is not at the show we were at, but what I could find on YouTube):


There were no jugglers, stilt walkers, or fire-eaters, but still great. For another taste, check out this music in this clip:


So, we headed over to the show, bought our tickets, and then ran over to the Maharaja to get some cheap, yet strong, libations. We made it back just in time to catch most of the set of the band “Awesome.” I know Kate is a huge fan of theirs…and I did enjoy them, but since I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I think I was a little let down. I liked their music fine, their harmonizing was awesome (pun intended), but lyrically they seemed to be lacking.

Circus Contraption, however, far exceeded any expectations I might have had. There were some weird people in the crowd (like the older woman with perma grin who kept literally pushing into Liz because she was “in her spot” well before the band even went on or the girl with the horrible tribal tattoos who kept trying to do stripper moves), but then there were the weirdos (people dressed up like they were part of a circus) and I thought those people were kinda cool.

For this show the band consisted of the following members:
Armitage Shanks (although as the ringleader, not a butcher)


Dexter Mantooth


Pinky d’Ambrosia


Chameleo


Shmootzi the Clod


Bunny LaMonte


And a few other souls I cannot identify at the moment…But we had keys/accordion, and another member of the brass section. They all played a ton of instruments, so its hard to narrow it down for you (for example, the Ringmaster, at one point, was simply playing sandpaper). For example, Sally Pepper made an appearance.

They started out with 3 older songs, and then played their newest album, for which this was a record release show, all the way through. It was very good times, other than the fact that it was so hot in there that during one slow song we actually had to go outside for a few minutes. Liz was a little bummed they didn’t play more old stuff.

What is really exciting, however, is that they have a new show, with the FULL CIRCUS, that they will be performing in Fremont starting in May.


As they put it:

The SHOW to End All SHOWS presents a traditional American circus as it romps joyfully toward oblivion. featuring Pink Poodle Girls, A Ball-Balancing Seal Boy, A Real Mermaid, and an original music score by the incredible Circus Contraption Band!
Previews run May 16-18, and the show runs May 22 through June 22 at our new space in Fremont.

And that the show…

imagines a family-owned circus with all of the glamour and glitz of the 70’s and 80’s. The time, however, is now, and the glamour shows signs of decay. A sense of imminent destruction looms as things begin to go awry under the tent. The Ringmaster insists upon the willful denial of their world’s demise by not only his progeny, but also the audience. This twisted take on Americana tells the story of the show that must go on, despite all evidence that the show, and maybe even the world, will be extinguished before the closing act.

I’ll be there…WILL YOU?!