Graffiti has become lame

Every day I drive down Greenwood, I seem to notice a new "tag" on the side of a building or on the face of a road sign. It upsets me. And not because it defaces the look of some one's house or because someone is clearly breaking the law. Nay, it upsets me to see such a lack of creativity coming from today's hoodlums. If you have the guts to spray paint something, why not create something interesting? Are you really going to risk a misdemeanor charge by spraying "MBT" on the side of a trash can? My personal favorite is the tag "jeans". At least this person went with a noun, and not just their initials. And contrary to what you might think, "jeans" actually makes me think a bit. I digress. But seriously, where is the creativity? Remember back in the 80's when graffiti artists spray painted murals on NY streets? Boxcars, underpasses and buildings were layered with intricate designs that could easily be classified as art--at least to most. These were images that drew attention to not only the works themselves, but to the landmark that was being "defaced". In their own way, these misdemeanor works of art add a depth of character to the landscape. They are a base form of artistic expression and they deserve respect.

This is a plea to all the lame Greenwood spray painters and taggers. You make Seattle look weak. How can we ever attain the level of coolness that NYC and Chicago have attained, when our street artists can only manage to spray paint their initials? I know there's creativity out there. I sense the artist within you yearning to be expressed. Take the $45 you'll blow on "Halo 3" and go buy 5 different colors of spray paint. Think of all the cool images you conjured up the last time you smoked pot. It's still lame, but hopefully you see where I'm going with this. I'd rather drive down Greenwood and see a unicorn with a joint in its hoof, galloping down an escalator, than "MBT". Make us proud.

RBI Farce

While 5 games to 4 is by no means an ass-kicking, I'll go ahead and give Ben his delusions of grandeur. Technically, I was defeated. Although, if you examine the evidence game by game, I could have easily won 8 of the 9 games. Let's not forget that I was Houston in one game for God's sake! If it weren't for Ben and his damn pick-off moves, we'd be talking about how many double digit strikeout games I pitched. I'm not complaining, but Ben favors teams with power hitters. He'll either hit a home run or strikeout. I tend to favor more balanced teams with more consistent hitters and reliable pitchers. Which choice do you believe is in line with the spirit of RBI baseball?

All I know, is that next week will be a different story. No more boneheaded running goofs. No more right-handed strikeouts from "Sbrhgn". No more fielding goofs on routine fly balls. Next week is all business. Nine game sweep time, perhaps?

Thai Diner

I've been to many Thai restaurants; East Coast to West--and the best is still Richmond's very own, Thai Diner. Is it the greasy Pad Thai style? Or is it the Chinese broccoli option for the Pad See Ew? The unrivaled spice tray or the insanely addictive fried spring rolls? Well, yes...and yes, and yes, and hell yes. Jack, Jesse and the Thai Diner crew really know how to treat their regulars like regality. If you've never been, you're missing what could easily be the best food experience of your life. Unfortunately, I live in Seattle--so Thai Diner eludes me for about 99.9% of the year. But I will continue to make my yearly pilgrimage to the holiest of Thai restaurants--for even 1 day of bliss is worth 364 days of emptiness.

Me and the Coop

Nintendo

I kicked Ben's ass in Nintendo RBI baseball this weekend. I like to win. Nay, I like to dominate. And friends, this was total domination. For those of you who have played baseball games on the ancient 8-bit systems, you'll surely be familiar with the "slaughter" rule. Little league veterans will also be aware of this blunt, yet highly accurate term. Simply put, when the winning team goes ahead by a predetermined amount of runs, the game is over. Needless to say, when my bubbly men went up by 10, tears formed in the corner of Ben's eyes. The game was over. My domination was complete. Who's next?

Speed Traps

Anyone else tired of speed traps? I am. Just in case you're driving down Aurora, remember this entry. The police will most likely be aiming a radar gun at your car as you speed up to try and gain momentum after the Aurora bridge. C'mon police--give us a chance. Can you at least point your radar guns at us on level ground. If I don't speed up to go up a hill, every car behind me gets pissed off. If I brake the whole way down a long hill, guess what?--every car behind me gets pissed off. Haven't you already busted enough innocent drivers? Same thing with the red light cameras. This system will never work. It's never the drunk retard that gets busted running a red light; it's the guy who can't decide whether to stop or not. So instead of slamming on the brakes, they cruise slowly through the intersection. And for their caution, they are rewarded with a $500 ticket. Enough I say.

If you want to give people speeding tickets, stick to the highways. I say it's fair game. As far as the red light cameras are concerned...can we give tickets to pedestrians that walk super slow after the walk sign has changed? Because if someone runs a red light, I say they're fair game too.