I’ve been having a running argument in my forums with a guy over gun rights. He thinks all guns should be taken away from people, and I think that everyone needs to be their own police officers. Today, courtesy of the SPD, my own stance was hardened. As I was filming a “War on Women Rally” (more on that later), I heard a commotion coming from the far northwestern corner of...

Remember when life didn’t suck? Yeah, me either. I try, though, oh how I try, and lately, I’ve found that there’s something contagious about the boundless optimism that is exhibited within the context of a flash mob. Especially the flash mob I witnessed today. Last year, I recorded the 2011 Glee Flash Mob as it made its way form Capitol Hill, to Seattle Center, to Westlake...

Over the last year, I’ve made an effort to soundtrack my own videos and embed them in HTML5 instead of uploading them to YouTube. This process is a pain, and it has resulted in my making far fewer videos (which is either good or bad depending on your point of view), but there are few alternatives. Last year, I tracked a video with a royalty-free clip that came with my Mac, but as soon...

Earlier today, after leaving Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar, I heard a commotion at the north end of Pike Place, so I walked up to investigate. When I got there, I noticed that the “Going To Hell Preacher”, who had his young daughter in tow, had drawn a crowd, and the crowd was not happy. The Preacher had told these people that they were going to hell (hence the nickname, see...

Two months ago, a massive storm dumped 2″ of snow on Seattle, bringing the city to a complete halt. In the face of this catastrophe, local news reporters, with no regard for their own safety, hit the streets in droves to warn Seattleites to “be careful out there!” It is estimated that, in doing so, these brave news people saved dozens, if not millions of lives. It didn’t...

Even though Rick Santorum and 98% of Texans claims that it’s un-American to do so, in my opinion, when a man is wrong, he should apologize. With that in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to formally and publicly apologize to the people of Las Vegas. You see, once upon a time, I bestowed the title of “Worst Drivers in America” upon the people of that city, and...

I made a short video tonight. I call it Corduroy. No particular...

I’ve seen New Year’s and July 4th Fireworks multiple times in cities such as New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle. While they have all been fine displays, my absolute favorite display is the New Year’s fireworks at The Space Needle, and I mean that sincerely. It may not be the biggest (that’s what she said), it may not be the longest (ditto),...

When most people have downtime, they watch TV, play videos games, eat tacos, or socialize with friends. I, on the other hand, pull out my laptop and make things like this: Why? I don’t know. Watch it, though. It’ll be good for you.

A woman slow dancing with a three-legged dog to live Peruvian bluegrass. You can’t make this stuff up.

Tonight, Pike Place Market officially lit up for the holidays. Won’t you join me in the festivities:

It’s been a busy day in Downtown Seattle. Parades, trees, stars … face it, this is the place to be when Christmas kicks in. We’ve got our own Manhattan thing going on, without being surrounded by obnoxious New Yorkers. If only we could build a moat at the Oregon/California border. Ah well, when I get voted in as first president of the great nation of Cascadia, it will be my...

I hurt myself today. To see if I still feel. I focused on the pain, the only thing that’s real. Then, I went to Harborview for an X-ray and some drugs. “Give me something that rhymes with bilaudid!”, I begged the nurse. Then, I came home, and in an opiate-induced haze, made the following video: Why? I don’t know. That’s really all I have to say about...

I’m in with the flu, the plague, or some other unknown ailment … so I decided to use the downtime to make a short video out of some b-roll -ish stuff I took last week. The end product is a drive from Shoreline to Downtown Seattle, and I was able to get it down to about 75 seconds. This is roughly equivalent to 300Mph. It’s a dry run for a project I want to eventually make...

Today, The Viaduct opened early like we all suspected it would. Said a friend of mine that has lived in North Seattle for 43 years … “These construction schedules are nothing more than PR bullshit. They always bid them long so they can finish up early and bask in the accolades of a grateful public.” In any event, shortly after the road re-opened, I drove over to see what had...

Today, at about 11am, a group of men ran through the Fremont neighborhood with pumpkins on their head … and no clothes. Why? I honestly have no idea. There are a half-dozen “naked” events every year in this town, and I’ve yet to fully grasp the fascination with this particular form of expression. Different strokes, though. I go out and cover these events because...

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again … Love Battery is the most underrated band in the history of music. Over the years, I’ve mentioned this group in my various articles a few dozen times, and in the process, I’ve turned a lot of people on to the band. Not once has anyone been disappointed. Love Battery was one of the best bands in Seattle during Sub Pop’s meteoric rise,...

Well, we all knew it was coming. Starting this afternoon, the Viaduct is closing for about a week, and this development is going to royally fuck me sideways with a yardstick. I’ve been at my temp/part-time/however-long-I-feel-like-doing-it job for two weeks now, and I take the Viaduct at least 4 times each day. As a matter of fact, it’s my preferred route to and from the airport...

Things got real this afternoon as about a thousand people descended on Downtown Seattle in the largest single turnout for Occupy Seattle since the beginning of the campaign. For the first time, I am very cautiously optimistic that this could be the beginning of a snowball. I’m starting to have a minute shred of optimism. I’m starting to get my hopes up ever so slightly that this...

A couple of years ago, YouTube began rejecting or silencing videos en masse because they contained “unauthorized audio”. You’ve no doubt run across one of these soundless videos yourselves. A few months ago, they kicked out one of my movies for this very reason. In my particular case, however, there was no actual copyright violation. While I was on the street videotaping, a...

For the majority of the morning and afternoon, I was prevented from leaving my home. Why? Because the president of the “free” world, Barack Obama visited Seattle today, and lucky me … I live behind one of his stops, the Paramount Theatre. Early in the afternoon, I made my way down to Pike Street, at which point I was immediately scolded by a Seattle Police Officer to go back...

It’s been awhile since I added to my Downtown video collection. Here, I recorded a short session at the Seattle Waterfront in all of its glory and splendor. After the deep-bore tunnel goes severely over-budget, The Waterfront is going to look like a very different place. Supposedly. I enter this video into the historical...

Last Sunday was a busy day for yours truly. In addition to Cal Anderson Park, Big Mario’s, and the 12th Avenue Festival, I also spent two hours at the “Freeway Park Noon Tune Concert for Kids”. This was a concert for Seattle city kids, and it featured two bands — Brian Vogan and His Good Buddies and Recess Monkey. Brian Vogan’s band sounded a lot like Soundgarden, only heavier,...

Today, the second annual 12th Avenue Festival was held in Pike/Pine, and after hanging out in Cal Anderson Park, I walked over to check it out.  Here is the release: http://12thaveseattle.com/festival.php Join us for the second 12th Avenue Neighborhood Festival this August! This unique community Festival features your favorite restaurants offering international flavors of the neighborhood for...

Pike Place is ground zero for buskers in the Pacific Northwest, and standing in front of the original Starbucks on most summer days is one of my personal favorites, “The Only Black Guys I’ve Ever Seen at Starbucks”. At least that’s what I call them. I’m sure the group has a real name, but I’ve never tried to interrupt them to ask. I usually hang out for one...