little green alien

The other evening I remembered to get out on the balcony and enjoy the cooler night air after another hot-oven-interior day in the tropics. Sitting back in one of our bamboo chairs and just trying to think of nothing as the stars came out, I saw a little green thing wiggle on one of the railing posts. I looked more closely and it wiggled it's torso out towards me, as if checking me out, too.

It was a Praying Mantis,
first one I've ever seen with my own eyes.

I got Jill to come out to meet our new friend. And when we returned it flew somewhat graciously to the ceiling near a 3"/7 cm gecko (young one, but not a baby, they're really tiny!). We could see it was going for a smaller bug that the gecko was after, too. The mantis flew again and nabbed it before the gecko, which was very surprising as geckos are FAST! The gecko then went after the mantis but it couldn't fly... so the gecko went to the corner and pouted and the praying mantis posed patiently for me as I shot about 40 pics. It was definitely aware of me and moved its head and torso appropriately every time I neared it with the camera.

I'm sure it didn't appreciate the flash going off so close to its eyes...

I'd estimate it was about 5"/13 cm long. The skin and/or wings were much more oily looking than we expected. It has lots of tiny barbs on its legs.

We hope it comes by for another visit again.

The weird one pictured on here from August or September hasn't shown up again.

One of my favorite books to read with Iza is, "I am a bunny" by Ole Risom (drawings maybe by Richard Scarry? not sure). Nicklaus the bunny tells you what he loves about the four seasons and what animals he sees and what he likes to do in each season. When Winter comes in the end, he curls up for the long sleep in his hollow tree and dreams about Spring... and in his dream is a Praying Mantis and a few other insects. I hope Iza gets to see it next time.

We're really living in a unique place!

Best of ExplorersWeb 2008 Awards: The longest row, Erden Eruc

Our good friend, Erden Eruc, returned to sea last month near the Philippines and Papua to re-cross his previously rowed path, to continue on with his human powered cross-Pacific row, just one leg of his Around-n-Over project. He was hoping to finally reach Australia or some other major landmass w/o crashing into the thousands of coral reefs.

On February 4, 2009, Erden landed successfully in Finschhafen harbor on Papua, thus completing the Pacific row, with he and his boat in one piece. He will still need to get his boat, or at least himself in a kayak from here to Australia, where he will ride his bike to Australia's highest summit and hike to the top to summit... then continue on to the Himalayas and Everest. Can you say he has, just slightly, a full agenda for the next few years?

Explorersweb/MountEverest.net tracks mountaineers and adventurers around the globe and has honored this last leg of Erden's voyage with their 2008 Explorer award. The direct link is in the title of this post, but their story and pics follow. Congrats again, Erden!


Image from inside a dry cabin.

"Receiving wind from port side, see the ribbons fly..."

"Alaskan fishermen wear these liners inside their boots; so do I on cool mornings," Erden dispatched.

Sam was day-dreaming about Antigua bars; Erden (image) was reading about reasons for why human civilizations developed at different rates.

20 teleconferences with schools around the world, 130 dispatches, 2400 emails, 30 cassettes of high def video and $12,000 raised for charity. Image of the compact Contact hardware solution for emails and dispatches.

The cross bars had a cantilever extending over the side bars with the wheels. The cantilever broke due to metal fatigue. The sliding seat became unusable once one wheel block separated. (Click to enlarge).

Erden's position over Contact 4.0 early March when he decided to beach in Micronesia. But the sea decided otherwise. Currents brought the tiny vessel back out again, and Erden's voyage continued.

A change of clothes: "How much the shirt color had changed became glaringly obvious when placed next to an identical shirt, only new and unused. I am sure by the time I reach Australia, that new shirt too will have soiled."

Never lonely: this Remora's suction plate would stick itself almost by reflex to any surface it touched.

A miniature version of the scary Holywood varieties, this shark had a grey top which faded toward a white underside.

Erden caught another shark, but the meat gave off such an odor that Erden had to throw it out - which made him feel sorry for it and swear to never fish again.

Frazzled looking Red Footed ('bad') Booby on the oars, Brown ('good') Booby on the prow.

A Storm Petrel crashed the party: "Once the bird sensed that it was safe, it calmed down, perhaps enjoying the warmth of my hand," Erden dispatched.

The end; we watched Erden search for increasingly wilder solutions and befriend shrimp.

Erden looking pretty good after 310 days locked up in a tiny rowboat with only birds and fish to keep him company. All images live over Contact 4.0 courtesy of Erden Eruc's Around-n-over website.




06:42 pm CST Dec 28, 2008
In the middle of nowhere on the Pacific Ocean, Erden's rowing boat was slowly transforming into a Noah's Ark. Birds hung out in the crammed spaces, a faithful flock of fish trailed the boat.

Erden's little-big voyage was like a castaway fairy tale. No rower had ever spent so long time at sea and in Erden's live pictures; ancient tales of the shipwrecked came alive.

We have covered close to a thousand expeditions in 2008. It's difficult to choose the best, as they all contributed in their own way, sharing their story - their very soul in fact - with us and the world.

And yet, there are those who linger in our minds long after their final debrief. We have chosen 8 expeditions who have contributed in an extraordinary way to the Spirit of Adventure in 2008.

Today number 4: the longest row, Erden Eruc

It was funny to compare the two ocean warriors' dispatches. While young Britt Sam Williams was bored already after three days out on his 70 day skip across the Atlantic Ocean; on the vast Pacific Erden felt like he had left just yesterday.

Sam passed time putting his alarm clock on and off; occasionally hitting the snooze function. By that time Erden had already done 20 teleconferences with schools around the world, 130 dispatches, 2400 emails, 30 cassettes of high def video and raised $12,000 for charity.

Sam was hallucinating about cold drinks in Antigua bars; Erden was reading books "about reasons for why human civilizations developed at different rates reaching different levels on different continents."

Long after Sam reached shore; Erden broke yet another Mountain House freeze-dried package pondering, "why companies differ in their levels of competitiveness or why the offspring from one family are more successful than those of another."

Answer blowing in the wind

Due to its vastness, Pacific rows are difficult and unusual. Following years of quiet; three rowers attempted the challenge this year, but soon only Erden remained. Where he was headed no one really knew - least of all Erden. The winds and the currents left the lonely rower only to guess his final destination. Samoa, Papua, Australia or China - all were possible options at some points of Erdens never-ending row.

Buried in current- and weather charts, Erden took it in stride: "I am now reading 'The Middle East' by Bernard Lewis," he reported, "which no doubt will prompt further reading interests of its own." There were also recorded books, Spanish lessons, and a collection of about 9,500 songs from all over the world available for a shuffle on the rower's MP3 player.

Plenty of problems to solve

The adjustment was a two step process, Erden told ExWeb afterwards. "First I had to wrap my mind around the fact that I could be alone on a big ocean for seven months or longer."

"Then after about 3-4 weeks at sea, I had to deal with the 'what the hell am I doing out here' question! Internalizing the experience and becoming one with the environment followed. I would say it took about a month to adjust and to accept."

In fact, there was plenty to do and we learned all about it through Erden's live reports and images. A former mechanical engineer, Erden went into detail how the seat construction could have been perfected...in hind sight. "A minor disaster," he reported when the sliding seat broke. "I had to find a solution. I wrecked my brains about what tools and parts were available on board."

The whole point of unsupported exploration is that it breeds invention. Erden had his hands full. "I rummaged around for metal bars, screws, and spare plywood, basically anything that could serve as a cross bar and could hold the side bars in place," he reported.

"Then I started looking for my hand drill. I had seen it on the boat somewhere. It had shown signs of corrosion. Would it work? I had a metal saw, also corroding, which might work to cut pieces to size. But I could not find the drill. Where on the boat was it?"

"This initial flurry of inventory for parts and tools kept my mind from despair and panic. I had a problem to solve. Could it be solved with what was available? My doubt slowly turned to certainty that fixing the seat was going to be a miracle."

Promises to Nancy

By February the tide, the winds and promises made to wife Nancy seemed to have won. Erden decided to beach in Micronesia. "Continuing further will put me in great risk during the typhoon season in the areas around the Marianas and farther west," he explained:

"My priorities are:
A. To stay alive,
B. To save my boat, and
C. To continue the circumnavigation.

My promises to Nancy are:
A. I will not die,
B. I will not lose her,
C. We will not go bankrupt."

But the sea decided otherwise. Currents brought the tiny vessel back out again, and Erden's voyage continued.

How to cook a shark

Erden noted everything, and dispatched it to the world. We got an explanation why one shark smelled foul and the other didn't:

"I received input on the ammonia like smell in the shark meat. It turns out that sharks do not have a well developed kidney; therefore the urea remains in their blood stream. When caught, the shark needs to be bled immediately to keep the urea from infusing into the meat."

"One method suggested was to cut the tail while the fish was still on the hook and to let it bleed. Sounds cruel, but is that worse than suffocating it on deck which takes a much longer time?"

"Then to remove the urea, the meat needs to be soaked in brine. In my case, plain salt water from the sea would have worked."

"This was why I lucked out with the first shark that I had caught. I had then placed the slices of meat in a bucket full of water just to rinse them, which had helped dilute the urea. I could smell it, but that did not stop me from enjoying the fatty meat over three large meals."

"Mr. Murphy is an avid reader of my dispatches"

Time passed. Erden battled his charts, his oars and his state of mind. On a winter night, the boat capsized to 170 degrees. The vessel was almost upside down when a rogue wave hit, throwing Erden to the ceiling and then dropping him back on the mattress when the boat righted itself.

"I lost a few items from the deck in the process. I had to open the cabin door to empty the water which had entered through a vent into a cabin bulkhead, first using a cup then a sponge. Had another rogue wave hit in that vulnerable period with an open hatch, the boat would not have righted itself. Of course after that experience, the vent remained closed!"

One gloomy day though, the situation was getting even to this trooper.

"I am tired of the rain," Erden dispatched. "The tropical rain fall is enhanced by the effects of the convergence zone. I am living wet. It is affecting my mood, it is starting to grate on me."

"I am no longer making announcements on which way I will row. The rumor is that Mr. Murphy has accepted a position at the Department of World Climatology and Pacific Winds, and I heard that he is an avid reader of my dispatches."

Noah's Ark

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific; we watched Erden's rowing boat slowly transform into a Noah's Ark. Solo sailors who survived ocean crossing in life rafts after losing their boats often told tales of fish and birds keeping them company on their lonely quests for survival. Anno 2008; Erden dispatched live about all his friends.

The Dorado hangarounds skillfully outfoxed the hooks trailing Erden's little boat. There was the 'Good Booby' - sitting on the prow and chatting away after each period of fishing; and the 'Bad Booby' - sitting on the spare oars and pooping all over the deck.

One a rainy day a Storm Petrel crashed the party - literally: "I reached under it, fingers first, gently nudging its chest with my palm so it would walk up," Erden wrote.

"I cupped it with my other hand, to keep it from getting hurt while trying to free itself. I positioned its feet to perch on my left middle finger and its chin to rest on my left index finger. My left thumb was over its back loosely so its wing flapping stopped. Once the bird sensed that it was safe, it calmed down, perhaps enjoying the warmth of my hand."

Running out of water

Returning the bird to the ocean, Erden could well relate to its vulnerable position. The going had been hard lately. Erden had lost distance and fretted over his supplies.

Collecting rain for sweet water was not very successful. "Being so close to the surface, the bucket would be splashed by waves, and at best I would end up with brackish water,” he reported.

He would eat a shark if he had to, but they are rare in the oceans these days. One small guy took the bait finally and then a second one, but the meat gave off such an odor that Erden had to throw it out - which made him feel sorry for the creature and swear to never fish again.

Locked up in a tiny rowing boat and alone with the sea for almost a year; Erden fought with growing despair against the treacherous winds and currents. We watched him ponder increasingly wilder solutions and befriend shrimp.

Record

May 8, on day 304, Erden finally crossed the Equator. Two days later, on May 10, the rower took the record for the longest time at sea by an ocean rower, used to belong to Peter Bird. On day 310 it was over.

A resupply fell through and after the seas started carrying him north at a fast clip, Erden was finally picked up off the coast of the Philippines. "I certainly would have liked to conclude this ocean crossing in one push, taking my boat to a shore," Erden told ExWeb. "This would have meant a lot to me."

Sportsmanship is a big part of ExplorersWeb's awards. Like Peter Bird who too was assisted in the end; Erden never claimed victory in spite of his epic time out at sea. Instead, he told ExplorersWeb:

"This pioneer of ocean rowing [Peter Bird], who was lost at sea, had reached 304 days on one of his legendary rows. It gives me pride that I carry Peter's logo on my boat in tribute, while I now reach the level of his earlier commitment."

"I will cheer on the next rower who will take on the Pacific Ocean, hoping that his/her boat will make it to the distant shore in the best style."

Previous in the countdown:

5. Karakoram new route double, Babanov & Afanasiev
6. Red flares for freedom, Alberto Peruffo
7. The 14th knight, Ivan Vallejo
8. Wintering the Big White - Tara's 2007-2008 Arctic Voyage

Special mention:

North Pole winter, Matvey Shparo and Boris Smolin
B.A.S.E. jump, Valery Rozov
Everest seniors, Yuichiro Miura and Min Bahadur Sherchan
A personal sea voyage, James Burwick and the Anasazi girl

More about Erden:

Out on a human-powered circumnavigation, Turkish born American resident Erden Eruc already rode his bicycle from Seattle to Alaska and summited Denali. He also rode his bicycle from Seattle to Miami and rowed solo across the Atlantic.

Latest attempting to row across the Pacific Ocean, the original plan was to reach Australia, then row to India, make his way all the way to Namibia and row to Brazil. Unfortunately, unusual winds and currents prevented Erden from being able to get south of the equator. He rerouted for Jayapura, hoping that a resupply would give him enough time to beach there.

May 8, on day 304, Erden finally crossed the equator and two days later, on May 10, the rower took the record for the longest time by an ocean rower, used to belong to Peter Bird (304 days). Bird was later lost at sea in another of his legendary rows. On day 310 Erden was finally picked up off the coast of the Philippines.

Erden has now returned to the exact spot where he left off, hoping to resume his journey. Through his rowing, mountain climbing and biking Erden Eruc intends to eventually make his way back to San Francisco in a human-powered world circumnavigation that will also include a climb of 6 summits.

Mmm, warm fuzzies in the skies

Garuda is the largest, 'safest' airline we have on offer in this massive archipelago. As our director put it about Indonesia's many airlines, "They're all death flights, Garuda's are just a little less deathly."

But hey, if they up their standards a wee bit more, we could fly all the way to London or Paris in the coming years!:

Garuda to fly to Europe in June: VP

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 02/09/2009 1:54 PM | National

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said national flag carrier Garuda was likely to resume service to Europe in June.

"We're hoping Garuda will start serving Europe again this June," Kalla said, as quoted by Antara news Monday.

Garuda, along with several other Indonesian airlines, are currently on the European Union's flight ban list due to safety concerns after the onset of several aviation accidents in the country.

Kalla said Garuda had been working hard in upgrading its services and is currently attempting to meet 10 more aviation points before the ban is lifted.

"It [the ban] is a good point of reflection for us all. The remaining 10 points to be fixed should be completed in the next two months," he said.

Under the aviation ban, Garuda was listed as having 68 safety concerns.

Iza's 2!

Happy Birthday to our little precious girl, who is literally growing too fast... over 2 inches in the last 2 months!

Her bday was Friday, January 30. I still remember the day she was born, Tuesday, January 30, 2007, quite vividly. I was at work/ASW and Jill had been in the hospital since Sunday, testing to see how she'd react to inducement drugs, as our baby wasn't growing at all in the final month in the womb. I got a panicked call from Jill past 10 AM that the doc didn't like Iza's reaction to the drugs (increased heart rate) and wanted to break her water. Well, he barely spoke English, our midwife wasn't there, I wasn't there and Jill was damn scared. Worse yet, he wasn't successful in breaking her water (that couldn't have felt good!). Magdalena, our midwife, showed up soon after and she calmed Jill down and said she'd do it no problem, and, of course, would wait for my arrival. I got there, she got me up to speed, we were all good, broke the water at 12 noon and 3 crazy hours later after much bath time for Jill our little (literally) Iza came shooting out! Born around 5 pounds/2.2 kilos... now she's over 28 pounds/14 kilos!

OK, enough of that historical stuff... here's the star of the day/weekend!

Iza in her new hot pants, and new "Little Geckos" chair, designed and made right here in Balikpapan!

ah, gotta love little, little kid parties... just happy, mellow adults hanging around. Iza did have her best friends over: Leila, Avae and La La, so she was stoked!

With much training from reading "I am a bunny" by Ole Risom, pics by Richard Scarry (dandelion page), Iza did a fantastic job of blowing out the candles!

Still a goofy little girl

She was very, very, very excited about the cake as we were making it (and ruining it... dad did a number on the first batch of frosting) but when it came time to eating the real thing... she just wasn't so sure about it! (it was rich!)

and... last, but not least,
she got a new (slightly used, passed on from her cousin, Maddie)
red
Schwinn tricycle!


too cool for school


she was pretty psyched to have a bike like her mom and dad. now all we need is a ground floor unit so she won't go riding down the stairway!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IZABELLA!

*Note: my apologies for zero posts in a while, and few to no pics. My mac was maxed out in space and juggling my gazillion pics was always a nightmare. I've finally made some working room but we're still having to deal with slow, unreliable connections so I'm not sure if any video will get on this site for a long while. Jill and I are, however, much more active now on Facebook, after so many Warsaw friends badgered us into it, so look us up on there, too for more current news... and the occasional (new) pic, too! Thanks!

22 Months and a whole lotta words

Iza turned 22 months on November 30th. We had some friends over for crepes and we all sang her happy bday, and she was almost blushing!

This is what we've been able to compile of her words by now, in no particular order. The list began shortly after her 21st month bday, so words with an asterisk (*) are from the last few weeks... of which there've been several! Also, we've been teaching her sign language (ASL), so words marked with a dollar sign ($) are ones she signs, too. Perhaps I'll add a 'sign only' list, as there's still many she can't say but can sign (like frog, cat, etc.)

Enjoy!

mama
mommy *
dada ($ she could sign it 6 months ago but forgot/gave up on it since she could say it so easily)
daddy
water $
apple $
more $
please $
thank you $
out (side) $
gecko (they're everywhere here at night. She loves them!)
Buddha
baby $
dirty $
beep beep (as in a car horn/outta my way!)
juice
Iza
Bella (sometimes herself, sometimes a neighbors dog)
Izabella
eyes
teeth
bye $
moo *
meow *
no
up (sometimes $)
help
hello
down
La La (a 4 year old friend here, whom she adores)
blue
I did it!
I did that!
I want water! *
Uh-oh!
yes
ball
purple *
moon
pee *
poopy*
diaper *
ho ho (ho) * ('tis the season!)
boo boo *
tea * (she likes peppermint tea)
Wow! * (this is so damn cute the way she says it!)
Bali * (she's infatuated with Balinese dancers, we'll be sure to take her to another performance over xmas break)
Woah! *
beach *
peek-a-boo * (she says something more like 'peegboo')
do * (as in do this or do that)
two * (to be sure she meant the number, she asked me for another green bean so she could put 2 in her mouth at once, and she did it again and again. Amazing how much more they'll eat when they're having fun?!)
yellow *
red $ *
habis (Bahasa Indonesian for 'finished', which she's been able to sign for 8 or more months now) *$
cheese
happy
hi!
this
Avae (her closest aged friend, like the song, Ave Maria) *
Atty (Avae's caretaker) *
rrrrr (like a growling dog) ;-)
balloon *
Eeyore (yes, the Pooh donkey) *
tree $
jump
hoot hoot (like an owl)
push *
bees * (Iza has 2 or 3 bees outside her window making a new hive. We lie on her bed every other day and watch their committed work and progression... the eggs were laid 2 days ago!)

I'm going to Sing!

-apore!
Got news Friday evening that my work permit paperwork went through, so Wednesday I'm off for a solo jaunt to Singapore for 3 days to finalize the permit/visa/KITAS process. I think I'm staying at the same hotel we were at en route to here. That trip was so rushed and exhausting that we only got to see a grocery store and the botanical gardens (see cute pics of Iza and crazy flowers below/earlier). Not sure how much I'll sightsee as everyone's giving me shopping wish lists as Singapore has everything and more that the states have. Empty going there, maxin' out coming back. Though I am looking forward to trying every Indian restaurant I can find! Yum!

Hopefully Iza will survive without me. I will miss her, she's (once again) at a great stage and saying and doing new things nearly every day. Two days ago she said, "Purple" and yesterday she said, and repeats constantly, "Play!" (of which now is all she will say when we put her in her high chair for mealtime... and she points and points to her toys and puzzles and crayons in the living area... I wonder if we'll have to start hiding everything just so she can eat!)

Up soon, Iza's vocabulary list and sign language list...

Seattle's KEXP, John in the morning, and an amazing playlist

From one of the greatest radio stations on the planet, 90.3 FM KEXP, on the web at www.kexp.org

Give it a listen!

Wednesday, November 05, 2008 (LISTEN TO THIS SHOW)

Time	Artist	Song	Album	Label
6:04	Smashing Pumpkins	Today	Siamese Dream	Virgin
6:07	Sugar	Changes	Copper Blue	Rykodisc
6:12	Sufjan Stevens	Chicago	Illinois	Asthmatic Kitty
6:16	U2	Beautiful Day	All That You Can't Leave Behind	Interscope
6:21	Talking Heads	Once in a Lifetime	Remain in Light	Sire
---- air break ----
6:25	Yeasayer	2080	All Hour Cymbals	We Are Free
	DJ Comments: Playing November 20 at Neumo's, and December 5 and 6 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.
6:29	The Wrens	Happy	The Meadowlands	Absolutely Kosher
6:35	Dogs	End of an Era	London Bridge	Universal International
---- air break ----
6:41	The The	Perfect	Soul Mining	Epic
6:46	The Soup Dragons	I'm Free	Lovegod	Big Life
---- air break ----
6:49	Stevie Wonder	Higher Ground	Innervisions	Motown
6:53	Primal Scream	Movin' On Up	Screamadelica	Sire
6:57	Blur	To the End	Parklife	Food/SBK
---- air break ----
7:04	The Helio Sequence	Keep Your Eyes Ahead	Keep Your Eyes Ahead	Sub Pop
	DJ Comments: Playing Friday night at Neumo's.
7:08	Tokyo Police Club	Citizens of Tomorrow	A Lesson in Crime	Paper Bag
7:10	R.E.M.	Superman	Lifes Rich Pageant	IRS
---- air break ----
7:13	Elbow	Leaders of the Free World	Leaders of the Free World	V2
7:18	The National	Lit Up	Lit Up	Beggars Banquet
	DJ Comments: Playing the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin this Saturday.
7:22	Le Tigre	Get Off the Internet	From the Desk of Mr. Lady	Mr. Lady
---- air break ----
7:25	David Bowie	Changes	Hunky Dory	Virgin
7:27	The Flaming Lips	Suddenly Everything Has Changed	The Soft Bulletin	Warner Bros.
7:31	Moby	We Are All Made of Stars	18	V2
7:36	The Go! Team	We Just Won't Be Defeated	Thunder, Lightning, Strike	Columbia
---- air break ----
7:40	Public Enemy	Brothers Gonna Work It Out	Fear of a Black Planet	Def Jam
7:45	Cornershop	Funky Days Are Back Again	When I Was Born for the 7th Time	Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.
7:49	The Tough Alliance	A New Chance	A New Chance	Modular
7:53	Stereo MC's	Connected	Connected	Island
---- air break ----
8:00	Japanese Motors	Single Fins & Safety Pins	Japanese Motors	Vice
	DJ Comments: KEXP in-studio today at noon!
8:04	The Smiths	A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours	Strangeways, Here We Come	Sire
8:07	Radiohead	Optimistic	Kid A	Capitol
8:11	Snow Patrol	Wow	Final Straw	Interscope
8:15	Prince	Let's Go Crazy	Purple Rain	Warner Bros.
8:20	Iggy Pop	Lust for Life	Lust for Life	Virgin
8:25	The Replacements	Can't Hardly Wait (Tim Version)	Nothing for All	A&M
---- air break ----
8:31	The Hold Steady	Stay Positive	Stay Positive	Vagrant
	DJ Comments: Playing tomorrow and Friday at Terminal 5, and November 20 and 21 at the Showbox.
8:33	The Pogues	The Sunny Side of the Street	Hell's Ditch	Island
8:36	Bob Dylan	Like a Rolling Stone	Highway 61 Revisited	Columbia
8:42	Bruce Springsteen	Reason to Believe	Nebraska	Columbia
8:46	Johnny Cash	I've Been Everywhere	Unchained	American
8:49	Dusty Springfield	Son of a Preacher Man	Dusty in Memphis	Mercury
8:51	The Velvet Underground	Beginning to See the Light	The Velvet Underground	Verve
8:55	The Long Winters	Sky Is Open	Putting the Days to Bed	Barsuk
	DJ Comments: Playing Town Hall Seattle tomorrow night.
---- air break ----
9:00	James Brown	Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)	All Time Greatest Hits	Polydor
9:03	Spearhead	People in tha Middle	Home	Capitol
	DJ Comments: Playing November 28 and 29 at the Fillmore in Denver.
9:07	Jim Noir	Don't You Worry	Jim Noir	Barsuk
---- air break ----
9:12	Nina Simone	Feeling Good (Joe Claussell Remix)	Verve Remixed	Verve
9:15	The Chemical Brothers	Life Is Sweet	Exit Planet Dust	Astralwerks
9:20	Spank Rock	Top Billin' From Far Left	YoYoYoYoYo	Big Dada
9:24	The Perceptionists	People 4 Prez	The Perceptionists	Definitive Jux
9:26	Superchunk	Hyper Enough	Here's Where the Strings Come In	Merge
9:29	Supergrass	Alright	I Should Coco	Parlophone/EMI
---- air break ----
9:36	The Walkmen	In the New Year	You & Me	Gigantic
	DJ Comments: Playing Sunday night at Cornell University.
9:39	White Rabbits	While We Go Dancing	Fort Nightly	Say Hey
	DJ Comments: Working on their next record.
9:44	PJ Harvey	Good Fortune	Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea	Island
9:47	Sonic Youth	Teen Age Riot	Daydream Nation	DGC
---- air break ----
9:55	Yo La Tengo	Big Day Coming	Painful	Matador

The Big O!

Could the Seattle Stranger say it in any better words? (click on title for link)

Even Iza stayed up well beyond her nap time to witness the election results unfold and watch the Senators give their speeches.