Blog du Wren

Stuff and Music

Anacortes has its fair share of festivals: Arts [& Crafts], Waterfront, Jazz, and Oyster Run just to name a few. My favorite, however, is the one-two combo of Shipwreck Day and What the Heck Fest*.

Shipwreck Day is essentially a large flea market/yard sale that takes over downtown. They close off the and people bring out their to try to offload on unsuspecting "deal hunters". This year I didn't make it down early enough to snag any of the real good deals, but I heard of a couple steals. But along with the deals and steals, there are bucket loads of Chinese-made plastic crap that is not new, but destined for a used table in the near future (if it survives that long). *

What the Heck Fest is the epitome of a hipster music festival, which I say in the fondest way possible. Bands, both local and not, descend on Anacortes with their in tow. Tents start popping up in front lawns, bicycle racks fill up, and the Keds density increase 100 fold. But it is a good time with bands at bars and all ages venues around town all weekend.

This year, as with many recent years, has been the one weekend a year when I'm out to close down the bars*. New [non-retired aged] people are in from out of town which makes for some great mingling. Old friends (or younger siblings of friends*) grace the scene with their presence. In general, it is a good weekend to be out on the town.

Sunday July 20 2008

File under: Anacortes

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FC 41 - Its Whats For Dinner

The past two comics have been geared towards certain people. My hope is that larger audiences can appreciate them, but at their heart, they are kind of like inside jokes with a specific person (whether that person knows about it or not). This week is keeping with that tradition.

Deanna delivered this comic last Thursday and I just about stopped the presses on the comic I was working on and moved this one to the front of the queue because I liked it so much. While I still really like how it turned out after I did my captioning and coloring, the original pen and ink drawing by itself is just too precious. I'd be glad to sell the rights for publication to PETA...if the price is right. (Don't worry Deanna, I'll totally go 50/50 with you*.)

Thursday July 17 2008

File under: comic

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Counter-Quote for Wednesday

Yeah, yeah, so I neglected to post a quote this Monday. I was all caught up in the excitement of sleeping in the pop-top of a VW van*. Plus, I figure posts about actual happenings in my life should take precedence over filler posts. But since there isn't anything happening in my life now, I will resort to good old filler. (Hopefully next week we'll be back on track with Monday quotes.)

While spreading the word of Despair, Inc. today, I ran across another great source for counter-quotes, that is quotes that are meant to sound inspirational, profound, motivational, etc. but aren't so much. Ashleigh Brilliant has an awesome name but a horrible website. Still, if you wade deep enough, you'll come across such gems as "I try to take it one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once", "When I find true wisdom, I'll let you know (if letting you know still seems important)", and "Any day is a good day to have a mother". But since I should probably choose one in particular to encapsulate my mood on this Wednesday, I'll choose this:

"There's only one thing more beautiful than a beautiful dream, and that's a beautiful reality."

Wednesday July 16 2008

File under: quote

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Oregon Country Fair 2008

The word I've most often been using to describe the Oregon Country Fair (which I attended this weekend) is "magic". Others include: body paint, juggling, dressed in drag, food(!), uninhibited (or not dressed at all), art, impossible, music, good people, harmony, fantastical, freedom, and HOT. If you've never been, you should go and experience it. Words and pictures cannot do it justice.

But the fair was only part of the adventure. Transportation for the weekend was a pop-top '77 VW bus, crammed with 2 more people than seat belts. At the first stop, 30 minutes into the long drive, we realized the starter didn't work. Luckily my childhood provided much wisdom and know-how regarding push starting a VW bus which came in handy the rest of the weekend*. Long, late-night drives, sleeping in a rest area, and running out of gas only added to the adventure of it all.

Monday July 14 2008

File under: pics, misc

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What is it

One of my favorite non-personal blogs, Neatorama, has a sometimes feature of "What is it?". It is exactly what you might imagine: from pictures, you gotta decide what it is.

There has been an it lying around our house for a while that has us quite perplexed. I've done some research as to what it is, but have so far been thwarted. Then I figured, why not open it up to everyone to play along. Here are some pictures: , , . If you can't tell from the picture, the logo reads "Rex" with "Made in Finland" below. The metal spikes on the inside are angled downwards and towards the upturned tip. The two tags read "105208, $4.00" in handwritten script and "Devil's Thumb, $4.00", neither of which I think have anything to do with it's origin.

Anyway, if anyone thinks they've got a clue to what it is, post it in the comments. If you have a source to prove you're right, you will be reigning champion...OF THE WORLD*!

(I know the title/headline to this post should have a question mark, but whoever wrote this crappy blog software doesn't properly encode headlines, so it will have to remain an implied question mark.)

Saturday July 12 2008

File under: misc, contest

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FC 40 - That Darn Economy

It's funny how there are whole sub-cultures out there that, if you aren't exposed to them, you know nothing about, but when you find yourself aware of them, you notice them everywhere. I guess that is all part of expanding your mind-brain. But that's just an aside.

This week's comic is a product Paint Shop Pro 5.0 with yours truly at the helm. I feel like my technical skillz with the program are improving, which is nice. While I can't compete with the photoshop masters out there, I'm figuring out quicker and easier ways to accomplish the tasks I want (distorting, tweaking coloring on only a portion of an image, etc. etc.). Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

(P.S. Sean, this comic is mostly for you. I figure you might get a chuckle even if no one else does.)

Friday July 11 2008

File under: comic

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Mathematical Mythbusting

Two occasions recently have had me pondering the speed of sound. The first such occasion was a lightening storm, of which we have very few here in the rain shadow of the Cascades. Lightening and thunder filled the sky all evening and into the night. Secondly, as I mentioned in my previous post, I watched the fireworks from a significant distance, which had an influence not only on the volume of the bang, but also on the delay.

In talking to people (esp. about the lightening, although I don't see what it wouldn't also apply to the fireworks), the rule of 1 second between sight and sound equals one mile of distance to said sight was oft cited. I myself used this rule in my early days. This time around, however, I got a little curious about that rule of thumb and wanted to run the numbers. Perhaps to your surprise, the rule isn't so accurate. Observe*:

Givens
Speed of Sound	S_s = 761 mph (or .2 miles per second)
Speed of Light	S_c = 670,616,629 mph (or 186,282 miles per second)
System of equations
Time it takes light to reach you	t_c = d/S_c
Time it takes sound to reach you	t_s = d/S_s
Time elapsed between light and sound	t_e = t_s -t_c
Solving
Solving for t_c	t_c = t_s - t_e
Replacing for t_c and t_s	d/S_s - t_e = d/S_c
Moving stuff around	d/S_s - d/S_c = t_e
Factoring for d	d(1/S_s - 1/S_c) = t_e
Solve for d	d = t_e / (1/S_s - 1/S_c)
Plugging givens back in (using miles per second)	d = t_e / (5 - .000001*)

This shows that instead of every one second between lightening and thunder equating to one mile, every 5 seconds equals to a mile. So next time you hear that thunder 5 seconds after the lightening, don't go rushing outside thinking you've got a 5 mile buffer because it's a lot closer than you think.

Thursday July 10 2008

File under: misc

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Kayamping

After trying to talk people into it for years*, I finally had success in finding someone to go kayak camping with*. was the location (about an hour paddle from South Harbor Park). July 4th was the date. From our perch on the rocks, we could see the whole valley lighting off their tributes to America. The highlight, and what we positioned ourselves for, was the Anacortes display, which, as always, didn't disappoint. Watching the fireworks from such a distance and surrounded by such natural beauty was a great new experience. No deafening booms and no car alarms were just a few of the perks.

Not only was the fireworks watching good times, but the camping was good times as well. was Frito chili pie and corn. Pre-fireworks entertainment was and [further*] exploration of the island. Other than the wicked headwind and broken rudder [again...] on the paddle home, had a grand old time.

Monday July 7 2008

File under: Anacortes, misc

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Quote for Monday 3

"I began to enjoy the exhilarating delight of traveling, a life of desire, gratification, and liberty."
-Jules Verne in A Journey to the Center of the Earth

Monday July 7 2008

File under: quote

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Green Juggling in the Parade

Last year, I posted about Anacortes's 4th of July Parade, the quintessential small town parade. The big highlight for me was the Beat the Heat group who marched to advocate living a lighter impact life specifically through less carbon emissions. This year, since I've become a member(ish) of the group, I decided to walk with them and effectively restart my annual tradition of juggling in the parade.

Since just juggling wouldn't really make any sense in the context of beating the heat, I had to get a creative. My solution: themed juggling . And for those who couldn't really tell what the idea was, I made a little I wore on my back. While I don't think anyone really got it*, people seemed to at least enjoy the juggling.

The point of the exercise was as much to have fun both in the artistic endeavor of creating the clubs and walking in the parade as it was to influence/get people to think. I think the whole thing can be called a success.

Thanks to Gretchen, Ma, and Ron for a while I walked.

Saturday July 5 2008

File under: juggling, Anacortes

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