She was listening to Taylor Swift; I was listening to the Flaming Lips

This weekend I competed in the Sophomore section of the 116th Annual Minnesota Open. Including this weekend, I have played in it six times since 2003. (I only missed '04 when I was living in Phoenix.)

I had a very enjoyable weekend, and I wanted to share some anecdotes, which may or not be in chronological order.

In round two I sat down to play a girl, who I guessed was younger than my own daughter. As we were both donning on iPods, I asked what she was listening to. (See title again.)

Other than the little smile in recognition of divergent tastes in music, we began our game. She played the English. It turned into a very wild reversed Sicilian variation, in which I was under constant attack. As I expected that she knew these lines well, I was shitting bricks for quite a while. Unlike the game I had played the night before, which was much more balanced, this game was completely about defense for me.

When I finished playing move after accurate move grinding down her attack, we had nothing more than a drawn position. I was relieved to escape this tense game with that draw!

Arts funding in Minnesota

One of my friends informed me about potential cuts to the arts proposed by Governor Pawlenty. Here is one perspective in the University of Minnesota's paper on it.

Five long years

Boy, have these last five years been tough at times. I'm glad to say that I'm through the hard part.

In memory of my brother, Michael -- April 17, 1970 - January 16, 2004.

Love you, bro!

The Times has an interesting article on "24."

I wanted to share this article I found on "24." It deals with human rights, torture, and related ideas depicted in the show.

We got smoked!

We lost all four of our games. It was a very tough evening!

On a positive note, I got to see one of my buddy's band play at Memory Lanes! It was great hearing some late night punk rock!

Round Four of TCCL tonight

After winning last month's round 3-1, Tal Tales has a 2-1 record going into tonight's match against the 3M64 team. It should be a tough and interesting round, as we will be playing higher rated players on each board. I'm excited to play!

...but life has lightened up considerably.

Last week when I posted the video, I was really stressed and down. With the Mumbai massacre and some other deaths closer to friends and family, I felt worn out.

Fortunately, I recharged after getting some major work completed with school and a little fresh perspective, energy, and humor.

I started a new blog over here. Let me know what you think.

Thanks!

Life has been heavy lately...

One of my favorite coffee shops composts now!

I'm sitting in Fireroast Mountain Cafe to do a little work on my thesis, and they have fliers advertising that they are composting their waste! They, along with some other Twin Cities restaurants, are featured at Eureka Recycling. Check it out and support your local businesses that are taking a next step!

On Thomas Friedman, global warming, et al

Over the last few days, my attention has been more focused on issues of global warming and the future of our planet. What helped spur that focus was that my mother-in-law sent me Thomas Friedman's newest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America. Since it came in the mail Friday, I've been reading it as often as I am able.

I just noticed that I've paid more attention to the home thermostat, turned off more lights at home and work when they're not needed, and started going more paperless with bills. I consider global warming an urgent problem, one that I as a father, an intellectual, and a trained scientist, cannot leave alone.

I've thought more about global warming and how it is tied into other issues after reading one of his recent pieces, How to Fix a Flat, regarding the Big Three automobile manufacturers, and by watching him on Meet the Press this past Sunday.

Consider picking up his book if you want a well-thought analytical study of where we are at and how we can improve our chances in the future!

Close Guantanamo Bay!

Music and your health

I'm listening to this interesting story on NPR--Science Friday--about how listening to music that brings you joy can improve your cardiovascular health.

Thank you, Vets!!!

I honor your service to this country. Thank you!

"Keep the Camera Alive"

I took the title from Skinny Puppy's "Tin Omen." Although the song is about Kent State, I thought it appropriate to keep the world's eyes on Myanmar. The New York Times reports that the Myanmar government has sentenced 14 democracy reporters. Horrible!

Thank you, Matt and Trey!

I think laughter is one key to a healthy life. Last night, as part of detoxing from too much politics, we watched South Park's newest episode, About Last Night...

It dealt with the election and politics, but only tangentially. I recommend this if you are in the need of a good laugh, regardless of who you voted for!

Vote!

It was nice to get a reminder from Bob Weir this morning in my email!

Edit: And I got a recorded message from Bob Weir on my cell phone Monday morning reminding me to vote!!!

Happy Halloween

John Perry Barlow had this to say about the last debate...

The author of "Looks Like Rain," our wedding song, had this to say about the last debate (on Aiko Annie's blog). Not for the faint of heart!

I just had to respond

Local columnist Katherine Kersten wrote another of her off the deep end screeds for the Star Tribune today. I just needed to respond...

Tal Tales beat Metro Chess 3-1 in round two

Our team, Tal Tales, beat Metro Chess 3-1 last night at the Roseville Skating Oval. The results of the round will be posted shortly. Well played, team!

We are 1-1. I'm happy to report I'm 1.5 out of 2 points, a great way to start this year!

Round Two of the TCCL tomorrow

We will be meeting at the Roseville Oval tomorrow for the second round of the Twin Cities Chess League. We will have a full team this time!

My round one game in the TCCL

Here is my round one game against John. I erred early getting a Pawn behind, but I played accurate defense the rest of the game to get the draw.

Tal Tales had a great first round!

We were short a player for the first round, but Tal Tales had an excellent first round. I would like to welcome Luke Robson and Matt Henderson to the team. Luke is our new board one, as Kelly Perleberg has moved up to the round robin section of the TCCL. I am the third board, but I moved up to board two for the evening. Matt played board three.

I got a draw against John Thomson as Black. In what looked like a drawn position, Luke pulled out a great endgame win against Jeff Higgins. Matt lost against Steven Kravik.

However, I am gratified we got 1.5 for the three games we played, especially against two very strong players. Jeff and John had an average rating of just shy of 1900, while Luke and I averaged roughly 1460.

Twin Cities Chess League tonight, but in other odd and exciting news...

...The Flaming Lips movie, Christmas on Mars, was just shown in NYC today. I hope it comes to Minneapolis or St. Paul!

Here's the trailer...

Annie has a great post!

Take a look over here! It made my day!

Enough is enough!

I am appalled by how the St. Paul Police intimidated and arrested non-violent people last week. (I am also appalled with the anarchists who have such little consideration of others but plenty of consideration for their own importance.) None of this behavior befits our democracy. I am both saddened and very angry with what went down last week.

Police have a duty to protect people, property, and people's rights. When you (police) start taking away people's rights, you are not performing your duties. I think what you did is very self-serving and not honorable.

This song brought me to tears....

...when I was at 10,000 Lakes. I had never seen the Flaming Lips before, and I knew very few of their songs. But this song just hit me. (I'm a softie.)

I was a tent pole, again...

Here I am in Detroit Lakes last Wednesday helping one of my friends set up his tent for the 10,000 Lakes Festival. It was pretty windy that day, so we were all working quickly to ensure that our tents didn't become very large kites!

...Phil Lesh just published the setlist from Saturday night...it was a very good show! Shakedown opener!!!

The last show I caught was right after Phil and Friends--Cornmeal. The link has a download of this very energetic show.

I was a tent pole...

...on Saturday while helping to hold a tarp up during a neighborhood performance of The Adventures of Juan Bobo by Open Eye Figure Theatre. (My son stayed dry while playing with one of his buddies.)

It was a delightful show, made even funnier while undergoing the impromptu exercise.

Obama at the Xcel

I am very thankful I had the opportunity to attend the Obama rally last night at the Xcel Energy Center. My friend Jeff and I got downtown at 6 p.m. and had a 30 minute walk to the end of the line. At the time I was estimating that there was little chance we'd get in, as we walked well over 15 city blocks. Regardless, I was happy to see the throng of highly enthusiastic people waiting on the historic night.

The line did get moving, albeit slowly, and after 8 p.m. I thought for sure that the Xcel had filled up, but had not heard anything. The line moved faster, and before we knew it, we were outside just a few feet away from the entrance. Jeff and I made it in just a couple of minutes before Barack took the stage.

I am still processing the evening. I am filled with a huge amount of respect for him, but also for the voters as a whole who came out to vote. Despite that racism is still a problem we as a society need to grapple with, I am very proud of our country having moved from the violence and chaos of the civil rights movement to nominating an African-American to be a Presidential candidate. It does speak positive volumes about how we have grown as a country!

I'm sure I'll have more to say in the next few days, but I wanted to share my initial set of thoughts about last evening, and to say thanks again to Jeff for getting me out to the rally! You are a great friend!

The closing of the Warfield

I'm thankful for Irenie keeping up on all things Bob Weir related. She posted a news item Monday regarding the last nights of the Warfield Theater. Bob joined Phil Lesh for the last night of the five show run. Phil had a very unique way of closing this out. Check out the set lists!

I'm downloading these shows off of bt.etree to listen to later. I'm psyched to listen to these and even more excited to see Phil and Friends at 10,000 Lakes Festival this summer!

We saw Juno last night...

Thanks to the grandparents, Melissa and I went out last night to see Juno for the first time. I thought it encompassed so much: it was beautiful, sad, funny, and thoughtful. Thanks to Diablo Cody for such a great film!!!

Dread maintenance

I wanted to give Stefanie at Maude thanks again for the very nice maintenance work she did on my dreads. I haven't seen her for a couple of years, but by chance, I ran into her recently. She always did good work on my dreads in the past. If you need dread work done by a stylist with a great attitude, check her out!

A very nice weekend!

My sister-in-law flew in this weekend to visit us. Our son turned four on Friday! We had a very nice time with his aunt and with other family members and friends. We had a party for him at the Children's Museum yesterday. Lots of kids running around, while we adults talked politics, sustainable development, careers, etc. Good times!!!.

Busy evening ahead! Chess AND music

I've got the last round of the Twin Cities Chess League this evening followed by a show at First Avenue. They are having a benefit concert for the music department of Lyndale Elementary. To be frank, I'm more excited about the music than the chess (I'm 0-6 in the League), but I'll play a good game regardless.

Spring is here!

I took this picture yesterday afternoon. I made a 311 call to the city to take care of the ice and flooding water in the alley behind our home. Thanks to the hard work of a couple of workers and a copious amount of calcium chloride, they finally opened the sewer. It was covered with roughly four inches of ice! (The picture is a result of my fascination with running water since I was a kid.)

"I lost some rounds so the prize wasn't anything...

...a Knight in the back, and more of the same."

Obama!

I was both a bit surprised, but entirely pleased, that three of the four remaining members of the Grateful Dead got together on Monday night to play a show for Barack Obama. They have played many benefits before, but never for a political candidate.

One of my web buddies, Irenie, has more details about the event over at her blog.

The show is available over at bt.etree.

Bobby Fischer

In the last week since Bobby Fischer's death, I realized that I probably would not have gotten into chess if not for him. My dad was enthusiastic about chess in 1972, and in either that year or the next, he taught me the royal game.

"The Bobby" as I like to refer to him was probably the greatest chess player ever, and it is sad that he went into obscurity and mental illness. In my chess lessons this morning, some of the students asked about chess, but two asked about "bad things he said about the United States." I explained to them that Bobby suffered from mental illness later in his life.

On a very positive note, I used the Game of the Century to demonstrate the two key goals in the opening--1) develop your minor pieces and a few pawns to control the center and 2) protect your King by castling. In the game, both Donald Byrne and Fischer followed the first rule, but Bobby punished Byrne for not castling! Bobby was 12 at the time, just a few years older than the students I teach.

I am thankful for chess for Bobby's countless contributions to it! Thank you and rest in peace!

Michael Joseph Erjavec

April 17, 1970 - January 16, 2004.

Still miss you, Bro!

Love,

Joe

Happy New Year

It has been one month since I wrote anything here. I had such a busy month I did not have time!

In addition to my chess teaching, I started working for Kelly Services doing temporary work at an area foundation to help them get through their year-end gift processing. It has been gratifying to see how generous people can be!

Our friends Jeff and Tiffany held the annual holiday party in mid-December that was great! As many of our group are busy with little children, we seldom get much time to get together as a group. I always look forward to the good times and cheer with this group of friends!

We had a good family vacation visiting Melissa's family in Alabama. I haven't been to her mom's home before, so it was good to finally visit there. On the tail end of the trip, we spent a couple of wonderful days of eating, drinking, listening to music, and generally absorbing the good energy of the great folks of New Orleans! I loved visiting there, and I would love to go back.

I am making forward progress on my Master's degree with my recent visit with my advisor. I am looking forward to completing this.

I wish all the reader's of my blog a happy new year! Cheers and good blessings to you!

Particle at the Cabooze

The snow that fell earlier in the day didn't keep a few hundred people from enjoying Particle's Saturday night show at the Cabooze. I had a great time, and remarkably I wasn't too tired on Sunday, despite getting home late!

Setlist (from The Breeze Board):

12.01.07 Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN (w/ Josh Clark of TLG)

I: Triple Threat, Young Lust*, Six Long Weeks, Hot Dog**,W*** > Launchpad

II: Battle Without Honor or Humanity#, Wet Spot, Truth Don Die***, Silver Lining > Children's Story > 7th Gear > Find a Way, Denmark

encore: Jam > 7 Minutes till Radio Darkness

*w/ Eminence Front tease
** TGL song first time played
***w/ billie jean tease for 25th anniversary of Thriller
#w/ Baby Please Don't Go tease

Pakistan: Cricket star Khan freed

Imram Khan, the Pakistani cricket star who started a hunger strike Monday to protest the state of emergency imposed in Pakistan, was freed with hundreds of other political prisoners!

From the Seattle Post-Intellingencer: Dissent starts with a YouTube clip.

Mark Trahant, editor of the Seattle Post-Intellingencer editorial page, wrote an opinion piece on Pakistan, dissent, and YouTube. Please check out the article here.

Holy f'in Meat Puppets!!!!!

Two mornings after the Meat Puppets' Saturday night show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, I am still on the floor!

First off, the Varsity is a very nice venue. It is carpeted, warm, clean, with tables on both sides and above the main floor. It has the ambiance of a jazz-dinner club, which was inviting and frankly, quite a bit better on the feet than standing on the hardened floor of most other venues. As part of the now 40+ club, it was great walking into the Varsity and not fee like the normally out-of-place, maturing, male rock fan, aka "the creepy old guy," (ala Greg Behrendt). Part of my tribe now includes other aging hipsters, and we weathered and peppered-haired individuals were a majority on Saturday!

Ha Ha Tonka, a band from the Ozarks, opened. They played the typical 30 or so minutes, and they had enough diversity and energy to keep me engaged the entire time. Two songs in particular stick out. They performed an a cappella piece, later followed by Black Betty. They closed their set with a country-flavored morsel that was a good appetizer before the Puppets came on.

It has been 19 years since I saw them in the Cleveland Flats at Peabody's Down Under. My head at the time was filled with both Grateful Dead and many punk songs. I was wondering how they would sound after a long break filled with personal struggles. (The Onion did a good interview with them.)

Curt came out, followed by Ted, followed by Cris. I was fortunate to get a space right in front of Cris. They warmed up with a couple bars, then we were Attacked by Monsters for the opener!

Cris was wiry and on fire as he beat on his bass, while Curt played fluidly. Ted Marcus, although not the original drummer, played well with the Kirkwoods throughout the set, which included Up On the Sun, Plateau, Looking at the Rain, Lost, and The Whistling Song.

As they were nearing the end of the show, they pulled out their ferocious jams, a mixture between very fast punk rhythm and psychedelic jams. Those couple of interludes amazed me, and I felt they played even stronger when I saw them years ago!

They wrapped up an encore of Climbing, Maiden's Milk, and Backwater. The latter was their only hit song, but one that many in the audience were excited to hear.

I was gratified to see them play again and with so much intensity!

Conference on the Grateful Dead

Weirophile Irenie, at Weir Freaking, wrote a post partially about the upcoming conference, Unbroken Chain: The Grateful Dead in Music, Culture and Memory at the University of Massachusetts. As noted in the comments section, Steve Gimbel will be blogging about the conference at his blog, Philosophers' Playground.

Interesting lecture last night by Fred Pearce

Last evening I went to Macalester College for Fred Pearce's lecture based on his book When the Rivers Run Dry. The main premise is that the downside of the Green Revolution, which prevented even more widespread hunger, is that there are now water shortages in different parts of the world. These shortages may be responsible for conflicts in the future.

Many crops that we enjoy, such as cotton, alfalfa, and coffee, require huge amounts of water for their growth. The amount of "virtual water" that gets traded in the forms of goods is enormous; there is no feasible way to move that amount of actual water around the globe.

As dire as some of this talk was, he highlighted the use of different technologies, such as drip irrigation, that made efficient use of water for crops in some countries.

Reasonable and just water usage is something that we as a human family need to examine carefully.

Game One, Joe v Dad

Here's the first game I played with my father. I realized 29. g5 was a mistake, and I held my breath while he looked at a different part of the position.

Much too busy lately...

...although it has all been rather good. I just had my parents in town to celebrate a big birthday with me (a hint: it begins with a 4.) It was great, as I haven't had a birthday with them since I moved to Minnesota. We had a relatively quiet Friday, the day of my birthday, and a busy Saturday, with a party at Buca's in St. Paul.

They got me a special present of a set of wooden chess pieces. I have only used it twice now, and those two games were with my dad. I greatly appreciate that surprise present--it was over and above the gift of their presence in town!

This weekend I co-ran the computer work for Minneapolis Public School's Check It Out tournament. It was great to see so many students, from beginner to well skilled, play.

Yesterday we had a pleasant day working in the yard. It was very nice, as today it is blustery!

Electric Apricot--Quest for Festeroo trailer

Round Two, Twin Cities Chess League

My opponent, Connor, was able to tie the match with his win against me in the second round game in the Twin Cities Chess League. I haven't run the analysis, but I think my biggest mistake was 17...f6, as that allowed the hole for the Knight. In retrospect, playing 17...g5 instead may have worked.

Connor played tough with time down. I was able to gain back some of my Pawns, but he was able to get his King into the fray on the Kingside to promote that Pawn. (We lost track of the remaining 14 moves in the time scramble.)

Henry Rollins put on a great three hour performance!

I can say so many wonderful things about last night's performance at First Avenue. Despite that I got there just late enough to not have a chair and had to stand the entire evening, I got to listen to Henry tell some great stories and provide his insight into war, peace, injured soldiers, world travel, getting to sing for one of his favorite and most influential punk bands, and many other fascinating and surprising topics.

Henry knows how to spin a tale. He'll start out at one point, take a ten minute detour to tell a seemingly unrelated anecdote, but then bring us back to the original thread of the story. The anecdote fills in some of the needed texture. I enjoy that journey, because he does well what few people do at all.

I greatly appreciate that he shares his experiences, because I can learn quite a few things about the world through his stories. My travel is very ordinary, and his is incredible. He's been to places I don't think I will have an opportunity to see in the near future. He informs his understanding through travel, and the fact that he talks about the connections he's made with people of other countries helps me to understand the world a bit better.

He is a very considerate person, and he takes the hard path through some difficult discussions and issues. He's not satisfied with easy answers. He talked about one person who has been in the news lately, and he gave me pause to think what it may be like to live in that person's shoes.

Even after speaking three hours, he was gracious to meet with fans afterwards. I will treasure getting to talk to him for two minutes and having my picture taken with him.

Edit: One of the last things that Henry talked about was the hard work that the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is doing to help the soldiers that have returned. Please visit the site and see how you can help!

Henry Rollins tonight at First Avenue!

A month ago I posted that Henry Rollins would be starting his spoken word tour, and tonight he is finally in the Twin Cities! I am very excited to listen to him in person!

Minneapolis residents: Save NRP (Neighborhood Revitalization Program)

If you are an active community member in your neighborhood in Minneapolis, you are more likely than not aware that NRP is currently in danger. Many neighbors in my neighborhood, Longfellow, as well as others have been busy working to keep this great program going.

So, fyi, this Sunday there is a meeting at the Columbia Grounds Coffee Shop, 3301 Central Avenue NE.

From the Longfellow Community Council website, here is more information on the Save NRP Committee.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Save NRP Committee

Committee goal/purpose: Preserve the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP).

The Neighborhood Revitalization Program is an investment program based on empowering residents to participate in building a better community and city. Residents and other neighborhood stakeholders create Neighborhood Action Plans (NAPs) that describe the neighborhood they want in the future and NRP will help accomplish their vision. NRP completes the empowerment process by providing funding to each neighborhood to help implement their plan.

Since 1995, the following benefits have been realized in the Longfellow, Howe, Cooper and Hiawatha neighborhoods through Longfellow’s NRP Action Plan:

• Volunteer efforts by hundreds of residents who banded together to promote community betterment through projects ranging from playground construction to block clubs to river gorge restoration.

• More than 15% of the housing stock in the four neighborhoods has been improved as a result of Longfellow NRP housing programs.

• A total of $9.3 million in NRP funds have leveraged over $15 million in additional investments in Longfellow.
  

The strides Longfellow has made as a result of NRP are at risk. The current city council and mayor want to cut the program’s funding. In response, LLC formed the Save NRP committee in July of 2007. The committee’s core strategies are:

• Mobilize the greater Longfellow community

• Politically engage our elected officials

• Network with other neighborhoods

• Create awareness
  

The committee is made up of neighborhood volunteers. Please consider joining us!

Meeting day and time: Check the calendar at www.longfellow.org

Links:

http://neighbors.meetup.com/45/ - Find out who is already involved in saving NRP

http://www.neighbors4nrp.com – Neighborhood maps, city contact information, NRP facts, and more

http://www.nrp.org/

Election Guide 2008: The Candidates on Climate Change

On The Intersection science blog written by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, Kirshenbaum wrote a post on global warming that included a link to the New York Times Election Guide. Read it to get the candidates' perspective on climate change.

Twin Cities Chess League, Round Two, this Friday

The second round of TCCL is this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Roseville Skating Oval. The standings, the pairings, and other information is available on the MSCA website in the forum.

Do you know about the Minnesota Energy Challenge?

The Minnesota Energy Challenge is a means for understanding your home's or business' carbon footprint with some suggestions for how to lower it. (It took me a few minutes to answer the questions.)

Also on This Week: New poet laureate, Charles Simic

I found Charles Simic's poem, which had a chess theme, to be interesting. Read the poem and listen to the video on the ABC News site.

George Will on This Week yesterday

I'm not surprised to see some reactions to Will's statement on the blogosphere this morning. When we were watching This Week, Will's comments on social conservations resonated with me. Check out some reactions at Crooks and Liars: George Will tells social conservatives to grow up.

You probably already know that Anand is the 2007 World Chess Champion!

It was killing me just a bit this weekend not knowing how the last two rounds finished. So I was eager and happy to log on and see that Vishy Anand is the chess champion! Congratulations! He had a great score of four wins, no losses, and ten draws for nine points. Nicely done!

My round four game: Thursday Knighter IX

I'm posting this game, certainly not because it included perfect play by either of us--we both had some positional errors--but those positional errors led to some exciting tactical play. Roger and I talked about the game afterwards. Any comments from you the reader?

Round 13 today: World Chess Championship

Today could be the decisive round in the World Chess Championship. With just two rounds remaining, only three players are in contention for first place:

Vishy Anand with 8.0 (4-0-8)
Boris Gelfand with 7.0 (3-1-8)
Vladimir Kramnik with 6.5 (2-1-9)

Gelfand is White against Kramnik, while Anand is Black against Grischuk. The action starts at 2 p.m. CST. Games can be viewed at the ChessMexico site.

Update: As of a little after 4 p.m. today, Gelfand and Kramnik drew after 26 moves.

Gelfand now has 7.5 (3-1-9)
Kramnik has 7.0 (2-1-10)

Grischuk and Anand are in the endgame at their thirty third move.

Two options for casual chess

Some of you may have seen Dan's posting on the Chess Castle site for casual chess on Tuesday's at Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Starting September 18^th, there will be a new location in Minneapolis where you can drop in to play chess on Tuesday nights. Whether you want a slow game, some blitz chess, or just finding someone to analysis your games with, stop in. All skill levels welcomed. The pastors of the Redeemer Lutheran Church on 1800 Glenwood Ave, and Jack Mangan, a scholastic chess organizer, have set this up. There is no charge and no memberships are required. It will run from six to nine in the evening. You can park for free behind Milda’s Restaurant at Logan and Glewood, and just cross Logan and enter the church through the front door. The #9 bus goes by every thirty minutes.

I am very happy to see this, as a casual chess night was one of the services offered at our old site in the Nordeast. That always gave me someplace to send beginners, who would contact me looking for places to explore chess, without making the large jump to rated tournament chess immediately. If you yourself know such people, point out this new opportunity. (Also along those lines, the chess league is another excellent starting point.)

I would like to let you also know about another group that I found through meetup.com, The Twin Cities uber-casual Chess Meetup Group. If you don't know about meetup.com, it is a website dedicated to creating gatherings of people with similar interests throughout many different cities through the States. The chess group started in the last couple of days, so please visit and join if you are interested in some casual chess!

Holy crap! The Meat Puppets are touring again!!!

Although I got to see but one show of theirs--that was in '87--the Meat Puppets were one of my favorite bands during that time of my life. (The Dead, of course, with Mike Watt's fIREHOSE, The Butthole Surfers, and Rollins Band also had my respect.)

I just found out today that the Meat Puppets will be touring again, including a show in Minneapolis, November 10, at the Varsity Theater!

World Chess Championship: Anand has a half point lead

After his defeat of Alexander Grischuk today in an exciting game, Vishy Anand holds a half point lead, with 5.0 points, in the World Chess Championship over Boris Gelfand. The official crosstable and pairings are at the Chess Mexico site. All the players have one more game tomorrow, kicking off the second half of the tournament, before a rest day on Saturday.

The live and replayable games are here.

Enjoy!

Edit: Susan Polgar reported that "the energy level here is quite high."

Excellent article on the link between morality and genetics

Yesterday I was reading the paper copy of the New York Times, and I found this excellent article about the research of Dr. Jonathan Haidt.

It starts off:

"Where do moral rules come from? From reason, some philosophers say. From God, say believers. Seldom considered is a source now being advocated by some biologists, that of evolution.

At first glance, natural selection and the survival of the fittest may seem to reward only the most selfish values. But for animals that live in groups, selfishness must be strictly curbed or there will be no advantage to social living. Could the behaviors evolved by social animals to make societies work be the foundation from which human morality evolved?"

Read the entire article here: Is 'Do Unto Others' Written Into Our Genes?

Prison Break

Since nothing happened on Friday night except my choking my first round game at the TCCL...

I think I'll mention the season premier of Prison Break tonight. I don't know how many regular readers of my blog or those who have found it randomly have watched it, but it is one of my favorite shows on television right now.

Just a few hours to go!

World Chess Championship, Round One, is just kicking off.

The matchups for round one are:

GM Kramnik Vladimir - GM Svidler Peter
GM Morozevich Alexander - GM Aronian Levon
GM Anand Viswanathan - GM Gelfand Boris
GM Grischuk Alexander - GM Leko Peter

A live link to the games is here.

Henry Rollins starts his spoken word tour on Friday!

Henry Rollins starts the Provoked spoken word tour in Flagstaff, Arizona this Friday. He'll be on the road for nearly two months, including a stop in the Twin Cities on Monday, October 15.

He is one of my favorite performers. I've seen Rollins Band perform numerous times, as well as see him speak a few times as well. His stories range from the deadly serious to uproariously funny.

--------------

Lately I've been appreciating his serious tact on issues and stories affecting America. On his IFC show this season, he had two Iraqi vets. One, Lieutenant Paul Rieckhoff, wrote an amazing book on his experiences fighting in Iraq called Chasing Ghosts, Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective.

I picked this book up at the library this summer and read through it slowly. I could have read faster, but Rieckhoff's description of some of the horrors of war churned my stomach. I know his job is one I could not handle.

I was amazed by his leadership in getting his troops through some extremely difficult situations. He kept his humanity intact while deciphering who was good versus who was bad in the streets of Iraq.

-----------------

Regardless of what Henry discusses during this tour, it will be worth the time to sit and listen!

Al Franken on Renewable Energy

I found this article via Digg.

Go Al!

Countdown to Twin Cities Chess League: T-4 days!

A mere four days remain until the Twin Cities Chess League begins this Friday at the Roseville Skating Oval. I encourage those of you who are interested but do not yet have a team to visit this link on the MSCA website to discuss your needs, or simply show up Friday to join a team.

Some post-rain photos

I find it interesting what the rain brings. Here are a couple of recent photos.


It may not be apparent, but the dark area is a colony of ants who have swarmed around something embedded in the crack in the sidewalk.


This mushroom is one of very many that have sprouted in the neighborhood, now that the rain has enabled the spores to flourish.


Finally, grass seed that I planted in May, just before the drought, has finally sprouted and started to cover a bare spot in the ground.

Minnesota State Fair...what do the kids think of the food?

Last year I wrote about the two trips I made to the Minnesota State Fair, including a review of Umphrey's McGee and of the food. We went yesterday, Saturday afternoon, and I asked the kids and Melissa what they thought. So here it goes:

The first item was Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Tenderloin on a Stick.

• Big sister (before tasting): "Mmmmm!"
• Little sister: "It's great!"
• Big sister (after tasting): "Mmmmm!"
• Joe: "Juicy. Tasty."
• Melissa: "It's good. It's no turkey drumstick."
• Little sister made a sad face when it was gone.
  

Melissa had an opportunity to talk to Al Franken's people. She told the camera person that he was too lefty for her. (She felt bad not getting my feedback, but we rectified that later.)

Little brother wanted a Foot-Long Hot Dog. We adults agreed it was okay, but it is a much better little person food.

Melissa ordered a small Turkey Leg from a different vendor than last year. I thought it was pretty good, but Melissa felt it was too fatty.

Two weekends ago, Melissa missed the chance to try an Irish egg at the Irish Fair. However, we found Scotch Eggs on a Stick, so we had to try this. The little sister said that "It's good. It's so really, really, really good." Big sister gave it two thumbs up and a smile. Melissa liked it, but little brother didn't like the egg part. (He liked the sausage part.)

The "World's Greatest Fries" were not quite that. Mis gave them a B/B+, my daughter gave them an A-, and I'd give them a B+.

We split a couple of Deep Fried Snickers. The experience is best summed up by my daughter, "Absolutely disgusting, and the best thing I ever tasted."

After the long day we were headed towards the exit, but we passed by Franken's booth. Al was there, but he had a long line of people. Melissa found the cameraman she talked with earlier. She reminded him that she was the person who said she'd more likely vote for Coleman, but then she introduced me. After a couple of seconds of camera fright, I said that Al's values more closely reflect mine, and I listed a few of the things that are important to me. Melissa felt much better that both of us spoke our minds.

It was a good visit. The weather was very pleasant, we walked a couple of miles, but we didn't drink near enough water. We were pretty tired by the time we got on the bus to go back to our park and ride lot. We picked up some caterpillars from the butterfly house that are now munching on their milkweed.

Tags: Minnesota State Fair

Great non-profits at 10,000 Lakes Festival

Besides the excellent music that I enjoyed at the 10,000 Lakes Festival last month, one of many other things I was impressed with was the inclusion of some excellent non-profits. I had a chance to talk with the people at HeadCount and at Conscious Alliance.

I am a registered and active voter, and I appreciate that HeadCount has worked diligently to register more people and encourage them to engage more in our democracy. (I'm posting this entry today because of the interesting preview of their documentary on their home page.)

Conscious Alliance has worked to feed many poor individuals. In exchange for a donation of food or money, Conscious Alliance has provided some wonderful posters. I've gotten posters from 10KLF, an STS9 show, and The Dead. I think the exchange of some great art for the donation is quite worth it. It brings me joy to think of that exchange!

More on my uncle's sci-fi book

A month ago I posted an entry on my uncle's newly published science fiction book, The Caverns of Mare Cetus. Today an article on him and his book were published in his community paper.

The interview starts out:

Why did you write this book?

Erjavec: I've always had a love for science fiction books. I even took a science fiction writing course as an elective in college, of all things. With a strong science background one of the things I liked about sci-fi books and movies was a sense of realism grounded in science. I felt I might be good at writing something like that.

Check out the rest of the article.

Tags: science fiction

A few pictures from the last few weeks

I dumped the last three weeks of pictures from our camera onto the home computer. I thought these few were interesting.

This was taken from our front window in late July during a much needed heavy rain.

I thought the grilled pizza looked good, but it tasted horrible. Next time I try experimenting, I won't cut corners with the dough.


We caught this butterfly for a few minutes in our son's bugcatcher.


This furry, winged friend was flying around the house in an early August evening. I found it sleeping on a screen the following evening. It has gone on its happy mosquito-hunting ways.

Twin Cities Chess League, 2007-08, just a month away!

One of my favorite chess events begins one month from today, on Friday, September 14. The Twin Cities Chess League will begin its 2007-08 season at the Roseville Skating Oval.

No membership in the MSCA nor USCF is necessary. Please show up on that Friday, as a few teams may be short players, or you may want to start a new team on the spot.

Tags: Twin Cities Chess League, chess

Politics: Dennis Kucinich and Sam Brownback on This Week

Yesterday we had our normal Sunday morning routine of breakfast while watching This Week with George Stephanopoulos. He hosted Representative Dennis Kucinich and Senator Sam Brownback in two separate interviews. (The video locations are here: Kucinich; Brownback.)

Although I will not be casting my vote for either candidate, I was still impressed with what they had to say. Kucinich spoke about a way to peace that admitted the insanity of nuclear weapons. I totally agree with him. Future generations should not live with that. Communication and diplomacy between nations and people is necessary to remove this spectre of fear from all of our lives.

Brownback talked about the necessary of political solutions for Iraq. He strongly recommended that Jim Baker be involved in helping guide the Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish people. (It is extremely unfortunate that Iraq is not close to any compromise, but it seems like the only way to having a relatively peaceful country.)

Although the Democratic and Republican parties will each elect one candidate for the general Presidential election, many of the candidates who will not make it to that election have valuable ideas that should be listened to and fostered. I appreciate the time the candidates take, especially those that have the integrity to speak honestly about their positions, regardless of whether I agree with them or not.

August 9, 1995

Today I am listening to my last Grateful Dead show, September 5, 1991.

Iran arrests 200 music fans

I was watching CNN with my wife this morning, and as I often try to do, I check the little runner of news at the bottom of the screen. I saw there that Iran had arrested 200 music fans.

I am not surprised by this, but I didn't want this item to go unnoticed. Justifiably, the story of the bridge collapse over I-35W in Minneapolis is taking up a lot of bandwidth. However, this story is important to me, and I want to do my small part to make sure it doesn't fall through the cracks.

Tags: Iran

Zappa Plays Zappa

A couple of weeks ago I went to the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. It was a great festival with many top-notch bands and musicians playing. One of my absolute favorite sets of the four days was that of one of Frank Zappa's son, Dweezil playing the music of his father, in the ensemble, Zappa Plays Zappa.

I never saw FZ live, but I have many albums and CDs of his music. He stands out as one of America's finest musicians, known for his scathing satire and well-orchestrated pieces. Dweezil and his band mates did justice to the memory of Frank and his music. I was completely blown away with how great the show was.

I wanted to let people know of the current tour dates in case they are coming to a town near you.

Tags: Zappa Plays Zappa, Frank Zappa, Dweezil Zappa

The Caverns of Mare Cetus

One of my uncles, Jim Erjavec, has been hard at work writing a science fiction/horror novel over the last few years. The Caverns of Mare Cetus is now in publication.

I had read an original draft of the first chapter last year, and I thought that it was both tense and engaging. Here is the plotline from the website:

Mare Cetus, a lifeless world nearly twelve light years from Earth, is riddled with strange and spectacular caverns. Explorers have long sought knowledge, fame, and fortune on Mare, but lately an increasing number of them have met their demise in mysterious ways.

Earth year 2165: Hunter Larson leads a team to lay claim on a priceless ore deposit hidden deep within the black maze of Mare's Laramax caverns. His thoughts haunted by the grisly events surrounding the last expedition to probe the Laramax, he's relying on Renata Stone, a brilliant and accomplished cavern explorer, to add stability and vigilance to his volatile team of experts.

Unknown to Hunter, the Corporation has implemented a plan to ensure the mission's success--but at what price? As Hunter's team penetrates the blackness of the Laramax, they are blind to the terrifying fate that awaits them.

Please check out the excerpts, share with your friends and family who read science fiction, e-mail him, or write a review on the site if you have finished the book. Thanks!

Technorati tag: science fiction

I've been tagged

David Glickman of the Boylston Chess Club tagged me. Please read. My tag is at the bottom of this page.

1. How long have you been playing chess? Have you played it consistently since you started, or were there lulls in your play? How did these lulls affect your performance?

My dad taught me chess about thirty five years ago, when I was five. I played regularly until high school, but in college I did not play at all. Only after I moved far from home, my dad and I played correspondence chess. I played my first rated games at the Chess Emporium in Phoenix in 2002. Since then, I have been an active player.

I am sure I would have been an expert if not for the lulls (I am rated in the low 1400's currently).


2. Aside from playing games, what is your primary mode of training?

I use my Chessmaster program to examine my games, and I look at tactical puzzles a couple of times per month. What actually seems to help me the most is not think about chess too much before a game. When I'm relaxed, I tend to play much better.


3. What is the single most helpful method of improvement that you have ever used?

I don't have any particular method that I could put my finger on. Sometimes remembering a tactical motif has helped in a game, while other times just remembering the opening well has helped.


4. What is your favorite opening to play as white? As black against e4? As black against d4?

I always play e4. As Black I always play the Caro-Kann. One of my friends chided me for how slow an opening it often is, but as I have had so many great games with it, I keep playing it. I like the Dutch against d4, although I usually play the KID.


5. Who is your favorite chess player and why?

Tal is my favorite for his mad brilliance. His play did not always work, but he played on the edge.


6. What is your favorite chess book?

Jeremy Silman's Reassess Your Chess.


7. What book would you recommend for a friend who knows only the rules of chess?

Silman's Complete Endgame Course.


8. Do you play in in-person tournaments? What is your favorite tournament experience?

Yes, with much more frequency than online chess. (However, I highly recommend Chessworld.net for those who like deliberate play.) My favorite game was playing my friend Rich DuRocher at the last Minnesota Open. My favorite tournament was finishing second in the U1600 section at the St. Olaf Open a couple of months ago.


9. Please give us a link to what you consider your best two blog posts (on your own blog).

I blog about other subjects other than chess, but my two favorite chess related posts are my game against Rich and this game from the Twin Cities Chess League.


10. What proportion of total chess time should be spent studying openings for someone at your level?

I think at my level (class C), studying the openings should not usually be more than 15-20% of the time, unless you have difficulty getting a decent game against a particularly difficult and frequently played opening.

Now that I am done, I tag Phorku. (He plays my dad quite often at the Parma Chess Club.)

I have been blogging for a year.

My classmate and friend Janet has been interested in blogs and blogging for many years, and my friend, Jeff, started his blog over a year ago. (His first post was a picture of Melissa and me on our wedding day.) Because of those influences, I decided to start this blog a year ago today.

I have enjoyed writing this blog, regardless of whether I'm posting a single picture or writing a description of a book or a concert. However, as I have not been writing as often, I'd like to take some time to review what I have written over the last year to evaluate what are the most gratifying entries.

Benefit for the Cedar Cultural Center this Sunday

The Cedar has featured many great bands from all over the world. Among some of the best shows I've seen there have been local jazz musicians Happy Apple, Tuvan throat singers Hun-Huur-Tu, Italian electronic band Fiamma Fumana, and alt-country Luther Wright and The Wrongs. (The latter did a bluegrass, honky-tonk, and country cover of Floyd's The Wall.)

If you are inclined, please check this event out. Full details are here.

Thursday Knighter VI, Round 2

Last night Justin Backes and I played against each other. It turned out to be a Caro-Kann with an unusual, but playable 5. Qf3. There were some moments where I think each of us could have played more accurate moves (he could have retreated his Bishop to d3 to avoid capture by my Knight and I could have played Bxh2+), but overall I was satisfied with our play.

At the end of his 30th move, he asked for a draw. I appreciated the offer, although I took five minutes to consider it. I didn't see a winning plan for either of us, and I agreed.

[Event "Thursday Knighter VI"]
[Site "Chess Castle"]
[Date "2007.6.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Justin Backes"]
[Black "Joe Erjavec"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Qf3 e6 6.Be3 Nd7 7.Bd3 Bxe4 8.Bxe4 Ngf6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Be3 Bd6 11.Ne2 O-O 12.O-O Re8 13.Ng3 Qc7 14.Nh5 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 f5 16.Qh4 Be7 17.Qg3 Qxg3 18.hxg3 g6 19.Nf4 Kf7 20.Nd3 g5 21.Ne5+ Nxe5 22.dxe5 b6 23.Rfd1 Red8 24.Rd3 Rxd3 25.cxd3 Rd8 26.Rd1 c5 27.b3 Rd5 28.f4 gxf4 29.gxf4 h5 30.Kh2 1/2-1/2

My review of the final episode of The Sopranos

For those of you who have already watched this episode and are interested, please read my review over at Blogcritics. Thank you!

No More Effin' Ziti

Our first wedding anniversary! :)

Thursday Knighter VI

Last night fifteen of us made our appearances for the June Thursday Knighter. I am the second lowest rated player this month at 1421, and Steve Turmo is still the highest rated player at 2023.

I played the sixth seed, John Loftus, a class B at 1744. I lost this game, but I felt satisfied with my play. It was one of the few games in which I did not leave the table. It was a complicated morass!

Some Particle news

A couple of members of Particle have been in the music news lately. Keyboardist Steve Molitz played a gig with Phil Lesh and Friends at this past weekend's Mountain Jam. He joined Phil, Warren Haynes, John Scofield, and John Molo for an incredible show. (A download is available here. I wasn't at the show, so I was one of many downloaders. It's a very hot show!)

Particle's drummer, Darren Pujalet, is featured in Modern Drummer. Congrats, Darren!

Description of Monday's simul by DeWitt Green

Chess Night

Chess “Expert” Jerome Mitchell stepped out of his comfort zone Monday 4 June. He simultaneously played and defeated eight players at once.

The “Simul” kicked off the newly sanctioned Midtown Global Market (MGM) Chess Club. We meet every Monday 4:30-8 P.M. in one of the open areas of the Market. Because it is a public arena some chess players may have trouble concentrating. This did not seem to bother Jerome at all.

During the battle Jerome seemed to be pursuing three different openings and juggled each to checkmate. A knowledgeable spectator stated that Jerome aggressively played each match until he had a clear advantage then coasted into each mate. As one of the admittedly weaker players it did not appear like he was taking it easy. I was counting on the numbers to cause him to make at least one mistake. Preferably his misstep would be on my board. Jerome had determined not to make mistakes.

As he mated each of us he shook hands and commented on some key point each of us had presented. That is the only reason a person can willingly put his “cred” on the line. He strengthens his game by sharpening his skills on more and or stronger opponents. At the end of his session Jerome exclaimed “more!” Maybe next time he’ll try 12 at once.

The value of having regular contact with stronger competitors and a variety of players is the club members get stronger as a group. It is within the mission of Uplift-Chess, which has teamed with MGM, to bring chess to anyone. We compare chess skills to life skills. In developing chess skills we are developing critical thinking skills. Those skills are preparing us and ours to reach higher.

Uplift-Chess is looking forward to developing a competitive team. If you are interested in being part of that push join us for Chess Night at Midtown Global Market Mondays 4:30-8 P.M.

I played in a simul last night

Thanks to the efforts of DeWitt Green, a chess instructor at Sanford Middle School, I was able to play in a simul against local expert Jerome Mitchell. Jerome played eight of us last night at the Midtown Global Market. I lost, but it was fun playing against him.

DeWitt will be organizing some type of event every Monday from 4:30 - 8:00 p.m. Join us if you have time!

(Good luck again to Dane Mattson, who will be heading to Las Vegas! Dane was checking out the action last evening.)

I saw Forest Whitaker this weekend

On Friday we were flying down to Texas to visit Melissa's dad. While we were waiting at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport for our connecting flight, Forest Whitaker comes off a plane. We waved and he waved back to us. That was a neat moment! (I especially liked his performance in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai.)

For those who are interested, here is a story about a Hip Hop Chess event. The story mentions the RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, whose music was in Ghost Dog.

Chess dream

Last night I dreamed that I was playing in a tournament. Gata Kamsky was sipping cognac and taping up the latest copy of This Week in Chess on the wall. He paused and asked if I wanted it.

Round Four

Yesterday's top five boards were all decisive, so we now have a single player, GM Alex Shabalov, with a perfect score. He will have the Black pieces against Nakamura. I'm predicting a hard-fought draw.

U.S. Chess Championship: Round 3 today.

As reported on Susan Polgar's blog, three players share first place with a perfect score, but they are not the players with the highest rating going into the tournament. The top three boards were all draws yesterday, including Eugene Perelshteyn's game against defending champ Alexander Onishuk. (Game)

I am interested in Perelshteyn's results, partially because he was listed in Chess Life as a "Show" for this tournament (as in Win-Place-Show), but also because he played the Caro-Kann, my favorite opening, in round one. (Game)

Today he plays Black against Jaan Ehlvest.

The U.S. Chess Championship is underway!

The Frank K. Berry U.S. Chess Championship is taking place today. Live games are available at the Monroi site.

5/8/1977

I was way too young, and my parents were...um...not in Ithaca that night, which was 30 years ago yesterday.

I listened to just a single song from the Dead's legendary show from Cornell University last night, which was the amazingly powerful Morning Dew.

Chess game that I recently finished

I played the following game on Chessworld.net over the last few weeks, and it just ended. A number of positional factors came together which helped me complete the game successfully.

Environmental design

I read this interesting article in The Rake yesterday about the construction of extremely energy efficient housing near Bemidji. It is based on the German standard known as Passivhaus. I was up until yesterday unaware of that standard, so I thought I would share it here with interested readers.