When you can't figure out what to wear...

There's always assless biker shorts that are supposed to make your butt look bigger on purpose.


Thanks to the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR for solving my fashion woes.

World's most Dino-rific restaurant: T-Rex

On my recent trip to Orlando, FL, my genius friend Andrea suggested that we hit up a little place called T Rex for dinner. Little did I know I was about to embark on a prehistoric journey of deliciously mind-blowing proportions.

Our expedition began with a greeting from T-Rex himself. Roarrrrrr!

We passed through the deep sea-themed bar, which featured beautiful sea monsters and jellyfish suspended from the ceiling. Colorful aquariums filled with real tropical fish served as dividers between the bar area and the restaurant. This section was extraordinary!

T Rex serves a drink called a Cotton-tini, which is basically a martini that is poured over a puff of cotton candy. I knew that I must try it. Even though it was incredibly sweet, I was delighted as I sipped the sugary concoction. It even came with a commemorative martini shaker!

From our table, we had a view of the Parasaurolophus and it's baby in front of the ice cave. Every 15 minutes, there was a reenactment of the great meteorite impact which killed the dinosaurs. Basically, the lights would dim, the ice cave would turn red, and all of the dinosaurs would begin growling and moving around in an animatronic displays of fear and hostility.

We could also see a Triceratops from our table. His body wrapped around the edge of the restaurant to form booths.

The menu consisted of typical American bar fare. We shared quesadillas, a cheesy flatbread, and some mushroom ravioli. It was tasty in a douced-in-saturated-fat sort of way. Basically, if you are a fan of cheese, you will not be disappointed.

Pterradaktyl soaring above the dining room.

Wooly Mammoth and baby in front of the ice cave.

T rex skeleton frozen in the ice cave.

Ramona Falls at Rontoms 8.15.10

My favorite band, Ramona Falls, played a packed-out free show on Sunday at Rontom's in Portland. The line to get in was around the block, and the bar was so busy that they ran out of glasses!

The show was phenomenal. They even debuted a dark and energetic new song called "Brevony." From the sounds of it, their next record is going to be ridiculously good. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the sequel to 2009's hauntingly beautiful Intuit, although Brent will undoubtedly be tied up with his other excellent band, Menomena for awhile (which just released an awesome album called Mines via Barsuk).

The handsome and talented Brent Knopf belts out "Russia" to the delight of an over-capacity crowd.

Here's Brent performing the encore song "Diamond Shovel"

Set list:

1. Going Once, Going Twice

2. Salt Sack

3. Clover

4. Brevony

5. Boy Ant

6.Darkest Day

7. Belly Fulla

8. I Say Fever

9. Russia

10. Melectric

Encore. Diamond Shovel

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!

This weekend, I traveled to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, FL to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park!!! You enter the Harry Potter portion of the park through Hogsmead village. The Hogwarts express is right there!

It is really strange to see a snowy village on a 95º day in Orlando. The snow sparkled and glittered on the rooftops. There were even pine trees planted throughout the park!

Above is Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Housed within the school is one of the best rides I've ever been on! Part Disney's Haunted mansion, part simulator, and part roller coaster, this ride takes you on a flying bench through hogwarts, the dark forest, and a quiddich game, all while being chased by dragons and dementors! The line for the ride winds through the Defense Against the Dark arts classroom, the Herbology classroom, the Gryffindor common room, & Dumbledore's office. Every detail is immaculately reconstructed, including the talking/moving portraits on the walls. I almost wished the line moved slower once we got inside the school. There was so much to see!

Dervish and Banges store, featuring the hottest flying broomstick models.

Honeydukes candy store and Zonko's Joke shop

The Weasley's enchanted car

Owl Post, complete with fake owl poo

The dress shop, featuring Hermione's dress from the 4th movie.

We enjoyed some frozen butter beer at the Hogshead Bar and 3 Broomsticks restaurant. It tasted like cream soda with an ice cream foam topping. Delicious!

Catherine and I enjoying some pumpkin juice.

The Harry Potter park was very cool, but pretty small. The rest of the Islands of Adventure theme park seemed pretty outdated (although I did enjoy the Jurassic Park section). Hopefully they will tear down the Poseidon section and expand the Harry Potter section. There seems to be a lot of opportunities for other Harry Potter themed rides.

Unfortunately, it began to thunder, and Universal closed down EVERY RIDE in the entire park (including the indoor rides). It thundered the rest of the day, so we really did not get our money's worth. I never got to ride the flight of the Hippogriff ride, and the lines to get into the stores in Hogsmead were outrageously long. To top it off, Universal did not offer us any sort of refund or discount pass to come back another day. We were pretty disappointed with their customer service overall.

Nevertheless, it was really special to visit Hogwarts, and feel immersed in the magical world of Harry Potter. I would love to come back in about 5-10 years, once it is less popular, so I can really enjoy all of the nuances that went into this magnificent recreation.

Menomena on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon!

Menomena played an incredible rendition of Killemall on Monday's episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The guys all looked and sounded amazing. Congrats on your TV debut!

Super Awesome Homeless Dude! (Menomena Dirty Cartoons)

Dear Internet,

Please help me make this hilarious video I worked on with Trevor McMahan for Menomena's "Dirty Cartoons" go viral.



Sincerely,

KB

Flying Trapeze- Back End Hocks Off

This weekend I visited LA for Masumi & Jared's lovely wedding. I also made the trip out to the Santa Monica Pier to check out TSNY's west coast rig. I got an amazing view of the ocean and the pier from the board, and it was really fun to fly in front of so many spectators.



This visit also marked the first time I have been caught by a female catcher! Thanks to Eric on board, Scout on lines, and Mandy in the Catch Trap.

Bad Joke of the Day

What do my friend Terra's arm joint and Osama Bin Laden have in common?

A: They are both Terra-wrists. Ahahahahaha.

Thanks, once again, to Brent for this awesomely bad joke.

Day Hikes in Mt Hood National Forest

After spending a lovely weekend at the Mountain Air Lodge in Brightwood, OR, Brent and I decided to check out some day hikes in Mt Hood National Forest. I love the 1950's googie-style sign and font that advertise the park. It makes me so happy!

***LITTLE ZIGZAG FALLS***

Our first hike was a quick 0.7 mile jaunt out to Little Zigzag Falls. We were accompanied by good friends, Matt & Alea. The hike was very easy, and the falls were little, but very pretty.

Brent in front of Little Zigzag Falls, sporting his Music Saves T-Shirt. He received this shirt from Kevin & Melanie last summer when he played the first ever Ramona Falls show at their Cleavland-based record store's 5-year-anniversary party. I was there, too!

I thought this tree next to the falls had really interesting roots.

River at the top of Little Zigzag Falls

Branches create a canopy at the top of Little Zigzag Falls.



***SALMON RIVER TRAIL***

The Salmon River Trail is a much more challenging 14 mile hike through gorgeous old growth forest. We did not hike the whole thing, but we did venture down to the Salmon River and relaxed on a log.

This hike was like paradise. I can't wait to go back and explore it further!

Bad Joke of the Day

Which is a criminal's favorite bridge in Portland, OR?

A: The Steel Bridge

Thanks to Brent for making up this bad joke.