Orchestra Goes Electro [music]

Original Soundtrack by mediaudio

Looking for some new tunes to groove to? My good friend Derek, audio engineer extraordinaire behind mediaudio creates "mostly sample-based, orchestraelectro pieces" - and they are awesome.

Orchestra meets electro in these symphonic jams, and one finds themselves evoking mental imagery as vivid as the music itself as it builds and layers. You might feel as if you are in the middle of an LSD trip trapped in a 1980's video game or in an IMAX theater during the climax of an intense film.

A combination of two seemingly opposite genres, Derek has expertly crafted and weaved the two into a beautiful, eclectic marriage.

Lefty's San Francisco

San Francisco is home to Lefty's, opened in 1979 and the very first store to cater to left-handers in the United States. They also have a large number of items available for sale online.

I'm disappointed I wasn't aware that this store existed when I lived there! I'll definitely check it out when I am back in SF.

A limited number of items are available at the Lefty's kiosk in the Downtown Disney Marketplace in Orlando, Florida.

After checking out the left-handed store at Pier 39, if you're in need of some “adult only” entertainment, head over to Lefty O'Doul's in Union Square for a drink and to watch the game.

Opened in 1958, Lefty's is named after baseball pro and native San Franciscan Francis "Lefty" O'Doul and is the city's longest-standing sports bar - and may be the longest-standing sports bar in the country.

California Serial Killers [crime, california]

If you know me, you know one of the things I most like to read about are serial killers. I've noticed over the years of reading about these fascinating people that a great deal of them live and commit their crimes in the Golden State. Why are so many of these killers in California?

While living in Los Angeles, I compiled a list of Californian serial killers. I started out by dividing the list into simply Northern and Southern California, eventually adding Central California, and ultimately, an entire category for just the Los Angeles area itself.

California has a disproportionate amount of serial killers compared to the rest of the nation while LA has a disproportionate amount of serial killers compared to the SF Bay Area and the rest of California.

What makes the Golden State, especially the LA area, such a popular destination for serial killers?


California Serial Killers

Northern California

San Francisco Bay Area

Zodiac Killer
Trailside Killer - David Carpenter
Michael Bear Carson & Suzan Carson

Sacramento

The I-5 Strangler- Roger Reece Kibb
The Vampire of Sacramento - Richard Chase
Gallego Sex Slave Killers - Gerald & Charlene Gallego
Dorothea Puente
Morris Solomon, Jr.
Leonard Lake & Charles Ng (Calaveras County)

Santa Cruz

Herbert Mullin
The Co-Ed Killer - Edmund Kemper

Yosemite

The Yosemite Killer - Cary Stayner

Humboldt

Wayne Adam Ford

Yuba City

The Machete Murderer - Juan Corona

Central California

Bakersfield

Vincent Brothers

Fresno

Marcus Wesson

Southern California

Los Angeles

The Night Stalker - Richard Ramirez (also SF Bay area)
Charles Manson
The Dating Game Killer - Rodney Alcala
The Red Light Bandit
The Grim Sleeper - Lonnie David Franklin, Jr.
The Hillside Strangler - Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono, Jr.
The Freeway Killer - Patrick Kearney (shares this nickname with William Bonin and Randy Steven Kraft)
Sunset Strip Killer - Doug Clark
Michael Hughes
Timothy Joseph McGee
The Freeway Killer - William Bonin
Bruce Jeffrey Pardo
Chester Dewayne Turner
The Lonely Hearts Killer - Harvey Glatman
Wineville Chicken Coop Murderer - Gordon Stewart Northcott
Mack Ray Edwards
Thor Nis Christiansen
Louise Peete

Orange County

The Freeway Killer - Randy Steven Kraft
Bedroom Basher - Gerald Parker
I-5 Killer or I-5 Bandit - Randall Woodfield

San Diego

The Clairemont Killer - Cleophus Prince, Jr.

Riverside

Riverside Killer - William Suff
Dana Sue Gray
Phillip Carl Jablonski (Riverside & SF Bay area)


Sources:

List of Serial Killers by Country

California’s Most Notorious Killers


If I've left anyone off the list, feel free to comment or contact me and I'll update the list.

Judy Jetson Was a Man-Whore [television]

I used to love The Jetsons as a kid, but who knew Judy was such a man-whore? That was lost on me, as were numerous "adult" references in my childhood cartoons.

Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda [television]

Since I have had access to cable, I have become somewhat of an Investigation Discovery junkie. It's no secret that I love serial killers and bizarre crime, and this channel offers both of these things 24/7.


Right now I'm watching the premiere of Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, and so far it isn't striking me as much different from the rest of the channel's fare. The show is only halfway through, so too soon to pass judgment - but at this point I can't see what all the hype was about.

The Perfect Storm & Linda Greenlaw [books, film]

This afternoon I finished reading The Perfect Storm.

Saw the film years ago, and it's not one of the those films where after you've read the book you necessarily feel disappointed – they are two completely separate entities.

The film focuses on the drama of the rescue; the book is more dry and gets into weather patterns, ocean currents, maritime history, and various oceanic and meteorological nightmares as well as the story of the doomed Andrea Gail.

Definitely worth the read, even if a bit dry, especially for the discovery of an awesome, powerful woman – ship captain and author Linda Greenlaw. Linda is one of the few female ship captains on the East Coast, but undeniably one of the best.

She survived the infamous Halloween Gale that the Andrea Gail unfortunately did not. Linda lives in Portland, Maine, still fishes, and has written several books – including the wildly popular Lobster Chronicles and several cookbooks.

Is Eliza Dushku in a Toilet Paper Commercial?

Is Eliza Dushku (yes, the one in Wrong Turn and Tru Calling) in a Quilted Northern commercial?

Perhaps horror and TV aren't her true calling after all.