Hung Truong: The Blog!

Ingrid Michaelson at Neumos, Seattle 10/12/2009

I got to see Ingrid Michaelson in concert at Neumos in Seattle last night. I previously saw her for the first time in Ann Arbor, 2007. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see her in Ann Arbor last year because she sold out pretty quickly.

From what I remember of the last time I saw her (I haven’t re-read my other concert post yet), she seemed really modest and was excited that people in the audience knew the words to some of her songs. After two years of success, it seems like she’s a lot more confident, but also kind of diva-ish. Not that she’s a bitch or anything, but she’s sort of less charming in the way she was before. She still mentioned lots of random stuff like crying a bunch after watching The Family Stone on the tour bus and how much they like all like Mexican food.

Before Ingrid and the band came on, there was an opening act guy named Matthew Perryman Jones. I wonder if it’s his real name or a fake stage name! He was pretty good, but his songs were kind of yawn-inducing. He was nice though, and he said that all proceeds of the music and shirts and stuff would go to a child in need. Then he revealed the child in need is his child! What a joker.

Ingrid and the gang came on kind of late, and started with Soldier, which is the opener of her new album, Everybody, which I haven’t written about yet. Then she played a mix of songs from her past three albums. The first time I saw her, she only brought her friend Allie, but this time she had a full band, which is kind of necessary for playing a lot of the arrangements in the new album. The older songs felt a little weird with a full band though. To be fair, some of the arrangements were refreshing, like Far Away turned into a much richer song and I think Giving Up almost turned into a country song, which had an awesome effect. This is exactly why live performances are worthwhile to plunk down change for.

Ingrid said she was tired because she had taken a nap. I can relate. It’s hard to get back on track after taking an hour nap. She sounded fine, though. Her voice was as nice as I remember it. There were times that she used a little too much vibrato though. But she’s totally still got it talent-wise.

I think her songwriting has gotten better as well. I really like Die Alone, don’t get me wrong. But it’s just a little too repetitive. Her new songs are much better in that sense.

Oh, also, when she sang Can’t Help Falling in Love, some girl fainted. And she said it happened the previous night, too! Maybe it’s an epidemic. Or maybe people just know they can get Ingrid to come to their rescue and get close to her by pretending to faint during that song…

Overall, I think Ingrid Michaelson has improved quite a lot. The lacking maturity factor that I wrote about in my previous posts seems to have resolved itself. Maybe is a really good album. And Ingrid is a really good performer (and so are her bandmates, especially Allie). Oh, and her other girl guitar player is kind of cute. So go see her live if she hasn’t already sold out in your town! Apparently she has sold out everywhere she’s gone so far. Hopefully I will get to see Ingrid again some time soon without a skip year like before!

Grocery Shopping in Seattle

As some of you may know, grocery shopping is very important to me. It’s one of my favorite adult activities to partake in. Which is to say that grocery shopping is one of those things that you do after making the transition from kid to adult. Or at least that’s what I like tricking myself into believing.

In Michigan, I went to Meijer, because it pretty much had everything I needed. I’d also make a side trip to Trader Joe’s maybe once a month for hippie supplies. Now, in a new city, I must figure out where to get my foods and stuffs. Meijer is strictly a Midwest chain, unfortunately.

Now, the obvious choice would be to pick the closest grocery. It’s pretty easy to calculate the distance to the closest grocery because I live above the PCC Food co-op thingy. Literally. I am on the fifth floor and they take up the first floor in my building. I could literally jump down to the store entrance. Actually, a firefighter pole setup might be safer and cooler, but I’ll have to ask my landlord about it. The PCC is pretty high quality; it makes Trader Joe’s look like Wal-mart. But things there also cost an arm and a leg (good thing I upped my accidental death and dismemberment insurance (AD&D)). So I go there for quick and inexpensive things, like bananas or other produce, or when I really need something bad (like tofu). Also, PCC doesn’t sell anything that’s not “natural,” so I can’t get goldfish crackers or Drain-o there.

There is a Trader Joe’s in Ballard that’s pretty nearby that I’m hitting often. I also just discovered a Fred Meyer (I dunno if there’s a relation to Meijer) that has a Chase bank in it (bonus points, just like my old Meijer!). The Fred Meyer is gigantic and pretty close to Wal-mart vibe. I’ve also gone to Safeway for my unnatural foods. When I shop at the University Village, I can hit up the QFC (which is like Kroger/Smith’s) on the way. I haven’t been to Whole Foods yet, but I don’t see a reason to with the Whole Foods-ish PCC taking care of my overpriced grocery needs. There’s also apparently a place in Ballard called Ballard Market (appropriately) that’s supposed to be pretty decent. I’ve also gone to the Asian market, Uwajimaya, in the International District, but that’s more of a specialty case. Also, I don’t eat enough food to shop at Costco (orange juice excluded from this statement).

As you can see, I am a bit obsessive about grocery shopping. I haven’t found a store that has all the stuff I need/want in one location at the price I’d like to pay. So for now I think I’ll forage around multiple stores, which is inconvenient but somewhat necessary. Ever since I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I feel like I should be a bit more careful in the purchasing and preparation of my food. I don’t feel too bad spending a chunk of change on something at PCC. Unless, of course, there’s a random markup and I can get the same thing somewhere else for 40% less. Oh, and I just got a hold for In Defense of Food at the library, so hopefully that will make me a bit less picky.

Made It To Seattle!

You may have noticed that this blog has been pretty quiet for the past few weeks. Okay, you probably haven’t.

It’s because I traveled from Ann Arbor, MI to Seattle, Wa. All by myself! My car actually helped a lot, too.

I haven’t written much, yet I have much to write about. You might see a post here soon. Besides this post, telling you that I’ll be posting again soon…

Here, enjoy a picture of a Salmon mosaic art thing I took at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks:

Craigslist: Addiction!

I have had some experience with craigslist before, but never selling stuff. I just looked at some apartments. But since I’m moving and I need to get rid of stuff, I listed a few things on craigslist to sell.

One girl contacted me about my coffee table almost immediately after I listed it. Her roommate picked it up and he told me she’s kind of a hawk on craigslist. Many people contacted me about stuff and never replied after I replied to them. Some people just didn’t show up. Lots of people are bad about calling before showing up. Actually, no one so far has called before showing up. This is bad, because what if the thing already sold?

The most interesting thing about craigslist interactions is that they consist of two parties who don’t really trust each other, except that they recognize they’re both just normal humans who are probably okay. There’s a lot of implicit trust set in.

Like, for example, the dude who picked up my table left his wallet in my apartment for some reason. Maybe that’s like a form of escrow. Then he paid me after the entire table was ready to be driven away. The person who took my couch paid me upfront, before I helped her husband move the couch into their truck. Either way is fine, I guess, if you believe that people are inherently trustworthy. Or at least trustworthy enough to not drive away with your table if you go back into your apartment to get him some tape to hold down the drawers. Also, it would be much easier to just steal from people than set up an elaborate craigslist scam.

I wonder if anyone has done research on the psychology of craigslist. There’s certainly a lot of risk/reward built into the system, along with not knowing people, whether they’re trustworthy, etc. There’s also just a mad adrenaline rush when you get a wad of money and someone takes your couch for you! I have a few more things to get rid of, so hopefully the rest of my transactions go as well as my previous ones!

SXSW 2010 Panel Proposal: Student Startups! Entrepreneurship in the University

I have once again proposed a panel for SXSW 2010. Last year’s didn’t get picked, but I have a good feeling about this one. I don’t see any other panel ideas that are too similar to it and I think it’s a neat idea. Basically I’ll get a bunch of student entrepreneurs and have them talk about the challenges and opportunities of doing startups while still in school. I know a few other entrepreneurs and I’m trying to enlist the help of others. Here’s the proposal:

Description:
While student startups are not a new phenomenon, universities and venture capitalists are beginning to see the advantages in supporting them. Join a panel of student entrepreneurs in a discussion on finding funding, incorporating a company and balancing homework, work and life, all while attending school full-time.

Questions answered during the panel:

1. How are universities starting to support student entreprenurship?
2. What are the legal implications of using university resources for personal business? (copyright)
3. How can I “double-dip” schoolwork and startup work into the same project?
4. What kinds of venture capital support are available specifically for student startup businesses?
5. Into which type of corporate structure should a student startup incorporate?
6. How much money do I need to get started as a student entreprenur?
7. How can I get my classmates to provide free labor?
8. What should I look out for when accepting work from non-company students? (ownership rights)
9. How does one achieve a healthy work/homework/life balance as a student entrepreneur?
10. What happens when I (and my partners) graduate?

So far, my pal Ben Congleton has said he’ll be on the panel. Now to find a bunch of other panelists! You can also help by voting for my panel (I should have mentioned this first) here!