Whack-A-Kitty, Whack-A-Mole, you’ve seen them all. Now it’s time to play “Whack-An-Agent”.

This aired the same day I got my new iMac. I had to load Fusion on there to run Windows too so I could use the MLS and update my website, neither of which worked with the Apple OS. I had Office for Mac, but then I discovered that my spellcheck wouldn’t work without Office for Windows too, so that’s more software I have to download (my old Office for Windows disc says it’s good for 3 computers, so why can’t I get this new one to recognize the disc? Geez.) This is about as clumsy as, well as………

Watch next Monday to see if Steve gets voted off the show….

Writing about Elvis so I don’t have to, Seattle/Bellevue Realtor Debra Sinick writes about the recent tour she took of Elvis’ Honeymoon Hideaway in Palm Springs. It wasn’t an agents or brokers open, but an open house for the public to take an inside peek at the home Elvis and Priscilla used as their Honeymoon Hideaway.

Debra works with Windermere and has her own blog Eastside Real Estate Buzz and also writes for the Seattle PI’s Real Estate Professionals.

Her post provides me with the perfect segue to our premiere Elvis event in Seattle, The Elvis Invitationals!

Please join me on January 24th, 2009 for our 12th Annual Elvis competition to find Seattle’s finest Elvi.

Performing again for your viewing and listening pleasure is Dino Macris, husband of real estate educator and marketing guru, Denise Lones.

I know you want to come! It’s on Saturday, January 24th at Club Motor and advance tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets. Also appearing is professional Elvis Steve Adams and his band Kentucky Rain. Visit my website www.ElvisInvitationals.com for more information.

Thank you. Thankyouverymuch!

Gawd, we’re idiots. Why did we let that film crew into our house?

See Marlow and husband Jodavid act like trained monkeys for your viewing pleasure, on national TV.

Offbeat America AIR TIMES:
• March 03, 2008 6:00 PM ET/PT

Simpson’s Quotes

Simpson’s Punk Rock

The Simpson’s perform Shakespeare

Last exit to Springfield

In a brilliant move, HGTV has parlayed their well-known brand of home-and-garden based television and moved into online homes sales. In beta stage and not yet cross-linked from their site or promoted on the channel, Front Door has the potential to attract a huge amount of traffic from homebuyers and sellers already familiar with the brand. HGTV benefits from a 24-hour a day “infomercial” from not only HGTV, but the Fine Living Channel and the Food Channel too. It’s a round-the-clock love fest of beautiful homes, fabulous remodels, great recipes, and cheerful hosts and hostesses making home repair, gardening, decorating, scrapbooking and crafts look exciting.

They’re scraping from several sites and not offering links back to individual agents, but inquiries DO go to individual agents representing the properties, so they’re not selling leads (yet). Coldwell Banker and CitiCard seem to be the largest advertisers so far, with banner ads on every page. Lots of white space left for more, however.

Anyway, it’s a great idea and a brilliant marketing move and a great example of how to build upon an already well-respected and popular brand.

Oh, and don’t forget to set your TIVO for this HGTV winner.

But interesting, nevertheless….

On April 16, 1970, a federal grand jury indicted the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF) leaders for conspiracy to riot in planning a February 17, 1970 demonstration in Seattle.

One of the members, Jeff Dowd, went on to be a big Hollywood agent. He goes by the name “The Dude”.

The Coen Brothers made a film about him called “The Big Lebowski”.

It become an underground hit. Now it has a cult following and a group of fans have festivals and film screenings and bowling and costume parties all based on the film.

The next “Lebowski Fest” is coming to Seattle March 9th.

And Jeff Dowd, the actual real live “Dude” and one of the original Seattle Seven, will be in attendance.

Grow-a-Brain loves The Big Lebowski

Photo Credit: Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

I’ve reviewed this past week’s posts and I note that each one is about, well, me.

So, as not to break a run, I’ll make this one about me too.

This Sunday, January 28th at 6pm, we will be appearing on HGTV’s “Offbeat America“, exhibiting our large paint-by-number collection. (And you thought I was just a silly dilletante!) If you have Comcast Cable, that’s Channel 68.

Also, more in the vein of me, take a look at Dustin Luthers interview of moi, on Rain City Guide.

Next week, real estate. I promise.

Andrei Codrescu, that is.

Mr. Codrescu is in town this week for a series of lectures and events and my husband and I hosted a party at our home for him last night.

Also in attendance was Anderew Miksys, photographer of exquisite photographs of a Lithuanian Gypsy community in BAXT, with text by Andrei Codrescu.

Tonight you can attend a lecture by Andrei Codescru speaking at Town Hall

And Friday night will be a fun evening of debauchery a la Codrescu at the Center on Contemporary Art, in the shadow of the Space Needle:

Writer, poet and bon vivant extraordinaire Andrei Codrescu brings his worldy wit and wisdom to Seattle as he talks on “States of Memoir, or How to Reconnect Old Brains to New Ones in Several Languages.”

Friday January 26, 7:30pm: THE BAXT PHOTOGRAPHS at CoCA
Acclaimed photographer Andrew Miksys, with the assistance of Andrei Codrescu, presents his intimate portraits of a Lithuanian Gypsy community. Book signing to follow. FREE and open to the public.

Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA)
410 Dexter Avenue N.

Friday January 26, 9pm: CODRESCU & FRIENDS at CoCA

Get ready for an evening of belly dancing, burlesque, poetry and debauchery at CoCA. Joining Andrei Codrescu will be the musical group Orchestra L’Pow, the belly dancing troupe Hipnotica, and burlesque dancer extraordinaire Babette La Fave. David Rauschenberg will provide all the DJ action, with Rick Klu as the evening’s emcee.

My good friend Cecilie Miller is putting on this shindig, and it should be a hoot. Gypsy wear encouraged, or at least a bangled bracelet or two.

This show compares houses with a $300,000 price tag in six markets across the country. In Portland, Ore., $300,000 means a clean and simple floating home on the Pacific ocean, while the same amount translates to a vintage 1917 condo with original charm and 1950s décor in Chicago and a spacious place in Philadelphia.

In Seattle, the only thing I can find that isn’t a fixer is a condo development in the Central District. There were no single-family homes under $300,000 that were available for filming in the Metropolitan Seattle area the day they were here for filming, without going to White Center or to Lynnwood. I find that so sad! Anyway, have a laugh at one of my 15 minutes.

AIR TIMES:
• January 03, 2007 6:30 PM EST
• January 06, 2007 1:00 PM EST