So, one of the employee networks arranged a little class for today in self defense. I've been to a few self defense courses in the past, and the ones I've been to have generally good information. Walk with your head up and hands out of your pockets. Assess people around you. Look like someone who will give them more trouble than it's worth. Avoid a physical fight if you can. If you're forced to fight, fight as dirty as possible (go for eyes, throat, swing elbows and knees at everything available and scream like mad).
Some of the moves in prior classes were a bit... not complicated, but it seems like getting on the ground before you absolutely have to to have your legs free to kick seems a bit much, unless you can hurt someone so badly they'll give you time afterwards to get up and run away. Plus difficult to remember in times of stress. Plus, having a guy come at you in a threatening way (one class was the kind with the padded attacker you were supposed to hit) is not fun.
So, the course today was only 2 hours long and in the gym at work. One hour and fifty minutes was spent on things like nonverbal and verbal communication of boundaries, which was good. The guys working with us were pretty scary looking, but would back down pretty quickly (more quickly than I think would happen in real life). We learned a little about throwing throat hits and elbows and knees at the end of the class (see above, "dirty fighting").
I learned an interesting trick, too: they always advise that you yell "no" or something when you're hitting someone. I have a hard time with this. Until the guy today said that it's startling for the attacker, and makes the hits seem harder. If someone falters I'd be tempted to scream something like "I'll eat your fucking eyes!!" Or maybe I'll save that for bar brawls. (mom, forget you read that)
Overall I'm impressed with the class, it was very practical and they had good advice for what to do in different situations. I've asked around who did this, so people in the Bay Area can check them out if they want to (they also do kids' self defense classes). I'll post it when I get it.
Oh, and one serious thing to remember: if someone tries to get you in a car, do everything possible to stay out. Scream, yell, go limp (it's hard to handle someone limp), but do not get in the car. If you do it's likely you won't ever come back. Cheerful.
I will have to try some of these tips on Crazy when she takes her next pass. I tend not to talk to her, since I think that confuses her. It would, however, be amusing to let her know I document her weirdness just in case it's needed later. I wonder if that would curtail it?
Now all I need is something to protect me from Lani's cat. She climbed in my lap yesterday, put her paw on my sternum, made a claw fist and pulled 3 snags in my brand new fine knit shirt. DAMN CAT!! I knew we should have put her in softpaws as soon as she came back. The fabric is doubled over there so I can't pull them taut from the back - I'm debating whether to leave them (very visible) or cut them (possibly disastrous). Any advice?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Such nice relaxation, over so quickly...
Another busy few days - work on the houses has progressed (especially cleaning up little items on my house - one thing left to do and I can get my kitchen permit signed off - woo!!). My kitchen trim is all in place now, nail holes puttied up, and ready to paint. The new doorbell is in and working. I finally painted the stucco patches on the back of the house (after only, what, 6 months?). And I got some gray caulk to finish up the work in Kent's shower enclosure.
On Saturday, we went out to dinner with some friends, then I went to a party, and Kent went to see Steely Dan at the Greek (he came to the party about 3 hours after I did). The party was a BIG party, a goodbye for some friends who are moving out of the country for 3 years. My sobriety went buh-bye about an hour after I got there, and I was in a state by the time Kent got there. I was way behind the curve, since the party started about 5 hours before I showed up. I talked to people I haven't seen in a long time, and I had a great time. I think we were up until 5 am or so, then we fell asleep crammed onto a couch.
I forgot to take some reading material with me - the owners were clearing out their library so they can lighten up the move a little bit. Oh well, we'll see if there is anything left later.
We woke up at 9 am, drove home (sober but very tired), got coffee and pastries, fell asleep on the couch there, and spent the day alternating between watching TV and napping. I'm surprised we managed to get to sleep last night, but we did. I was very relaxed by this morning (I took today off as a "staycation" (vacation at home) day to do some more to the house), and I've spent the day doing little projects on my house, and a mountain of laundry. I was feeling pretty good until I realized that I wasn't going to be able to finish everything I wanted to do, and I got an email from my boss setting a meeting for tomorrow afternoon to talk about progress on a project which I've been putting off since I've needed to do other things to meet deadlines.
Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
We'll see what progress I can make in a panicked rush tomorrow morning. I guess I'd better see if I have any meetings that are going to conflict with that...
Family is now in Arizona, dropping the Niece off at home, and I'm not sure when they are returning to CO. Drive safely!
On Saturday, we went out to dinner with some friends, then I went to a party, and Kent went to see Steely Dan at the Greek (he came to the party about 3 hours after I did). The party was a BIG party, a goodbye for some friends who are moving out of the country for 3 years. My sobriety went buh-bye about an hour after I got there, and I was in a state by the time Kent got there. I was way behind the curve, since the party started about 5 hours before I showed up. I talked to people I haven't seen in a long time, and I had a great time. I think we were up until 5 am or so, then we fell asleep crammed onto a couch.
I forgot to take some reading material with me - the owners were clearing out their library so they can lighten up the move a little bit. Oh well, we'll see if there is anything left later.
We woke up at 9 am, drove home (sober but very tired), got coffee and pastries, fell asleep on the couch there, and spent the day alternating between watching TV and napping. I'm surprised we managed to get to sleep last night, but we did. I was very relaxed by this morning (I took today off as a "staycation" (vacation at home) day to do some more to the house), and I've spent the day doing little projects on my house, and a mountain of laundry. I was feeling pretty good until I realized that I wasn't going to be able to finish everything I wanted to do, and I got an email from my boss setting a meeting for tomorrow afternoon to talk about progress on a project which I've been putting off since I've needed to do other things to meet deadlines.
Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
We'll see what progress I can make in a panicked rush tomorrow morning. I guess I'd better see if I have any meetings that are going to conflict with that...
Family is now in Arizona, dropping the Niece off at home, and I'm not sure when they are returning to CO. Drive safely!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A short noodle tour of the Bay Area
Actually, a very short tour. I took Family into San Francisco today, with the primary request to go to Japantown. The Niece loves all things Japanese, and there is a huge bookstore with manga and books in Japanese that makes her eyes spiral around in her head. We also had a request for "that place with the soup", so for lunch we stopped at the ramen place across from the bookstore (Sapporo-ya), where they make their own noodles.
We eat pretty small amounts compared to a lot of people - for the 5 of us, we got one order of gyoza, and two bowls of ramen soup (one corn and vegetable, one "soy sauce"), and shared everything out. The soup was fine, although it required some doctoring with the vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil on the table, but only small adjustments were needed. The noodles are nice, and the little dishes of pickled vegetables they set out were refreshing (different from kimchi in the absence of chili pepper).
After lunch we went to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. We opted for regular admission (although in retrospect the "Women Impressionists" show would have been interesting to see). It turns out that the De Young museum is in cahoots with the PotLoH, and since there is a big Dale Chihuly show there until the end of September, there were a couple of Chihuly pieces at the Palace. The most interesting contrast was a huge tower of tentacle-y (noodly?) green and blue glass in the middle of a room full of Rodin bronzes and marble sculptures. I wish I had taken a camera with me, the contrast was fabulous. Oh wait, there's a photo online!
When we got back we went on a quest for sourdough. The Coloradans and Arizonans can't get enough of the stuff (but they don't have a problem, really!). Unfortunately the bakery nearby was sold out, but dad and I went on to the grocery store to see what they had. We cleaned them out (there were all of 2 loaves left), but then dad faltered a little when we went out. It turned out he was having an insulin spike/glucose crash, so I ran off to get him some juice, and went to get him a ride home when I was sure he was OK. He seems to think it was a huge imposition (it really wasn't), but I was just glad that he was feeling better after eating some sugar.
The plan tonight: pho. There are some great, cheap Vietnamese places in the area (man, I looooove living in CA), and this place has some fantastic soup. Noodles, a little beef, some onion, flavorful broth, and stuff on the side to add to your satisfaction (mint, lime, sprouts, jalapenos). Delicious!!
Tomorrow will be spent around the neighborhood. We'll see what we can scare up to cook in the evening, but it's going to be a relatively quiet day. I hope.
I should put up a hit counter, but I think my count would be way up since I added the new blog feature on the right - I had no idea how many blogs I was reading till I put them in one place, and now I can go to that one place to see when they are updated! Best feature yet. I'm still debating whether to add JD's site. it's NSFW (he teaches rope bondage aside from his day job) but he also does writing and art and is a very entertaining and interesting guy. Still, what if someone from work sees.... hmmmm..... (then again, if they do come here they'll read about nose herpes, although maybe that will keep them from rooting around in my office).
We eat pretty small amounts compared to a lot of people - for the 5 of us, we got one order of gyoza, and two bowls of ramen soup (one corn and vegetable, one "soy sauce"), and shared everything out. The soup was fine, although it required some doctoring with the vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil on the table, but only small adjustments were needed. The noodles are nice, and the little dishes of pickled vegetables they set out were refreshing (different from kimchi in the absence of chili pepper).
After lunch we went to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. We opted for regular admission (although in retrospect the "Women Impressionists" show would have been interesting to see). It turns out that the De Young museum is in cahoots with the PotLoH, and since there is a big Dale Chihuly show there until the end of September, there were a couple of Chihuly pieces at the Palace. The most interesting contrast was a huge tower of tentacle-y (noodly?) green and blue glass in the middle of a room full of Rodin bronzes and marble sculptures. I wish I had taken a camera with me, the contrast was fabulous. Oh wait, there's a photo online!
When we got back we went on a quest for sourdough. The Coloradans and Arizonans can't get enough of the stuff (but they don't have a problem, really!). Unfortunately the bakery nearby was sold out, but dad and I went on to the grocery store to see what they had. We cleaned them out (there were all of 2 loaves left), but then dad faltered a little when we went out. It turned out he was having an insulin spike/glucose crash, so I ran off to get him some juice, and went to get him a ride home when I was sure he was OK. He seems to think it was a huge imposition (it really wasn't), but I was just glad that he was feeling better after eating some sugar.
The plan tonight: pho. There are some great, cheap Vietnamese places in the area (man, I looooove living in CA), and this place has some fantastic soup. Noodles, a little beef, some onion, flavorful broth, and stuff on the side to add to your satisfaction (mint, lime, sprouts, jalapenos). Delicious!!
Tomorrow will be spent around the neighborhood. We'll see what we can scare up to cook in the evening, but it's going to be a relatively quiet day. I hope.
I should put up a hit counter, but I think my count would be way up since I added the new blog feature on the right - I had no idea how many blogs I was reading till I put them in one place, and now I can go to that one place to see when they are updated! Best feature yet. I'm still debating whether to add JD's site. it's NSFW (he teaches rope bondage aside from his day job) but he also does writing and art and is a very entertaining and interesting guy. Still, what if someone from work sees.... hmmmm..... (then again, if they do come here they'll read about nose herpes, although maybe that will keep them from rooting around in my office).
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The heartbreak of nose herpes
I know, it's gross. There's nothing like a cold sore in your nose to make you 1) paranoid about touching your face, and 2) annoyed that there is a big goodbye party coming up that would have meant lots of smooching, if not for your paranoia about giving someone a cold sore. YUCK! I was hoping it was just dry air irritation or something, but alas, it wasn't. At least it's painful enough to raise the alarm every time I forget and touch my nose, which I do a surprising amount. I've been washing my hands like someone with OCD.
Before some smartaleck asks what freaky-deaky nasal stuff I get into, I confess: I got my first cold sore in HS before even making out with anyone, and later had a cold and cold sore concurrently, and kleenexes can get that virus around. Let that be a lesson to you kids, NEVER share someone's lip balm, or you will regret it for the rest of your life.
The family (mom, dad, youngest sister, niece) are in town, and I'm taking tomorrow off so we can go do something. I'm not sure what the agenda is, but so far it sounds like a trip to Japantown and then the Marina is in the works. If we do get out to the Marina, we might as well walk around at Fort Baker or Chrissy Field, and maybe on the Golden Gate Bridge. They went out to the ocean today in the Marin Headlands, while I was at work.
I've been hearing about Sis's pre-wedding drama, and it's not the normal variety of "will the flowers be light pink or dark pink" or "will they spell our names right on the napkins", but "one of the groomsmen dropped out because his wife dropped out as a bridesmaid, and she dropped out because she found out that the other bridesmaid was invited before she was". Also? "We had to disinvite some family to make sure there's no fights at the wedding". Also? "His ex is trying to get him to marry her." WTF are you kidding me??? This is no mere red flag, y'all, it is a giant crimson banner filling half the sky and accompanied by a John Phillip Sousa-playing brass band. And air raid sirens. But in a less festive way. Does anyone have an idea how to stage an intervention? This has a lot of warning signs and sounds like it should at least be postponed. Or filmed for a reality TV series.
I will be maid of honor at this wedding, too - which means I'll be in one of the front line firefighting positions. I hope we are hiring security for the ceremony. Stay tuned.
In good news, Kent's bathroom is almost functional. Thank God. Hopefully we'll get to take at least a day off this weekend before starting demolition on mine. I'm scared to see what the wood looks like in those walls...
Before some smartaleck asks what freaky-deaky nasal stuff I get into, I confess: I got my first cold sore in HS before even making out with anyone, and later had a cold and cold sore concurrently, and kleenexes can get that virus around. Let that be a lesson to you kids, NEVER share someone's lip balm, or you will regret it for the rest of your life.
The family (mom, dad, youngest sister, niece) are in town, and I'm taking tomorrow off so we can go do something. I'm not sure what the agenda is, but so far it sounds like a trip to Japantown and then the Marina is in the works. If we do get out to the Marina, we might as well walk around at Fort Baker or Chrissy Field, and maybe on the Golden Gate Bridge. They went out to the ocean today in the Marin Headlands, while I was at work.
I've been hearing about Sis's pre-wedding drama, and it's not the normal variety of "will the flowers be light pink or dark pink" or "will they spell our names right on the napkins", but "one of the groomsmen dropped out because his wife dropped out as a bridesmaid, and she dropped out because she found out that the other bridesmaid was invited before she was". Also? "We had to disinvite some family to make sure there's no fights at the wedding". Also? "His ex is trying to get him to marry her." WTF are you kidding me??? This is no mere red flag, y'all, it is a giant crimson banner filling half the sky and accompanied by a John Phillip Sousa-playing brass band. And air raid sirens. But in a less festive way. Does anyone have an idea how to stage an intervention? This has a lot of warning signs and sounds like it should at least be postponed. Or filmed for a reality TV series.
I will be maid of honor at this wedding, too - which means I'll be in one of the front line firefighting positions. I hope we are hiring security for the ceremony. Stay tuned.
In good news, Kent's bathroom is almost functional. Thank God. Hopefully we'll get to take at least a day off this weekend before starting demolition on mine. I'm scared to see what the wood looks like in those walls...
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Tired. And Cranky. And tired.
OMFG I cannot WAIT until I have a day off again. As near as I can tell, this might happen at the end of August, when I can grab my bike and pedal off into the open desert and get away from everyone. I only need to come back to camp at sundown then, for more clothes and Spaghetti-Os before running back out into the dark.
We have been endlessly continuing to tile Kent's bathroom. We finally got the walls of the shower enclosure done this afternoon, only 5 hours after getting here. For ONE ROW of tile. ONE. There is a little get together at a friend's place but now I'm in no mood to go out and try to socialize. Grrrrrrr. I wanted to go to Heath today to take one last look at their seconds room but guess what didn't get done today.
(pause for deep breath)
Maybe I'll feel better once I've showered and eaten something. I'm seriously running out of patience, I'm becoming a terrible bitch, and I haven't even started on my bathroom demolition yet. Not good.
BTW Mom and Dad, I have to warn you, when you get here I may have started working on removing the crazy former owner's glass brick, as a first step of getting a real door into my bathroom. If that happens, the "door" will be a sarong hung for visual privacy. But at the rate I'm going, you'll still have glass brick.
I have to go outside and scream for a while now. More soon.
We have been endlessly continuing to tile Kent's bathroom. We finally got the walls of the shower enclosure done this afternoon, only 5 hours after getting here. For ONE ROW of tile. ONE. There is a little get together at a friend's place but now I'm in no mood to go out and try to socialize. Grrrrrrr. I wanted to go to Heath today to take one last look at their seconds room but guess what didn't get done today.
(pause for deep breath)
Maybe I'll feel better once I've showered and eaten something. I'm seriously running out of patience, I'm becoming a terrible bitch, and I haven't even started on my bathroom demolition yet. Not good.
BTW Mom and Dad, I have to warn you, when you get here I may have started working on removing the crazy former owner's glass brick, as a first step of getting a real door into my bathroom. If that happens, the "door" will be a sarong hung for visual privacy. But at the rate I'm going, you'll still have glass brick.
I have to go outside and scream for a while now. More soon.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Dr. Horrible is teh AWESUM
Best modern musical I've seen since Avenue Q! I especially liked the song at the beginning of Act II. Act III will be posted on July 19...
Check it! http://drhorrible.com/
Be warned, each act is between 10 and 15 minutes long.
***UPDATES**** (Saturday)
Act III is up!
Better watch Dr. Horrible this weekend! The free movies come down on Sunday night. I hear they are on youtube already, and will also be available for download later (iTunes and maybe other options), and there will be a DVD released sometime.
I thought "Penny" looked familiar, and I finally placed her this morning:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vz40z6O9qcY
Check it! http://drhorrible.com/
Be warned, each act is between 10 and 15 minutes long.
***UPDATES**** (Saturday)
Act III is up!
Better watch Dr. Horrible this weekend! The free movies come down on Sunday night. I hear they are on youtube already, and will also be available for download later (iTunes and maybe other options), and there will be a DVD released sometime.
I thought "Penny" looked familiar, and I finally placed her this morning:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vz40z6O9qcY
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Minutiae and a quick update
I recently discovered that the artist behind the comic strip Bizarro has a blog. This post made me giggle when I got to the phrase "inside out" (you'll see).
I had a fortune cookie earlier this week that said "Life is about making things happen, not waiting for them to happen" Someone's watching me on CCTV. However this is not a fortune, which I still find a little annoying. Actually, my favorite fortune cookie message from last year isn't a fortune either, but its hilariousness saves it:
"The greatest danger could be your stupidity"
We are still slogging away on the bathroom project in the evenings after working late and I hope and pray that we are done with tiling by Thursday and grouting by Friday. Stay tuned...
I had a fortune cookie earlier this week that said "Life is about making things happen, not waiting for them to happen" Someone's watching me on CCTV. However this is not a fortune, which I still find a little annoying. Actually, my favorite fortune cookie message from last year isn't a fortune either, but its hilariousness saves it:
"The greatest danger could be your stupidity"
We are still slogging away on the bathroom project in the evenings after working late and I hope and pray that we are done with tiling by Thursday and grouting by Friday. Stay tuned...
Sunday, July 13, 2008
REAL mature.
You'll never guess! I spent another weekend on house projects! Yesterday I spent the day starting to refinish Kent's cherrywood medicine cabinet, which was looking funky (apparently the lacquer wasn't the best choice for original sealing, and since it's out...). I went through quite a few pieces of sandpaper and curse words trying to get the lacquer off. In fact, I spent all day at it. BTW does anyone know if lacquer contains a waxy substance? The sandpaper kept getting shiny globs of I-don't-know-what in it.
We went to a barbecue at Thad and Carl's last night and I totally had a vulgar... I mean, truthful answer lined up when someone asked me what I'd done that day. So it won't go to waste, here is what I was prepared to share:
"Yeah, I spent today stripping at Kent's house. I was handling that wood of his all day. My right arm is EXHAUSTED. Oh yes, there was some caulking done today, but Kent did all that himself."
Whew, I'm glad I got to share! That's what happens when I fall asleep on the train into the city and arrive at a party dazed, but more importantly, when people are talking about annoying co-workers instead of asking me about my obviously scintillating day.
Today was spent on tiling and putting the first coat of polyurethane on the medicine cabinet. Who knew polyurethane would take so long to dry? When I went to sand it 4 hours after application, it was still tacky. Hmmm. So, another multi-day project, oh well.
Next in the bathroom project: finishing the lower granite tile and putting up the first row of glass. Eek. And finishing the medicine cabinet (ETA = Thursday).
In other news I went out on Friday in search of work clothes - since I'm not as lithe and scrawny as when I was a renter and working out 4-5 days a week, several of my shirts no longer fit in a work-acceptable way. I found a couple, so, success! Just in time for meeting with the Singaporeans tomorrow. If this turns out to be a conference call I'm going to be annoyed.
Oh, I also realized this weekend that I'll be turning 40 on 09/09/09. Party planning already in progress... Not looking forward to the other things that come with turning 40, though, including mammograms. Having my boob pulled out and flattened never did sound that interesting. :P
We went to a barbecue at Thad and Carl's last night and I totally had a vulgar... I mean, truthful answer lined up when someone asked me what I'd done that day. So it won't go to waste, here is what I was prepared to share:
"Yeah, I spent today stripping at Kent's house. I was handling that wood of his all day. My right arm is EXHAUSTED. Oh yes, there was some caulking done today, but Kent did all that himself."
Whew, I'm glad I got to share! That's what happens when I fall asleep on the train into the city and arrive at a party dazed, but more importantly, when people are talking about annoying co-workers instead of asking me about my obviously scintillating day.
Today was spent on tiling and putting the first coat of polyurethane on the medicine cabinet. Who knew polyurethane would take so long to dry? When I went to sand it 4 hours after application, it was still tacky. Hmmm. So, another multi-day project, oh well.
Next in the bathroom project: finishing the lower granite tile and putting up the first row of glass. Eek. And finishing the medicine cabinet (ETA = Thursday).
In other news I went out on Friday in search of work clothes - since I'm not as lithe and scrawny as when I was a renter and working out 4-5 days a week, several of my shirts no longer fit in a work-acceptable way. I found a couple, so, success! Just in time for meeting with the Singaporeans tomorrow. If this turns out to be a conference call I'm going to be annoyed.
Oh, I also realized this weekend that I'll be turning 40 on 09/09/09. Party planning already in progress... Not looking forward to the other things that come with turning 40, though, including mammograms. Having my boob pulled out and flattened never did sound that interesting. :P
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
I sit alone and watch the clock. I only wait for it to stop.
The Yaz show was great fun! I have never seen them in concert, but I have to say that I enjoy it now when concerts are populated by people in their mid-30s to mid-40s. Much less aggro than seeing the groups I liked in HS when I was in HS, where someone bumping into you could lead to a fistfight in a mosh pit. It's so much more civilized. "Oh, I'm sorry," "I do beg your pardon," Even when everyone is lit from the pre-concert cocktails.
The stage set was very simple, two risers, one for Alison, one for Vince. There was a transparent screen of LEDs that would show animations and pictures which I now see that I need for a wall in my living room. The music sounded good, although I think Alison hurt her voice at some point - she's got a really strong voice, but on some of the notes that required more force, it broke. Yeek! That sounded painful.
They rearranged some of the songs so it was easier to hear all the layers of sound that went into it. "I before E except after C" was all done on a reel-to-reel deck when no one was on stage, and it was updated with some techno tweaks.
The audience was really happy with the show, although they'd start cheering at kind of odd places. After the first verse of "In My Room", the right half of the balcony went completely berserk. I'm not sure why but it was fun hearing all that excitement!
The show was only an hour and a half long, but I suspect they played all of their two albums, and one song I had never heard before. As a Vince Clarke fan it's very easy to see how I ended up getting into electronica in the 90s.
All in all, a fun evening out, if lower key than some of the other shows I've seen lately!
FYI the song "Situation" has been sampled in some current electronica tracks; my friend the DJ Bryan Hughes used it to good effect in one of his mixes. (starting at 2:13; be warned that it's followed at 08:00 by what I think is a sample of C+C Music Factory) Enjoy!
The stage set was very simple, two risers, one for Alison, one for Vince. There was a transparent screen of LEDs that would show animations and pictures which I now see that I need for a wall in my living room. The music sounded good, although I think Alison hurt her voice at some point - she's got a really strong voice, but on some of the notes that required more force, it broke. Yeek! That sounded painful.
They rearranged some of the songs so it was easier to hear all the layers of sound that went into it. "I before E except after C" was all done on a reel-to-reel deck when no one was on stage, and it was updated with some techno tweaks.
The audience was really happy with the show, although they'd start cheering at kind of odd places. After the first verse of "In My Room", the right half of the balcony went completely berserk. I'm not sure why but it was fun hearing all that excitement!
The show was only an hour and a half long, but I suspect they played all of their two albums, and one song I had never heard before. As a Vince Clarke fan it's very easy to see how I ended up getting into electronica in the 90s.
All in all, a fun evening out, if lower key than some of the other shows I've seen lately!
FYI the song "Situation" has been sampled in some current electronica tracks; my friend the DJ Bryan Hughes used it to good effect in one of his mixes. (starting at 2:13; be warned that it's followed at 08:00 by what I think is a sample of C+C Music Factory) Enjoy!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Nothing. Nada. Zip. Well, relatively.
That's it. I have had it with the schedule lately of needing to do something every. Damned. Day. I finally ran out of juice last night and so today, I am doing nothing.
"Nothing" of course is relative, since I'm still going to spend maybe half an hour at Kent's place cheesecloth-ing the new tile. I know this sounds cryptic but it's the closest thing to magic I know on tile jobs. I will also be puttering around my house doing this and that, but that will include a nap at some point, and snacks, and staring at a TV screen. I have needed a day like this for over a month and I think I'm going to have to impose it every couple of weeks until I'm back in form.
I am missing Allen Toussaint (misspelled his name earlier, oops), but my sanity seemed more important today. Kent went to the city early so it is very quiet around the house. Ahhhhhhhh. And I see the show is starting right now, so I have several more hours of quiet ahead of me.
We watched "Control" last night, about Ian Curtis, the singer for Joy Division. Sam Riley as Ian was downright spooky, down to the voice and dancing. Anton Corbijn directed, so the cinematography is gorgeous (and in case I'm not using "cinematography" correctly, um, "pictures look pretty"). Anton did a lot of photography and some video work with U2 and Depeche Mode in the 80s, and apparently also Joy Division, so if you were into these acts you will recognize the style.
By the way, there was an in joke partway through the movie, where someone consoles Ian that "It could be worse... you could be the lead singer for the Fall," I knew who the Fall was but didn't know until afterwards that Sam Riley played the singer for the Fall in "24 Hour Party People", which is based in the Manchester music scene of the late 1970s-late 1980s. So, a belated tee hee.
I have a tape of Joy Division somewhere, so I will find that and my Tones on Tail (the band between Bauhaus and Love and Rockets) tape, and have a nostalgic soundtrack on this afternoon. Maybe I will also throw on some Yaz as a warm-up for tomorrow evening. Ten bucks says I still know all the lyrics.
"Nothing" of course is relative, since I'm still going to spend maybe half an hour at Kent's place cheesecloth-ing the new tile. I know this sounds cryptic but it's the closest thing to magic I know on tile jobs. I will also be puttering around my house doing this and that, but that will include a nap at some point, and snacks, and staring at a TV screen. I have needed a day like this for over a month and I think I'm going to have to impose it every couple of weeks until I'm back in form.
I am missing Allen Toussaint (misspelled his name earlier, oops), but my sanity seemed more important today. Kent went to the city early so it is very quiet around the house. Ahhhhhhhh. And I see the show is starting right now, so I have several more hours of quiet ahead of me.
We watched "Control" last night, about Ian Curtis, the singer for Joy Division. Sam Riley as Ian was downright spooky, down to the voice and dancing. Anton Corbijn directed, so the cinematography is gorgeous (and in case I'm not using "cinematography" correctly, um, "pictures look pretty"). Anton did a lot of photography and some video work with U2 and Depeche Mode in the 80s, and apparently also Joy Division, so if you were into these acts you will recognize the style.
By the way, there was an in joke partway through the movie, where someone consoles Ian that "It could be worse... you could be the lead singer for the Fall," I knew who the Fall was but didn't know until afterwards that Sam Riley played the singer for the Fall in "24 Hour Party People", which is based in the Manchester music scene of the late 1970s-late 1980s. So, a belated tee hee.
I have a tape of Joy Division somewhere, so I will find that and my Tones on Tail (the band between Bauhaus and Love and Rockets) tape, and have a nostalgic soundtrack on this afternoon. Maybe I will also throw on some Yaz as a warm-up for tomorrow evening. Ten bucks says I still know all the lyrics.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy 4th, and thank you John Phillip Sousa!
By the way, did anyone else notice in the backgrounds that the Washington Monument was followed by lovingly close-up shots of glistening hot dogs? FREUDIAN SUBTEXT!!
Actually, a hot dog sounds pretty good...
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Last workday before.... more (house) work days
OK, I really should be focusing on work, but I'm still caffeinating and that review of notes from last week's meeting can wait a minute.
I still hurt in many places from working out not once, but twice this week so far! It would have been three times if not for that doctor's appointment last night. At any rate, I went swimming for over an hour on Monday and then played volleyball with Kent and the work league for a couple of hours on Tuesday. So, not only do I have muscle damage going for me, but I also have forearms covered in clusters of bruises. I look like an ebola victim. Good thing it was actually fun to play! (but when my arms started hurting too much to clap for a good play, I knew I was in trouble)
The volleyball players were all surprised to see me there. I hadn't played with the work league for about 10 years. At the time I last played, there were 3 leagues, from bad to scary good. Now there is one league with all levels of players included, which in its way is more dangerous. I know a lot of the players from back in the day, and would sometimes join Kent and some of the players for dinner after the Tuesday night games. One of them commented that she'd never guess I hadn't played for so long, which makes me wonder how badly I played before! Actually the play wasn't that bad, but my precision is terrible these days. Just need some practice, and harder capillaries in my arms.
So the plan for the next few days is as follows:
Thurs) work out in pool after work today
Fri) work on tiling Kent's bathroom tomorrow, followed by BBQ and fireworks in SF (with the fog I bet we don't see much)
Sat) work on Kent's bathroom
Sun) see Alan Toussant at Stern Grove (SF), followed by work on Kent's bathroom
Mon) work on Monday, see Yaz in Oakland on Monday night.
Fun times, no? Still, I'm looking forward to a day where I have nothing that needs doing right away.
I still hurt in many places from working out not once, but twice this week so far! It would have been three times if not for that doctor's appointment last night. At any rate, I went swimming for over an hour on Monday and then played volleyball with Kent and the work league for a couple of hours on Tuesday. So, not only do I have muscle damage going for me, but I also have forearms covered in clusters of bruises. I look like an ebola victim. Good thing it was actually fun to play! (but when my arms started hurting too much to clap for a good play, I knew I was in trouble)
The volleyball players were all surprised to see me there. I hadn't played with the work league for about 10 years. At the time I last played, there were 3 leagues, from bad to scary good. Now there is one league with all levels of players included, which in its way is more dangerous. I know a lot of the players from back in the day, and would sometimes join Kent and some of the players for dinner after the Tuesday night games. One of them commented that she'd never guess I hadn't played for so long, which makes me wonder how badly I played before! Actually the play wasn't that bad, but my precision is terrible these days. Just need some practice, and harder capillaries in my arms.
So the plan for the next few days is as follows:
Thurs) work out in pool after work today
Fri) work on tiling Kent's bathroom tomorrow, followed by BBQ and fireworks in SF (with the fog I bet we don't see much)
Sat) work on Kent's bathroom
Sun) see Alan Toussant at Stern Grove (SF), followed by work on Kent's bathroom
Mon) work on Monday, see Yaz in Oakland on Monday night.
Fun times, no? Still, I'm looking forward to a day where I have nothing that needs doing right away.