The End of Vacation

Cabin number two was more remote than the first. It was in the Stevens Pass area in the Cascade Mountains. Being a kid from the Plains I haven’t had much experience with mountains. Sure, I drive through Pennsylvania plenty of times but that was about it. These mountains were beautiful our ears popped continuously and Tony was a little scared of my driving. I wasn’t going above the speed limit (was below it plenty because f the rain), was keeping with traffic and was being perfectly safe. He just wasn’t as sure about all that as I was. I was having a blast on those curves. We had a little problem finding our turn off because Tony didn’t realize the directions were two pages but that was solved relatively quickly and we made our turn and came upon this.

Yes, that is a one car at a time wooden bridge with a 5mph speed limit. I wasn’t scared driving on winding roads up and down mountains in the rain but that bridge kind of freaked me out. The rest of the drive up to the cabin was pretty scary. Lots of turns and dirt roads and places where you could fall in ditches. We made it and all was well. I didn’t snap a shot of the outside of this cabin as you drove up which is a shame but the real beauty of the place was the view. You have the views from the living room, the balcony, and the other side of the living room. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time we were there and we didn’t get to hike around like we wanted. Someone from the area might not have been bothered by the rain but we city folk weren’t having it. We did have a rainy hot tub experience and it was fun but very cold upon getting out. I wished that tub had a cover over it like the other one.

While our first spot was all about luxury, this one was all about being in the woods at a good old fashioned log cabin. We made a fire in the big fireplace, kept the fire going in the pellet stove, and sat down with board games and an extensively random VHS collection. It was quite the cozy time. The second night I made a wild mushroom alfredo on this scary old fashioned stove that was just delectable. I used Lobster mushrooms, chanterelles, and a chef’s sampler of all kinds of random mushrooms. I caramelized an onion and then threw them in the skillet, how yummy is that? After they had cooked down I dusted them with flour, poured down some milk, and dumped in some Gouda. The plate was garnished with fresh chives and we sat down to look at the river and the mountains to eat. I had taken a really great picture of the plate but it didn’t download for some reason so you get us making faces and tucking our napkins into our shirts while we eat instead.

The last morning I woke up and was leisurely cooking breakfast when the maid drove up…WHAT? Apparently checkout was at 11. I thought it was 3. I told her I thought it was 12. I woke tony up and we rushed out of there. We got a motel on the road to shower and catch some more sleep since our plane wasn’t until 11:30 that night. It is very strange to drive up to a motel and tell them you need a room for a few hours. Oh well. The rest of the way back was rather uneventful. We stopped at a mall somewhere to try to find a book. There was no bookstore in the mall…WHAT? We went to a casino by the airport but there were no slot machines, only real games…WHAT? The flight was uneventful and we made it to our apartment at 5something the next morning. We proceeded to sleep for days. We still haven’t unpacked. So it goes.

TV Night

A brief break from Vacation stories to talk a little about last nights TV programs. It was a hard and long night. It started with Leanne winning Project Runway. It wasn’t a surprise. We knew months ago when we looked at the collections online that she was going to win. It was a good collection. Jerrell, my favorite, was already gone so I didn’t have too much invested in the episode. As long as Kenley lost, and she did, all was right in the world. Man was her collection ugly and stolen. I am quite sad to see Project runway go. I know it won’t be returning to Bravo *cry* and Monica said there are complications with the move to Lifetime so the current season may never be shown at all. What a sad world this world will be without Project Runway. However, Top Chef is starting up again soon so, yeah.

Then there was the debate. I am so glad that it was the last one because I think any more and my head may have actually exploded. I couldn’t believe that three of the six Joe Sixpacks they interviewed after the debate on NBC were planning to vote for McCain after that mess. One said Obama. Two said nothing. Were they watching the same debate that I was? I read an article this morning that said McCain was attacking (true) and winning because of it (really?) and was making Obama uncomfortable (huh?). The biggest moment of discomfort I saw was the stunned look on McCain’s face when Obama explained the lack of penalties good old Joe the Plumber would pay under his healthcare plan. He looked like someone had asked him what the Bush Doctrine was.

Anyway, from what I saw it was an easy win for Obama. He kept cool, stuck to (and expanded on) his talking points, and made a whole lot of rational sense. McCain got angry, didn’t back up his claims, and both looked and sounded like a crazy person. If he manages to pull this one out all I’ll be able to do is speak like Maya Angelou (aka David Alan Grier) and say, “President elect John McCain…ain’t that a bitch,” which leads me to the point that Chocolate News was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. And that’s all I have to say about that.

THE WORLD IS MADE OF ENERGY

Sunday was a happy day of chillin. We arrived around 2ish so that we could get a good spot for The Apples in Stereo at 3. We got our spot from last year’s festival on the left side of the stage right against the rail. We settled in to wait for things to start. Shortly after we got settled Terrence the Security Guard, who we knew from Public Enemy spotted us and came over to say hi.

“What band are you here to see today?” he asked
“This one,” we replied
“Move to the middle” he said

So, of course, we move toward the middle. He’s right up front telling people to move down and clearing a spot for us front and center. In fact, as you watch the corresponding video from the show you can see how no one seems to be standing front and center, it is because we are very short. In fact, about halfway through the song there is a shot of the crowd and you can see two sets of brown arms clapping; one set has a wooden bracelet. That bracelet is Monica. I am next to her and not quite as brown. I watched this video a bunch of times to catch that. There were lots of beach balls during this show. I kind of hate beach balls. I wanted to pop them but never caught one. I accidentally hit one a few times in trying to catch it. Lame.



After the show we went to sit for the remainder of the evening because we are old and we like to chill. We took turns getting food cause no one likes to sit alone. Jamie’s veggie dog came with multigrain chips, mine didn’t. Racist (hahah). It was a good veggie dog though and I didn’t mind not having chips cause I had a delicious mango smoothie. It was very very hot and even though I drank a lot of liquids I sweated them all out and still didn’t use the port-o-potty!

Les Savy Fav was up next and did they ever put on a show. A big old dude in shiny red drawers is always a recipe for a good show. After them it was The Dodos were very chill, during this time it was very hot and Jamie and I spent much time sitting under umbrellas or setting them up to shade us as we lay peacefully. Sometimes I was all long and would read my book. I later got laughed at for reading my book. I love Jonathan Ames so much. See, there is this game we were playing about spotting all the ridiculous Pitchfork people and I guess reading was worth some points. Star tattoos are also worth points and Monica had the nerve to call points on someone we knew.

In true politically incorrect fashion we decided that the game winning spot would be an Asian/Asian couple. I know, I know, not cool but research has been done, they are rare, particularly at places such as outdoor music festivals. Monica spotted one while she was away from the group but Stacy saw them so she technically won. I also spotted one so I came in second. I think I should have gotten bumped up points for spotting an Asian Man White Woman couple earlier on; they are kind of rare too. Racist.

That’s just rude. Jamie left us to go see Ghostface Killah & Raekwon and I maybe should have gone because as much as I wanted to see M Ward and liked listening to his set, I couldn’t hear all of it because of Ghostface Killah & Raekwon and the bass they were spewing all over the festival. Oh well. After M Ward was Spiritualized, a fine band but somewhat forgettable. Dinosaur Jr. was next, looking as 90s as anyone can look. Even more than me when I wear skirts, tights, and Dr. Marten boots.

Spoon closed the show. They were really boring. Monica and her friend Stacy did some dances. I don’t know if it was because they were trying to get into the band or because they were hating. I was just chillin and kind of sad I couldn’t’ read anymore since it was dark. There was this girl who loved Spoon more than anything ever in life and she was doing all sorts of spastic dances all over the place. We agreed that it was time to go before Spoon was over. As we were leaving we heard Cut Copy on the B stage and they sounded good. Too bad we hadn’t been over there listening. Oh well.

Thus ended my weekend at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

INVASION OF THE MUD PEOPLE

So I arose bright and early on Saturday morning, like around 10 and started to get ready for the day. I had a poncho and an umbrella stuffed in my bag and a plastic bag to carry them in if they got wet, which was going to happen. I headed down to the festival and got there before Monica but not before her cousins and their ridiculously adorable child. I spotted them and then saw this tiny tot in a sling with HUGE hot pink headphones covering her ears from the concert noises. The headphones pushed her cheeks up to make them extra bumby. When I arrived, Boban i Marko Markovick Orkester was warming up. They played a pretty groovy and fun set. It sounded something like klesmergypsyjazz. I only got rained on a little, not enough to warrant an umbrella or poncho.

Monica arrived in time for A Hawk and a Handsaw. During there set it flirted between umbrella time and poncho time. Then it definitely became poncho time so we busted them out. Ponchos are kind of awesome. A Hawk and a Handsaw were pretty chill; they had an accordion so that is always a good sign. Their music was a mix between calm, crazy, folk, and gypsy. There was a dude in the crowd with a crazy mustache and visors that went over the lenses of his sunglasses HA! Monica and I tested out the frontish area of the crowd for a while and then retreated to the blanket. I mean, we didn’t need to be all up there…yet.

Icy Demons was next, we needed to be all up there for them. Jamie showed up. Yeah Jamie! What a glorious band is Icy Demons. I don’t know how to explain them except to say that they like to have lots of fun and that they make me smile. I will try to explain them; harmonies, dances, percussion, crazy sweaty drummer that Monica wanted to touch, a smidgen of the ridiculous, and lots of bouncing around will have to suffice. During the show poncho time ended and the sun came out. They must have brought the good weather with their cheer.

It was time for some snacks and then we were going to see Fuck Buttons. Snacks were good Fuck Buttons, despite their excellent name and promising description were incredibly boring. We left to find a nice parking spot on the other side of the field for Vampire Weekend. We also managed to catch a good amount of Dizzee Rascals set. That dude was putting on an excellent show. Vampire Weekend’s show…not so much. I hadn’t really heard their music before but I had heard good things…I hope their album is more interesting then their performances. !!! was up next, if you are curious about that band don’t try to google them, according to an article Monica read they are one of the least ungoogleable bands ever. People often call them chk chk chk but I have also heard bam bam bam and pow pow pow. I think I’ll refer to them as exclamation exclamation exclamation because it’s funny. They freaking rocked though.

It was around that time that we noticed the mud people. I suppose that anytime there is rain at a festival you are going to get mud people. These fools were slip and sliding through mud pits. It was disgusting. They had mud mouths, mud bodies, mud everything. I shuddered every time they walked by our nice safe non-muddy blanket. At one point when I was all alone holding own the blanket fort there was some proper mud wrestling complete with a piledriver. I was pretty sad no one else saw it.

The Hold Steady were up next. They certainly put on a show but they aren’t really my kind of band, a little too regular or something. I’m not sure what it was that didn’t move me because they were pretty good. However, other than Icy Demons, Saturday belonged to Jarvis Cocker. He was AWESOME. He got up there in his little suit, although he had to lose the jacket because it was hot, and threw down. At one point we looked to the monitor and saw him singing and dancing, the next second he was on the ground writing like a true star. You go, Jarvis.

Animal Collective was the last band to play. They were supposed to be awesome. Maybe if I had been on many many drugs they would have been. I wasn’t even on beer cause I am terrified of the port-o-potties and vowed not to use them at all, and I didn’t, not once. There was this dude who was on lots of drugs and stared at us with much intensity while we folded up our nonmuddy blanket. After we were done he proceeded to lie down and get kind of trampled. Monica told some people who kind of stepped on him that they needed to leave her boyfriend alone and that he was embarrassing her. It was funny to us but the other folks didn’t get it. We left before Animal Collective was done cause I’m too old for a damn hippie jam band with a light show.

Sunday….

ON CHEATING AND CELEBRATION

Happy Juneteenth Folks! If you don’t know what that means look it up, learn a little something. On this glorious day I will be celebrating by playing video games and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Sure my actions will have absolutely nothing to do with the holiday itself but it sure will feel good doing them.

Monica and I have been taken over by a game called wordtwist on Facebook. If you happen to know this game and are awesome at it please, feel free to challenge us. If you are not awesome you will more than likely be destroyed. In our efforts to become even more awesome at this game (she is a little more awesome than me but we are essentially equal in awesomeness) we have decided to cheat at scrabble to learn more seven letter words. I know that cheating is wrong but since we are agreed on the matter and are using the cheating as a learning opportunity to better ourselves it is okay. Plus, if we are only cheating while playing each other and we are both doing it is it really cheating? Probably not.

The other day I watched Seven Samurai. I have no idea why it took me so long to see this film. It was pretty incredible. It was also incredibly long. For me to not get bored watching a 208min movie that is black and white and has subtitles something pretty freaking awesome must be happening. I’m not entirely sure why I liked it so much but those samurai were some stand up fellows.

The top chef reunion show was pretty bogus. No dirt was strewn about. I was somewhat disappointed. It was a happy-loving-huggy affair. I do kind of almost sort of want an “I have a culinary boner” t-shirt but I would never wear it so I don’t.

Oh! Sulu got married!!! George Takei and his partner looked so happy over there in California. It just made me smile. I love Sulu. I love the original Star Trek. I am pretty curious as to the new movie. I am not curious (no I am, I lied) about the Prince of Persia movie. While I am positive that Jake Gyllenhal is not the best guy to play the prince and I wish they had picked someone slightly swarthier I am not sure who the best person would really be. I thin I decided that dude who played the shrink in “Sunshine” (which I think no one has seen) is the best I have come up with. At least Jake is better than Orlando Bloom.

1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this

2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run

3. Come/ As you are/ As you were/ As I want you to be. Come As You Are, Nirvana. Identified by Mom.

4. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day

5. Dawn is a feeling/ A beautiful ceiling/ The smell of grass just lets you pass/ Into a dream. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Moody Blues. Identified by Mom.

SHAKING THINGS UP ON A FRIDAY MORNING

So there I am, sitting in my office, and a strange voice comes over the loudspeaker.

“Everything is clear, you may return to the building.”

I was a little flummoxed. I hadn’t left the building. If I was supposed to leave why didn’t anyone tell me? I know I keep to myself somewhat but not to the point that people would forget that I work here. Seconds later the voice spoke again.

“This is a bomb threat.”

“Really,” I said as people started to grab their things and leave the office. I grabbed the iPod, my bag, and a coat and headed outside.

For the last few weeks the University has been talking about their new safety alert system. They did a test last week and I got a voicemail message, a text message, and an email. I left my cell phone at home today so I don’t know if I got the text or voicemail but no one else did so I am guessing no. I certainly didn’t get an email.

We all went outside and pondered why we were evacuated and got no alerts. We also wondered why only five or six people actually heard the announcement. Some people heard garbled mess, others heard nothing. It was clear as a bell in my office so that is good to know. We wondered why so many of the evacuated people were standing directly outside the doors of the building. Our staff was across the street at a parking lot. I suppose that we may not have been far enough away but at least we weren’t directly in front of the doors.

After about ten minutes someone came by and mentioned that it was simply a mistake. Someone must have accidentally hit the “bomb threat” button on the loudspeaker. We were all allowed back inside. The day continued and all is well.

Random song time

1. Been spending most their lives living in a pastime paradise/ Been spending most their lives living in a pastime paradise/ Been wasting most their time glorifying the days long gone behind. Pastime Paradise, Stevie Wonder. Identified by Brooke

2. Snow can wait I’ve forgot my mittens/ Wipe my nose/ Get my new boots on. Winter, Tori Amos. Identified by Brooke

3. I know I should get next to you/ You’ve got a look that made me think you’re cool/ But it’s just sexual attraction/ Not something real so I’d rather keep wackin’

4. Now for all ya’ll who ain’t heard of me/ Mr. M-O-E the Barre Baby/ I’m a South Side living legend/ A third ward /bone hard/ Street veteran

5. I/ hurt myself today/ To see if I still feel/ I/ Focus on the pain/ The only thing that’s real. Hurt, Nine Inch Nails. Identified by Brooke

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING

An old professor of mine sent me an email talking about some legislation that just passed the appropriations committee and is headed to the full House in Arizona called measure SB1108. It would ban public schools from teaching materials that "overtly encourage dissent" in regard to core American values. Another piece would bar teachings, or organizations affiliated with public schools, community colleges, or public universities that are "based in whole or in part on race-based criteria," I find this incredibly terrifying.

From what I have read in the emails that have been going back and forth as well as this article, the target appears to be a La Raza studies program that focuses on cultural history and instilment of pride in that history. Some of the texts used in the program have rubbed people the wrong way.

It is one thing to complain about a text or two used in a program and maybe even talk to the school to get those texts removed or to choose laternate texts. I’m not saying I think this is necessary in this case because I don’t have all the information, I haven’t read the texts, I don’t know about the student organization mentioned, and so I honestly can’t comment on their ethos. However, I certainly can comment on the implications that type of legislation could have statewide.

Imagine a world where the only culture allowed to be taught is the dominant culture. How fundamentally un-American is that? While the article states that teaching about cultures would be acceptable, “race-based” classes would not. I can just see Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, Chicano Studies, etc. disappearing from Arizona’s public universities and it makes me want to cry.

The language is so vague. I think if you asked ten people what it means to "overtly encourage dissent" from the values of American democracy and Western civilization you would get ten different answers. Debates could come to a raging halt. Any sentiment of radical change or even not so radical change could be squashed out of the brains of many children and young adults. People could essentially be taught that everything single thing about America is right and good and I am certain that type of thinking will only do our country harm.

Since Mom guessed all the songs yesterday here are five new ones

1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free

2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this

3. Moon Sammy walks/ Across the floor/ Below the floor/ There is a wall. Moon Sammy, Soul Coughing. Identified by Mom.

4. When apple leaves fall/ You may feel something in your mind’s eye/ When the earth drinks in squall/ You may plan to escape on the sly. Apple, Cibo Matto. Identified by Jamie

5. It’s coming on Christmas/ They’re cutting down trees/ They’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace. River, Joni Mitchell. Identified by Chatty Knitter.

SOME THINGS ARE JUST DUMB

Can I just say how upset I am over this whole overpayment of Road Home Grants thing and now thousands of people who lost their homes in Katrina are going to have to pay back tons of money. Between one and five thousand people are going to have to repay money with the largest repayments being 150k and the average being 35k. Assuming everyone paid back the maximum (which they won't) they would repay 750 million in total. The company is being paid 912 million to run the program. Something just doesn’t add up to me.

Time for the reveal.

2. The fat is in the fire/ A fryer made of chicken wire/ Gettin sick and tired of a friggin liar. Crosshairs, Dangerdoom

4. You are a splendid butterfly/ It is your wings that make you beautiful/ And I could make you fly away/ But I could never make you stay. All My Little Words. Magnetic Fields.

CALL ME, I'M YOUR ROBBER

As many of you may have heard, the stupidest criminal ever resides in Chicago. This fool had the nerve to go rob a store and when he found out that the present employees couldn’t open the safe he left two phone numbers and told them to call him when the manager got in. He said if they didn’t call he would shoot them. Of course he was called back, and when he arrived at the store was met by plain clothes policemen. They shot him in the leg while he was waiving his gun around trying to rob folks.

This isn’t the first time I have heard of criminals leaving numbers. The fool who stole my sister’s cello was also a number leaver. After he stole the cello he brought it to a music resale shop. The merchant had a pretty good idea that the instrument was stolen so he gave the guy $50 and said they would call him when they found a buyer. The shop was right down the street from their apartment building (yes this fool lived in the same building as my sister) so it was one of the first places she checked. She came away with her instrument, and the name and number of this fool. She promptly called the police to press charges. Even if she hadn’t pressed charges the state would have because it turns out cellos are expensive and the amount was large enough for the state to prosecute.

I guess the moral of these stories is a simple one. If you plan to go around robbin folks don’t leave a number.

1. The Bloom/ The Swoon/ The Sugars on your block/ The Planets land in flesh in the corners of New York. Nickel Bags, Digable Planets. Identified by Monica

2. I want you/ I want you so bad/ I want you/ I want you so bad/ It’s driving me mad. I Want You/She's So Heavy, The Beatles. Identified by Mom.

3. Blue moon/ You saw me standing alone/ Without a dream in my heart/ Without a love of my own. Blue Moon, Identified by Mom. This version happened to be Billie Holiday but there are so many it doesn't really matter.

4. Sit around and watch the tube but nothing’s on/ Change the channels for an hour or two. Longview, Green Day. Identified by Danielle

5. You had all of them on your side/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you/ You believed in all your lies/ Didn’t you/ Didn’t you

Wow, my iPod must have intuited that songs were getting a little obscure. These should be a breeze.

WHITE GIRLS AND GANG SIGNS

I was completely stumped about posting today when I looked in my inbox and found these two gems from Tony. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

1. Dear I thought I'd drop a line/ The weather's cool/ The folks are fine/ I'm in bed each night by nine

2. Sitting down by my window/ Looking at the rain/ Sitting down my window/ All around I felt it/ All I could see was the rain

3. I’m a poor boy born in a rut/ Some say my manners aren’t the best/ Some of my friends have been in a whole lot of trouble/ Some say I’m no better than the rest

4. They say some days you're gonna win/ They say some days you're gonna lose/ I tell you I got news for you/ Your losin' all the time you never win

5. A wannabe gangsta/ Thinking he’s a wise guy/ Rob another bank/ He’s a sock em in the eye guy

SWEET HOOOOLY JESUS

The show was great. Sure, Ted Neely doesn’t have quite the same voice that he had in 1973 but, honestly, what do you expect. Actually, his lack of the ability to hit an incredibly ridiculously high note every three seconds diminished some of the inherent whininess of his character so I think it was almost a plus. He really saved all the super high crazy singing for “Watch Me Die,” midway through the second act and he thoroughly rocked that song.

Corey Glover, however, was virtually flawless. The “Heaven On Their Minds” opening was simply amazing but I thought he should have really brought the house down with “Superstar” and it wasn’t quite as good as some of his other numbers. Like Monica said, “even though he has second billing those words are still pretty big.” To me he was the star of the show. The program notes about him gave me a chuckle and, since I took the playbill out of my bag I might not get the quote exactly right but it was something like, “Living Colour proved not only that Blacks can kick out the jams but that they can be embraced by a diverse audience.” We had a good chuckle over that one. Was there ever any doubt that Black folk can jam? Sure, hard rock may not be their typically chosen vehicle from which to jam but jamability should never be called into question.

I wasn’t as impressed with some of the other characters. Mary Magdalene did that American Idol growl for emphasis thing a few times and Simon The Zealot wasn’t quite zealous enough for my taste. There was a properly froggy voiced Caiaphas (although I could tell he was more comfortable singing a little higher) even though they changed my favorite line of his from “One thing I’ll say for him, Jesus is cool,” to something nowhere near as hilarious that I can’t remember. King Herod was great though. It’s a relatively serious play so having an awesome Herod to inject some comic relief is important (not that he was the only comic relief of the night). The song was arranged to be more conga than ragtime, which worked, and Herod was attired in a kimono type bathrobe and orange crocs. Normally I hate anything Croc related but Mario Batali and King Herod are total exceptions.

The other entertainment of the night was a woman sitting two rows behind us. I’m not entirely sure what her issue was. At first I thought she was on a field trip with people from her group home. Then I looked and didn’t really see anyone with her. Then I thought she was just slightly special. I’m still not sure if that was the case or if she was just plain old crazy or if she was a normal person who thought the theater was like a movie where it is annoying but somewhat acceptable to yell at the screen. Let me give you a little taste of her medicine.

As the curtain went up and the overture was playing the players made their way onto the stage. She welcomed them, “Hello,” as they continued to dance she was relatively quiet and then Jesus came on stage, “Hallelujah!” There were nudges all around between Tony, Monica, and I. I caught my first glimpse of her when she announced, “Dad I have to go to the bathroom.” Imagine my surprise when she turned out to be a very grown woman, wearing headphones and carrying a Discman (who brings their Discman to an opera?) who seemed to be alone. Maybe she was talking to Jesus, I guess they call him Father and maybe she is on more casual terms with the guy.

The kicker came halfway through the aforementioned “Watch Me Die,” there is a lull in the song, after he is all crazy and screaming at God and before he accepts his fate. During that lull comes, “Sweet hooooly Jesus!” We could take it no more. The laughter came. We tried our best to stifle it but it took us quite a while. One would stop but still be shaking and that would cause the others to laugh harder so the one who had stopped came back to the fold. We finally got it together though. She was pretty quiet until the end of the show. After being crucified and FINALLY dying (it really took him longer than necessary to get out those four lines about they know not what they do and where is my mother and why have you forsaken me and into your hands I commend my spirit than necessary) Jesus rose off the cross and into the rafters to the loving words, “Come back!” to which Tony said, “it will be about three days.”

1. Dear I thought I'd drop a line/ The weather's cool/ The folks are fine/ I'm in bed each night by nine

2. Sitting down by my window/ Looking at the rain/ Sitting down my window/ All around I felt it/ All I could see was the rain

3. I’m a poor boy born in a rut/ Some say my manners aren’t the best/ Some of my friends have been in a whole lot of trouble/ Some say I’m no better than the rest

4. They say some days you're gonna win/ They say some days you're gonna lose/ I tell you I got news for you/ Your losin' all the time you never win

5. A wannabe gangsta/ Thinking he’s a wise guy/ Rob another bank/ He’s a sock em in the eye guy

I'VE BEEN THINKING

Today I had my first meeting for the campus book club. It isn’t a club that meets particularly regularly because we all have our own busy schedules, but rather is scheduled for two meetings and a screening of the movie based on our book. As I am playing with the idea of going back to school, I figured participating in this would be a good way to get my mind thinking critically again. While I believe I always read with a critical eye it is different when you know you have to discuss the work in question. Plus the book that was chosen was Native Son, by Richard Wright and I have read it many times before so it wouldn’t be too hard.

I am not a fan of Richard Wright. I find his work to be wordy, unsophisticated, underdeveloped, and full of self-loathing. However, I am always curious to see how other people feel about him because he is considered to be one of “the greats” and Native Son is seen as a masterpiece. It’s not a bad book. I find it to be rather preachy and altogether too obvious but I can see why it could be seen as relevant. It is certainly a somewhat entertaining read what with the violence and political intrigue although the lack of chapters is incredibly annoying. Either way, I figured it would make for a good discussion.

I wasn’t disappointed. Our group facilitator did a great job of asking pertinent questions, allowing everyone to express their opinion and keeping the discussion moving. He also did a good job of keeping his personal opinions out of things. I feel that I did a good job of that as well, which is not easy for me. Our next meeting is on the third of next month and he posed some challenging questions to us.

1. Do we know a Bigger Thomas?
2. Do we know anyone who resembles the other characters in the book?
3. How have race relations in Chicago changed from the 1930s until now?
4. Do we still allow the stereotypes that pervaded the community into our minds today?

The first two questions made me chuckle. If you haven’t read the book, Bigger Thomas is about the most stereotypical “poor uneducated young Black man who is stuck on a path leading to destruction” that you could ever come across, and the white characters are also stereotypical “well meaning rich liberals who think they are helping”. All I had to do was think back to my last job and realize that I knew plenty of people who fit both these categories and some of the latter weren’t white folks. I guess that is how race relations in Chicago have changed. Now it isn’t just rich white people giving ping-pong tables to the poor Black children but Black people as well. Maybe the fact that it took me .2 seconds to reach that conclusion signifies that these stereotypes are around today. However, there is a grain of truth in every stereotype so….

I look forward to our next discussion. It’s a good and diverse group of people and I enjoy people coming together and discussing things that interest me. You all know I love some good talk of race and racism.

1. I love you/ Completely/ Please I don't want you to go/ Though you are not content here with me and you feel you must go. You Feel You Must Go, Don’t Go!, Of Montreal

2 You've got a bad reputation/ That's the word out on the town/ It gives a certain fascination/ But it can only bring you down. Bad Reputation, Thin Lizzy

3. They got a committee to get me off the block. Cause I say my rhymes loud and I say them non stop. Slow Ride, Beastie Boys

4. On the corner/ We talk away/ Everybody’s older these days. Glass Conversation, The Ponies

NOT SO SUBTLE

Our City Councilman sent out a little brochure with descriptions of all the judges and random things that I never pay attention to. I thought it was a pretty nice thing to do. On the back there was a sample ballot. It showed Hillary Clinton’s name right on top. Then Senatorial candidates were listed. I wondered why they didn’t list other possible presidential candidates. Was it some kind of sideways endorsement of Clinton? I found it to be rather disturbing and made me distrust the things inside about the judge types. Very interesting.

While watching G4 last night they held a poll of how many people planned to vote this year. Sadly 64% of the people said they planned to. It shocked me. I can accept that some people may plan to vote but then something happens and they end up not doing it. I still was amazed by how many people simply didn’t plan to participate in any way. In this time I don’t understand how people can sit back and say whoever is President won’t make a difference in their lives. It’s that kind of attitude that will land us a President who walks around like this.

1. It’s over/ You don’t need to tell me/ I hope you’re with someone who makes you feel safe in your sleep

2. I caught it in the face/ Coming round again/ I thought it was worth waiting/ You're caught up in my head. Dry, PJ Harvey. Identified by Chatty Knitter

3. Stand up/ You’ve got to manage/ I won’t sympathize/ Anymore

4. Laid back in an old salon with a peso in my hand/ Watching flies and children on the street

5. Is there anybody going to listen to my story/ All about the girl who came to stay/ She’s the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry/ Still you don’t regret a single day. Girl, The Beatles. Identified by Mom.

THAT WENT SOMEWHERE I WASN'T PLANNING ON

Today is an important day in my office. The first things of mine are going up on the wall. Ah yes, IKEA frames painted in fun colors and arranged in various ways. It resembles a small slice of wall from Addison Apartment Dining Room. We couldn’t paint but we sure could hang a HUGE number of frames and pictures all over the walls. There were frames of all sizes and shapes as well as mirrors, masks, and paintings of various types. It was a room of crazy. I loved it.

Sometimes I think the beauty of design is in its randomness. Sure our cheap IKEA frames didn’t stay straight on the wall. Sure the designs we painted on them were sometimes questionable. It didn’t matter though. The beauty of the room was in the fact that it was a disorganized mess of color and love. When Tony and I resigned our lease this year I was a little sad. Sure, some of that was compounded by the fact that a crazy person lives upstairs but most of it was because it would be another year before I could decorate someplace new.

I think our next apartment will be the last place we live before buying something so it needs to be a place we can stay for a while to save and plan for that next big thing. It needs to be a place with character, it should be a place that I can paint, and it absolutely must be a place where we can have a dog. I don’t think that is too much to ask. We’ll have to see what we can find.

Something about newness is really exciting to me. I feel like this year will be a preparation for many things that are to come. It will be a year of summoning strength and resources to start on something bigger, something important. I don’t know why but movement has really been on my mind lately. Maybe it’s because this will be the last year of my 20s. Come birthday ’09 I’ll be the big 30. I freaked about turning 20 but I am much calmer about 30. I actually just realized that we will be moving a month before my 30^th birthday. I’ll start the new decade in a new place and that sounds like a good plan.

It better have a dishwasher.

Oh, and how did Ricky manage to win a challenge on Project Runway? I mean his piece was kind of cute but I liked Sweet Pea and Christian's outfits better. Also, why was everyone amazed at the originality of Romi using zippers as trim when Jeffrey did that in his winning collection last season? Don't they remember? Just goes to show that the show is slipping. Not that I will stop watching it or anything.

1. When the Witch Doctor Life/ throws his silent bones/ some are crowned kings/ while others lose their thrones

2. It was a clear black night/ a clear white moon/ Warren g was on the streets trying to consume

3. Riding round town with all the windows down/ Eight track playing all your favorite sounds

4. Goodnight/ Goodnight/ Sweet baby/ The world has more for you/ Than it seems

5. Where did you come from lady/ And ooh won’t you take me there/ right away/ Won’t you baby. PYT, Michael Jackson. Identified by Terry

THIS IS FOR ME JUST AS MUCH AS...MONICA

So while browsing around I found an entire of Montreal concert from their recent tour and decided to put it on this blog because...duh, it's awesome. Sadly, they are playing for the lamest crowd I have ever seen in life. Apparently, people in Amsterdam are notoriously dull concert goers or at least so said a commenter who was there that night. Sadly, the dull concert goers seem to have made the band rather dull as well. Where are the jumping up and down crazy theatrics??? Huh??? Huh??? Wait...they are in Amsterdam. Regardless, if I was at a concert where they played So Begins Out Alabee, Wraith Pinned To The Mist and Other Games, Requiem for OMM2, and many many more awesome jams I would have been a crazed dancing fool. Still, it is great to see some live footage that sounds good. Monica just called me to say I am an of Montreal obsessed fool, and it is true. Whatever, she can't wait to watch.


On another note, I have realized that my blog is now about Figure Skating and of Montreal. I should change the name to Definitely Boring Musings Unless You Love Figure Skating and of Montreal. I won't though. I'll just find some other things to post about.

I could write about those fool ass fools who decided to hold a white supremacy rally in Jena on MLK Day but the absolute mess that was such an event doesn't even warrant my rantings. Even a person completely blind to any and all racial bogusness would understand that one.

Today is exciting because I submitted my first flex spending reimbursement. OOOOHHHHH neat. Now that I have a grown up job I get real grown up job perks. I wonder where my transit card that I ordered through that great pre-tax transit program is? There is less than a week and a half until February. It better get here.

Speaking of transit. I can't believe G-rod (our Gov) made it so people over 65 can ride the CTA for free. I hope that only Srs who actually need the break apply for the card. I guess the CEO types generally take their cars anyway. Regardless, as much as I love the Baby Boomers there are far too many of them and they will all be over 65 in the not too distant future. They also happen to be the richest generation ever. It just doesn't quite seem right. I'm all for not taxing people on seriously fixed income and would be more than supportive of a sliding scale payment tier for Srs that went all the way down to free. I guess that would be too much work though. Eh. I'll just watch awesome concert footage and forget about it. When, oh when, will there be a DVD of their awesomeness?

1. When the Witch Doctor Life/ throws his silent bones/ some are crowned kings/ while others lose their thrones

2. It was a clear black night/ a clear white moon/ Warren g was on the streets trying to consume

3. You sure you want to be with me/ I’ve nothing to give/ Won’t lie and say this lovings best. Overcome, Tricky. Identified by Jason.

4. Hey, hey, mama/ said the way you move/Gonna make you sweat/ gonna make you groove. Black Dog, Led Zepplin, Identified by Katrina

5. riding round town with all the windows down/ Eight track playing all your favorite sounds

I REALLY THOUGHT I HAD A POST IN THERE

Since Thursday I have had about a million ideas for a blog post. Sadly, none of them can be remembered currently. So it goes.

I do remember that my record of not falling down has been broken. There was a time when I used to fall down rather often. I don’t know why I was such a clumsy goof but I was always tripping over something. In the past five years or so, maybe more, I have actually regained my balance. It has all been for naught. I went down. I was walking home from work on Friday and there was a light dusting of snow over everything. It also happened to be extremely icy. I slipped and there was no hope of recovery. I was so disappointed in myself.

This weekend was unbelievably cold. I vowed that I wouldn’t leave the house because I was not ready to deal with the cold. I stayed true to my word. The weekend was awesome. On Saturday I spent the large majority of the day under a blanket doing crossword puzzles while Tony played Resistance Fall of Man. Sunday I watched the rest of my old Figure Skating DVDs and Tony and I watched Empire and Jedi. I got out my Jedi figures (many of which have mysteriously disappeared over the years) and acted out many scenes from Jedi (with hilarious embellishment) as the movie played. Yes, I realize this is the dorkiest thing ever to do but it was really funny at the time. Tony had wanted to see all the toys and once they were out I had to do something with them. I miss when my speeder bikes exploded at the push of a button. Now they just kind of flop apart. I thought I had many more old school figures than I appear to have. Many are the next gen figures that I have somehow come into possession of. I wonder what happened to my original Lando at Jaba's figure? He had that awesome helmet and everything. He was super cool. Now I just have the new version. I bet Eric stole them. What a dick (I don’t really think he did but I wouldn’t be at all surprised).

1. When the Witch Doctor Life/ throws his silent bones/ some are crowned kings/ while others lose their thrones

2. My old man he’s a singer in the park/ He’s a walker in the rain/ He’s a dancer in the dark. My Old Man, Joni Mitchell. Identified by Mom.

3. It was a clear black night/ a clear white moon/ Warren g was on the streets trying to

4. You sure you want to be with me/ I’ve nothing to give/ Won’t lie and say this lovings best

5. I ain't happy/ I'm feeling glad/ I got sunshine/ in a bag. Clint Eastwood. Gorillaz. Identified by Monica

MOST BOGUS SHIT EVER

So last night I was having a enjoyable time dinging with friends at Dave’s place when I got a frantic call from Tony telling me that I had to come home right away. Of course I hopped in a cab and got out of there. When I came home I couldn’t believe what had gone down.

I don’t know if I have mentioned our upstairs neighbors before. They disagree with the volume at which we sometimes like to listen to things. They have disagreed with said volume at such strange times at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. However, we hadn’t heard a peep from them in well over six months, probably closer to a year. That all changed last night.

From what I understand Tony was watching youtube on the TV and was having some problems getting it to go full screen. He ended up listening to three songs, which would take roughly ten minutes. During this time he heard a noise like nothing before. Like the walls were falling in. He went to the front door and saw nothing. He looked out the windows and saw nothing. As he walked to the back door ther was a huge smash and the back door came swinging open and the boyfriend of our upstairs neighbor came into the kitchen and began yelling at him to turn the music down. Tony grabbed onto the guys sleeve, because what else are you going to do when someone bursts into your kitchen, and demanded to know what the fuck was going on. The guy yelled at Tony to let him go, which he did, and then left. Tony called the police, who came after about 20 minutes (the station is a block and a half away) and a report was filed.

This morning our maintenance man came and fixed the door. I just recently got off the phone with my landlord. I guess the plan is for me to talk to my upstairs neighbor (her boyfriend isn’t an official resident) and try to work something out. Tony is going back and forth about bringing charges up against the guy. I have absolutely no clue as to what I should do in this situation. I am going to talk to the lady but it just seems utterly insane. I never thought I would say I wish that someone had called the landlord to complain about me or called the cops to my apartment but that would have made so much more sense that what happened. I don’t know what else to say. Instead I will give you the most awesome thing I have seen in the last two days. It comes to us from "The Whitest Kids You Know", I give you Get A New Daddy.

1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home

3. There are people going hungry/ Far away/ They got nothing on their plates

4. Deep in the bosom of the gentle night/ Is when I search for the light/ Pick up my pen and start to write.

5. If You Want Me Too/ I Could Hang Round With You/ If I Only Knew/ That's What You're Into.

If It's What You're Into , Flight Of The Conchords. Identified by Mom.

ADVERTISEMENTS LIE

So I watched about 50% of the Vikings Bears game last night and although I haven’t seen sloppier football played for a while the end result was just fine with me. I always think it is mean when teams who have little or no chance at the playoffs beat teams who have something of a chance. I know they get paid to win no matter what but sometimes I think it is more sportsmanlike to make sure some fellow players get their dream. Actually throwing games may be the epitome of being unsportsmanlike so never mind.

While I was not watching the game I was watching the Extras finale. What a depressing show. It made me want to cry repeatedly while slapping the people who were making me cry. I guess that is something of an accomplishment.

Note to self: stop being taken in by commercials about pizza.

A while ago there was that Dominoes commercial about the garlicky crust pizza with the guys who had extra big sensory organs. They made the pizza look so incredibly delicious. I don’t do Dominoes pizza, it was been pounded into my head that they have some political leanings I don’t believe in (although who knows if that has changed since the mid 80s) and the pizza is relatively disgusting on top of it. Pizza Hut, on the other hand, is a guilty pleasure of mine. Man that stuffed crust is awesome. I do realize that I live in Chicago and if I want a delicious pizza there are far better options but sometimes I just want some of the Hut. Anyway, Pizza Hut had this new double deep pizza that looked pretty delicious in the commercials. I wanted to eat it. While it wasn’t disgusting, it certainly wasn’t as delicious as my typical Pizza Hut pizza. I swear that pizza commercials will not take me in anymore. I am always disappointed when I open the box. Actually, this happens with many food items I see on TV and think look delicious. They never look the same on my plate as on the TV. I take that back, there is one product, the ice cream I have seen on TV is just as delicious if not more so when I try it. I love ice cream.

Note to self: When you get up early to go to a breakfast at work, don’t eat breakfast before you go.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean I got up an hour early specifically to go to breakfast. However, as part of my typical morning routine I ate breakfast. What a dumbass. There was fruit at the breakfast though and I hadn’t eaten any fruit already so I had some but not as much as I would have if I hadn’t already eaten. Stupid stupid stupid.

1. Across the lines/ who would dare to go/ Under the bridge/ Over the tracks/ That separate Whites from Blacks. Across The Lines, Tracy Chapman. Identified by Mom.

2. Today was the day/ For dancing and for singing/ The birds in the trees/ And all the bells are ringing

3. Goodbye Cruel World/ I’m leaving you today/ Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye. Goodbye Cruel World, Pink Floyd. Identified by Auld Hat

4. My head’s been lying dormant like a sleepy little mouse/ What I have inside me it’s enough to fill a house

5. Repair the hull/ Replace the sail/ The monkey wrestles with the ghost

SOME ALARMS AND SOME SURPRISES

This morning started off very peacefully. I watched the season premier of Project Runway, which I had missed because I was watching the very disappointing 19th run of Sasuke “aka” Ninja Warrior. Ninja Warrior is the most insane obstacle course ever created and is one of my favorite things to watch because the things these guys do are simply amazing. My favorite run was 17, when Makoto Nagano became the second person in history to finish the course. You can see him tackling all four stages below.

The thing with this competition is that they consistently make it harder. Once Nagano completed the course the 18th run was totally insane. Only six people made it past the first stage and three made it to the third no one, including Nagano, finished stage three. Nagano was close but accidentally grabbed the wrong part of an obstacle and disqualified himself.

For run 19 they simply went too far. The obstacles are so much harder that only two people made it past stage one (100 attempt the course each time). Nagano was very close to finishing but missed it saying he wasn't determined enough. Maybe seeing all his best competitors fail was too depressing. No one made it past the second obstacle on stage two, making it the shortest competition in history. I hope they don’t make the course harder next year because it would just be stupid. You want to see people have at least the opportunity to finish. If they keep the same course as they had this year I think more will succeed.

Anyway, I digressed a whole lot. This morning was very peaceful. It was a cold morning but brisk and still. The train ride was quiet and speedy. As I got off the train I was listening to “no surprises”, by Radiohead on the iPod and was in a nice happy place. Then as the words in my ears sang, “no alarms and no surprises,” I came off the escalator to the surprising alarm of a fire engine. The day hasn’t quite recovered. I forgot that I agreed to stay late to help with a volunteer orientation. I did three depressing and draining practice interviews, and Cassandra is out sick so I can’t go over some things with her that I really need to cover before I leave. No surprises indeed.

1. Underneath the bridge/ top has sprung a leak and/ the animals I trapped/ Have all become my pets. Something In The Way, Nirvana. Identified by Brooke.

2. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

3. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

4. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

5. THe first cut/ Is a criminal thing/ The first cut/ Goes deeper in. The First Cut, Eurythmics. Identified by Mom.

NOT SO MINI MUSIC RANT

In the comments section from yesterday’s post my Mom talked about me getting on the ice to skate. I have been thinking about it a lot for the last month or even a little longer. The itch got really bad about three weeks ago while I was listening to The Magical Mystery Tour and my body just wanted to make a program for Strawberry Fields Forever. Sadly, there are no rinks that are particularly easy for me to get to and I like things to be easy. I secretly hoped that there was a rink on the DePaul campus that I could sneak some ice time on but there isn’t. They have an intramural hockey team but they practice at one of the few city rinks.

The first event of the season, Skate America, aired Oct 28th and the second, Cup of China was on last Sunday. Happily, there will be skating on every Sunday (except one) from now until Dec 23rd. Even though it makes me incredibly happy to see the top skaters so often and gauge how they will end up performing this year as we get to Worlds in March I am also experiencing some frustration with the sport.

In my posts last year I talked about how much I love the new judging system (based on a base value of points for each element) because it really pushes the skater to achieve more than they had to on the 6.0 system and is much fairer. I still agree with that statement. However, I am interested in why skating in the Us, which used to bring in great ratings, is failing so much. One of the reasons could be the lack of people like Dick Button to get spectators excited about the new system and instead maintaining his typical curmudgeon attitude. Some people have said that the sport is suffering because it is perceived as unfair and corrupt because of the incident at the 2002 Olympics. That could very well be true. However, instead of trumpeting the merits of the new system as being a way to stop such practices, the system was rolled out as complicated. Maybe it is just m but I think it is easier to understand that each move has a point value and then the points are added up then a system where they get random numbers assigned to them based on a program as a whole. Even after a life of skating that system didn’t make all that much sense.

Anyway, I have digressed from my point. My point is that even a lover of skating such as me sometimes has a hard time with some of the skaters. I have my favorites, people that light up the ice and you can’t stop watching, and I have people that I tend to watch out of the corner of my eye. I think the problem is incredibly simple. They need to do something about the music. They need to bring back innovation and interest. I can’t stand to hear another program with the music from Carmen, Sing Sing Sing, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, The Mission soundtrack, or a Broadway melody. If I am getting bored with the music and I love the sport I can only imagine what the casual observer must think.

It isn’t as if there is a lack of music out in the world. There isn’t even a lack of instrumental music in the world. You don’t have to use classical music to be graceful and artistic. There are instrumental arrangements of popular music all over the place. Why aren’t people tapping into the true variety that is out there? New music would inherently bring new artistic expression and with new expression comes new excitement. How awesome would it be to see a short program to Da Funk by Daft Punk or a long program to some instrumental Radiohead piece? It would be entirely crazy awesome I tell you. Some people can carry off the classical pieces, they have a dance quality and a maturity that can actually express the music but some of the skaters just can’t get in tune with the traditional pieces. They need to recommend some selections to their coaches and choreographers, things that they like and motivate them. Sure, it may take the judges a little bit to get used to but if the top skaters do it I think it could work. I mean Jubert won everything possible last season to instrumental versions of Metallica. He was awesome. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The sport is progressing physically and is increasingly more complex. The music needs to get modernized as well.

Oh, and another thing, stop taking skating videos off youtube for copyright issues US Figure Sating Assn the sport needs all the viewers it can get. Dumbases.

1. Underneath the bridge/ top has sprung a leak and/ the animals I trapped/ Have all become my pets

2. I met you on a midway at a fair last year/ and you stood out like a ruby in a Black man’s ear. That Song About The Midway. Joni Mitchell. Identified by Mom.

3. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

4. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

5. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now