MY SUBCONSCIOUS THINKS I'M CHILDISH

I went to the optometrist this morning. My prescription has changed a tiny bit but my eyes are not the source of my lightheadedness. I’m calling my Dr. back tomorrow. Today my pupils are dilated and it has enhanced my feeling funny. What fun. I did get really nifty glasses though. they have sparkles on them that you can kind of see in the side view.

So the other night I had this dream that Monica, Patrick (who is Monica’s friend and I have never met but have seen pictures of), and I were playing on this playground after winning some crazy boat race or something. That part of the dream is a little fuzzy. Patrick in the dream didn’t look like Patrick in real life; he looked more like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which is very funny because it is almost the exact opposite of real Patrick. Anyway we had this tent thing that we draped over a round climby thing on the playground and were playing fort. Fort rules.

So we are in our fort having an awesome time when this little kid comes in. The kid’s dad is standing on the sidelines of the playground watching. The kid looks up at us and asks how old we are. I say 28, Monica says 29, and Patrick says 30 (I have no idea how old he really is). The kid looks at us and says, “Oh, that’s old. I’m 4. What are you doing in this fort?” We just looked at the kid and then at each other and packed up in shame. Then some other strange dream type stuff happened that I don’t remember. I think that the remembered part was the important part though.

The thing was my dream kind of hurt my feelings. I mean sure, I like to play around but I think my friends and I are fine examples of people in their late 20s. We have jobs, we pay rent, we function as adults, and we are generally accepted to be grown type folks. So what if we like forts? Who doesn’t? Just cause we don’t have kids of our own to play fort with doesn’t mean we should be shut out from playing. Play is important. Anyway, I’m mad at my dream.

1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity

2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world

3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I

4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more.

5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Who’s got the new boy gender

IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING

Well I am back in the land of the living and still have no idea why I was out. I can’t say I feel 100% because I would be lying but I have made it through half of a workday and I am pretty sure that I will make it through the rest just fine. If I am still feeling off in the head by mid-week I’m calling the dr. again.

Needless to say things have been pretty uneventful since my last post. My bloodwork was perfect. I guess that is good to know but since I felt imperfect I was kind of hoping for some validation and tangible illness. I did run a fever on Friday, which was my first measurable symptom and I was very excited about that. I watched a bunch of movies, many of which helped to confirm that I was not feeling well. Can I just say how much I LOVED The Gameplan! Yes, that is the movie where The Rock is a football player and his unknown daughter appears on his doorstep. Man did it ever make me cry. Then again, every movie makes me cry. I can’t really remember the last movie I watched that didn’t get me a little choked up.

I did manage to go to the grocery store on Sunday and made a delicious fruit salad. Even though it isn’t Friday I feel like sharing food stuffs cause it’s all I got.

• 1 container strawberries, halved (obviously Monica was not coming over)
• 1 container blueberries
• 2 pluots chopped
• 2 nectarines chopped
• 3 kiwi chopped
• 2 banana chopped

It would have been great just like that but during my time confined to my bed I saw this lady, whose name I never remember but she is the Healthy eating lady with short dark hair and blue eyes, make the best looking fruit salad dressing ever so I had to have a fruit salad. I now want to put this dressing on everything because I haven’t had anything so yummy in a long time

• 2 tbsp honey
• Zest of one lime
• Juice of one lime

Stir and put on EVERYTHING
Awesome

1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity

2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world

3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I

4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more.

5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Whose got the new boy gender

NOT DEAD YET

My dizziness is slowly dissipating. I went to the Dr yesterday and she was utterly perplexed by my symptoms. My neurological processes seemed fine so I probably don't have a tumor and didn't suffer a stroke. My blood sugar was a little low but not low enough to cause the symptoms. I'm waiting on the results of my other bloodwork. I feel better but not normal. I hope I will feel normal tomorrow because I have my first one-on-one financial advising session with a student. I am excited about it and want to do it well. As my iPod is in the other room I won't be getting up and putting new songs on because sitting up all day is my mission, walking...not so much.

WHAT IS UP WITH MY HEAD?

I feel very strange. I don’t know what is wrong with me but I think something is. I am not one for hypochondria but I just can’t explain what I have going on here. I feel like I am on some kind of mild hallucinogen or something. All of a sudden my head got really light and things just kept turning slightly to the right in an upward direction. I don’t know why but every time I try to look at something stationary it won’t keep still. It is even going on when my eyes were closed. I thought maybe I was just hungry so I ate my lunch. I am still feeling crazy. The only thing I ate today that I don’t eat all the time was a life savers mint. I highly doubt it was laced with anything. I really don’t know what to do but I think functioning like this will be very difficult. I am on my lunch break now and am hoping that it will just stop as suddenly as it started. What the heck! Maybe I am dying.

1. Jenny said that when she was just five years old. There was nothing happening at all/ Every time she puts on the radio/ There was nothing going down at all. Rock and Roll, Velvet Underground. Identified by Jamie.

2. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity

3. Finished with my woman cause she couldn’t help me with my life/ people think I’m insane because I am browning all the time. Paranoid, Black Sabbath. Identified by Jason.

4. When I wake up early in the morning/ Lift my head/ I’m still yawning. I'm Only Sleeping. The Beatles. Identified by Jamie

5. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world

A WEEKEND FULL OF STUFF

I had an utterly exhausting weekend full of stuff and things. To most people it would have been a relatively low key weekend. Oh how I love my extreme debilitating INFPness.

Friday after work I headed over to Monica’s office to meet her for dinner and Be Kind Rewind. We had a lovely meal at a Mexican joint called Su Casa that we never go to because it is right next to Grand Lux and we felt it would be overpriced. It was pretty standard dining out Mexican food priced. We even ordered marguerites, which is unusual because usually we are all about being hella cheap. It was nice to eat like regular adults. While we were there we discussed how I only have three friends I see on a regular basis and one of them is Tony. This leaves me with Monica and Dave. It isn’t that I don’t like my other friends; I like them quite a bit. However, seeing Dave once a week and Monica about once every other week give or take, and Tony all the time more than satisfies my need for human interaction. This, coupled with my laziness, means that I love seeing my other friends but it doesn’t happen all that often. She then wondered why it was that she has like 20 friends who she sees semi-regularly and still feels like she doesn’t’ have enough friends. I had no answer, the thought of the stress of seeing so many people just made me want to curl up on my couch and I had a movie to see. The movie was plenty entertaining, the end was a little on the cheesy overdone side but it was still fine.

Saturday was a day that most people would say was full of absolutely nothing. Tony slept late so I watched some TV and messed around with the computer. Then we went out to Diner to eat food, then we went to the grocery store, then we cleaned the fish tank (those poor little guys needed it so bad) and installed a new heater, then we watched Torchwood (which is totally awesome) and had some dinner. I think we might have read some as well. It was, as you can see, incredibly busy.

Sunday was even busier! We got up and made some breakfast and then decided that since we had a nice clean fish tank that we possibly needed more fish to go in it. We headed to the fish store up the street only to find that it was closed and they are also having a going out of business sale. We saw a bus coming and decided to hop on it to go to a fish store up in Evanston that we visited the last time my parents were in town. They didn’t have any fish we particularly wanted, which was a bummer because we really wanted some fish. They did have a Sugar Glider and I immediately wanted to take it home forever but it was like $285 and that wasn’t happening. After the fish store we decided to go for a walk and ended up walking back to Chicago. It was only about two miles but it was also 34 degrees and Tony had no hat. We passed a cemetery and I really wanted to go inside and walk around but it wasn’t the right time. Instead we just looked through the gate and commented on how certain mausoleums looked more like they housed vampires than others. We also noted how long ago everyone was born. Where do they bury new dead people? We decided that we would need to have a visit cemetery day when the weather gets nicer. They are pretty cool. After making it back to Chicago we hopped on the bus and headed home. Later that night I made a lasagna! Talk about doin stuff.

So my point is that if I do ANYTHING it seems like a whole lot of action. I’m totally exhausted today but we’ll say it is because of the daylights savings thing because if that lame nothing weekend made me this tired there is no hope for me at all.

Time for the reveal of last weeks songs.

1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now. Sometimes, My Bloody Valentine

2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog. Master and Dog, Quasi

3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town. Country Mile, Camera Obscura

4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd. I Want You Back, Jackson 5

5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about that. Sixteen, Le Tigre

I SHOULDN'T HAVE HIT PUBLISH

One thing I have learned from my last post is that unfounded theories that are known to be based on vast generalizations will inevitably cause more legitimate realizations to surface. I find this to be fascinating. Recently I was reading an article about poop. Why was I doing this? Because Tony and I thought it would be funny to google poop and see what came up. Yes, I realize this makes us seven.

One of the sites full of fun facts about poop tackled the question of wiping. Apparently, most people wipe sitting down and a much smaller number of people prefer to stand and wipe. There seems to be no difference in gender. It just struck me as strange that people do this very common thing in such different ways. Why is this? I guess people learn from their parents and that the percentage of standers and sitters would remain relatively constant throughout generations. I didn’t research this it is just an idea.

I don’t know much about wiping habits of others and I don’t particularly wish to discuss my wiping habits. I don’t want to read comments about peoples wiping habits. I assume most people feel the same way. I guess the question then becomes why did I post about it? That would be a valid question. The answer is simply that it was on my mind and I didn’t know what else to write about. Plus, it’s yet another thing that I believe is learned at home and that impacts the life of a person. And maybe, just maybe, someone will know actual real facts about the subject.

1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog

3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town

4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd

5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about thaT

GENERATION SKIPPED

Writing about my mix and seeing people’s responses made me think about the kind of music I like and why I like it (other than the fact that it is awesome). I learned a lot about music from my parents. This has led me to assume that many people are influenced greatly by their parent’s musical tastes which are, in turn, influenced by their parent’s musical taste and so on and so forth in perpetuity. Therefore, I wonder, does music skip a generation?

I also assume (erroneously but not entirely so) that musical taste solidifies between the formative years that I will label as being between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Granted, there will be much loved bands that come into ones life after that age but I postulate that the new bands will not greatly contradict the sensibilities of the aforementioned formative bands.

Now, I don’t know exactly how old my parents are. I am ashamed to admit this because they both read this blog and I have seriously condemned myself. You would think I could just figure it out based on the years they were born but as I do not know those either I am screwed. I do know, however, what their birthdays are and approximately when their anniversary is and that I love them very much so they’ll have to just accept that. I’ll just say they are in their early to mid 50s and were, therefore, born in the mid to late 50s meaning their formative musical years were in the late 60s and early 70s, which was arguably one of the greatest times for music ever.

I love music from that era. The kids I grew up with loved music from that era. My current friends love music from that era. Naturally, I assumed that everyone loved music from that era. However, while having a conversation with one of my student workers I found out that I was mistaken. My student did not love music from that era. What was even more shocking to me was that the student knew next to nothing about music from that era. I mentioned a bunch of big name groups to get some kind of reaction; The Beatles, Hendrix, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin (who i never heard in my house but many of my peers heard in theirs), various Motown groups…you know the stuff. The thing is that this student didn’t. All he could say was “I’ve heard of some of them but I don’t really know any of their music”.

I love my student workers, every last one of them, but I didn’t know what to say. I felt like there was a huge chasm that had suddenly formed between us. How can you not know what Hendrix played? What do you mean you have never heard The White Album? You can imagine how I kept trying to find things they knew and continued to fail. It made me wonder if I was a total freak. I decided that was not the case and there had to be another reason.

I know people have children at all different ages. According to the most recent data I could find in one quick Google search 25 is the average age for a first time parent (2004) and that was a high. Since I’m talking about people who are currently 18-22 and were born in the late 80s (gosh that makes me feel old) I’m guessing the average age of their parent was about 23, just cause. That means they were born between 63 and 67 making their musical formative years fall in the early to mid 80s and they are now in their early to mid forties. Therefore these kids grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and the like. My students knew who all those people were. They also didn’t know jack about early 90s music. They were too young to really care and it either didn’t jive with the formative sensibilities of their 80s entrenched parents. Thus, i have proved that music skips a generation.

I realize that this proof is full of assumptions and holes but what do you expect from a blog post? I’m not saying my students can’t appreciate the music my folks taught me to love. They just haven’t had the chance to be exposed to it. Now that they know me (and I have music in my office all the time) they have a better chance of expanding their musical knowledge and I am doing my best to make sure that it happens.

1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog

3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town

4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd

5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about that

THE IMPOSSIBLE MIX TAPE

I am listening to a playlist for a CD that I made for Lakeiya when she left for law school and I am realizing that I have really good taste in music. I am sure there are some people out there who will disagree with me but this list is kind of universally good.

Ain’t No Sunshine- Bill Withers

High and Dry- Radiohead

Oslo in the Summertime- Of Montreal

For Your Love- The Yardbirds

Cool It Down- Velvet Underground

Golden Slumbers- The Beatles

Morning, Morning- Richie Havens

2HB- The Venus in Furs

Flying Away- Smoke City

Sexy Boy- Air

Dry The Rain- The Beta Band

I’ll Be There- The Jackson 5

Long Hot Summer Night- Jimi Hendrix

Get Ready- The Temptations

She’s Not There- The Zombies

Fuel- Ani DiFranco

Tender- Blur

In My Life- The Beatles

The Circle Game- Joni Mitchell

Street Spirit (Fade Out)- Radiohead

Sure there are some repeats as far as artists go but it’s ok. The songs may not seem to flow together to the naked eye but the final notes of a song always lead nicely into the first notes of the next song. It’s just a really good grouping of songs.

I have always been a mix tape maker. I think I have made some kind of mix for every close friend in my life with the exception of Monica and Tony. Brooke, Jenna, Roxanne, and Shoshana got the majority of them. Monica simply knows far more about music than I do and I wouldn’t presume to do a compilation for her. Then again, I did make an Ani compilation for her that wasn’t half bad. I guess Tony is the only one left out.

I have thought about making one for him. I have even started to create a playlist only to give up. The reason is simply that his musical taste changes far too often for me to even attempt to make something he would enjoy for more than a week or two. He has this thing about music he likes but never wants to hear again. He is the type to burn himself out on particular artists. I can listen to things I like over and over forever. He has actually been swearing off music a lot lately. At one point he lived and breathed music but apparently he is burnt out on the whole genre. Interesting. Maybe someday I can crack the code.

1. I’m coming up man-sized/ Skinned alive/ I want to fit/ I’ve got to get/ Man-sized. Man Sized, PJ Harvey. Identified by Brooke.

2. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

3. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog

4. Virtue/ Is relative at best/ There's nothing worse/ Than a sunset when you're driving/ Due west. Virtue, Ani DiFranco. Identified by Brooke.

5. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town

RANDOM UNCONNECTED THOUGHTS

Yesterday was a very strange day. I actually forgot that Top Model and Project Runway were on. Luckily I turned on the TV at 9:03 so I didn’t miss much Project Runway but Top Model is a mystery. No worries. That show blows anyway. I must say I am a little bummed that Rami “made it” to Bryant Park. Really, are there avid watchers of the show that don’t know that the top five actually showed at Fashion Week? Did I think Rami’s collection was better than Chris’s? Sure, because it was but that doesn’t mean I wanted him to win. Since Christian “overwhelmingly won the fan favorite,” I think Jillian is a shoe in for winning the show. They won’t let Christian win everything and Jillian’s collection is awesome. Still, the show has surprised me before and anything could happen next week.

I think this Huey Lewis thing is actually working. I keep seeing him pop up everywhere. It could be because I’m looking but I don’t think so. I think that something is actually happening with it. This morning there was a casual mention of Huey in the Red Eye. As half of the world has seen, Huey was featured in Kimmel’s “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck” video. This can’t be all about coincidences. It’s like that thing The Secret that some people believe in. Maybe it’s real.

I have had urges to sing more Talking Heads at karaoke. Since I failed so miserably last time I attempted one of their songs I have no idea where this urge came from. Regardless, I was listening to Stop Making Sense and couldn’t help but picture myself taking on “Once In A Lifetime” with the chorus sung by my little sister while we were both doing David Byrne moves from the video. Man would it ever be a disaster. Same as it ever was.

1. So messed up I want you here/ In my room I want you here/ Now we’re gonna be face to face/ And I’ll lay right down in my favorite place. I Wanna To Be Your Dog, Iggy Pop. Identified by Chatty Knitter

2. I’m coming up man-sized/ Skinned alive/ I want to fit/ I’ve got to get/ Man-sized

3. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

4. Now Peter Piper picked peppers/ But Run rapped rhymes/ Humpty Dumpty fell down/ That’s his hard time. Peter Piper, Run DMC, Identified by Monica

5. Come down off your throne/ And leave your body lone/ Somebody must change/ You are the reason I’ve been waiting oh so long/ Somebody holds the key. Can't Find My Way Home, Blind Faith. Identified by Dad

WHAT TO PLAY NEXT

So I had nothing to say at all and then was telling Monica about how this dog she thinks is really cute is only kind of cute which made me remember this Nat Geo program I was watching about a man raising wolves who were rejected by their mother with the aim of teaching them well enough to be released into the wild.

The cutest thing ever was how he taught them to howl. OH MY GOSH a baby wolf howl is the best thing since lions hugging people. I totally love fuzzy animals.



Actually, something did happen this weekend. I beat Assassins Creed. It was a very good but not quite great game. Tony didn’t like it much at all. He found it too repetitive and stopped playing with me after the second assassination and before the fighting got interesting. Although there aren’t many moves, becoming a master assassin is a matter of timing. I read a review that likened the fighting to dancing and it really is. If you are off rhythm you will die. The final scene left some to be desired though. A little more resolution would have been nice. That being said, the graphics were incomparable, the story was interesting, and I liked the stealth and patience that the game required. If you are more about running into a battle guns blazing this is not the game for you.

This means Tony and I have completed all our ps3 games. Luckily, my tax refund got direct deposited last night so I can go buy a new one. Elder Scrolls Oblivion, here I come. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a good RPG to work through. I’m also toying with the idea of getting God of War II (although it was made for ps2). I figure I should play it before III comes out and it should be pretty cheap now. Then again, if anyone has other ideas I would be very open. To get an idea of what we play here is the list of what we have finished.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma- Awesome but incredibly hard and didn't need to be as annoying
Resistance Fall of Man- Tony played but looked awesome
Ratchet and Clank Future:Tools of Destruction- Awesome
The Simpsons Game- Would have been bad had it not been Simpsons
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune- Awesome
Assassins Creed- Awesome to me but not to Tony

As you can see, we are not into sports games so don’t suggest any.

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. PS I Love You, Billie Holiday

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. Ball and Chain, Janis Joplin

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. Good Guys Don’t Wear White, Minor Threat

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. Tightrope, ELO

5. A wannabe gangsta/ Thinking he’s a wise guy/ Rob another bank/ He’s a sock em in the eye guy. If You Have To Ask. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Identified by Jason.

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

SHE THINKS I'M COOL...OR NICE

So, apparently a person who I spend quite a bit of time with (proportionately to other people at least) thinks that I am a nice person. It’s good to know. For most of my life people who I spent a lot of time with thought I was more of a raging asshole mean bitch than a nice person. Don’t get me wrong, they liked me just fine. We were friends and in many cases still are. They just wouldn’t have used the words nice to describe me. Maybe I have grown up or maybe it is just because some people wouldn’t necessarily recognize her as nice either (even though she is) so she understands what I go through.

So, thanks, Friend. For knowing that deep down under all the snarky comments and hating on all that is generally lame that I am a nice person. It is refreshing. As far as passing this along goes my lunch is about over and I must get back to work. I figure everyone that reads this blog is probably pretty nice so I pass it to all of you nice folk out there.

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

TOMORROW I'L BE SINGING

Tomorrow is the night. Monica, Tony, and I will be heading downtown to experience the wonder that is Jesus Christ Superstar. We are going on opening night. I always wonder about attending the opening of a show. Part of me feels that they are going to go out there and give it their all but another side wonders if they may not yet feel quite at home and, therefore, suck a little. No matter, even if the show were to suck it couldn’t help but be awesome. It will be hard to contain myself and not belt out songs. I think it might be a little inappropriate in a theater. This isn't movies in the park.

Let me tell you a little about why I love this show.

1. The music

Tony once told me that while in Texas he asked his friend Matt what Jesus Christ Superstar was. Mat replied, “it’s Jesus but funky.” He couldn’t be more right. This music is FUNKY. You just want to get up and dance and I am so curious to see the dancing that is going to happen tomorrow night.

2. The history

When I was young I didn’t go to church, synagogue, temple, ashram, or any other edifice of religiosity. I was somewhat curious about religion because I was a curious child and a while lot of people seemed to put a lot of stock in it. All the questions I had were answered by my parents to the best of their ability and I considered myself rather well informed.

One day, while looking through my parent’s records I came upon a double album containing the London cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. I figured the title was pretty interesting so I put it on. Need I remind you that it was FUNKY? I think not. So I sat there and listened to the music with the liner notes in hand reading along and learning the story. I think that experience was my first real exposure to the story of the final days of Jesus. Because of this musical being my teacher I was very confused when I heard that Judas was considered to be the worst of all worst people. His character in the play is very sympathetic and he totally has the best songs. Jesus is a little whiny. These facts may be why the musical was controversial.

Later in life I read the Bible and was pleasantly surprised to find bits and pieces of the words from JC Superstar dispersed throughout. I felt pretty good about the fact that the play was nice and true to the text…ish

3. The clothes

Now, since my only seeing of this show has been through the 1973 Norman Jewison film that is my only concept of the clothes. However, anytime Roman guards look like village people, King Herod appears to be a coked out movie producer, and Jesus and pals are total hippies I can’t help but love it.

4. The music

Yeah I know I covered this already but really, this stuff is FUNKY

I can’t wait.

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. Cato play with my head/ I won’t know the difference/ if we’re living in the novelist/ or statistician/ Oh oh oh. Cato As A Pun, of Montreal. Identified by Monica

4. See the storm set in your eyes/ See the torn twist in your side/ I wait for you. With or Without You, U2. Identified by, Danielle

5. 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

HAPPY DAY OF FORCED LOVE

I'm not so big on Valentines Day. I always thought once I got someone special in my life that it would suddenly mean a lot more. Instead it has come to mean a lot less. It is actually a pleasant surprise.

My dismissive attitude to Valentines Day doesn't mean I don't like love and affection. In fact, I like those things quite a bit. I think hugs are the greatest. To celebrate valentines day I present you all with the best hug I have ever seen in my life.



Don't you all wish you had a friend like that?

I thought about putting up love songs for the guessing today but it was far too much work. It's all shuffle like normal.

1. I see us in the park/ Strolling the summer days/ Of imaginings in my head. Knocks Me Off My Feet, Stevie Wonder. Identified by Mom.

2. Well I went to school/ Oh/ Well I went to school/ Haha/ Well I went to school/ In Olympia. Rock Star, Hole. Identified by Jason.

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

4. 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

5. I feel pretty/ Oh so pretty/ I feel pretty and witty and gay. I Feel Pretty, West Side Story. Identified by Chatty Knitter.

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

GOOEY GOODNESS

Apparently I said I was going to write a post about sandwiches today. In all honesty, who doesn’t love a good sandwich? I firmly believe that the sandwich is one of the more perfect foods out there. In fact, one of my first, and favorite, posts was about sandwiches.

I’ll call this sandwich Gooey Goodness because I like things that start with the same letter yet describe the product. It is important to be catchy.

• Four thin slices of sourdough or other delicious bread with a nice crust
• 1 large cap Portabella mushroom
• ½ Zucchini
• 2 slices Red onion
• 1 Roma Tomato
• Sprouts
• Brie cheese
• ½ tbsp butter

1. sauté the mushroom and zucchini in a tiny dab of butter until cooked
2. Put the rest of the butter in a pan and melt
3. Rub the bread, on both sides, in the butter
4. Put a layer of Brie on two slices of bread and cover with mushroom and zucchini then cover with other slice of bread
5. Press together with spatula
6. Cook over medium/low heat covered for a few minutes and flip
7. Repeat process until bread is nice and golden and cheese is gooey
8. Remove from heat
9. Open sandwiches and top with onion, tomato, and sprouts (in that order so as to avoid slippage, a successful sandwich is all in the layers)
10. Close sandwich and enjoy the gooey goodness

I suppose a Panini press would also work in this situation but who has one of those? Not I. I had a green apple with this sandwich and it was delightful. Green apples are so good with Brie. As I was typing I think a super thin layer of Dijon mustard may have complimented this sandwich as well. MMM Sandwich.

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

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

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

4. On the corner/ We talk away/ Everybody’s older these days

5. I’ll light the fire/ You place the flowers in the vase that you bought/ Today. Our House, CSNY. Identified by Mom.

YOU WANTED AN ESSAY, I'LL GIVE YOU AN ESSAY

Although I have been subtly plugging Huey Lewis here and there for some time on this blog I have been hesitant to pull out all the stops and explain fully why Huey is so important. Until now there has only been a facebook page but I don’t spend enough time there to truly attempt to fuel the fire from that site. No, this blog is where much of my online efforts go. The website existed before but consisted of nothing more than a picture, although a good picture it was. Sure, the site isn’t brimming with information yet. I don’t even see a post about the essay contest…maybe it’s over. Needless to say, Lewisnews08 is now a reality. You can all be a part of the movement.

Why Huey? Why not. Do I like Huey? Not particularly. Do I know any Huey songs? Only from my in-depth knowledge of the mind of Patrick Bateman (wasn’t American Psycho great?). So why do I care? Why is it that every time I pick up my cell phone I feel a sticker, smile, and think of Huey? It’s because this may be my chance to make a difference to the world. This movement, the bringing back of Huey Lewis and the News for 2008, is a chance for us all to unite and see if mere word of mouth and suggestion can change the course of musical history.

You might say that there is a much more important movement afoot in 2008 what with the elections and all. You would be right. However, the country will never unite behind one candidate. There are too many differences for that. At the same time, it is possible for everyone in the country to get behind Huey. They don’t have to like his music, they don’t have to know any of his songs, they only have to believe in the dream. Join us. You know you want to.

How do you join? It’s easy. Just let Huey into your life. Bring him up to people in passing. It doesn’t take much. Simply ask them if they know that 2008 is the year for the resurgence of Huey Lewis and the News. They will probably say they didn’t. So tell them that it is. That there is an underground movement set on this happening and all they have to do to help is tell a friend. We get enough people doing this and soon when you randomly ask someone if they know that 2008 is the year of the Huey that random person will say, “Yes, I did”. We will have achieved greatness.

Take the first step, join the movement. Get on facebook and check out the Huey Lewis is a Golden God group. You can request marketing materials; we’ll get them to you. People see enough stickers that they don’t understand with a website listed they’ll check it out. Think about it, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all working together to bring about change. This could be the thing that brings understanding across this great nation of ours. If you’re in a Super Tuesday state don’t forget to vote today but, while you’re at it, don’t forget to mention Huey. We can do it.

Yes, We Can.

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

2. Coming out the slums/ It's the hoodlums/ I'm pulling my gat out on all you bums. We Ain't Goin Out Like That, Cypress Hill. Identified by Ern

3. 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

4. They got a committee to get me off the block. Cause I say my rhymes loud and I say them non stop

5. On the corner/ We talk away/ Everybody’s older these days

WEEPY WEEKEND

Apparently my post on Friday was my 300th post. Neat. I totally had no idea.

I had every intention of going to Jamie’s to watch the Super Bowl. Then I slept really late and felt pretty lazy when I woke up. Then I looked and saw it was going to snow at some point during the game. I decided to stay home. I really had no interest in the game either so it made the decision a little easier. Regardless, I am kind of a bad friend. Sorry. Instead of Super Bowl, Tony and I watched The Karate Kid. I had actually never seen the entire movie and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I also made some of the most delicious sandwiches ever but you’ll have to wait until Friday to hear all about them.

Speaking of movies I watches this weekend, I really have to recommend The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters to everyone. It is a documentary that chronicles the epic battle between Billy Mitchell and Steve Weibe. Who are they you ask? They are the best Donkey Kong players around, duh. Although I had heard wonderful things about the movie I was a little skeptical about the entertainment value of a documentary about guys playing old school video games. Why? I have no idea. It was brilliant. There were shady dealings, bitter rivalries, and aloof masters of the joystick throughout. Even if you don’t care a thing about Donkey Kong or, like me, have never made it past the first board (or maybe second but apparently most people never make it past the third) you will enjoy this movie. Get it get it get it.

We also watched Pride. I can’t get enough of movies about sports that are “based on a true story” when there is racism involved it is even better. Pride is the one about the Black swim team from Philly. There were only two references to the whole “Black people can’t swim thing,” which I thought was interesting in some way. I never thought I would be typing this statement but here it goes, Bernie Mac was brilliant! He was just hilarious and delightful and made the movie. Terrence Howard wasn’t too bad himself but that is more expected. I mean did you see Hustle and Flow? He was so awesomely dirty. Like any movie about underdogs and racism it got me teary and Tony laughed at me. Whatever, The King of Kong made me a little teary as well. So did The Karate Kid. I just cry. I ain’t ashamed. Whatever.

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

2. Coming out the slums/ It's the hoodlums/ I'm pulling my gat out on all you bums

3. 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

4. I’d like to be/ Under the sea/ In an octopus’s garden/ In the shade. Octopus's Garden. The Beatles. Identified by Jenn.

5. Wow/ You sure got to climb a lot of steps to get to this capital building here in Washington/ Hey/ Who’s that sad little scrap of paper?/ You really want to know? I'm Just A Bill, Schoolhouse Rock. Identified by Janeylynne.

GARBANZO CURRYISH DISH

Seems like over a month since I pulled a Foodie Friday. I guess part of that is because I have been eating staples for some time now. Even though I have been cooking almost nightly nothing has been particularly new. While this recipe is a lot like my lentil, potato, and cauliflower dish I think it is different enough (kinda) that I can post it. It sure was delicious.

• 1 big ole can garbanzo beans
• 2 potatoes peeled and cubed
• 8oz fresh spinach chopped
• 3 large tomatoes sliced and halved
• 1 red onion thinly sliced
• 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp capers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• Lots of cumin and curry powder
• A dash of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

HERE ARE THE STEPS

1. Put a big old pot of water on to boil
   
2. Heat the oil in a large and deep pan and sauté the onion
3. After about 4 minutes add the serrano and garlic and let cook for a little while
4. Add the capers, tomatoes, spinach, and spices cover the pan and let simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally
5. Add the potatoes to the now boiling water and let them get nice and soft
6. Once the tomatoes reduce and make a nice sauce add the garbanzo beans and the potato.
7. Give it a nice stir and let everything cook together for about five minutes.
8. Serve with flour or corn tortilla with the dish because it is somewhat Indian like and tortillas are somewhat naan like (I know this is a stretch) and I thought it would be good. I was right.

Enjoy.

People guessed all the songs from yesterday, cause they were all pretty awesome, so here is a new group.

1. I love you/ Completely/ Please I don't want you to go/ Thought are not content here with me and you feel you must go
2. Coming out the slums/ It's the hoodlums/ I'm pulling my gat out on all you bums
3. I'm trying to tell you something 'bout my life/ Maybe give me insight between black and white/and the best thing you ever done for me/ Is to help me take my life less seriously. Closer To Fine, The Indigo Girls. Identified jointly by Mom and Jason. How Cute.
   
4. Isn't she lovely/ Isn't she wonderful/ Isn't she pretty/ less than one minute old. Isn't She Lovely, Stevie Wonder. Identified by Mom.
   
5. 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