Far too much to report. Not sure I’m even up for the CliffsNotes version of the weekend, but here goes. Highlights included, but were not limited to: the little man’s kindergarten orientation; a brief power outage; brushes with brainsucking aliens; Dave and Huey-Ling’s big move into their beautiful new/old house (built in 1904); the triumphant return, er, arrival, of the husband’s recumbent bike (which had been sitting in storage at his parents’ house for the last four years); my inaugral bike ride around the neighborhood (it rained yesterday, but not today, yet will rain again tomorrow); the purchase of plane tickets for the little man and I, for a trip in August; my step-niece’s 17th birthday party; and two meals eaten out at Evergreen.
Bonus: New to me…Keltech Strikes Back.
Plus: Reg alerted me to the existence of a Pac Man board game, circa 1982. Now I want one, even if game play isn’t all that.
And: A co-worker turned me on to LCD Soundsystem, but sadly I didn’t have any time for acquiring their wares this weekend.

It’s been a strange week. Zophia and I stayed up past our bedtimes to bask in the presence of greatness, in the form of Neko Case. Though our basking was occasionally interuppted by asshats. One guy repeatedly elbowed me with his drinking arm and blocked my view with his big fat head (note: please do NOT stand directly in front of people who are 5′0″ or under at shows, unless you are even shorter), until I hipchecked him out of my way. And Zophia had some drunk jackass standing next to her who whipped out his cell phone and began shouting gems into it like “I don’t know, is this Neko Case?” and “it’s fucking great!” and “no, no, I’m on the left side of the stage” until he finally left, no doubt in search of his equally inebriated companion. But I digress. When all other distractions were blocked out, the show itself was fabulous. And Ms. Case’s between-songs anecdotes were nearly as entertaining as her music. Driving home afterwards I was treated to quite the lightning display, which was just the pre-show entertainment for a killer storm that would take down many trees and tree branches, and knock out power to a good chunk of Twin Cities area residents. Little did I know that the lightning would strike a tranformer near my office…nor did I find out until I arrived yesterday morning, to find the building dimly lit and full of stale air. I beat a hasty retreat (and what transpired afterwards shall forever be known as the Blackout Day Field Trip).

Today I may seem more death-obsessed and morbidly-inclined than usual…but I still haven’t seen Six Feet Under, though I’ve managed to hear The Arcade Fire’s Cold Wind, which was exclusively written and recorded for the show. And I can’t stop listening to it.

Checking in at Gapers Block yesterday I was saddened…to see that Alicia Frantz was killed, while riding her bike to work last Friday, on her 32nd birthday no less. I didn’t know her, and I’d only stopped by her site now and then, but this struck a nerve. She was born just 22 days before I was. And lived in a nearby, though larger, Midwestern city. Where I am very visually obsessive, she was an amazingly aural sonic documentarian. I think Mimi Smartpants put it best with “she was talented and funny and cute and interesting and obviously a good friend to have.” My thoughts go out to her friends and family.

Now on to something else, sorta moody, but not so grim…we’ll call ‘The Value of Dystopian Science Fiction‘. I first spotted this via Luxomedia. It looks like some wildly creative and imaginative folks in Nantes, France held a 3-day festival, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Jules Verne’s death. This celebration began with “a jaw-dropping fantasy morning involving wooden space probes, a giant water squirting elephant, and a huge girl on a scooter who visited the mayor at his office and made pee.” How amazingly weird and wonderful. More details here. And more photos on flickr, of course.

The Minnesota Museum of American Art is kicking off its summertime patio nights series tonight, with a performance by Superhopper, with Monarques and Look Down. A friend’s band played that same patio last summer, and it was magical, all hidden away, tucked back behind the museum…but overlooking the Mississippi. Sadly showers are possible by evening. Figures.

Bonus: We all know there are now too many blogs to shake a stick at, but I’ve just found Seattle-based blogs that I have been enjoying. I Make Things and Pop Astronaut.
Plus: Well whadya know…Chuck really is the devil who controls the blogosphere. Crazy.

After I put the little man to bed last night my evening took a surreal turn. The husband had gone out (I’m going out tonight, with Zophia, to the Neko Case show) so the house was especially quiet. I intended to compulsively check my email one last time…before going to bed to read myself to sleep. And I did have new email. From an old elementary school classmate who claims, oddly enough, that I was his first crush. Physically and socially awkward short little me, with the big big glasses (how little has changed). Sadder still, I cannot, for the life of me, remember who this guy is. So while I was pondering memory and rememory, it seemed like a good time to stay up late to watch The Final Cut, which the husband had gotten from GreenCine. It’s a quiet little sci-film, set in the near future, revolving around an implant that wealthier citizens have placed in their brains before birth…which will then record everything they see and hear throughout their lives. An interesting idea, but the execution wasn’t as engaging as it could have been (Gattaca got it right). I’m far more taken with the Takeshi Kovacs series, in which people have similar implants. Their “cortical stacks” also record all of their memories, their consciousness, their essence…or whatever. But instead of allowing this footage to be viewed after the death of one’s body, this cortical stack can be implanted into a new body (or “sleeve”), thus granting an immortality of sorts to those with implants…or rather to those who can afford to be re-sleeved. Naturally Hollywood has optioned this, but I don’t look forward to seeing what they’ll do to it if it’s greenlighted. Whatever happens I’ll choose to remember it my way.
Bonus: This post was partially written while listening to Sondre Lerche’s Stupid Memory. Such synchronicity.

I just bought tickets to the Andrew Bird show. In, umm, Madison. It’s the closest he’ll be to the Twin Cities in the near future, it’s a weekend, and it’s on my birthday. Though I have yet to figure out lodging and little man logistics, I’m looking forward to the fabulous Mr. Bird singing The Happy Birthday Song to me, on my actual birthday. Hopefully it will all work out.
Bonus: Rocketboom rocks daily, but an extra big yay for today’s report.
Plus: I will miss you when you are across the sea.

I have no patience for assholes and their asshattery, though I’d rather not rehash the whole thing. Instead, read all about it here if you are so inclined. Naturally I think the good-natured Chuck is in the right, and this rude Hollywood hack should go back to producing B-movies. Enough said.

Speaking of movies…I’ve seen two of them this weekend, at the theater and everything. Last night I was leaning towards schmaltzy with The Way We Were, which I’ve never seen, but my companion was in the mood for Milwaukee, Minnesota. Thankfully we compromised with Mad Hot Ballroom, which we both enjoyed a great deal. Afterwards I headed to Chuck’s birthday BBQ, where I was having so much fun I stayed up WAY past my bedtime (in bed around 3:30am, up by 7am with the little man). So I’m beat today, and possibly just a touch crankier than usual, but it was well worth it. Though in my current uselessness I caved and took the little man to see the mediocre Madagascar. I’d feel hopeless about the state of kid-friendly movies, if it weren’t for two gems on the horizon…Miyazaki’s latest, Howl’s Moving Castle, and the upcoming full-length Wallace and Gromit film.

Bonus: Though I haven’t been particularly productive this weekend, I have been working my way through Woken Furies. It may well be my favorite of the Takeshi Kovacs novels.
Plus: It’s a school/work night, and as I’m already impossibly tired I will be skipping tonight’s Caribou show. The consolation prize? I finally picked up The Milk of Human Kindness last night.
And: Speaking of music…the music for the Gamecube’s Paper Mario is perpetually stuck in my head now, as the husband’s logged a lot of time playing it lately. I’ve gotten sucked into watching and, unsurprisingly, doing a little back seat driving/game playing as well. But I was right about those Fire Flowers. So there.
And another thing: Penn (of Penn and Teller) and his wife Emily had a baby girl on Friday and have named her Moxie CrimeFighter Jillette. That makes me immensely happy for some reason (via Neil Gaiman).

I’m still alive…but have been most woeful this week. My all-time favorite neighbors ever of all time…well, they…they moved away (while Chuck is lucky enough to keep his nice neighbors and have his icky, loud ones move away). I know it wasn’t anything I did, that it was time for them to move on. They needed…space. But still. This sucks. The little man has been taking it better than expected. We discussed it last Friday night, the night before the big move began. With a serious look on his face he asked if we were going to move into a bigger house too. Just as I was getting bummed out and maybe bracing for some tears he stretched out on the couch, head on my lap, and began to tell me all about the house he’d like to move into…it would be a HUGE treehouse, like the Ewoks live in. And this treehouse would come equipped with a big screen television suspended from the ceiling playing…Elmo videos. His dream home concept is sure to evolve as he grows, or so I hope, but for now the idea of it cheered me up.

And now we must move forward. It’s a new month. Summer is upon us, the rains seem to have stopped (for now), and there is much to do. More events than you can shake a stick at, really. Last night we went to a picnic at Como Park. Tonight I might finally get to ride my bike. Tomorrow’s schedule includes the Walker’s Family Day, the Shag opening at Ox-Op, and a Blogumentary Birthday BBQ. Sunday sees St. Paul’s Grand Old Day and the Flint Hill Children’s Festival, and in Minneapolis Caribou (formerly Manitoba) graces the stage at the 400 Bar. And the weekend should be a good one for Zophia’s big move.
Bonus: Just say, “Bite me.” Sophie’s line of vegan baked goods are now available in Chicagoland.
Plus: The fantastic tale of a child with improbable hair.
And: A new month means new wallpapers from Veer.