Lately I have consumed a veritable glut of media. I’d like to read a few more books, sure, but what I really need is more time out in the world. I’m not the boy (or girl) in the bubble. Sometimes I fall into a rut and have to pull myself out of hermit/homebody mode, but I like to think I’m a social creature. Thankfully I’m going out with friends tonight, for dinner and then my first live music show since January. I can’t wait to see Sondre Lerche but I’m looking forward to the hanging out part just as much. Last night was a warm up. The lad and I hung out at another happy hour at my office and that was fun. But what I really need? To be out past our usual bedtimes.

Bonus: Jonathan Lethem will be doing a reading at the U of M Monday night, supporting his latest book You Don’t Love Me Yet.
Plus: I’ve got a fairly new Numark turntable, and nothing to hook it up to. What would be handier - this USB turntable. With it you can “convert your old vinyl collection directly to CD or MP3″ which would be pretty awesome.
And: April 29th is World Pinhole Day. Leave your lens at home.

I’m thinking about ditching my landline. My anti-telephonic tendencies are catching up to me. The phone hasn’t rung in well over a week (but it’s still working, I tested it). My cell has seen more recent activity. But not much. Even the little man’s teachers mostly contact me via email. Speaking of communication…I’ve had to take drastic measures to deal with the comment spam the blog has been getting hit with. I’ve added a dozen or so pharmaceuticals to the blacklist (my apologies if you really wanted to tell me about your propecia use) and all comments are moderated for the time being. But once I approve a legit comment, that commenter will be able to comment at will. Unless it’s about cialis, that is.

Bonus: Last night I watched the season finale of BSG. It’s only March! How can the season be over already?! Ugh! At least there will be some new episodes of Heroes next month. And on the most recent episode of The Dresden Files? Claudia Black, of Farscape, guest-starred. She’s been typecast, playing another badass, but I wouldn’t want her any other way.
Plus: Mizna’s Fourth Annual Arab Film Festival kicks off tonight, at The Heights Theater. Check out the schedule.
And: I’m guessing it was prompted by the new teevee show, but the recent This American Life site redesign is lovely.

The windows are open. It’s been weird hearing birdsong and barking dogs again (and bickering neighbors). I love airing the house out but we seem to have skipped through early Spring and taken a nosedive right into Summer. 80+ degrees? Insanity! The last couple of days the little man and I were outside in t-shirts, shorts and sandals. It was wonderful. The downside? We’ve both been besieged by seasonal allergies. He was so miserable yesterday that he crawled into bed for an extended nap. The boy isn’t a napper. Unless he feels like crap. Tomorrow we’re supposed to snap back into more seasonable wet and windy weather. I hope that means the allergies are put on hold as well.
On the random tip:

• “Arcade Fire Cancel Rest of Euro Tour” - Win Butler needs to rest up and get well before the Chicago show(s) in May.
• I vaguely recall dreaming about an imaginary plant that needed watering. What the heck does that mean?
• Earlier last night, when I was standing in the kitchen making dinner and washing dishes, I was delighted to hear an acquaintance on In the Loop’s Are You Your Job? episode.

Bonus: I posted a photo the other day of a sound board. This prompted a contact to link to info about Pixar’s upcoming short film, Lifted, which was inspired by similar equipment. Neat.
Plus: As predicted, I was able to find the Wayne Coyne (aka the sexiest man alive) Tonight Show clip on YouTube, but watching it reminded me why I dislike broadcast television. It was so very brief. Thankfully there was an extended behind-the-scenes version up as well, for those of us who, uh, rock alternatively.
And: The Ministry of Unkown Science’s Kung Fu Fuck You. Genius.

This week was intense but full of accomplishments. Met with a tax accountant. Went to the little man’s parent/teacher conference. Had my annual review at work. Things are looking up, all around. It smells like Spring out there. We’ve been hitting the playgrounds. And I’ve officially called an end to my hermitude. Thursday night I made it out for a friend’s birthday and last night the lad and I attended a vegan junk food potluck. I think he liked that a little too much. But best of all? I finally caught up on my sleep (twelve solid hours last night!) and am treating myself to a lazy morning. No concrete plans for the rest of the weekend. We might swing by the Stillwater photowalk this afternoon, after a stop at the Teddy Bear Park (which might sound lame, but is totally awesome). Tomorrow I may attempt to run at the gym again. Other than that, I have lots of media I intend to consume:

• J gave me an anime series called Samurai champloo - from Shinichirô Watanabe, who was responsible for my beloved Cowboy Bebop. The plot according to imdb: “Fuu, a waitress who works in a teahouse, rescues two master swordsmen, Mugen and Jin, from their execution to help her find the samurai who smells of sunflowers.” Color me intrigued.
• A package arrived bearing a bunch of The Ladybug Transistor’s music - thanks James!
• I’ve still got last Sunday’s BSG episode to watch, Crossroads Part 1.
• The first episode of This American Life, the teevee version, is up on Showtime’s site (with a larger video size than some other sites, like SciFi.com and NBC.com). The first segment is somewhat gruesome. Haven’t gotten to the second part yet. I might just prefer listening to the show. Still, I love TAL, so I’ll give it a chance.

Bonus: The first trailer for Stardust is up now. Just that glimpse has me a bit annoyed at the changes made from the book, but I’ll have to let it go and enjoy the movie. It does look promising and hey, it’s Neil Gaiman-approved. Release is set for August 10th in the states.
Plus: The Peruvian-Japanese Hip Hop Dancer Says Goodbye to the Half-Chinese Filmmaker. Kid Ethnic cracks me up.
And: I watched the trailer for the Russian fantasy-thriller Day Watch and was so stoked I gushed to my coworker pal who I saw Night Watch with. But he was nonplussed - because he already has a copy of it! The punk didn’t think to mention it to me. I think I’ll try to see it at the theater anyhow.

For years I tried to get hold of one of the 1000 Journals, to make my mark (which would’ve been in the form of a photo collage, or a collaboration with the little man, or maybe both). The project was so popular this proved impossible. But now there is a hardbound book containing entries created by the lucky few.

In music-related news…

• Wayne Coyne will be on the Tonight Show tomorrow, showing his SXSW man-on-the-street segment. Will Ferrell will be a guest too. I don’t really have reception for that channel, so I’m hoping it’ll be on YouTube before long.
• There’s a new interview with “whistler, Suzuki-trained violinist, and all-around musical polymath” Andrew Bird at the Onion’s AV Club. And his site has been freshly redesigned - launched just yesterday!
• Speaking of new, Ted Leo’s latest, Living With the Living, showed up today. Ripping it right now. And I came across an entertaining faux “interview” with him.

When I was drifting off to sleep last night I found a strangely repetitive sound insinuating itself into my consciousness. Eventually I forced myself to get up, to investigate. The culprit? Mother nature. Turns out it was raining. I guess it had been a while since we’d had any rain. Earlier in the evening, when the little man and I were returning from the Ordway, we encountered a large racoon skulking down the sidewalk. It wasn’t yet dark. For a moment I wondered if it hadn’t adjusted from the daylight savings.

Bonus: My Flight of the Conchords kick led me to Eagle vs. Shark. I’m a sucker for oddball love stories, so add that to the lengthy list of movies I need to see. Some day.
Plus: One of my favorite local co-ops, Seward, is planning an ambitious expansion. Good news for me. I’m hoping to buy a house not far from there.
And: Too sleepy to come up with another.

Yesterday was a better day. We had a pre-St. Patrick’s Day party at the office, which the little man thoroughly enjoyed. And when I arrived home Armchair Apocrypha was waiting for me. And two nights in a row? I managed to sleep straight through. 10:30pm-6am. The most sleep I’ve gotten in ages. A friend knew I’d been having trouble with the whole sleep thing, and suggested I drink some chamomile tea before bed. I had to laugh. Chamomile is in the ragweed family. Which causes my skin to become red and puffy and my throat to swell. It figures, what is soothing for most people is an irritant for me. Then again, I’ve always found the punk rock to be comforting. Go figure.

We have a swell Saturday lined up. A morning spent lounging in pajamas (check). Playing around with flickr’s new collections feature (check). Heading off to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which we missed last year because we were leaving for Iceland. Sigh. After that it’s off to the little man’s swimming lesson. Then we’ll squeeze in some library visits before an evening of lounging in pajamas.

Bonus: The Fabulist reminded me about Flight of the Conchords, a very funny folk/pop/comedy duo from New Zealand. Naturally they’re all over YouTube. I spent last night watching clips before bed and that made me very very happy.

Poor James. At least his pity party gave me a pretty sweet post title. And honestly, I’ve hardly been able to summon up that strength myself lately. Hoping tomorrow will be a better day. For the little man too. Earlier one of his teachers sent me a very sad email about yet another incident in the gym. Thankfully no one bit him this time. In fact, he was flying solo. Turns out he had unplugged the cd player from the wall, probably just to see what would happen. So what did happen? When the music stopped everyone turned to look at him. The sudden attention caused him to become very upset, repeating “I didn’t mean to.” He was so upset that he started hyperventilating and had to be calmed down in another room. I know the feeling. Yeah, it’s been that kind of day.

After school he seemed all right. He was back to his usual self, and he held me to a promise I made earlier in the week…that I would take him bowling. I’d nearly forgotten. Before I left the office I looked up the open bowling schedule at Elsie’s. I was in luck. Open bowling lasts until 6:30 on Thursdays. But wait, what’s this fine print? Must have at least 3 bowlers per lane? Geez, guess that rules out dates. Unless it’s a double date. Or something less conventional. Uh, anyhow. I was tempted to head over there and ask a passerby to be our third. Instead I bit the bullet and took the lad to the Bryant Lake Bowl. Bad idea. They only have a few decrepit lanes to begin with, and one was completely out of commission. The only open lane was without those bumpers that would have kept the boy’s ball out of the gutter (he knocked down a total of ten pins). The icing on the cake? The lane server couldn’t find the kid-friendly ramp thingie, that would have helped the little man’s ball make it all the way down the lane at a much speedier clip. Durr. At least he still had a good time. And their vegan mock duck rolls are damned tasty. But next time we’re going to a more upscale alley. Even if it means dragging along an accomplice (J, I’m looking at you…in my brain).

Bonus: I splurged, again, and sprung for tickets for the little man and I…to see the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats on Sunday, at the Ordway. I couldn’t help it. I’m still bummed about going to Cirque de Soleil without him - he was too young at the time - and I think he’ll really enjoy this. I know I will. Also this weekend, the opening reception for Pulling Focus is tomorrow night (hi Jody!) at Rosalux Gallery. I’d love to go, but around that time I expect to be curled up in my pajamas. Like I am, right this very moment, missing TV on the Radio in the main room. Oh well.
Plus: I find so much of the good good stuff via my flickr contacts. Today one of them posted this photo, from SXSW, which led me to Confessions of a Superhero “…a feature length documentary that chronicles the lives of three mortal men and one woman who make their living working as superhero characters on Hollywood Boulevard.” Apparently Batman struggles with his anger. Who doesn’t? But I need to see that.
And: After my recent rant about the Dresden Files I found out that author Jim Butcher will be in town soon, doing a signing for the next book. I’ll bet he’s encountering a number of annoyed fans on this tour. I might be one of them.

I haven’t been sleeping well. Or maybe I should say I’ve been sleeping more poorly than usual. Stress has my head pounding and my stomach in knots. I look and feel like hell. But yesterday we did get out for some quality playtime in the record-breaking warmth. I’m going to try to focus on the good, so today it’s all bonus material:

• Mates of State make me happy. And not just because they’d rather go naked than wear fur.
• Totally didn’t see the Children’s Museum kicked off their 25 Days of Fun on March 1st, to celebrate their 25th Anniversary. Thankfully they’re spreading those 25 days over a two month span, in March and April. The little man will especially enjoy book character day.
• Yesterday flickr launched some new customizable layout features. Neat.
• BoingBoing gave me the nudge, reminding me that I need to check out Nextwave which “does a thoroughgoing job of subverting the underwear pervert genre” - plus lots of things asplode.
• Romcoms usually aren’t my thing, but hell yeah I’m going to see Waitress. Starring Captain Tightpants? Count me in!
• Speaking of movies, who knows what will happen with the upcoming M-SPIFF (or if it will even be called that). I knew the theater was in trouble, but this Nightmare on Oak Street article shows how dire the situation is. I don’t suppose the Hennepin County Library System could save them too?
• I love the idea of scavenger hunts/shows, but $20 is kind of steep for the Walker’s March of Madness: Bands on the Run!
• If I considered the Dresden Files books a guilty pleasure, then what is the show? I swore up and down I wouldn’t watch this dumbed down teevee adaptation, yet I have now seen every single corny second of it. I just hope This American Life is so easy to find online (really now, of the folks I know who have cable, none have Showtime).

In the “too much of a good thing” department, I don’t think my poor body is ready for the next level. Yesterday morning I was so pleased to find the gym nearly empty, due to daylight savings, that I took my workout up a notch. Or two. Or maybe three. After my standard block of time on the treadmill I actually ran around the track (usually I gently lope around it). I don’t know what got into me but I went at it full bore until I thought my heart would burst from my chest, kind of Aliens-style but without the wee little alien. Afterwards I went home but didn’t have time for lounging. I took a quick shower and then we went back out, hoofing it around Highland Park with the Twin Cities flickr photowalk crew. Good times were had but I’m paying the price. I’m all hurty. My left hip aches and I’ve been limping around like an old woman. This morning I could’ve used a little more sleep, some time to recuperate. But my internal chronometer was already thrown out of whack. The little man woke up at 4:45am Saturday morning. And remained awake until his usual bedtime that night. Sadly this didn’t make our Monday morning wake up call any less painful. I have a feeling we’ll both be turning in early tonight.

Bonus: The lad finally has a flickr photostream of his own. It’s good to see him using my trusty old Olympus, but he will need to take better care of it. I caught him climbing around yesterday with it dangling from his neck, bouncing against a concrete guard rail. Sigh.
Plus: Broiled asparagus really is better.
And: Recently I mentioned that the Minneapolis Library branch nearest my office was closed, due to budget cuts. What I didn’t know? There was also talk of tearing it down. Thankfully the city stepped in, vowing to preserve the building. Architect Ralph Rapson is still alive and kicking. It would be a shame for him to bear witness to another of his creations being destroyed.