The little man returns tonight. I’m excited, but these last days went by far more quickly than I thought they would…even though I haven’t been having the most relaxing vacation. But that’s not what I signed up for. I knew this would be my time to bust ass trying to get the house in shape. And it’s getting there. There’s a ton more to do but visible progress has been made. Folks in the neighborhood have quickly snatched up everything I set out on the boulevard with a “FREE” sign. A beat up old ladder, two little chairs, a toddler bed, a couple of the little man’s old car seats, a pair of giant broken speakers, a crappy vacuum cleaner. Saves me another trip to Goodwill (already dumped a carload of stuff there) and it saves space in the dumpsters. Speaking of which, they were nearly full until some strange folks stopped by yesterday for some special Easter Sunday dumpster diving. They pulled their truck into the neighbor’s driveway and filled the bed with completely useless crap. A broken microwave, an ancient crib (that was here when I moved in), an old computer tower and more. Very weird, but I kinda hope they come back for more.
I’ve also managed to squeeze in two birthday parties, two movies, been treated to four restaurant meals, and seen two shows (in the same night). Not too shabby.
But in the midst of all this busy-ness and chaos, what did I go and do? Why, take in a stray cat of course! Taking her in for an exam this afternoon. Meet Olive. She is a total sweetheart.
Bonus: The Blonde Redhead video for 23 is beautiful.
Plus: Apple design isn’t always all that. I knew my powerbook adapter was dying. But yesterday the damned thing burst into flames. Thankfully I was in the room at the time. My bedding was singed and the room reeked of burning plastic. The funny thing, I bought a spare one for the office, a generic for half the price, and it is way more solid. Still, I’m going to take my scary firestarting one to the Apple store to see if they’ll do anything about it. Sheesh.
And: Yesterday marked the 7th Annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race down Lombard Street in SF. Some photos here.
Who knew cleaning house could be such an emotional rollercoaster. The dumpsters I ordered arrived this afternoon, but in the morning I began The Great Purge of ‘07 by attacking the buffet. For years now I’ve just been cramming papers and art projects and whatnot into the drawers, willy-nilly. They were full to bursting. So with great determination I started pulling everything out, to sort like so:
- Junk to be thrown in the trash.
- Junk to be given away.
- Papers to be recycled.
- Papers that should be shredded (J has a shredder now, so I have to haul that all over there).
- The best examples of the little man’s artwork, to be stored more neatly in a rubbermaid bin.
Some of it was easy to blow through but I’m such a sentimental sap. I felt the need to too closely inspect particular artifacts. The worst? Coming across sympathy cards, from the pregnancies we lost. Finding each one and pausing to process it slowed me down the most. But I am not keeping those (no need of a repeat a year or two down the line). Then there were all the random letters and postcards from friends in faraway places. I used to hang on to all of those, but look where that’s gotten me. I don’t want to end up a crazy cat lady living in a garbage house. So I re-read some before gingerly placing them in the recycling bin. Which I have to get out of the house before I change my mind.
Bonus: The great purge is not a one woman job. Soon I’m going to break for dinner and a movie with J (likely The Namesake, though he’s lobbying heavily for Blades of Glory). Then I’m going to rope him into helping me. A lot of this detritus is his anyhow. Like the multiple computer towers and monitors languishing in the basement.
Plus: I’m glad Pop Astronaut is back.
And: Missing the kid already.
Who wants to see the Edward Scissorhands ballet at the Ordway? I do, I do! And I get to go opening night, thanks to Julie Giles. But if you want to attend as well you have a couple of options. One, be my partner in crime for the evening (sadly Zophia has finals to contend with, and Iseult lives too far away). I’ll be taking photos like this fine fellow did in St. Louis. Or two, get in on this deal:
ORDWAY CENTER PROMO DETAILS
Get 25% off tickets for “Edward Scissorhands” at the Ordway Center.
Three shows only! Tuesday, April 10 through Thursday, April 12 at 8 PM. Visit the Ordway Center Box Office or phone 651-224-4222 with the promotional code TOPIARY to receive your discount. Click here for show details.
Based on the motion picture classic by Tim Burton. Devised/directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne (”Swan Lake”, “Mary Poppins”)
I love all things Tim Burton. Also cool, the music is adapted from Danny Elfman’s original score. Speaking of…I plan to take the little man to another piece of work scored by Mr. Elfman, Meet the Robinsons. It’s not Pixar but it’s garnering decent reviews.
Bonus: Guilty pleasure time. I’m hooked on the Charlaine Harris series about a telepathic waitress who dates vampires. Just picked up the third installment, Club Dead, and I’m having trouble putting it down.
Plus: I’m officially on the Amy Winehouse bandwagon. But I also want more Grinderman (mmmm, Nick Cave). Thankfully the full length will be released on Tuesday.
And: I could go out and see STNNNG tonight at the Turf, but I have a helluvalot of work to do while the little man is gone. I don’t want to start things off in sleep-deprived zombie mode. Tomorrow morning I’m hoping to sleep in, just a little, and maybe kick back to watch the What About Bob episode before I roll up my sleeves and get started for the day.
I’ve given up coffee before. For years at a time even. But now? Now is definitely not the time. I’ve reduced my intake significantly, which has helped me sleep a little better at night. But Sunday I inadvertently went cold turkey, and that turned out to be a supremely bad idea. I was useless all day. And I’m still recovering. I can hardly string these words together. So here’s some random, umm, you know, stuff:
- Saturday night I went to the 7th Street Entry with friends, to see the incomparable crooner Sondre Lerche. Another charming Norwegian, by the name of Thomas Dybdahl, was the first act. He noted a woman up front wearing a “Kiss Me, I’m Norwegian!” t-shirt, but managed to mention it without mocking her.
- Middle West, Meet Middle East - an article about my old peeps at Mizna.
- Folly Day looks like such fun.
- Intrigued by Barrett’s idea…of reading one book, published in chronological order, from the year he was born up to the present year.
- I’m all a-twitter. This is probably the last thing I need.
- I want to see Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness movie, but personally? I’m way too claustrophobic to engage in any urban spelunking expeditions.
- So sad that I’ve finished watching all 26 of the Samurai Champloo episodes. And as Maria laments, there isn’t another episode of Heroes until April 23rd. What’s a girl to do?
- I drive by one of these R2-D2 mailboxes every day.
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.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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.
