Sunday, December 24, 2006
I seem to have come down with the little man’s cold. Rather than catching up on my sleep, though, I pulled an all nighter catching up on Heroes. I’ve been hearing good things about this show for months. Yesterday afternoon I watched the first episode and then couldn’t stop. It was like eating Pringles. Yes, the show has a definite junk food feeling to it, but I’m hooked. I’ve watched all eleven episodes. And now I have to wait until the end of January for the next installment. Just like BSG. Sigh.
I’ve been a long time fan of Cat Power’s music, but I’ve just lost all respect for her as an individual. She recorded a Cat Stevens cover, specifically to be used in a commercial…for the uber-evil diamond industry. Why couldn’t she just say no, like The Thermals did to Hummer (incidentally, they will be headlining at the Triple Rock on February 27th).
Bonus: Daydreaming of a vacation to New Ephemera…never mind that the place doesn’t exist (via my latest five-minute crush, Tinselman).
Plus: The beginning of the end of Harry Potter. In book form, at least. It’ll be a while before they catch up with the rest of the films.
And: Loved the This American Life Holiday Spectacular.
Friday, December 22, 2006
And so ends another brutal and baffling rollercoaster of a week…only to segue into the horrible holidays. I’m no grinch, but I’ve come to loathe this time of year. Too much history, too traumatic. Rather than getting into the gory details I well send you away, on to much more entertaining diversions.
- Today is Global Orgasm Day. Still a few more hours to get in some getting off.
- I’m not an opera fan (haven’t had much exposure, really) but I am fascinated by the idea of The First Emperor at The Met.
- Line Rider is utterly addictive, right? So I get how some people could invest insane amounts of time to create these masterpieces. Doesn’t hurt that the videoes feature the most awesome music of Katamari Damacy and Cowboy Bebop.
- In the “awww, cute” category we have Mooki’s Christmas present, plus Wii Kitties (which might be slightly more wtf? than cute, but still).
- Researchers catch giant squid on video.
- Off the charts in its awesomenosity, Chuck commissioned some amazing art for his sweetie, from sweet e domestic.
- We made a holiday video at Clockwork, but I prefer the all-outtakes version.
Now I’m going to take two Brian K. Vaughan comics…and hope I’m not quite so broken in the morning.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The little man’s memory amazes me. And his non sequiturs. He randomly started talking about that time Karen painted the room from grey to yellow - at daycare. Over five years ago. When he was just two. And it’s not like we’ve spoken of it since. He hasn’t been back to that daycare since he turned three. It’s like he has total recall. I wonder what else he could remember for me.
Speaking of random…I’ve been getting hit with some off-putting comment spam. Comment spam that mentions “puffy folds” excessively. Filters are in place that catch the bulk of it, so I’m not sure why these, er, gems are slipping through.
Dammit, I missed the Gogol Bordello show. Anyone else go?
Bonus: This video makes me happy.
Plus: Add The Fabulist as a friend on myspace, and you just might win a super special black Uglydoll. Maybe.
And: It is not beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. But it nearly is anyhow. Time marches on.
Monday, December 18, 2006
I’d like to point the finger at The Backyardigans, but really, I only have myself to blame. My first mistake? Last week I let the little man pick out a DVD of theirs at the library. He is enthralled. Second? For the past two years he has spoken in reverential tones…of the non-vegan food products his classmates bring to school. There are no vegan-friendly Lunchables, but if there were I’d still be concerned about them being crappy pre-processed junk. I may not be up to Vegan Lunch Box standards, but I still try to make the lad a fairly healthy lunch every day. Organic PB&J on whole wheat, servings of fresh fruit and/or vegetables, maybe some soy yogurt, pretzel sticks, various crackers, etc. But lately he’s been obsessed with the character-shaped “fruit” snacks he sees at school. Yesterday I was shopping at a Super Target. A box of Backyardigans fruit snacks caught my eye. In a moment of weakness I picked it up and read the back. The ingredients happened to be vegan. But they’re also total crap. Mostly high fructose corn syrup. I explicitly told the little man they aren’t for every day, that they’re only a sometimes food. He immediately began trying to negotiate with me, laying out which days of the week he could have this special treat in his lunch. Then this morning…he was so excited by the prospect of having this “cool” snack to take to school that he came into my room at 3:46am. He was fully dressed for the day. I insisted he return to bed, but that only lasted for an hour or so.
Update: Turns out the boy has come down with a crappy cold, which might be part of the reason he woke up at such an odd hour. He’s got another theory though. He’s blaming his cold on the cauliflower and carrots I packed in his lunch bag (right alongside the crappy fruit snacks). I can’t win.
Bonus: Been listening to New Young Pony Club. Sometimes I like the electropop. And it’s excellent Monday morning music (via flickr).
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Sometimes I like low key. Not that there’s anything low key about the Pump It Up Party Zone. How could there be? We attended a child’s birthday party at one of their “zones” yesterday. The little man and I had a blast. The highlight, for me, wasn’t when I got smacked in the face with my own camera (though that was certainly memorable) but it was playing air hockey with the little man for the first time. We’ll definitely be doing that again. I was so stoked I created an Air Hockey Appreciation Club pool on flickr. Won’t you join me?
The rest of this weekend really has been low key. I’ve been reading, watching J finish up the new Zelda game, getting a metric assload of laundry done, washing some dishes, making some food, cleaning up the house some, errand-running and then…I sat down to get some holiday cards ready. Because I adore sending and receiving snail mail. But I did it in the most half-assed manner possible. There was no list involved, other than a mental checklist. If the recipient’s address wasn’t firmly lodged in my brain or readily available at my fingertips, no card. Also, I attempted to enlist the little man’s aid. I managed to get him to sign his name on maybe four or five cards. And one of them? He sneezed all over it (and my hand) while I was writing. Yes, we will send you our very best wishes - and our germs!
One more little man anectode before I call it a night. Earlier he said “Mom? Candy canes taste like…candy canes.” A moment later he asked “what is turkey made out of?” I hope he isn’t thinking about tasting some, to see if it tastes like turkey. Sigh.
Bonus: I love these DIY photo ornaments. And more of them, as demonstrated by KristyK.
Plus: Today I discovered Squidbillies (via Dioramarama) and, while I generally love all things squid, the jury is still out on the show. I will admit the artwork is gorgeous.
And: I kinda sorta wish I hadn’t watched that last Battlestar Galactica episode-cum-cliffhanger. It’s going to be a very long thirty-five days (not that I’m counting, ahem) until the next new episode…
Saturday, December 16, 2006
It’s going to be a quiet weekend. Intentionally so. I’ve been going out a lot lately. While that’s been grand I need a little break. Time to take care of the mundane details, like doing the bills and the laundry and cleaning the house. And squeezing in some quality lounging. I’ve got a stack of books to read (just started Fragile Things last night), a Wii to play (while I still can) and an episode of BSG to savor. It’s going to be the 21st of January before we’re treated to another new one. But before all of that I am venturing out for a bit…to escort the little man to a classmate’s birthday party, on the other side of the Twin Cities from us. Yay.
Bonus: The Threadless shoutout was such a hit, I thought I’d point out some other shirts I like elsewhere. There’s this adorable Katamari Damacy shirt, with the Prince pushing a snowball. And I’d love to get the little man this Paper Mario t-shirt, but holy balls it is expensive. J suggested we make one ourselves instead.
Plus: The other day a co-worker asked if I knew of any vegan pre-made cookie dough. I did not, but I quickly discovered Moo-Cluck Cookie Dough Tubes. They’re well-reviewed and everything. I so didn’t need to know about these.
And: The trailer for the next Harry Potter movie is up. Helena Bonham Carter was cast as Bellatrix Lestrange. Squee!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
This week is starting off badly. La Coquette can commiserate. It starts with one thing that makes you feel like crap, making a chink in the armor that allows each subsequent slight and all the little bits of bad news and every failure to really seep in. And now I’m wide awake at 4am. I just want to bundle up in a Selk’Bag to keep the rest of the world at bay. Well, that, and this old house is hella cold and drafty. But that won’t be an issue for J much longer. He found an apartment yesterday. And signed a lease. And will be moving out in just a few weeks.
Moving right along…don’t dwell on that, look over here! I’m still fun, honest! Just look at all these distractions!
Monday, December 11, 2006
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have…sorry. Somehow that wound up stuck in my head. But I’ve had a bit of both lately.
The bad:
- General stress, sleep deprivation, frustration and some socially awkward situations.
- Five visits to the Apple store in one week, at a mall during holiday shopping season, in an attempt to get my powerbook’s optical drive replaced.
- The Har Mar movie theater is now closed. Truly the end of an era. So maybe it wasn’t the best theater around, but it had sentimental value for me. I remember seeing the first Star Wars movies there with my family, as well as Back to the Future and other 80s classics. And hello, coolest bathrooms around. Sigh.
- Too many events happening at the same time and having to pick and choose which to attend (I missed out on a friend’s vegan potluck, The Dears at the Fine Line, and a rollergirls bout).
- The little man’s renewed interest in Legos. Stepping on them barefoot is a killer.
- I need a haircut. Badly.
- Some more specifics that I won’t go into, but can be dumped into the first bucket (see: general stress). Yeah.
The good:
- I love Clockwork. This year’s rumpus was a seriously good time. Big ups to my coworkers for making it happen, and to my friends for joining us.
- Seeing The Ex at the Triple Rock.
- The little man’s renewed interest in Legos. It really is fun (until someone gets hurt) and I do take his art direction well.
- Low’s annual Christmas show. Yes, I’ve seen them a million times but it was another opportunity to hear some of the new stuff (which I heard a bit of a few months ago) before the new release comes out in March.
- After getting everything straightened out and dropping off the powerbook, the Apple store had it fixed and ready to go in under 12 hours.
- It’ll be totally ridiculous but fun if I start hooping with friends (at our YWCA).
- Friday night’s BSG episode was so good it made me cry.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
After dinner last night the little man wanted to play some more games on the Wii, of course, but I had to play the hardass. Which I hate. I insisted that he do his homework first. The homework is simple stuff. Busywork, really. The lad just needs someone to sit next to him, to help him keep his focus (often I need that too). Last night J went downstairs to assist. And that made me sad. Listening to them go over math problems together was oddly heartbreaking. Part of me had hoped that things would work out, that J would always be with us…to be a crucial part of our little patched-together family. But it’s not to be. He’ll likely be moving out by the end of the month.
After the little man’s bedtime I made things worse…by staying up too late listening to old episodes of This American Life. That show always makes me weepy. And two segments had me all out sobbing. Even so, or maybe because of it, I’d like to get a hold of Stories of Hope and Fear - their latest “greatest hits” collection. And an extra box of tissues.
Bonus: Intrigued by Ninth Street Chronicles (via Fabulist) - a short film about “…a feisty girl who survives a[sic] eye-opening, bittersweet summer with her dignity intact.”
Plus: I’ve only just discovered Doc Misterio. So far so good even though he is not, apparently, a Minotaur.
And: I’m a long-time Decemberists fan, but their latest offering isn’t grabbing me as much as past releases. Still, I can’t get The Perfect Crime 2 out of my head. It entices with its early Talking Heads vibe.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Yesterday was fairly strange. For one thing, my folks swore up and down that my doppelganger appeared on The Price is Right in the morning. Huh? At work there were some birthday related shenanigans for this cat. At home I received some excellent mail. From my dear friend Maria (thanks!), a little something from FluffyCo, and two gorgeous prints for the newly green living room from The Black Apple. Now to get those framed. And hung. Speaking of decorations…the little man and I brought a Christmas tree home last night. For the second year in a row we wound up with one taller than I’d intended. And once I hauled it back to the house the tree stand was nowhere to be found (J grudgingly located it). Then upon opening the box of decorations I was dismayed to find the little man’s favorite had broken. I couldn’t figure out why everything was thrown together so haphazardly (I may be generally disorganized, but my OCD comes into play when putting away fragile items). And then it hit me. Like a punch to the gut. I didn’t put these things away after the holidays last year. I had just gotten home from the hospital and was laying in bed, knocking back the last of my percocet, when my in-laws came over to help J clean the house and take down the tree (so it was nice of them to help, but the glass ornaments weren’t wrapped up or protected in any way and it’s a wonder more of them didn’t shatter). Needless to say, decorating the tree last night became a bittersweet event for me. My mind was focused too much on where our lives were a year ago and not enough on the now.
Bonus: Idea: A building shaped like Godzilla? Brilliant!
Plus: Tony vs. Paul. On the awesomenousity meter, it’s off the scale.
And: The last several days I’ve eaten way to much fried mock meat. While it may taste good, it’s probably not very good for me…
