Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Ok, so lately I’ve been posting all about the good stuff when, by nature, I’m something of a perky pessimist. I don’t want yawl to think I’m all high on life or something, so it’s time for five bad things:
- I couldn’t make this stuff up. Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick. When viewed larger the chocolate chips make it look seriously diseased.
- Yesterday I lightly hipchecked my desk, because I’m clutzy, and my favorite photo frame (containing little man pix, of course) fell over. It made a sickening smacking sound and was cleaved in two. It had been comprised of two heavy slabs of glass. Superglue could possibly make it whole again. We’ll see.
- My laziness is legendary and I haven’t yet gotten ’round to getting out Thank You cards…for all the swag the little man received for his birthday weeks ago.
- I also have yet to finalize the artwork for my next tattoo. The appointment seemed so far off, but now it’s in just a couple of weeks, on my 33 1/3 birthday.
- The little man’s crummy cold has been lingering for weeks now. Poor kid. And I think I’ve finally been infected as well. Sigh.
Bold: Today saw the launch of an amusing new project by my Clockwork peeps. Check out: helpryanevans.com
Plus: The lovely Zophia is going to be a dental hygienist before too long. I wonder if she’ll be allowed to wear these sterile animal print masks on the job?
And: I’d nearly forgotten about the fabulous desktops available via Pixelgirl (the reminder came from one of my flickr contacts). So many to choose from. Collect them all!
Today was another fine fall day…that felt like summer. Allegedly that’ll end tomorrow. Until then, five more good things:
- After playing phone tag with Children’s Hospital for THREE WEEKS I finally got a phone call back today. Turns out the little man’s EEG test results were normal. Phew. Maybe that’s why they weren’t in such a rush to tell me, but I was still in a hurry to find out.
- The husband ordered the Battlestar Galactica season 2.5 box set for me, even though I’ve seen all the episodes. But hey, extras!
- My old pal Steve Smillie has started a blog and it’s equal parts punk rock and…real estate. Two great tastes that go great together? Behold, Twin Cities Punk Rock Realtor.
- Too many activities happening Thursday night. I knew about Kasabian and Neil Gaiman but I’ve just discovered that Giant Robot’s co-editors, Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong, will be speaking at the Walker.
- When I was getting ready this morning the little man snuck into my room, where the husband was still sleeping, and whispered (loudly) that he was practicing…his tiptoeing skills. Only seven and already training to be a ninja. I do love that boy so.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Last night I went out to see The Chambermaids with some friends, which was lovely (despite the small turnout) but my Saturday has been decidedly more somber. The husband’s been uncharacteristically motivated. This is a good thing, to be taken advantage of. But we’ve been cleaning out a long-neglected storage area. One that contains the little man’s old baby things. This is bringing back some good memories and has had us laughing at the teeny tiny trousers and itty bitty socks and old Halloween costumes. But it’s bittersweet. And not just because a lot of it sustained water damage before the roof was replaced (and will have to be thrown out). It’s brought up those questions that are always at the back of my mind. Are my baby-making attempts over? Will the little man ever have a sibling? And next Saturday will be a similarly disjointed one. We’re having a memorial service, to acknowledge my other son and his lost future. That is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster, but I plan to take the little man to a bonfire in the evening, at one of the local community centers. And then, to round out the weirdness, I’d like to go see Yo La Tengo that night and maybe The Long Winters too. But hell, why not? Sometimes I need all the distractions I can get.
For now I should shake off the melancholy and be thankful for what I’ve got…namely the little man, in all of his magnificience. He may very well be the only child I’ll ever have, but in his case it really is quality over quantity.
Bonus: It’s mild enough that we’ve thrown the windows open, which has meant we can hear live music…coming up from the Summit Big Brew event down at Harriet Island. I considered walking down with the little man, but it turns out admission would be $30…for each of us! Whoa.
Plus: Time marches on but I’m not ready for it to be October already. At least Neil Gaiman will be doing a reading in town on the 5th, which is next Thursday night, and it’s at my favorite theater, The Riverview. Profits from the $5 admission price go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
And: 100 Pirates in 100 Days.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Whoa. It would seem I fell asleep before 8pm tonight. When I woke up a bit ago, around 11ish, I had no idea what day it was…and wasn’t sure whether or not I missed the Damien Jurado show at the Turf Club. Thankfully that’s still about 20+ hours into the future. Oh, and I woke up to an email from Zophia asking this: “do you think that if i could bend time and space and teleport myself that people would notice?” So I’m going to blame my disorientation on her experimentations with the space-time continuum. Also tomorrow night, The Chambermaids are playing the Entry. And I missed their show a coupla weeks ago at The Hexagon, so I really ought to go. Unless I’m already asleep. Again.
Speaking of which…when the little man woke up this morning he had something to tell me, about our cat. Very solemnly he said, “Selina always talks in my dreams.” I asked “oh, so, what does she say?” He stared off into the distance for a moment before replying “I…don’t know.” If we could just get to the bottom of that I think we’d have the secrets to unlock the mysteries of the universe. Including the answers to all of Zophia’s time travel needs.
Bonus: Been listening to a lot of the following: the new Yo La Tengo, Idlewild (especially the early stuff, like Captain), the new one from The Thermals, and Kasabian, who are playing The Fine Line next week.
Plus: For a while now my attention span has been running shorter than usual. I’m way behind on my Netflix queue, and the books are piling up. But I’m going to make a serious effort to finish the Snake Agent. So far it’s pretty kickass. Now I just need to stay awake to read more of it.
And: This year’s Halloween costume sitch isn’t likely to be straightened out any time soon. Yesterday I broke the news to the kid that we weren’t getting the expensive Boba Fett costume. Rather than making one he declared he’d be a jedi instead. Oh, great, I thought, that’s easy! But then he declared he wanted to be…Anakin. Nooooooooooooooooo! Anyone but that whiny mofo!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The little man has been a bit under the weather. He’s usually my human alarm clock but I’ve managed to wake up before him two days in a row now. Today I heard him coughing in his room, and then talking loudly. I went in and asked “oh, what’d you say honey?” He replied, “I don’t know.” [pause] “And I was talking to myself.” Well, all righty then Mr. Crabbypants. He’s not going to get any less crabby either. Soon I’ll be taking him in for his annual physical, which he pretty much despises. I don’t think it’s his pediatrician he has a problem with, per se. It’s the fact he’s asked to take his shirt off in the examination room. The boy loves to run around the house half-naked, but there, that’s another story. And I get that. I’m just not looking forward to the struggle.
Speaking of struggle…it’s obvious that I’m all about the flickr love (I’ve even renewed my Pro account through 2011) but I’ve been experiencing the flickr frustration this week. On Monday I was completely unable to upload, via the uploadr or the upload web page. That’s been resolved. The new problem? When I attempt to add my photos to groups, via the dropdown, only a partial list of my groups loads. Only about half, through the Ms. Sure, I belong to 700+ groups, but still. It’s annoying. Thankfully the staff is aware of the issue. And I guess I can use the Organizr in the mean time.
Bonus: The Boba Fett costume I was watching (on ebay) wound up going for $143.50. Yowza! But I think Plan B is a better one anyhow. I’m going to help the little man make a costume. His artwork is amazing and it will be oh so much cooler this way.
Plus: I’ve documented my Marjane Satrapi crush before, but I must not be a very good fangirl. I’ve just discovered that Sony is making a movie out of Persepolis. Stills can be seen here (via Fabulist). Squeeeeee!
And: A list of films that most frequently use the effenheimer. Now, how many of those have I seen? Hmmm…
Monday, September 25, 2006
What a full weekend. Saturday was especially jam-packed. Yes, I made it to the MOA (which was also jam-packed) and to 3 out of 5 social engagements. High Five!
- Even though I’d been to a Pizza Luce on Friday, I went to another on Saturday (the Lyndale location), to meet up with a friend and have a look at Isaac Arvold’s artwork. Amazing stuff. If I had an extra $495 this painting would be hanging in my home.
- After that I headed to First Ave. As I waited in line I realized I’ve been frequenting that venue for 19 years now. This particular show was 18+, so I’ve been going there longer than a lot of the teenagers in attendance have been alive. That was a true “math is hard” moment. And it seems most of them were there for Cursive, who I’ve never really heard. But fuckin’ A I love The Thermals (and not just because Hutch Harris is hella hot). They’re one of those bands I’ve really connected with in the last couple of years, yet I don’t know anyone else who listens to them. I hate that. Everyone should adore The Thermals!
- My final stop for the evening, I rolled up at my friend Maggie’s party just before midnight. That’s beyond fashionably late but I’m glad I made it. Those peeps really know how to make with the funny.
Apologies to Unny whose party I missed, and to little Dave, who I not only did not help move, but also did not join up with for a film at the Walker. How about we hook up for Dirty Ho? Or maybe The Jade Tiger. Let me know!
Bonus: Download a 196-page Zelda comic PDF.
Plus: Not just Hydrox anymore…the other day I found out that Oreos are now vegan-safe. But they’re still fully processed foodstuffs, so I think we’ll stick to the organic Newman Os.
And: Also on Saturday, the little man made a big breakthrough. He can now blow up balloons on his own. That can be tricky work, yo. I think it’s really cool that he’s gotten the hang of it. But it’ll be a while longer before he can figure out how to tie the suckers off.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Lately we’ve been back to our old morning struggle, with the little man feigning illness or inventing arbitrary excuses to get out of going to school. Yesterday I finally asked some probing questions to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately his answer was a reasonable one, but something I can do little about:
The grown-ups tell me what to do but I don’t want to do it.
I’m torn between being heartbroken and taking the hardline, telling him, hey, that’s life kid and you’ve got to suck it up. What’s the happy medium here?
This morning there will be a punk rock flea market/record swap happening, right behind Extreme Noise. And what will I be doing instead? Something totally out of character. I’m thinking of going to the mall. The Mall of America no less. On a Saturday. But the little man has grown a lot since last year and badly needs a new fall jacket and a winter coat. And I’d like a new dress for my high school reunion (next month). So how many punk rock points do I lose? Sigh.
Bonus: Moby saw American Hardcore. Just reading his brief post about it had me waxing nostalgic.
Plus: This Whole Cylon Occupation Thing is Starting to Piss Us Off.
And: I am all about the SquidSoap. Seriously.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Last night I made a solo run to the co-op. This morning, when the little man walked in to the kitchen, he saw one of the items I had restocked and squealed “Yay! More wheat germ!” Only at my house folks. Not that I’m complaining…
So, another crazy-busy weekend is just around the bend. Tomorrow night we’re going to have birthday party #2 for the little man, with the husband’s family. And Sunday we’ll have #3 with my family. And Saturday, well, I’m stepping out again. I have at least four events to choose from - an art reception thingie, a couple of parties hosted by friends, and The Thermals are playing at First Avenue. I am as insane as ever and want do it all. We shall see.
Bonus: This year the little man’s Halloween costume choice has been up in the air. First he wanted to be Luke Skywalker. Then it was Obi Wan. But he’s currently sticking to his guns on the selection of Boba Fett. I kinda hope he changes his fickle little mind again. And soon. The only kid’s costume I’ve found has 10 bids so far, five more days until auction’s end, and is already up over $60. Dressing up as a jedi would be so much easier (and cheaper).
Plus: Sex Toy or Baby Toy? I only scored 8/15. It’s a frighteningly fine line between the two, as though product designers in one field frequently switch over to the other.
And: The husband’s latest purchase was delivered this afternoon. Okami, for PS2. He may not resurface for a while. But we’ll probably see him for a bit…just before the Nintendo Wii is released.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The husband has returned from yet another business trip. But his adventures in Austin, Texas, well, they didn’t quite put the AU in Auesome. Or something. He left Sunday afternoon. On the way down his flight was delayed hours and hours. He booked a hotel near the client site, but Monday morning it took him an hour and a half to travel two miles (part of the problem - the man has no sense of direction and could get lost in a paper bag, but he claims the roads were really confusing). And one of the nights, well, water started leaking into his hotel room from the room above. Good times. So he’s happy to be home. And the little man’s happy to have him. Especially since the Lego Star Wars TIE Interceptor has finally been assembled.
Yesterday was Talk Like a Pirate Day. Sadly I was feeling unenthused and unmotivated. Maybe it was the scurvy getting me down. I did perk up when I heard about the Sugarcubes being reunited. And it will feel so good. Especially if I find myself in Reykjavik on November 17th. I’ve only seen ‘em once, back in 1989 (with New Order and PiL) and I’ve somehow never managed to see Bjork solo. So…possibly maybe.
Bonus: Oh, the Seattle trip I’d tentatively planned for next week? That’s off. Or postponed. Or something. September snuck up on me, and now it has seriously sucker-punched me.
Plus: Speaking of which…September is nearly over, and then it will suddenly be October (with Halloween costumes and a pumpkin-carving party to plan) and then, and then…it will be National Novel Writing Month. I am so not ready for that, what with last year’s failure still fresh in my memory.
And: One small consolation prize. I finally got around to processing and posting the photos from the little man’s birthday party. But they’re all pretty meh. The mad chaos was too much for me. Things were moving too fast for me to get many decent shots. Oh well. The lad had a good time.
