Still alive, but my ass has been kicked. It was an exhausting yet satisfying holiday weekend. Details to come. For now, photos here.
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Last night I tried to keep occupied. Busied myself by taking the little man to have his hairs cut, and spending too much money at the co-op. Went home and made three different dinners (not all for myself). But as 10pm rolled around, I rolled into bed with the sad knowledge…that I was missing out on the local hit-and-run screening of Serenity, not 15 miles from my house. I will try to remain unspoiled. Just four more long months to go before the official release. Sigh.
I had one small consolotion this morning…my first shower in nearly two weeks. This spur of the moment bathroom painting project is, thankfully, nearly at an end.
In other news, I’ve just discovered, via Heidi, that Marjane Satrapi has put out a new graphic novel. Where have I been? Looks like Embroideries was released last month. Apparently there’s a profile of the author up at Salon (but my membership lapsed and I don’t like sitting through those day pass deals). It’s excerpted here, and naturally I like what she has to say.
Bonus: I might actually make it to tonight’s Mideast in the Midwest event, which would be especially cool as the sister of a friend is in town from NYC…and will be featured in the lineup. Also upcoming, a coworker reminded me I still need to pick up The Milk of Human Kindness by Caribou. A quick peek at their site shows they’ll be playing in town, at the 400 Bar, on Sunday, June 5th. Hopefully I can make it to that too.
Plus: “Darth Vader Made Me Cry“
And: With my luck, this is going to be me in 50-60 years.
Extra special(?) painful(?) something: “Smoking Hot in Lord of the Rings, Problematic in the Real World” - oh Viggo, Viggo, Viggo. Pull yourself together man.
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I have discovered, to my displeasure, that the little man is highly susceptible to peer pressure and advertising. We don’t watch television at home but he does at daycare, and returns with gems like “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids!”…pause…”Mommy, is Trix yogurt vegan?” That would be a big NO (and even if it somehow were, yuck). But the peer pressure came into play recently…with the release of Revenge of the Sith (which I saw Friday night incidentally, and I was, naturally, disappointed with it. Jonathan articulates this far more clearly than I ever could). Not long ago I tried to get the little man to watch Star Wars: A New Hope, but no. He put up with it for a few minutes before asking to watch Galaxy Quest instead. But now he’s suddenly become interested…because his classmates are showing up at school with new Star Wars swag. We watched the entire trilogy together over Tuesday and Wednesday evenings (thankfully we don’t own any of the prequels). He is such a fickle boy. The other day he was begging for a baby sister. Now he’s beseeching us for a light saber instead. But not a toy one. Oh no, he wants a real light saber.
I’ve been lucky in that, for the most part, my line of work doesn’t make me physically ill. Not so yesterday. Needed to take some screen grabs, in Windows, from some video files. To that end, I had to temporarily disable hardware acceleration. After doing so, the flickering of my monitor made me dizzy and sick to my stomach and, before long, I actually blew chunks. Thankfully I was working from home. But why am I such a delicate flower (a real petunia, or so the husband says). IMAX theaters have always been out of the question for me. And Katamari Damacy, a game I adore, is off-limits. It’s amazing I haven’t had a seizure, with all the anime I’ve watched.
Bonus: The official photo gallery of Baron von Raschke, the man behind The Claw (via Barrett Chase).
Plus: Pants and Whimpers - a cautionary tale. I’m going to sound like an old codger, but they just don’t make stuff like they used to…which is one reason why I stick to thrift stores and ebay for my dry goods.
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Scattered thoughts on a Monday morning…
It was a decent enough weekend. Didn’t get to everything I would have liked to, but maintained a fair balance between: work and play; meals eaten in and meals eaten out; new Star Wars and old Star Wars. Thanks to some helpful reader advice, and a different paint roller, the second coat of Lime Pop looks far better than the first did. Sadly it’s still going to take a third coat, after work tonight, with some ceiling touchup slated for tomorrow. But the end is in sight. Nearly. It will be good to shower again. Sigh.
The other night the little man commented on the husband’s ever-present five o’clock shadow, referring to them as whiskers. The husband said that someday he too would also have whiskers…when he’s older. The little man thought about it for a moment, then asked “when I turn six?” I certainly hope not. He’s growing up too fast as it is.
Like many kids, the little man regularly asks us for things he doesn’t really need. And we’ve gotten into the habit of saying “no, you’re good”. Recently after asking us for a spacesuit the husband gave him the standard reply, to which he started protesting loudly “but I’m not good”. Oh my. Being five can be frustrating.
From the yeti:
“I like the idea that picking a parenting style is essentially the same as picking your character’s alignment in Dungeon’s and Dragon.”
Despite denying the lad a spacesuit, I think we all know which quadrant I fall into.
Bonus: The Deal - between Terry Gilliam and Johnny Depp (via Neil Gaiman).
Plus: Receptionista hasn’t really decided to be boring. In fact, she’s shaking things up.
And: Top ten favorite words (not in the dictionary), from a lovely bunch of vocabularians.
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The good, the bad, and the ugly…
Good news for the little man and I…Xelias is having Saturday and Sunday afternoon performances after all. Their site has no information about scheduled performances, and the Art-a-Whirl site just posted content like, yesterday (with events kicking off today). Glad I checked back there. Also good news, a dispatch from another local vegan, alerting me to the availability of “delicious vegan glazed doughnuts” at local Asian groceries, specifically Sunrise Grocery on University. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks Maggie! And lastly, the other night the little man was giggling and calling me a “silly monkey mom” which I thought was awfully funny.
The bad. When the husband came to bed last night he fumbled at the electrical outlet, where he has to plug in an air purifier that he drags around from room to room (as he’s allergic to my cats) and managed to jiggle my alarm clock cord such that the clock began flashing on and off rather than displaying the time or, say, functioning as an alarm clock and waking me up this morning. On top of that my human alarm clock, aka the little man, decided to sleep in an hour later than usual. So I was a tad bit late for work today. At least the rush hour traffic wasn’t as brutal, I guess.
Update: Other bad news…I just found out about the Bad News Bears remake, featuring Billy Bob, and slated for release this summer. This can’t be good (unless it’s a la Bad Santa).
The ugly. My bathroom. I painted the first coat of Lime Pop last night and, let me tell you, I am unimpressed. Not that it didn’t make an impression. It’s hideously streaky and spotty and yellowish. And I inadvertently got dabs of it on the damned ceiling so I’ll have to go back later with the sunshine yellow to try to fix it (but then I’ll probably dribble yellow on the walls - I’m screwed). I’m hoping the second coat will be the key, but if not I’m moving on to the Appletini, the color I initially thought would be too dark for the room - but at least it’s a truer green. Bleah.
Bonus: A fancy new episode of Making Fiends is available.
Plus: I find comfort in the fact that I’m not the only one with a burgeoning flickr addiction (via Lalaland).
And: Albums to Listen to While Reading Overwrought Pitchfork Reviews, a top ten list by David Cross.
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This bathroom painting project has turned into an every other day sort of thing. Sunday afternoon I did the ceiling. Tuesday evening I primed the walls. But it’s not because I am so anal and want to ensure the paint is really really dry between coats. Oh no. It’s because my body just isn’t cooperating. I’ve felt awful all week. Allergies or illness have given me a sore throat and burning lungs while the rest of my body is achy and stiff…from painting in awkward positions. When the alarm goes off each morning I whimper and cringe and feel like I could sleep for a thousand years. Sadly there is no downtime in sight. Tonight I plan to paint the first coat of Lime Pop green. Tomorrow night I’d like to watch humans fly at the 10th annual Art-a-Whirl. Saturday will see the second (and hopefully final) coat of paint on the walls, and post-painting cleanup. Sunday Sunday Sunday is the Minnesota Rollergirls’ Season Finale: Clash of the Titans. And somewhere in there I wouldn’t mind seeing the final Star Wars installment…for a sense of closure, if nothing else. Besides, British playwright Tom Stoppard has, allegedly, assisted George Lucas in “polishing up some of the dialogue” which gives me some hope. The smallest glimmer of hope, but still.
Bonus: On “raising small humans in the age of small robots” or “robot” as “animal made of plastic”.
Plus: Every now and then the husband tosses me a bone. Last night he mentioned Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. Well, not by name. He described the man’s work, and I was able to google it. Turns out he was a photographic pioneer (born in Russia in 1863):
His process used a camera that took a series of monochrome pictures in rapid sequence, each through a different coloured filter. By projecting all three monochrome pictures using correctly-coloured light, it was possible to reconstruct the original colour scene. He had no system for making color prints of the photographs.
The photos found on the wikipedia page, and here, among other places, are definitely worth viewing.
And: Post no bills. This is my favorite one.
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Whenever I have a bad idea I really run with it. This weekend we didn’t have any obligations. Nothing planned other than recuperating from mild illness, and relaxing after a typically busy week. But when I got home Friday evening I saw that our new toilet, which is very nice, happens to be slightly more narrow than the previous one. And there were ragged edges all around it, exposing the plaster and bare wall. So my oddly wired brain settles on a spur of the moment painting project. But I didn’t pick up supplies until Saturday afternoon, and didn’t begin prepping the bathroom until yesterday. While waiting for the spackle to dry I did get everything cleaned up, taped off, and the ceiling painted…in Sunshine Yellow. The walls will be Lime Pop Green. I was leaning towards Appletini, but feared it might be too dark for such a small room. Naturally I’ll post photos of the end result. In the mean time it will be a week without showers (but not without bathing) and extreme soreness as I use my muscles in new and exciting ways. My neck may be stiff, but at least I managed to paint the ceiling without dripping on my hair or glasses, as the husband had feared I would.
Yawl know about Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out? Woke up this morning with her cover of I Can’t Reach You stuck in my head. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Woke up to the little man jumping on top of me, but as I gained consciousness I noticed that song was on repeat in my brain. Not the worst earworm, but still.
Much of the little man’s behavior is puzzling, but for the last couple of years he has occasionally repeated the odd phrase “swiper, no swiping” over and over again, at random. The mystery is partially solved now. Apparently it’s a line frequently used on Dora the Explorer. But I have no idea where the lad would have seen the show.
Bonus: A brilliantly conceived homemade Domokun cover for the iPod mini. If I had one I’d be grinning like a fool all the time (rather than my current proclivity for grinning like a fool some of the time).
Plus: If I were a guy I would so totally buy this. It’s just too…perfect.
And: After a weekend of partying in Seattle with Receptionista, Chuck returns home to an article on the front page of the Pioneer Press. Swanky.
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Yet another week went by in a blur. It’s Saturday, we’re all home, all awake, kinda sorta together…and I’m so overwhelmed by this that I’m immobilized. And still wearing a towel, for heaven’s sake. I guess the first step would be to get dressed. And then…the possibilities are endless. Before then, however, it’s time for another of my lists.
- The Move Your Feet video by Junior Senior makes me ever so happy…but also sad, that I missed their show when they were in town a couple of years back. Sigh.
- An enjoyable post about Statistically Improbable Phrases and SIP Chains.
- Their number is negligible and they are stupid.
- Mr. Whedon announced another round of Serenity sneak previews. This time twenty screenings, twenty cities, Minneapolis included…slated for May 26th. It sold out before I even found out. Some tickets are available via ebay, naturally, but not for Minneapolis. Which is probably for the best, really. Especially since I’m saving up for a shed. Homeownership is oh so glamorous.
- Speaking of which…yesterday our commode was out of commission. The team of plumbers departed with $1000, but left behind a brand new and better functioning toilet, on top of a reinforced floor.
- It has rained steadily since I purchased my bike last week, but I’m itching to take it out. Maybe tomorrow it will be dry enough.
- Speaking of tomorrow, it’s free family day at the MMAA. The theme? Kinetic art making. Cool.
- This is wacky…”Swiss put glacier under wraps to slow ice melt“
- More fancy vegan food porn.
- Random photos at Bjorkish…it’s quite a collection.
- Failed to mention…there will be a summertime NaNoWriMo (dubbed Summer WriMo or somesuch thing). In town, at least. But I’ve already been feeling overextended.
- I feel like this article was written for me…”No Need to Stew: A Few Tips To Cope With Life’s Annoyances“
Currently, I’m so hungry I feel faint, so eating would be a solid next step. Then, perhaps posting more photos here (flickr has been getting all of my love lately, I apologize to the non-flickrites out there).
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Today I woke up to a crapass combo of cold weather and a head cold…and an inability to concentrate (on anything other than my general achiness). Needless to say, I’m still in my pajamas. I would quarantine myself from the guys, to keep from infecting them, but I already kissed the little man on the cheek before he left for school (it’s hard-wired, I can’t help myself). And currently I’m in our teeny 10′x10′ home office with the husband…who has honed an amazing ability to ignore me. But while he can pretend I’m not in the room my germs are still present, whether he likes it or not. Mouhahahaha! Anyhow, I thought a healthy dose of caffeine + ibuprofen would help lengthen my attention span. Alas, it has not. My mind has been a-wanderin’ all morning. Before I take a lunch break (break from what?) I thought I’d spew some of my findings here, for your enjoyment or engorgement or whatever.
- Not sure what is going on in this photo, but it’s a little frightening. And funny.
- Mundane is the new punk rock (also here).
- Looks like we’re going to Cirque de Soleil’s performance of Corteo, in the Fall, with friends…but not the little man. While I’d love for him to see it, it would be unrealistic to expect the lad to sit still for the duration of the performance. Maybe in a couple more years…
- Self-replicating robots. Don’t know if I should be in awe, or afraid. Or both.
- Their ways are not our ways.
- Has anyone seen the Ted Leo documentary, Dirty Old Town? GreenCine hasn’t got it, but I want it, and I want it now.
- I’m quite a fan of Congo the chimp’s contemporary art, but doubt I could afford to buy any of it…when it goes on the auction block next month.
- Loop-d-Loop, a neat-looking knitting book.
- I, too, prefer the classic DC logo. The rebranded version looks a bit…bland.
Now it’s time for the consumption of something more substantial (than these distractions) like, oh, a warm bowl of broth. Then maybe on to a bath. As always, I am nothing if not ambitious.
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This morning I got my hair ready in a hurry. It’s least favorite among my morning preparations. Managed to get it dry, and somewhat straightened, but it was all ratted out, 80s-style. An unintentional side effect of my hastiness, I swear. But for some reason I decided to smear on some lipstick as well, then lash out at my lashes with the mascara wand (didn’t poke myself in the eye this time at least). After I jumped in the car I glanced into the rearview and worried I looked like some sad Robert Smith wannabee. When I got to work I realized it was much worse than that. Seeing my reflection in the bathroom mirror I found I looked like…an extra member of Motley Crue.
I am so stoked that M.I.A. will be playing some shows in North America. Naturally none of them are near me. She is in Chicago on the 19th. But that’s not exactly in my backyard. And it’s a schoolnight, so to speak. A little further North, however, she’ll be in Toronto on a weekend. How fantastic would that be? M.I.A. + vegan-friendly restaurant visits with Lane and gang. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Except a reality check. For the forseeable future all of our disposable income will be going into much-needed home improvements (not unlike The Money Pit). Starting with the plumber, who is coming back for a return engagement this Friday. He’ll be replacing our leaky toilet, and shoring up the flooring underneath and around it, so said toilet (or sink or clawfoot tub) won’t end up falling through to the dining room below. His estimate? Between $1,000 - $8,000 (USD), depending on how bad it looks when he really gets in there. So that would be an ixnay on the oadray ipstray. Guess I’ll have to content myself with watching M.I.A. perform on Conan O’Brien. If I can stay up that late.
Bonus: Some flickr fun…squirrels in Poland are seriously cute. I adore this Evil Barbie shot by Wild. There’s something sorta sad but beautiful about this sky(ward) train shot. Love this luggage. And I’m not quite sure what’s going on here with Zippy’s rescue, but I think I like it.
Plus: Looks like I missed the boat on this Ninja stationery set, but Hillary scored some. Lucky duck.
And: So excited, my cruiser was delivered this evening. But the forecast calls for “a foul day” tomorrow, and rain through Thursday. This weekend, then, we shall hit the road. All the way from the house, to the playground (and back again, hopefully).
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