weapons of massdistraction

The day hasn’t been without its highlights. But. I feel we may have fared better had we obeyed my gut instinct and stayed home (thankfully we get to do that tomorrow).

The good:

• Out of the blue I lined up a pleasant-sounding little wedding reception to shoot next month.
• I also unexpectedly scored a free ticket to see Erik Friedlander’s upcoming performance at the Walker.
• The lovely ladies of Clockwork did some nifty lightpainting at dusk.
• I exposed my co-workers to the Cat Piano app for the iPhone and heard the meowing of many phones echoing throughout the office.
• After work I had an impromptu visit with wonderful friends.
• When the little man and I got home he suggested we play a few rounds of Uno. While dressed in superhero costumes. Cool.
• If I can remain awake, in a little bit I will watch last night’s episodes of Castle and Lie to Me.

The bad:

• Last night I slept poorly, with vivid nightmares, and several times found myself standing in different parts of my room when I should have been sleeping, in my bed. Generally I only sleepwalk or sleeptalk when stressed. Considering the state of my finances, no wonder I’m doing it now.
• When the alarm clock began bleating this morning I nearly burst into tears.
• We had to leave the house in a hurry, before I could make coffee, to get to the school bus at the appointed time. But then the school bus was reeeeeeeally late, like fifteen minutes late, and my head was throbbing because I felt like crap and needed coffee.
• Later in the day, during a big group hug with my co-workers (it happens), one of the buggers accidentally spilled beer. Into my hair. And all down the front of my shirt, and inside my bra. Yep. Sorta funny but mostly gross.

The ugly:

• A bully at school was choking my son DURING CLASS today. The little man is fine but a little shaken up. I’m still seething. Thankfully he was able to vent, telling me how mad the incident made him, and how he’d thought this kid was his friend but now he’s not so sure. Apparently he did receive an apology, and I will be receiving an “incident report” on Monday, as school is out for the rest of the week. I’d like to find out more about how and why this happened, and how it was and will be handled. I realize that a lot of these kids have emotional or behavioral problems far more severe than my non-aggro kid, but still. Obviously I want my son to be and feel safe at school.

Bonus: ‘Autism treatment: Science hijacked to support alternative therapies.
Researchers’ fears about misuse of their work come true‘
Plus: Cafe Agri closes it’s doors for good this Sunday, November 29th, but all weekend long they are saying farewell with $1 glasses of wine.
And: Happy Thanksgiving / be thankful for cupcakes!

What a Wednesday. After I brushed my teeth this morning I caught our cat, Freddy, sucking on my damp toothbrush bristles. Gross. After that I wound up the first Clockworker at work. Usually I am second or third on the scene. But there are some simple guidelines for the very first to arrive: 1) Disarm the alarm 2) make coffee. I successfully completed task #2 but fell flat on #1. The security system code I attempted to use was outtdated. By the time I looked up the latest code it was too late. And setting off the office security alarm brought forth an officer of the law. Oops.

Five good and weird things for this weird day:

• A furry hotel in France! “Heavy petting at France’s human hamster hotel“
• I am in love with all of these Sir Critter t-shirts. The Sir Squid in particular, of course. And the FAQs page is effing hilarious to boot.
• Mod for the Masses: Hometta, a new web-based company, is repackaging the process of building a designer home by offering 24 small, sustainable home options designed by award-winning architects and an on-line support network to get them built for homeowners on a budget.
• Worth perusing. “Great women and girls of all sorts - revolutionaries, martyrs, goddesses, survivors, saints, noblewomen, folk heroines, artists and performers.“
• For sale: Harrison Ford lifesize bust (urethane hollow cast)

Skipping out on a couple of shows tonight (Dinosaur Jr and Marissa Nadler at one venue and Blind Shake/STNNNG/Wereworm at another) but really hoping I don’t punk out tomorrow night. The West Bank of Minneapolis will be hosting Vic Chesnutt at The Cedar and Mute Era et al at The Nomad, but the Triple Rock will be home to the wall of sound I need. Fuck Buttons and Growing. Oh yes.

Clockwork’s Friday the 13th Party was a fantastic success. There were many friendly faces, old and new, with much mingling done. But one party goer happened to be a former boyfriend of mine. And, unbeknownst to me, my son had a little talk with him, man to man. Apparently he took this fellow over to a whiteboard. My son proceeded to draw two stick figures. He pointed to one and said to him “that’s you.” He pointed to the other and said “that’s me.” Then he drew an orange arc from his stick figure to the other which he then violently scribbled over, obliterating in a blaze of orange expo marker. He even laughed while declaring “I incinerated you!” My child concluded this exercise by drawing himself in jail. I do try my best to avoid talking about grownup garbage in front of the lad, really, I do, but I can’t help think he picked up on my disappointment over this particular failed relationship. Interesting how this knowledge manifested itself. I could do without the terroristic threats but at least I know the kid has my back.

Bonus: Distractions that are new to me: No Good For Me and the Uncyclopedia.
Plus: I already blew way too much money on groceries over the weekend, but I haven’t made a United Noodles run in ages. This miso ginger soup with tofu noodles is sounding really good right about now.
And: In celebrity news, I’m bummed out that The Wicker Man’s Edward Woodward has passed away. And I already think that Lady Gaga = absolute ridiculousness when taken on face level, but now these nutjobs at the Vigilant Citizen are trying to link her with the occult. Whaaaa?

The butterflies are gone. Not even a twinge in my belly today. I guess that’s progress. And it only took two years for me to really stick with my mandated-by-a-wise-friend radical sabbatical (my brand of celibacy). But now I can properly avoid “The Zone of PAIN” and/or “Awkwardness” zones. Well, any new awkwardness zones at least. Unless I invent some sort of time machine to jump back and prevent any past incidents of poor impulse control. Though if I were able to travel through time such technology could be put to better use than detangling (or pre-tangling?) the romantic entanglements of one libidinous little woman. What can I say? I am only human. But a bit more detached of a human these days, thankfully.

Five more good and/or interesting things:

• Some friends are seeing Devo in Chicago right now. So envious!
• I love the random lovable things that A. Lee Martinez loves. Likely why he’s one of my favorite writers.
• Interesting to see who this list has been whittled down to. ‘In January 2010, NPR will launch a year-long exploration of 50 great voices in recorded history. The series isn’t an attempt to catalog the so-called “greatest” singers. Instead, we hope to discover and re-discover awe-inspiring vocalists from around the world and across time.’
• I would like to catch at least one movie in The People’s Republic of Cinema series. ‘Marking the 60th anniversary of “New China,” this timely series tracks the decades of political tumult and massive cultural and economic change that followed 1949’s Communist revolution. These 14 films, many of them rarely seen, trace the evolution of China through the eyes of its filmmakers.’
• Oddly amused by this tongue-in-cheek California Divorce Ban:
  “People who supported Prop 8 weren’t trying to take rights away from gays, they just wanted to protect traditional marriage. That’s why I’m confident that they will support this initiative, even though this time it will be their rights that are diminished. To not support it would be hypocritical.”

This week has flown by and I haven’t had the excess brain capacity to create much coherent content. But I’m really not too disappointed by my inability to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. I’m still serious about the werewolf cop novel and I’m confident I will write it when I feel the need to write it. And it will be done at my own pace. I’ve been enjoying this slowing down and taking stock and hope to maintain it throughout the impending holidays.

Sleeping in my own bed after a week away was pretty spectacular, but the house didn’t seem very home-y without my son in it. Tonight we’ll be all back to normal. Except better. The time apart will definitely have helped us appreciate one another even more. Anywho, I took notes along the way and below are some highlights from my trip, beginning with last Monday. Enjoy!

Monday: Becky and I left St. Paul in her freshly serviced truck with bonus new tires. Driving through Iowa we encountered signs for a CSA farm/restaurant. Sounds great, right? Wrong! We rolled up a dirt road to investigate and instantly got the heebie jeebies. The place gave off strong Texas Chainsaw massacre vibes, with animal skins adorning the farm buildings and general creepiness hanging thick. Even though we each had flashing rape whistles, courtesy of her mom, we bugged the heck outta there and made a straight shot to our stopping point for the evening in Lincoln, NE. We stayed at a Super 8 on Cornhusker Highway (just past the Git’n'Split) and enjoyed an unexpectedly fine meal at a little cafe called Bread & Cup.

Tuesday: Nebraska is mind-numbingly flat and seems to go on forever. Becky saved the day by blasting all sorts of soul music, including the title track to Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, along with Helen Shapiro and some Indonesian twee pop. Eventually we made it into Colorado, where the landscape gradually grew more interesting, and stayed at a posh Sheraton thanks to hotwire. Dinner that night was at the divine WaterCourse Foods. If only I could get them to FedEx some of their fine fine foods…

Wednesday: We pulled off the long haul through Colorado, New Mexico and into Arizona in about twelve hours. Listening to podcasts like Gay Pimpin’ with Jonny McGovern certainly helped, paired with the stunning Southwest scenery. Along with the scenery we also spotted unidentifiable road kill (I swear that was a chupacabra dead in a ditch). That night we settled into a Radisson in Flagstaff. While we were unloading in the parking lot I belched loudly and Becky’s head popped up, chirping “is that a man?” Well, I guess I am pretty dude-like but it was just me, you know, burping. Nearly had one of my trademark laughing fit episodes but managed to keep it together.

Thursday: We rolled out of the Radisson to get a quick looksee at the Grand Canyon, via the South Rim. Words and photos really don’t do it justice. It was so very peaceful and quiet, except for the construction work going on at the nearby visitor’s center. Alas, we needed to haul ass to make it to Palm Springs at a decent hour. And it was worth it, to have an amazing dinner at an award-winning Japanese restaurant and to kick back in style at a great boutique hotel called The Movie Colony. That night we had the hot tub and a heated swimming pool to ourselves.

Friday: In the morning we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the hotel and a quick swim before going out on a mini mid-century modern architectural tour around Palm Springs. After lunch we tackled the final leg of the journey, to Los Angeles. Slightly dazed and confused after our cross-country journey through multiple time zones we still managed to make it up to Griffith Observatory, which is gorgeous at night. And to grab dinner at Z Pizza before collapsing. Though I did nod off sitting upright and still wearing my boots.

Saturday: Two very cheerful, friendly fellows whipped up our breakfast burritos at the Pasadena Whole Foods. Love that place. After fueling up we hit Hollywood Boulevard so I could do the touristy thing and see some Walk of Fame stars. I tweeted about seeing Rodney Dangerfield’s star and a friend replied that I should really see his grave (thanks for the suggestion E!) so we headed to Westwood Village which proved to be the final resting place of many celebrities from Don Knotts to Marilyn Monroe. It’s a surprisingly small, peaceful place hidden by towering highrises. After that it was on to Santa Monica to see the ocean and to stumble across the most adorable mid-century modern library ever. And dinner was had at the very vegan-friendly and tasty Mao’s Kitchen. The evening was capped off early with drinks at Highland Park’s Little Cave aka The Best Bar Ever, then bed bed bed. Or in my case couch couch couch but a comfy one at that.

Sunday: Woke up in LA reading “A Day in the Life: Who is Minnesota? Look online at some blogs to find out.” (I was among the bloggers listed in the Pioneer Press puff piece). Then it was off to Eagle Rock for coffee and my first mani/pedi at Mademoiselle Nails. My toenails are plum! And my heels are smooth as a baby’s butt! It’ll never last but I have to admit, it is most pleasant. The afternoon was spent in quaint and cute South Pasadena before it was time to jet to the airport and head back to the Twin Cities.

I’m already back in the saddle at work today, getting into the groove, and feeling oddly refreshed despite my lack of sleep. Definitely buoyed by the prospect of reuniting with the kiddo soon. It will feel so good to give him a great big hug.

Bonus: What I already knew: Comic books are good for children’s learning Parents should not “look down” on comics as they are just as good for children as reading books, a new study claims.
Plus: This not very charming fan: Morrissey storms off stage after bottle thrown by concert-goer hits him in the eye. Sad!
And: Loved this adorable short film, Pigeon Impossible, pointed out by Roger Ebert.