Last night I fell asleep feeling stressed and sad. It didn’t help matters when my son woke up at 4:16am this morning. Nor did my oddball dreams. Of someone flashing a laser pointer around my bedroom (that didn’t really happen, did it?) or another about our impending office move. Somehow the movers took a wrong turn and all of Clockwork’s possessions wound up inside my house instead of in the new building. My co-workers just shrugged and started unpacking. There were developers setting up desks around my bed while I was still trying to sleep.
In an attempt to pull out of this foul mood, I will purge with Friday’s low fives:
- Some jackass drove his SUV into St. Paul’s Planned Parenthood, to protest the anniversary of Roe V. Wade.
- On the way home yesterday I stopped by the auto parts store to buy a replacement headlight bulb. Unfortunately the bulb doesn’t seem to be the issue. Wiring? A fuse? I’ve had these problems with the Mazda before. And once at home I picked up the mail to find an Explanation of Benefits from our health insurance. The boy’s EEG bill came to $3600. Medica is only going to cover part of it. I don’t know just how much I have to cough up yet but it’s going to clean out my health savings account, to be sure.
- Watching the Super Friends with my son, which I loved as a kid, but Holy Balls Batman! It is just terrible. Dreadful dialogue, bad voice acting, ridiculous plots, and non-sensical villains. The Robber Baron and his henchman Sleeves?
- Speaking of henchmen, Nick Cave’s right hand man, Mick Harvey, is leaving him (and the Bad Seeds). Seriously sad. Wish I could’ve been at the recent Australian All Tomorrow’s Parties when they played together, one last time.
- Only communicating through these damned lists. What does that say about my skills as a writer?
There. With all of that off my chest hopefully I can pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on.
Bonus: Don’t get me wrong, I still love cupcakes, but I can see where the fearless cook is coming from: Hand Pies, the Cupcake Killer. Mmmm, pie. I like pie.
Plus: Adam’s lovely photozine, I Like the Lights #3, is available now.
And: We Heart This often hearts some stuff I also heart. I mean, uh, like. Yeah.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I have developed a bit of a crush on Katie Beaton. All her comics are fantastic. Particularly her conversations with a younger self and the history projects (”like xkcd, but for history”). They’re all so amazing it’s impossible to choose a favorite. But what the heck, here’s Charles Babbage - hater of musicians who could not abide sloppy math.
Five other things I am currently consuming:
This week has sort of rushed by and plans for the weekend are hazy. The Talkers are playing The Entry tomorrow night and the Turf Club is hosting the Go Negativ zine launch Saturday night, but I will likely be staying in. And I am ok with that. My priorities will include: cupcakes, sledding, the gym, paying bills, and watching the next episode of Battlestar Galactica. And hopefully seeing the boyfriend in there somewhere.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What can I say? I’m not quite so jaded and cynical. I felt the need to tap into some sort of communal experience this morning. So I found myself standing out in the cold for a good forty minutes, waiting to get into The Riverview. It was worth it to watch the inaugural ceremonies on the big screen, in a packed theater. Guess we non-believers need the catharsis of getting weepy together too.
The shared experience continues with the New York Times and their Picturing the Inauguration: The Readers’ Album. And Flickr’s blog post “We Watched” with a growing pool of Inauguration 2009 photos.
Bonus: Big in Japan: creepy rubber Obama masks - eep!
Plus: Obama inauguration: Words of history … crafted by 27-year-old in Starbucks.
And: Welcome to the White House! Whitehouse.gov was quickly redesigned/re-launched today. And it looks like whitehouse.com is no longer porn, thankfully.
Felt like I was in shark mode this weekend. In constant motion, to keep from asphyxiating or sinking or thinking too much.
Friday evening I had some downtime with the boyfriend. Before he headed to band practice, and I dashed off to watch the Battlestar Galactica premiere with friends. Did anyone else get brains in their hot wings? The juxtaposition between unexpected on-screen violence and the sudden cutting to KFC commercials was jarring, to say the least. I will give away no other spoilers.
Saturday morning I retrieved my son on the way to brunch with friends at the Triple Rock. Sleep deprivation + food coma = naptime. But it was brief, as I was taken by a burst of productivity before heading out again for some Saturday night silliness with Maria and her kin. Though we didn’t stay long. The lad and I were both beat. After getting him to bed I remained upright and awake, but only just barely, to watch 30 Days of Night. It met but did not exceed my low expectations.
Today I got in an early workout at our YWCA before popping by the new Seward Co-op location. So big and bright and open. Initial impressions were favorable but still no WholeSoy Yogurt? I will forever be doomed to acquire it from the always over-crowded Wedge Co-op. After a stop at home to put the groceries away and scarf down lunch and shower we went back out into it. It was our second annual visit to Medicine Lake for the Art Shanty Projects. I consider it one of my happy places. Especially in today’s mild weather. On the way home we checked out a fairly picked-over World Market (sadly the stores are all closing in MN). I was able to stock up on their inexpensive but decent coffee and some vegan chocolate. At home we had an impromptu visit from an old neighbor friend and suckered him into some Nintendo Wii playing.
This weekend I also met five new cats (but only photographed three) and received continual updates from a friend who ate his way through my favorite NYC restaurants before moving on to D.C. for inaugural activities. I expect more updates to come. But for now it is back to The Accidental Time Machine. I imagine I’ll get to the end tonight, unless I lose the battle against The Cocteau Twins and their lullabies put me to sleep. Or I accidentally hit the reset button and skip and skitter my way through the space time continuum.
Bonus: Keanu saddles up for Cowboy Bebop? Just say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My all-time favorite anime doesn’t need to be transformed into live action trash. Particularly not with the wooden Keanu Reeves as Spike Spiegel.
Plus: Recently I was told that squirrels are, in fact, nature’s ninjas. That got me to thinking about the stealthy pizza-stealing squirrels we encountered last summer. And I started wondering if these ninja pizza squirrels would enjoy pizza beer. Hmmm.
And: How Crucifucks Frontman Doc Dart Became a Man Named 26 by Sam McPheeters (yep, the singer from Born Against).
I’ve put the kaibosh on all the moping and am coming to terms with what was ruining my fun. And I think I can roll with it. So I’m feeling better, mentally. Physically? Well, Bruce McClure’s “totally sensory experience” made a bunch of us fairly ill last night. One audience member said: “The only way this could have been more annoying is if they had deployed millions of flesh-eating insects to slowly remove our epidermis(s).” Another suggested that aromatherapy for eye strain is the anti-McClure. Too bad I’m severely allergic to chamomile. That would be like the anti-anti-McClure for me.
Five good things:
- I didn’t know about Platypus venom until recently. That’ll teach you to underestimate cute and cuddly creatures - we can do some serious damage!
- Christopher Walken interviews Mickey Rourke, for Interview Magazine.
- The World’s Longest Exposures - a six month exposure in Bristol, England - is beautiful.
- Tom Tomorrow on yesterday’s US Airways unbelievable Die Hard-style emergency landing.
- Battlestar Galactica is finally back, thank gods. I’ll likely end up watching it tomorrow, but am tempted by a viewing party tonight.
Now that I have a real TV I signed up for Netflix again, for the first time in years. No more of this watching movies solely on my laptop, in bed. But this made me realize how uncomfortably cold my living room is at night. I have a digital thermostat set to bump the temp down to 59 degrees after 8pm, when the little man turns in. The rooms upstairs stay toasty but it’s downright nippy downstairs. Still, it helps keep the heating bill down (and my energy bill for December was still a painful $281). I am disinclined to go the Snuggie/Slanket route, but maybe I really will start wearing my Jawa robe around the house.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Last night I skipped the moping (about circumstances beyond my control), and the bowling with co-workers, but opted for more Wii bowling with friends instead. That part of the evening was blissful. The parenting portion? Not so much. The boy doesn’t cope well with change and there’s been quite a lot of it at school lately. Since returning from holiday break one teacher in his classroom has been replaced, a favorite classmate left for another school, and suddenly there is all sorts of new social studies homework - on top of the spelling homework he only grudgingly completes. So every day there has been a fresh hissyfit that needs to be contained when homework time rolls around. He’s been in a snit about it all week. So much so that it’s affecting his sleep. Twice last night he was up sleepwalking/talking. He was so agitated it took a while to get him settled into bed again, and even longer for me. I’m at a loss over how to help him. I’ll have to discuss it with his psychologist. But in the short term I just need a break. Thankfully I’m getting one. He’ll be staying over with my ex tomorrow night so I can enjoy a good chunk of uninterrupted adult time with the boyfriend and friends, including some foosball fun at Big V’s.
In other news, I’d considered hosting my own inauguration party, to mark such a momentous occasion, but the date snuck up on me. And the night before I’ll be having a slumber party with a visiting friend. Thankfully the Riverview Theater saves the day:
We will be sponsoring a viewing of the PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION ceremonies on our big screen on Tuesday, January 20. Doors will open at 9:30am and viewing will last until approximately noon. Several service groups seeking volunteers will have information in the lobby. There will be no admission charge.
Bonus: For my friends in warmer climes, I give you the wind chill weather index. Current temp is -22 with -38 wind chill. In these conditions frostbite can develop in three minutes.
Plus: There are always the Minnesotan weirdos who enjoy this weather. Like this guy: Local man builds glacier dragon.
And: Wonder if the aforementioned man will be at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. That starts soon, but I’m even more excited about the 2009 Art Shanty Projects.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I have some serious ruminating to do. Since the answers won’t come all at once I may as well break up my quiet contemplation with various distractions.
- I am enamored of this very short film, Trick.
- My Warriors arrived yesterday. I would have liked the book too, but it’s hard to come by, so I settled for the shoes. Which are white and likely to get scuffed immediately.
- Oh the dreaded scourge of the urban explorer!
- Clockwork isn’t quite ready to move into our new space just yet. But soon. Allegedly. My semi-regular visits to document progress help keep hope alive.
- Fun with vegan cupcakes? It looks like the original post at Cupcakes Take the Cake, about my photography, was translated into Turkish and then back into English and the results are wacky and disturbing as hell.
- In less troublesome cupcake news, I’m crushing hard on these too-pretty-to-eat vegan cupcakes.
- I don’t care if he’s now acknowledging some of his mistakes, Bush can still get bent. In related news, Momentous and kind of weird: Inauguration dress rehearsal. That would have been interesting to stumble upon.
- File under DO NOT WANT. Swag from the Unabomber’s Pending Auction: ‘One Razor, Never Used…’
- Lovely flow chart of Heavy Metal band names.
- Several write-ups of local darlings Dark Dark Dark, via Chief Mag, Hooves on Turf and How Was the Show.
This evening will likely find me laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, once again listening to copious amounts of slowcore. Mostly Low and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Or I could go bowling with my co-workers.
This past week I took my new resolution to heart, the one about letting the good times roll. Maybe more so than intended. Thursday night the boyfriend and I watched The Wrestler (excellent). Friday night we attended the Paul Metzer/BMGH/Oktaha show at Eclipse Records (fun). Last night we didn’t leave the house, but had a few friends over for more Wii. Very patient friends. Ones who didn’t balk when asked to assemble an IKEA TV stand prior to game play. All this activity, though, has resulted in an extra lazy Sunday. Lots of laying around, listening to my recently revived stereo system. And I am ok with that.
Random round-up:
Not planning to add another resolution to my list, but I have a short-term goal for the coming week. More frequent posting to prevent the build-up of these sorts of tidbits, and the tackling of more To Do list items. Like renewing my passport, dealing with some HSA stuff and gathering tax related materials. The excitement never ends.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tuesday night I’d reached a certain point…where a criticality accident seemed imminent. I love my son dearly but single parenting can be overwhelming at times. Frequent breaks are needed, even if OSHA doesn’t require them. I realized it had been nearly a month since I’d gone out, at night, to socialize with friends. And oh what a month it had been! Chock full of hospitals and holiday hell. On a whim I contacted the sitter. Thankfully she dropped her plans to head over to our house. I picked up a friend along the way to the Triple Rock, to celebrate another friend’s birthday. Despite some technical difficulties with my Rebel (the built-in flash died, but I’ve been using that camera daily for over two years) and the fact that this was on a work/school night, the evening out was quite restorative. Yesterday, sleep-deprived though I may have been, I had an extra bounce in my step and interactions with my son were much less strained. In fact, they were filled with joy in a way they hadn’t been for a while. I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions for 2009 but I’ve got one now. I already take pretty decent care of myself physically, but I’m going to work on taking better care of myself mentally. To that end, there’s a slim chance I may head to England in May for All Tomorrow’s Parties: The Fans Strike Back. It’s time to renew my passport anyhow.
Bonus: Sheela’s cupcakes are back for 2009!
Plus: I’ve loved the idea of the treadmill desk since I first became aware of it. But the $4000+ price tag is a little off-putting. Minneapolitan Micah Vono went the $49 route instead. Of course, he already had the treadmill (note: I didn’t notice I’m in his video until he pointed it out). In other fitness related news, my blogger buddy Giyen wound up on CNN because of a weight loss-related new year’s resolution. And CNN plans to keep tabs on her weight loss efforts. You know, no pressure at all.
And: The Text-To-Movie tool from xtranormal.com is ridiculous. I haven’t created my own movies just yet, but have spent some time this week chortling, chuckling and guffawing over videos created by friends, using text taken directly from a message board we all contribute to. Pretty amazing stuff.
The boy was surprisingly excited to return to school today. So much so that he woke up at 5:11am, raring to go. I was somewhat relieved, knowing it wouldn’t be a struggle to get him back into his regular routine. But also a bit bummed out. We’d had such stressful days off together he was in a hurry to get away from me (but honestly I needed a break too). Le sigh.
Now for happy-making distractions!
- A co-worker clued me into atomic toy’s 365 days of dudes. The dude-a-day project was just the thing I needed to lift my spirits. Fantastic drawings + lovely site design = me checking back often.
- Oh how I love McSweeney’s. This My Apartment: An Interpretive Dance in Three Parts piece reminded me why I’m happy to be a homeowner. And they’re having a sale in their store, but I am only window shopping. There’s the fourth book in the How series by Dr. & Mr. Doris Haggis-on-Whey, about Cold Fusion. And the book of names, specifically names of All Known Metal Bands. And Maps and Legends, a book of essays by Michael Chabon. And Dustin Long’s Icelander. All equally tempting. I will obtain none.
- I’m on the Landmark Theaters mailing list and have been invited to a free sneak preview of a new TV series, The United States of Tara, with complimentary drinks and snacks. The plot? “A woman struggles to find a balance between her dissociative identity disorder and raising a dysfunctional family.” I do adore Toni Collette. Perhaps.
- Local Japanese restaurant Midori’s Floating World Cafe is moving soon. But only across the street to a more visible corner location. This will likely lead to the restaurant being even busier but if it means one of our favorite vegan-friendly spots thrives, then so be it.
- Hoping the weather cooperates this weekend so we can get in some snow tubing or sledding. But probably not off of bigass ramps launching over open flames.
Bonus: Have you heard the good news? My beloved Scrabulous is back! Hasbro dropped their suit. But the game’s name has been changed to Lexulous. And yes, I have several games going.
Plus: I couldn’t be with my co-workers tonight, but do plan to cheer them on in the future. Clockwork is now bowling! I believe the team is still looking for name suggestions. Any ideas?
And: Yet another gem via McSweeney’s, Wholphin: A DVD Magazine of Unseen Films. Planning to watch the Patton Oswalt bit soon.
