weapons of massdistraction

My brain is currently in the OFF position. I’m just going to succumb to Maria’s meme, and enjoy the disjointed jumble that was my year. Curious to see what sort of word soup 2009 will bring.

Look at the posts you’ve made in the past year, and paste the first line of the first post of each month.

January 2008: I have unintentionally upheld my annual tradition of hurling on or around New Year’s, even though I don’t drink.

February 2008: Liars played a show in Lawrence, KS last night.

March 2008: I have not been able to complete a thought lately.

April 2008: Our vacation is coming to an end.

May 2008: Earlier, when I was on the phone with J, he let out a hearty giggle.

June 2008: Been battling a migraine and processing some seriously depressing
news - from multiple fronts - but I’m trying my damndest to keep things light and fluffy.

July 2008: Thinking dark thoughts and desperately trying to suppress petty impulses, but it’s hard sometimes.

August 2008: Tonight I made Lebanese green bean stew.

September 2008: Yesterday the lad and I enjoyed the tail end of the Liberty Parade, then high-tailed it out to the burbs for his first ever visit to the Drive In.

October 2008: For some reason these places exist only on the fringes, in the far-flung suburbs.

November 2008: The verdict?

December 2008: Our long holiday weekend was so wonderful that I went into this Monday morning with a spring in my step.

Yesterday I found out there’s a Serge Gainsbourg biopic in the works. A little recon revealed it will be French language, thankfully. That’s the only way to go. Not only will it be legit, it will make it much sexier (like Serge himself). The director attached to the project is an odd choice. It is my favorite French comic book artist, Joann Sfar. You can see/purchase his work here. The Professor’s Daughter is fantastic! But it will be Sfar’s first film which is kinda crazy. Still, it could work:

“Sfar’s cutting-edge creativity and unique take on the character of Serge Gainsbourg is what really drew us to this project,” the head of Universal Pictures International Studio, Christian Grass, told Variety magazine.

They’ve done a bang up job with casting. French actor Eric Elmosnino is looking good as Serge. And I’m looking forward to seeing it in 2010.

Bonus: The top 100 tracks of the year, according to Pitchfork.
Plus: A review of the amusingly named Bacchus-D energy drink. I did not partake. I’m shaky enough as it is.
And: Do you like to tango?

While the weekend was delightful, it looks like I didn’t get my Fun-to-Sleep ratio quite right. Now I’m paying the price in the form of a burgeoning cold. Body aches, sore throat, fatigue, the works. Hoping to nip it in the bud by resting up. Wish me luck.

Five (or more) things:

• Yet another local arts organization is in crisis. This time it’s Intermedia Arts. See what you can do to help.
• I could, and likely will, lose hours of time to perusing the New York Public Library’s collections on flickr. I’ve already been marveling at the Ruth St. Denis photos.
• I grudgingly give the Brunswick Zone XL a thumbs up. Why are all these super fun places located in the outer ring suburbs?
• A strange juxtaposition: meet the world’s only immortal animal and fuck you penguin and the happiness project.
• While I lay in my sick bed tonight I plan to catch up on some teevee episodes (Chuck, Heroes, Life, Pushing Daisies, etc). And on The Guild.

For years I’ve used a Creative Commons license on my flickr photos, and have found folks all over the web taking advantage of it. Most of the time legitimately, which I applaud. Sometimes not. Insert frown. And occasionally I’ll receive a request for use of a photo outside of the parameters of the license I’ve set (non-commercial, attribution, no derivatives). One such request came in today. For use in the print version of National Geographic’s Traveler magazine. I said yes.

In a moment of weakness I found myself looking through old photos, from warmer times with bright sun and green green grass. I even uploaded a few. But winter hasn’t even begun yet, officially, so it’s too soon to be tormenting myself. Instead I’ll need to work up my winter enthusiasm. Particularly surrounding some uniquely Minnesotan activities I have to look forward to. Like the Soap Factory sponsored Art Shanty Projects on Medicine Lake. And the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The boyfriend hasn’t yet experienced that, and had never heard of the Medallion Hunt. I did a little research and discovered a documentary was made about it called No Time For Cold Feet (kindred spirit of Hands on a Hard Body perhaps?) which could be interesting. Their site is chock full of info including photos of the actual medallion. I’ve lived here all my life and don’t recall having seen it before. But I have seen many of the parades. I’m particularly fond of the Torchlight Parade. I like fire. And I am a big fan of The Saint Paul Bouncing Team. Being a bouncing girl would probably make me puke, but it sure is fun to watch.

Bonus: ATP NY for 2009 just got a whole lot more compelling. The curators have been announced. The Flaming Lips! I love the idea of wandering the halls at Kutsher’s and bumping into Wayne Coyne and crew. But I need a) money and b) to see how the rest of the lineup fleshes out. It’s early days yet.
Plus: I’m curious about Fever Ray, the new solo project by Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife. Speaking of, I hadn’t heard that they are “in the throes of writing music and words for an artsy opera loosely inspired by the theories of Charles Darwin.” Color me intrigued.
And: The box doodle project is chock full of pure genius. Smiles all around.

A co-worker wants me to branch out. From the world of vampires into the world of…werewolves. The thing is, lycanthropes have long been an integral part of the fiction I enjoy. There are so many examples, from An American Werewolf in London to the character of Oz on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or the Brotherhood of the Wolf. Or Gil’s All Fright Diner. Or the wolf packs in the Southern Vampire series (which True Blood is based upon). And I don’t mind these dogs, really. I don’t. But there’s something about the pack mentality that rankles. I find the feline individuality of vamps more appealing. Even so I’ve begun reading book one, Cry Wolf, of the Alpha and Omega series. And the short story prequel that came before it, even though the cover of that book came with “stories of dark streets and inhuman passions” as a tagline. Groan. At least the video for TV on the Radio’s Wolf Like Me is intentionally over the top.

Do believe the hype about the Swedish vampire movie, Let the Right One In. I indulged yesterday and it was a relief to see such a realistic, well-acted film. Especially after the campy amateurish Twilight.

Bonus: “Strangers May Cheer You Up, Study Says” Hmmm.
Plus: A friend is in Austria temporarily, teaching. Through her I’ve just found out about Krampus. Europeans have some intense myths for terrifying children. Damn. Posted a little more about that here.
And: Gay marriages can save the economy! I love Neil Patrick Harris so (and the rest of the ensemble cast in Prop 8 The Musical).