Sunday, February 17, 2008
Our cat Freddy really is the great destroyer. Yesterday he chewed through another pair of my headphones (just crappy ipod earbuds, but still). Yet he can’t be blamed for everything. Doesn’t stop the little man from trying. Lately the boy has taken to smearing toothpaste on the bathroom mirror. Tonight he claimed the cat did it. Now that would be something to see, Freddy getting his little paws all up in the silly strawberry. The scary thing though? Someday the little man might actually become adept at lying to me. Le sigh.
Overall the weekend was most awesome. I started things off right with the Super Furry Animals in-store performance. It was just 2/5 of SFA, but Gruff Rhys and Huw Bunford were super freaking adorable. Afterwards Pizza Luce dinner was had over at J’s.
Saturday night the little man stayed over with his grandparents, at The Depot downtown Minneapolis. He told me he went down the waterslide a zillion times! Awesome. I was ever-so-slightly jealous, but I took some time to myself, to take care of mundane details, enjoy a grown-up dinner out, and to attend the best ten person party ever. Wish I could’ve squeezed in a movie too, but otherwise, no complaints.
Today? A lazy Sunday of oversleeping, Scrabulous, some laundry-doing, and dinner over at J’s, yet again. Tomorrow we won’t be leaving the house, thanks to some dead presidents.
Bonus: Introducing your new vibrating vinyl friend - Barry the Beaver!
Plus: The Fabulist has been redesigned and their new digs are just lovely.
And: A couple of peeps sent me the link to this article I love you, but you love meat. Oh yes, I can relate.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Things are coming together, tripwise. I’ve got a house-sitter lined up and yesterday I booked our flight (into Seattle instead of Portland because it is way WAY cheaper, and then we can take a short scenic drive into Portland). Lodging-wise I scored us a room at the Kennedy School, a former elementary school that’s been converted into a hotel. So excited! It looks super awesome, and it’s well-reviewed. Sadly we’ll just miss the Portland Saturday Market but there’s still so much to do.
The only minor hitch? We’ll be leaving two days after I get my next tattoo, which means I’ll be traveling while peeling and itchy. Oh wells.
Bonus: I had a tremendously awesome Valentine’s Day. Highlights: lunch at Obento-Ya with Sheela, with bonus gift of her amazing cookies! Then a matinee of The Spiderwick Chronicles with the little man. It would’ve been neat to top things off with How Fucking Romantic, but I was content to turn in early.
Plus: Just watched the trailer for Stephen Chow’s upcoming CJ7. I was thinking the little man would be old enough to enjoy it, but, sadly, only if it were dubbed. Subtitles would be too much of a challenge.
And: Years ago I contributed to a zine called My Baby Rides the Short Bus. Now? There’s a book in the works! I need to write and submit a new essay, but don’t even know where to begin.
Monday, February 11, 2008
I haven’t had anything much to look forward to, other than more of the same, for some time now. But today I noticed the little man’s school calendar. Spring break is right around the corner. Sure, I could shell out for the childcare and go to work as usual or…I could put that childcare money towards a trip instead. The lad would like to go back to L.A. but I’m opting for something more mellow. Involving, say, a Food Fight! And Voodoo Doughnuts. Yes, I think it’s time we ventured to Portland for a week of lounging and eating good vegan grub and visiting with the many former Minnesotan friends we have who’ve relocated there.
Traveling can be touch and go with an autistic kid (heck, with any kid for all I know) so I have to remember not to overdo it with the little man. I’ve been waffling on whether or not to rent a car. If it was just me then sure, I’d have no problem using public transit and I love to walk. But the little man? He is a foot dragger of the first degree. So getting a centrally located hotel will be crucial. I was considering this hipster hotspot,
The Jupiter, because it’s both cheap and neat-looking (and next door to the Doug Fir Lounge), but the dreadful tripadvisor reviews are turning me off. It might just be a more generic Holiday Inn for us.
Feel free to comment or email with your Portland opinions. Thanks!
Bonus: Super Furry Animals are playing an in-store at Electric Fetus this Friday at 3pm.
Plus: The book Jumper, and its sequel, Reflex, were both good fun. I’ve got free passes to a sneak screening of the film adaptation for Wednesday, but I’ve got such a busy week ahead of me and the movie looks cheeeeeeeesy. Still, that could be a good time. I am on the fence.
And: Six Organs of Admittance has been playing with Mick Turner, of Dirty Three. I didn’t get to the show last night, but a friend went…and took some lovely photos.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
It’s been a relatively low-key weekend. Friday night I had my hairs cut. Then we popped by the library (where I paid off all my overdue fees - doh!) and I spent the evening engrossed in Beauty by Robin McKinley. Saturday was our usual cupcake social hour, followed by indoor swimming instead of outdoor sledding. Today I’d planned to hit up the gym for a workout, but the wind chill warning is scaring me away. Too bad The Handmaiden’s Art Fair is also going on right now. Doh.
Bonus: Next Saturday is the 8th Annual Women’s Prison Book Project Pancake Breakfast. We’ll be breakfasting there, before heading to Cupcake Saturday. Mmmmm.
Plus: I wish I had one of these Tanuki suits to wear so I could go outside without worrying about the cold.
And: I have just a couple more weekends to haul my ass out to the Art Shanties on Medicine Lake. I really want to mail something from the postal shanty.
Mika was absolutely amazing. First Avenue made me check my camera, but it was so crowded that was likely for the best. I did manage a few crappy cameraphone pix. This weekend there will be a slew more of good shows happening (like Daniel Johnston!) but I will be going to none. Oh wells.
Five things that make me happy:
- The Southeast Library has re-opened.
- The little man was watching Muppets From Space recently. In one scene, Miss Piggy is fighting one of the men in black, who she karate chops in the crotch. The lad looked at that, laughed, and said “he got hit in the legpit!” Legpit is my new favorite word.
- Monsieur Mon Stir is a one-of-a-kind plush sculpture.
- We’ve lost several mugs, some to general wear and tear, but a couple due to the damned cat knocking them off the kitchen counter to the floor. I need to pick up some replacements and sort of want a whole bunch of these smiley face mugs.
- My friend Maley went to the Saintly City Cat Show a couple of weeks ago, and took these brilliant photos…of a mad little Burmese and a hairless cat.
Bonus: The book I stole the post title from.
Plus: The divorce papers have finally been signed, sealed and delivered. We’ll see how long this part of the process takes.
And: “Buddhist Kung-Fu Cops Fight Crime in 2012 London” - looks ridiculously campy, but could be fun.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
I’m already tired of grumbling and grumping my way through this week and it’s only Tuesday. So I am forging ahead, in spite of irritating personal setbacks. One of which includes We The People not having their act together with my legal documents. I swear, the next time I get divorced I am totally not using them!
Five good things:
Liars played a show in Lawrence, KS last night. I wasn’t there. All day I was home, in a haze, stuck in limbo between sleep and wakefulness. Having the power randomly go out at our house? Didn’t help matters. But the little man and I did make it to a friend’s birthday party, and hung out with people we adore. And Friday night we had dinner with other friends at Midori’s Floating World Cafe. Just look at this giant plate of vegan sushi. Yum. Today? I’m going to try to get things done. Bills, cleaning, errand-running, paperwork finishing. Yes, the glamorous life.
Five good things:
- The Young @ Heart Chorus = happy making.
- I’ve been hearing the buzz for a while now, and I’ve finally been swayed. I am on board the Robyn train. The video for Handle Me is what did it for me. Zentai suits? Check. Oversized teddy bear humping? Check. Gotta love crazy Swedish pop stars. Konichiwa bitches!
- I enjoy the idea of a Drunken Spelling Bee at the 331 Club. Too bad I don’t qualify. Anyone attend?
- My RSS feeds seem to be fixed now, but I’m not entirely relieved. The redirect is set up from the old to the new, but I still had to unsubscribe in NetNewsWire and resubscribe before it worked again. Hmmm. I’ve also set up a new feed with FeedBurner. Any feedback is welcome.
- I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic action flicks, so yeah, I plan to see Doomsday.
Bonus: Cupcake Saturday returns next weekend (on the 9th). Until then, read about the couple behind Letterbox, the place that hosts our weekly ritual.
Plus: I’d love to caucus on Tuesday night, but would need a babysitter. There should be onsite childcare, provided by folks ineligible to caucus…like responsible 17 year-olds or something.
And: Writers’ strike progress? I didn’t watch much teevee anyhow, and most of it I watched online. Seems like that’s where the sticking point is (with internet residuals). But I do miss my Heroes.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I am still hungover from Tylenol PM. Took some last night and slept from 9pm-7am, but somehow I don’t feel well rested. Also? Those meth lab jerks have ruined it for the rest of us. Phenylephrine is far inferior to pseudoephedrine when it comes to the act, nay, the art of decongesting. At least I can breathe through my nose now. And my creative juices are trickling again. In a fit of anger - inspired by creepy people and irritating events - I took this self-portrait. Which would’ve been more effective if I hadn’t been wearing the respirator upside-down. Oh wells. Today I will complete my first full month of the 365days project, and I’m pretty stoked about that.
Five more good things:
- The artwork of Trish Grantham is so adorable. I would love to purchase many of her lovely paintings. Sadly her domain seems to have expired. Doh.
- Geeking out! The final issue of Y: The Last Man was just released, but I’m with Eve on comics…I prefer to collect ‘em all in a trade paperback, rather than single issue. But it’s going to be soooooooo hard to wait until June 3rd to find out how it all ends. At least we should know more about the movie adaptation(s) by then.
- Lately I’ve been playing analog Scrabble with friends, along with online Scrabulous. Both are improving the quality of my life. But Scrabble doesn’t give me more health points. I wonder if this proximity t-shirt would help?
- I’ve been a long-time Adrian Tomine (of Optic Nerve) fan, but somehow I completely missed the relase of Shortcomings last Fall.
- Thao Nguyen’s We Brave Bee Stings and All was released on Tuesday. She’ll be touring to support it, and even stopping back in Minneapolis, despite the abysmal turnout for her last show here (J and I comprised fully half of the audience).
Bonus: Apologies to my RSS readers (who likely aren’t even seeing this). I hope to have the RSS issues sorted soon, including a redirect from the old to the new.
Plus: There will be no cupcakes this Saturday (resuming on the 9th) but there will be the 11th Annual Stupor Bowl - an alleycat race organized by the Minneapolis Bicycle Messengers. Some friends are racing. I’ll stick with spectating.
And: My friend Adam just picked up a Fisher Price PXL-2000 camcorder. The possibilities are endless.
In broken record mode here, but I’m really getting sick of this sickness thing. The little man’s illness morphed into an ear/sinus infection. At least he has antibiotics now and that should be that. But after a week of him sharing his germs with me? Yes, of course I am coming down with something too. Again. Because I have an immune system weaker than a newborn kitten’s.
After dude’s doc appointment I promised to make pizza. So we were home, eating our pizza on homemade crust (I forgot to take photos!) instead of partaking of the half-off event at Punch. Oh wells. I’m sure someone documented that, being as it was promoting the photography contest and all. I’ll likely stop in another day this week. Unless I’m on a spontaneous sojourn in Nantes, France. Riiiiiight.
Bonus: Remember the Stan Lee Tribute, with the super cute spidey-toast? Today I realized the toast is from The World of Mr. Toast. Pretty fantastic stuff.
Plus: Thanks to Bre’s tweets, I’ve been enjoying the blog of one of his new co-workers. All things girls can tell is good reading.
And: I’m a sucker for Victorian/Steam Punk type stuff to begin with, but the Squid Attack Game Room - and cephalopod desks - really pushed it over the top for me. Sigh. More photos here. Also? It doesn’t really fit in with the aesthetic, but the Villain chair is super cool too.
p.s. Just noticed that my feeds have gone wonky since moving the site to Dreamhost. You may need to resubscribe. Sorry!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A lunchtime conversation reconfirmed just how susceptible I am…to images implanted in my brain from the media I’ve consumed over the years. Particularly when powerful women with guns and stuff are involved. Yes, I do enjoy watching badass women blowing shit up, kicking ass and taking names. When I was younger it was Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor. Later it was all about Buffy (the Vampire Slayer) and Michelle Yeoh (the actress - in just about any role). More recent standouts have been River Tam and The Bride. Who am I leaving out? My memory ain’t what it used to be.
So. The little man. He is still sick. He’ll perk up and seem all right for a while, and then cough and cough and crash and look ever so pitiful. Poor kid. Maybe I shouldn’t have dragged him out for cupcakes today, but our whole crew was there. And this afternoon was our only opportunity to see Maria, before she flew back to the Bay Area. Just a few hours of visiting wiped the boy right out. He was asleep by 7pm. I should likely follow suit.
Bonus: I finally watched an episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t all that - but I did enjoy Summer Glau in it. So yeah, I’ll prolly watch some more.
Plus: I’d really like to finish reading Mouse Guard, but the kid fell asleep in my bed. I’m afraid to turn on the light or leave the room, for fear of waking him.
And: Seems that no one’s around to play their Scrabulous turns, so I’ve been zoning out while playing with the online Lite Brite. A clear indication I should power down the powerbook.
