Mysteries...

I recently opened the freezer at my house to find four spoons that had all fallen to the bottom of the freezer. No one in the house put spoons in the freezer. So why were there *four spoons* in the freezer? Totally weird. (By the way, that doesn't work for hickeys, if you were wondering.)

Last night I found a cd in my bedroom, laying on top of a stack of burned data cd's, and I had never seen it before (it's a regular audio cd, not burned). So I threw it in the cd player, played a few tracks, and had never heard any of them before. The style was kind of like "maybe I got this free at a show or something, because I don't think I would have bought it. Not in the last decade definitely" and it was also definitely not something the fiance would have ever bought or listened to. I put it into the computer, and it gave me an artist and album name. I had never heard of either. No one in my house has seen the cd before or heard of the band. Where did it come from?

So confused and stumped...

totally delicious (and totally bastardized) mojito

I had mojito ingredients on hand, and decided to make this altered drink which probably can't technically be called a mojito, but can technically be called Awesome.

I used my super awesome five-blade herb scissors

and cut up the mint leaves into a tall glass.

Then I used my equally awesome lemon press

and squished half of a small lime into my glass.

I splashed some vanilla rum over the lime, still in the lemon press, just to get all the lime juices and skin oils into the glass.

Added about 2 oz. or so of vanilla rum (I don't actually measure anything).
Filled glass with ice.
Added (diet) ginger ale to the top.

Total. Awesomeness.

videos, check 'em out

Elizabeth & the Catapult - Taller Children

U2 - I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight

which kinda reminds me of...

Kenna - Hell Bent

(all on youtube)

one weekend. one book.

Home Land by Sam Lipsyte
Very much reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk's writing, specifically Invisible Monsters. Main characters from both books were very set on the non-pursuit of what "normal society" views as indicators of success. The main character/narrator (Lewis, or "Teabag") is writing updates to his alumni newsletter, filling his fellow students in on why he failed to thrive in life, in the interest of pure honesty, as his former fellow students lead successful lives as rock stars, athletes, etc.
It was a little difficult for me to follow all of the characters. It seemed like there was a 'shout out' to every member of this graduating class, and a few others. And they all seemed to speak with the same voice, so it was difficult to keep them all straight.
The book builds up to a climax that wasn't very climactic (although maybe that's a lesson and not a writing style), then has nowhere to go and just drops off (not entirely unexpected).
The author puts a lyrical and humorous spin on the failures of life. You never root for the under-dog, or even relate to him, really, but revel in his success as a failure.
So, this review kinda whomps, but then my writing generally whomps. But the book was enjoyable, so check it out.

"I'm like most of the men in my family, I thought now, or think I thought then, mopping up egg yolk with toast crust, which I've read is a sign of bad breeding. We'll chance anything to destroy ourselves, but we're chickenshits when it comes to happiness."

"Maybe I was my mother's son, living in the fog of tomorrows, shutting my eyes for the retinal burn of snapshots never snapped. Why couldn't Gwendolyn just settle for me? Don't we all settle, Valley Cats? Haven't you all settled, weighed the trade-offs, shaved down your desires for what was there, what worked, what wasn't actively bent on your destruction? Resigned yourselves to the ear hair, the nipple hair, the watery farts, the fat behind the knees? The shoes in the doorway, the dishes in the sink? Isn't that what love is all about? Don't the experts tell us so? Don't the people on the street concur? Don't we all settle, barter our fevers for a partner, a mutual fondler, a talking animal companion? Catamounts, why couldn't she settle for me?"

music & a book

Iron & Wine: Around the Well (2-cd set) - I recently bought this cd, after not purchasing a cd in quite a while. With music's portability these days, I think the general attitude towards cd's is "ugh, they are so outdated and they take up so much space etc," but I still kind of love my cd's. There's something so satisfyingly tangible in looking at my music collection, being able to pick up a cd, flip through its booklet, see the artwork the artists selected to correspond to the music, and remember where and why I bought this particular album. I've amassed quite the mp3 collection over the years, and for many of those tracks, I couldn't tell you where I downloaded them or why. But each cd I have, I can tell you where I bought it, what other cd's I bought at the same time, and what song got me interested in the band and that particular album. In light of how well my memory works sometimes, that's an especially grand feat.
But on to the music at hand... This cd set has been in my player since I bought it. I listen to it almost every night as I fall asleep (I've always been a big fan of Iron & Wine for falling-asleep music). I actually try *not* to listen to it otherwise, as I don't want to become tired of it (no pun intended), and I so love it. I particularly enjoy "Waitin' For A Superman" (Flaming Lips cover), Sam Beam almost creates a heavier feeling in the song than the Flaming Lips did.

Outwitting Cats by Wendy Christensen - I felt like such a dork buying this book, but I picked it up because we were having a litter box non-usage problem with one of the cats. It has been so so SO useful in that problem (it seems to hopefully, cross your fingers, be solved already), but I've found myself using the information in preparing my cat for her move to the new house. Most cat 'problems' are cats creating their own solutions to problems their owners have created for them, unknowingly. Silly cat owners. Anyway, hopefully the transition will go smoothly, as I've tried to foresee problems (scratching on furniture, shedding everywhere etc), and hopefully eliminate them before they start.

it's my blog i can review what i want

cell phone service: I try to take it easy on the four-letter words, but after dealing with my cell phone carrier as much as I have recently, they've kinda been flying out of my mouth at an obscene rate. With the recent big deal about a credit card bill of rights, I think it's totally reasonable that there should be a cell service bill of rights. It would include:
- Customer should be able to easily find out how much a change in plan will cost, exactly. Quoted price should include any fees (from the government or the provider), taxes, options, etc. Customer should never be quoted a price then be completely surprised to find their bill significantly higher than quoted price. Customer should never get a "usually" or a "probably" or a "in the range of."
- Cell phones should be one price and one price only (sale price or discounted price is allowed, as long as terms of discount/sale are clearly stated). Price should be the same from store to store, on the internet, and on the phone. Additional fees and taxes should be easily obtainable.
- Bullshit fees are bullshit. Provider cannot charge fees for changing phones (on top of price of phone), for changing plans (on top of price of plan), or any other baloney.
- Provider should have an option for 'authorized user' or some such tag for any user on any plan. I have a family plan, but I am not the main number on the account; that doesn't mean I'm a twelve year old with a cell phone. I should be able to make decisions and changes to my plan, especially if I am not making changes to other plans on the account. And I should be able to be treated like an adult when I am on the phone with your customer service department. Refusing to tell me when my plan started, when it ends, when I'm available for an upgrade, or anything useful at all does not make me inclined to recommend your service to others.

bagel-fuls: I don't usually eat 'convenience foods' but Bagel-fuls seemed like a healthy option. I should have known better, since convenience foods posing as healthy are always a let down, whether in taste or nutrition. I chose the brown sugar cinnamon bagel with cinnamon cream cheese. There is a safety warning on the back of the package, use your hands, not your teeth, to open the wrapper. Seemed a little odd, until I tried to open the wrapper, and totally understood why someone would resort to using their teeth. At first bite, the bagel was chewy and bland, and the cream cheese was... crumbly (I assume from being frozen then thawed, possibly repeatedly), but tolerable. There wasn't an overwhelmingly cinnamony taste, to the bagel or the creamcheese, but there was a slightly sweet flavor, but mostly it was just kinda... meh. The bagel and the cream cheese kinda blended together, flavor and texture-wise, and by about half-way through, I couldn't eat anymore. It was just too *bleh,* it felt mechanical to continue eating this textureless, flavorless, nutrition-less pre-packaged 'food product.'

Music Movies Books?!

Music:
Battles - experimental rock music, nonsense lyrics that just add to the audio complexity. Experimental in the easy to listen to sense, rather than the what the hell am I even listening to sense.
Battles - Atlas

Movies:
Great World of Sound - Super enjoyed this movie. The best way I can describe it is a mix of Death of a Salesman + The Office (but the old ones, where it was all weird and awkward, and real-feeling, and great) + those bad American Idol auditions at the beginning of the season. Has a documentary-ish feel, due to the way they filmed it ("With hidden cameras, the interaction was recorded between the lead actors and the unsuspecting musicians." -imdb). The cast was spectacular, even though mostly unknowns.
Home Movies - ok, not a movie, but one of the best shows that's been on tv in pretty much forever, even though it's not really on tv anymore (or maybe it's on Adult Swim? I dunno, I haven't had cable in ages). I've been watching the poo out of it on youtube, and it's just so so excellent.

Books:
Seeing Redd (The Looking Glass Wars) by Frank Beddor - book two in the Looking Glass Wars series. It's been a while since I read book one, so it took me a chapter or two to catch up, but I'm enjoying this one at least as much as One. Kind of a grown-up version of the Alice in Wonderland story, probably best described as 'fan-fic.'
Sacred Threshold: Rituals and Readings for a Wedding with Spirit by Gertrud Mueller Nelson & Christopher Witt - This book was absolutely not at all what I was expecting. And I love it. The single best book on wedding/ceremony planning I've read thus far. It's also the first book on wedding planning that I've actually finished. The authors present different wedding traditions, tell where they come from and why we do them, offer variations, and give their unveiled opinions on the stupidity of some of them. Having planned the wedding easily enough, I was having trouble even knowing where to start in the planning of the ceremony; this book has been invaluable.

Broken Record

This is something that seems to be a prevalent issue right now... I feel like a broken record, because this has been my advice to so many people recently. I'm not sure if it makes me cold-hearted to hold this viewpoint, but nonetheless, here it is, conveniently on the internet so I can refer people to it rather than repeat myself.

You are a grown up. You can no longer use your parents' mistakes (or what you view as their mistakes), how people treated you in the past/your bad relationships, or even your own past bad decisions for who you are from now on. You are the only one who can change your life, your personality, your reputation, your future. You are solely responsible.

It is not productive to blame other people. It does nothing to help you grow as a person. It doesn't change any of the problems. It only gives you a weak excuse to continue in bad behavior.

Take responsibility. Make a change.


"When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:11

August 12, 2008

so obviously i've been slacking off a bit here. or rather, more than a bit. i guess the momentary appeal of documenting every waking moment of my life, or at least the entertainment which i fill it up with, has quickly worn off. there may be a future point at which i will resume updating with either entertainment type things, or something altogether different, but i think in the meantime the blog will be going on hiatus. apologies to anyone who might feel like this is leaving them out of the loop or something, but direct contact continues to be my favored form of communication.

you can live life, or you can document it, but it seems to me it's one or the other.

June 30, 2008

Watching:
All I Want: Not too bad, up until the end when every one lives happily ever after and everything is okay. Blech to that. Franka Potente = always great.

Reading:
Need to make a stop at the library.

Listening:
Bonobo feat. Fink: If you Stayed Over

June 24, 2008

(updated Tuesday the 24th because I forgot yesterday)

Watching:
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story: Bad. Bad bad bad bad bad. Whosever idea this was, they should have their head cracked open, shove all the dvds into it, shove a stick of dynamite into it, and light it. BAD. Trying way too hard, the formula has run out, just cause you put funny people in it doesn't make it funny, etc. BAD.
The Bourne Identity: Ran out of things to watch, so I thought I'd check this one out. Not bad. Decent action movie with a decent plot.
The Bourne Supremacy: Seemed logical to follow up with the sequel. Fell asleep though.

Reading:
Battling the Inner Dummy: The Craziness of Apparently Normal People: Totally hate the writer's writing style. From what I can tell, he has no credentials. He does make some good points though, even if he does re-word and re-iterate them to DEATH. And oh my god, stop talking about your ex-wives.

Listening:
I'll update this later, cause I can't have photoshop and iTunes open at the same time.

side note: Song downloads will now only be available from the current and previous month, because having all these mp3s on my website is threatening to blow it up.

June 17, 2008

(updated Tuesday the 17th because I wasn't working yesterday)

Watching:
The Iron Giant: Cute. I liked that it was the older style of animation, like in the movies I watched as a kid (think The Rescuers Down Under). The plot was the usual, the voice cast was kind of refreshing, even though I'm not a huge fan of Jennifer Aniston or Vin Diesel. The 'lesson learned' (cause doesn't there *always* have to be one in a kids' movie?) wasn't too forced, it fit into the plot nicely without seeming like an afterthought.
I, Robot: I wasn't expecting to think much of this one, but it wasn't terrible. It did seem to get the whole way to the end before getting on with the point, but that's kinda the way of a sci-fi I guess. The fight scenes with the robots were a little 'ehhhh ok already get on with it'/'seriously? he's gonna fight a bazillion really freaking agile/strong robots pretty much by himself? and win?' but so it goes in an action movie (with robots).
Can't Hardly Wait: the Sunday afternoon movie on network tv, so edited out the wazoo. I forgot how many b-list 'stars' were in this movie, so watching it kind of became 'what's she in?' and 'hey that guy's in freaks and geeks.'
The Missing: Pretty good. Strong cast, strong story. Not completely predictable.

Reading:
Battling the Inner Dummy: The Craziness of Apparently Normal People: Still reading this one.

Listening:
Leonard Cohen
Totally love the crap out of this guy. A fantastic poet who's been around for many a decade, I can listen and re-listen to his cd's endlessly and they never get old.
Leonard Cohen - Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye

side note: Song downloads will now only be available from the current and previous month, because having all these mp3s on my website is threatening to blow it up.

June 9, 2008

Watching:
Juno: Blah. Blahhhhhh. 'Quirk' and a soundtrack full of indie music do *not* a good movie make. I didn't hate Ellen Page as much as I expected to (I find her totally irritating usually), but her acting fit the part. The plot was so incredibly mediocre, and the dialogue was so contrived, I can only compare it to flowery poetry that's heavy on the 'flowery' and light on the 'poetry.' But hey, if you liked it, watch Dan in Real Life, because obviously you like movies that pose in the independent genre but are really formulaic and boring. Oh, I did totally love the crap out of that hamburger phone though.
Flight of the Navigator: Fantastic, durr. Classic, of course.
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla: Hilarious in that way that it doesn't mean to. Once again, it's the kind of movie I can't help making fun of, but isn't that the fun of it? I kind of wish I'd been able to get the 1974 Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (which is a completely different plot, by the way), simply for the cheese-factor, but my resources were limited.
Futurama: Bender's Big Score: It's Futurama, of course it's great.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Hilarious in that way that it doesn't mean to. Once again, it's the kind of movie I can't help making fun of, but isn't that the fun of it? (Yeah, this one too.) It was entertaining, but it was by no definition 'good.' And it seemed like they were opening themselves up to a series of Mutt Jones and the Adventure of the Something Cheesy's.
Side note: Did you know the Addams Family is on dvd now? Cause I didn't, and that's pretty rad.

Reading:
Battling the Inner Dummy: The Craziness of Apparently Normal People: Holy crap, I'm actually reading something! Well sort of anyway, I haven't gotten far enough into it to say much about it, since I rented like twenty robot movies, and then had to wrestle with myself about do I watch these movies before they're due or read this book which is crazy interesting, and doing both at the same time doesn't really work that well.

Listening:
Nicole Reynolds
Upbeat, folksy, cute, easy-going, light. Like listening to a honeysuckle bush.
Nicole Reynolds - When We Meet Again

June 2, 2008

Watching:
Family: I randomly picked this up at the library although I'd never heard of it. It's a family drama tv show from the 1970's. The story lines are a lot cleaner than more modern tv shows, in that it just is what it is, rather than throwing in a bunch of superfluous drama, cliff hangers and other such baloney just to keep your interest, and for that I like it. Which isn't to say it's boring, because it isn't, it's interesting, but with valid plots and conflicts.

Reading:
The problem here is that I really did plan to read something this week, but I've read everything I own, and I hadn't planned ahead and gone to the library. So, hopefully next week there will actually be some something or other here.

Listening:
The Refreshments: I just lost probably a zillion points of indie cred, but that's what I've been listening to. It's been in my cd player for probably a month now, and it's mainly what I listen to when I'm in my room (aka playing video games), singing along to every single song like the 90's-loving nerd that I am. It's good southwestern pop from the mid/late-90's, that's really easy-going and simple with a lot of the lyrics being about ladies and beer.
Unfortunately, I don't have any of their music on my computer and there isn't any that's easily and freely available for download, but I will probably update this later this week with a link/song for downloading.
UPDATE: The Refreshments - Sin Nombre

May 28, 2008

Just realized I completely forgot to update this thing this week, so here's what I'm up to...

Watching:
Bedazzled: I didn't realize this was the same thing as the 2000 remake with Brendan Fraser, and had in fact completely forgotten about that one altogether. I really enjoyed this old version though. Old British humor (aka dry with a lot of barely veiled sex jokes), and a clever execution of a plot that may have not been so clever. Peter Cook is (was) a total cutie, and a fantastic actor, and Dudley Moore compliments him perfectly as the shy dorky guy that just wants a piece of tail (why he didn't just wish for *that*, I wouldn't know).

Reading:
nothing. blarg.

Listening:
Rocky Votolato: Not the most exciting, but it's enjoyable. If you're a fan of say The Format or The Get Up Kids, you'll enjoy Rocky Votolato.
"Please slow it down
There’s a secret magic past world
That you only notice when you’re looking back at it
And all I wanna do is turn around"
Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing

May 19, 2008

Watching:
Fools Rush In: I took an allergy pill and knew I'd be immediately falling asleep, so I put this movie in. I slept through probably 90% of it, and could still tell you exactly what happens.

Reading:
The Maxx: I recently got volume #6, so I am re-reading the series from the beginning. (I also just got my economic stimulus dollars from the government, so I am ordering the cartoon series adaptation on vhs. SQUEEEE!! I'm so excited.) On a side note, when I searched amazon for 'The Maxx,' Terror Toons came up in the search results. Good lord, if you want to see something horrible, watch Terror Toons. haha, or Head of the Family. or Weird TV.

Listening:
Devendra Banhart: sometimes classified as 'freak folk,' he's definitely folk of some sort, some times. He's amazing and strange and difficult to describe, as he changes completely from one track to the next.
This track reminds me a little of The Doors, at about the Strange Days point...
"I'm high and I'm happy and I'm free
I got my whole heart
Laid out right in front of me
And I finally can see
The way it's always been
The need for peace
Starts from within

So I leave my possessions to the wind
And I'm done with ever wanting anything
Well I can die satisfied
No desires do I hide
Not today, not today
Nor for the next one thousand lives"
Devendra Banhart - Sea Horse

*Robot Movies*

Years of planning are finally almost coming into actuality. This is the list for the great Robot Movie Marathon. Genres range from sci-fi to rom-com to campy horror. If you have any to add, please add a comment. Also, if you have any I can borrow, let me know, since I don't have cable or netflix or any of that fancy stuff.

2001: A Space Odyssey **L
A. I. **L
Batteries Not Included **N
Bicentennial Man **L
The Black Hole **N
D.A.R.Y.L. **N
The Day the Earth Stood Still **L
Electroma
Eve of Destruction **N
Flight of the Navigator **N
Forbidden Planet **L
Futurama: Bender's Big Score **B
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla **N
Heartbeeps **N
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy **L
I, Robot **L
Iron Giant **L
Logan's Run **N
Lost in Space **H
Metropolis **L
RoboCop (sequel) **L
Robot Carnival
Robot Jox **N
Robots **L
Robots of Death
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians **B
Saturn 3 **N
Short Circuit (sequel) **L: sequel
Sleeper **L
Star Wars (sequels) **B
Terminator (sequels) **H
THX 1138 **N
Transformers **B
War of the Robots


L= at library
H = at home
B = can be borrowed
N = available through netflix

May 12, 2008

Watching:
Lust, Caution: I rather enjoyed it. It's almost three hours, and I got a really long phone call in the middle of it, so I did get a little tired towards the end, but I liked it. A straight-forward presentation, no surprises just to keep your attention. Kind of sad, but very sweet.
Short Circuit 2: I can't help making fun of a movie like this while I watch it, but then isn't that the fun of it? (See movie list below)

Reading:
Still nothing. I need to pick up a book this week, because it's starting to depress me.

Listening:
Lykke Li
like listening to candy... but that candy that has the weird fizzy 'soda' in the middle.
Lykke Li - Little Bit

May 5, 2008

Watching:
Bonnie and Clyde: Not bad, interesting. I did kinda start dozing off near the end despite the gallons of Mountain Dew I had had. I'm guessing it's not the most accurate depiction of the story; it's the totally Hollywood-ed version.
The Secret Life of Words: Pretty good. I think there's this drive in movies to throw in something weird or wacky that people will for sure not understand, just for a the sake of being weird (think David Lynch movies). So other than that little factor, which seemed to have no point, I mostly enjoyed this movie.
Men In Black: the Sunday afternoon movie on network tv cause hey why not.

Reading:
Nothing this week.

Listening:
Jens Lekman
"Would you stand up for this kind of beauty?
Cause this kind of beauty won't stand up for you.
It won't lift a finger for some lazy dreamer.
Here it comes the average dirty word, pardon my French"
Jens Lekman - F-Word

April 28, 2008

Watching:
Wall Street: Not bad. Not terribly interesting, but a good time-filler for about two hours. Nothing about it really sticks out in my mind except that I don't like Charlie Sheen, and it seemed like a rather odd role for John C. McGinley.

Reading:
Nothing this week.

Listening:
Busdriver
"They got easels to stain, and uh
People to blame, with their
Egos inflamed, and their
Neat codenames
I saw your sub-genre in a passing glance
It was you and your DJ in matching pants"
Busdriver - Sun Shower