Prosaic Paradise

I haven’t been talking about it too much, I think, but I have been overtaken with obsession with the show NCIS. I’ve even made Jack, the least jealous boyfriend on the entire planet, jealous briefly by having a spiffy McGee wallpaper designed by some photoshop-savvy teenager set up on the laptop for weeks now.

In addition to that procedural drama, I watch Without a Trace; I started watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent;  crazy-ass sci-fi aside, Fringe I think counts because well, it’s lousy with FBI agents and involves weekly cases; and then from time to time I sneak in a Cold Case. So my leisure time is full of agents and evidence and forensics, oh my. I may or may not have had a whole mental crisis about whether I should try to become a medical examiner.

One thing I finally realized (like, duh! how did I not notice this before) about my TV watching habits is that these shows all provide female characters that are kind of complicated, kind of dysfunctional, non-glamorous, and always, always coping with the most difficult stuff that usually has not a damn thing to do with their appearance or whether they can hang on to their boyfriend. And while most of them may be overly modeled on the cold lonely bitch stereotype, some of them are like, moms and aunts. Moms who out-think cold-hearted killers and interrogate suspects and shoot people.

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Tags: feminist, TV

This evening I drove up to the local Chipotle and saw this. I don’t know, maybe something shorted out inside the sign. But it looks like it exploded. Likely it is old news, as I don’t get down that way very often!

In other news, which you probably know from other sources, I slam-dunked the Chem final and thus the course. I now have 7 days to recuperate before Microbiology starts up. Last week I managed to sneak in a lunch with AcornDreaming at the sushi place near work. It never stops being weird to me how you meet someone for the first time but you feel like you’ve already met. I have now had three meetings with a personal trainer and I have got to say, as long as I held off, that is money well spent. I would not know how far to push myself without someone helping me really understand. You know, by making me cry. No, I didn’t cry, I only got close when she made me do lunge-walks with weights.

Stuff about how I ended up with two drum kits set up in the “conservatory” and new albums I’m into and the benefits of being obsessed with procedural TV dramas will have to come later, as I am tired, and want to try going to the gym in the morning when it’s not full of cute little 16-year-old metalheads clanking things!

Tags: local

I am getting ever closer to a complete sleeve. This weekend I had another session on my tattoo, this one was nice and short and is currently scabby looking, but the previous session resulted in a lovely angel on the back of my arm, in a spot I actually can’t see without a mirror.

Those who know me are maybe thinking, really? An angel? Aren’t you like, an atheist or something?

Yup, the actual verbiage that inspired this is lifted almost directly from the Bible. The lyrics that gave me the idea very late in this process are from the climactic final section of what is generally accepted as Genesis’ crowning epic, Supper’s Ready.

The song may not make sense on first listen (or second, or third) – in fact, I think I recall the first time I heard it I was like, “oookay. whatever.” But over time, I came to somewhat the same slavish devotion other fans have. I knew the song was powerful when I heard it over mere home speakers…

Obviously, the live experience of this song with Gabriel performing happened before I was born, but thanks to the hard work of the tribute band The Musical Box I was able to experience something very close. And some folks have heard me say that was kind of like a religious experience. So thus it became part of my sleeve plan.

Tags: Tattoo

I’m really psyched to find out that the Progressive Nation 2009 tour is going to be nearby like, practically right on my birthday. So if anyone wants to have a party for me, they are going to have to bring it to Merriweather Post Pavilion, ok? My friend Wes, who is one of the few Dream Theater fans I know, thinks he can accompany me, so this doesn’t have to be another one of those times where I have to enjoy a show solo. And I can’t even express my sheer joy that my favorite band of the new millenium is supporting this tour. I’ll be seeing them at Nearfest but more is better – they haven’t been to these shores since 2006!

I promised myself that I would curb my concert spending this year.  I know it doesn’t look like it right? On that note, I was still fence-sitting about the Van Der Graaf Generator and Church shows. But I should keep a lid on it. Really. I should.

That said, I am now hiring for someone to go see Eagles of Death Metal with me at Ram’s Head Live. I want to go to this show very badly, but this is not a show I want to attend alone. I don’t know exactly what demographic is the EoDM subset, but from the description:

Eagles if Death Metal are NOT a Death Metal band. Instead they are a take-no-names rockin’ guitar outfit, consisting of Jesse “The Devil” Highes and Josh “Baby Duck” Homme (also of Queens of the Stone Age) who aren’t afraid of having a little fun.

I am assuming it will be the absolute worst intersection of the sets of hipsters and fratboys. On top of that, the main place you’ve probably heard their music is in ads – the list from wikipedia is too long to repeat. So why do you want to go to this show, you may ask. Well, I have recently shot Queens of the Stone Age up to my top ten bands list. I like several of the tracks from EoDM. But more than anything I want to see Josh Homme play the drums.

I guess what I’m saying is that my admiration of Homme is greater than the amount that I am afraid of having a little fun. And I need someone to protect me from the hipsters and frat boys. Volunteers?

Tags: Music, shows

I ran into my boss’ boss in line at lunch yesterday. We had the following exchange:

Grandboss: Nothing’s ever easy.

Me: Some things are easy!

GB: Name something.

Me: Um… scrambling an egg.

GB: Hrm…

Me: Wait, I forgot to think about how the egg got to me in the first place. Never mind.

GB: No, wait, that’s a good example!

Me: *mumbling something about factory farming and supply lines*

GB: Stop, you were helping!

Sunday we braved the downpour to see our second annual raft of viking metal bands. (See last year’s show review here at my old blog.) I was stressed out about other stuff but it was so very worth it, if for no other reason than pure catharsis and beer.

Thinking we’d be fashionably late, we arrived about 7pm, only to find we’d truly missed not only the opening local band, but also Blackguard and Swashbuckle! (I think I will catch the former this summer though. Wanna see their drummer in action.) That’s disappointing and next year if Paganfest returns, you can bet I’ll be there when the goddamn doors open this time.

We got in right before Moonsorrow went on. I noticed immediately that the drummer had a mic headset on… very exciting. I wasn’t going to be disappointed, either – at some point everyone in the band contributed vocals except the keyboardist – I never saw him open his mouth. He was busy being very serious and shirtless. But in all seriousness, I liked the songs, which is what really matters, right? I loved the melodies and the way the band brought in vocal harmonies while still being, well, metal. They had good control and the music was dynamic – no plodding or speed hammering. In retrospect I should have bought their cd.

Psyched after that very interesting set, I had my energy built up when Primordial came on. (I was going to say “we” and “our” but thinking back, Jack was probably not as excited as I was at any point in this whole excursion.) Primordial are from Ireland. You know this, because they tell you a few times. The lead singer also tells you to show him your hands. Our hands were requested to be shown approximately 795 times during the set. A note: directing excitement is not the same thing as inspiring it. Anyways, At first I was like “whoah! They are totally breaking out of the mold of regular meter.” But after about the third song I was like “The drummer, he really likes triplets.” and then we sort of sat at the bar and just observed. I think their music was pretty good but something wasn’t jiving between them and the crowd. Jack’s review: “I think they’re too angry.” Perhaps we’re just not angry enough.

Ah, but they gave me time to rest and knock back a few expensive cheap beers to prepare for the main event.

You could feel the crowd getting all keyed up in advance of Korpiklaani taking the stage. I’d tried to listen to their stuff online, but found it inaccessible. That is because the comfort of your own home may not be the right venue. Apparently a smoky sweaty showplace full of drunk people throwing horns is all it takes to go from inaccessible to FUCKING ROCKING THE HOUSE DOWN NO DOUBT. They were on, we were all injuring ourselves with excitement, there was accordion and fiddle and antler. If you feel you could replicate this atmosphere with your imagination and you would enjoy that, go to your music vendor of choice and download “Beer Beer” and “Happy Little Boozer” and try not to hurt yourself too bad.

For authenticity’s sake, I’ve included a picture I took with my iPhone (while jumping around like an idiot) which is terrible. But you can see some pretty fuckin’ amazing photos of european paganfest here as well as some with the lineup we saw here.

The whole production values seemed to have been improved from last year; unless those improvements are all Jaxx’s. It looks like my take on things is not too far off other folks. And just as I felt last year, if I could get right back on that ride I would. I will have to wait another year.

Tags: Music, show

Heya! This one’s for the locals. I keep meaning to remind folks to check out Girls Rock DC and get the volunteer app and fill it out! Even if you couldn’t volunteer for the whole week, there are part time jobs, pre-camp things to do, and totally non-musical things that need to get done to run this show! Even if you don’t know your status right now, if you fill out the app then you will be able to volunteer if your time frees up!

In other kid-empowering news, this weekend I watched Mad Hot Ballroom which in my current state made me blubber into a tissue for the entire second half. It did kind of bring back horrible memories of competing in things as a child, something I never much liked because I was horribly competitive, and it also brought back nightmarish thoughts of cotillion, what with the horrific touching of sweaty boys I didn’t want to touch, even just on the hands.

But despite that stuff (and the obvious gender reinforcement stuff that accompanies something as rigid as ballroom dancing) it was pretty heartwarming.

Tags: movies, Music, Rock Camp

1. What author do you own the most books by?

Terry Pratchett or Martha Grimes, by virtue of either’s prolificness.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?

Handling Sin by Michael Malone. If you were my friend in 1997/8 I likely gave you a copy, since for Christmas I bought a box of them directly from the publisher. I have that edition, the latest edition (which I have bought, given away, and replaced multiple times), the mass market paperback edition (which is the first one I read), and the first edition.

3. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Have I ever kept my love for anyone or anything a secret? No secret that I love the Sam Vimes character from Discworld. In the same vein, Richard Jury, Martha Grimes’ detective.

4. What book have you read more than any other?

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss. I think I’ll go read it again right now.

5. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

Ten, huh? I’d say Call of the Wild. I did love Sweet Valley High books, but I don’t know if I’d have called them my favorites. Oh wait – I just found that the novelization of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom came out in 1984. That means that was definitely my favorite book at the age of ten.

6. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville.

7. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

Val McDermid’s A Distant Echo or Di Morrissey’s Barra Creek. Thanks Audible!!

8. If you could tell everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Wow, this is tough. It couldn’t be that I get to tell them to read three books? Handling Sin (mentioned earlier), Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron, and Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton. There are more but I’ll spare you.

9. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose springs to mind. Although I could say Virgil’s Aeneid because I read it in latin, but that would just be pretentious, because it was 20 years ago and I was in school?

10. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

Going purely on Bulgakov vs. Camus, I’m going to say Russians. That’s the only evidence I have. Camus can have his dick bitten. There is my fancy literary criticism for you.

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Tags: books

…at least for this week. I’ve been stressed, so planning, pictures and stuff for a post has been cast aside! But tonight’s last minute entry comes to you via valuing action over perfection. See, I got it in my mind that getting rid of shit had to be done a certain way and perfectly captured for flashy blogging. I gotta let that go or I’ll never accomplish my goal of clean usable spaces. So without further ado:

• An old busted Brita pitcher
• decade-old brown Sculpey
• a dried up glue stick
• keys to GOD KNOWS WHAT and the long-dead Ford Aspire (may it rest in peace)
• four tiki bar glasses, some not pictured because when I found them they were… kind of dirty.
• every cell phone I’ve ever had from the very first one (to be donated somewhere? cell phones for soldiers or something.)
• the box for the camera I gave away
• the chili cook off votes from 2005

I was out sick today from work. Thus I was able to take full advantage of the fact that my Sunbuster Shelter arrived from LLBean. It protects from UV rays, and I know that won’t help me in the living room and all, but I really wanted to practice setting it up. Immediately. So now there’s a tent in the living room. I ate my lunch and watched TV in it and it was so flipping great to have a little cozy home in my home… well.

Funny part was that I get a call from my friend & neighbor Joy this evening. “I was driving by your house just a minute ago… and I don’t want to be nosy… but is there a tent in your living room?” Why yes. Yes there is!

I proceeded to ask Jack if we could replace the second couch with the tent.

“I don’t see why not. But wouldn’t we then be the crazy people? Like, you know those guys with the tent in their living room?”

“Well, if someone says that, fuck ’em.”

“That’s exactly what crazy people say.”

Tags: house