OB Sunset

sonic what?

this is not a love song.

sonic youth played at the san diego house of blues last night.

maybe im just too old to go to shows. maybe im out of touch. maybe there is something fake and ridiculous about the whole music scene that i just cant plug into b/c thats not where im at in my life. or maybe im some kind of poser. i dont know what it is, but ive been feeling disappointed with most of the shows ive seen in the last few years. the sonic youth show was no less disappointing.

Opener:
some random halloween sound-makers came out on stage, knelt down with their backs to the audience, then bent over their equipment so we had to listen to them make noise for 15 minutes while looking at their asses. it blew... unless you like halloweenie noises and butts - which makes this opening act every 8 year old's dream come true.

im pretty sure i could have done whatever it was they did if i had a mic, a 37 key Casio keyboard, a rattle and a distortion pedal, too. maybe not for 15 whole minutes. details. db thinks they were from the kitchen and got pulled out to play as an emergency opener.

Main Gig:
the band members of sonic youth remind me of other non-sonic youth people. some famous, some infamous.

on drums we had SFPOSA's more youthful look-alike (you'll remember SFPOSA from such posts as "you've ruined my entire life and I hate you" and "why did my mom waste 11 years with this freak?" and "I'm sorry siblings, we're not allowed to talk about my feelings.") in any case, the drummer was easily the hardest working member of the band, judging by the sweat and the constant counting, and possibly the only sober one... unless he was on speed, which would make complete sense given his rapid drumming and incredible focus.

on our right we had a really large version of a 15 year old boy. tall, gangly, youthful facial features. he seemed a bit wigged out but maybe he's always like that. anyway, he played and sometimes did this singing gig. not particularly impressive, but whatever.

front and kind of center, we had my aunt pam in a golden mini-dress, flailing wildly around the stage waving her hands all up in the air like she just didnt care. i was embarassed for her. im still embarassed for her. and i wonder what kinds of drugs she takes b/c i never ever want to take anything that makes me forget im on stage in a dress and people are watching me.

sharing center, although somewhat back a bit, was jack black. he did his thing. he didn't make a spectacle of himself. he seemed sober enough. and i liked that about him.

to our left was dustin hoffman - by far the best guitarist on stage and possibly the most interesting of all band members, with the ability to make funny sounds with screw drivers and kind enough to let the audience play his guitar. i liked his attitude.

dustin, jack, SFPOSA were the most "real" of the five. the other two? kind of loopy and poserish. which is ironic considering db tells me sonic youth actually invented all the stuff other bands try to immitate for coolness.

but can you be so yourself that you become a poser?

new fun

YAY!

My camera arrived on Monday and I've been running around taking photos of my art. Now you can see all my newest creations...

I suggest starting with my most recent paintings, then taking a quick stop over at the tape art and new light switch plates I've been working on in my crafts section.

I haven't taken any photos of the neighborhood yet b/c its been a bit cloudy this week. But the sun has just come out to play today, so perhaps there will be something here later?

broccoli again

we've been eating broccoli weekly for about a month and i can't think of any other existing vegetables to make! i guess there is asparagus or brussle sprouts, but what other vegetables exist??? are there any? just salad?

knowing how badly you'd want to know, too... i did a search and found... botanists, biologists, horticulturalists, linguists and even the US Supreme Court are interested in the definition of a vegetable.

Definitions of vegetable on the Web:

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant any of various herbaceous plants cultivated for an edible part such as the fruit or the root of the beet or the leaf of spinach or the seeds of bean plants or the flower buds of broccoli or cauliflower
• of the nature of or characteristic of or derived from plants; "decaying vegetable matter"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable
• Vegetable is a nutritional and culinary term denoting any part of a plant that is commonly consumed by humans as food, but is not regarded as a culinary fruit, nut, herb, spice, or grain.
www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/fispoi/manman/samnem/define.shtml
• The odour/flavour stimulus associated with certain vegetables such as turnips or cabbage.
library.thinkquest.org/13799/html/glossary.html
• a plant food. Generally, if it has seeds inside, it is considered a fruit.
www.knowledgebank.irri.org/glossary/Glossary/V.htm
• A herbaceous plant grown for eating, usually eaten as part of a meal.
www.futureharvest.org/about/glossary.shtml
• part of a plant consumed for nutrition.
www.garden-advice.user.xirium.com/knowledge/glossary/
• A plant, or part of a plant, that is grown and used for food. Examples are Carrots, Potatoes, Cabbage, Parsnip, Beans and Kale

North Carolina Department of Agriculture even gets in on the defining gig by essentially saying " It is custom which seems to dictate which plants are treated as vegetables and which as fruit but, generally speaking, vegetables are classified as those annual plants of which the immature succulent roots, bulbs, stems, blossoms, leaves, seeds, or fruits are eaten, and those perennial non-woody plants of which the roots, stems, leaf stalks or leaves are eaten." They also mention that horticulturalists would classify watermellon as veggies!

Semantic Compositions has an amusing blog article about vegetables, particularly tomatoes (which they argue is a veggie). I particularly enjoy the part about the US Supreme Court ruling back in the 1800's.

i am veronica mars

I'm at my boyfriend's house and everyone is getting ready for bed. It's still daylight, so I'm still up, and apparently going to head out to my old brown station wagon in a bit where I'll sleep. And even though my boyfriend is rich beyond belief and has a huge house, this doesn't seem so strange.

As he starts up the stairs he tells me to ask his bestfriend to walk me out if he's asleep. The ridiculously oblivious Duncan Kane has no idea that he's just answered my prayers.

I sit at the dining table pondering the details of my latest case. How will I save Grace? I jump slightly as I hear someone behind me stir. I turn my head over my right shoulder to see Logan Echolls jumping up from the leather recliner. I had thought he was upstairs.

He says something Loganesque, his typical attempt to keep things superficial. Stopping near me, and with kindness and sincerity he asks "Hey, are you alright?" I tell him about the case, but I don't tell him how badly I want him.

Duncan comes back down, and I feel strangely guilty just sitting here with Logan. It's time to go, and Logan offers to walk me out.

We walk between two brick buildings and down some stairs before noticing a door slightly ajar. I look in. It's Jenny McCarthy in a spot light singing some awful 70's song. Her voice off key and cracking. Logan has slipped through the door, and I step in.

The producer turns as to look at me as Logan slips back out.
"Um, my dog, Snoopy," I say and quickly exit.

Back outside. "Jesus, Logan. What were you thinking?"
"I grabbed this piece of paper in there. Look." He hands me a small piece of paper with writing on each side. The back has a series of numbers. 14, 20, 31... I get the feeling that they're to a combination lock...

mamoth birds

um, i just came back from watching the sunset (it sets earlier here b/c the earth is rounder at this latitude, so the sun's light has farther to shine around to make it to our faces at this hour), and i'd say i missed it by two minutes and a good 6 inches of cloud on the horizon.

what i really wanted to say, is not about the sunset. it is about the mamoth sized Birds of Paradise I noticed on my way back. I kid you not. These two flowers were as big as my head!

a few fun finds for friday:
decorabilia has tons of amusing bibilical references... this article discusses Thaddeus of the 12 disciples: "Depending on which edition of the original Greek New Testament is consulted, Thaddeus was a machinist or an electrical engineer. Even the origin and meaning of his name is obscure."

Marian Apparitions has a super account of the various sightings of the Virgin Mary and secret messages held in the Secret Archives of the Vatican (which really exist).

And if you ever wondered what your website looks like to colorblind folks... here's your chance to take a peek with VisCheck. Fun times. I'd like to mention that the Tritanope view makes my site all pink and pretty. If I were colorblind I'd want to see everything in pink.

Summer Film List

So, if you're wondering what on earth I did all summer besides lay on the beach and play Yahtzee and Mancala as if my life depended on it, I've compiled a summer film list.

The image links to Amazon.com where you can buy the movie/series. The text link is to either an official website for the film/series or an alternate site that gives information about the film/series. Movies marked with an asterisk have been viewed by me before this summer. And my brief and superficial review is in plain text, with a maximum rating of 5 stars.

Whisper of the Heart: A little overly dramatic and raised some red flags with implicit messages about basing your life choices on what another person is doing and getting hitched in middle school. I'm also not a big fan of the John Denver song they used through-out and think I might have enjoyed it more in Japanese with English subtitles. I give it 2 stars.

The Squid and The Whale: An interesting and disturbing film about a family going through divorce. 4 stars.

Veronica Mars, Season 1: Couldn't stop watching this series. I think we watched the whole thing in about 3 days, maybe 4 but I can't remember. It was pretty easy for me to guess what was going on in the various sub-plots, but the main "who dun it" was a brilliant shocker. I was also giddy from Veronica's choice of boyfriend toward the end of the season. 5 stars.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring: Interesting, sorrowful, alarming, beautiful... and interesting. 4 stars.

Red Dwarf, Seasons 5-8*: All in all, Red Dwarf is one of the most brilliant television series ever created by man or alien. However, each season really differs in entertainment value and quality. The best seasons are easily seasons 1, 5 and 8, which I give each 5 stars. The entire collection receives 4 stars.

i heart huckabees*: A brilliant convergence of comedy, metaphysics and film. 5 stars, easily.

Dude, Where's My Car?: Okay, I'm slightly embarrassed that this is on my list. But I defend myself by saying we just wanted something silly. Well, I'd like to note that we were disappointed. We did not get silly. We got stupid. This movie sucked, big time. It doesn't even deserve any stars, so I give it Zero stars.

Ghost World: A bit dry and boring, alarming, and fascinating all at once. I found myself frustrated with the main character who essentially makes it her job to toy with and ruin other people's lives simply because hers is so unfulfilling. 2 stars.

Peaceful Warrior: The book was better, but isn't that always the way? I felt it was a bit too dramatic and superficial and a bit disconnected. However, I also read reviews that said it went over people's heads. In any case, think Karate Kid 4 goes to college with a couple fun digital effects. I give it 3 stars (for effort).

I Am The Cheese: Perplexing, fascinating, thought provoking, yet slow and a bit boring - your typical 80's flick. We've come so far in the last 20 years in dialog and plot development that I'd like to see a remake of this film, pronto. 4 stars, bring a pillow and a psychoanalyst.

Brokeback Mountain: Could have used some deeper character development. Beautiful scenery and music. Heart touching scenes - especially if you know what its like to not be able to be with someone you love. 4 stars, bring tissue.

What The Bleep Do We Know?: I preferred the science part to the underlying attempt at a story line. In fact, the story line just confused me since it wasn't always clearly connected with the documentary aspect. I guess you have to give something to the masses to get them to bite. 3 stars.

Indigo: Cheesy with very poor acting. If you really want to know about Indigo children, read a book on it. This movie made the Indigo phenomenon seem like a ridiculous joke by making the children so over the top with "super natural powers" it was completely unbelievable. If you want to see kids with special powers, see the 80's classic "Fire Starter" with Drew Barrymore. That was a fun movie! I give this One star.

Super Size Me*: Love it. Love it so much I think it should be required viewing for all Americans aged 7 and up. And it should be watched every two or three years throughout life so as not to forget the horrible horribleness that fast food inflicts on us. My compliments to the chef, er film-maker. 5 stars.

Ma Vie En Rose: Bring tissue and if your son wants to wear dresses, let him! What I love about this movie is how obvious it becomes that there is nothing wrong with the child - the people around him are all lunatics! They make little Ludovic feel so horrible about himself with their freakish obsession with gender. It's also such a colorful, beautiful film with believable characters and situations. 5 stars.

Veronica Mars, Season 2: Having only completed disk one, I'll have to give my rating later.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: I love Johnny Depp. He is such a brilliant actor, taking such interesting roles and really bringing his characters to life. This was a absolutely entertaining movie with wonderful stunts and jovial comedic relief. I'd see it again, and again. 5 stars.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl*: Oddly, the sequel is actually a bit better than this first go at it. But this film still carries good entertainment value, with incredible scenery and acting. On occasion it seemed like I was watching my neighborhood hippies run about. Johnny Depp is dreamy, even as a pirate. 4 stars.

Almost Famous: Truly, the only reason you need to see this film is to catch a glimpse of my neighborhood in the first 5 or 10 minutes. Once you see the 60's / 70's town (which is seriously how it still looks) you can stop the DVD and return it. In the words of DB "it could have been better." 2 stars.

figeater scarab beetle

these guys like to land on me. they are sacred and special. find out why...

http://totaleclipseanimations.homestead.com/TotalSolarEclipseScarab.html

http://www.sniksnak.com/lore2.html

http://www.skyscript.co.uk/cancer_myth.html

http://www.shira.net/symbols.htm

mallrats

we spent almost the entire weekend at the mall (aptly named "fashion valley").

we didn't bring much clothing when we moved out here, most of our clothes were way too big on us and rather worn, and we figured it's pretty warm so we could just buy a few new things after getting a good handle on the weather. consequently, on arrival db had one pair of shorts and one pair of dress-up pants for interviewing.

we already tackled the shorts problem early on, but hadn't been able to find db a good pair of pants that fit well. so, once again, we went shopping for db's new pants.

after trying on various styles at old navy and the gap (who either don't have his size, or have wastes that reach his nipples), we spontaneously stopped in banana for a look around. mostly we were there for my benefit, but eventually we wandered into the mens section and found the jeans.

there happened to be one pair in db's size hanging on the sale rack, so we grabbed them and headed to the dressing room. perfect fit, perfect price - it would have been a crime to let them slip through his fingers.

and this was just the beginning of our journey!

we stopped in at the apple store, and db bought me a much appreciated belated birthday gift - a camera I've been eyeing for months. it seemed like such a good price. afterall, i remember it being between $50-$75 more when I started looking at it.

but when we got home we checked it out on amazon and found it to be a good $30 cheaper ($45 if you count tax). i don't know why we didn't research the prices online ahead of time - its usually something i do. anyway, with the extra savings, we could get a memory card for the camera too. so, db bought me a second camera on amazon, and we resolved to return the first to the apple store the next day.

we arrived at the mall 10 minutes before opening, finding dozens of people congregated in front of the apple store doors, waiting, we presumed, for the release of the new iPod nano. it was slightly ridiculous, yet we were there too, and no one could know that our reason was not to succumb to the latest fashion craze of a pink nano.

doors opened, we waited only a short while in line, and then were invited to a registered.

apple guy: "hey."
db: "I'd like to return this." (i had over the box and receipt.
apple guy: "what's going on?" (presumably wanting to know why we are returning it)
me: "um, just a return."

apple guy looks at the box, turns it over a few times, opens it up and takes everything out, inspecting each piece before putting it back in, closing the box, turning it over and over looking at the box and opening it up again and looking inside.

apple guy: "what's missing?"
me: "uh, there shouldn't be anything missing we didn't even open the box." (wondering if this guy is gonna give us trouble)

apple guy goes back and forth from reading the back of the box to checking the contents.
apple girl comes up to the register to see if apple guy needs any help.

apple guy: "they said they didn't open it. i don't know what to do."
apple girl: "i'll reshelve it."

apple guy gives us our refund and we exit.

does anyone else find this situation to be slightly odd?

moving on... our next stop is the movie theater to buy tickets to the 1:10pm show of Pirates of the Caribbean 2. with two hours before the movie we look around at some other fancy stores, home goods, etc., then stop at Uno's for lunch.

a bit like the crappy harvard ave Uno's, there is still a nostalgic feeling to be felt as we enjoy a warm cookie with ice cream, just like the winter we met... only we're outside in the warm sun.

the lady next to us calls the server over - "can i order a shot of tequila for this?" she points to her margarita.
server: "sure, is there something wrong with your drink?"
customer: "well, i can't taste the tequila in it."
server: "i see. the tequila we use is top shelf, so you may not taste it."
customer: "well, can i have another shot of tequila to put in it?"
server 2: "what's the problem?"
server 1 to server 2: "she can't taste the tequila in her margarita."
server 2 to customer: "the tequila is a top quality brand, so it is filtered more than lower quality tequilas, so you won't be able to taste the alcohol."
customer: "oh. are you sure they even put any in it?"
server 1: "yes, absolutely."
customer: "can i get another shot to put in it?"
server 1: "yes, I'll be right back."

after lunch and the fantastic sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, we finally headed home. full-up and ready for the beach.

sand wasps

I've managed to find the most interesting thing in the universe right here in my back yard... the Sand Wasp!

Why is this wasp so damn interesting? Well, look at! It's BLUE and black striped, with bright little yellow-green legs. Have you ever seen a wasp like this? Gorgeous.



They are such sweet little things, too. I asked some of them to stop flying about so I could get a closer look and they did. They just landed right on the sand in front of me and let me get all close while they waited.

but seriously folks

i am so tan, i make wheat bread look white.

if tan were a superhero they'd call me SuperTan.

ive got a tan sooo dark, people actually think im from california.

for serious. im pretty sure you have never ever in your whole life time seen me as tan as i am in this very moment - unless you knew me when i was 8 years old or 14 years old... then, maybe.

best and worst #3

the best thing about going to the beach every day is seeing the dolphins up close and personal.

the worst thing about going to the beach every day is seeing the ocean floor... up close and personal.

Got Paper?

Many of you know that I am an avid decoupager. I take bits of paper and paste them onto other things, creating incredible pieces of art and functional objects. I brought some of my decoupaged light switch plates with me to San Diego and am now selling them at a local boutique.

YAY me!

What does this have to do with you? I’m getting there...

With my recent move to San Diego, I decided to leave all my art supplies behind (except paint and brushes) to start fresh. While this was rather brilliant, it was also kind of silly. It turns out, all that paper I’ve been amassing for years was actually useful for decoupage. I’ve been all over the city, looking in specialty shops, arts/craft stores and even dollar stores, I’m just not finding anything truly interesting or amazing, and especially not at reasonable prices.

That’s where I’m hoping you can pitch in. I know birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and such are all happening throughout the year – many right now! Take a look around at the wrapping paper and tissue paper you’ve bought or even received as gift wrapping. Anything interesting? If so, I’d love to have it. I thought this might be a fun way to get all kinds of interesting paper.

If you send me a few sheets of interesting, fun, or pretty paper, I’ll gladly make you a single light switch plate in return. So, if you have some special paper that you’ve been holding onto as a keepsake send me a 4”x 6” bit of it and I will decoupage you a light switch plate. (This can be a gift for someone else if you’d like).

For a general idea of the paper I’ve used before visit my art gallery.