Mr. Mystery

In honor of New Orleans and its Jazz and Heritage Festival (which I've only attended once, in 1988, but boy was it great)...here's a great profile of legendary pianist James Booker. He was a player that other musicians were in awe of. Know who turned me on to the genius of James Booker years ago? This guy, that's who.

marching bands

Anybody else get high listening to marching bands?

Favorite Things Saturday blog
Favorite Things Saturday Flickr group pool

show

Jesus, this is funny. I can't stop watching it. I needed a good laugh. Link via Powazek

Maker Faire

The Maker Faire is this weekend in San Mateo (San Francisco Bay Area). Here's the Make: blog...so many cool things on here!

keeping secrets

PostSecret is one of the most popular blogs around. There was an article in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle about websites that revolve around people spilling their secrets, including PostSecret. Frank Warren, the creator of PostSecret, is prominently mentioned in the article. What I found so interesting was the last line in the article when he was asked if he's affected by reading all of those secrets: "...maybe I need to acknowledge that I'm receiving some of their burden and having to carry it myself." (For you Bay Area folks, Frank Warren will be at Books, Inc. in Mountain View on May 9th.)

Project CARE

If you're homeless, being without a phone can make it awfully hard to get back on your feet. If you don't have a phone number, how can prospective employers and others get in contact with you? GrandCentral, a San Francisco communications company, decided to do something about that. They created Project CARE (Communication and Respect for Everybody) to offer their services, free of charge, to those who need it most. Their programs sets up homeless people with phone numbers and voicemail accounts. Full story here.

Mocking My Religion

I've been reading Scott Adams' Dilbert blog for awhile now. He's so freaking hilarious, but even more importantly, he's often (in my opinion) right. (I'm sure he'd hate to hear me say that.) I don't always agree with his opinions and beliefs, but I admire his balls for putting stuff out there that some of us don't have the nerve to say in polite company. (And what does that mean, anyway--"polite company?") I love the post he wrote today about religious beliefs.

"Mockery is an important social tool for squelching stupidity. At least that’s what I tell people after I mock them. Or to put it another way, I’ve never seen anyone change his mind because of the power of a superior argument or the acquisition of new facts. But I’ve seen plenty of people change behavior to avoid being mocked." Go here to read the entire post.

If he ever decides to give up cartooning and tennis and being a restaurant entrepreneur, he's got my vote for President.

elderbloggers

Although I can't STAND the word "elderbloggers" (Why can't we all just be "bloggers?"), I did have to chuckle to realize that some consider me one! (I'm 51.) "Just 0.3 percent of blogs are run by people 50 or older, yet that's still about 160,000 bloggers." Check out the April 11th NY Times article. (Link via As Times Goes By)

Flickr in the toolbox

I forget about my Flickr account more often than I think about it. But maybe if I had a Flickr button on my toolbar, I'd post there more frequently. Check it out.

girls

There's nothing new at Lauren Greenfield's exhibit "Girl Culture," but, man, is it depressing. Especially looking at it as someone who remembers how hard we fought in the 70's to be taken seriously. Here's the thing about feminism that a lot of young people don't get these days (and a lot of older people, too, for that matter): it wasn't (because truly, is feminism even alive?) about becoming pseudo-men--it was about being valued for something more than our looks and for being something more than an accessory to a man. It's depressing as hell to me to see how far we've regressed...it's like it's the 50's all over again....

"I want to be a topless dancer or a showgirl. I think it’d be fun, dancing with my tits showing off. It’s like a goal. If I can accomplish being that, then I can accomplish anything." ~Sheena, age 15

And be sure to listen to Lily's interview done when she was five.

Link via Caterina.net

Fat Man Walking

Steve Vaught's been walking across America for the past year. He started outside San Diego and he's nearly to New York City. His blog is here. Link via sfgate.com's Culture Blog.

impulse

Me, in bathrobe, lounging on the couch yesterday morning, skimming the entertainment section of the paper: "You know John Scofield's at Yoshi's this week, right?" "No." "Wanna go?" "Okay." "Wanna go tonight, since you're off today* and we wouldn't have to rush?" "Okay...I'll buy tickets (online)..." And with that exchange a night out was hatched.

(*He drove to work first thing yesterday morning, but it was raining heavily with no sign of letting up, so he bagged it and came back home.)

I'd read about a restaurant in Albany a couple of weeks ago. It's an unusual hybrid, featuring a menu that consists of Thai and Laotian AND soul food. It's called Lao-Thai Kitchen and it's owned by a woman who's a Laotian chef and her African-American husband. I figured that would be a perfect spot for us--Jeffrey could get a heaping plate of his favorite comfort food and I could have some spicy Thai. We mapped out the directions to the restaurant and found it easily on Solano Avenue in downtown Albany.

It's a great find and Earl Daniel, the owner, is very friendly and quite a character. He stopped by our table to chat several times. Business seemed good and I can't imagine that the full-page write-up in the San Francisco Chronicle's "96 Hours" supplement didn't give this little neighborhood spot a shot in the arm. We told Mr. Daniel we'd read about him in the Chronicle and driven down from Davis. He told us he has a daughter attending UC Davis and that we'd definitely come the farthest. "Had somebody come from Napa..." I felt like the winner of the mileage lottery. Jeffrey had the ribs, with candied yams, collard greens and cornbread. He practically licked his plate. I had a spicy red curry that was delish and polished it off along with a big bowl of rice. We ordered two slices of Mr. Daniels' white potato pie to go. He's a trim man, but told us his doctor had told him to cut back on fat, so he came up with a vegetarian collard greens recipe (and they were great--I tasted them) and a pie recipe that doesn't require sugar. The pie slices are still untouched as I write this, but Mr. Daniels brought us a sliver smothered in whipped cream to sample before we left the restaurant. Yummy, and it certainly didn't taste sugar-free.

After our leisurely dinner, we headed south to the show in Oakland. Since we'd bought our tickets at the last minute, we didn't have reserved seats. Even so, we found a great spot on the left side of the room. The show was wonderful, and it made me realize for the umpteenth time how very much I love to hear live jazz. They announced at the end of the 8:00 show that they were going to re-admit 50 patrons from the first show to the 10:00 show. We briefly flirted with the idea of staying for the second show, but decided that what made this such a perfect night out on a 'school night' was the fact that we were home and in bed by 11:00. As we were leaving Oakland, Jeffrey said, "We really need to do this more often." Yes, we do.

(un)prepared

There was a moment last week when I was sitting on the potty in our private staff bathroom in the office. Suddenly I heard/felt a weird sound. I had no idea what it was (still don't), but it quickly made me wonder where our disaster preparedness kit is at work. I didn't know where those supplies were, but I really hoped I would be somewhere other than sitting on the john if we ever needed them.

I went to the Principal's secretary (who's in charge of those things--supplies, not potties) and asked where our disaster supplies are. (We've had a fire drill this year, but no other emergency drills.) She told me where they're stored and I told her that one of the tasks I thought I might do over Spring Break would be to put together a disaster preparedness kit at home. After all, I lived through the Loma Prieta quake in '89 (I lived and worked in San Francisco then) and we experienced many earthquakes during our five years on St. Thomas and my hometown was devastated by a tidal wave and the local paper recently warned that if the Monticello Dam on Lake Berryessa ever broke, Davis would be under water in a matter of minutes (okay, maybe many minutes, but minutes). We live in California, for god's sake, where earthquakes and mudslides and flooding and broken levees aren't unusual. And I don't want to end up like I did in '89 after the big quake, with only a lime and some tonic water in my fridge.

Of course, thinking about putting together a preparedness kit and actually doing it are completely different matters. We do have some appropriate supplies in our camping gear, so we're not completely unprepared. But the garage door broke last Friday, so we couldn't get to those supplies right now if we wanted to. (The handyman will be here today to fix it.) And even if we could get into the garage, we'd have to push aside the wicker loveseat and the flattened boxes and the golf club supplies and... You get the picture.

So to say that I related to Margee Robinson's column in today's Chronicle is an understatement. We don't know what we'd do in a disaster until one strikes. Margee's decided her freeze-dried camp food might not be her first choice in a disaster: "If I was starving and had already eaten the cat food, I might like it." The night of the Loma Prieta quake, I walked around the corner to my (male) friends' flat, pressed their buzzer, leaned into the intercom and pleaded in a pathetic voice, "Do you have any food?" (I must have had a flashlight or a candle, because the lights were out in the City and I can't imagine I walked by the crack house without some sort of illumination.) Cheese and crackers eaten by candlelight while sitting on their hardwood floor never tasted so good.

quirk factor - 4.10.06

Inside City Lights. Everywhere you look, there are signs that say, "Have a Seat & Read a Book." But it was the old newspaper headline that caught my eye. (Wonder if it's true...)















This little shop in North Beach was JAM-PACKED with stuff. It was closed or I'd have gone in for a look, but I had to at least take a photo of these musicians in the window for Jeffrey.



This one's blurry because we were walking and I was trying to juggle the umbrella and the camera. I just loved this young woman's sparkly petticoat in juxtaposition with her furry-collared parka and jeans and backpack.

Foyle

Before we left Portland, the antics of the Portland TrailBlazers had grown so bad that the media had begun referring to them as the JailBlazers. Wanna turn all those NBA stereotypes right on their heads? Read Scott Ostler's April 10th column in the San Francisco Chronicle about Golden State Warriors center Adonal Foyle who started a book club with meaning. "To him, a book isn't for superficial enjoyment, it's a tool you use to rearrange your head." And by the way, most of the members are (non-NBA) males.

Art at Work

How freaking cool is this?! Now this might get me to attempt painting (something I've hardly done since that traumatic semester of Color & Design my senior year of high school when my lack of competency in the visual arts was all too apparent). What a great team-building exercise! Beats the hell out of boring, long-winded, accomplish-nothing staff meetings, dont'cha think? Check out Dana Ellyn's website, too. Love her stuff. Link via Georgia at Muse to Muse.

Warning! Danger!

Just twenty grand could get me a replica of one of my favorite childhood icons...the San Francisco Chronicle lists the price tag to be between $18,000 and $24,000.

Miles

I'm listening to this movie (on HBO) right now. I've seen it a gazillion times, but there are scenes I just love. "I'm not drinkin' any FUCKING Merlot!"..."No goin' to the dark side!"

H & M

Kayla's going to spend the night with us tomorrow night, so that early Tuesday morning she and I can board the train and head down to the City for the day. The primary reason we chose Davis as our residence this time was to be close to my brother's family in Dixon. It hit me yesterday that we've been here a year, and Kayla and I still haven't done anything together, just the two of us. It's not that I haven't asked, but she's a typical teenager--it's all about spending time with her friends. We were very, very close when she was little. It's not that we're not close now, but it just takes a little more effort. So I'm going to take her into the City for a day so she can see that her old Auntie might be kinda fun to hang out with after all. :)

First stop? The H & M store downtown. This is a child who was keen on shopping when she was still a toddler. The primary thing she wants to do in the City is shop, but I've told her she's on her own in terms of shopping money (or at the mercy of Dad or Mom.) I'm not the world's best shopping companion, since I prefer to do it alone...and seldom. But hey, you do what you have to when you want to bond with your 15-year-old niece, right? ;)

As to what else we'll do in the City, I'll have to come up with a few ideas. She hasn't spent lots of time there. She's never been on a train or on BART, so she's quite excited about that. (It would have been insane to drive J. to work in Sacramento at 6 am and then drive all the way to the City in rush hour traffic and get back to Sacramento in time to pick him up at 3:00.) Taking the train means we can dilly-dally as long as we like. Whatever we do, I'm sure we'll have fun.

laptop robberies

An article from the San Francisco Chronicle about a new wave of laptop thefts that are becoming more aggressive and in one case, violent. Reading this I had two thoughts: 1) How many more laptop users will be utilizing public spaces once Google starts providing the entire City with wi-fi,* and 2) maybe I shouldn't feel so bad that we couldn't afford to replace our dead laptop with another one. Obviously I don't live in the City, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen here. After all, we get robbers who travel up and down the I-80 corridor to rob places in the 'burbs. Our bank, which is 1-1/2 blocks from our house, was hit by Bay Area robbers about six months ago.

* There are major privacy concerns about Google's plan, since they plan to use technology that pinpoints a user's geographic location when they log on, enabling them to direct neighborhood ads to the user.

Hit it and quit it!

Blurbomat had a link to this James Brown clip on YouTube. Jeffrey and I got such a kick out of watching it (CLASSIC!) that J. started surfing around on YouTube to see what other JB clips he could find. For some reason, this one cracked him up...to the point that he emailed it to a bunch of his musician friends. Personally, I'm fond of this one where JB's higher-n-a-kite. This was always one of my favorite Eddie Murphy skits from SNL.

pop star

Kate Flannery brilliantly recounts her romantic romp with a 60's pop star. It brought back memories of my 10-year-old self dancing to his albums in my friend Margaret's garage. We'd play them on her portable record player--the kind that looks like a suitcase with fake leather exterior and a lid that lifts. We'd dance to "Daydream Believer" while her cocker spaniel, Princess, circled our legs...

Holofcener

The Village Voice calls Nicole Holofcener's new film, Friends with Money, "a wealth porn sitcom." That sounds like a much more awful review than it is.

I never saw Holofcener's second film, Lovely and Amazing (must add to Netflix queue), but I have a weakness for her first, Walking and Talking. For two reasons, really: 1) it was the first time I remember noticing Catherine Keener, and 2) it featured Jeffrey's old friend Todd Field as Anne Heche's fiance.

Who can blame Holofcener for having Catherine Keener as a muse? (She's appeared in all of Holofcener's films.) If there was a Church of Catherine Keener, I'd surely be a member. (Maybe I should start one...) Here's a recent LA Times profile of Holofcener.

As for Todd Field, he's an accomplished filmmaker in addition to being an actor. He's most well known for having written and directed In the Bedroom. His new film (in post production) stars Kate Winslet.

Longbaugh

The creative director of this week's Longbaugh Film Festival in Portland points out why its filmmakers are indicative of the future of the film business. (Some things never change though, like corporate sponsorship. You'll notice that Longbaugh is sponsored by Comcast.) He makes several valid points. "Come on, who out there over the age of 30 would have ever thought there would be a time when you could watch a movie (or make one, for that matter) on a phone? That's some crazy-ass Jetsons nonsense right there."

There's always been some hip shit happening in PDX, which is why I still adore our former city (and Jeffrey's hometown). Here's an interview with three Portland companies that are making the world a better place for independent filmmakers:

• Making an independent film is tough enough. Once it's in the can, how do you get it distributed? Here's one way--Film Baby. They sell DVD's by independent filmmakers and take only a $4/DVD cut.
• DVD Talk features reviews not only of mainstream films, but also for undiscovered gems.
• Audiocinema is an arts collective inspired by Andy Warhol's Factory that's only about six months old. Although the services offered at this Southeast Portland warehouse are geared primarily toward musicians, they have much to offer a struggling filmmaker.
  

pesto spot

We've all heard about or known parents who place the utmost importance on getting their child into the perfect preschool. Look, here's a play about them.

leggie-legs

Yesterday at school, a 9th grade girl stopped in the office. I heard the Principal's assistant (who just happened to be standing nearby) say, "Don't tell me leg warmers are back..." The girl was wearing pink ones, with flip-flops. As most of us know, they've been back for awhile. But maybe you'd like to take it a step or two further. Looking for that Barbarella in Iceland leg warmer look? You might like these.

Bernadette

A day in the life of a working actor.

lost

The spare screenplay of one of my favorite recent films. "Lip my stockings!"

big head

We own this Jamie Foxx comedy DVD. There are parts of it that are hilarious and parts that get old quick, but overall it's entertaining. But my favorite scenes are in the special features--where Jamie's just jamming at the keyboard and riffing. Some funny stuff there.

Fast forward to last month... My boyfriend's booked to play a gig by a singer friend. Except the singer won't be there because he's gonna be on the road with another band. (I think the gig was a wedding reception.) The next day he told me that the singer who'd been hired to sub on the gig ("great singer") looked familiar to him...and then he realized where he'd seen him before...

It's in the special features on that "I Might Need Security" DVD. It's the scene where at the end of his comedy show, he invites local singers to get up on stage and jam with him and a guitarist. The singer Jeffrey played with was one of those singers...the one Jamie mocked for having such a big-ass head...

Elvis Schmelvis

I knew somebody (or somebodies) would run with this idea...

In the late 80's, when I was in my late 30's, I learned from my mother that my maternal grandmother had a Jewish mother. Until that time I knew nothing about Nana's real parents. Family lore has it that her father was the black sheep son of a lumber baron, and that he treated my great-grandmother horribly, prositituting her in lumber camps in Seattle.

I figured if my great-grandmother was Jewish, that would make me about one-eighth...right?

This new info percolated around in my head for awhile. Combine it with the fact that my birthday is the day after Elvis, and somehow I got the idea to do a musical about Elvis being Jewish. But in my take he wanted to be a country singer. You know, the better to have production numbers like "Bagels-n-Boots." I wrote the title song lyrics. I shared them with a drummer friend and he said he'd write the music, sort of a fast rock song with a Hava Nagila twist. But we never got around to finishing the song. It still pops into my head (very rarely anymore) and I occasionally sing it to myself in the shower.

I just Googled "Elvis Schmelvis." Nice to see there are some folks out there making a living with that moniker. Like here. And here. And here. And here's a bit about why some think Elvis actually was Jewish.

Bubble

Has anyone seen "Bubble?" I thought it fell into the 'so bad it's good' category, but then I'm a huge Soderbergh fan. I must admit though, the entire time I was watching it I was thinking, "I have GOT to get a video camera"...because it just doesn't look that hard to make a film like this. But then Soderbergh can probably make any sort of film look like a piece o' cake.

Jeffrey was on the computer during the first part of the film. I saw him steal a few glances at the TV, but I really didn't think he was paying much attention. About halfway through the film, he moved to a chair and started really watching, saying first, "Is it just me, or is this film really boring?" I suppose I should have told him the backstory, but it was kind of funny to watch his reaction.

I am a bit confused though--I thought I'd read in an article that Soderbergh shot it in West Virginia. The website says it was Ohio. Not that it matters...except the entire time I was watching it, I was imagining they were in West Virginia. I suppose that explains the lack of WV accents...