I don't know why but few things are cuter to me than my sleeping kitties.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Pop Music
After watching about an hour of the Republican convention last night and almost gagging on the simplistic jingoism and their abhorrent parading of a few 9/11 relatives I couldn't help but wonder how this administration is still so popular. Today I realized that they are popular for the same reason that most of the music you hear on the radio is popular: Not in spite of its banality but because of it. Their simple message of "Me America, you America, we good and strong. Them hate us and our freedoms. Them hate us only for that, nothing else. Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else. Them hate our freedoms. We are strong. Me America, you America, we good and strong." Who in the fuck can argue with that? Who in the hell can even think straight after three years of that?
Harry Potter
A small kid just walked by with a Harry Potter book in his hands. That damn tome was almost as big as his head. Funny thing about them Harry Potter books is that kids are completely unfazed by how big they are. Many times teenagers will come up to reference looking for books on their reading lists and when see how big a possible choice is they will blanch and ask for something smaller. A lot smaller, to be specific. Harry Potter books? Screw it, they don't care how big they are, they just grab the next one in line and take it home.
After watching about an hour of the Republican convention last night and almost gagging on the simplistic jingoism and their abhorrent parading of a few 9/11 relatives I couldn't help but wonder how this administration is still so popular. Today I realized that they are popular for the same reason that most of the music you hear on the radio is popular: Not in spite of its banality but because of it. Their simple message of "Me America, you America, we good and strong. Them hate us and our freedoms. Them hate us only for that, nothing else. Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else. Them hate our freedoms. We are strong. Me America, you America, we good and strong." Who in the fuck can argue with that? Who in the hell can even think straight after three years of that?
Harry Potter
A small kid just walked by with a Harry Potter book in his hands. That damn tome was almost as big as his head. Funny thing about them Harry Potter books is that kids are completely unfazed by how big they are. Many times teenagers will come up to reference looking for books on their reading lists and when see how big a possible choice is they will blanch and ask for something smaller. A lot smaller, to be specific. Harry Potter books? Screw it, they don't care how big they are, they just grab the next one in line and take it home.
Monday, August 30, 2004
What is tonight's theme?
I think I am sensing a theme in tonight's Republican convention. I think, this is only an early impression and I may change my mind tomorrow but, I think it is 9/11.
Holy crap, former mayor Rudy just compared Bush to Churchill. I'll accept that when Bush writes a series of books called "History of the Bad English Grammar Speaking People."
I don't care what anybody says, that's a good joke.
I think I am sensing a theme in tonight's Republican convention. I think, this is only an early impression and I may change my mind tomorrow but, I think it is 9/11.
Holy crap, former mayor Rudy just compared Bush to Churchill. I'll accept that when Bush writes a series of books called "History of the Bad English Grammar Speaking People."
I don't care what anybody says, that's a good joke.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
I gotta get me one of them
Last night I spent the evening hanging out with my redneck buddies. We assembled at friend's place in my complex to watch the annual night Bristol race. I only see these guys a couple of times a year and hanging out with them is always a blast and bad for my health. Jesus, those guys can put beers away. Since the party started about 7:15 I was in bed fairly early last night, if you know what I mean.
I always have mixed emotions when I hang out with those guys because one of them has an obvious drinking problem but, dang it, he's fun to drink with. He's witty and funny and keeps me and the room laughing all night. For me last night was a special party where I imbibed more than is my usual but I think I just participated in this guy's normal Saturday night. I also had to grimace inwardly through the occasional rascist comment. I like being around these guys because they are so different than any other group of people that I know and it's nice to be accpeted now and then into their inner circle since they are such a close-knit bunch. How often does a librarian get to hang with a bunch of damn-rowdy rednecks?
What I gotta get is the high definition television my friend that hosted the party owns. Holy cow, what a picture on that thing. When I got back home from his place on Friday after a preview my TV looked blurry to me for a few minutes and my TV is not a piece of crap. What I like most about his television, other than the lifelike picture, is how it doesn't burn a hole in your brain like a normal television does. It's very easy on the eyes.
Last night I spent the evening hanging out with my redneck buddies. We assembled at friend's place in my complex to watch the annual night Bristol race. I only see these guys a couple of times a year and hanging out with them is always a blast and bad for my health. Jesus, those guys can put beers away. Since the party started about 7:15 I was in bed fairly early last night, if you know what I mean.
I always have mixed emotions when I hang out with those guys because one of them has an obvious drinking problem but, dang it, he's fun to drink with. He's witty and funny and keeps me and the room laughing all night. For me last night was a special party where I imbibed more than is my usual but I think I just participated in this guy's normal Saturday night. I also had to grimace inwardly through the occasional rascist comment. I like being around these guys because they are so different than any other group of people that I know and it's nice to be accpeted now and then into their inner circle since they are such a close-knit bunch. How often does a librarian get to hang with a bunch of damn-rowdy rednecks?
What I gotta get is the high definition television my friend that hosted the party owns. Holy cow, what a picture on that thing. When I got back home from his place on Friday after a preview my TV looked blurry to me for a few minutes and my TV is not a piece of crap. What I like most about his television, other than the lifelike picture, is how it doesn't burn a hole in your brain like a normal television does. It's very easy on the eyes.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Monday, August 23, 2004
Olympics
Let me just say that, like Ann, I dig the Olympics also. What I most assuredly do not dig is the crappy coverage by NBC.
I have always been disappointed in how the primetime network broadcast completely short changes the field events. Why, oh why, do we have to endure every single motherfucking dive in the women's 30 meter platform finals and then get two or three five-minute-long summaries of the men's high jump? That's just last night's example. Pay attention as we go on. Every field event will be a five minute summary. For once why can't they show every jump? I understand editing for time but why do we only get to see the jumps that are crucial? Give us some sense of the flow of a field event, you bastards.
Let me just say that, like Ann, I dig the Olympics also. What I most assuredly do not dig is the crappy coverage by NBC.
I have always been disappointed in how the primetime network broadcast completely short changes the field events. Why, oh why, do we have to endure every single motherfucking dive in the women's 30 meter platform finals and then get two or three five-minute-long summaries of the men's high jump? That's just last night's example. Pay attention as we go on. Every field event will be a five minute summary. For once why can't they show every jump? I understand editing for time but why do we only get to see the jumps that are crucial? Give us some sense of the flow of a field event, you bastards.
breathtaking
When I was driving back from Asheville Saturday I came to a stretch on I-26 where all of a sudden you go from rural scenery to something out of Davey Crockett. There is a huge gorge you span on the highway and all you can see is trees and the shapes of the mountains supporting those trees. Gouging it's way ever downward into the gorge is a river. You can't see it but you can tell by the pattern of the trees and the definite break them that there is a river down there. If it's cool out you can probably smell it and feel it, too.
When I was driving back from Asheville Saturday I came to a stretch on I-26 where all of a sudden you go from rural scenery to something out of Davey Crockett. There is a huge gorge you span on the highway and all you can see is trees and the shapes of the mountains supporting those trees. Gouging it's way ever downward into the gorge is a river. You can't see it but you can tell by the pattern of the trees and the definite break them that there is a river down there. If it's cool out you can probably smell it and feel it, too.
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Sonic Youth
I always uneasy when I attend a show for the first time by a band I have been listening to for a long time. What if they blow then what do I do?
No problems here. Sonic Youth blew the roof off the Orange Peel last night. Shit, they actually played the song %100.
They were fantastic. At one point Thurston Moore climbed up on the speakers on the right side of the stage in front of me and lifted his guitar and rubbed it up and down on the speakers hanging over the stage. It was incredible. I cursed myself for not bringing my camera. I missed a great shot. Dammit to hell.
I don't really know what to say other than they exceeded all my expectations. During the middel part of the show I know I had big stupid grin on my face. It was thrilling at various spots and never boring.
For the first half of the show there was this cute little hippy couple dancing right in front of me who were obviously on some kind of hallucinogen. A couple of times when the band went in full-on freakout mode I wondered how they kept from tearing their faces off.
The show ended with twenty full minutes of noise and feedback. It was wonderful. I thought it was smart to end the show with that. A lot of people left at that point but those of us that stayed were digging the hell out of it. It was like having three Jimmy Pages beating the crap out of their guitars.
My friend Ingrid drove up from Greenville and we went and got dinner at a real nice veghead restaurant before the show. It's called the Laughing Seed and my dinner was delicious. As were walking out Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon were standing outside contemplating their dinner options. I didn't know it was them until we walked past them and Ingrid said, "Did you see who that was?" I had no idea Thurston Moore was so tall. He's taller than me and I am six feet tall.
In my hotel room the television had all the cable channels I don't have at home. It was kinda fun to surf around on real cable again. I came across that celebrity poker stuff on, I think, Bravo. What's up with Kids in the Haller Dave's hair? I got sucked into the show because Wanda Sykes was on. She kills me. She and Travis Tritt had some great banter going.
Once again the city of Asheville was a great host. I enjoyed walking around yesterday three seperate times. They had some live after five thing going on yesterday up by the big obelisk and I saw a couple of Charlotte musicians playing on stage that I am familiar with, Woody Mitchell and Tom Kuhn. They were playing in a nice blues rock band that had a few people dancing. What a cool city.
I always uneasy when I attend a show for the first time by a band I have been listening to for a long time. What if they blow then what do I do?
No problems here. Sonic Youth blew the roof off the Orange Peel last night. Shit, they actually played the song %100.
They were fantastic. At one point Thurston Moore climbed up on the speakers on the right side of the stage in front of me and lifted his guitar and rubbed it up and down on the speakers hanging over the stage. It was incredible. I cursed myself for not bringing my camera. I missed a great shot. Dammit to hell.
I don't really know what to say other than they exceeded all my expectations. During the middel part of the show I know I had big stupid grin on my face. It was thrilling at various spots and never boring.
For the first half of the show there was this cute little hippy couple dancing right in front of me who were obviously on some kind of hallucinogen. A couple of times when the band went in full-on freakout mode I wondered how they kept from tearing their faces off.
The show ended with twenty full minutes of noise and feedback. It was wonderful. I thought it was smart to end the show with that. A lot of people left at that point but those of us that stayed were digging the hell out of it. It was like having three Jimmy Pages beating the crap out of their guitars.
My friend Ingrid drove up from Greenville and we went and got dinner at a real nice veghead restaurant before the show. It's called the Laughing Seed and my dinner was delicious. As were walking out Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon were standing outside contemplating their dinner options. I didn't know it was them until we walked past them and Ingrid said, "Did you see who that was?" I had no idea Thurston Moore was so tall. He's taller than me and I am six feet tall.
In my hotel room the television had all the cable channels I don't have at home. It was kinda fun to surf around on real cable again. I came across that celebrity poker stuff on, I think, Bravo. What's up with Kids in the Haller Dave's hair? I got sucked into the show because Wanda Sykes was on. She kills me. She and Travis Tritt had some great banter going.
Once again the city of Asheville was a great host. I enjoyed walking around yesterday three seperate times. They had some live after five thing going on yesterday up by the big obelisk and I saw a couple of Charlotte musicians playing on stage that I am familiar with, Woody Mitchell and Tom Kuhn. They were playing in a nice blues rock band that had a few people dancing. What a cool city.
Friday, August 20, 2004
Greetings from Asheville
Howdy, I am sitting in the lobby of the Downtown Days Inn here in Asheville. I am a bout a five minute walk from the big ole obelisk in the middle of town. I just woke up from a nap and I am going to go read for a few hours and kill time before I go to the Orange Peel and see Sonic Youth for the very first time. Kinda cool, eh? I think so.
I haven't heard from James so I guess he isn't going to make it. My crazy and still feverish roommate is going to work all day and then drive up here for the show. He has determined that he is not sick enough, I reckon. My friend Ingrid is driving up from the Spartanburg area to see the show also. She's a music nut. Sometimes she'll drive to Chicago for a week just to see Tortoise play three times in four days.
There sure are a lot of homeless bums in Asheville. There is a nice little park right down the street and I was going to eat my lunch there but the place was crawling with homeless. I prefer to eat without hungry people staring at me so just went back to my hotel and ate and took a nap which I just woke from. Mmmmm...vacation.
Howdy, I am sitting in the lobby of the Downtown Days Inn here in Asheville. I am a bout a five minute walk from the big ole obelisk in the middle of town. I just woke up from a nap and I am going to go read for a few hours and kill time before I go to the Orange Peel and see Sonic Youth for the very first time. Kinda cool, eh? I think so.
I haven't heard from James so I guess he isn't going to make it. My crazy and still feverish roommate is going to work all day and then drive up here for the show. He has determined that he is not sick enough, I reckon. My friend Ingrid is driving up from the Spartanburg area to see the show also. She's a music nut. Sometimes she'll drive to Chicago for a week just to see Tortoise play three times in four days.
There sure are a lot of homeless bums in Asheville. There is a nice little park right down the street and I was going to eat my lunch there but the place was crawling with homeless. I prefer to eat without hungry people staring at me so just went back to my hotel and ate and took a nap which I just woke from. Mmmmm...vacation.
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