curly's shoulder

so i turned off the alarm clock last night and woke up at 7am anyway. i ate oatmeal and watched the terminal. that was good. then i drew until 1, then to the post office and the gym. then back home, took a nap, got up and drew and listened to the hms pinafore until 8. ate dinner (peas with pearl onions and scallops) and watched the antiques road show. then drew for two more hours then watched the daily show. now i am going to bed. it is snowing and i may go bowling in the morning. tomorrow it official, rhode island (publicly) is smoke free. unless of course you walk by the door of any office building and the sad old ladies are huddled and gossiping, then you get a lung full. i was supposed to finsh drawing curly's shoulder today but i didnt.

Oscars

Maybe it's this quirk I have that makes anything related to Clint Eastwood turn my stomach, but I really think Scorsese got jipped. Aviator was exceptional. I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby yet and I'm sure it's a great film, but I just find it very hard to swallow that that achieved more in terms of a movie accomplishing something than Aviator did....

DK if I like the whole brunette thing. I'd prefer people to go natural or funky, but not try to co-opt another natural color for their own - can't exactly tell what's natural for some of these chics, though, so I'm not sure how annoyed I am on that.

Maybe if I could enjoy snow days in the same fashion as my school teacher friends I wouldn't be so annoyed. Maybe I just need a cookie.... mmmm - Finding Neverland Peter Pan Peanut Butter cookies help all troubles...

- then again, rereading this, I think I just need more sleep.

the woke up got dressed blog

so i was supposed to meet jim frain today at 9am for bowling in east providence, i woke up at 8 and was flipping channels for a few minutes when the phone rang and it was gym at the alley wondering where i was and i looked back at the clock and yup, it was 9 and i then remembered that the alarm was set for for 6:26 (my weekday rise) and when then it had gone off for the second time (6:31) i flipped it off and went back to sleep feeling bad for flipping off my clock and hoping it wasn't mad. but i was late for bowling so i guess it was. but bowling was canceled anyway due to leagues so jim and i went to rue d'lespoir (or whatever) for breakfast (a french place on the eastside). it was good and after i went to the gym and did my usual walk 1/2, run 2, walk 1/2, run 1, walk 1/2. then to the studio to draw until 4:15, then to apsara to get some nim chow and go to work. valleted till 11:30 then went and rented dodgeball and bought some oatmeal for tomorrow. i have this week off from richmond st. parking lot so that i can finish the three stooges drawing.

Vertigo, anyone?

All I can say is, Yikes! oh, and, don't think about chasing anything out of bounds!

Seen on The Guardian's newsblog - The helipad of the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai.

What lurks beneath

The Russians are almost ready to complete a well they started drilling in Antarctica in 1970 - to break through the ice to a lake formed 500 million years ago and without direct contact with Earth's atmosphere for over 500 thousand years.

The lake is full of life despite three kilometers of ice that cover it. The scientist said that there was every reason for living creatures to exist there: the water was not stagnant; oxygen penetrates into the lake through the ice too. Supreme organisms cannot exist under such conditions. However, they did not exist 500 million years ago at all. There was no land life back then, whereas the ocean was filled with such primitive creatures as worms, mollusks and seaweed.

They think "supreme" organisms cannot exist in such conditions - I'd love to see it turn into a thriller flick discovery. The hole is drilled, an eye is placed to the scope that extends through 3,753 meters of ice and a large, dark hulk moves slowly by - the sound of an ancient beast rediscovered, changing history - scaring the pants off of some scientists.
Can't wait to see the headlines!

Winter weekend

J and I went on a date this weekend - saw Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and had soup, appetizers, and dessert at Thai Taste - most definitely the best Thai restaurant in Rochester, which has a few really good ones.... Good movie - the kind I'd like to get my kids interested in, if I had any. And awesome food: spicy Poh Tak soup (seafood, veggies, spicy broth), fresh veggie spring rolls, and mango with sweet rice for dessert.
Made for a nice weekend....... cozy, happy, warm.

Theophilus wins!!!... and other miscellany

Battle of the Bands round 2 goes resoundingly to Theophilus - what a great show! MP3's of the gig are supposed to go up on the the band's site soon. "Rollercoaster" features the incredible Dan Roelle solo - check it out!
I'll let everyone know when the next round is slated.
In the meantime, a gig from 10-11, a pint of Guiness for supper, and a bit of dancing thrown in = a very garbled 9am presentation for Aprille today... ah, well - how could I miss it?

And now, for my brothers - some gross stuff - don't read this while eating...
Reading The Prospect Before Her, I have become ever more grateful I live in the here and now - with showers, smelly body wash, laundry, and even germophobes...
In the period studied, there were points when people believed that bodily fluids protected one from disease - and so bathing was deemed unhealthy - a simple sponge dab was more common. Some passages that grabbed me:

Consider the record of Louis XIII, born on 27 September 1601. His encounters with water or any cleansing process were as follows:
11 November 1601 - his head rubbed for the first time
17 November 1601 - scalp and forehead rubbed with butter & almond oil, cradle cap extensive
4 July 1602 - head combed for the first time
3 October 1606 - (he was 5 yrs old) his legs were washed for the first time in tepid water
2 August 1608 - (he was almost 7 yrs old) bathed for the first time...

...and he was a King! ewwwwwwwwwwwww!

Worms were another frequent problem. The gut on one 18th century French farmer, when dissected on his death, was found to contain no less than 39 dfferent varieties.

Ick!

Another plug

Oh, and just to put in another plug for That Book Thing. This wonderful org - founded by a friend of Sonny's - that gives books to schools and random people off of the street has been forced out of their space - and is now looking for funds towards the deposit on a new one...
Blog pitch from The Old Hag...(seen on Bookslut, heard from Sonny)

Also a great way to get rid of old books that otherwise clutter basements, garages, etc - I have a few boxes ready to ride with Sonny on his next trip to B-more.

Battle of the Bands - round 2/ round 1 repeated

Theophilus is on tomorrow (Wed 2/16) at 10pm!!

Milestones Music Room - vs High Volume
East Ave
Rochester

This is a popularity contest - we need bodies to come and vote for Theophilus so they can advance to the next round!
If you have the chance, come on out - good tunes!

Happy Valentines!

Wishing all happiness in the relationship realm -whatever that might mean - on this day. Bear hugs to loved ones! :)

I fought past the initial discomfort and have finished Book#5 (man, I was thinking it was #6 -I'm further behind than I thought) -The Lovely Bones. I got sucked in and spent all of yesterday afternoon and most of yesterday evening curled up on our loveseat with the book.
It's always a bit funky when you spend hours inside a book and then get up to make dinner, etc. It seemed weird that it was so dark out. Even the house itself seemed weird - like I wasn't quite sure why I was there....
I'll detail the book after the bookclub meeting.

Disturbed

I started reading The Lovely Bones and man, I think there's a risk I might turn away. Not that it's poorly written or anything, we'll get to all that after the book club meeting, but I find the opening disturbing.

I typically consider myself someone who looks beyond the face value shocker to the whole story. I watch "Law & Order" and "CSI" and all sorts of crime shows and it never really impacts me. But for some reason, as the killer lures her into his hidey hole - narrated in the rear view mirror from heaven, I just get creeped out.

Maybe I need to be safe and secure in a warm blanket in front of a working fireplace to get through it.

I'm not supposed to be here

I was all set for another trip to Boston, then the train to Providence to spend the evening with Sonny -including an art opening, maybe a movie, and then a quiet day tomorrow before making my way home.

Darn snow. Boston is supposed to get 20 inches, last I heard. Messin' up my plans. Not nice.

Congratulations Sonny!

Word has it CW Roelle was awarded "Best in Show" at the Blackstone River Gallery's Juried Exhibition in Woonsocket!
(I had to hear it from Mom - but she's a reliable source)
As a result, he'll have a solo show there this summer - very cool!
Congrats Sonny! :)

Book #4, musings...

Book #4 - The Secrets of Pistoulet by Jana Kaplan
Light reading - I had it in the kitchen for when I was waiting for toast, for the microwave, for water to boil, etc. A culinary journey of discovery into the healing power of food for a person's soul, written in the style of Griffin & Sabine, with recipe cards, notecards, letters, etc. The book itself is very pretty and even had an herby smell (although, that could be because I kept it in the kitchen for a while, or because I was imagining things). The story is rather simple and there's not much to say because there's not much there. It does make me want to make the various soups and teas (most of them anyway), even if not to solve the specific malady for which they are prescribed. It will be fun to play with....

So, I've started a workout - chosing the "lose the flab" goal. I'm not grossly overweight, but would like to be a bit lighter - more svelte - ready to kick butt if needed... Anyway, Saturday was the tough day - first day of the strength moves combined with the killer sprint intervals. I waddled up and down the stairs of the house yesterday, because I was so sore - but it felt good!
Problem is, I made the mistake of weighing myself after just 1 week and I'm UP 2 pounds! Probably noise, right, or it hasn't had a chance to have an impact. Still, as good as I feel about working out after too long away, I can't help but feel a bit fatter, too. I don't quite feel right in my clothes...
The whole thing is evil.

Ivan Noble

Wow. I just found out about his blog today - just read the most recent and very first entries and here I sit in tears and in need of a walk to clear my head.

I don't think I'll ever complain of migraines again.

(Link to blog in this article from the Guardian Newsblog)

Ivan Noble, the BBC News journalist who has been writing about his treatment for a brain tumour for the past two years, has died aged 37.

Just what we need....

I can see it now. A crowded subway. Strangers jostling, trying not to stare at each other, trying not to smell the hygenically-impaired. Up pops Jimbo from his seat, arm outstretched, rectangular grey object in hand. His arm jerks to the pops of bullets.
Jimbo's fighting zombies with his cell. Dang if the angry mob of terrorist-paranoid, stressed-out commuters who jump him and pummel him unconscious in defense of all aboard didn't realize that.

Do we really need people walking around using their cell phones as guns for FPS games? Really?