heat stinks

This heat is horrible. I mean, I like heat but not brutally hot every day, with no cool down at night. I can't wait for Fri-Sun,when it's supposed to moderate a bit....
In the meantime, I read a lot in front of a fan. Hard to get motivated to work out when it's so hot. Hard to get motivated to scrub the bathroom or sweep the house....
Book #17 is done - Fluke, or I know why the winged whale sings - by Christopher Moore - will report on that after book club meets. On to the next.

Books and freakiness

Book #14 - The Alchemist by Paul Coelho - I was about to complain that it wasn't until the teaching notes at the end of this that I found out the boy's name. Not true, it's the first sentence. This was the big detractor and distractor of the book, for me. After that first sentence, I don't think the boy's name is ever mentioned. He is just "the boy". I found that an over-simplification that made it seem almost artificial.
Otherwise, I like the concept of the need to follow your dream. I found the plot satisfying, even though J thought the end was a little too neat.

Book #15 - Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - These are stories of the displaced, no matter how settled they've become in their new lives away from their native Latin America. I found the majority of them powerful, inriguing, and well done. The last, the tale of a new husband who take his wife to the hospital and never sees her again, especially dwelt in my mind. The "why"s and "what if"s. Garcia Marquez is a master storyteller.

Book #16 - The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving - actually a collection of his short works. The short stories were classic, almost fireside, tales. The essays were a mixed bag - some were quite dull. Others, such as the cloisters of Westminster or the ghosts in its library of authors past, could have been developed into entertaining fiction, but weren't. Probably indicative of his time, but I was quite annoyed that every main character got into trouble because he was trying to evade his shrew of a wife - all wives were shrews or nags. Seems a bit bitter to me.

Finally, a rather gross, but just incredibly freaky story that also harks to at least one CSI episode, a Simpsons Halloween episode, and more...

The condition is known as "foetus in foeto", or inclusion twin.
"In this case the foetus of the baby entered into the foetus of the boy and continued to grow like a tumour in the boy's abdomen," gynaecology specialists Nurun Nahar said.
Hundreds of curious locals flocked to the hospital on hearing a rumour that a boy had given birth to a baby.

And the mighty lion roars

In what i think is one of those truly awesome news-stories - the ones I cheer for as much as sports fanatics do news of a great new player on the team or of a critical victory - 3 lions free a young girl in Ethiopia - According to some reports, as many as 70% of Ethiopian marriages are the result of a kidnapping - when men steal young girls and brutalize them until they agree to the proposal. As this fate was rolling out for one young girl, these lions rolled up on the scene, scared off the kidnappers, and guarded the girl until authorities arrived.

Most excellent!!! Lions are so incredibly awesome!
When I first posted about Mireya Mayor, I was inspired about what she's done in what could be for me my "alternate reality career". These lions and Tina's frolicking dolphins make me want to get geared up and head out into the wilderness to study these amazing creatures.

Instead, I sit here rehashing data and having my writing style subject to constant revision requests by someone who just can't absorb the whole story on the page for all the criticism that's done of each sentence..... A bit harsher than I like to be here, but the jungle's looking pretty sweet right now.

Tune in to DIY for...

CW Roelle!! Yes, that's right, Sonny is on for a 1/2 hour episode where he'll show the nation how to make wire drawings! This will be most excellent... Details to follow.

Want to write more but under the thumb of a brutal project. Stay tuned, I'll sneak it in as I can.

Father's Day and movies

Had a good Father's Day - got Dad a Kodak Picture Viewer like this... I'm pretty sure he really liked it... Got to spend some quality campfire time and have some good steak, too.



Sonny and I have both seen Revenge of the Sith. Most excellent! I really felt totally immersed in the Star Wars realm - even if J was trying to distract me. An epoch like the first 2, for sure.

Also saw a trailer for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. WAAAAYYYY cool - I haven't been in this realm for many years, but I remember longing for a version that was better than the dorky cartoon we used to watch at the babysitter's - much in the same way I wanted a good version of The Hobbit or other Tolkien tales.

I have 2 books to blog about, but my notes are downstairs and I'm being a bum tonight. Mayhaps tomorrow.... Oh, I did hear someone talking about the musical version of Wicked, saying that Elphaba "wasn't wicked at first, just made some bad choices..." I had to restrain myself from screaming "NOOOOO!!!!! You totally missed the point!" (This was in a church, so that would have been bad)

J says hi, btw.
More tomorrow.

Two cool (too cool?) sites

First things foremost, Theophilus (see links to right) has updated their webpage. Pretty classy, with music, and an updated calendar, among other things...

Then, this looks so incredibly awesome, I just can't wait!!! Here's the new Mirrormask trailer - so funky!!!
On other movie fronts, J and I are going to see Batman or Star Wars this weekend. Have heard really strong positives on both and it may depend on my mood or timing. I actually had a pass to a screening of Batman, but by the time Dan and I got there it was already sold out. Bummer!

Theophilus CD release party

Last night, Theophilus feted the release of their first full CD. A lot of effort went into this and it paid off. The party did a great job of showcasing their talent - and the kids enjoyed it, even if they did get a bit goofy. Excellent job, guys!
Next up for Theophilus, the final round of competition for a slot in the Kingdom Bound festival - held at Darien Lake later this summer. Cool stuff!

Book #13 - Bouzi by Jennifer Robin - Liked the flow of the text and the driving concept - the life of those who choose to "live in their heads" - to spend time contemplating life and experiencing it - and refusing to go where society would have them led. Seemed light, tho', and like it could have been explored so much further.

My voice was wearing a trenchcoat, holding a skull, pacing through fog with barbells.

The sytle, with its avoidance of any standard metaphor or simile, ties nicely with the theme. Unlike Kerouac, though, it doesn't carry me away.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's back in town

Sonny is here visiting us now and last night we went to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the Park. We got absolutely soaked for about 30 minutes and had to wait a bit until the lightning passed by, but once they hit the stage the rain practically disappeared and the crowd grew and it was a total blast! I got the string bassist's autograph -only slightly rained on and a lot of good pics, plus 1 minute of fun video. Tres cool!

Book #12 - Wicked

Wicked by Gregory Maguire - I liked the character of Elphaba - she wasn't evil, she set out to right the wrongs of politics and society - to recover from the loss of a love. Her sister earned the "Wicked" title by causing harm to support her political religious aims, but Elphaba was simply dubbed "wicked" because people didn't want to face the questions she posed about how they conducted their lives. An excellent book - entertaining with great character development.

(Books #13 and 14 upcoming)

Train to Providence - Something about the rock & rhythm of the movements of a jerky train (should you be so lucky as to actually have it MOVE as intended) brings us closer as a couple - binds us.




Sonny's show was incredible. And a good time. I loved hearing people talk about his work. Should you be in the Woonsocket area, the Blackstone River Gallery is in the same building as a furniture store on Main St (right by the river) and the show is up until July 16...

So much to cover!

I'm going to try to spread this out - so many things!
More details on the trip to Sonny's show in RI, Dan's CD release party, and the 3 books I read this weekend soon. For now, here's some tidbits... (Click here for more on chicken fashions)



UK docs back to basics in fighting crime - interesting the different emphasis in the UK vs US...

French laws in the 17th century decreed that the tips of table and street knives be ground smooth.
A century later, forks and blunt-ended table knives were introduced in the UK in an effort to reduce injuries during arguments in public eating houses.
The researchers say legislation to ban the sale of long pointed knives would be a key step in the fight against violent crime.

And, finally, Mom's baton response...

Total Volume of music files 4.0 K.B.

Last C.D. I purchased was "Theophilus"

Playing right now is "Boom,Boom,Boom" By John Lee Hooker on WMVY internet radio.

Five songs I listen to most are
"Roller Coaster"/ Theophilus,
"Half Acre" / Hem,
"100 Years" / Five for Fighting,
"The Scientist" / Cold Play and
"You Don't Have to go it Alone" / U2.

They call it a job!

Maybe there's some ounce of creativity needed to come up with something to talk about daily. Maybe there's a risk of mental injury from watching every night. I'm not sure, but man - Dukes of Hazzard Institute VP, as it's called just doesn't seem worthy of a 6 figure salary. Seriously - there's artists we could be giving that money to!

Yes, Christopher Nelson's new job, which comes with a $100,000 salary and a one-year contract, will be to watch reruns of "The Dukes of Hazzard" weeknights on the Country Music Television cable channel and write blog postings for the network's Web site.

Here we go! (aka Musical Baton, part1)

A Musical Baton

Jenny has passed me a musical baton. I answer these questions and pass them on...

Total volume of music files on my (work)computer:
2.4 MB - two Theophilus songs - I don't download music right now - Sonny makes me lots of CDs from his stuff

The last CD I bought was:
For J, I rarely buy them for myself - it was Sara Slean - Day One

Song playing right now:
Oh, no, I don't have anything playing, hang on - I need to come back to this in a while anyway...(mad dash to bag - ooh brownies! - CD in, first song) "(What's your) angle?" Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
"Still in Love with You" - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (our song, kinda' sorta)
"I believe I can fly" - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies (a workout song but like the words, too)
"Rebels of the Sacred Heart" - Flogging Molly (a fun bellowing, jumping, head shaking song)
"Last Great Whales" - Solas (important)
"Awaya Baka" - Baka Beyond (such a cool combo)
There's also some Sentimental Favorites, Theophilus, Moxy Fruvous, and even Speakeasy songs I'd list, but they escape me at the moment and I had to pick five.
Of these, I'd say the top 4 are the top tier and the fifth starts the second.

Five people to whom I’m passing the baton:
OK - my blogging buddies are mostly taken, so I'm doing this a bit differently than Jenny did.

Sonny
Danny
J
Mom
Kat'

(J, Mom, and Kat' don't have blogs, but they can email me their responses and I'll post them here. Sonny and Danny better write something, dang it!)

Just when you thought it might be normal... and CW Roelle art news

First things first, opening one week from Saturday - June 4 - CW Roelle's solo show in Woonsocket! site
Mom and J and I are going for the opening - it should be fun!

Second - I can't get the season finale of Alias out of my (currently aching)head. Most of it was an almost normal episode - fighting really big evil but not out of the ordinary for the show, not edge of the seat sort of stuff. Until the very end. WHAM!!! Doubled! I mean - I never thought I'd hear Vaughn say "First of all, my name isn't Michael Vaughn" and then the SUV nails them. Yikes. And now I'll likely have to wait until January or so until it comes back. I'm sure it will be worth the wait....

PS - Reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire - really enjoying it.

More likely to be hit on the head by falling airplane parts

In high school, I did a research report on Marine Life. I had a ton of fun and I think I showed researcher talents at that early stage - because I got a whole boatload of data from almost as many sources. One of my favorite stats was that you are "more likely to be hit on the head by falling airplane parts than attacked by a shark" - same for stung by a killer bee, struck by lightning, and now...

More people are killed every year by pigs than by sharks, which shows you how good we are at evaluating risk.
SECURITY EXPERT BRUCE SCHNEIER, AUTHOR OF “BEYOND FEAR” (SPRINGER 2003), IT CONVERSATIONS 5.2.05

First bunnies, now ninjas!

I've been suffering from 30 Second Bunny Theatre withdrawal of late - but the site tells me there will be stuff available soon!

In the meantime, I've found Tiny Ninja Theatre -

Tiny Ninja Theater is a New York City-based company dedicated to the principle that “there are no small parts, only small actors.” It was founded in 1999 by company director Dov Weinstein. “I had noticed that there were these tiny plastic ninjas in vending machines all across the city,” says Weinstein, “but no one was using them to perform classical theater. Something had to be done.”

This sounds like fun! I would like the job of casting. Except instead of vending machines I'd hit flea markets... (found via Bookslut)

Theophilus on a winning streak!

From an email from Dan:

we competed last night against 5 bands at Bethel
church for a spot on the Kingdom Bound festival at
Darien Lake this year. It was a judged showcase. We
now advance to the semi-finals near buffalo on July 25th.

winners!

Theophilus wins this round - with 61 of 89 votes!!!!:)

I love this stat:

"Studies conducted by Yahoo! and Starcom Media have led to what is being called the “38-hour day,” where women indicate their total time spent on individual activities in one day added up to 38 hours of activity inside a 24-hour period. BRANDWEEK 4.25.05"

No, not math error, the multi-tasking that is so necessary in our lives!

Finally, I think I need to move Episode 2 up in my queue so I can see Episode 3 on the big screen. Our local critic says it's better than Return of the Jedi - I'm highly intrigued!!! These were so integral to childhood for the 3 of us, I'm pretty excited. And word has it Tom Stoppard helped with dialogue!! That's gotta be cool!

Miscellany

Last night I thought to myself "I'm a social soul in a bashful shell" - (I was hitting my head for not actually having a conversation with interesting folks, just giving the short answer, bowing my head, and ducking out the door.)

Sonny's website has been updated!!! More CW Roelle philosophy, and more art! Go see!

I've been a bad sister and I've failed to adequately hype the next round of the Battle of the Bands for Theophilus (Dan). Of course, he could have done it himself, grumble grumble - no it's not a chore, I've just been in a different space. And I probably won't make it (Milestone's 10pm Tonight!) myself, as I am leaving work not on time (although that's not unusual, really) and have a killer day ahead tomorrow.

Out 'til midnight and Guiness and loud music (tho' good) don't mesh with a day holed up in a conference room, trying to pull hundreds of pages of data across 10 different people's areas from 20 different sources into one story to be told on 4 slides.

Well, good luck to all. Here's hoping I survive tomorrow!

And the mood today is....

I feel like the string on a weedwacker - spinning at such an out of control speed that at any moment I could break off and go hurdling through space.......

I have soooo much to do!!!

But it's an 85 degree, sunny day in early May in Rochester and all I really WANT to do is lie on my lawn, occasionally getting up to find more fruit, milkshake, or fruity shakes.....

The sacrifices I make. I have to watch the sugar today, though, cause I'm liable to go into scary hyper mode - fingers shaking so they can't type, head and feet dancing around, trying to create presentations while sitting on my desk because I just can't sit in the chair any more - and typing way too many words that leadership won't want to swim through...

Signs of life in the new yard

Spring! 

I love spring! I know I'll be taking a lot of pictures of the various stages of life in our yard this year, too - very exciting! I really like this one of the little tree (J thinks it's a cherry tree) out front. It looks much less sad with flowers on it!

Speaking of signs of life - how about swimming in a sea of bioluminescent micro-organisms? This sounds way super cool. I would think, though, that the abundance would draw cool predators, but this article doesn't really dwell on that. Whatever - I want to go!