Poker Face

Rebekah and I got invited to one of those Witness-Christmas-Eve-Parties. I should clarify: This party not involve any of the traditional elements. No sing-song carols. No chestnuts on an open fire. No egg-nog. It's one of those everyone is off work the next day (and no one is going out in service or to the meeting the next morning) so let's get together and stay up super late. To further seperate this from a Christmas Eve celebration they have added a poker tournament. Not lose your money or clothes poker but compete for prizes and hope you're not stumbling a recovering gambling addict in the process poker. Because, afterall nothing says "seperate from the world" like a Texas Holdem tournament.

I'm dragging. I don't feel like work in the morning. Having a day off really makes you hate work. I usually come off my week vacations ready to retire. And speaking of which it looks we are doing the Disney thing again this year. We decided to invite Rebekah's parents since now that her dad is reinstated we haven't really done anything with them. It seemed like a nice thought at the time but it quickly turning into a major hassle. Rebekah's mom is so fly-by-night that it is annoying. We need to have everything confirmed and we're still at the planning stages.

But I've already got my plans confirmed. While Rebekah goes Disney lapel pin hunting and Mina chases after character autographs I'm gonna see how many pictures of cute Japanese girl tourists that I can snap. I have Rebekah's blessing because she shares my fetish to a certain extent. "Sumimasen Ga. Fotoo Kudasai."

I really, really like this new song we came up with called Dial Tone. To quote N/A, "the way to move a room is a direct X plugin known as the antares autotune".
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.

The only other random thought I had today was that I hate commerce. The world tends to hold our capitalist government on a pedestal but I fear it is ready to collapse. The system just isn't working (no surprise) . Fortunately I haven't bought into it. I'm really looking forward to a theocracy even if I can't see it.

Winter Blah

The other day I stepped outside and was greeted by falling thermometer followed by falling snow flakes followed by falling mood. I want to be like a bear and hibernate all winter. I want to tuck into a nice warm spot and wake when the weather improves. Humans weren't made to scratch around in the snow.

So I almost, almost, bought a turkey last week but then chickened out. It was too much of an undertaking to try and attempt to cook it despite the low prices. Almost.

Tonight I saw Derek and Rikki again for this first time in a year. They are up visiting from Atlanta. I spent so much time with Derek when he was around but I sit there tonight not having much to say. Then again our whole relationship revolved around computer coding so we have nothing really substantial to talk about. So we chatted about SQL Server and bored each other silly.

This morning we went out in service with Tom Davis and he told us that Alicia had just had a baby. I don't think about it too often but I really miss her sometimes. We used to fight all the time. But even though she pisses me off I have a love for her. I wrote a downer screenplay about her but am waiting for the happy sequel where everything works out.

Pink Lady

Yesterday Mina was still sick so I bailed on work for the afternoon to watch her and felt really bad in doing so. When I worked at my last job I would jump at the chance to miss work but now I can barely bring myself to call off.

I took the opportunity to clean out my drum machine. With all of the new songs we are making, the DR770 was getting cluttered. I really need to figure MIDI out so I can dump the contents of the drum machine out on my harddrive as backup but I'm not at that point just yet.

Later Brandon came over and we made good progress on his new song -- Dial Tone. After so many dodgy tunes (like our most recent Video Vertigo) it is good to be on the verge of churning out something sweet for a change.

He told me that his sister and her husband are moving back in a couple of weeks and looking forward to playing. I swear I'm gonna have to start knocking down walls to accomidate all of the amps.

I forgotten to mention that over the weekend I was treated to a very cool apple variety called pink lady. It is the cosmopolitan version of the apple. So unique that it's barely an apple.

Final Fantasy X-2

So Friday night Rebekah says, "I really want a game to play."
And I say, "Oh yeah. Is anything cool out?"
And she replies, "Final Fantasy X-2 just came out today."
So I jumped in the car and headed over to Wal-Mart to grab a copy.

For the first time in ages we actually got invited to go to someone's house for dinner and fellowship. This was quickly curtailed by Mina getting sick yet again.

Thus weekend was divided between nursing a sick child, playing video games, and working on/practicing our set list.

Celebrity

I'm sick of the culture of celebrity in this country. The news revolves around celebrities (Michael Jackson) and creates new ones (Jessica Lynch). Honestly, the only way I would care if Michael Jackson sexually molested some kid would be if he lived on my block. Otherwise, how does it affect me in the slightest?

Rebekah and I brainstormed a cool new television show concept inspired by an old Adam Sandler sketch. The show would be called stalkHER. The host of the show would randomly pick out an individual and give her name a picture on television. The television audience would then be invited to follow said individual around and report on her activities and take pictures. Whomever gets the best "scoop" would win a prize.

It would combine the reality concepts of the Osbornes/Anna Nicole with the Paparazzi and an old fashioned game show. It would probably get old after one season but WHAT A SEASON!

Credit

I've got my very first credit card! An official, honest-to-god, master card with my name embossed on the front! The catch? It's a company credit card. So I can't really charge, charge, charge myself into debt like the rest of America.

The problem with the United States is that they make it practically impossible to live without a credit card. For instance you can't rent a car without a credit card. They force you into having one and then once it's in your hand it takes real strength of will not to use it.

True I have no credit but I also have no credit card debt. That is very, very cool. If I want to buy something I have to save up for it or blow our bill money.

--

So last night at the book study I quoted Eric Cartman in my comment for Rebekah's benefit. I didn't have the audacity to use his voice but she picked up on it. "Whatever! I'll do what I want!"

--

Brandon and I are working on a new song called, "Dial Tone" toward the completion of the album.

Meanwhile Rebekah and I are working hard to get a set together to play live. We really want to play the Nuclear Gopher show whenever that happens but Brandon is hesitant to leave town. We need a backup plan so either way we will play.

If I had a million dollars

I once read that Michael Jordan never wears the same pair of sneakers twice. If I had a million dollars I would do something similar. But, not with Nike shoes but with underwear. I recently was treated to a new 6-pack of Fruit of the Loom (mid-rise). It felt so good to slip into a new drawers with a waistband that actually had elasticity. To be covered by something lacking holes. I wish I could have that experience everyday.

Upon receiving my new briefs I pulled out a dental shade chart and selected the underwear that would be retired to the garbage. The dingiest were the first to go. My goal in the coming months is to replace all my old pairs.

Alas, I do not suffer from some Horatio Alger fantasy. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never have a million dollars. I think I'm gonna opt for the next option. I need to get Hanes to sponsor me. I need to become the poster boy for Fruit of the Loom. Sure I may have to do some revealing publicity shots of me in the product but it would be a small price to pay to wake up everyday and be greeted by unadulterated cotton briefs.

But how to get sponsored? I have the personality of a mime. I'll look to Jared Fogel for inspiration. He is currently writing a new book describing how an average unappealing Joe like himself has become a corporate icon for nothing at all.

Minority

It was free HBO weekend on DirecTV so I caught the last twelve minutes of Minority Report. If there ever was a movie that you can't understand unless you watch the whole thing that was it. I was so confused.

Petty Booka

I'll spare you a long-winded diatribe this entry and just get to goods.

The Best Band In Japan? (video)

. . .

Well it happened. Mind you it's not officially sanctioned condemnation but it did get a barb tossed at it in the public talk Sunday. I'll quote to the best of my memory.

"But what does the world want you to be? The world wants you to be Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"

--

I'm trying to write a children's book for my sister and recognising my limitations. It's hard. I've got something but it just isn't that great and I'm too picky about my writing to just let loose something substandard--as opposed to my music making. (With that I'll just assault your ears with any old two-bit off-tune ditty.)

So I'm no Madonna. That is to say I'm a substandard musician but I can't cross over and write a decent kid's book. I went to Border's Friday to take a look at Jeanette Winterson's The King of Capri. I was hoping I could get some pointers and if all else fails downright plagerise.

They didn't have the book so I spent time reading excerts from Michael Moore's new one while Rebekah and Mina looked around. I really should avoid Mr. Moore as he is bad for my political neutrality. He also tends to stir my expat wanderlust. But thirdly after I am done having a knee-jerk reaction to the text I really start longing for God's Kingdom more. So maybe it is a good thing to read political critisism?

While out we picked up Belle and Sebastian's new CD. I was hoping to buy a copy at the show for cheap but they didn't have any. Border's was asking $18.99 (ouch) so we got a copy at Best Buy for $15.99 (ouch). It is a really great album with only a few dodgy songs.

--

So I'm feeling a renewed sense of spirituality. Like many people my spirituality tends to resemble the stock market. I'll be strong for a certain period of time and then I'll bottom out. I really lack endurance. But I feel something so I'm going to try to capture the moment and build on it and see what happens. It feels good to be a bull again.

--

The study Sunday was talking about how persecution can just rear up inexplicably at a moments notice. How true. I was reading about a fancy French restaraunt in California(?) that was burnt to the ground after the Chirac opposed the Iraq war. It is so easy for politics (and especially neutrality) to cause people to act irrationally. One minute everything is fine and the next you are standing in the ashes of a burnt down building and wondering what happened.

Journals

The other day I went by my old High School and visited with a literature teacher who taught me a decade ago. One of the young sisters in my hall said that she was retiring pretty soon and I wanted to say hi before then. She was the sole teacher I have any fond memories of - well apart from drama teacher I had a mild crush on.

So we talked for a while. She lamented the state of the city and how it affected the schooling. The budget is such that all the classes of subtance are being stripped away will only the barest of essentials being left behind (sports evidentally one of them.) She has struggled to keep her Advanced Studies Literature/History class in spite of this. I really want to be a supporter of public schools but situations like this reinforce that in many ways the system just isn't working anymore. (It also solidifies that we need to get Mina into a new school system ASAP. Montessori is getting more and more palatable.)

We also talked a bit about journals. I didn't remember initially but she has always had her class keep journals. I must've kept one but what I wrote about is beyond me. We talked about a guy she knew. He was involved in a bad situation where he accidentally shot his best friend with a gun. The very next day he came to school and this teacher didn't know quite how to react. Buying time, trying to figure out what to do, she asked the class to pull out their journals and write. This is what he wrote:

"Today I go to the funeral of my best friend whom I shot and killed."

That might just be one of the purest things I've heard in a long time.

Belle & Sebastian

Belle & Sebastian played last night at the Pageant in support of their new album Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

I had to work late to cover for a vacationing coworker so I left directly from work to go to the show as it seemed too much of a hassle to drive home just to leave again. We got to the place and bought our tickets and drove a couple blocks down to dine at Seki's. Seki was really not in the budget but since we were practically right new door we decided to go.While we waited for the door to open for the show we dined on sushi, soba, and tempura.

At the Pangeant once again we had Mina with us so we got the obligatory stares as we entered the venue. After hassling us for an extra two dollars for a "minor surcharge" this guy came buy and rattled off something about "protecting little one's ears" and gave me some earplugs lest the ear splitting din of violins and cellos and acoustic guitars harm my daughter.

Rasupitna opened for Belle & Sebastian. They were very much a novelty two cello, one drum three-piece. Their songs were reminiscant of Tori Amos. And just like Tori the in between song batter and schtick grew old quickly. In the beginning it solicitating forced laughter but toward the end people just stared. As far as opening bands are they weren't bad. They held their own and were at least interesting to watch aswellas provided nice background music.

As Rasputina finished the place was filling up. The girl the next table over commented on how surprised she was to see this many people for B&S. I rolled my eyes at the comment. Yes, Belle & Sebastian are less well known than say Britney Spears but they are not shrouded in this bastion of indie obscurity that a lot of these kids would wish to assume. Sorry, listening to Belle & Sebastian no longer makes you different and cool.

We got Mina a Belle & Sebastian sticker by her request. She's saving it (and others) for a guitar case she says.

Belle and Sebastian took the stage and filled it to capacity. They had a least twelve people playing and suddenly the $25.00 ticket price became understandable. Everytime a new song started it seemed that new band members were popping in and out.

I came to Belle and Sebastian late so I do not have a lot of their albums. I only have a couple and some EPs. So out of the two hours that they played I only recognized a few songs. Beautiful, Photo Jenny, Judy and The Dream of Horses are the ones that come to mind. But it didn't matter, all the songs sounded wonderful.

The band started the set kind of stuffy but gradually they loosened up a bit. A girl tossed her bra onstage and Stuart picked up and said, "It's brown. How indie of you." They also did this bit where they invited someone from the audience to come up to the stage and sing a cover song (they called it a "party piece") with them. They hauled this girl named Amanda off the floor and she suggested they do Abba's Dancing Queen. After a few minutes of deliberation they decided to give a shot. The band did admirably at playing that song on the fly. My cynical self would normally conclude that Amanda was a band plant but. 1.) she didn't have accent. 2.) She couldn't really sing. It was fun and got lots of applause. I wonder if they do this often and what other songs have come up.

It was great show and was only marred by a drunken idiot in the balcony who kept screaming out his request, namely Century of Fakers, over and over and over again. What I find more annoying is the people who yell back, "they can't change the setlist for you!" and "let them play what they want." (Amanda if you are reading this that second actually came out of someone's mouth....again.) They come across so whiny.

After only one encore (sadly) the show let out and we stepped outside to get drenched by the cold November rain. We drove home to get what little bit of sleep we could salvage before waking for work and school.

Peppers

I had some chipoltle peppers leftover from my meatballs so I marinated chicken breasts in them. Last night I attempted fajitas with the chicken. I usually add onion and red bell pepper. But, since I only had an onion I had to improvise. I substituted red chilis for the missing red bells. If you check the Scoville heat scale you see what a terrible substitution this. The fajitas were hot. Not just burn your mouth hot; but, puke your guts out and scald your esophagus in the process hot.

Today a coworker brought in some peppers that he called "pepper peckers". He was only being mildly obscene. There proper botanical name is "penis pepper". They get the name from their uncanny resemblance to the male phallis. They are supposed to be pretty good. I might attempt a salsa or something with them and see what happens.

--

Last night Brandon came over and we started working on a new song, "video vertigo". I liked the title of one my journal entries I decided to incorporate it in a song. It's funny how many songs develop from a cool title. I've been waiting for my opportunity to incorporate the Konami code into a song and the time has come. I might even name-drop Justin Bailey.

With Brandon's approval I put another song up on 6a2. It's called album filler...er...rather...Dividing Sight. The song isn't that great but I love Brandon's vocals and (starts patting his own back) my guitar outro is awesome! I don't know how in the world I did it. I was just screwing around and somehow it came out. I doubt I could duplicate it.

Television

This weekend went by super fast and nothing really of note happened. We have a lot of money tied up in seeing bands over the next few weeks so we didn't have any cash to go do anything. It was pretty much just time to loaf around the house and watch TV.

I caught the season opener for The Simpsons, my favorite TV show. As for the episode, there's been better, there's been worse. I'm glad to see this series keeps going on.

I watched Saturday Night Live for the first time in a while. I think this season might be one of those really bad seasons that almost gets the show cancelled. As much as the show wants to tout itself as having "not ready for primetime players" it really works on the star principle and all the stars have left. As a sidenote, Maya Rudolf is cute. I think I saw her live in concert when she was with the Rentals but I'm not quite certain.

I checked out "Viva La Bam" a spinoff of "Jackass". It is has a lot of heart. Primarily it's about a kid, Bam Margera, driving his parents, Phil and April, crazy. However there is this subtext of love between the family that is endearing.

I got caught up in this show on the Discovery channel that was supposed to be a historical analysis of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I don't know why I bother to watch these programs when they just irritate me. They start from the standpoint that the Bible's account it just this big inflated fairy tale and then do whatever they can to present a completely opposite patched together guesswork account of their own. They kept sighting these supposed contradictions in the Bible where there were none. It was only accounts where the Bible contradicts the well known Christmas tale and where it contradicts the Catholic apocryphal version of Mary. The one point that it did make which might be valid is that Mary may have been young when she married Joseph as was the custom. The show guessed that she was twelve years old; however, I think twelve is really a stretch for child-bearing age even today when puberty begins much sooner. Sixteen or so may have been feasible.