Di Limon

We got it and I'm pretty pleased. 6a2 will playing April 3 @ The Ground Floor in Belleville. I arranged for Polarized Mind to join us this evening. I'm toying with the above design for t-shirts.

Violence

On one of the many occasions over the years where I've set out to learn Japanese I got a copy of "My Book Of Bible Stories" from Japan. Being written for children the text was a little easier and seemed a good enough place to learn elementary kanji. One of the key differences between the Japanese and English versions is that Japanese edition was in full-color. Maybe that was why I discovered something interesting that I had never noticed before growing up. In one of the illustrations covering the story of the prophetess Deborah, Sisera lays dead with a tent-peg driven into his head as blood trails down his lifeless face. It's hard to notice in B&W but in color the illustration was apparent enough. It was a striking image and I imagined it as a movie.

It got me wondering then as I still ponder today. If you took many of the accounts of the Bible and adapted them to film what rating would they receive? A tent-peg in the head is just a start. What about fat kings gutted with a sword that defecated upon themselves? Fornicators that are pierced together through their genitals by spear?

Today, as is my routine, I checked Roger Ebert's weekly movie reviews and read his review on The Passion. (For the rest of this entry I'm going to ignore the obvious doctrinal problems with this movie and focus on another element of it.) Ebert calls it the most violent movie he's ever seen and goes on to chide the MPAA for not giving it an NC-17 rating that he felt the violence warranted. From what I've heard of the movie the violence depicted should not be unfamiliar to a student of the Bible. The brutality of the Roman flogging has been discussed several times, often in depth, and it still makes me cringe. We've seen countless drawings and paintings of Jesus hung from the torture stake and it's been elaborated upon what that is like, the pain, the suffocation.

But it's weird to think about something of a Biblical nature that you've pictured in your mind or seen in drawings of carrying an R rating, let alone an NC-17. On a basic level I guess the rating fits. It's nothing a child should see because they aren't in a position to comprehend it. However, it still seems "off"; because from a strict Christian standpoint R-rated movies are questionable, and NC-17 movies aren't even in the equation. As Christians we've been warned time and time again against movie violence. For good reason, Hollywood presents violence without morality and it is glorified. But then comes the most violent movie ever produced and the basis of it is the Bible narrative. It's really odd.

Are some things just meant to be read and not seen, like in our Bible dramas when the violence is implied but not shown? Jezebel gets thrown out the window, just before the dogs reach her the curtain is drawn and we break for lunch?

live

Since 6a2 is wrapping up the CD we are starting the process of looking for places to play out. If it were up to me I'd play anywhere. I've got no problem playing clubs (with the exception of strip clubs and country line dance clubs.) However, Brandon doesn't want to play at bars or night clubs so that limits us somewhat.

This new mexican restaraunt had opened up in the St. Louis club district and Elvis the owner has started booking bands to play. Rebekah talked to him on the phone and he told us to bring him a demo CD and he would give us a slot. So Friday we asked Brandon and Jodie to go up there. We figured we would eat, check out the place, and give the guy a CD.

We made it up there around 7:00 and we were pretty hungry. We walk into the place and the decor is Mexican-Catholic. Crosses above each table and a Virgin Mary candle on each table. So what seemed like a perfect non-bar place to play was suddenly not feasible. I was pretty dissapointed. We didn't end up eating there despite starving.

We headed to nearest place to satasfiy our appetite, the tap-room which was a couple blocks over. If you love beer, The Tap Room, is awesome. I tried a Cream Ale that was light but a bit sour. But then I ordered a Smoked Porter which was superb. The food at Tap Room is kind of iffy. They'll take mundane dishes like meatloaf or chicken fried steak and then give it this unusual twist which has dodgy results. For instance I had a sausage on a bun. The usual perfect beer food. But then they lathered the thing with bleau cheese. Why? It's not sophistication so much as eccentricity. Brandon and Jodie had the chicken fried steak which they said was good but I questioned the corn gravy topping it.

Saturday Rebekah took Mina to do group pictures with her cousins. I stayed home and made Baked Ziti with Spicy Pork and Sausage Ragu. It turned out to be a three-hour process but it was delicious enough. I even got to use a new ingredient - Pancetta bacon!

Saturday I drove up to Belleville to check out a new coffee house that was having bands. It actually turned out to be decent. I gave the booking lady our CD. I hope that pans out because they even had a mounted projector which would be perfect for a video accompany to the live set. The bands playing Saturday night were the typical emo/punk high-school punk bands that you can't fart without hitting in this town. It's all the same band with many different names. So so boring.

My parents surprised me by showing up at the meeting this morning. They were in town and decided to drop by. It has been years since they came to our hall. I'm kind of glad that they did so that everyone will stop asking me how they are doing for a while. We went out to eat with a group to Tequila - a mexican joint that doesn't have crosses and St. Theresa of Gaudalupe tapestries.

The Legends

Yeah! Parasol finally got around to selling the debut album from The Legends. I've liked what I've heard so far and can't wait to get the album.

marraige

I was just reviewing my goals for last weekend.

I didn't make the spanish meatballs but I did make a chicken green chili which was decent but not wonderful.

I didn't write any on my new novel. I did do some research which was interesting. I was reading about the origins of our marriage customs and ceremonies. It's interesting to find out the origins of practices we just do out of habit. For instance, during the wedding ceremony when the father "gives away" the bride. This used to serve as legal transfer of "property", his daughter, before witnesses. The father was the owner of the daughter and he was giving this property to the new husband. Also we have the part of the ceremony where the minister asks if anyone would have a reason as to why the couple shouldn't be joined together. This was to give witnesses of the ceremony an opportunity to state whether or not the couple was a.) related and the marriage would be incestous b.) If one or the other was already married to another individual.

We tried to look for eyeglasses. The store where we had bought our current pair had moved. We went to new location that didn't have the same great selection. They just had a few odd pairs on a shelve. I wish buying eyeglasses online was feasible. I know you can do it but I don't know if it would be the smart thing to do.

I watched the Liz Phair concert on DirecTV. We used to have this brother at our hall that had really bad stage fright. When he talked it was so uncomfortable because his voice shook so bad it sounded like he was about ready to cry. Well Liz Phair sounds almost as bad. Her voice shakes but she sounds more like a lamb being strangled. She doesn't so much play her guitar as she holds onto for dear life. She did OK playing her older songs but when she tackled pop songs that the Matrix wrote she really sounded bad.

Speaking of which Rebekah and I re-arranged our pop song we are working on. It's changed now to fit in with the Matrix formula. That is: Intro, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Breakdown, Chorus. I got iZotope "Trash" and I looking forward to using it. I'm hoping it'll help me get a better guitar sound on my recordings. Distortion has always been problematic using Cool Edit's built in distortion effect.

The week begins anew.

tomatillo

Today, to my surprise, we both were up for field service and made it to the Johns' house with seconds (3 to 4) to spare. I guess it helps that they are just a couple blocks away. When it came time to make groups Rebekah said how she didn't want to work with me to which I responded that it was fine thing to do your husband on Valentine's day.

So we did the service thing and then came home and I did the nap thing and then I went solo grocery shopping armed with latest issue of Bon Apetit.

I'm making some sort of chili that uses a whole pound of problano chilis. It also calls for tomatillos. I started filling a bag with the veggies and this old eastern European woman comes over and starts asking how you prepare tomatillos. (I ask again, do I seem approachable?) I had to shrug and claim ignorance. I told her that it was my first-time and I'm just going to husk, chop, and drop them in the chili like the recipe calls for. She eyed me suspiciously and then wished me luck.

The weather is still crummy. Our driveway is a sheet of ice and I ended up sliding under the car the other day. It took me a good couple of minutes to finally get back up as I get slipping. Of course I had to look around and see if anyone saw me humiliate myself.

I hate the cold. The one thing that keeps me from moving North is the winter.

Slip, sliding away

I don't know if I'm langouring in the usual depression or what. I just can't shake the feeling that the world around me is going to hell in a handbasket. I guess to some extent that I expected it but then you see it happening and it is kind of eerie. The odd thing about it is that it's kind of subtle. There is has always been a state of advancing from "bad to worse" but it seems accelerated these days. Like a train gaining momentum right before derailment.

I woke up this morning into a world where religion didn't matter and to still be carrying on like it does makes you really conspicuous, old-fashioned, fanatical. But I'm sticking with it because it just makes sense. The thing I like about being in the truth is that everything is explained. On a certain level I guess it appeals to the heart but it's the logic of it that really keeps me in. You can hold the truth up like a transparency sheet over the world's affairs and you see it for what it is. It's like a secret decoder ring that unlocks everything, past, present, and future.

--

The good news is that it is Friday. What's on the agenda for the weekend? More meatballs (this time Spanish), more music (hopefully finish the "pop" song), field service (need to get back on that horse), shopping for glasses (for Rebekah and me), and maybe work a little on the new novel.

there and back again

I'm getting back in the swing of things after being gone. The worst thing about vacation is coming back and feeling like everything has changed. It also imbues in me a sort of "what am I doing here I should be opening a restaurant" sort of malaise.

I got to try out my new santoku knife last night and made some really great food that Rebekah refused to eat because of the fennel. I made beef and Italian sausage meatballs, with onions and tomatoes. Then I made pasta. The sauce was an off the cuff deal made with garlic, onions, baby portabellos, merlot, tomatoes, and roasted red pepper. I usually suck at marinara sauces but this one turned out to be pretty good. (I cut my finger with the aforementioned santoku knife while trying to cut off the seal on the aforementioned merlot.)

Brandon came over since we had missed the Monday session. We have three songs in the works as well as the redo of Athens that we never got around to. Rather then focus on one song we kind of added bits and pieces to them. We are moving along but I'd rather be done.

Nimrod

I just got done faxing a proposal to an individual named Nimrod Jones (Last named changed to protect me and my job from Google searches.) What kind of a name is Nimrod? Someone in my office says, "It's a Biblical name for a hunter." I had to clarify, "Yeah, a mighty hunter in opposition to God." Wild. Some parents. I'm sure he has a little brother named Baal.

right, write

I just spend the good portion of the day and night and the preceeding day reading a novel (Middlesex if you care) I picked up at Borders to ease boredom of the long drive home.

As I read I feel the desire to write. Sometime when I read I get inspired to try to write as well as the novel in hand. More often than not I want to write because I believe I can write better than what sits open on my lap.

I'm sure I say that with ridiculous conceipt. I'm forced to think of those tuneless bodies who audition for American Idol because they feel in their heart of hearts that they are better than Clay and Reuban and Justin and Kelley. They are sincere but deluded.

So perhaps I am deluded. But does it matter if what I'm doing makes me feel good? Does it matter if I write a story I want to read.

What do I want to read about? I want to read about circus freaks, narwhals, the Great Plague of London, insane asylums, great sea squids, anorectics, and prisons. That's what I'm going to write about.