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April 30, 2005
Suggestion for a New Movement
Listening to Sigur Rós reminds me how frustrating it was deciding to stay home rather than risking a late, late night at the Album Leaf show last week. I can manage one opening act, but I think two drags things on a bit too long; don’t concert producers and musicians appreciate mornings?
I’d like to start a movement wherein all evening events would start no later than 8pm. That way, everyone can go to bed at a decent hour. Who’s with me?
(Thanks to Mariana for that last link. The kittens were ours for a week last August while their keepers were in Hawaii.)
Posted by Elizabeth at 04:21 PM | Comments (3)
April 29, 2005
Massages, Music... and Mono?
Aaaaaaaaahhhh, Kabuki Springs... International Orange might have better masseuses, but Kabuki’s got them beat hands down in the sit-around-for-hours department. How can you top alternating between a huge sauna, a steam room stocked with rubbing salts and cucumber slices for your eyes, and a chaise longue situated in a big open room as lovely ladies wander about? Aside from wondering how those who wax deal when it starts growing back, a session at Kabuki has never failed to clear my head. I’m a committed fan.
I only strayed to IO a few weeks ago because I wasn’t in the mood to risk a bad massage (Kabuki's get bad reviews), and Mary did not disappoint. Nor did the music; I was intrigued enough to inquire on my way out about the ambient something-or-other (house? trance? techno? What would Ishkur call it?) mix that was playing. Turns out that IO masseur Rob, in addition to charming at least one of the gals at Daily Candy with his hands, is an accomplished musician. He tells me his production company has plans to release something massage-friendly this summer… and he made me copies of the spa mixes to tide me over in the meantime. Not quite as nice as it would have been if Mary had offered to repeat her service, but you can’t win ‘em all!
***
No verdict yet from the doctor, who ordered enough blood work this afternoon that I had to sit on the floor with my head between my knees, reeling, by the time they had collected enough to fill all the test vials. He says there’s a chance I have mono? Do people still get that?! I’ve put a vote in for plain old allergies; otherwise I've got a bone to pick with someone.
Posted by Elizabeth at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2005
Engine Failure
After a much-anticipated Kabuki Baths session with the gals, I’m going to suck it up and pay a visit to my Western doctor tomorrow. Who happens to be Chinese, while my Chinese doctor is German. Ah, the wonders of globalization.
I just want someone to confirm the “You’re run down” diagnosis (or at least prescribe me some serious drugs and/or friendly flora-killing antibiotics). It’s finally sinking in that I’m going to be sick until the bitter end, no matter how I slice it. Argh, three weeks, three days, and six goddam papers ‘till the end of the semester. I think I can, I think I can...
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2005
Insert Gratuitous Product Endorsement Here
I’ve been feeling smug for years that I’m not addicted to coffee, so I was somewhat deflated to discover that my yerba maté habit is just as bad (if not worse) caffeine-wise, according to Guayaki’s Caffeine-O-Meter. At least I’m also getting xanthine alkaloids, theophylline, and theobromine. (OK maybe I have no idea what any of those are, but apparently they’re good for me.)
Even though my South-America-going maté-snob friends don’t think their product is as tasty as that from other sources, I’m a big fan of Guayaki, the company whose maté has been helping me write a ridiculously long Operations Plan recently. Here’s what their CEO had to say (on a conference call for work a few weeks ago, love my job!) when asked how Guayaki defines “sustainability:”
We define it as being able to create and produce products without impacting the ability of future generations to do so. We’re also starting to get into restoration; in Argentina, there’s not a lot of forest left, so we’re reforesting with native species. Paraguay, another area where we work, is 95% deforested... Sustainability is one thing, but as we move forward it’s going to be a lot more about restoration.
We need more companies to start thinking like that, and they need to be wildly successful! Go, Drink More Guayaki Maté! Just not after 3pm, if you're as susceptible to insomnia as I am...
Posted by Elizabeth at 04:00 PM | Comments (1)
April 25, 2005
Monkey No See
More monkey behavior, from The Tipping Point this time:
…anthropologists who study vervets find that these kinds of monkeys are really bad at picking up the significance of things like an antelope carcass hanging in a tree (which is a sure sign that a leopard is in the vicinity) or the presense of python tracks. Vervets have been known to waltz into a thicket, ignoring a fresh trail of python tracks, and then act stunned when they actually come across the snake itself. This doesn’t mean that vervets are stupid: they are very sophisticated when it comes to questions that have to do with other vervets… a vervet, in other words, is very good at processing certain kinds of vervetish information, but not so good at processing other kinds of information.
Hm. That explains… well, a lot. I’m oddly comforted.
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2005
And The Winner Is...
Raeo wins the Damn You For Showing Me Interesting Things That Distract Me For Hours While I’m Trying To Get Though My Last Month Of Grad School Award for pointing me toward Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music. I think this resource has actually confused me more than anything else, so I’m interpreting Raeo’s observation that “it’s not entirely accurate” to mean that I don’t really have to understand how the 180 genres (?!!!) relate to each other. The samples and highly-opinionated, I-don't-care-what-you-think comments (here’s a light version if you don’t want to check out the whole guide) are definitely fun! Too much fun, argh. And I had just convinced myself I was catching up again after finally losing the Death Cough and getting back to work.
Warning: If you click out and back in, you’ll have to sit through the Flash intro again. Bad Flash, Bad!
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
April 23, 2005
Dorks R Üs
After viewing Where the Hell is Matt’s video of his international dancing dorkiness (via SFGate), I am inspired to post a brief clip of my brother and me, from last summer, displaying similar tendencies. Adam and I (what do you mean you didn't want me posting this on the internet?) clearly have dominant dork genes; thanks, Dad.
Location: Somewhere between the San Juan Islands
Date: August 14, 2004
Song: ¿Comprendes Mendes? by Control Machete
Final note: Your federal taxes are helping fund Adam’s season of zooming around on boats looking at birds.
Posted by Elizabeth at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2005
Mind Zap, Matchmaking, and Mash-ups
I'm going to the Mind Zap Fest tomorrow with a recently-rediscovered high school classmate, who happens to be both my neighbor and a corporate-criminal-slapping attorney (Go Team!). No clue what to expect from a party whose offerings include mind tokens (?), corn dogs, headbands, and a "gateway to the inner planes of existence," but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to bond with The King Of Bonding (his favorite verb), his roommate Hipster Nate (I'm not worthy), and anyone else he's tricked into coming...
Meanwhile, one of my favorite people just called to thank me for introducing her to one of my favorite MBA classmates; apparently they've really hit it off. I realize I'm supposed to be excited, and of course I am-- it's just that I'm a little wary of my matchmaking skills. When my high school sweetheart hooked up with my best friend from college a couple years ago, things got a little messy when it didn't work out (I remember being at a loss to explain to one why I ever gave the other a glowing review). So please just try to keep it going until after graduation, or at least relinquish me from all responsibility for what happens, OK?
For some truly successful match, er, mash-ups of the musical variety, check out DJ BC. I'm especially happy about the Beastles given fond memories of Beatles on the old Fisher Price record player.
Posted by Elizabeth at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2005
Looking for Another Street to Walk Down
This poem is from There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk by Portia Nelson, but I come across it every so often when I dip into SARK’s book Inspiration Sandwich. Seems to be relevant at the moment! I don't know how to get the indents right, so you'll just have to imagine the words in a much more interesting format...
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t belive I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit… but,
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
V
I walk down another street.
Posted by Elizabeth at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2005
Loose Ends
A few bits and bobs: I found the song, my brother's Roxette cover is now available for your listening pl... um, well it's there, and a handy guide I stumbled across helps demystify at least some of the electronica terms that have me scratching my head.
And here are some photos from my flight back from Calgary last month. The first two are somewhere over the Canadian Rockies, and the third is much closer to home.
Posted by Elizabeth at 01:24 PM | Comments (1)
April 18, 2005
Turning Over a New Leaf
I’ve embarked upon a mission to find a song that has been haunting me since I heard it (once, and while barely awake) more than three months ago. Because the song in question was one of several casualties in a file-transfering accident, I wasn’t able to listen again, and I never managed to determine its origin. Fie.
Today the hunt turned up The Album Leaf, and I think it must have been one of his beauties. Being this close is perhaps more frustrating than just thinking I’d never find it… Meanwhile, I’m totally entranced by his Seal Beach EP, just released in this country with five additional live tracks.
I may attempt to drag my sorry self to the Independent to see him play tomorrow night, as I think there are far worse things to do while sick than lose oneself in lovely sounds; that’s what I’m telling myself, at least. Plan B: stay home and watch this video over and over again. The little creatures remind me of the adorable Kodama in Princess Mononoke, and of course anything that features a little rattie, even if only a brief cameo right at the end, wins my heart!
UPDATE 4/19/2005: Eureka, thanks to the Curmudgeon! One more clue and I was able to find the song. Turns out it is not a product of The Album Leaf after all; Greg Davis is responsible.
Posted by Elizabeth at 11:57 PM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2005
iPod, üPod
A few months ago, Crossroads Trading Co. refused to take any of the clothes I happily outgrew this year, confirming at least one friend’s conviction that I have no sense of style. If I can’t convince the iPod headphones to stay in, can it then be assumed that my ears are also out of fashion? I trust that Apple did a lot of research before settling on the specific design of their now ubiquitous--if not the best sounding--earbuds, so I’m willing to consider that my ears just aren’t up to spec.
In high school, which has been on the mind a lot lately because my 10-year reunion is in a month, my style was much worse. Still, Feltron conceded to being my dearest friend in those days; this was before he had a robot nickname, and as far as I know, he wasn’t into dinosaurs yet... This recent headphone issue triggered a flashback of the back-in-high-school day he presented me with a pair of non-bud headphones, after I’d been complaining about the pair that came with my walkman. I just went digging, and miraculously, I still have them.
Since it’s already been determined that I have no style, I’m sure nobody will complain that because they’re black, they don’t match… indeed, the less-conspicuous headphones may even help alleviate my iPod shame. Thanks again, Nick!
Posted by Elizabeth at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2005
Musical Exhibitionism
Since being grounded by the Evil Death Cough, I’ve spent far too much time online. In addition to blogging obsessively, I find myself succumbing to various forms internet stalking, which means that I’ve discovered all sorts of new and interesting diversions that my conspicuously-online peeps participate in. Some of them I’m trying out myself, which I suppose makes me easy to stalk as well; having a one-letter last name has innoculated me against most Google searches thus far, so I suppose it’s only fair to give my stalkers something to go on (she said, as if she actually had, or wanted, stalkers).
My latest foray into online exhibitionism *I mean* community building comes via dj raeo (ping!): Audioscrobbler. Sign up, download the plugin, and it’ll start analyzing (and publishing) the music you play. It'll also refer you to other users with similar musical taste, or make recommendations. That’s my nutshell review. If you’re into that sort of thing, check it out, as there are quite a few other features.
Oh yeah, and send me your user name so I can monitor your listening habits, OK?
Posted by Elizabeth at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)
April 15, 2005
Google Geekdom... Got Juice?
How do I love Google? Let me count the ways… I’m addicted to the Google toolbar (Firefox version here), I installed Google Desktop the day they released the beta version, and thanks to Google News Alerts, I’ve been able to pass as an expert in a variety of professional situations (most ridiculous: I was Fantastic Foods’ low carb guru for a year). Were I not already trying to keep track of 5 email accounts, I’d be using gmail; sure, big brother might be watching, but at least brother Google won’t be evil.
More recently, Google’s satellite map feature has this geographer drooling. (Slightly unrelated as it’s not officially Google, but definitely cool: Nick reported on this guy’s Google maps + Craigslist rental listings hack a few days ago.)
Beyond all these goodies, it’s Google Gulp that has really brightened my day:
You can pick up your own supply of this "limited release" product simply by turning in a used Gulp Cap at your local grocery store. How to get a Gulp Cap? Well, if you know someone who's already been "gulped," they can give you one. And if you don't know anyone who can give you one, don't worry – that just means you aren't cool. But very, very (very!) soon, you will be.
Don't miss the "Google Gulp and Your Privacy" section at the bottom. I don’t think Greg Steltenpohl (one of the original hippies behind Odwalla and my boss when I was working for Interra last summer) should be too worried that this Google project will compete with his new juice venture; Adina World Beat Beverages will actually be hitting the shelves in a week or so. The other day he gave me a sample of the Hibiscus Lemon Bissap Bionutrient Enhanced Juice Cooler (what???), which was yummy, but at ~$2.50 a bottle, a mere 9% juice, and most ingredients not organic, I’m a little skeptical. We’ll see, we’ll see! If success can be measured by the number of Google search results, they've got a long way to go.
Posted by Elizabeth at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2005
Wait, There's More!
Thanks Dedee for alerting me to another, um, offering from Scandinavia, where at least a few folks are taking Eco-Pornography very seriously. Fuck for Forest is not the eco-porn that Gerry Mander rails against (the kind you find in sleazy corporate greenwashing campaigns), it’s the Real Deal. Hump on a Stump, Save the Trees! Or something like that. They have a hard time getting non-profits to take their money. Oh, come now.
While searching for the article at SFGate.com, I learned that it wasn’t this woman’s finger in the Wendy’s chili (just to follow up on this post).
Posted by Elizabeth at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2005
Some People Have No Taste
I had planned on delving into the politics of work/life boundaries, and my general inability to set or enforce them, but I'm too whacked out on cough syrup (Safeway generic tonight- I'm diversifying) and I just got some crazy news from my bro in Bellingham (run-on-sentence you say? to hell with grammar))), seems the folks who broke into his car to get the stereo also took a case full of burned CDs, and they actually took the time to remove the Shakira album, leaving it behind.
What huh??? Given Adam's inexplicable affinity for Swedish pop, butt rock, and his own cheesy covers (which y'all are lucky I can't upload due to excessive file size), I'm sure the rejected CD was the best one in there. What's not to love about Shakira?
UPDATE 4/19/05: Now you can listen to Itmustabinluv, Adam's rendition of the Roxette song you're glad you haven't heard in ages. Recorded in collaboration with Noah Waldman at Fluffland, San Anselmo. Next scheduled recording: ItmustaBinLaden.
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
Interview Update
Rather than driving the Chairman to an airport hotel from Sunflower as per the original plan, the “interview” traveled to my living room, where the Chairman proceeded to drink several of the Fat Tires left over from my birthday party. As the Dayquil wore off, I tried to both stay awake and avoid saying anything too incriminating with what little voice I had remaining. There was much laughter, which of course sent me into violent fits of coughing…
Somewhere around 1am, my poor roommate (A, I'm so sorry!) sent this text message: “R u ok? Is this an all nite mtg?” I finally had to excuse myself, and the Chairman crashed on our futon. A mere five hours later, the phone rang to let me know his airport taxi had arrived. I didn’t get up again until noon, and now I feel worse than ever.
So. Groucho Marx refused to join any club that would have him as a member. Should I be concerned that I still seem to have a job offer, even after a room inspection (I tried to keep him out, but he insisted on looking) revealed this disaster?
I guess my future boss doesn't read Fast Company:
The psychologist Samuel Gosling discovered you can learn just as much about a person from a peek inside their bedroom as a daylong interview. A framed copy of a B-school degree hanging above someone's bed, dirty laundry scattered on the floor, or a shrine of decorative candles reveal how they'd like to be perceived, their behavioral tendencies, and how they like to make themselves feel. "What you avoid when you don't meet someone face-to-face are all the confusing and complicated and ultimately irrelevant pieces of information that serve to screw up your judgment," writes Gladwell. Think of creative ways you can gain more insight into candidates when prospecting for new talent (short of sneaking into their bedrooms, of course).
Posted by Elizabeth at 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2005
It's in the Stars
Mercury is retrograde, say the astrologists. Has been since March 20th, and will be until tomorrow. Do I know anything about astrology? No, but at this point I’m willing to accept any explanation for (and better yet, any forecasted end to) the recent preponderance of communication breakdowns, landlord-needs-to-invade-my-home plumbing problems, and other snafus, including the fact that the accountant mailed my tax return to the wrong address. Which means that my Social Security number and myriad other personal details are Out There, Somewhere, whee.
When Mercury is retrograde, we are advised to avoid engaging in important conversations or making any major decisions, especially with regard to relationships, jobs, or starting anything new. Of course I’ve been doing all three, with less than stellar results... In an uncharacteristically successful move, I did manage to get out of going to Berkeley for a pseudo job interview this afternoon (“pseudo” because nobody has ever officially called it an interview, even though that’s clearly what it was supposed to be). Instead, we will meet over dinner at Sunflower on Valencia--Go Team!--and I can crawl back into bed for the rest of the day.
Aforementioned interview is with the guy who, when he first met me and heard about my MBA program, said, “so when you graduate, you’ll be qualified to do nothing!” I parried with “actually, I was planning on working for you.” Despite the Total Cad first impression, he’s proven himself to be a nice guy over the last couple of months. Even more surprising, he’s trying to talk me into working full time (I offered no more than 30 hours/week), and I’m actually considering it. Still, I’ll play it safe with the stars and wait a few days before committing to anything...
Posted by Elizabeth at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2005
Some Pricks are OK
I'm sick of being sick. So, in addition to putting up with the perpetual sore throat, keeping myself awake all night coughing, and having no voice mornings and evenings (some people are excited about this last detail), I have begun to let a stranger stick needles into me on a regular basis.
I don't claim to know how these things work, but apparently all my symptoms, including my annual spring-time insomnia, are related to blocked liver energy??? I do know that the needles in my wrist and feet were causing all sorts of weird electrical stuff to happen, so something must be working.
Also part of the regime: lily pills, herbal "two old men" cough syrup (on the label, not inside, I hope- tastes way better than Nyquil) and the same exercises that my grandparents from Hong Kong used to do before they succumbed to American culture. Gotta say there's something satisfying about getting back to the Chinese heritage...
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
April 08, 2005
What's it Worth to Ya?
So Wendy's still hasn't been able to figure out where the infamous finger-in-the-chili came from, and now they're offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to its identification. DNA tests notwithstanding, I think someone should just lop off part of their own finger, show the stump, and claim the cash. Seriously, do you really need that last digit? Jerry Garcia rocked minus one, and Tommy Caldwell cranks as hard as ever since sawing the end off his finger...
The press is certainly painting an odd portrait of the woman who found it, and her house has been searched; maybe she planted it? I spend lots of time amongst the research that shows how convoluted the food chain has become, and speaking of the late Jerry, The Future of Food (a film created by his most recent wife, on earlier this week at the Red Vic) also warns how hard it is to trace food sources. Still, it amazes me that nobody can figure out where the finger came from. You'd think someone would be missing it ???
Posted by Elizabeth at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)
Fan Mail!
Can't find the Nyquil Cough anywhere, but I was delighted to discover this in the inbox:
Wow... i just actually read your blog. It really is exceptionally self-absorbed and totally without meaning to anyone but you and perhaps... well, you. This stuff should really just stay in your journal... I think blogs should probably be to communicate to more than yourself and your most intimate friends... so there.
I'm very amused to report that the above comment comes from the very guy who "accidentally" took my journal home one night a few weeks ago. Thank goodness nobody told me the rules, and that the one regular lurker doesn't care! :)
Posted by Elizabeth at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2005
Notes from a Fully-Recovered Vegan
For whatever reason, I’ve been blessed with a lot of good meat lately. A picnic amongst the wildflowers in Point Reyes included soppresatta (pepper flake, check!) and a wonderfully greasy pepperoni. (Dairy relatives sought retribution perhaps? by blocking the vehicle on two occasions.)
Then I was invited to dinner at Chez Spencer, a hidden gem of a restaurant right around the corner from Rainbow Grocery (who knew?). During an exquisite couple of hours, we feasted on African pheasant, a rack of lamb ordered bleu with sabayon and artichoke hearts, flatiron steak... It’s worth noting that several non-meat offerings, which included langoustine gratinée, a lovely seafood bisque incorrecly billed as bouillabaisse (which didn’t matter as we prefer the former), and asparagus with white truffle emulsion, were also quite amazing.
I realize that fowl doesn’t technically qualify as meat; do innards? Not sure… the foie gras served with a Pink Lady apple tart definitely took a few breaths away, though the portion was a bit large for an appetiser so rich. The sweetbreads with crispy bits of parmesan got my vote for best dish of the evening. Desserts too, goodness, warm apple crepes, pear granité, coconut pot de crème, warm chocolate, hazelnut parfait… Gold Stars all around!
Getting back to the meat theme (much more sustainably so), I got to sample a cowboy steak the Niman Ranch staff had cooked up shortly before I arrived at their office the other day. I had my pick of fatty bits; they claim that when you’ve been there long enough, you lose interest?! Ah, the perks of working in the food industry are many. Gone are the days of free Annie’s mac & cheese by the caseload, but I remember them fondly!
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2005
My Kindgdom for a Chimp
Out of a mostly-useless conference I attended last Saturday (an attempt to apply the theories of social evolution to business leadership), one thing did stick with me. Apparently there was once a lab study involving both children and chimpanzees trying to open latched boxes to get at pieces of fruit inside. A lab technician would demonstrate one of several methods for opening the box, some of which were more effective than others. The result? Humans are really good at imitating the demonstrated techniques, even if they don’t work, and chimpanzees waste no time getting to the fruit.
I love this kind of insight into human behavior, and now I'm seeing examples of this phemenon everywhere! Case in point: the prevalence of email and text messages as modes of personal communication when, in my opinion, a one-sided string of words on the screen is rarely an effective proxy for actual human interaction. (Oh yeah, blogs suck too.)
Posted by Elizabeth at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2005
Napoleon in Relationships
Almost forgot to mention the sudden insight during Rollerskate Skinny last night: “ain't nobody gonna see eye to eye with a girl who's only gonna stand collarbone high.” Well of course, that explains everything, maybe that’s what the Curmudgeon meant when he said I could have been a little taller?
Still, Little Miss Communication remains my favorite use of double entendres (OK and Flash has rare virtues) to illustrate the ups and downs of trying to figure out what the hell is going on between two people... While I’m at it, the latest video from Jim’s Big Ego provides yet another perspective on the rampant paranoia encouraged by the current admin. /politics
Posted by Elizabeth at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
InDefinitely
At the Hot Buttered Rum show I ran into one of the guys involved in last summer’s Jaegermeister Incident, which of course reminds me of being yelled at by the Sideman, who had apparently been expecting to come home from work that night to something prettier than me propped up over his toilet. He’s been on the mind lately because I’ve been listening exclusively to the Old 97’s, a band he introduced me to. I can’t get this one line from Indefinitely out of my head (nor the image of frontman Rhett Miller shaking his stuff when they played it at the Fillmore last October). I sing a slightly adjusted version to myself because, as I tried to explain the other night, I’m In, Definitely.
I made the mistake of checking out the band’s website before crawling into bed, only to discover that Rhett was playing solo, just down the street, in 15 minutes. Aaaaaaa, so much for going to bed early! After a brief moment of frustration at the door because the guy didn’t want to sell any more tickets (sold out my ass; he let a whole bunch of talkers in after me, grr), I was listening to the brilliant boy tell stories about being young(er) and falling in and out of love and jealousy and all those things that most of us feel and none of us can write or sing about so eloquently. He played Indefinitely and Adelaide (the other song stuck on repeat) right in a row, and a whole bunch of songs from an upcoming album in addition to old favorites, can’t complain at all, except maybe about the fact that it’s impossible to dance properly when the venue’s full of inanimate people in chairs.
Rhett’s occasional forearm-only Pete Townsend guitar technique reminds me of my high school math teacher Helen Rogers, though she never made me swoon, and when her elbow disjointed it was because she was drawing perfect circles on the chalkboard…
Posted by Elizabeth at 01:48 AM | Comments (0)
April 02, 2005
On the Lighter Side
Not sure what else I should have expected on April Fools' Day... First it was an visit to Dolores Park Cafe last night, thwarted by a children's music troupe. ("A festive night of songs and stories for used to be hip parents and their hip kids!") I kept walking, and felt sorry for the gal in the window near the back with a pile of books and her hands over her ears who somehow decided to stick it out.
A few hours later, it was juggling, a very tall unicycle, stilts, and various combinations thereof in the middle of the Hot Buttered Rum show in Pacifica. Gotta say I'm a fan of fancy juggling, so long as there aren't any clowns associated with it...
Posted by Elizabeth at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
April 01, 2005
It's Official: I Care, Outside Doesn't
The problem with any sort of moral campaign (see original post here) is that the other party needs to care. Though Outside magazine claims to be "dedicated to covering the people, activities, gear, literature, art, and politics of the world outside," my conversations with the communications director suggest they fancy gloss and glitter more than the actual communities featured. "Have you heard of [cover photographer] James White?" she asked me. "He's really famous, has worked with Vogue, Vanity Fair!" As the Curmudgeon pointed out, they could have saved a lot of money by hiring Dean instead. Guess all the corporate ad spots leave them with cash to burn.
After doing her best to answer my questions, it was clear to both of us that she hadn't been able to get me the story I was after. "Don't tell him I said so, but you should just call the photo director." Of course, I already had; we've been playing phone tag for the last few days. Can't wait to hear what he has to say.
Meanwhile, there's some degree satisfaction for me in this thread on SuperTopo, where several of the regulars are in my camp on this whole issue...
***
1:25pm update:
The story has a really boring ending, no surprises there. Outside's photo director was annoyed because he had hired an expensive stylist who still wanted a credit listed, even though the gal's not wearing anything.
He said, "We're a general interest magazine with 2.5 million readers; we're not about the core community. We were trying to shoot a commercial cover. I don't hire climbing photographers for any cover shots, and I never will. I mean come on- people get upset about the things we do all the time." Guess it's just my turn to stew. Next...
Posted by Elizabeth at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)