Friday, February 25, 2005

why we love msn and match.com. 2.25.05

copied from msn.com. it really speaks for itself.

Quiz: Are you too quirky to date?

By Analise Pendergast

Good for you: You’re one in a million with your individual style and unusual interests. But are you such an enigma that you come off as weird or wacky? Or are you a one-of-a-kind gem that’s poised to charm the pants off the right person with your eccentric sensibilities? Take this fun quiz to find out just where you fall on the quirky scale (and what that means for your love life).

1. Seen any good movies lately?
* Yes, the latest Hollywood blockbuster. I give it four stars. (Score = 1)
* Yes, an underground experimental historical re-enactment shot in handheld Super-8. (Score = 4)
* No, all of the new movies are schlock. You only watch the classics. (Score = 2)
* No, you don’t believe in watching movies. (Score = 3)

2. When getting dressed for a party, you’re most likely to wear:
* Some fabulous get-up – maybe something in red leather, a boa, or leopard-print shoes. (Score = 4)
* Something nice but not flashy – maybe one of your work outfits. (Score = 1)
* Whatever you already happen to have on – maybe jeans and a T-shirt. (Score = 3)
* A 1940’s vintage silk suit you got at an antique auction. (Score = 2)

3. You were late for your date because:
* One of your ferrets escaped from its cage and you couldn’t get it out from under the couch. (Score = 3)
* You had to stay late at the office to finish up a project for your boss. (Score = 1)
* Traffic was backed up due to an accident on the highway. (Score = 2)
* What time is it, anyway? You don’t wear a watch. (Score = 4)

4. You believe that dating is:
* Potentially great, if you’ve met the right person. (Score = 2)
* Nerve-wracking but necessary. (Score = 1)
* Bogus. (Score = 4)
* Something you don’t really have time for. (Score = 3)

5. Are you normal?
* Yes, pretty much. (Score = 1)
* Absolutely not! (Score = 4)
* You can come off as normal, but you’re really quite unique inside. (Score = 2)
* Can’t answer that. Who’s to say what’s normal, anyway? (Score = 3)

Your score
4-8 points: You tend to follow the rules, play it safe, and do what’s expected of you. Just make sure you’re not squelching your individuality in favor of towing the line and blending in. Take a chance on letting your unique light shine through a little more, and let that prospective match see what sets you apart from the crowd.

9-12 points: You’re in touch with your quirks and you wear them well. You champion your individuality, while also being perfectly adept at walking in step with the modern world. You have no trouble attracting attention with your elegant blend of savior faire and je ne sais quois.

13-16 points: When it comes to quirkiness, you’re the gold standard. A genuine Type-Q personality, you live by your own rules, and dance to your own groove — sometimes to a fault. Don’t get so wrapped up in your own little world that you forget to keep your eye out for that simpatico nonconformist who’ll compliment your idiosyncrasies perfectly with a signature set of quirks all his own.

17-20 points: You actively cultivate quirkiness, always checking to make sure you’re NOT doing the same thing anyone else is doing. Just be sure your eccentricities are genuine and not ramped up for shock value purposes. A rare bird like you possesses enough natural magnetism to turn plenty of heads, so there’s no need to try too hard and risk coming off as a poser.


i was big on the 3's and 4's but i am only the gold standard. damnit, i am too close to being a typical toolbag. time to go cultivate some quirks.
no longer welcome in the red states. 2.25.05

let's get you out of these wet clothes.

some brilliant person was hooked on the idea of having an 8 pm meeting. and then it snowed. i travelled into manhattan and back again. it's damned cold outside. damned cold.

i am hooked again. wow. the spider man kiss is so brilliant. i can't even step to that. it's a moment-- and apparently i am alone in this-- where i think to myself, "i should just stop writing because i will never ever top that set-up." i am watching the oc on tape at 1 am and i just squealed. also, i want the sprite car. i love sprite. someone, please tell me what's poppin' on next week's OC.

the opening scene was priceless. the rain? the confusion about what to do with rain? amazing.

julie cooper calling not-having-breakfast punk? the makeout behind momma? marissa has seriously developed a personality, charm, appeal! though that bony sex thing, it's like two skeletons going at it. don't they cut each other with elbows? i love how mischa's character has become an actual teen. the belief that everything is forever, perhaps; the feeling that much of the world is against her except one person who seems a little ambivalent about her role is marissa's life. marissa's a little intense. a little... needy? but hell, alex' hair looks mad hot! and seth's reaction, the eye-rub? priceless. i don't have analysis. i just need a few minutes alone. no one knock on the door.

all better.


lindsay playing the clarinet? lindsay is caleb's daughter? lindsay's going to chicago? she's going to hang out with fieser and deb? can we get ryan a girlfriend who stays in the oc?


now... kids know boys II men, still? i love summer, but kids know motownphilly? the mention of the knockoff reality show (the real oc or whatever) but calling it the valley? sweet. the look of hurt on zach's face was priceless; i think he's a milquetoast but that made me sad.

the boat, in retrospect, is a little small to travel all the way up the left coast, isn't it? just saying. the seth-summer overdrive has run a bit long, but i love rachel bilson's slightly raspy voice. in the movie of my life, erica, rachel can play you. have we ever seen or heard about her parents?

and is she into little boys? creepy.


i hope rebecca's bags were waterproof.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

return of the process oriented liberal 2.24.05

it's a funny world we live in, and that was a bad beginning to a post about what a funny world we live in.

the funny world part is inspired by the ridiculous constructs reactionary conservative bloggers and columnists seem to create to describe "liberals." old news, of course. but placing people on one end or another is flat out silly. and woefully inaccurate if the writer wants to talk about actual solutions and consensus. i know, i know, then they wouldn't have much to gripe about.

why would we be so different? who isn't a savvy enough reader of news and of political events to realize that extreme positions are often used as a beginning bargaining point, not the end-all or fuck-off threshold for what's acceptable?

admitting that there is a range of opinion, of course, gets us into that "people are different than each other" arena, a dangerous mode of thinking that will not allow us to sing along with team america, "america, fuck yeah!" (we will sing sarcastically). it is much easier to say "you belong in this hole." you, in this hole. and never the holes shall meet.
i tore hair from kinky roots 2.24.05

silver , sometimes i think you are nutty and sometimes i don't always agree with some of your observations, but one one thing you are right. i read it at 2.30 am and i started to be thankful i don't keep a shotgun under my bed. i would have positioned it, trigger at the ready for a bigtoe twitch, barrel in my mouth. my. god. i couldn't believe anything could be so painful and mind numbing.

in related news, brooklyn is over. queens is on. i believe in the republican party. i mean, it was that bad. i don't really believe in the republican party but i know the source of liberal jokes now.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

that late 80's- early 90's playlist. 2.23.05

i am a patient boy. i wait i wait i wait i wait i wait... everybody's moving, everybody's moving, everybody's moving moving moving moving. - fugazi, waiting room

i've taken some liberties with the timing and i have no flippin' idea when the cop shoot cop song came out. i will look it up after doing some homework. but mostly the music is from the above period. i didn't go as far as tsunami and the spinanes and the poster children though i have been listening to said bands recently. if you want a copy i might oblige you in the near future.

i left tanya donnelly off because she sucks. i can go into my theory that she is actually a talent sinkhole. it's the big eyes. really, i can write a post on her.

* poor eddie money. and the human league. and a flock of seagulls and bryan ferry. a little out of time. and modern english and bobby brown and father mc. i don't have jesus jones or emf or bad brains. i did put on a girls against boys' song (i would have preferred disco 666).

left off: there is no public enemy, cypress hill, alice in chains, screaming trees, catherine wheel, mc lyte, oaktown 3-5-7, soundgarden, liz phair, slick rick, epmd, afghan whigs, beastie boys, teenage fanclub, sunscreem ... and of course no stone roses. nor any voluptuous horror of karen black. or k7 and the c+c music factory. and i never really knew red cross.

choosing between the fugazi songs waiting room and reclamation sucked. eliminating INXS was hard. and jane's addiction's ted, just admit it wouldn't fit. maybe... a remainders cd...

i can't find the band best kissers in the world online or in stores. but, here is a best kissers story. it is 1992 or so and i am looking for their full length album. i walk into HMV on 86th and Lex- now a best buy- during lunch with my friend and ask the woman behind the counter if she had the best kissers in the world. you try it at home and slur your r. she stared at me to see if i was serious and i realized she thought it was a come on. i apologized. i should have asked her if the line worked.


DISC 1.


1. the cult * fire woman
2. brand nubian * punks jump up to get beat down
3. cop shoot cop * last legs
4. the jesus and mary chain * head on
5. fishbone * sunless saturday
6. masta ace * sittin on chrome
7. jane's addiction * no one's leaving
8. king's x * it's love
9. dinosaur jr * puke + cry
10. ned's atomic dustbin * walking through syrup
11. biz markie * nobody beats the biz
12. lush * leaves me cold
13. the pixies * hang wire
14. nirvana * son of a gun
15. the dead milkmen * punk rock girl
16. ministry * the missing
17. danzig * not of this world
18. fugazi * waiting room
19. sugar * changes
20. velocity girl * audrey's eyes
21. the mighty mighty bosstones * they came to boston


DISC 2.

1. siouxsie & the banshees * kiss them for me
2. luscious jackson * let yourself get down
3. the sundays * here's where the story ends
4. the lemonheads * it's a shame about ray
5. cracker * low
6. morphine * candy
7. swv * love will be right here
8. a tribe called quest * i left my wallet in el segundo
9. soul asylum * nice guys (don't get paid)
10. digital underground * freaks of the industry
11. jane child * don't wanna fall in love
12. ralph tresvant * sensitivity
13. swervedriver * duel
14. fine young cannibals * she drives me crazy
15. st. johnny * down the drain
16. the escape club * wild wild west
17. johnny kemp * just got paid
18. ween * push th' little daisies
19. girls against boys * click click


Tuesday, February 22, 2005

passing on a game.

pawsox got me to do this one:

Here are the rules:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.


the book is Imad Rahman's I Dream Of Microwaves.

p.123.

I was beginning to understand why Oscar Storm had found himself shoveled out of Hollywood into the Himalayas.

"We're professionals," Hamlet said. "And as such we have a responsibility to get the fucking thing right, no matter what."
nose-talguh. 2.22.05

i am having nostalgic moments. but since i like to kick the tires and take swings at convention and pee on the sidewalks, my nostalgia consists of thinking back on how "i haven't changed for the better," or how "we weren't that happy together," or "shitcan, my hair looked stupid back then." i have always been this self-effacing, yes.

i started this post because i was going to embark on a personal history tour-- dorky and so like the blogs i hate. but then i started to bore MYSELF and i think instead i will finish the book i am reading on homeland security and how it's a bit of a boondoggle-- because our autrhor is one of those "get the gov't out of my business at all costs" types.

hey, pawsox + wondertwin (kung fu croft just will not work) raycrofts: you know that lecture i was going to? it was cancelled. but our client didn't tell us. i could have finished whooping up on the pheel-deez and the idiot sox (or the yank-deez) instead of hauling ass cityside. niiiiice.

looking back on the past three paragraphs, i believe i will delve into my past. but finding my past is an adventure; my room is a mess and the past is of course densely packed away. i couldn't find college; and i know either silver or jaime or someone else asked to see a picture of me in some past iteration.

so i found:

lots of cd's that i subsequently toppled onto the floor.

pictures on a cd! but they were "special" pictures. i appreciate them but not what i was looking for.

new year's 2000-01.

thucka. it's a secret.

that it's all fun and games before you put on the lemonheads.

but i will leave you with two things:

1. a nostaliga mix tape is in the offing. that probably only pawsox and hetha will really dig.
2. because someone was asking for it (silver? jaime?), a picture of me back when i was pretty and had dreads.

holmes lounge1

Friday, February 18, 2005

Hm. 2.18.05

i missed last night's oc, what happened? recaps, please. will watch on video. going to help eben move. uh, right now. i should have left. it's cold out.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

part of the workout plan 2.17.05

this post is particularly unexciting. it's meant for my vegas partner in crime.

i don't have so much time today; so the half hour swim, which would consist of at least:

2x 50 freestyle warm up
1x 50 breaststroke warm up

2x 100 breaststroke
1x 100 freestyle
2x 100 breastroke (faster)

1x 50 freestyle
2x 200 -or- 1x500 breastroke

1x 100 breastroke cool down
1x 50 freestyle cool down


will wait for another day. i intend to do this every other day; working in more freestyle (which takes a lot out of me).

instead, i did:

3x push ups (20)
1x crunches- 30 left, 30 right, 50 center
3x quad sit (where you sit against a wall as if a chair was under you, but i do not remember the proper name), 20 second count
3x calf raises (55)
an analysis of the red sox

*it's nascar season!* also, if you want to play some fantasy baseball, let me know. cuz it's on. but no money on the line.

i used to have useful friends, friends who could read korean. no longer. it's okay, the pictures included in this link are good enough, especially johnny damon and derek lowe's captions. i laughed out loud and it hurt. thanks to soxaholix. if you know anyone who can translate you'll be my bestest friend.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

on blast 2.16.05

Echo- what's your three week workout plan gonna be? i think mine is almost set. details this afternoon.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

pass the sunglasses. and the courvoisier. 2.15.05

* in the next three weeks you'll read about creating a nickname for the lovely bride emily and pico and echo getting into shape. or increasing our hot factor. after all, there is wedding nookie and pools in vegas.

funny thing. i accidentally slept for 7 hours last night. and it's sunny. and i feel great. maybe there's something to all that, hm? next time i'll even work in three meals in a day and exercise.

-------------------------------------------------------

so echo and i are going to las vegas in about 3 weeks. sho' nuff i'm excited, i have never been. the best chance i would have had was back in college. spring break '98, when eben and chatty sue and some other folkers went to the gambling oasis for a week. i thought a week was too much, i don't gamble, i didn't have that much money, and i wanted to see my aunts and old roommate pavel.

i hear that after 4 days and the star trek experience they were all tuckered out.

but me and my little brown neverecho are going west to a town built by gangsters. following the trail of so many before us. we're going to arrive in cheap colored sunglasses and white clothes and attitude. and as some of you have seen by email or heard over the phone-- we need help.

here is a bit of an email i sent out:

we'll be there from wednesday - saturday afternoon. and we need activities. specifically, we need a nightclub to go to on wednesday night. so i'm asking for your help, and advice, on places in vegas. i'm thinking i dig on places that aren't too sleazy.

think of a place you like, tell me what you like about it, what kind of music/ dj's are in the spot, if it's chi-chi (shiny shirts and space age decor) or chill, if it's a place where the cool tourists go, et cetera-- anything that might help our decision.


we have gotten some helpful info-- the best so far has been from coast guard rob-- but we are always looking for more. hit up them comments.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

passed a saturday like a stone 2.13.05

i crashed with pawsox raycroft after our night on the upper west side. important note for the future-- it took us a few minutes over the qboro bridge to get to his pad in sunnyside, yet another reason i am in love with the neighborhood.

we woke up with a mission in mind. rose hill gymnasium, in the bronx. the men's basketball team of umass1 facing the rams of fordham. the umass team is the minutemen and while i appreciate the historical significance, in our sexually charged time that nickname really could hurt a fella's reputation.

drinking coffee on the subway. watching queens speed by. the skies were spotted with clouds and cats our age were just rumbling from their drunken stupors.

and at grand central, we met green.

green is 41 years old, almond eyes and dark complexion, balding a touch on top, blue-lipped and heavy lidded like a man with one too many joints in the past. he walked up to us and asked us if his valentine's present to his moms was proper. what were we going to tell him-- the gold painted horse with silver painted mane and tail and the ruby glass eyes is an overdone garish chinatown piece of crap?

no. ps and i stood on the platform waiting for the 4 train (which went local) and i kept making sure 4 n***as in ski masks (an ice cube line) weren't trying to gank out wallets.

no. ps and i stood on the train-- and another fellow joined our conversation until he got off at 86th street. we talked about paternity tests, ba-dang, about the first woman green slept with and how he caught her with another man, ba-dang, how we're all the same inside, ba-dang, and why she would have the shrimp when she could have the lobster. ba-dang. also, the devil is waiting for you to mess up.

green gave us his number and wants to hang out.

******************************************************************

we took the bus to fordham and saw a pretty solid game. if u mass played like they had ten cents in their collective head they would have won. if they set their feet before they shot, they would have won. if they had stopped #10 (the third anderson on the court) they would have won. if they gave the ball to savloski -- aka Big Deli-- they would have won.

the teams played hard and it was fordham's first sellout of the year. the fans interacted with us, the drops of umass in the fordham sea; we weren't there in time to get seats in the visitors section. rose hill gym is the oldest division I facility in continuous use; it's close and loud and has stone walls and charm. great place to see a basketball game. even with the jackass behind us messing up the family friendly atmosphere.

in this recap2, the yelling exchange between fordham coach dereck whittenburg and umass coach steve lappas is better explained-- over a couple of mis-posted points. what is not included is that whittenburg comes out after the game, after the handshakes, as the fans are leaving, and runs onto the court; motions to the student section, and starts dancing, jumping up and down, motioning his hands.

and the fans come out and join him for a group... mosh? it's very cute. should have had a camera.

Footnotes.

1Did you know the UMass women are called the minutewomen?

2 for umass, viggiaano hurt his ankle again, and big deli has hit a wall. i wonder if the wall was hurt.
whiskey fisticuffs 2.13.05

friday was a night of hurtin'. after a project meeting i swing by a happy hour-- i was invited by soldati and there were cheap drinks. cheap, strong drinks. stiff like a boxer's fist. coupled with starla and lauren, eric s and marea, and victor an flor-- here's where i take a departure. every time i am with victor and flor and soldati, i end the evening stumbling to remember what i had planned to do and drinking water to stave off a hangover. hm. coincidence?

i kept running outside to answer my phone or to make calls. rini had flown in to town on family business, pawsox raycroft was nearby checking out the rock and roll, niffer was wondering what was up, ali-pack was drumming up some weekend business, and my mad lovely classmate lana-p was also at a rock show down about east broadway. the wind was strong and i wanted to catch up on accounting homework, do some writing, not hemorrhage cash money.

but the whiskey did its trick, and being with the kids is sticky. we went down to DBA and then i moved to 12 inch to pick up ps raycroft and dave and the lovely jaime who was staring into space as she does when tired. very cute. we took her to port authority and got her on a packed bus to dirty jerz.

onward, social soldiers.

rini's party was fun. it wasn't rini's party. it wasn't even gabi's party. i think it was a guy named sandip's party. filled with 23 year olds. trying too hard, being both clumsy and socially precocious. talking yang and meeting by the drinks. i stayed back and watched ps raycroft finally meet the famed and stunning rini/ gabi sisterhood, which you will read more about on his site. along with gabi's friend sarah who has a great laugh. but she lives in boston.

at 3 am, ps and i were in a pizza place, closing up, in the quiet of the upper west side. the street was dark and the place was empty of people and toilet paper. dammit. i skipped dinner in all the excitement and had the stumbles. i had also skipped out on calling niffer and letting her know rini was in town. i am a heel.

but yes, 3 am and trying to eat, fancy-clad blondes stumble in and make demands at the woman behind the counter. or of the counter itself. they were in worse shape than i. and an apparition appears-- three brown-haired women, one curly/ one long and straight/ one short and spiky, at the window, doing some dance and running like the dickens.

i miss the rini/ gabi sisterhood. gabi may receive a fung-wah visit in the near future. and i wish i'd brought my camera.

Friday, February 11, 2005

the straw stirs the drink again 2.11.05

daryll strawberry returns to the mets as a spring training instructor. that makes me happy. the mets have turned their back on their more "controversial" stars-- doc gooden, strawberry, to promote assbags like keith hernandez and gary carter. they're all part of the family, and a good baseball organization keeps its people involved.

last night's oc made me yawn. i called the death scene on the bench but WOW. i never saw the sandy kiss coming. WOW.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

sent from tasha d.

i'm not big on the whole email your congressman but this is crap; it's one thing to restrict immigrants and asylum seekers from actual "terrorist nations" but further restrictions would harm people from those terrorist nations of haiti and el salvador and sierra leone and liberia. and let's not talk about the long-term imprisonment of those who have been traumatized/ tortured... while you're at it, read an article from yesterday's ny times.

February 8, 2004


TAKE ACTION


Urge Congress to Preserve Asylum in the US, Oppose the "REAL ID" Act (HR-418)

The House of Representatives is about to vote on HR-418, a bill that could prevent victims of persecution from finding asylum in the United States. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), who introduced this bill, claims that it would prevent terrorists from obtaining asylum. But terrorists are already categorically barred from asylum, and Amnesty International USA believes the new provisions would, instead, harm legitimate asylum-seekers who represent no threat to U.S. security, such as women who have been victims of severe domestic abuse, rape or female genital mutilation.

Act Now!
The House may vote on this bill Wednesday, February 9. Please contact your Representative TODAY and urge her/him to reject the REAL ID Act of 2005 (H.R. 418), a bill that would sharply restrict the ability of victims of persecution to find asylum in the United States.


Send an email or fax


And make a phone call- Contact your Representative through the Capitol Hill Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Click here to find the officials who represent you:


You can base your call on the following talking points:

- As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the REAL ID Act of 2005 (H.R. 418), a bill that could prevent victims of persecution from finding asylum in the United States. I am particularly concerned about sections 101, 103, and 104 of the bill.

- Section 101 is titled, "Preventing Terrorists from Obtaining Asylum," but terrorists and suspected terrorists are already categorically barred from asylum and this bill would not actually protect any Americans from terrorists.

- This bill would place burdens on asylum-seekers that would likely fall hardest on the most vulnerable among them, such as women who have been victims of gender-related persecution.

- Immigrants, including asylum-seekers and asylees, could be wrongfully deported under the extremely broad definitions of terrorist activity in Sections 103 and 104.

- H.R. 418 also makes no allowance for innocent people who have been forced to provide money or shelter to rebel groups, usually under threat of death. Fearing for their safety, these individuals flee to the United States for protection from such threats and extortion. This bill would confuse victims of terrorism with terrorists, in other words, and penalize the victims as if they were their own persecutors.


- - - - - - - - - - - - -


Rosa Del Angel
Amnesty International USA
Online Action Center

Monday, February 07, 2005

the raycroft problem 2.7.05

so, blog readers, we have a problem. a problem of conventions and naming; and i will break conventions a little bit by discussing the naming process, interspersed with some notes about the superbowl party

it was a surprisingly fine game with amazingly limp commercials. i watched at raycroft's. which is where the problem comes in. attending were nicky marie, countess ruby, people i know much less named sheila, xavier (who was in the fantasy football league this year), and his wife ellen. all good. the naming problem comes with jaime and raycroft. jaime because she is such a character-- and a jets fan, and hella adorable, and hella sweet. but i know another who spells her name jamie. and there's guy jamie but i can use his last name.

the raycroft problem is that there are two raycrofts. and i have referred to raycroft 1's cousin, who is also raycroft, as raycroft's cousin. which is entirely inaccurate. he is his own man and he needs a nickname.

side note-- my itunes and external hard drive are, as the shea stadium board would say, getting wiggy with it.

anyway, i can't refer to one raycroft as jud and the other as dillweed, that just won't work. perhaps something esoteric, like a reference to borg names. but ten i'd be a geek and besides, i'd need trekkies to help me with the naming conventions (why # of # again, what do the number rankings mean, et cetera).

this is hard work, folks. here are some moments from the arched doorways of sunnyside, with a projected 72-plus inches of eagles/ patsies goodness on the wall (and joe "dumb" buck/ troy "head contusion" aikman/ cris "pencil neck" collinsworth providing the background yammer):

* 7.30: i have faith in the eagles and express my faith loudly. countess rou-rou might kill me with her bare hands as i tell her about the stat-- 80% of the time the first team that scores in the Supe wins. i guess we're in the 20% range, in retrospect. i like rou-rou's passion. it's strong and almost scary and that's why i dug her the first time i spoke to her years ago.

* 7.35: MC Hammer gets thrown over a fence, thereby saving a Lay's commercial that was limp even with the cute multi-racial children. i'm usually a sucker for little dark folks. brought to you by spike lee.

* 7.47: overheard 1- xavier: you can't go wrong with monkeys. it's so true. i would add penguins, too. sheila never lived with a penguin but with a mexican iguana with a 4-ft tail that had run of her apartment, and would get bitchy when she walked in, like a cat.

overheard 2- paul mccartney appears, looks into light and crowd, squints
pico: (pretending to be sir paul) that's what the sun looks like, ARRR!
jaime: (perplexed) why is paul mccartney a pirate?

7.55: if you weren't there you missed pixie raycroft's brie balls. sci-fi script raycroft is mostly disinterested on the side.

8.00: fucking patriots.

8.25: sir paul's halftime show is mad lame, ellen gets excited by the pyrotechnics. fire! fire! nicky gets to toss in a "settle down, beavis." we try to figure out if those circle effects are counterculture. the car video playing to the sides of sir paul let us know that he is doing the old beatles hit "baby you can drive my car," and provides visual excitement-- snxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

8.41: nicky's only "that's not nice!" comment about a football play.

8.48: fucking patriots. can't even make up their own dances.

9.20: captain longhair raycroft does a very good impression of ah-nold as a subway conductor. say it in the austrian accent: if you want the express, get ohut! captain shorthair raycroft does a good one also. mia calls to tell me the superbowl is lacking boobies. except for the tobasco sauce ad, a couple of cheerleaders that we don't even get to leer at, and the puerile gohappy.com mock congressional ad, i agree.

9:21: nicky b's friend is at a Superbowl party with Al Sharpton but cannot decide what side he's rooting for. effing politicians. fucking patriots. we have stopped getting cutaways to ex-president bush and ex-president clinton, bored and watching the game.

9.29: nicky, jaime and i discuss books and library cards. the eagles are down ten and about to drive and mix tape star raycroft is so gay. bacon-covered scallops? more hors d’oeuvres with brie? i don't know how model raycroft lives with him.

10.06: dear david akers, that was NOT the good bounce. way to not give your team the chance with the onside kick. it's not how jaime and i want to eliminate doug brien or anything... but you could have done better.

i stayed over at the raycroft's and played mvp baseball with pawsox raycroft and columbus clipper raycroft.

and that was that. with all the raycroft nicknames i threw in there i think we can make a whole slew of dolls by christmastime-- to rival the barbie empire, of course! maybe they'll talk and come with their own video game controllers.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

southpaw saturday night 2.6.05

uhm... uh...

that was nuts.

here is ali-pack's website with pictures of many of us. describing how me and her and rizzle and cappy and later the rice-a-homie and the three sisters dunsmuir and... there was a lot of wild dorky dancing. as pack would say-- that's my jam!

i'll add these bits:

- good to see wesley and jamie who know the dj's and throw bangin' wash heights parties. they had a lot of tequila in them and it showed.

- made a pair of new friends, the wild dancing peter with the rotating hip style and katelind, who i think was his ladyfriend... she wanted me to teach her how to dance, and i was trying to get her to simply let loose. i was waiting for cappy who had called from nearby, and waited on the line for 20 minutes outside. and the mary jane girls' in my house came on. which i can't help but get down to.

so i made it out to the dance floor, and started getting it going next to these two kids (who looked like seth and martha but were not). katelind kept stopping and going, wow, i can't do that! there was the usual "i'm a white girl, i can't move my hips" argument which i don't believe in, and the requisite "but i have junk in the trunk" comment, and we were all a-dancing.

peter made nice with ali pack and rizzle when they came in-- there are pictures-- and katelind and i made friends too. hopefully i will be able to link up with the pair of them at some point.

- pq rolled in with her energetic friends and danny, who i think should have rolled up behind the pair of ladies who were singing behind us. just saying.

- the rice-a-homie stepped in with eugene and the three sisters dunsmuir. he left, eugene left, and magstar left leaving me and two sisters dunsmuir to dance it up, close the place down, and shake our heads at the preponderance of medleys-- the michael jackson medley (one verse and chorus/ song) and the hard rock medley (completely wrong and exactly like another set one sister dunsmuir had seen from the same dj).

more to come. hope you enjoyed the superbowl. i'll take notes.
the warmth of february 2.6.05

friday night, magstar's party got me drunk as it does every year. i had met pq for drinks at the belgian bar in the city, and ate faux-meat at a vegetarian place, and dipped down to brooklyn to see all the kids and wish mags a happy 30.

i love groundhogs' day as much as the next person but damn, i have got to leave clinton hill one year halfway to sober versus three sheets to the wind. the whole sleeping on the train, stumbling into doors, drunk emailing, hung over till the next evening thing, i'm too old for that shit, like danny glover says.

but what a bangin' party. as usual, all the friends are there, and a couple of people i haven't seen in years, like spencer, who i believe was our programming director at our college radio station... i can't remember, he's just spencer. and yelling about emo bands with tanner, while eben was having his fashionista time with jermaine dupri and getting flatulence from harold reynolds and/ or john kruk.

eben, you could have been hanging with sixo and the rice-a-homie and eugene and sharma and the three sisters dunsmuir and these kids seth and martha... but you've seen it before. it was all good, but you've seen it before.

Friday, February 04, 2005

best parts of the oc? 2.5.05

-nothing like bonding over the meth lab, huh? that's flirting at its height. i'd love to see alex and marisa with masks on and aprons cooking up some crystal. yum!

-ryan: the inland street thug! if that's not a hot ass nickname...

-i get a warm feeling inside. when i hear "you gotta nail summer." i think i speak for everyone.

-silver says caleb was visited by three ghosts-- the ghosts of heart attack past, heart attack future, heart attack present... but as sugar tits puts it, not in that order. "Once you see the ghost of heart attack future," Silver says, "it's pretty hard to go back."


later, check out the bloggable oc for commentary.
two more days 2.5.05

i'm glad someone believes in the eagles. and with decent reasoning-- mike martz is a game management moron and the panthers were just not that good.

but the rams defense was solid and the panthers played well, especially qb jake delhomme. does mcnabb have it in him?

patriots 24.

eagles 17.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

arcade fire 2.3.05

niffer, the roaming correspondent, comments on the show of the year, the arcade fire @ irving plaza. it's the show of the year because people have been clamoring for tickets and there are no tickets to be had; because kids are dropping the arcade fire name on blogs (i am guilty); and because they're really cool.

the unnamed song is rebellion (lies) ("come on hide your lovers, underneath the covers... every time you close your eyes- lies, lies"), and here are the unadulterated words of niffer:

i have to write this now because otherwise....well, i won't ever forget, but sitll.

i feel like i just went to see a troupe of magical musicians. there are eight of them, with two at the fore: a gentle giant, and his sidekick, a little nymph. there is something so old-fashioned, folky, earthy, and at the same time, ethereal, surreal about them. they are truly a band. not as in "rock band." as in a band of people, traveling menagerie in the spirit of years long past. i expected them to travel around in a wagon or something.

anyway, they had two magnificent violinists, and a bass, and the nymph/co-lead singer played keyboard, accordian, drums. they all rotated around all the time. two of tghe guys goofed around, climbing onto speakers, wearing those space age helmets at times, for the song, that has a line, "underneath the covers," one wrapped the other's head up while he tried to continue playing.

so it wasn't all serious, though the lead singer opened with something like, "we're from montreal, and i've just learned that we're (canada) joining you in star wars." he needed to say no more...i got them right away, got their vibe, got that they're good people, politically conscious, but not preaching it. they're like us. i would not feel nervous at all about hanging out with them or running into them on the street.

they played most of the songs from funeral, and a few extras. they came out for an encore.

then....out of nowhere, a white haired david byrne appeared (at first i didn't recognize him). it was a situation before he appeared that you didn't think could get any better. he joined them, they backed him as if they had all been playing together for years, as he sang, "home, it's where i want to be but i guess i'm already there." he fucking rocked. people went nuts, of course.

these group of eight were so human, so connected, so genuine....i treasured being able to hear them perform. they have absolutely no rock star quality. they make me reconsider every other concert i've been to, question the egos, the whole stupid aura of the rock star persona.

these people rock because they are true musicians. they have real soul, are always in touch with the everyday....i'm not describing this well.

i felt high when i left the concert. (i managed to truly be alone at the show, not talking to anyone, blocking out the annoying people). i was smiling, beaming. they just have that aura: they are singing about some sad things of course, but they are not bitter people, nor is gloominess their hook. they are enlivened by their music. i guess it's as simple as passion in its purest form. the only worry would be if they get sucked in by the bizness, but i don't worry about that. they are in their own category.

i just realized i payed more than triple the face value for my ticket. i got momentarily angry at the people who i bought it from, but then i let it go. of course everyone's trying to make a buck. maybe they think i'm naive, they ripped me off. but i knew what i was doing. i only wish people couldn't sell anything up. ever. yeah, it was worth it to me to pay that much to see this band, but i wish the money could have gone to the band....well, i'm sure they're doing all right these days. anyway, the whole money thing is really stupid. it's just paper. it really has no meaning.

this band, however, means a lot. they run deep without being sappy at all. they are honest without pushing their honestly too far so that it becomes ego. they are true performers, meant to be onstage. you can tell that to them music is about sharing with a group of listeners, participants. then it all can circle back on itself...that is the beauty of humankind, that it has the potential to become an endless chain of souls, no longer individuals, never alone. listening to this band, i felt, i am not alone anymore.


the lyrics to rebellion (lies), from the arcade fire album funeral, taken from poplyrics:

Rebellion (Lies)

Sleeping is giving in,
no matter what the time is.
Sleeping is giving in,
so lift those heavy eyelids.

People say that you'll die
faster than without water.
But we know it's just a lie,
scare your son, scare your daughter.

People say that your dreams
are the only things that save ya.
Come on baby in our dreams,
we can live our misbehavior.

Every time you close your eyes
Lies, Lies!

People try and hide the night
underneath the covers.
People try and hide the light
underneath the covers.

Come on hide your lovers
underneath the covers,
come on hide your lovers
underneath the covers.

Hidin' from your brothers
underneath the covers,
come on hide your lovers
underneath the covers.

People say that you'll die
faster than without water,
but we know it's just a lie,
scare your son, scare your daughter,

Scare your son, scare your daughter.

Now here's the sun, it's alright! (Lies!)
Now here's the moon, it's alright! (Lies!)
Now here's the sun, it's alright! (Lies!)
Now here's the moon it's alright (Lies!)

But every time you close your eyes. (Lies!)
devils and deacons. 2.3.05

sniffles. not thinking straight, so basketball + smallville filled the evening

on my way to see the rice-a-homie before his roller skating party, and while writing up accounting homework, i came to a realization. the coughing fit i'd had two nights previous wasn't an isolated incident. the fatigue and occasional phlegminess was not isolated to the day before.

dammit. i was sick. all stuffed up, tried the salt water technique but that only works well when your nostrils can open. i decided to get some medicine and put my groggy, slightly dizzy ass to rest.

so of course, i watched basketball. specifically, i watched st. mary's (ca)/ univ san fransisco, louisville/ cincinnati, st. john's/ rutgers, and wake/ duke. it was hazy until the 9.00 pm duke/ wake tilt, which wake forest won, 92-89. some moments from the game, along with a look ahead to the ncaa tournament:

- the pass of the year wasn't even converted to a score. running down the floor, chris paul, fresh off of his technical foul, drives to the free throw line. his forward is in front, under the basket. paul's man defends his right hand, blocking the pass. so paul, in stride, switches to the left and bounce passes to his forward, who is fouled. should have made the shot.

- i love wake. love 'em. i have followed the team since i started following college ball again, when tim duncan was there (1997 or so). i've wanted them to be better than ugly ACC stepsisters. and they've been close, so close. this year they have the best team they have ever had:

2 incredible, NBA level guard in chris paul and justin gray.
a do everything forward in vytas danelius.
a center who plays his size in eric williams
capable backups in taron downey and kyle visser, jamaal levy, and...

i want them to do a few things before i endorse them as my final four team. be crisp in the important aspects of the game. be a team that has its "game" but can do the essentials for victory.

but then, there are the things they do not do. one thing, really. it's reflected in the field goal defense-- they allow 47% shooting, (i can't find a link for defensive stats. what's up with that?) which is very very poor. and the problem is at the guards. two talented players who concern themselves with steals and running the floor. which makes for one of the nation's best offenses...

and too many open threes. too many drives to the basket. not enough of that harassment that makes for a good NCAA tournament team. still... with the right bracket i endorse them as final four material.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

groundhog rumble 2.2.05

plus, the birthdays of arroz the rice-a-homie + magstar + rafi

the groundhogs are at odds: pennsylvania's punxatawney phil on the left sees his shadow and staten island chuck on the right does not.

02cnd-ground.2.184

i'm going with our tough local groundhog chuck. but here are some questions about groundhogs:

do the groundhogs get stage fright?

are they playing to the crowd?

what if they don't want to come out?

are they all messed up the day after a leap year?

don't they hate it when mayors hold them up to spectators?

are there female groundhogs?

does chuck have the support of the fire and police departments?
eurostyle 2.2.05

just so you know, the US' major league of soccer has added two new teams... with the names real salt lake and club deportivo chivas usa. cd chivas is in los angeles. though the cd chivas name is taken from their parent club cd chivas gudalajara... major league soccer certainly deserves a snicker.