Thursday, January 29, 2004
now that I'm older
I just turned 36! I've been with Nick for 13 years. This means that I must have been 23 when we went on "what he thinks is a date." I stayed the night, missed my botany class the next day, and this was the beginning of the rest of our lives.
Being older now, I plan on being better. Starting today, I will sit up straight. Starting tomorrow, I will be wiser with my ca$h, or lack thereof. Starting this weekend, I will clear out the hall closet and make the rest of the house the place I most want to be.
The most celebrated holiday in Japan is Japanese New Year, when everyone clears out their entire house inside and out from the 1st to the 3rd. Then they invite friends and family over, open house style. It is a time to be joyful and happy, without stress or anger. I like that.
Being older now, I plan on being better. Starting today, I will sit up straight. Starting tomorrow, I will be wiser with my ca$h, or lack thereof. Starting this weekend, I will clear out the hall closet and make the rest of the house the place I most want to be.
The most celebrated holiday in Japan is Japanese New Year, when everyone clears out their entire house inside and out from the 1st to the 3rd. Then they invite friends and family over, open house style. It is a time to be joyful and happy, without stress or anger. I like that.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
played the song Kangaroo, now awaiting kangaroo
For Nick's birthday, he is hosting his annual exotic game barbecue and you are invited. Sunday February 8th at Thee Parkisde. Our green semi-translucent cutting board is still marred from when Nick used the electric knife to chop up some bear shoulder for some chili he was cooking up last year. There was also snake, and alligator etouffe.
Now, at work I've got a checklist of exotic meats and I'm not afraid to use it on the delivery driver, hopefully today. The list: Llama: approx. 5 lbs.; Kangaroo: approx. 4. lbs.; 12 Yak burgers; and Reindeer: 4 lbs. How could I make that up?
You San Franciscans are welcome to join us. Nick and I will be dressed in safari garb like crocodile hunters. Have you ever seen me in khaki? Have I?
the tree is coming down
It's my birthday. If I let the pink tree stay up any longer, I'm going to start to look crazy. Friday, January 23, 2004
extending the holiday season
I love the holidays. You overeat with friends and family and get all fat and jolly. Since I am Aquarius, I stretch the season out another month and leave the pink aluminum tree up until my birthday.
And since my husband forgot it at work for a month, one of my Christmas presents came to me last night. It's the only scarf I ever cared about. It's vivid orange-yellow wool with little felt cut-out characters whom I affectionately refer to as "schmoos."
More art is on their Dynamo-Ville website and their gallery is in Los Angeles, where our near and dear friends now live. We miss them every day but damn, they know my taste.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
AB/CD
Our friends in the band Oranger were on TV last night in a news story about Garage Band, the new Apple software that lets you mix up to 64 tracks. Unrelated to the news story, Matt once joked that he wanted to do an AC/DC covers record for kids. Songs include "Giving the Dog a BATH."
Anyway, that's exactly what Nick started singing last night when he was giving the dog a bath. And since Estro was soaked to the bone, he then sang an X song to her: "She's a Wet Girl..." which I find astoundingly funny.
Most importantly though, today is the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Let's light a candle for those who are no longer with us due to unsafe illegal abortions. Light another for their families and friends who have had to go on living in a world without them.
Anyway, that's exactly what Nick started singing last night when he was giving the dog a bath. And since Estro was soaked to the bone, he then sang an X song to her: "She's a Wet Girl..." which I find astoundingly funny.
Most importantly though, today is the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Let's light a candle for those who are no longer with us due to unsafe illegal abortions. Light another for their families and friends who have had to go on living in a world without them.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
just gimme indie rock
Tonight me and my friend Elise will play stuff like Sonic Youth, Posies, My Bloody Valentine, Magazine, Interpol, Veruca Salt, and Pretty Girls Make Graves.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
shoptodropbush.com
Target, Utne Reader, Swiss Army knives, oh my! If you're shopping online, click on shoptodropbush.com first to ensure that a nice commission goes towards replacing Bush in 2004.
Say it with ca$h, people!
Say it with ca$h, people!
Friday, January 16, 2004
dogster.com is live!
It's a dog's world. We just live in it.
Got together with friends who worked really hard to create dogster. Hope you like it. Every dog has a webpage and yours can too. Or just click around on dogs all day long. Woof!
Got together with friends who worked really hard to create dogster. Hope you like it. Every dog has a webpage and yours can too. Or just click around on dogs all day long. Woof!
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
bbq potato chip skin
Note to celebrities: if you have a spray-on tan, people think it's a spray-on tan. I just think they look like bbq potato chips. You know who you are.
Hey, you've got something on your face! And neck, and collarbone, and midriff, and arms...
Hey, you've got something on your face! And neck, and collarbone, and midriff, and arms...
Monday, January 12, 2004
Morrissey changed my diet, then my dog's
The year was 1985 and the Smiths record titled Meat is Murder came out, with Morrissey singing about carnivory being "death for no reason, 'cause death for no reason is murder."
Oh all right, I haven't eaten *red meat* since high school. To stave off anemia, I have since added 2-legger food products to my diet. And one day, I hope to give up leather. I think.
But now Morrissey is making me change my dog's food. I am serious, it's Iams. He has partnered with Peta to speak out against heinous mistreatment of fluffy 4-leggers.
And Estro will go back to Science Diet.
Oh all right, I haven't eaten *red meat* since high school. To stave off anemia, I have since added 2-legger food products to my diet. And one day, I hope to give up leather. I think.
But now Morrissey is making me change my dog's food. I am serious, it's Iams. He has partnered with Peta to speak out against heinous mistreatment of fluffy 4-leggers.
And Estro will go back to Science Diet.
Saturday, January 10, 2004
read it, you need it
The creator of To Do List magazine wrote a book called Quirkyalone and it just hit the shelves this week. Congratulations to Sasha Cagen, who defines the word as "A person who enjoys being single (but is not opposed to being in a relationship) and generally prefers to be alone rather than date for the sake of being in a couple...See also: romantic, idealist, independent." Take the quiz to see how quirkyalone you are.
Even Barbara Ehrenreich is quoted on the back cover, "Cagen's up to something that could be as important for women as The Feminine Mystique was years ago: We aren't just halves of couples; we are distinct individuals..."
And a word or two from yours truly appears on page 136.
Friday, January 09, 2004
Note To Bush: Move On
The Move On Voter Fund couldn't oppose Bush and his atrocities more. Doing something about it, they've sponsored a political advertising contest called Bush in 30 Seconds for filmmakers, artists and political activists to create films no longer than thirty seconds about Bush.
The Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest was founded and run by a group including Laura Dawn, David Fenton, Moby, Eli Pariser, Lee Solomon, and Jonathan Soros.
The winning films are chosen by a celebrity panel of judges, including Michael Moore, Donna Brazile, Jack Black, Janeane Garofalo, Margaret Cho and Gus Van Sant, Michael Stipe and more. On January 12th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, the winning film will be announced. And Jeaneane Garofalo will host!
Since the films are so short, you can watch all 15 finalists on your coffee break. Then break down in a fit of anger and laughter.
The Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest was founded and run by a group including Laura Dawn, David Fenton, Moby, Eli Pariser, Lee Solomon, and Jonathan Soros.
The winning films are chosen by a celebrity panel of judges, including Michael Moore, Donna Brazile, Jack Black, Janeane Garofalo, Margaret Cho and Gus Van Sant, Michael Stipe and more. On January 12th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, the winning film will be announced. And Jeaneane Garofalo will host!
Since the films are so short, you can watch all 15 finalists on your coffee break. Then break down in a fit of anger and laughter.
when your friends go to Hawaii and you can't go
You get an emailed .jpg like this. I replied that I'm jealous yet comforted at the sight of my friend's beach, er, bum. 
Thursday, January 08, 2004
if you love your jean jacket, set it free...
If it comes back to you, then it was really yours. That's what happened to me.
On a cold Friday night, I piled my jean jacket on under my faux fur gangster coat that makes me feel like Bonnie without Clyde. We went to a gallery-slash-bar that had an amazing DJ and the heat was turned up high. I secretly believe that clubs do this so that women will strip down to their tank tops, but that is just me.
I threw my giant outercoat on a chair and kept the dirty denim layer on. In an overheated moment, I tossed the jean jacket on an entirely different chair and promptly forgot about it. Two red wines later, it was time to go. I threw on my big old coat and we left.
A phonecall to the bar the next day informed me that no such jean jacket was found, but I could leave my name and number. Yeah right. It's Diesel and it's unisex. Anyone could be sporting that thing by now.
About a week later, I went to the store where I originally bought the jacket. Right there, on the very same clothing bar, was the exact same jacket all over again! I know it's mine because my friend Molly stitch-ripped the Diesel logo off the front pocket for me, and it had 2 different size tags: one medium and one large.
The doggone thing is mine again and I don't even care that I bought it from the same store twice.
On a cold Friday night, I piled my jean jacket on under my faux fur gangster coat that makes me feel like Bonnie without Clyde. We went to a gallery-slash-bar that had an amazing DJ and the heat was turned up high. I secretly believe that clubs do this so that women will strip down to their tank tops, but that is just me.
I threw my giant outercoat on a chair and kept the dirty denim layer on. In an overheated moment, I tossed the jean jacket on an entirely different chair and promptly forgot about it. Two red wines later, it was time to go. I threw on my big old coat and we left.
A phonecall to the bar the next day informed me that no such jean jacket was found, but I could leave my name and number. Yeah right. It's Diesel and it's unisex. Anyone could be sporting that thing by now.
About a week later, I went to the store where I originally bought the jacket. Right there, on the very same clothing bar, was the exact same jacket all over again! I know it's mine because my friend Molly stitch-ripped the Diesel logo off the front pocket for me, and it had 2 different size tags: one medium and one large.
The doggone thing is mine again and I don't even care that I bought it from the same store twice.
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
putting the Ugg in ugly
One of my proudest moments was when the love of my life, entirely on his own, began spotting Chanel knockoffs. Even better, he threw down the full-on nose-squint in faux disgust for said knockoffs. I mean, I don't think *I* even do that. Do I?
It's definitely something to laugh at. The unwritten rules of what is and isn't cool to wear at any given time or place. The whodonit game with designers. What strange, elusive thing makes something cool?
Is Isaac Mizrahi still cool after the film Unzipped? You betcha. And after he's started pimping his wares at Target? You decide. Todd Oldham did it well, and Cynthia Rowley did it Swell.
And in the world as we know it, also note that the '80s are back. Definitely back. However, by the time you're reading this, they may be gone. We're talking dresses comprised of t-shirt material, sometimes striped and diagonal. We're talking dumb pumps with skinny heels. We're talking big eyeshadow.
So it was with great surprise -- and a gold star -- that my dear beloved said to me on the streets of New York, "What's up with those boots that everyone's wearing in the subway?" I was like, "What boots?" He was talking about Ugg boots.
Even Entertainment Weekly has made more than one metion of said Uggs, so then I must bust out my piece and say that Nick noticed them first. Then he told me.
It's definitely something to laugh at. The unwritten rules of what is and isn't cool to wear at any given time or place. The whodonit game with designers. What strange, elusive thing makes something cool?
Is Isaac Mizrahi still cool after the film Unzipped? You betcha. And after he's started pimping his wares at Target? You decide. Todd Oldham did it well, and Cynthia Rowley did it Swell.
And in the world as we know it, also note that the '80s are back. Definitely back. However, by the time you're reading this, they may be gone. We're talking dresses comprised of t-shirt material, sometimes striped and diagonal. We're talking dumb pumps with skinny heels. We're talking big eyeshadow.
So it was with great surprise -- and a gold star -- that my dear beloved said to me on the streets of New York, "What's up with those boots that everyone's wearing in the subway?" I was like, "What boots?" He was talking about Ugg boots.
Even Entertainment Weekly has made more than one metion of said Uggs, so then I must bust out my piece and say that Nick noticed them first. Then he told me.
Monday, January 05, 2004
fashion going, going: gong!
Workers in the financial district in San Francisco consistently wear a veritable uniform, most of it is black. When it's not black, it's navy or grey or camel or brown. Occasionally someone out there enjoys patterns, prints or stripes, and I am grateful.
Being in the dead of "winter" here, it's also a time that we say aloud that we are "freezing" even though it never gets anywhere near zero in this town.
And then there are apparent masochists. I spotted a woman wearing a wool coat, cropped pants and slides. The mere sight of her made me more cold. The only travesty perhaps worse than that also involves cropped pants, but paired with boots.
If you're David Bowie and it's 1978, that's great. If you're Madonna in couture performing in the New York City Virgin Megastore, that's great too.
Anyone else gets the fashion gong.
Being in the dead of "winter" here, it's also a time that we say aloud that we are "freezing" even though it never gets anywhere near zero in this town.
And then there are apparent masochists. I spotted a woman wearing a wool coat, cropped pants and slides. The mere sight of her made me more cold. The only travesty perhaps worse than that also involves cropped pants, but paired with boots.
If you're David Bowie and it's 1978, that's great. If you're Madonna in couture performing in the New York City Virgin Megastore, that's great too.
Anyone else gets the fashion gong.
Friday, January 02, 2004
the world's smallest dog
The New Year is a time for some new cheer, and I've, um, got it here!
Dig the world's smallest dog. Watch the video and tell me that you giggled. Can you even?!
Dig the world's smallest dog. Watch the video and tell me that you giggled. Can you even?!
Thursday, January 01, 2004
HaPpY NeU yEaR PeOpLe!!!
