Thursday, November 18, 2004
Had some good yucks last night talking about photographer Anne Geddes's upcoming new book comprised of pictures of something like 50 babies. Each baby is photographed with...Celine Dion.
My pal Eliot's face was priceless when I told him. He said, "OPB?" meaning, other people's babies. We were equally astounded/awestruck/repelled at the concept. Horrifying. Presumably, her ego will go on.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
ain't talkin' 'bout lungs
David Lee Roth tells the NY Post that he's ridden on more than 200 NYC ambulance rides as part of his training to become an Emergency Medical Technician. They say he had a little haircut and to date has gone unrecogized. He didn't divulge which neighborhoods he currently saves lives in so as to avoid unwanted attention.
We have a friend who really was a EMT in NYC and he's doing the same thing now in Canada. Before the election, even. Anyway, our friend is supersmart, ultramellow, and deadpans with the evenest keel. He's one of the most hilarious people I've been lucky enough to know.
When I first met him some 13+ years ago, he told me he was a poet. He's since written several solid screenplays and held a museum guard post at the MoMA where a lot of time is spent thinking. His mother has a clown figurine collection, but that's not important right now.
Anyway, he has this great knack for creating characters, studying the human spirit and a passion for articulating it along the way. He spoke candidly about lack of sleep, being on a call, getting lost, NYC gridlock, losing lives, and saving many others.
So it was with complete honesty when he said, "When they start to decompose, that's when people get really interesting."
We have a friend who really was a EMT in NYC and he's doing the same thing now in Canada. Before the election, even. Anyway, our friend is supersmart, ultramellow, and deadpans with the evenest keel. He's one of the most hilarious people I've been lucky enough to know.
When I first met him some 13+ years ago, he told me he was a poet. He's since written several solid screenplays and held a museum guard post at the MoMA where a lot of time is spent thinking. His mother has a clown figurine collection, but that's not important right now.
Anyway, he has this great knack for creating characters, studying the human spirit and a passion for articulating it along the way. He spoke candidly about lack of sleep, being on a call, getting lost, NYC gridlock, losing lives, and saving many others.
So it was with complete honesty when he said, "When they start to decompose, that's when people get really interesting."
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
CD-EP me asap
Today is a good day because Parchman Farm's first CD-EP is now in stores! Meanwhile, grab yourself a free MP3 of Chosen Child and bang your head. Rinse. Repeat.
Every day, the news gets increasingly worse about what is going to happen during the next four years. As if November 2nd wasn't bleak enough, look who is moving into various posts, like the one vacated by Colin Powell. Condoleeza Rice, step right up. I feel sick. Seriously.
But I bid online for this lovely bit of Pyrex. It looks like it's from the Art Deco revival that popped up in the '70s. A mint condition dish that goes "from the freezer to the oven to the table" with a lid on it? Now that's my idea of homeland security.
Monday, November 15, 2004
VAWA
One of the top national news stories is the guilty verdict in the Scott Peterson trial. Today's SF Chronicle devoted almost every available inch above the fold to it. So what's Congress doing to reduce violence against women?
Cutting millions in funding! Cutting programs! Uphold the Violence Against Women Act by sending an email today.
Cutting millions in funding! Cutting programs! Uphold the Violence Against Women Act by sending an email today.
and the dolphins can swim
Who hugs dolphins in Hawaii? My sister, Nancy! Thanks to the wonders of email and a Blackberry, the magical moment is here for all. Awwwww,,,
Friday, November 12, 2004
Could these be any more beautiful? And they're all as nature made them, no dyes or weird things added. I chose the deep velvety ones called chocolate cosmos because they smell like melted chocolate. Not that I have ever melted chocolate but I know that you need a double boiler to do so.
I held Estro the pup up to the flowers to see if she liked them and yep, she gave the lovely cosmos some serious sniffs. Adorable!
And I have Jon Auer to thank for singing "I am the Cosmos" live with Big Star, one of my favorite music moments. He's also a newlywed, congratulations to you and Michelle!
Thursday, November 11, 2004
career advice: go drinking
I told Nick that if he promised to see Anthony Bourdain's book signing with me last night, I'd buy him the new Godzilla Playstation2 game. Even if I whoop his ass in the game, it's going to be win-win.
We decided that it's more important to eat something before seeing a world-renowned chef speak, so we showed up rather late. Bumped into 2 sets of friends there and I asked what we missed because Anthony Bourdain is quite intolerant of tardiness. My friend Joyce replied, "That's what he said. *Before* you guys got here!"
The overly-lit Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books was packed, but fortunately Anthony is tall so we could at least see his head above the crowd. Everything he says is hilarious and he was definitely "on" at this gathering. He bravely took questions from the audience, and one was about what it's like to be famous.
Anthony was notably modest in his reply, saying that he would never have met the best chefs in the world based on his own cooking skills. Something he does really like is being able to belly up to any bar or restaurant anywhere -- say Kuala Lumpur -- and be served drinks and food in great company.
Another audience question was about how to advance quickly in the cooking world. I wish I had a tape recorder (or a better memory) but his advice was pretty much to, "go drinking."
We decided that it's more important to eat something before seeing a world-renowned chef speak, so we showed up rather late. Bumped into 2 sets of friends there and I asked what we missed because Anthony Bourdain is quite intolerant of tardiness. My friend Joyce replied, "That's what he said. *Before* you guys got here!"
The overly-lit Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books was packed, but fortunately Anthony is tall so we could at least see his head above the crowd. Everything he says is hilarious and he was definitely "on" at this gathering. He bravely took questions from the audience, and one was about what it's like to be famous.
Anthony was notably modest in his reply, saying that he would never have met the best chefs in the world based on his own cooking skills. Something he does really like is being able to belly up to any bar or restaurant anywhere -- say Kuala Lumpur -- and be served drinks and food in great company.
Another audience question was about how to advance quickly in the cooking world. I wish I had a tape recorder (or a better memory) but his advice was pretty much to, "go drinking."
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Stoltzy got a Goldie
Lookie the Goldie winners this year! SFBG says, "The Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery Awards turn sweet 16 this year, which means they're old enough – and young enough – to wreak exactly the kind of imaginative havoc this country needs after Nov. 2. For proof of ID, look at the discoveries forged by the 2004 Goldies winners. They've crafted gorgeous songs and made a big fucking noise."
just gimme open source
I feel like a rebel, a nonconformist. Me and 8+ million others. I downloaded the free Firefox browser today developed by Mozilla -- which reminds me of the winning combination of mozzarella and Godzilla.
Monday, November 08, 2004
morality, moronity, let's call the whole thing off
In our post-election trauma, note that the words "morality" and "moral values" are being chucked around heavily and in complete irony. People in the red states who self-identify with "morals" tend to sling guns and oppose abortion.
Moral how? It's okay to own guns that kill people accidentally. That's moral? It's okay to judge a woman who got pregnant against her will and force her to bear that child against her will, by any means necessary. How vulgar and amoral can you get?
This also irks me because this isn't the first time that the media changed the meaning of words. That's how "feminism" was turned into a dirty word. Feminism simply means that women are equal to men. It couldn't get more neutral than that. A human being is a human being is a human being. People are people. There is nothing more.
But the people in power in the '70s felt threatened by female mobilization, women speaking their minds, burning their bras in revolt. So the media painted a picture of these women themselves as revolting. Thus, removing their power, turning them into turnoffs. Before long, feminism became a negative label, a bad stereotype.
And then there are women like Ashley Judd, strong, opinionated, successful, hardworking, famous, who are giving up their privacy to some degree, using their celebrity to get the word out. She single-handedly challenged the negative connotation of the word "feminist" by wearing a great shirt to the March for Women's Lives, which said "This is what a feminist looks like."
She also refers to Bush as "not my president." Here, here!
Moral how? It's okay to own guns that kill people accidentally. That's moral? It's okay to judge a woman who got pregnant against her will and force her to bear that child against her will, by any means necessary. How vulgar and amoral can you get?
This also irks me because this isn't the first time that the media changed the meaning of words. That's how "feminism" was turned into a dirty word. Feminism simply means that women are equal to men. It couldn't get more neutral than that. A human being is a human being is a human being. People are people. There is nothing more.
But the people in power in the '70s felt threatened by female mobilization, women speaking their minds, burning their bras in revolt. So the media painted a picture of these women themselves as revolting. Thus, removing their power, turning them into turnoffs. Before long, feminism became a negative label, a bad stereotype.
And then there are women like Ashley Judd, strong, opinionated, successful, hardworking, famous, who are giving up their privacy to some degree, using their celebrity to get the word out. She single-handedly challenged the negative connotation of the word "feminist" by wearing a great shirt to the March for Women's Lives, which said "This is what a feminist looks like."
She also refers to Bush as "not my president." Here, here!
Friday, November 05, 2004
Even if this is faked, the sentiments are not.
students stage sit-in
Good news: good things can happen in Colorado high school libraries.
The Associated Press reports that about 85 high school students stayed overnight in their school library to protest the Bush [mis]Administration's policies on the environment, national debt and military recruitment in schools.
If these kids are too young to vote, surely they're not too young to be saddled with all of the above. It's sad, but they appear to have a sense of humor with their conviction.
One protestor wore a t-shirt emblazoned with, "senior executive of the subcommittee on protesting stuff.''
The Associated Press reports that about 85 high school students stayed overnight in their school library to protest the Bush [mis]Administration's policies on the environment, national debt and military recruitment in schools.
If these kids are too young to vote, surely they're not too young to be saddled with all of the above. It's sad, but they appear to have a sense of humor with their conviction.
One protestor wore a t-shirt emblazoned with, "senior executive of the subcommittee on protesting stuff.''
Thursday, November 04, 2004
John Kerry is so very
I'm going to miss his mug. I'm also going to miss his emails, albeit bulk emails, but still, they had his name on them. Here's an excerpt from yesterday:
"What you did made a difference, and building on itself, we will go on to make a difference another day. I promise you, that time will come -- the election will come when your work and your ballots will change the world, and it's worth fighting for.
I'm proud of what we stood for in this campaign, and of what we accomplished. When we began, no one thought it was possible to even make this a close race, but we stood for real change, change that would make a real difference in the life of our nation, the lives of our families, and we defined that choice to America."
"What you did made a difference, and building on itself, we will go on to make a difference another day. I promise you, that time will come -- the election will come when your work and your ballots will change the world, and it's worth fighting for.
I'm proud of what we stood for in this campaign, and of what we accomplished. When we began, no one thought it was possible to even make this a close race, but we stood for real change, change that would make a real difference in the life of our nation, the lives of our families, and we defined that choice to America."
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their country -- by looking at puppies
fasten your seat belts
It's going to be a bumpy ride. With 49% of the country voting "NO" to 4 more years, be assured that this will end in tears.
Bush got a mere handful more electoral votes than Kerry. Kerry almost made it, almost. Almost.
Thank you George W. Bush for spreading hatred for gays (who want to love and be loved) spreading hatred for women (who want equal pay and control of their own bodies) and spreading hatred for the poor (who want things like healthcare and education) and flushing our economy and environment down any available toilet.
Thanks for shipping our jobs overseas for shit pay. Thanks for giving tax cuts to the rich at the expense of everyone else. Thanks for turning the entire world into "us" vs. "them." Thanks for the unnecessary war and lying about it.
You fucker. With all this hatred machine-gunned into our mostly peaceful nation, is a civil war really that unthinkable? What about World War III? A friend last night shouted, "Four more wars!" and he's probably not that far off.
Bush got a mere handful more electoral votes than Kerry. Kerry almost made it, almost. Almost.
Thank you George W. Bush for spreading hatred for gays (who want to love and be loved) spreading hatred for women (who want equal pay and control of their own bodies) and spreading hatred for the poor (who want things like healthcare and education) and flushing our economy and environment down any available toilet.
Thanks for shipping our jobs overseas for shit pay. Thanks for giving tax cuts to the rich at the expense of everyone else. Thanks for turning the entire world into "us" vs. "them." Thanks for the unnecessary war and lying about it.
You fucker. With all this hatred machine-gunned into our mostly peaceful nation, is a civil war really that unthinkable? What about World War III? A friend last night shouted, "Four more wars!" and he's probably not that far off.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
the waiting is the hardest part
How long we will have to wait to hear the outcome of the 2004 presidential election is anyone's guess. I am optimistic for Kerry yet also suspicious of dirty antics from his opponent. See the Electoral Vote Predictor and mouseover to view cited sources.
Let's also hope that Fox News doesn't call this election like it did in 2000. Blech!
Let's also hope that Fox News doesn't call this election like it did in 2000. Blech!
Monday, November 01, 2004
gotta love technology
En route to work this morning, I just happened to be on a MUNI train, holding some lovely parrot tulips. Silly name, fascinating flowers. Vivid yellow with red vertical stripes, every petal with a jagged edge. Genetic modification at its best.
A guy standing next to me pulled half his headphones off and asked what they were and if they came in other colors. Improve those colors, how could you? This opened the territory for a completely different guy to ask me if he could take a photo of them. Sure, go ahead.
He said he'd post it to his website. Something like spokentire but I can't find it. That's what you get for interacting with people before you've had coffee.
A guy standing next to me pulled half his headphones off and asked what they were and if they came in other colors. Improve those colors, how could you? This opened the territory for a completely different guy to ask me if he could take a photo of them. Sure, go ahead.
He said he'd post it to his website. Something like spokentire but I can't find it. That's what you get for interacting with people before you've had coffee.
