Was Edward IV illegitimate?
Pink hair was hip in the '20s and early '60s.
Bad Indians, a swirly, shimmery indie band from Ann Arbor.
TEETH make a mix for Vice, including Marble Mummy (another Michigan fave).
Ten inconvenient truths about the debt ceiling from Crooks And Liars (with lots of graphs).
Lil Weezy "I Took Her. (Just jump into the playlist.)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
If you seek a pleasant peninsula
We got in around 3 P.M. yesterday, my dad ducking out of work to pick us up at Metro after a chintzy Spirit flight ("Greyhound of the Sky").
We watched half a Tigers game, ate jackfruit carnitas and had half a handshake with Ian and Geoff over twitter.
Headed out to swim at the pool of a friend-of-a-boyfriend-of-a-friend, some guitarist named Daniel who played with guys from Foghat or something. Out west of Saline, off of Scio Church, after a long dirt road. I think I left my sunglasses there.
Then today, we headed up to Lansing. Which has meant awkward conversations about medical marijuana, some sort of artichoke casserole, and community theater.
The show was Flaming Idiots, which had nothing to do with The Flaming Idiots, whom I like. "You know, jugglers?" No, no, no.
The director, fresh from success at CMU, wanted to make a farce that was really about developing characters (or so he told City Pulse) and it was a hot mess of over-acting, under-writing and just a general failure to understand the mechanics of comedy. It involved a deaf chef based on a terrible Carol Burnett impression, a buffoonish caricature of Hispanic that only lacked for the bee costume, and a granpa hitman who looked like a Tim and Eric extra.
Even the heckler was baffling — during a HAMLET scene so overwrought that Jon Lovitz would have suggested toning it down, some guy yelled, "Let me guess, a midsummer night's dream?" Which nonplussed the cast, and I blamed the director for until Amy told me it was just some guy who didn't even talk through the rest of the play. I can only assume that was some secret phrase that let Eugene he'd been caught in flagranti and would be stabbed after the show.
Still, even when live theater's bad, it's still pretty fun, and I'd rather watch an amateurish farce (which at least makes me feel nostalgic for all the amateurish farces I was in) than an amateurish drama, which are usually about poverty or literacy or abortion or all three, and are usually of the opinion that these things aren't bad so much, as can be overcome, especially literacy.
The biggest problem was that for some reason, community theaters haven't yet realized that they're about a thousand times better when you have the liquid lubricant of comedy, beer. Or pot too, but it was going to be hard to get stoned with Amy's folks there.
Luckily, since we needed an eye mask for Amy, we got to get high in the car, then stop at Taco Bell all on the way to Meijer.
Taco Bell was, as befits all semi-suburban highway exit sprawls, the place to people watch. I came in as the European was having a jocular discussion with the clerk about what sour cream was, having apparently already placed his order. It's the kind of mindless friendliness that America does really well, the sort of sheep dog enthusiasm for introducing those poor benighted foreigners to our magnificent dairy products dispensed from caulk guns.
The black teen next in line broke in, calling the the counter clerk out — "How you gonna not take my order? Don't you see me standing here? What's the deal, man? Don't you think I want food? What you think I'm at Taco Bell for?"
The man and the clerk both looked sheepish, and the clerk took the black guy's order. Maybe I've got a finer sensitivity to service industry discomfort, but the counter jockey kept trying to ask if there was something that the guy would like for free, and the guy was too pissed to pick up on it. Like, "I can give you a complementary large drink," and the guy just says, "I said a small drink. How come you not listening?"
I tried to explain all that to Amy when she came in, but she got caught up in listening to the conversation between the teen cook, a slight, greasy girl in that black with purple piping uniform, and some hefty 20-something who had ordered 17 tacos. And I couldn't be too loud about it, since the folks were right there.
Despite not having lived in Michigan in a couple years, eating Taco Bell while wandering through Meijer is still pretty boss.
We watched half a Tigers game, ate jackfruit carnitas and had half a handshake with Ian and Geoff over twitter.
Headed out to swim at the pool of a friend-of-a-boyfriend-of-a-friend, some guitarist named Daniel who played with guys from Foghat or something. Out west of Saline, off of Scio Church, after a long dirt road. I think I left my sunglasses there.
Then today, we headed up to Lansing. Which has meant awkward conversations about medical marijuana, some sort of artichoke casserole, and community theater.
The show was Flaming Idiots, which had nothing to do with The Flaming Idiots, whom I like. "You know, jugglers?" No, no, no.
The director, fresh from success at CMU, wanted to make a farce that was really about developing characters (or so he told City Pulse) and it was a hot mess of over-acting, under-writing and just a general failure to understand the mechanics of comedy. It involved a deaf chef based on a terrible Carol Burnett impression, a buffoonish caricature of Hispanic that only lacked for the bee costume, and a granpa hitman who looked like a Tim and Eric extra.
Even the heckler was baffling — during a HAMLET scene so overwrought that Jon Lovitz would have suggested toning it down, some guy yelled, "Let me guess, a midsummer night's dream?" Which nonplussed the cast, and I blamed the director for until Amy told me it was just some guy who didn't even talk through the rest of the play. I can only assume that was some secret phrase that let Eugene he'd been caught in flagranti and would be stabbed after the show.
Still, even when live theater's bad, it's still pretty fun, and I'd rather watch an amateurish farce (which at least makes me feel nostalgic for all the amateurish farces I was in) than an amateurish drama, which are usually about poverty or literacy or abortion or all three, and are usually of the opinion that these things aren't bad so much, as can be overcome, especially literacy.
The biggest problem was that for some reason, community theaters haven't yet realized that they're about a thousand times better when you have the liquid lubricant of comedy, beer. Or pot too, but it was going to be hard to get stoned with Amy's folks there.
Luckily, since we needed an eye mask for Amy, we got to get high in the car, then stop at Taco Bell all on the way to Meijer.
Taco Bell was, as befits all semi-suburban highway exit sprawls, the place to people watch. I came in as the European was having a jocular discussion with the clerk about what sour cream was, having apparently already placed his order. It's the kind of mindless friendliness that America does really well, the sort of sheep dog enthusiasm for introducing those poor benighted foreigners to our magnificent dairy products dispensed from caulk guns.
The black teen next in line broke in, calling the the counter clerk out — "How you gonna not take my order? Don't you see me standing here? What's the deal, man? Don't you think I want food? What you think I'm at Taco Bell for?"
The man and the clerk both looked sheepish, and the clerk took the black guy's order. Maybe I've got a finer sensitivity to service industry discomfort, but the counter jockey kept trying to ask if there was something that the guy would like for free, and the guy was too pissed to pick up on it. Like, "I can give you a complementary large drink," and the guy just says, "I said a small drink. How come you not listening?"
I tried to explain all that to Amy when she came in, but she got caught up in listening to the conversation between the teen cook, a slight, greasy girl in that black with purple piping uniform, and some hefty 20-something who had ordered 17 tacos. And I couldn't be too loud about it, since the folks were right there.
Despite not having lived in Michigan in a couple years, eating Taco Bell while wandering through Meijer is still pretty boss.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Try and follow this
"Try and" construction may be older than "try to".
Just a brief faq note on a construction that I find fascinating in its idiomatic use.
Just a brief faq note on a construction that I find fascinating in its idiomatic use.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
What am I drinking? What are you drinking?
I'm drinking:
2 oz. Bulleit Rye (on sale at Super King)
.75 oz Lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup (with cardamom)
2 tbsp muddled mint
Dash Soda water
Dash Blood orange juice
You?
2 oz. Bulleit Rye (on sale at Super King)
.75 oz Lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup (with cardamom)
2 tbsp muddled mint
Dash Soda water
Dash Blood orange juice
You?
MeFi Mag Issue Four: Work!
MeFi Mag Issue 4:
By MeFi Mag in Entertainment
This issue touches on the theme of work, in various forms. Klangklangston takes a look behind the scenes at the Institute of Erotic Arts and Sciences, msalt discusses the similarities of comedians to Daoist monks, Lutoslawski reveals the torture of man-boobs, iamkimiam is interviewed about "Meffy" vs "Mee-Fai", Brandon Blatcher traces the path Neil Armstrong's journey to be first man on the moon and brina chats with the newest moderator, restless…
Free PDF with sound here! (Due to limitations of print, there is no sound in the Magcloud edition.)
Tell me what you think!
Friday, July 08, 2011
LA Times says LA needs to respect cyclists
Columnist Hector Tobar goes riding; gets attitude adjustment.
Nice little article about the Passage rides Amanda goes on.
Nice little article about the Passage rides Amanda goes on.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
The sale of two douches
I bought a case of beer from the Rite Aid tonight, the one on Santa Monica at Vermont. There are two checkout lanes open, each with a woman checking out. I choose one lane, and I'm standing there with my case of bottles, and the cashier is idly chit chatting with the other cashier and the woman who's in front of me.
Her kids are orbiting and hitting each other, pouting and whining, and they're in their mid teens. Neither cashier nor the woman seems to be in any hurry.
I think about going over to the other line, but I see that woman's not getting rung up either. Because I'm judgmental and annoyed, I start paying attention to what the women have.
There has to be some sort of sale on douches at the Rite Aid. Both women have double packs of store brand douches. The price has somehow been marked incorrectly or isn't scanning, so everybody's just chillin' on the douches.
I wanted to yell, "JUST LEAVE THE DOUCHES! THEY ARE UNHEALTHY! ALSO THIS BEER IS HEAVY AND I WANT TO DRINK IT COLD!"
Her kids are orbiting and hitting each other, pouting and whining, and they're in their mid teens. Neither cashier nor the woman seems to be in any hurry.
I think about going over to the other line, but I see that woman's not getting rung up either. Because I'm judgmental and annoyed, I start paying attention to what the women have.
There has to be some sort of sale on douches at the Rite Aid. Both women have double packs of store brand douches. The price has somehow been marked incorrectly or isn't scanning, so everybody's just chillin' on the douches.
I wanted to yell, "JUST LEAVE THE DOUCHES! THEY ARE UNHEALTHY! ALSO THIS BEER IS HEAVY AND I WANT TO DRINK IT COLD!"
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Linkdump Wednesday!
Spectral Layers from DIVIDE FRAME on Vimeo.
A remarkably clear-headed rendering of the Oxford comma thing.
Highwayman's exploits bound in his own skin.
Local time, Seoul.
Fashion It So does TNG pr0n.
Has feminism gone too far? Is there any hope?
American Utopianism.
Cy Twombly photography book.
Seth Lower's Diamonds are Forever.
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Happy birthday to me!
I had a pretty good birthday yesterday (well, and today).
It started shittily enough, with yet another grinding battle against an over-burdened health care bureaucracy, but picked up with a trip to Mom's Tamales — not to be confused with Mama's Tamales, our previous favorite tamales. (Still good, just Mom's were fluffier and spicier.)
Stopped by the CSA; going to their potluck tomorrow.
Amy and I met Amanda and Isaac at City Sip, had some tempernillo and rioja, along with some tasty cheeses. Not too bad for happy hour — $4 tempernillo is worthwhile even if it's a bit one-note.
Then Amy and I headed off to Sage Bistro, a vegan half-raw bistro. Service was great, food was three stars, with every dish having sauce problems. Too much dressing on the salads, too many sauces on the spring rolls, too sweet marina sauce on amazing little ravioli.
We took a quick detour by Seth Lower's show at the Weekend Gallery, right across the street from Wacko. It was a really small space, but it's worth seeing.
We ended up back at home with fresh berries and cream. Fantastic.
Today, had a picnic up at Barnsdall Park (an official webpage that's unfortunately ranked lower than the spam farm it replaced) with a passel of folks I haven't seen in a while. It was nice overeating in a park. We swung by the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery on our way out — strong LA County show there, though the photographers again beat everybody else.
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