No Blog in the New Year

So, I'm going to start the new year out blog-less. Just to let you know, I'm killing this blog.

Happy New Year!

Autobiography in Five Short Paragraphs --Happy New Year

This seemed like a good way to start the new year. Something that was passed on to me:

Autobiography in Five Short Paragraphs
—by Portia Nelson

(Stories for the Heart, 1996, ed. Alice Gray)
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.
†
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in. I can't
believe I'm in the same place, but it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
†
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It's a
habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am.
It is my fault. I get out immediately.
†
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk. I walk around it.
†
I walk down a different street.

Amy Sedaris and MySpace

Somehow I missed this Fresh Air interview with Amy Sedaris. I remedied that this morning. Check it.

In other news...you may never hear from me again as I may freeze to death at any moment. My renovated shack is getting pretty frigid. I can hardly type to add people to my myspace page. OK, so, myspace. I am very ambivalent about it. I keep getting accounts and cancelling them. I may stick with it this time because I'm such a groupie. I love having all my band lists consolidated and keeping up with who is playing where, yadda yadda. I am definitely not down with the distasteful comments on everyone's site. That's where my prudish side comes in. I'm down with the sex workers, not down with flash porn. Go figure.

OK, so, since there is a slim chance that I will post before Soltice or those other holidays, I will wish youse guys Happy Holidays!

Demo Revolution

I feel quite remiss that I haven't mentioned anything about the recent election. But maybe that's just because I don't care? OK, maybe that's a bit much, but I think I do feel a bit heavy hearted that the Democratic party is now going to be responsible for cleaning up the republican mess of the last 6 years. Before that even, considering that Clinton was a "moderate" with a Republican congress. (Thanks for NAFTA!)

OK, so now we have to balance the budget, clean up the environment, get out of Iraq, make peace with Iran and North Korea...and we don't even have the executive branch! We're just going to get the flack if things don't shape up.

So, pardon me if I'm not joining the ticker-tape parade. I'm not leaving my bunker until I see how this travesty is going to play out.

I am happy that Nancy Pelosi is going to be Speaker. Just two bullets away...

Without a Doubt

I had a fabulous few days in SF. I saw the Indigo Girls play with a full band (I think my ears are still recover--I wasn't equipped for the ruckus), I saw two decent movies and one great movie--Stranger Than Fiction, and the most fabulous and surprising event, I saw Doubt with Cherry Jones. Totally impressive. I wish I could go again. If I make it to SF again during the run, I will go again. They have reserved the first 2 pit rows for day-of sales with cash payment at the box office. It a huge deal. I feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to see Miss Jones perform. She's wonderful. And on top of it all, she has a really hot girlfriend!!

I Kiss you !!

When I recently heard that someone was suing Sacha Baron Cohen for stealing his identity for the Borat charcter, I immediately knew who that individual must be and that, yes indeed, he was right. Remember the I Kiss You website that made the rounds in November of 1999? I revisited the page today and was taken back to the cubicle job I had at the time. Read this Salon page to recapture the Zeitgeist. Good stuff. SBC needs to pony up.

Now We Can Swim Any Day in November

Even for Cali we've had record breaking days lately in the upper 80's, so I've had these Postal Service lyrics on my mind:

"And then last night i had that strange dream
Where everything was exactly how it seemed
Where concerns about the world getting warmer
The people thought they were just being rewarded
For treating others as they like to be treated
For obeying stop signs and curing diseases
For mailing letters with the address of the sender
Now we can swim any day in november"

This photo is kinda dated now. K-Mart has it all. I had to go there to get fall. Now I think we're going straight into winter.

What's Right With TV: 30 Rock

OK, so first of all, I want to say that one of the reasons I never want to start watching new tv series is, there are no guarantees that the show isn't going to be yanked off the air after a handful of episodes, like my new favorite show Studio 60 (ok, maybe I just like it because Sarah Paulson is in it, but so?) But the other sketch-comedy-show-within-a-show show, 30 Rock is looking like it will have a longer life, and although I was non-plussed by the pilot episode, I thought the last episode was really funny. You can watch the latest episode every week on NBC's website. I'm also still watching Brothers and Sisters, kind of hard to get into, but I watch it for Rachel Griffiths and Sally Fields--fantastic actors. Then there's Battlestar Galactica, Weeds... What are y'all watching?

Oh, the Pressure

overheard: "singers didn't use to have to compete with dead people."
said my mother whilst we were listening to Ella sing the Harold Arlen songbook. So true.

I recently purchased the complete Ella Fitzgerald songbook collection. Off the hook! I love Ella the mostest.

Media Matters - Buyer's remorse: The Bush story the press won't tell

So, I feel like I've been negligent in keeping up with the political side of my blog. I think that I am just holding my breath, waiting for this administration to go away, waiting for mid-term elections. I was looking up Bush's rating (maybe just making sure that they were still in the toilet, and found this article.

OK, so at the intersection of politics and pop culture...the Dixie Chicks coming documentary. I am very close to buying the Chicks current album. I have a friend that gives it out for gifts all the time. She likes it, but there is something very political about that act. I have to say that I'm not a huge fan, but I did get chills watching them perform Not Ready to Make Nice on VH1 Storytellers (must watch clip in IE). I know I'm a total sap. Yep, I'm just a sentimental fool, easily swayed by trite harmonies and rebellious yet uplifting lyrics.

I also wanted to mention that you (meaning George) can now sign receive my blog through bloglines. Yippeee! Lemme know if the link doesn't work.

the duhks

the duhks
Originally uploaded by calvo.

OK, so, I looove The Duhks (a Live Oak fave) and they are embarking on a west coast tour. I'm looking forward to it. They have a new album out (Buy it from your local independent music store!) Listen to their new album here. They're bluesy bluegrassy good fun, and I have a crush on every single one of them. They are so f-ing cool.

Brothers and Sisters on ABC

OK, so I really like this show--which of course means that it will probably get cancelled, but I'm going to put a plug in for it--even though it has Calista Flockhart in it. And to be fair, she's not that bad. But watch it for Rachel Griffiths. I fucking love her. And Sally Field. She's so brilliant. The show is about a family coping with the recent death of their father and revelations that have been made... Anyway, it's very much a character-driven family drama. If you like Six Feet Under you should give it a try. OK, that's all about that. For now.

Update: Brothers and sisters was picked up for a year! yay!

Ani DiFranco Videos

This site reminded me of how much I loooove Ani DiFranco. Especially old Ani. :)

I was trying to learn some guitar tabs and stumbled upon these old videos that I'd never seen before. Score.

How do I love Battlestar Galactica, Let me count the ways

Last night was the premiere of Battlestar Galactica. I had sort of forgotten about it and luckily they broadcast it twice in a row. Being the SciFi channel, they will probably play it over and over through the week.

It's crazy, everyone is married, Starbucks eggs were harvested (saw that one coming), and that damn Colonel Tigh's wife-- I wish someone would take care of her.

I also saw Little Miss Sunshine for a 2nd time last night with a friend that hadn't seen it. That is my favorite movie so far this year.

It was a crazy night out last night. Strawberry cheesecake and jasmine tea....mmmmm.

Nellie McKay weekend

Thursday Nellie played at Bimbo's in SF. The show was amazing, and all 2 of you who read this and didn't go, shame on you. I hope that a bootleg surfaces. I will, of course, let you know if that happens. Especially since I was fortunate enough to sing a duet of Beecharmer with her on stage. I immeditely went into shock and lost touch with my body for, like, 12 hours.

A couple of days after that, she accepted an In Defense of Animals’ Guardian Award at World Vegetarian Day at Golden Gate Park. I talked to her after her 3-song set and had this picture taken. I think only my "friends" can see it.

Nellie McKay at Bimbo's

Ok, so I may have to quit my job and miss my mom's birthday, but I'm going to see Nellie McKay at Bimbo's on September 28th. And you should too. Hopefully, you've already listened to her and are in love with her like I am.

KCRW Music: Morning Becomes Eclectic

I just listened to Brandi Carlile on Morning Becomes Eclectic. She's my favorite of the day, maybe even longer. Reminds me of Neko Case and and a rockier kd lang circa Drag or Hymns of the 49th Parallel.

Democracy Now! | Arundhati Roy on India, Iraq, U.S. Empire and Dissent

I hope that every progressive person has heard of Arundhati Roy, but whether you have or haven't, this is a great interview with her from Democracy Now back in May. She's informative and inspirational. She's honest, thoughtful, realistic and eloquent. I loved her after reading The God of Small Things, but I loved her more after hearing her speak on political issues like Globalization and Empire. Listening to this interview is a good use of an hour.

Jimmy Fallon & Parker Posey Pepsi Commercial

So, this isn't new, but I don't watch much live tv, so I'm going to pretend like it is. I've been dabbling in YouTube for awhile, but I've recently been on a kick. So have a lot of people I guess because I found a link to this on Pop Candy. Not that I wanna be hocking Pepsi (I don't drink soda), but it's pretty funny, and I do enjoy funny and creative commercials. There are also a lot of re-makes on YouTube, some are chuckle-worthy, while some are downright disturbing.

Splitsville for Sleater-Kinney

sleater-kinney
Originally uploaded by divinehamer.

I'm feeling suprisingly heavy-hearted after hearing that Sleater-Kinney is breaking up. It's making me feel...old. Like it's time to grow up, have kids and do something respectable.

Stabbies and honorary Stabbies

hanging in the shade
Originally uploaded by yellerbelly.

Another Live Oak down. This year I didn't take many pictures as it was so freakin' HOT. Stifling, sweltering heat is how I will remember Live Oak '06. I had brain melt, so I left a lot of the picture taking up to others. And I felt sorta disappointed by the music this year, but I did discover a cool new band, the Bills, hailing from Victoria, Canada.

But mostly I just enjoyed seeing all the folks that I don't get to see enough of.

Check It: Nellie McKay

nellie smiles
Originally uploaded by eatsdirt.

My favorite favorite security blanket these days is Nellie McKay. She makes me so happy. I love her.

The ubiquitous tag line is "a cross between Eminem and Doris Day". I don't know about that, but she does spit some rap and also has a very pure voice in the 1st Alto/2nd Soprano range. Although, admirably, she doesn't believe in such restrictions--especially interesting since she writes her own stuff and ostensibly could write songs for herself in her range, but whatever. I find her vocal reaching and stretching endearing. Her first album, Get Away From Me is pretty eclectic, but a bit more 1950's/ 60's pop vocals than the new one which seems a bit more...modern, and rock/ pop like. She hasn't lost her political bent though. Someone commented on how there weren't as many funny, sarcastic quips on the new one, and she said that she thought she'd become less funny. So there. But I still like it, but maybe not quite as much as the first...yet.

If you even sort of like her, buy her album when it comes out this summer. She was dropped by her label last winter right before her album was supposed to come out (because they're jerks) and I heard she's going to be releasing it herself this summer. The best website for news is NellieMcKay.org

one paragraph at a time

OK, so I haven't written anything in a million years, but I've been trying to think of something worthy to write about after such a long hiatus (really there are a lot of things) and this seemed like a great one. Check out Maya Stein's fabulous poetry on her blog one paragraph at a time and sign up to receive her gift of a poem in your inbox once a week. She is awesome!