Marvin Gaye's national anthem

Brings me to tears every time I play this video. Here's the back story, which makes the performance seem all the more remarkable.

Temper. Tantrum. Aftermath.

bail me out too, Henry

Hilarious website noted in the October 4 Economist -- buymyshitpile.com "We figured that instead of protesting this plan, we'd give regular Americans the same opportunity to sell their bad assets to the government."

This has to be my favorite listing: $100 of pre-1980 pennies for $165!

Mavericks, part 2

Great article in the New York Times the other day about the origin of the loaded word "maverick." It derives from a Texas cattle rancher named Samuel Maverick who didn't brand his cattle. Unbranded cattle, then, were called “Maverick’s.” The name came to mean anyone who didn’t bear another’s brand. I guess Sam Maverick's descendants are less than pleased that McCain/Palin have co-opted the term. I would be too.

Mavericks

We went to dinner on Friday night at a great restaurant in SF called....Maverick. Didn't realize the irony until later, when my uncle Todd gave me a birthday present with a cutout of a winking Sarah Palin on it. Oy. Thank god for Tina Fey, otherwise I'd be crying instead of laughing about the very real risk that the much-ballyhooed moose hunter will be a heartbeat away from being Prez.

Nearly 10 years ago, Norman Mailer nailed it (except for the part about the Dow rising...ugh, don't even talk to me about my 401K) when he said the following in a letter published in the recent New Yorker magazine:
"The point is: the Republican Party is schizophrenic: on the one hand, they are, as I say, for God, flag and family, but on the other, they are for the unbridled expansion of capitalism, and thereby leave out something that might still be important to you which is that Jesus, like Karl Marx, thought money leaches out all other values. Indeed, it does. If the whole country is going to pot, and it certainly is, I think you could graph the decline not only in morals, but in a sense of social eclat and social standards - I think you could plot the decline right next to the rise of the Dow Jones - the higher the Dow, the lower the standards. Money destroys all other values. I can even respect the right wing Republicans for holding to a few standards, as they do, but they never take on capitalism which, unbridled, is the worst scourge of human value that we have right now."

speaking of jamie lidell....

It is absolutely worth it to check out this clip of one of Jamie Lidell's frequent collaborators, Gonzales playing a rousing piano tune with audience humming participation.

jamie lidell & funny palin/mccain remixes

Went to see Jamie Lidell at the Fillmore last Tuesday 9/30, and what a great show! He's ironed out the kinks with his live band, and I really enjoyed his electronic solo in the middle of the show (he loops his voice and beatboxing to create a song live -- awesome!) We were right up front, and John snapped this pic on his iPhone

Speaking of music, I ran across these funny palin and mccain remixes the other day. Watching the VP debate Thursday night, I was just amazed that Palin can muster up so much self-confidence with so little political experience. Biden, of course, provided much more substance in his answers, and I was really touched when he broke down in describing how he felt when that tragic accident killed his first wife and baby girl and seriously injured his boys. Wonder what's going to happen come election day....

disneyland/palin

Disneyland and Palin in the same post? Not as counterintuitive as you might think. As Matt Damon recently said, a Sarah Palin presidency would be like a "really bad Disney movie." I just don't get the Palin appeal. Among her many other negatives, the fact that she had not traveled outside the U.S. until last year proves that she lacks any semblance of intellectual curiosity, in my opinion. Hear more of my and others' opinions on Palin in the following podcast from a discussion on Pirate Cat Radio (it's nearish the end of the California Music Box podcast on 9/2/08.)

Now, for Disneyland. Just went with the family, and I have to say, the old classics are still my favorites -- e.g., the Pirates of the Caribbean. Loved me some Tiki Room too. Unfortunately, both the Haunted House and It's a Small World were closed for renovation. Did not love, however, the bad acid trip of the Pooh Bear ride. Anticipating a lovely and quiet tour through the land of honey and flowers with Pooh and his innocent companions, we were instead treated to outsized and fluorescent-colored panels thwapping towards us as our little honey car made its way through a Pooh nightmare. Not my photo, but this gives an idea of the freakishly psychedelic nature of what's supposed to be a kiddie ride. I'm pretty sure I sustained permanent hearing loss as well. Guess those ride designers try to appeal to a wider audience than the toddler set. Either that, or they enjoy the occasional mushroom.

the circus/robot dreams

Odd-looking clowns with freakish makeup? Check. TB-riddled elephants forced to perform unnatural balancing feats? Check. Sound turned up to earbleed? Check. PETA handing out leaflets afterward? Check. Probably the one and only day you'll spend with your kids at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus? Priceless.

As for written entertainment, the best book I've read in a long, long time has absolutely no words. It's called Robot Dreams and it's the first graphic novel I've ever read. I checked it out from the library for Greta, but I ended up reading it twice, and crying both times. A masterpiece and a great gift for that person whose close friendship you've never been able to replicate.

9/11 anniversary

Since it's nearly our 7th wedding anniversary (we got married October 13, 2001), it reminded me that it will be 7 years since 9/11. Just browsing the other day, I came upon a story about a couple who (illegally) lived in an apartment they created out of an abandoned area in a mall in Rhode Island. The guy, Michael Townsend, is an artist, and did this incredible project where he and others created "tape art" silhouettes all throughout the city of the over 400 firefighters and airline passengers who died in NYC on 9/11. It took 5 years to complete, and is a very cool tribute to those lost.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen

Most people think the news about John Edwards' affair and alleged love child is a big so what. They say that politicians are known to stray, and who cares about John Edwards anyway -- he's not the nominee. For some reason though, I am fascinated! It's the imagery, I suppose, of Edwards running away from reporters in a hotel and becoming "ashen"-faced while trapped in a bathroom and confronted with what reporters from the National Enquirer (who, by the way, continue to break stories about this issue) were saying about him. Also intriguing is the pointlessnes, and potential harm to the child, of Edwards' failure to admit that he is the father of Rielle Hunter's baby. His lawyerly parsing in the recent Nightline interview just stinks to high heaven. Come on John, man up!

Update: Check out deceiver.com's posts on the Edwards scandal. The most comprehensive rendering of the story on the interweb

Good food, gross food

Went to a cute Asian-fusion restaurant in SF the other day called the house, in North Beach. Yummy!

On the other end of the spectrum, my aunt sent me a link to this hilarious blog about a guy who eats (or attempts to eat) narsty (yes, I meant "narsty," which is much worse than "nasty") food, Steve Don't Eat It. Hilarious and inventive writing, and worth the time to read.

New Music Monday

Newish stuff I'm listening to right now:

1. Beck's new album, Modern Guilt. I'm enjoying the Violent-Femmes-tinged Gamma Ray. Also love the killer drums on the spacey Chemtrails. This song was reminding me a bit of the crashing choruses of the Smashing Pumpkins, and lo and behold, the drummer, Joey Waronker, has also appeared on recordings by the Pumpkins. I'm still getting into this album, but so far, me likey.

2. Ear candy - Kate Nash and Rihanna. Kate Nash comes from the Brit School (fellow alums - Amy Winehouse and Adele). Love this song, Pumpkin Soup. I know Rihanna's album has been out for a while, but, Umbrella really is a monster of a pop tune (if you can get past the lame rap by Jay-Z at the beginning), and I just can't seem to get sick of it, try as I might.

3. Ladytron. My bud Lara has been talking about this band for a while, but I am just now getting around to them. Great sound -- check out a live version of their Goth-and-80s-sounding High Rise.

Movies

We recently got back from a fabulous vacation at my sister's place in Tahoe, and while there, I saw the new Batman movie. Christopher Nolan, the writer/director, also directed one of my all-time favorite movies, Memento. Nolan made Memento for about $5 million, yet, I think Memento's even better than the $180 million Dark Knight. Check 'em out and see what you think.

Oh, and I'm very pumped to see the new documentary Man On Wire. It recounts the true story of Philippe Petit's walk on a tightrope stretched between the Twin Towers in 1974. He did this illegally, and without any safety equipment whatsoever. Not only did he walk on the tightrope, he laid on it and danced on it! Crazy! I don't remember this story from when I was young, but this is a truly remarkable and, in view of 9/11, sentimentally nostalgic story

Courage

Very cool story on NPR yesterday about North Carolina state employee L.F. Eason, who refused to lower the flag at his state-run laboratory in honor of late Sen. Jesse Helms. Eason was Director of the lab, and because the lab's work was so closely identified with him, he simply couldn't stomach the idea of honoring someone who voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the MLK Jr. national holiday (Helms also never recanted his position against racial integration, unlike Strom Thurman -- who, of course, may have had other reasons for doing so). Because of this "insubordination," Eason was forced to retire early. You can listen to his interview here.

On an unrelated note (fair warning, bragging about to happen), I was playing Mozart's Sonata in C Major on the piano tonight (what I could remember of it), and Greta urgently remarked that she saw this song on Baby Mozart. We watched the video, and sure enough, it was the opening tune. Coincidence? Dunno, but I am very happy that she appreciates music.

monsters inc.

Great movie, bad idea watching it with a 3-year-old. Greta now no longer wants to sleep in her room after a couple of nightmares which made her jump from her bed screaming "Monsters, Monsters!" at the top of her lungs. Because I just returned to work, I feel guilty enough to let her sleep in the portacrib upstairs in our bedroom. But give this girl an inch, and she'll take a trip around the world! She's now conning her way into our bed, throwing tantrums when we don't let her sleep there (claiming I'm in "her spot"). Did we explain to her that monsters exist only in cartoons? Check. Did we use our imaginary "spray" to clear her room of monsters each night? Check. Did we double her up with the baby so she has company at night? Um, no, we're not insane (if you could hear the chatterfest that is Greta, you'd understand why she and a quiet, sleeping baby mix about as well as anchovies and ice cream). Ah, well, we should just relax and enjoy her company -- this won't go on forever, will it?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Greta makes it sound so easy -- she wants to be a princess. But, I always struggle with this one, and everyone else probably does as well. Especially difficult, at least for me, is attempting to straddle the music and law worlds. Last night, I sang at an open mic with the keyboard player for Etta James. His name is Dave Mathews, and he was really cool and encouraging. Nights like these make me regret not pursuing music more seriously. But, then, the life of a musician is often a struggle. Isn't it better to juggle the stable job and fulfilling hobby (tiring as it may be)? In fact, people who are happy with their chosen professions always make me suspicious. It's human nature to want something more or different, right? Not too long ago, I found a printout that my high school guidance counselor gave me, telling me to pursue law and music. The moral is, maybe we weren't meant to be just one thing when (if) we grow up. And part of growing up is simply accepting it

Pedicures, Gs, first words, and "the new god" of youtube

Well, I managed to get a haircut today so that I look somewhat presentable for my first day back at work tomorrow. I also got a massage to relieve stress' vice-like grip on my shoulders. What did I forget? Oh yeah, a pedicure -- Greta to Mommy: "Mommy, is that babyfood on your heels?" No, dear, just old, sandpapery skin.

She really is amazing. Not quite 3, I caught her drawing the capital letter G over and over again on several sheets of paper. The first one I thought was a fluke, but when she kept doing it, I realized she must have simply taught herself how to do it. While I'm bragging, Johnny (almost 10 months) now says "mama" and "dada" -- and I think he now knows what he's saying.

But enough about real life. How about some fantasy? The best video I have seen in a long, long time captures a feigned "spontaneous" group dance number in Union Square (June '08). If this doesn't make you wish you could be free, then you are far too well-adjusted and clearly don't work for the man. And if you need some impetus to watch it, here's a comment by a youtube user: "What? Why doesn't this vid have a trillion views? It's like... the new god" Oh, so quiet

new music....

No long sob story this time, just some new music I've been enjoying. Now that I'm past the age where I can stay out late in bars and check out new bands, and now that most music labels are past the age of being viable in this digital world, I'm discovering that I'd probably would have really enjoyed being an A&R rep. Oh well!

1. Esperanza Spalding -- saw her on Leno this week. It's difficult enough to play an instrument while singing. But to play syncopated stand-up bass and sing like Ella, that's just wrong! Precious

2. Jamie Lidell -- Ok, not a new find, but I just went and saw him (for the 4th time) recently at Bimbo's. He's a British blue-eyed soul singer, but also a superb electronic musician. Here's his older hit, "Multiply" He also penned the song "A Little Bit More" featured in a Target commercial. His new album "Jim" is chock-full of classic-sounding soul songs, and is one of the best albums I've purchased in a long time.

3. The Ting Tings. I seem to like all those i-Pod commercial musicians, like Feist and CSS. This duo rocks! Have any new music to share? Discuss!Great DJ

another (funnier) prom story....

Here's my friend Patrick's prom story - a truly talented writer (he's the one hosting the adult prom on August 9. What are you doing that evening?.....):

It's a funny thing about high school. Most of us thought we were awkward, alone and nobody understood us, even the cool ones and the jocks felt like outsiders. And to be honest, I think many of us spend the rest of our lives either trying to live up to and or, moving beyond who we were in high school. In a conversation I had with my mom a few years ago, I said to her I find it difficult at times to come to grips with turning 40, because I can still remember clearly being 14. Her response was "how do you think I feel?". My mom is 77.

About high school. Well, duh. We were teenagers. Have you taken a look at them lately. Two weeks ago I spent 4 days in the company of about 100 teens and pre-teens for a show at Theater Artaud. I can say without a doubt that with the exception of maybe 2 very outgoing boys, everybody was awkward, uncool, nerdy, stupid, loud, an idiot, unfinished, young, nervous, self conscious to the point of being afraid of not the adults but each other. Ever year I get older, 44 now, I look back and realized I had not a chance with Kim Dennis, who was a senior when I asked her to my junior prom. It was my year of blackouts, because there seems to be not much I can remember during the period from when I stopped thinking she was so crazy looking with her afro/bouffant hairdo, to me realizing she was the love of my life and had to ask her out, only to be confronted with her completely transforming herself that year from bookish honor roll model student to cheerleader hottie, honor roll student. The best thing she ever did for me was to graduate a year before me. But there is still one thing that haunts me to this day. During a dance that was held at the school late one Friday night, she came to the back of the darkened cafeteria and stood with her back to me for about two songs. I was so broken, dejected, crushed that I couldn't even say a word to her. It was only when I was an adult looking back on that moment that I realize what she was doing. It is probably the singular moment that I wish I could relive. Maybe when the day comes that I see Elvis and grandma standing in a while light of peace and love shall I get a do-over.

I never went to my prom. For one, I attended a technical high school in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A school that had a 3 to 1 population when it came to boys versus girls. If you can imagine, I left high school at 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 135 Lbs. And this was in the days before the crack epidemic. Some of my friends even referred to me as "Bones", not the doctor from Star Trek, but just in physical appearance. But I two years after I took a friend to hers because her boyfriend who was attending law school asked me to. So, I guess I am one of the only men who ever got asked to a prom by another guy. They got married years later, had a daughter, then got divorced. All before I moved to San Francisco. Let that be a lesson to my younger self. Be careful what you wish for...

As I have gotten older I have also gotten some insights into what girls find attractive at that age. Hair. Heide Kline was voted best hair because she was one of the few natural blonds and had the Farrah Fawcett feathered hair thing going for her. Those of us with kinky short and curlies didn't have a chance, no matter how high you could pile your outdated Afro.

I attended my 20th anniversary and found Heide still looked pretty much the same, the hair a little darker, shorter and she was coping with an ex-husband who left her and a teenager daughter. He was her prom date also. Thing was, she was not a friendly person and seemed to only hang with the same gang, even though she traveled from Miami, to get there. I by the way, got the award for farthest traveled. Seems folks still live within 20 minutes of were we grew up. In all aspects of my former life, I too probably should have stayed in that area had it not been for my musical wanderlust. I mean, I had a good job working as a reporter for the third largest newspaper in the state and was saving up money through my 401K Plan to buy into a condo, maybe find a nice gal, have a kid or two and settle in for a long life in which I would check out at my desk surrounded by empty peanut shells, only to be found the next morning after my co-workers realized I wasn't sleeping, as usual...

Well, that's all been shot to pieces now. The gal and I broke up in 2001, and she has since moved back to Korea. The $13,000 in savings have all been spent in hotel rooms and gas stations during my travels to realize my dreams, settling in to San Francisco with just enough to make the down payment on my studio which I struggle to keep open each month, but been at it since 1995.

So in essence, I am trying to live the impossible dream of attending my prom and having a good time with people I want to be around and have fun with and maybe save the world while I am at it. Or just my soul.

returning to work, high school proms

It's only a few days before I go back to work, and I don't think I've ever had so much red wine in such a short amount of time! I'm sure it will be fine once I get there, but I'm worried about how Greta will adjust with the trifecta of a new preschool, a new nanny, and an absent mommy. So, in order to reduce the stress, I've taken to corresponding with a musician friend of mine, who is planning an adult prom/murder mystery night on August 9 in San Francisco. Instead of blogging about the kids, here is an excerpt of an e-mail to my friend regarding my senior prom. Oh, and no slight meant to Santa Rosa - I actually love it there now, but in high school, you know, everyone wants to escape the town they grew up in. Do you have any memorable stories about your prom? Post them in the comments so I don't feel so alone in my loserdome! Here's my prom story.....

My prom was weird -- I guess most people's are. I didn't have a boyfriend at the time. I mainly hung out with the drama and artsy crowds, but my guy friends in that group already had dates. Nobody asked me, so I ended up asking a dreadlocked skateboarder (replete with half-pipe in his backyard) to come with me. I hadn't even talked to him before, except to say "hi" in the quad at lunchtime. But I liked the way he looked, wearing those thrift store bermuda shorts and all. His image fit in with the reggae and ska I was listening to at the time. Even better was his name -- Ron Regular. True story.

Before the main event, Ron and I had several stilted phone calls, in a lame attempt to get to know each other. It didn't really work, although I did get to see him skate on the afore-mentioned half pipe -- he was pretty good. On the evening of, in an effort to break from the suburban hell that is Santa Rosa, we went to dinner in San Francisco at a place called "Squids" with my two best girlfriends and their dates. My friend Cathy's date came out of the closet shortly afterward, so needless to say, these weren't matches made in heaven. Also, whoever thought squid would combine well with an abundance of cheap liquor wasn't thinking.

After dinner, we returned to Santa Rosa in time to catch the prom's fading hours. The dancing with Ron, what little there was of it, was awkward at best. Turns out, we didn't have much in common, so I spent most of the night hanging with my girlfriends. It was our one and only date.

For years afterward, I felt like a loser (a) for having to ask someone to my prom, and (b) for asking someone I didn't and would never know. In my adulthood, whenever the topic arose, I tried to loosen up and recount my story, my inner voice reassuring me that it was "so long ago." Yet, inevitably, I'd find myself quickly changing subjects for fear that the shy gawky girl behind the confident facade would be exposed. But now that I look back on the experience, I'm thankful I wasn't one of those "lucky" girls who went with their dreamy high school sweethearts, and who happily remained in Santa Rosa to start making babies in their youth. Not that there's anything wrong with the route they took, but I'm rather grateful that the only reminder I have from my prom is the story I can (reluctantly) tell about it.

Inauguration

Well, after constantly nagging a friend to start keeping track of all the funny things his toddler was saying, I decided I should do the same. Greta is really becoming self-aware, and the things she comes up with -- along with her tantrum triggers -- are pretty interesting (to us, at least). We can also use this blog to update family on what's happening in our lives.

Just a short starter, today we had dance class with Greta's friends Katie and Maggie. Greta refused to take her leotard and tights off all day, which ultimately led to impromptu dance performances throughout Trader Joe's. We officially have a performer on our hands, better to live out my unrealized talents, ha ha!

Other new discoveries and tricks:

*ask every passerby "What's your name?" without ever revealing yours.
*after seeing word with "oo" in it on a Jeopardy clue: "two Os sound like ooh, ooh."
*"do monkeys talk?" (asked in connection with a cartoon)
*we can't wear pants with pockets right now....

Meanwhile, Johnny is a dream baby, very smiley and easygoing. Can't put this little dude in daycare -- he's so mellow, he'd get ignored. So, we've decided to hire a nanny to watch him and Greta when I return to work in June. We'll see how it goes....