Mind Vomit by the ikss

mas mocos

So…apparently, my old Mocositos partner (and present brother in-law) and I are going to again schedule an acoustic gig at Ye Olde Liquid Lounge in lovely Long Beach, California. We may add some other musicians, but at this point it is just he and me. No Original Mike this time, so there should be no drama (and nothing to interfere with our actually following through on this).

Hopefully.

This is really for Andrea’s benefit, but I thought I would share what is, at present, our tentative song list. This is the list I sent to the bro-in-law – hence the notes. Festivities will probably take place the last week in April.

1. Lucky Day or You’ll Be Comin Down – Bruce Springsteen
2. Cocaine Blues – Johnny Cash
3. 5 Shots of Whiskey – Hank III
4. Designs on You – Old 97’s
5. Kentucky’s Son – Mocositos
6. Someone Else’s Baby – Will Hoge…or
7. Better Off (Now That You’re Gone) – Will Hoge (or both, I guess – I’m sure nobody at the LL will know these songs anyway! :) )
8. Two More Bottles of Wine or One of These Days – Emmylou Harris
9. For Lovin Me – Gordon Lightfoot
10. I Can’t Be Myself – Merle Haggard (although we can do the Katy Moffat version)
11. Two Angels – Peter Case
12. I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today – Gretchen Wilson
13. Mystify Me - Son Volt

california's money woes

I wrote the following in my old blog the day after Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California. Oh, how I wish I had been wrong about these things…(all notes in paranthesis are my new comments)

Here's what I have to say about the fact that the Terminator is now the Governor of my state: All of you who voted for him because you “think it will be funny” (and MANY people gave me that exact reason): I hope you’ll be happy when Arnold fucks things up even more than they are now. And I doubt you’ll be laughing very much when either the state has no money for any programs (we don’t) or we end up paying a lot more in state taxes in an effort to balance our budget (as we are now doing. Any break we’re getting on a Federal level is going to the state this year). Sure, maybe our car tax won’t be tripled, as Davis threatened (although it is not tripling, it is going up by $125 or so). But these problems are not going away simply because Gray Davis is no longer in office (they didn’t). In fact, the deficit and budget problems weren’t his fault to begin with. Remember the days of Republican Pete Wilson’s completely out of control spending? Remember his sweet deals with the likes of Enron that raped us and left us with insufficient (purchasable) electricity? Remember how Proposition 13 cut huge swaths through our property taxes, leaving us no money for education and the building of roads and prisons and stuff? There’s your problem, people. Gray Davis was not the real problem.

pardon me while I insult your entire belief system

Before we get in to this blog entry, please accept my apologies - I am far from a religious scholar and my knowledge is limited to Judeo-Christian traditions and teachings, with a healthy dose of many First Nation/Native American belief systems. Sadly, I have not read the Koran, the Torah, The Book of Mormon or other books of that nature, so my views may be limited.

As some of you may know, I am a big fan of Bill Maher…well, I have always been a big fan of his t.v. shows (Politically Incorrect, both on the Comedy Channel and, later, on ABC and now Real Time with Bill Maher). His stand-up? Honestly, I could take it or leave it. But I do think he is quite smart, very funny and I tend to agree with his politics far more often than not, which is a bonus.

Anyway, so The Old Man and I rented Religulous and watched it last night.

Now, I struggle with my own spiritual beliefs. I am avidly anti-Religion, because I think of religions more as political forces than anything else and I’m sure we can all agree that religions have been the cause of more discord, war, torture and abhorrent behavior than any other organization in the history of man. Therefore, although I was raised a Baptist, I have run-away from any organized religion since I was old enough to figure that out, which was about the age of 12.

I also think that subscribing to an organized religion is cheating. I think it is our job in this life to figure this stuff out and if you just let someone else do all the work and believe everything he tells you, you are lazy and that’s a complete cop-out. I also think that a whole lot of people seem to attach themselves to religion out of fear – the end of days are coming and you don’t want to go to hell, now do you? So you’d better be good…I mean, is the fear of going to hell really a reason to be a good person? And don’t you think God knows what your motives are?

still stuck in the twilight zone

In order to bring some kind of conclusion to my baffling recent obsession with the Twilight series of books, I watched the movie version of Twilight over the weekend.

 

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

 

First, the cast:

 

I thought Kristen Stewart did a really great job with Bella. As she is written, Bella could very easily have come off as whiny, insecure, melodramatic (even more so than most teens) and just downright stupid. Stewart dug deeper to find her intelligence, her strength, her stubbornness, her capacity for forgiveness. Unlike many reviews I have read recently, I also thought she had good chemistry with her Edward, Robert Pattinson.

 

I also liked Jacob (played by Taylor Lautner) more than I thought I would. Loving his character in the books as I do, I was prepared to be extremely disappointed. While Jacob’s part is small in Twilight, what I saw of Lautner’s performance gave me hope that he will be very good in the next two installments, in which he will figure prominently.

 

I had mixed feelings about Robert Pattinson as Edward. In many ways, I liked him much more than I like Edward in the book version…but then, I really did not care at all for the character of Edward in the book Twilight, so that ain’t sayin’ much. I liked Pattinson’s performance quite a lot as a rule. He played up Edward’s awkwardness amongst humans, which lent a rather comical flair to the part. His lone make-out scene with Bella was quite sexy. However, Pattinson was also comical when he upped the angst. And somehow, I don’t think that was what he was going for. When he gets too turned on by Bella, or he senses danger for her – at those times, his eyes almost bug out of his head and he just looks deranged.

 

Also…I hate to be so superficial…but…there is something about Robert Pattinson’s face which really bothers me. He is very good-looking when you see him head-on (although, I just have to ask, what is up with that hair??? He’s got some kind of reverse duck-tail going on, i.e. the tail is in the front. I could grab on to that duck tail and swing from it for several minutes), but in profile? His jaw is too strong and juts out in a weird way and his nose seems somehow sunken back in to his face so essentially he looks like somebody just dented his face with a baseball bat. He’s got smoosh-face. Even though the vamps in this movie don’t have actual fangs, per se, maybe they did something to make his teeth bigger than they usually are and that’s what made his nose appear to have sunk back…I don’t know, but it was off-putting. And when you mix that weird attribute with his eyes bulging during times of anger or angst…well, it makes for some extremely odd visuals.

duane jarvis

Another of my favorite musicians is struggling with health woes. And of course he has no insurance. This time it is Duane Jarvis and he has colon cancer.

Please visit this web site. There are links there which will enable you to make a donation for Duane, if you are able to do so.

Aside from the fact that it is criminally unjust for anyone in America to go without health insurance, these musicians do a heck of a lot to make our lives more liveable. They deserve our help at times like these. And besides that, Duane is just a super-nice, good person. Please help, if you can.

**

Edited to delete out of date concert info. Cuz the ikss is a dork.

and have a pleasant tomorrow

Hey there kids.

 

Aside from letting work (and the fact that I had to do a bunch of it on my days off) drive me slowly insane, I had quite a lovely weekend.

 

On Saturday night, The Old Man and I went to see my recently-married niece’s new hubby in a play. He played the lead in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story. He also showed a lot of his artwork in the lobby in front of the house. Saturday was the closing night performance, which is a shame because you all should have gone to see it. I was not a big fan of the one-act play itself, honestly (heavy handed with the “isolation of man” theme much?), but the nephew-in-law was really great. I even forgot I knew him several times throughout the evening and really – what better compliment is there to pay an actor? I had never seen him act before (he does a lot of commercials, which – due to my penchant for channel-surfing during commercial breaks – I have never seen and he has had a few small roles in a few small films I have yet to see). I was impressed.

 

I had seen some of his artwork before and so was not surprised to also be impressed with his talent there. I am actually going to buy a piece, once this installation is completed and I can take it home with me.

 

After the show, we were invited to go out to a bar with my niece and several of their friends. However, as usual, The Old Man was not up for that. *sigh* He did work all day, but still…honestly, he would not have wanted to go, even if he had been home laying in bed all day and was dying from boredom.  He is not a “go out to a bar” kind of guy.

 

I know – how in the world did we end up together?

 

An old friend (a very old friend. We have known each other since I was like 11 years old) who now lives in Denver was visiting for a few days and we went to brunch yesterday with several other people. We went to Las Brisas which is on the coast in Laguna (about 10 minutes from my pad). It was a gorgeous day. It was super-windy though which made for some rather comical picture-taking, what with the hair-do's going berserk, and the ocean was supremely choppy as a result. Not that we were swimming in it, of course, but it looked very cool from the shore.

Oh yeah – the food was really good, too. And nobody can complain about free-flowing champagne.

 

And now I am sitting here listening to Mike Stinson (and remembering that I ordered his last CD like six months ago and never received it…hmm…). I am at work, but winding down for the day and thinking about heading home.

 

This entry sucks.

 

There is so much on my mind right now, but I have no words to write about it; at least none which would be entertaining to you all. So you get some stupid post about my weekend.

 

Well, I guess it’s better than giving y’all too much information about my sex life with The Old Man.

bonding over bill maher

I have a confession to make.

 

And it’s a weird one.

 

There is something about Real Time with Bill Maher which makes both The Old Man and I randy as bunnies.

 

While I do find him (and his writers) to be very funny, quite intelligent and rather articulate, I do not find Bill Maher the least bit attractive, so it’s not that I get all worked up watching him and The Old Man just happens to be the only man in the immediate vicinity. And while The OM may be secure enough in his manhood to admit it when he finds a man attractive, I think I can say with some certainty that Bill Maher is not one of those men for him, either.

 

Regardless, it never fails. Two minutes after the closing music, we are going at it.

 

Nice image for you all to think of the next time you watch the show, by the way.

 

And they say politics have no place in the bedroom.

midnight sun

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars




Page 162

Thus far, I am at war between two different thought processes about this book – one extremely positive and one…fairly creeped out.

Thought Process 1) It is delightfully different to read the Twilight story from Edward’s point of view. While in the original I found his character to be boring, selfish and dangerously obsessive, reading from his perspective brings life to his character. It makes sense that a story about a vampire hopelessly in love would be more interesting than that of an overwrought 17 year-old girl – how could a vampire who can hear the thoughts of others and has lived for a hundred years and taken these same high school classes more times than he can count not be more interesting, just as a matter of course? But the interest in Edward goes far beyond interest in just any old vampire. He no longer comes across as arrogant perfection. Arrogant, perhaps, but it is no longer viewed as a virtue. He is also funny and not at all self assured. His jealousy leads to many humorous situations, such as when he accidentally lifts young trees out of the ground while trying to control himself as Mike asks Bella out on a date.

Conversely, Bella’s character seems far more strong and capable, as viewed through the eyes of others. Characteristics which made her seem a bit of a martyr and a door mat before are now shown as selflessness and the kind of strength which comes from being forgiving and generous. She, too, is given added humor in this version of the story.

I am also pleased that in writing from this perspective, the author is given the opportunity to let us know the entire Cullen clan – all interesting characters in their own right – a little more. We learn more about Edward and all of them, as we are shown how they relate to one another. I am a big fan of Alice in particular and so it is fun to have her pop up in this version so much more than in the original. The same could be said for the introduction of the Denali clan, notably Irina Tanya who has an unrequited thing for our fair Edward.

In all (aside from the occasional typo or misuse of grammar, but let’s remember that this is but a draft of a novel and assume that these things would have been caught in the editing process…assuming there is an editing process on Stephenie Meyer’s books, which is highly debatable…but let’s give her the benefit of the doubt, shall we?), this book is far better written (technically-speaking) than the original novel, which is a relief. In fact, so far I’d say this is technically superior to all of the books in the series. Whether that is simply because the author had grown as a writer by the time she sat down to it or if she just so enjoyed writing from the vampire’s perspective that she was inspired is open for discussion.

I can not yet determine, though, if one would be able to read this as a stand-alone novel and understand it enough to enjoy it as much as I am. It is hard to sufficiently detach myself from the background I have after reading the four original novels in the series so that I could make that determination. I have the feeling, though, that the book may not make much sense if you had not read the others.

Thought Process 2) I mentioned in my review of the original Twilight that I was a little freaked out by the fact that Edward snuck in to Bella’s bedroom at night, to watch her sleep…well, that obsessive behavior goes far beyond “a little freaky” now.

The first time he crept through her window was creepy enough…now he’s following her all over town and spying on her while she reads in her back yard.

Um…Restraining Order anyone?

breaking dawn

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

To say I have mixed feelings about Breaking Dawn is an understatement. In fact, I don’t know that I have fully come to terms with the story and whether or not I like it.

I guess those two sentences, in and of themselves, say a lot about the book. That it has caused me such intense thought, debate and internal struggle since I finished reading it a few days ago, must mean something.

Right?

First, the good…

1) Being a fan of Jacob, I was delighted that a good third of the book is written from his perspective. He’s funny and his outlook is refreshing (if still a bit juvenile, but he is, after all, only a teenager). It seems as if writing from this new point of view must have inspired Stephenie Meyer. Her enjoyment in doing so is evident. The chapter titles in his section are quite amusing, if a bit over-the-top in their effort to be so. The details about pack life and his breaking off to form his own pack were all very interesting. Also, reading about Bella’s pregnancy through his eyes was a huge relief – who could have stomached Bella’s whining and martyrdom through that whole ordeal? And I cried - real, actual tears - when Jacob showed up at the wedding reception.

2) I like the characters of both Seth and Leah, who are introduced for the first time in any real sense.

turn left at greenland

Wow. So it occurs to me that, aside from writing book reviews, I have not updated my blog in quite some time.

I’ve been busy, yo.

(And obviously spending all of my free time reading badly written books about vampires, werewolves and the humans who love them.)

So let’s catch up…

A couple of weekends ago, The Old Man and I spent some quality time in Sequoia National Park. It was so very lovely! There was lots and lots of snow on the ground everywhere, but the weather while we were there cooperated in a most delightful way. Here, allow me to share some photos…






We spent Saturday hiking around the park on snowshoes. It was awesome! Throughout the places we explored, ours were the only human foot prints in sight.



We went sledding (kinda...really, we sat on large pieces of colored plastic and road them down the hills).


We had a picnic in the snow:




We saw a coyote on the road:



I would show you one of the umpteen photos I took of The Old Man peeing in the woods, but he may not appreciate my exposing so much of his person through these internets…

So I shall instead show you a photo wherein The Old Man is falling on his butt:



Anyone need to make a call?