Prairie (11:49:51 AM): but my class went fine in spite of that…although somehow I managed to talk for half an hour about apostrophes, and I’m not quite sure how it happened
Michael (11:49:58 AM): oh wow!
Michael (11:50:00 AM): :laughs
Michael (11:50:04 AM): half an hour? wow…
Prairie (11:50:21 AM): I know…but they kept asking questions, so I kept talking
Michael (11:50:38 AM): well, there are people who can’t figure out “its” and “it’s” after years of teaching, so I can see half an hour on apostrophes in general
Prairie (11:51:01 AM): yeah — we spent at least 10 minutes on it’s and its, and let’s and lets
Michael (11:51:30 AM): I think someday I want to start a software company called Its
Michael (11:51:48 AM): so that when we release software, in order to write about it correctly, people would have to say
Michael (11:51:51 AM): Its’ new software
Michael (11:51:52 AM): lol
Prairie (11:52:02 AM): just so you can write sentences
like — yeah — exactly!
Michael (11:52:06 AM): :laughs
Michael (11:52:13 AM): piss every editor in the world off
Prairie (11:52:33 AM): just to add one more level of confusion (LOVE the way you think!)
Michael (11:52:49 AM): woohoo!
Personal
The stuff about me and my life. The “diary” side of blogging.
Mayday! Mayday!
The other day at work, I was toying with the idea of doing a “day in the life” series of photos. Taking my camera with me during the day, and snapping a shot every so often, then presenting them to the world. I hadn’t decided quite how to do it — a picture an hour? Every half hour? — but I’d been letting it rumble around in the back of my brain since then.
To my amusement, though, today Dyanna pointed to the Mayday Project, which is essentially exactly what I’d been turning over in my brain, only somewhat organized and loosed upon the blogosphere at large.
So, I’ve signed up, and on May 10^th^, will be documenting my day hourly.
Hrm. This means I’m going to need to actually leave the house that day, doesn’t it? Something tells me a series of fourteen pictures of my computer monitors would be pretty un-exciting…
Things I shouldn't admit in public
Well, okay — since you asked…
- I do, occasionally, like some really bad music. I can rationalize it well, but…(sigh)…the occasional song does come along that I know I shouldn’t like, but I do. For example:
- Britney Spears’ ‘Oops…I did it again!’: I don’t really know why, but for some reason, this song amuses me to no end. It’s not one I’d play over and over, but it’s not going to get shut off when it comes up in the playlist, either.
- Celine Dion’s ‘All Coming Back To Me Now’: This one, there’s actually a reason for. The first time I heard this song, I had no clue who sang it, but it sounded like a Meatloaf song. Now, I’ve always liked Meatloaf, and both of his ‘Bat out of Hell’ albums were actually written and produced by Jim Steinman. So, just after hearing this song, I called the radio station and asked them who it was, but first I wanted to know if Jim Steinman wrote and produced the song. Turns out he did — then they told me who the vocalist was. Celine Dion? (sigh) Ah, well — to me, it’s a Jim Steinman song.
- The Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’: Again, I’m not sure I can really give it a reason. It’s a fun, bouncy, brainless piece of bubblegum pop, and okay, I like it. Besides, the line “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends” sounds far too much like she’s telling some guy that if he’s going to sleep with her, he’s going to have to sleep with all of her friends, too. This amuses me (not to mention that it sounds like a damn good deal…).
- Kind of tied to the last of the three guilty pleasure songs above — Spice World (the Spice Girls movie) is surprisingly funny. Just trust me on this one — forget the fact that they were a manufactured pop group, and just sit back and enjoy the silly British humor and the multitudes of cameos. It’s not nearly as bad as you think. Really.
You know, that’s enough embarassing myself for the moment. Time to stop before I dig myself any deeper. ;)
A visit from Miranda
Had a very pleasant weekend — just staying at home and relaxing for most of it, but yesterday evening spent a good few hours visiting with Miranda, who had come out to visit. She and her friend Ryan had spent Friday with Ryan’s frend Marty down in Vancouver, WA, and then the three of them came up to Seattle on Saturday evening so that Miranda and I could visit. Was a lot of fun — I keep telling her we’ve got to get together more often than just once a year! ;)
Much of the fun of the evening was meeting Ryan and Marty. Miranda and I had made plans to go out to a couple of the clubs here while she was in town, and as the two that I know best are Neighbors and the Vogue, those were our destinations for the night. While I didn’t have any worries about Miranda fitting in at my usual haunts, it was a little entertaining shepherding Ryan and Marty along with us — cowboy hats, while not completly out of place at Neighbors, aren’t often seen in the goth/industrial domain of the Vogue!
Still, they’re both good guys, and it made for a fun evening. Trish, one of the people I’ve met at the Vogue came up and talked with Marty for a while after checking with me first to make sure it’d be okay, since I was obviously with the two of them. Her first question ‐ “So, do you feel a little out of place here?” As it turns out, they’d been a bit worried at first, but quickly realized that they were perfectly safe, and nobody was going to screw with them. Didn’t surprise me, of course, but it was fun to watch the initial reactions.
All in all, a very fun evening — a little drinking, a little dancing, and a lot of catching up, until they had to head back down to Vancouver to sleep and prepare for the drive back home today.
Always good to see old friends again. Now, who’s next to visit Seattle? ;)
Memories of Meier Lake
Dad just posted a series of photos of Meier Lake, the retreat center for the Episcopal Diocease of Alaska, on our family website. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, usually twice a year — once for the congregational Winter Retreat, and once in the summer for church summer camp.
I’ve got two very clear memories from my time there.
The first was one of those bizarre moments of weather you get occasionally. The main lodge building sits alongside one side of the lake, looking out over the water, and has a balcony running aross the face of the lodge. One summer day I was able to stand on the balcony, dead center relative to the lodge, with half of the lake and everything to my right in a deluge of summer rain, and with the other half of the lake and everything to my left in beautiful summer sunshine. Just amazing.
The second was another summertime day, when there was some downtime in the camp. I grabbed one of the canoes and went out to the center of the lake with a book, stretched out, and had a nice lazy lie in the sun, floating on the water. After a while, I noticed something in the sky, and realized that there was a bald eagle circling me overhead, probably trying to figure out what I was, and if I was edible or not.
Summertime in Alaska. One of the few things that I miss about living up there. Not enough to move back — but I do miss it.
Pigface/My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
Just got back home from seeing Bile, Zeromancer, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and (last, but most definitely not least) Pigface at the Catwalk. Awesome show.
Work let me off early so I could go, so I got home about 6:30pm. Changed clothes and waited around the apartment for Candice to show up, then we walked down to the club and got there just a bit before Bile started. They weren’t bad, but were a little harder than I usually go for — wasn’t going to complain about seeing them, but not someone I’m likely to go searching out the CDs for, either. The high point of their show was a cover of the J. Geils Band’s ‘Love Stinks’, which worked surprisingly well as an industrial track.
Since Bile wasn’t really our thing, Candice and I hung out near the entrance, and toward the end of Bile’s set Chad and Don showed up. Not long after that, Kim and Kayo joined us right about as Zeromancer was starting. Zeromancer was more to my taste than Bile — I still might not go searching out their CDs, but if I happened to hear that they were playing in town and I had the money to go, I wouldn’t mind seeing them again. Again, the high point of their set was a cover tune, this time of Real Life’s ‘Send Me An Angel’.
We’d all stayed at our spot near the entrance during Zeromancer’s set where we could actually hear each other, as well as keep an eye on the door, and during the downtime between bands both Kate and Rick showed up. Just in time, too, as MLWtTKK hit the stage not long afterwards. Their set wasn’t quite as good as I had been hoping for — they were only a three-piece (vocalist, drums, and synth), and so nearly everything was sequenced, and they didn’t have the stage presence that I’ve seen from them in videos. That said, the updated arrangements to some of their classic material were really good, and the live drums made for a good show musically — it was just the stage show that wasn’t what I’d hoped for.
Kayo and I had gone down to the main floor for MLWtTKK, spending our time standing just on the edge of the pit, tossing people back in when they went flying out and hauling the occasional body up from the floor after a tumble (one of my favorite positions for a good show, actually). When we went back to the rest of the group during the downtime, it turned out that they’d been given a choice spot to actually watch the show, in a security booth just behind the sound booth. We all stood and peoplewatched during the downtime (and believe me, a goth/industrial show is quite the place for peoplewatching), then I headed back out to the floor when Pigface came on stage.
Pigface, quite simply, tore the place up. Incredible set — anywhere from five to twelve people on stage depending on the lineup for the song, and constant insanely high energy. I stayed right on the edge of the pit area again, getting pulled in and taking a tumble once (then getting hauled right back up to my feet). Most of the songs were from their newest album, “Easy Listening (for Difficult Fuckheads)“, but they threw in quite a few old favorites, including ‘Divebomber’ (from “Notes From Thee Underground“) and finishing off with ‘Suck’ (originally from “Gub“, though it’s appeared in many incarnations on many albums over the years).
‘Suck’ first came out on the Pigface album “Gub”, credited to Martin Atkins, William Rieflin, Paul Barker, and trent reznor. When trent included a cover of ‘Suck’ as a hidden track on his ‘Broken‘ album, he listed the credits as ‘trent reznor with Pigface’. This apparently led to something of a falling out between trent and Martin, and trent hasn’t been involved in a Pigface project since…. Interestingly enough (for me, at least), when they introduced ‘Suck’, Martin said that “this is a song by trent reznor….” In all honesty, I didn’t know that they were still ticked enough at that to be making snide remarks at the shows!
At one point, they were playing a song off of EL(fDF) (the exact one I’m not sure of, as I haven’t quite memorized that album yet) that has the refrain “Jacob is a liar.” However, in a crowded club, at high volume, and with a ton of distortion, since I didn’t know the lyrics off the top of my head, the only thing I could make them out saying was “stainless steel papaya!” I knew that that wasn’t what they were saying, but it kept me laughing throughout the song — I didn’t actually find out what the actual lyrics were until Kate told me after the show.
Anyway, incredible show. My ears aren’t likely to recover before, oh, Thursday at the earliest, but that’s all part of the fun, right (for what it’s worth, I did have earplugs that I wore for some of the show, so it’s not as bad as it could be)? I also picked up a MLWtTKK shirt and the only Pigface album I didn’t have yet (“The Best of Pigface: Preaching to the Perverted“), plus earlier in the night I was handed a CD from a band apparently from Vancouver, BC by the name of Charlie Drown (I haven’t listened to it yet, so I have no idea what it’s like but I was told, “Here — you’ll probably like this,” when it was handed to me…). All in all, quite the good night.
I’ll leave off with something that Martin Atkins (the main force behind Pigface) said at one point during the set…
Never understimate the effect that you, as one individual, can have in any situation if you put your mind to it!
All about love
This was posted a long time ago to the alt.music.nin newsgroup, where I picked it up. I have no idea where it originally came from. It’s been bouncing around on my hard drive for a while, and I figured this was as good a time as any to resurrect it. Enjoy!
Notes on love (by primary schoolchildren)
Concerning why love happens between two particular people
- “One of the people has freckles and so he finds somebody else who has freckles too.”\
Andrew, age 6 - “No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell…That’s why perfume and deodorant are so popular.”\
Mae, age 9 - “I think you’re supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn’t supposed to be so painful.”\
Manuel, age 8
On what falling in love is like
- “Like an avalanche where you have to run for your life.”\
John, age 9 - “If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long.”\
Glen, age 7
On the role of beauty and handsomeness in love
- “If you want to be loved by somebody who isn’t already in your family, it doesn’t hurt to be beautiful.”\
Anita, age 8 - “It isn’t always just how you look. Look at me. I’m handsome like anything and I haven’t got anybody to marry me yet.”\
Brian, age 7 - “Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time.”\
Christine, age 9
Reflections on the nature of love
- “Mooshy…like puppy dogs…except puppy dogs don’t wag their tails nearly as much.”\
Arnold, age 10 - “All of a sudden, the people get movie fever, so they can sit together in the dark.”\
Sherri, age 8
Concerning why lovers hold hands
- “They want to make sure their rings don’t fall off because they paid good money for them.”\
Gavin, age 8 - “They are just practising for when they might have to walk down the aisle someday and do the holy matchimony thing.”\
John, age 9
Confidential opinions about love
- “I’m in favour of love as long as it doesn’t happen when”Dinosaurs\” is on television.\”\
Jill, age 6 - “Love is foolish…but I still might try it sometime.”\
Floyd, age 9 - “Yesterday I kissed a girl in a private place…we were behind a tree.”\
Carey, age 7 - “Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I have been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me.”\
Dave, age 8 - “I’m not rushing into being in love. I’m finding fourth grade hard enough.”\
Regina, age 10
The personal qualities you need to have in order to be a good lover
- “Sensitivity don’t hurt.”\
Robbie, age 8 - “One of you should know how to write a cheque. Because even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills.”\
Ava, age 8
Some surefire ways to make a person fall in love with you
- “Tell them that you own a whole bunch of candy stores.”\
Del, age 6 - “Yell out that you love them at the top of your lungs…and don’t worry if their parents are right there.”\
Manual, age 8 - “Don’t do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might get attention, but attention ain’t the same thing as love.”\
Alonzo, age 9 - “One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it’s something she likes to eat. French fries usually works for me.”\
Bart, age 9
How can you tell if two adults eating dinner at a restaurant are in love?
- “Just see if the man picks up the cheque. That’s how you can tell if he’s in love.”\
Bobby, age 9 - “Lovers will just be staring at each other and their food will get cold…Other people care more about the food.”\
Bart, age 9 - “Romantic adults usually are all dressed up, so if they are just wearing jeans it might mean they used to go out or they just broke up.”\
Sarah, age 9 - “See if the man has lipstick on his face.”\
Sandra, age 7 - “It’s love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it’s just like how their hearts are — on fire.”\
Christine, age 9
Titles of the love ballads you can sing to your beloved
- “How Do I Love Thee When You’re Always Picking Your Nose?”\
Arnold, age 10 - “You Are My Darling Even Though You Also Know My Sister.”\
Larry, age 8 - “I Love Hamburgers, I Like You!”\
Eddie, age 6 - “I Am In Love With You Most Of The Time, But Don’t Bother Me When I’m With My Friends.”\
Bob, age 9 - “Hey Baby, I Don’t Like Girls But I’m Willing To Forget You Are One!”\
Will, age 7
What most people are thinking when they say “I love you”
- “The person is thinking: Yeah, I really do love him, but I hope he showers at least once a day.”\
Michelle, age 9 - “Some lovers might be real nervous, so they are glad that they finally got it out and said it and now they can go eat.”\
Dick, age 7
How was kissing invented?
- “I know one reason that kissing was created. It makes you feel warm all over, and they don’t always have electric heat or fireplaces or even stoves in their houses.”\
Gina, age 8
How a person learns to kiss
- “You can have a big rehearsal with your Barbie and Ken dolls.”\
Julia, age 7 - “You learn it right on the spot when the gooshy feelings get the best of you.”\
Brian, age 7 - “It might help to watch soap operas all day.”\
Carin, age 9
When is it okay to kiss someone?
- “When they’re rich.”\
Pam, age 7 - “It’s never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you…That’s why I stopped doing it.”\
Tammy, age 10 - “If it’s your mother, you can kiss her anytime. But if it’s a new person, you have to ask permission.”\
Roger, age 6
How to make love endure
- “Spend most of your time loving instead of going to work.”\
Dick, age 7 - “Don’t forget your wife’s name…That will mess up the love.”\
Erin, age 8 - “Be a good kisser. It might make your wife forget that you never take out the trash.”\
Dave, age 8 - “Don’t say you love somebody and then change your mind…Love isn’t like picking what movie you want to watch.”\
Natalie, age 9
Nekkid
Here’s a really interesting Flash presentation about being naked — sixteen volunteers photographed in various states of undress, with audio clips of interviews discussing various views on nudity, comfort and discomfort, and similar things.
Very nicely done, and being someone who’s been occasionally described by my friends as a “closet nudist” (if I’m at home, and the apartment’s warm enough, why bother with clothes?), I wholeheartedly approve.
(via Xeni Jardin)
Disgusted and depressed
I’m getting so tired of…well, everything.
Every morning I get up, and every evening when I get home, I pop open my newsreader to browse through the day’s news and headlines. And every time, I find more and more that disgusts me, outrages me, and quite simply, makes me want to go back to playing ostrich and pretending that the world outside my own private little bubble doesn’t exist.
Iraq is in chaos due to our meddling, and that seems to be entirely acceptable. US soldiers stand by and watch while making racist comments (“Goddamn Iraqis will steal anything if you let them. Look at them.”), and Rumsfeld brushes off reports of hospitals being looted and priceless historical artifacts being destroyed as something that just happens (“Surprise me? I don’t know. Disorder happens every time there’s a transition.”). Meanwhile, it looks like the pieces are being set up for us to move into Syria (“PRESIDENT BUSH yesterday accused Syria of having chemical weapons. In the clearest sign yet that Washington is turning its sights on Damascus? links to terrorism, two of his most senior Cabinet members also warned the country against harbouring Iraqi officials.”).
Prominent Republicans continue to tighten their noose around America, working to extend the Patriot Act indefinitely, and Patriot II is still bouncing around Capitol Hill somewhere. Fully expecting Bush to run roughshod over any opposition in the 2004 Presidential race, rumblings are already being floated of who to put on the Republican ticket in 2008 — with the current front runner being Florida Governor Jeb Bush (“”If Jeb is in the mix” for the nomination, says a top GOP official, “it’s his.””).
I’m getting so tired of all of this. This isn’t the America that I grew up in, and have leared to respect over the years — even at times when I didn’t agree with its actions, the ideals our nation was founded on were strong, and until now, they’ve generally stood the test of time. Not anymore, however.
Admittedly, little of any of this has affected me directly. I’m lucky enough to be a white male, and therefore not too likely to be arrested and held indefinitely without being charged with a crime, as has happened to Mike Hawash. However, how much longer before we all start feeling the effects of the current regime’s drive for power and control? Not long at all, I’m afraid.
Anyway. Just grumbling, I guess — a little bitching and moaning to start my week off. Out of time now, though, so hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go. Hope your weeks are starting off better than mine.
(Various links above via Chronicle Corvidae, Xeni Jardin, Stavros, and Tom Tomorrow [here, here, and here])
Ghosts, goblins, and Things That Go Bump in the Night
Elizabeth: Six feet of addictions, Dyanna: Very superstitious…, Kirsten: Hey baby, what’s your sign?. There’s something of a mini-meme regarding obsessions, superstitions, the occult, and all things that go bump in the night running around right now.
(Hrm. Random side note — not all things that go bump in the night. I’d elaborate, but I try to keep this website somewhere in the PG to PG-13 range, and it’s a bit early in the morning to go veering into R territory. But I digress [oh, boy do I digress…]…)
I figured I’d go ahead and just start tackling the subjects in order. Given my tendency to babble, however, you’ll have to click on to keep reading…