reviews

watching:
a very long engagement

or, as my wife (update your blog, dude) sagaciously noted, sould have been titled "a very long movie" and there lies the flaw of this very good movie - unnecessarily long and a bit overcomplicated plot. still - very touching, moving, a touch of whimsy to offset some very gritty and brutal imagery - this movie reunites the team from amelie - actress audrey tautou and director jean-pierre jeunet - similar in some respects - style, photography, but very different in tone. amelie is one of my favorite movies ever and this is a notch below.

reading:
lance armstrong's war

a balanced picture of one of the people i admire most. what i like about this book is that it does not portray lance as a saint - but as a human, with many great qualities, and yet who's drive to win seems to overwhelm nearly everything. this is precisely why i could never achieve massive levels of success in any area (not to mention lack of talent), my goal is to have a balanced life. vive le difference as the french might say. it's what makes the world go round. we need those (doctors, dalai lamas, lance armstrong's) to inspire us with their single minded dedication, yet the world might be a scary place is everyone was so singularly focused - well, that's my opinion anyhow. back to the book, also paints a good portrait of some of lance's teammates and competitors.

listening:
the grateful dead: europe '72 and live/dead



i have decided i like the grateful dead. why the hesitation? i didn't know it was possible to like the grateful dead. here are what i have always thought the only possible responses to them:

• who?


• heard truckin' on a classic rock station, saw touch of grey on vh1 classic and wonder what the fuss is


• derision towards them and their fans


• a commitment towards the band rivalled only by, perhaps the commitment of the sadhus of india, which, come to think of it, bear an uncanny resemblance to deadheads
  

truth be told, i have been in all but the last categories, but partly because i had a deadhead cousin, i listened to them here and there...partly thru their online radio station

so anyhow, after admiring jerry garcia's guitar's at the r&r hall of fame last weekend, i decided to purchase some of their music. from what i read, knew and heard, i settled on europe 72 and live/dead - which are very good. now i can't imagine these records to inspire me to sell all my possessions and follow them around (well, assuming they were still torung), but they are good records. i still have a nagging question though - why them? what about them inspired such devotion? i would say, little feat, a band that plays similar music, is better, yet to my knowledge, there are no "feat heads". i think partly had to do with how the band viewed and treated its fans - encouraging them to tape shows etc...and it just kinda snowballed...
at any rate, they have been dominating my ipod for the past few days...

street name...

regarding the wired nerdcore article about which i posted, gina asked the logical question...
what would my streetname be...

after agonizing for a good minute or two, i came up with

DJ MegaHurtz

what do you think? any suggestions?

damn, it feels good to be a geeksta'

nerdcore
finally, hiphop that SPEAKS to me....

in other news, i admit defeat. summer and the heat have beat me. spent most of the day in the bedroom with the a/c blasting or in the basement. i've always loved hot weather, but i've felt beat up for the past while...also, back has been hurting...

perhaps the heat can be blamed for my wildly swinging musical tastes - today's fave - the grateful dead - europe '72 and live - two of their 5,000 live recordings...

musical find of the day

hanne hukkelberg

her site describes her music as "Windswept eccentric pop meets dusty jazz?"

sounds like a great description...

her record company site says:

Hanne Hukkelberg has spent the last two years riding her bike around Oslo collecting sounds and impressions. She has taken these elements to the studio where she and producer Kåre Chr. Vestrheim have been pasting it all together.

hey - a bike riding musician has to be cool..

i've seen comparisons to bjork and nellie mckay, but the wacky/oddball instrumentation puts me to mind of brian wilson at his most experimental...

great voice - check it out

cleo, explained...

read why this cat is cranky...

"Because cats can't taste sweets, they're cranky," joked Joseph Brand, Monell's associate director and an author of the paper being published Sunday in the inaugural issue of the Public Library of Science's journal Genetics.

though this doesn't explain why our two male cats are agreeable enough...

attack bug

before retiring my wife pointed out this fella on our front door...after taking a few pictures, it flew towards me with a buzz and i screamed like a little girl...

questions and observations

why is it that all i hear about is how kids math and science scores are declining here in the USA, but apparently, every teenager knows how to turn sudafed into crystal meth, or something...causing stores to stash it away and making us sinus-sufferers feel like junkies....

my, the one podium girl today at lance's coronation was one tall glass of perrier...i swear she was on a step lover than lance and still ended up taller...

while i am not a dead head by any means, i must say, that after touring the r&r hall of fame fri. jerry garcia had the most beautiful guitars...

firefly

amazing

i attended an amazing exhibit at the great lakes science center - body worlds 2...
consisted of plasticized cadavers - in different positions with different things cut, sliced, diced and julienned to focus on different aspects of anatomy...

i left with a greater understanding of the beautiful complexity of our bodies and an appreciation of the transitory nature of life... i have heard gurus describe the body as the soul's clothes which are discarded upon death...and that's what was weird - seeing these "people" it gave me a sense that there is so much more to a human than flesh and bones

macrophotography

there is a new site devoted to macrophotography...

i have created a gallery on it...

senseless

observations by web guru, jeffrey zeldman

The newspaper was divided into two columns.

Each column told a story of mass —one in London, one in Baghdad.

On the left side of the page, if your heart could stand it, you could read mini-biographies of some of the people known to have have been killed in the London attacks of 7 July.

On the right side, you could read about ers in Baghdad themselves and over 150 of their fellow countrymen, women, and children during one brisk and senseless weekend.

There were no biographies on the right side of the page.

post

i had actually thought this myself...on one level, i suppose it is understandable, iraq is a war zone, despite bushes' claim of mission accomplished, so there is probably less shocking - yet, clearly the difference in terms of coverage and emotional response to the attacks is also partially caused by cultural bias

three pictures of a dandelion...

...and in today's news...

code brown

my best day swmming ever at the pool was interrupted by a code brown. i was actually swimming real laps and i thnk i got it down - sorta - longtime readers know i only learned to swim 4 years ago...

so at the start of adult swim, after completing a freestyle lap (very rare indeed) they cleared the pool - poo found in the shallow end...and i am not referring to the famed resident of the hundred acre woods...

ewwwww....

going to take a clorox bath....

laptop compatible

i got a bag the other day that was advertised as "laptop compatible" - now what does that mean? poer supply? usb ports?

speaking of laptops...

new toshiba laptop - approx. $1300
wireless router - approx $50
being able to blog from my deck - priceless
being able to look pretentious in coffee houses with wireless access points - we'll find out tomorrow

culture corner

watch the hazzards' new video - shut up and make out

attention span

didn't finish rushdie's fury, didn't finish stephenson's quicksilver - perhaps my brain is sunbaked...- currently reading LANCE ARMSTRONG'S WAR - think i'll make it thru this one...

new look

TdF

no posts on the tour de france this year - well almost none, but i've been watching religiously - kind of boring really - i mean, i like watching it - but no real drama - armstrong has been methodical and leads and most likely will win - still the countryside is beautiful (geesh - under w. is complimenting france treason?) and there are mini-dramas, such as george hincapie winning a stage...

since yer dyin' to know....

what i've been listening to...

all things herbie (hancock) - who, like the little nursery rhyme girl - when good is very very good...but when bad - been listening to recent future2future and early 70's stuff - i miss the seventies - musically - not nixon....

and charlie hunter/bobby previte - longitude - truly sui generis (forgive my spelling, i don't speak latin)

new laptop

i got a new latop the other day...
here it is:


i seriously considered getting a mac, but i have stuff i have to grade, so need m$ visual studio/asp.net, access, etc...

and i'm wireless

been transfering files over, can run picasa (which, for some reason always crashes my desktop)

texas invading ohio?

stubbs bbq sauce is back on our shelves!
and shiner bock (lance's fave beer) is finally on our shelves...

and i'm a happy boy - perhaps a bit *too* happy last night....


anywho - i think i might miss school, now that i have graduated - am thinking of pursuing a phd - looking at my options - so far i think there is only one - the good news is i think it's a good one...

huntington witherill

i love the photos of huntington witherill

this y that

anyone watching the tour de france on oln? i'd like to discuss the big issue of the tour...no, not who will win - lance'll take it, but what do you think of kirstin gum's new hair color....i do believe i'm sweet on her - and she deserves trautwig's place in the booth - or at least a lot more camera time

putting tunes on your ipod is like writing an autobiography - i mean, god forbid, if my ipod is lost or stolen, i want it to give an accurate image of me (like i should care what a thief thinks) - but anyhow - i wouldn't want some stranger thinking i listened to, say, 99 luftballoons or something - as it is, the only potential embarassing track is the darkness - i believe in a thing called love - i hope it is sufficiently obscured among my more rarefied taste...

i gave up on rushdie's book - it is good - he is still a favorite writer, but one of the plot twists i found a bit disturbing - i've decided to try and tackle neal stephenson's baroque cycle - i love stephenson, but the books are massive - hope i can make it...

i can't wait until i receive my diploma - i've finished my masters and ended with a 4.0 - i've also wrapped up a project i've worked on and finished a week long session with high school students about web development. high school students are a different audience to what i am used to - both more frustrating and rewading - i was real happy to see what a few students were able to learn in such a short period. so, anyhow, i really don't have much going - other than the 8 week class i am teaching and an independent study- a few odds and ends - some organizing, then next thing you know, it'll be fall semester...as i put it, i am decompressing...

i ordered a messenger bad and clothes from ll bean - w00t - fancy livin'...

tag, i'm it...

i've been tagged by chari for the "what is on your bed stand meme"

lamp
alarm clock
glasses (only time during the day they're not on my head)
my bling (wedding ring, chain w/cross, livestrong bracelet and earring) - somehow, i've taken to taking all my jewelry off - i think because my tai chi teacher said that metal jewelry can interfere with your chi
inside the night stand is a colletion of favorite books
a jar of vicks vaporub - helps my sinuses - and is comforting....
inside it is a bunch of my facorite books...

ok...
i am supposed to tag 5 people...i am not sure that many read me...
but here goes...
jen
kristin
gina
fluidpudding
emily

auction

if you live in the cleveland area, please attend the july 30th benefit for MorrisonDance

i donated prints of the two images below for the silent auction

irises

iris gallery

star wars revisited

one cool thing about having kids is that you can rediscover things through their eyes - fireworks displays, christmas time, the addams family....

the latest item rediscovered is star wars. largely due to the outrageously good star wars lego video game, star wars has become an obsession in our house... i mean, i have always liked star wars - though i would not describe nyself as a fanatic )no light saber (though a real one would be cool - not a cheap toy, i have not, until recently, even owned the dvd's....)

after seeing revenge of the sith twice (i'm not going to make anymore links this post - you either know them, or don't care), i'm kinda hooked - the revenge of the sith video game (with real people, not legos - is very good) - getting into the clone war animation (done by the guy that does the excellent samurai jack, i think) , changed my name to qui-mike jin (j/k about the last one)

the conventional wisdom seems to be the original trilogy was great and the prequel trilogy sucks...well, the conventional wisdom is wrong - both trilogies follow a basic pattern - good beginning, weak middle, strong ending - and if the prequel's opener (phantom menace) was weaker than the original, the revenge of the sith, imho, was stronger than the return of the jedi...

i think people tend to forget (prolly because of their age when they first saw them) that the originals were kinda campy and goofy - and as such criticize the prequel trilogy for it's campiness and goofiness - to paraphrase what someone said about hugo leaving in the matrix, harrison ford in the original seems to be the only actor who realizes he's in a b movie.

each set has it's plusses - yoda seems to practice Chogyam Trungpa's crazy wisdom in the empire strikes back, which is very refreshing - compared to his dourness in the prequels (all those years living alone) - on the other hand - he kicks far more butt in the prequels - natalie portman/carrie fischer - hmmm - pretty even - with fischer's bikini in return of the jedi while being jabba's captive prolly giving her the win at the buzzer (shows how old i am) - c3po and r2d2 are relatively consistent - with c3po EASILY the most annoying character in the star wars universe - and yes, that includes jar jar binks - i admit - at first, i was swept up on the anti-jar jar bandwagon - upon further review (as they say in the nfl) he's kinda cool... prequel has some great villians - darth maul and general grievous - though they go down easier than i would expect

anyhow - since i have slipped into total geekdom- here's my star wars ranking:

1. episode 3 - revenge of the sith (answers the greatest question in cinematic history, namely, how can a dweeb like anakin skywalker turn into the greatest bad ass ever, to my complete satisfaction) - this leaves only one unanswered question - how is it that chewbacca's language consists entirely of loud grunts, yet he seems to be an effective communicator- plus r2d2 kicked ass
2. episode 4 - a new hope (star wars, to the non-geeks) - hey, you gotta get some points for the being the first
3. episode 6 - return of the jedi - i'm a sucker for happy endings, and vader's redemption by luke's faith in him, was touching - sniff - someone get me a tissue - ok, i'm back - and the aforementioned carrie fischer scene
4. episode 1 - phantom menace - most underrated star wars movie - it's really not bad - in fact, it's pretty good - qui-gon jin deserved a better fate - perhaps my favorite jedi - and stop trying to be cool - you *know* you get a chuckle from jar jar
5. episode 2 - attack of the clones - hmmm - prob a toss up with episode 4, but natalie portman's white space suit which, um, unfortunately, gets ripped is the tie breaker...
6. episode 5 empire strikes back - hohum - though we do like squirrely yoda...

anyhow, in one respect, it isn't right to rate the movies individually as they all play a role in the story - to paraphrase, say, p diddy - "it's all good" - ok - think i'll watch the clone wars cartoo...uh, i mean, "animated feature" - again...

gallery

dandelion gallery

non-summer update...

well, the non-summer continues. i have just enough work to keep me busy without being too taxing - yet it doesn't really feel like summer - haven't done many summer activities. i'm not complaining - well, maybe i am a bit - but it's my own fault - maybe we can go to a park later today apres my meeting...

anyhow - i want a new car - what should i get?

i also want this messenger bag (ah, llbean uses websphere - ah - the burden of being a geek and not being able to look at a url without evaluating it...

oh yeah - i want some new clothes - anyone have some, um, age appropriate suggestions?

geesh, i'm getting shallow and materialistic!

anyhow, saw a squirrel chasing a butterfly yesterday on campus and it was pretty funny - saw a squirrel in the same spot today - he seems pretty nice - perhaps we can become friends...

i also saw a humming bird in our yard this AM - was v. cool...

here are some photos...


listening to: solex and dave holland (and the white stripes, on those rare occassions i find myself on my bike)
reading - started rushdie's fury - not sure if i'll make it - not really summer reading...

p.s. oh yeah - next week, i am conducting 4 - one hour sessions about web development for high school students...if anyone out there is religiously inclined, a prayer would be appreciated...i don't really believe in prayer - at least not that sort, but what the heck - any port in a storm...

happy 4th

flower

ain't doin' jack...

sheesh, it's summer, and i've been working to hard (up to about 3am working on a project - i thought teachers got the summer off...) i got some stuff i could, and possibly should be working on, but i think i am off duty until next tues...

my wife and older daughter are at an amusement park. my younger and i don't really find them amusing (the parks, that is...not my wife and older daughter) so i think we're going to have a lazy day. just finished a rousing game of LIFE, looking for some lunch (hmmmm, week old pizza or spaghetti? or day old chinese food that seemed to cause everyone issues, in varying degrees?) and listening to solex, my recent favorite. i also see some fire pro wrestling 2 in my future... and, who knows, i am a magazine junkie, so i'll prob dive into some...i have been making cards lately off my photos and i think i'm going to make my own invitations for our summer party (how martha stewart of me) - i am prepping for craft corner death match (secret to get guys to like a craft show - give it a pro wrestling feel) - a recent favorite tv show - love the swarmy host , fear and worship the craft lady of steel and revel in the ennui of the show's ingenue (lordy, i can sure turn a phrase) amber....

i finished nick hornby's new book a long way down. i saw a negative review, but i think it's great and now i want to re-read high fidelity. hornby is one of my favorite writers for a couple of reasons... he is a joy to read even when i am not interested in the topic (think fever pitch) and he straddles the line between entertainment and art fairly well - i.e. he's great fun to read, yet his writing isn't fluff - there is insight, warmth and humanity...

happy 4th, americans...remember the fight for freedom never ends and we must hold on to what our forefathers fought for...