Friday May 30 2008 ~ empty (bus version)
This evening I finally learnt how the 88 keys of a piano (linear) are translated onto a six-string guitar (dimensional). Trippy and complex.
Tuesday May 27 2008 ~ still drawn on by the murmur
Let's count how many times I've seen Duran Duran in concert, shall we? Please to be noting that, with the exception of last night's show, I've never seen them in the same venue twice. Nor with the same person or persons. I guess once is enough for most people.
1984 Capital Centre, Steve McKee
1987 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Jeff M
1989 Music Hall, Dallas T
1993 Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion, Ken S
1999 Nissan Pavilion, Johnny V
2003 Warner Theater, Christopher V
2005 Patriot Center, Melba B
2005 Baltimore, Katie J and Kristal M
2007 Hammerstein Ballroom, Todd F
2008 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Solo
It was a good show, if a bit odd watching from the
outskirts of the lawn. The roar of the crowd came from the pavilion seats and
flowed overhead to ours. Normally I'm up there in the first 10 rows but after
seeing them so frequently lately and the outrageous ticket prices I decided
to go pedestrian and buy a cheap lawn ticket.
Simon looked and sounded great, John's still able to illicit screams from the fans when his face shows up on the telescreen, Roger rocked it out, especially during the electroset while Nick was enigmatic as usual. He's also growing his hair out a bit.
electro-set // for the middle third of the show, Simon, John, Nick and Roger abandoned their traditional playing gear and lined up at four microKORGs that were quickly set up at the front of the stage. They proceded to run through mash-ups of smaller hits and album tracks with nothing but the four keyboards and synth drums, Kraftwerk-style. Very nice.
The funniest part of the show happened during Skin Trade when a hetero couple came to sit in the grass in front of me. The guy plopped down on the grass while the girl gingerly lowered herself and her white mini-skirt to the ground. About a minute later, they are rolling around in the grass making out like it was 1984 all over again, the threat of grass-stained clothing pushed aside for more immediate, intimate thrills. Skin trade, indeed.
The setlist:
The Valley
Red Carpet Massacre
Nite-Runner
Hungry Like the Wolf
Planet Earth
Falling Down
Come Undone
Skin Divers
The Reflex
Save A Prayer
A View to a Kill
Interlude
(electro-set)
Last Chance on the Stairway
All She Wants Is
Warm Leatherette
I Don't Want Your Love
Skin Trade
Tempted
Notorious
Girls on Film
Ordinary World
Sunrise
The Wild Boys
Rio
So summer is officially here.
I, along with the J/Ts, celebrated its arrival but having our first BBQ at 1526. A lot of people were invited but because of the holiday weekend lots were out or town of had additional events they were making. All in all, we had a good group of people show up, an amount of about twenty over the course of the evening. And we made enough food to feed twice that much so there are lots of leftovers. That's fine with me, my frig is full and everything can be saved for lunches too.
My contribution to the dinner menu was make-it-as-you-go recipes of chicken fajitas, complete with homemade mango guacamole and pico de gallo. I was also in charge of the music playlist. Rushed for time, I took my Corpus '05 playlist (culled for my last trip to Houston which included a beach week in Corpus Christi) that I updated it with some new releases from The Presets, Kylie, Cut Copy, Duran, B-52s, Ladytron, Death Cab and some mash-ups. For the trivia seekers out there, here are the first and last out of the total of 151 shuffled songs played during the party:
Saturday May 24 2008 ~ prep day
Today's agenda is straightening up, cleaning & wiping, putting away those things that should have been put away two weeks after moving into 1526 and going to the grocery store (mainly the produce section). I'm making chicken fajitas for tomorrow's BBQ and want to have the marinade going for a good 24 hours.
Bam! Those grocery trips can killaman. $140 dropped, even though I received a $125 Peapod order last weekend. Granted the only items from the P order is going to be the chicken breasts, but tonight's trip included all the raw ingredients for the pico de gallo, the guacamole, 12-pack Heineken on sale for $11. You can't beat that. So now that it's late, everything is going to get prepped in the morning, still leaving enough time for a nice long marinade. Come on over to the party tomorrow at 7!
Thursday May 22 2008 ~ iphone woes
All y'all know I lurv me some iPhones.
After last Saturday's first-time visit to Congressional Cemetery with Melba & Buzz, the last picture I took with the iPhone's camera of Buzz in his crate after we stopped by La Lomita, was the last that the iPhone was going to tolerate. So I can't blame what happened on an accidental margarita spill or anything.
But
what did start happening when I took a photo, was that it would add it to the
photo library, alas with no preview. It previewed with just an outlined square,
and when tapped upon it would crash the camera and take me back to the home
screen. Not good. I started investigating Apple support pages for a way to
correct this, but the only thing I found was user discussions and while they
found a solution it included deleting files and wiping the phone clean and
after an hour of frustration trying to figure it out myself I decided the best
way was to make an appointment at the P-Citty Apple store and let them figure
it out since it's still under warranty.
I took the phone in, and wiped it clean again, which really wasn't a big deal since all the information is backed up to my iMac. Yes, I'd have to reset some network prefs and all but that's no big deal. After resetting the camera worked, everything was good. Until I came home and synced and some corrupted file must have been loaded back onto the phone because immediately afterward the same problems appeared.
My 2nd appt at the Genius Bar was this evening. I explained what had happened to cutie Nick who was my Genius. He decides that the best option is a replacement phone. Wow! Okay, no problem. So he grabs a brand new (non-refurb) iPhone and starts transferring my account. After about 20 minutes everything is complete and he's all "Have a great night!" How many companies would so easily replace an expensive item just to make the customer's experience with the product enjoyable? I can't imagine this would happen at Best Buy if you purchased a Dell and were having problems with it. Here's the test pic of Nick:
Wednesday May 21 2008 ~ guy on train, a continuing series: three
You know the drill: Name, Age, Occupation and Hobbies and any other observations you may have that you need to share in the Comments section, please.
Is
it any coincidence that one the day I prod a co-worker (MM) to swing by the
Smart dealership during lunch that I get a comment left concerning one
of my very first posts about the Smart Car, back in December of 06?
So then I had to go online and build my virtual Smart Fortwo. Here it is. It's the cabriolet for two reasons: duh, it's a convertible (the top retracts and the back window folds down) but it's also the only trim level with the six-speaker stereo. Equipped with CD player which I'll never use, but also an iPod port which I'll use continually. Now that I type that I realize Franklin also contacted me today for advice on a new iPod purchase, because he wants to keep the block rockin' beats running in his car—today is a day of coincidences. Or fate, or planets aligning, or however you want to see it. Maybe it's just a dingo's ears perking up somewhere.
Back to my virtuo-Fortwo. $17,205, not including shipping, handling, delivery, H8ST8 tax, etc. Body panels in silver metallic; upholstery color design black; tridion safety cell in black. Options: Fog lamps: $110. Anti-theft system: $160. Additional instruments (analog clock and rev counter): $120 (I thought these would be cool).
Now does anyone want to go test drive one with me? The dealership parking lot had this highlarious figure-8 layout that I'm assuming they'll let you test the turning radius, and also how fast you can get it going until it tips over.
I also saw a red one parked on Lincoln Park on the way home. It was also a convertible and purchased nine days ago. I want one.
Goodbye 15-year old Ikea dresser!
Hello open windows and sunshine!
Goodbye $5 cash as tip!
Hello Mr. Peapoddeliveryman!
Goodbye dirty clothes pile!
Hello washer/dryer combo for all afternoon wash-a-thon!
Goodbye iPod jam session
in the living room!
Hello late afternoon shower!
Goodbye legwarmers from Chicago!
Hello flip-flops from Chicago to show off pedicure from
Chicago!
Friday May 16 2008 ~ cut this copy (from yesterday)
I'm hurrying through MBCDHH* not showering after the gym, going straight home with the only detour a drive-thru ATM. I need to bed on the 8:29 D6 crosstown, you see, so that I can make my downtown transfer to the 9:07 52/53/54 northbound, in order to make it to the club on time. Cut Copy's playing a sold out show at Black Cat tonight and I have a ticket in my wallet. I've tripled-checked—it's in there.
At 8:21 I'm ready to go, almost pacing, so I decide to go and wait outside on the steps for ten minutes then I'll rush down the end of the block when the bus comes. And dang if'n it ain't 8:23 and the D6 is already making it's way down to the street. It's time to shuffle my feet. I get on the bus, pay my fare and tell the driver that I'm going to a Cut Copy affair. So either the 8:01 was really late or the 8:29 was really early (thus is a rarity in Busville).
Once I get downtown I decide to walk up instead of catching my transfer because the weather is so nice. On the way, I pass Redeem, where the RSVP-only (a simple mailing list option gets you in) DJ-set after the concert will happen.
Blowoff reunion: I run into Kevin outside of Black Cat, he's walking his dog and is interested in the show, but he's got a couch and beers calling him at home. Inside I run into Brad, and we hang out for a bit before the show starts. And while the CC show was pretty good, it seemed a little short, like they had just played as many songs as the opening band, Black Kids.
That's Mila and Kelly in the pics, btw.
*Miss Bernice's Cardio Dance Happy Hour
Tuesday May 13 2008 ~ potential titles of future posts, v8
$17 to $93 in 9 minutes?
process samples
pep and zip
envy has shifted
t-rust
like you know it's meant to
smashing
processed by ozonation, advanced filtration and reverse osmosis technologies
change 430 to 507
when I was your age pluto was a planet
part of you has to be stupid so you can believe it's actually going to work
out okay
i pretend that I am creative
damn it feel good to see people up on it
when we gonna make it work?
Tuesday May 13 2008 ~ bullshit
Tuesday May 13 2008 ~ now i'm feeling like a true blogger cuz i'm cuttin' it first, like:
1:48 am
iTunes has added full seasons of Sex and the City, The Sopranos, The Wire, Maude, I Dream of Jeannie and Married... with Children to their catalog. Start downloading now, you know you want to, but I will not provide you with direct links in order to spare you the downward spiral my checking account is experiencing right now.
2:04 am Update: Death Cab for Cutie's album has also been released. Payday can't come quickly enough.
Randomness from last Friday:
"You don't have to be a beautiful woman to know you should be with women."
Unagi Trio: avocado and unagi roll topped with baked unagi and sweet unagi sauce
Japonai Startini: Belvedere cytrus vodka, citronage, passion fruit juice, cranberry juice, and lime juice garnished with a starfruit
"Shut up not yes!"
"Hold up guys! We gotta hit the piehooole"
"Oozin over your hotness shut the fuck up"
And still more from last Saturday:
"Thin must blood. That's just wrong."
"Let's make that be the truth."
Stage name: Les Few
"It's colors and numbers, match 'em!"
Maybe he is just actin like he don't know what's goin' on
Jonathan does not know how to play UNO.
This evening is going to be our rooftop BBQ night. We were thinking of doing some chicken and steak fajitas, but we're getting up a little late from last night's google-a-thon. The girls have their list and are off to the grocery store; we boys have our list and we're off to the meat market and the liquor store. The Meat Market reminds me of Eastern Market vendors except this is a standalone store. It's much smaller than Eastern Market but provides all your butchering needs under one roof. We decide that sausage, peppers and veggies are the way to go, so we pick up six large sausages and some mini-dogs. {{Jonathan can you send me which varieties we bought?}}
Next we're to the liquor store where we're getting supplies to make mojitos: white rum, simple sugar (of which they have none, but a quick call to the girls and they've added it to their grocery list) and JJ decides to pick up some tequila, just in case. I add a six pack of Hoeggaerten, just in case.
Back at 3201 the unpacking begins. I get started on crushing mint and sugar for the mojitos while Jonathan starts with the avocados. While our fajita cookout has changed its menu to sausages, we've retained certain aspects of our Mexican outing, hence the guacamole. It's a bit chilly up on the roofdeck with the temperature having dropped and the wind picking up... and then the rest of the evening ensued without pictures but with another pitcher of mojitos. Conversations were going this way and then that way and then they flipped back around and came across from the other side.
That's about it for the play-by-play, and here comes the pix which include some from Sunday:
Thursday May 08 2008 ~ in the air
A sleep-in morning, with everyone jumping on their own form of computer immediately upon waking up. Kristin: white iBook; Jonathan: black Macbook; Mary: white iMac; me, black iPhone.
I think manis and pedis are the call for the afternoon.
Lunch at Schuba's Harmony Grill:
Honey Chicken Brie Sandwich: grilled chicken, honey glaze, brie, field greens, granny smith apple, pecans and potato salad.
"bring a roadie"
The four of us have a 3:00 appointment at Divine, where they are having a special: when getting a mani/pedi also includes us a five- minute massage. Fantastic! Just the perfect thing for a mini-vaca and the start of summer. Fashion Alert: Divine is bring legwarmers back, and the four of us are helping to usher in its new popularity. We are maniacs, maniacs on the floor.
We're getting a late start this evening, mainly due to naps and general taking-our-timedness, but our original plane was for tonight to go to the Hancock Building's 96th floor Signature Room cocktail lounge, check out the nighttime view, have some appetizers and then head out for sushi. But because of our late start the evening was spent having cocktails 96 floors above the earth, laughing and taking pictures, sans sushi.
Lake Shore Martini: Grey Goose, Chambourd, Marquis dela Tour sparkling wine.
What takes up the remainder of the evening once we get home is trying to determine a celeb's name that Kristin saw at the beach in Santa Monica. Our only clues: tall male, longish gray hair, in his 70s, portrays presidential/corporates types in movies. Not much to google on. After about an hour and guessing about 200 people, we finally got it: Donald Sutherland.
Wednesday May 07 2008 ~ travel to chicago
After the most hectic of days, with a lunch offer that I was anxiously awaiting but had to turn down, I leave work early for my 7:45 flight to Chicago. In spite of wanting to get out of work as early as possible, I hate being stressed out before traveling, whether it be getting to the port/station or being delayed through security.
I'm arriving at National around 5:00, and the glamorous looking check-in gal informs me that me she can probably get me on an earlier flight. Fine by me, that's less time I have to sit around in a faux sports bar watching talking heads talk about some meaningless primary election results. It turns out the flight is boarding in 15 minutes though, and I still have to get through security.
Security: schmecurity. There is no one in line! Amazing. So I get to the boarding gate and while they do have seats, they're all "center seats". I decide to get a boarding pass anyway and leave two hours earlier than my booked flight.
Mr. Window is sitting reading a deposition or transcript, something about DHS and the legitimacy of this couple's marriage. I smell deportation.
I take my seat and wait for Aisle Person to show up. Naturally, just to thwart my joyous attempt at new pre-dusk arrival, Mr. Aisle is a wide man. So wide that even with his arms folded in his lap, his elbows and upper arms still spill out of his seat. It's only a two-hour flight, right?
Now I'm having to turn diagonally in my seat, just so that I'm not having Mr. Aisle's upper arm (and now body) pressed up against me. Where is that beverage cart?
Turbulence!!
I'm trying not to get too annoyed by Mr. Aisle. It's not his fault and he's not really doing it maliciously. Maybe I should have waited for my original flight, but this will give is a little more of a full first evening in Chi. I can tolerate this. For just a little while longer.
Looking out of the plane windows I can see the encompassing cloud cover that will make my trip to Chi cooler, grayer and possibly a little more somber than I had hoped.
The last time I was in Chicago, four years ago, I had a bit of a mission while I was there, to exorcise a demon that I thought had long been put to rest. That mission was to contact and meet up with Mr. Shipman. If I ever get those OpenDiary transcripts posted you'll know who I'm talking about. Some of you might know already.
Global Warming 2008=Y2K 1999
Mr Shipman is married now, with two dogs and two cats, and has a cooking blog that you van google if you're cunning. I won't be exorcising any demons on this trip to Chi. They no longer live in the Midwest.
Today is my first Wednesday in May without celebrating a birthday for The Twins™ in seventeen years. Rattle. Hum. Rattle & Hum.
Descent into Chicago...
Dinner and wine at Frasca.
Monday May 05 2008 ~ caution step up
I don't care this morning. I haven't cared all weekend about this morning and the rest of this day. I don't care if I make it to work on time, I don't care if I make all my transfers. Maybe today would be a good day to use the "I fell asleep on the train and ended up in Rockville" excuse.
After the last couple of week's demotions and firing of 1/10th of the staff while at the same time hiring three new senior-level managers, I'm not especially jazzed about going into work. Can you tell? Since some coworkers may be reading this, I'll leave the details out. They already know them.
