September Already

OK - I guess nothing too shocking to report lately. Been pretty quiet since our last summer trip to San Diego... My sister came up for a visit ($150 on sushi for for 4 peeps). Lots of parties, we had our own Labor Day BBQ (on Sunday, it was fun - for those who couldn't make it! ). Bay Bridge was closed for most of the 3 days, which proved to be far less critical than people had feard (or hoped, for some). I had my regular colonoscopy, whch sucked, but, hey - take care of your health. Been having good luck with movies : Waitress was great & charming (and has a tragic substory); Superbad was far better than its premise would suggest, and lived up to the positive reviews; Simpsons was good, not great. Watching the news just now - Luciano Pavarotti has died, a shame but not a shock. I'm still rolling along with work, current proj seems more like gaptime than a real project, but it's almost done.
Random thoughts : labor day always does seem like the end of summer, even though the hottest weather is usually around the corner. And, given climate conditions in the world today, the most extreme weather is still down the road. OK - I believe in global warming, which may come as a surprise to some of those who knew me in my conservative youth & who may dismiss it as California brainwashing. But I'm sick of ginormous gas guzzlers on the market & on the highways, driven by self-centered a-holes who don't know how to park or share the road, along with unprecedented, unfounded, skyrocketing gas prices (why did we invade Iraq, again?) feeding obscene oil company profits (PROFITS! that's AFTER their shady book-cooking practices). This situation would be very manageable by furiously-consuming, demand-skewing Americans (OK, some Canadians and Europeans), who should take a deep breath & reflect a moment on how their actions rape the Earth. Do you really NEED a car that gets (>)20 miles to the gallon, to take you to the frickin mall to buy ridiculously overpriced status-symboll tchochke & fashion, sewn together by third-world sweatshop slaves? Do you NEED to have your house at a chilling 60 air-conditioned degrees all day long, and irrigate your landscaped plants at high noon?? The world's clearly-dwindling resources & unfortunately growing population cannot continue to support the blind MeMeMe standard of living promoted in out-of-control U.S. culture of the last 30 years. And OK, in the interest of fairness, I am NOT advocating government control of these behaviours (what a disaster that would be - am I right? Any Orwell, or Keith Olbermann, fans out there?). Perhaps, just maybe, a little common sense, and thoughtfulness, and responsibility, toward the world & community around you. Anyway, I conclude my Libertarian rant... Damn, that felt good.
Moving on... I did a music piece with a friend at an art gallery. It was a group show at a neat Mission space, SF Art, and Rev. Leyba did a piercing collection on the back of Stephanie Slaughter, whilst I did a Theremin noise-scape. I'll get some clips on youtube soon (possibly PG-13-rated at the mildest).
Band is coming along, I'm pleased with the rehearsals & new material. Still looking for a gig, but I put up some new demos on our myspace, check 'em out & please give feedback!
Well, in light of several friends who have moved away, I'm glad to say a good friend from school in MI is moving out the Bay Area this month! Welcome, Jan! (Ha - in other good news out of Michigan - U of M says goodbye to Top 25 football ! )
More news in the future...