pegasusgiraffe

2011 Year in Music + Top 10 Albums

2012-01-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

This turned out to be an outstanding year in music releases, overall. Easily one of the best in the last decade, 2nd only to 2005 (which not only saw such enduring classics as 'Demon Days', 'X&Y', and 'Get Behind Me Satan', but was notable for the wealth of discoveries I made in New Zealand. NZ factors into this year's list, though not so heavily. The music scene this year made up for the awful slate of 2010 so dismal, outside of a couple NZ albums, I didn't even post a 'favorites' annual synopsis)
Another delightful trend was the reunion fever through the year. Splendid in that some of my favorite bands, who had not been heard from in years, re-surfaced - albeit to mixed results
There were also some extreme low points this year for me. Being away for work meant I missed seeing some amazing shows, missed connecting with friends, and tho I carted my Stick around the world, and was able to have some fantastic connections on a musical scale (thanks, Raine & Yao & friends!), I had to put my own beloved Colossal Inertia on ice, and performed no gigs this year. 2012 looks to have no improvement on this front, but we'll see.
Another major shock was the death of longtime friend and collaborator, and indeed, one of the great shining lights of the Bay Area music world, Lisa Fay Beatty. She will be greatly missed.

Counting down :

10) "Songs for Christchurch". A mega-huge compilation put together by NZ artists as a benefit for Christchurch Earthquake Relief. I usually protest inclusions of compilations on best-of lists, but this one deserves attention. Over 7 hours worth of music donated as a digital downloads for pay-what-you-will, it ranges from marginal to outstanding. With some of the biggest nation-wide names in the mix, it also serves as a de-facto introduction to the modern Kiwi music scene. Worthy cause for anyone to contribute to, and worth any price to get this collection.

9) Bright Eyes - "People's Key". There were a host of peppy, eclectic, polite-rock releases this year. But Bright Eyes stood above the crowd - with a solid consistency, tasty production, and ingenious samples and interludes.

8) Book of Knots - "Garden of Fainting Stars". One of the prodigious joys of the year was the seemingly continuous outpouring from Carla Kihlstedt & her partner Matthias Bossi. I've had the honor of knowing them personally over the years, and revel in the many incarnations of their musical personas. "Still You Lay Dreaming" and "Causing a Tiger" are worthy of mention, but I have to put Book of Knots at the top, this is the most ear-friendly and exciting of their work.

7) Bright Brown - "Oceans". Another friend makes this list, worthily so. Alex Nahas is one of the few Chapman Stick players I've seen play & played with over the years, this release is a further maturing & expansion of his Bright Brown group, he's grown tremendously as a songwriter, singer and producer.

6) Steve Hackett - "Beyond the Shrouded Horizon". Hackett's strongest & most ambitious, and yet most focused & intimate, album in years. With legacy artists like this, most albums often retread watered-down glory days, at best, but this one delivered and kept me listening through most every track. It's a cliche to say, "he avoids cliches", especially from prog-fusion guitarists, but "Beyond" was revitalizing & stimulating, and had flashes of what's made Steve Hackett one of the great pioneers of rock guitar. What's more, it came with a bonus disc of expansive suites that had substance, not just gloss.

5) Radiohead - "King of Limbs". Radiohead is undoubtedly one of the great bands of the era & exist at a nexus of brilliant songwriting, mind-expanding arrangements, and studio mastery. 'Limbs', though, seemed a bit unfinished and unfocused. Though I did fire up these songs frequently, I had no qualms about skipping around - never a good sign.

4) Octant - "Cold Spark". The jewel in the reunion crown this year! OK - maybe a one-man band can't count as a reunion, but I was so geeked to hear the news of a new Octant release, and so not disappointed. It didn't quite have the depth, range, or ingenuity of Car Alarms and Crickets, but Cold Spark, with it's toylike keys, sympathetic guitar, and (literally) robotic drum machine jangle, was a consistently fun, upbeat, and intelligent listen many times over. Octant is forever one of my top under-exposed bands, and it's great to hear/see Matt Steinke at it again.

3) The Decemberists - "The King is Dead". The Decmberists have shown remarkable range, in a somewhat limited scope of lit-rock, and their strength is their sometimes peppy, but strongly soulful tunes. No, wait - their strength is their exquisite, throwback arrangements, and rich imagery. No wait, their strength is their ability to craft songs which touch common ground in range of audiences, yet be intellectually stimulating. Well, their strengths are all of these things, and it all comes together in The King is Dead, in a stronger package than their last few releases. And the Long Live the King EP is an outstandingly complimentary companion piece, in some ways more interesting than the full-length.

2) Foo Fighters - "Wasting Light". Another case of exceptionally talented veterans with their strongest release in years (maybe their best yet). Foo Fighters reclaim the crown as standard-bearers for good old-fashioned guitar ROCK-N-ROLL (a title not likely to be reclaimed by Jack White anytime soon…). Rich, majestic, powerful songs (every one), passionate delivery, and an integrity of production sorely lacking elsewhere. If your don't like the Foo Fighters, maybe you don't like rock.

1) "The Adults". When I heard about Shihad frontman Jon Toogood planning a solo release, but more mellow & soulful, I was intrigued, but not expecting a lot. Hardrock singers/guitarists solo albums often reek of pent-up sensitivity, or sound like throwaways from their main band. But The Adults was truly a unique experience, and clearly a labor of love. Shihad is one of my favorite (not just NZ) rock bands, because of their mix of melody, aggression, and intellect. This had all the beauty & smarts, but really did show a different side, and held up as its own album. Supplemented by the fact I saw them play live in Sydney, and was right up at the front of the stage the entire time, even interacting w/ Jonny a couple times & really feeding off how much he loved what he was doing in that moment. A far cry from the times I've seen Shihad, behind thousands of rabid fans. This & Wasting Light were the only albums which got better with each listen.

---- So, there is my ebullient & loquacious recap, but as you can tell, I was quite excited and satisfied with what I heard this year. Honorable mention : Paul Simon's "So Beautiful So What", and Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues", Hammers of Misfortune. Some disappointments : Bjork, the much-anticipated Eleanor Freidberger (Fiery Furnaces) solo disc, and the much-much anticipated Riverdogs reunion disc. But the good outweighed!

So, there goes 2011

2012-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

OK, I don't update my blog much at all. As I've admitted - I've been a Facebook convert, and do most newsy things there. But, with the change that FB doesn't include these updates, maybe I'll post more. Anyway, a summary of what's happened in the last half of 2011 :
* Relocated to Sydney, Australia in June for work at Dr D Studios on "Happy Feet 2". Bonnie came out & spent a week there (too short!), which was fantastic, and a great way to get settled into semi-life there. The project was mostly positive for me. Though it was quite difficult being a startup for many departments, Crowds was run super-efficiently, tools worked, and it was a great crew. Perhaps the best advantage of being in Crowds was how closely we worked with George Miller, and his right-hand man on crowds, Greg Van Borssum. I was proud of the work I did there, and how much I expanded my skillset. In the final 3 weeks of the show, after Crowds wrapped, I shifted over to lighting (which is what I was half-contracted to do), and into FX animation on the destruction team (which I negotiated my way into).
As a footnote, I have to say what perhaps made the experience most fantastic was the fact they provided accommodations. Saved me from the pain of house-hunting & bill-paying in Sydney...
* After I wrapped, I flew straight off to LAX, and meant Bonnie for her dad's birthday in Orange County on a Saturday, then we drove back up & I was excited to catch the Ragged Wing outdoor performance on Halloween day! Amazing work, I'm honored to be part of their team.
* After running into several closed doors and windows in the Bay Area (jobs-wise), I was preparing to expand my search to other media ventures, or even winter down for indefinite unemployment. Then serendipity landed in my Inbox... I was contacted by a company who had gotten my name from my department lead from Dr. D, they were looking for someone to come in & essentially take over their Crowd department. The biggest rub? This studio was in Vancouver, British Columbia...
I had no intention of looking for work far-afield any time soon (in fact, had already turned down some inquiries from places in Australia and Los Angeles). But in talking to them further, hearing their offer & the position, it really was too good to turn down, so I accepted. I'm the new Crowd department lead at Method Studios!
* I made a quick visit to Detroit for Thanksgiving week (primarily to visit with my dad, who was in the hospital in mid-October, but was recovering well). Took the nieces and nephew to see "Happy Feet 2" ! Also caught up with a few friends while I was there (cheers Jan, Tom, Keef, Chris W, A Flanders, and Smitty!). Then jetted to Orange County for the weekend with Bonnie's mom and stepdad ( who we didn't see much of at Halloween time). Then drove up Sunday back to the Bay Area. Then Monday morning - on a plane to Vancouver to start the new job!
* I was settling in (Method is providing a few weeks accommodation in downtown Vancouver), then Bonnie and Nicole came up for the first weekend I was here - it was also Bonnie's birthday! We biked around Stanley Park, wandered around Downtown, hit Granville island, and explored Kitsilano. Part of the advantage of Vancouver (vs. Oceania) is the proximity to SF (even the same time zone ;>), so it should hopefully be easier to deal w/ time apart from Bonnie.
* To wrap up : spent the next couple weeks learning the ropes at Method, & getting deep into the pipeline revamp. Officially, I am a Crowd Technical Director for the project "Cloud Atlas", but the role is really steering the ship of the department, and coordinating all the artist and technician's work under one umbrella. Should be an exciting experience.
* I went back home to Emeryville for Christmas and New Years, which was a great time w/ Bonnie and friends, though not so great as an effort in getting my logistical and clerical life on track... Christmas Eve we saw a kinda kids-centric circus show, but very entertaining, had Nicole over for Christmas, saw "The Artist" on the day-of, went on a hike to Mt. Diablo, then had an intimate dinner w/ Bonnie at Mua Restaurant in Oakland. Then the morning of the 2nd - back to Vancouver and back to work.

Coming to a close in NZ 2011, next up...

2011-05-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

Well - a lot happening, but the big news is that I'm moving on to Sydney, Australia, where I'll be working at Dr. D Studios for "Happy Feet 2". I'm very excited by the project (esp, being another all-CG animated feature, directed by the legendary George Miller), the work I'll be doing (a Crowds TD once again!), and living in Sydney. But, it means my work will keep me further afield from home & Bonnie for 3 more months, which gets a :( . But she's coming out for a week, at the time I relocate & start my new job. We're having fun planning out trip! But such is life & the new economy...
So, yes, I am wrapping up another stint at Weta Digital, finishing my work on 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', which opens worldwide on August 5th. I'll be leaving Wellington next week.
More dispatches soon...

Dunedin Fringe Fest

2011-03-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

Took a long weekend trip to Dunedin in the NZ South Island, March 18th-20th. Mainly wanted an excuse to go to Dunedin because I've never been, and wanted to explore the Scottish heritage scene ('Dunedin' is the Gaelic name for 'Edinburgh'). The timing converged to go check out their Fringe Festival, so I planned my trip around that! Well, that would be the cornerstone of my weekend, but I wanted to check out as much as possible in the city & the Otago area, too. (I realize my previous post here was for my last weekend travel, to Auckland in January. Not too much to shout about around Wellington in the meantime, I suppose. Though Wellington had their own Fringe Fest a few weeks ago, which I enjoyed quite a lot!). Also, I thought this would be a last-gasp break before the crunchtime hit at work, which is not the case so much (but more on that some other time).

Friday. So, flew out of WLG airport Friday morning (low-tech : wasn't even a security check, just walked out across the tarmac to a twin-propeller plane); about a 90 minute flight south; booked a shuttle from the airport to Dunedin City Centre (25km away); couldn't checkin at the Law Courts Hotel. But I dropped off my stuff off, then strolled into the city to get oriented. I had outlined my schedule each day to hit some of local sites, museums, and art installations during the day, try a new restaurant, then fill my evening with performances. Started my Friday by heading a few blocks to the Octagon (the heart of downtown), and enjoy all the gothic type cathedral buildings around town). Then to the Fringe Kiosk (their roving info booth), where every day at noon, they held 'Pick of the Fringe', a sampling of some of the fest's featured performers. This day, the Kiosk was at Otago University, and the Pick was Barons of Tang, a 'heavy metal cabaret' from Australia, which had done a sold-out show the night before - very fun & Bunglesque. Then hit the fine Otago Museum right across the street, and headed back to checkin and set up in the room. Law Courts was pretty low-key and antique style, room was expectedly modest, but clean & excellent price ($65NZD). After that, had a tour booked at Cadbury World - no Willy Wonka, for sure; didn't offer much look into the actual factory workings (it's their offseason, having already shipped out all the Easter candy), but had its fun moments. Strolled around more - Scottish Shop, Black Star anarchist bookstore. Then dinner at Scotia, billed as a Scottish restaurant (had vegetarian rarebit), and onto the evening's shows.
'Half' - a collaborative art show; Master's Curious Delirium - another dark cabaret which was presented as a theatrical show, not just the band Bird Wizdom playing; Festival Club (another sampler of features, as a nightcap each day) - shoegazer AJ Sharma (Low meets Jeff Buckley meets Crispin Glover) & Delaney Davison (not so impressive, but seemed a crowd pleaser).

Saturday - thought I could Skype with Bonnie, but the internet connection was horrible, so we chatted on the phone. Got the day started with the Still Life - living statues at the Otago Farmers Market. The Pick was 'Chocolate Zuchinni Cookies', a physical dance troupe. The weekend also happened to be the Otago Heritage Festival/sesquicentennial of the Dunedin Gold Rush, so there was an old-timey fest going on in the Octagon. Checked out the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, which was astoundingly impressive, and was also hosting an interpretive dance show by Footnote. I had seen Footnote's show at the Wellington Fringe Fest (where they ran around in full lyrca body suits), but it was quite different to see them in the open like this. A dramatic moment when one of the dancers fell, and hit his head on a ceiling post. He was helped into the back room, bleeding profusely, and eventually left in an ambulance.
After that - off to check the Fringe Inventions at the Otago Settlers Museum. The Museum was mostly closed for renovations, so I slipped next door to the Chinese Garden. A bit of drinking before dinner - Scotch tasting flight, then beer tray at the Speight's Brewery. On a whim, stopped to watch the Dunedin-v-Christchurch Super Rugby match while I had soup & salad & chips. Then the evening's fare : highly-regarded folk band The Eastern did a fundraiser for ChCh. It started late, so I caught part of the opening act - Delaney Davison (repeating himself from the last night); then hightailed it to the comedy club for 'Immortal Combat' (which was mostly funny, but highly scattered and self-deprecating). There was time leftover from the original show, so I went back and caught a few songs from headliner The Eastern. Then on to Festival Club : Raybon Kan stand-up, and Nick Knox improv piano waltz.

Sunday - Well, I had done almost all the things on my agenda in Dunedin city & in the Fringe, so I went for a different tack. Rented a car & drove over to the Otago Peninsula, home of Larnach Castle and several wildlife preserves (Albatross, penguins). Castle was very neat, and had a great view from the top of the tower. When I got to the Royal Albatross , I was more interested in the penguin colony, but the timing didn't fit to take the tour, so I drove back into town. Stopped in South Dunedin neighborhood for some shopping, and visited Northern Cemetery, which was outstanding (considering the amount of decay & scope), one of my favorite cemeteries I've ever seen. Tried Rainforest Malaysian for dinner then onto the final night of shows. "The Secret of Capping Show's Success", explored some of the history of Otago University's student year-end show, which has been going on since 1894. Then went to "Pecha Kucha", which was probably my most anticipated event, where a variety of speakers, artist, scholars, discussed a slideshow of their own making (20 slides @ 20 seconds each) - very funny, poignant and thoughtful. I left after the first half, a bit reluctantly, but the show I went to was also well-regarded : "Punch Lines Not Included", where a guy wrapped his exploration of bad standup in a show about a bad standup comedian trying out different styles to raise his game, in an hilariously inappropriate fashion.

Well, that was my weekend in Dunedin/Otago. As usual, I pack a lot in and keep moving (I rarely go on vacations to relax, and I feel blessed that my partner Bonnie can take the same approach on vacations, makes travel very satisfying). A bit of surreal 'otherworldliness' struck me - being on vacation is like being in another world, but I was returning to my reality of work & life, which is another layer deeper than my regular life in Cali. Also, on returning, I came to some realizations that this was likely the last time I would be 'vacationing' in New Zealand, as my original plan was that about now I would be hitting the crunchtime for 'Apes', have about 2 months to go, afterwards take a trip in Australasia with Bonnie, then return home to Cali. Well, the schedule's not quite shaping up that way... Can't say much, other than - kinda tumultuous ahead. Was nice to have this little respite, though.

Big Day Out - Auckland

2011-02-07T22:05:00.001-08:00

Getting around to posting my review of 'Big Day Out' in Auckland, on Friday, January 20. BDO is a summer concert festival, which tours around NZ and Aus, and features some big names and local bands, as well as DJs & other performers, and vendors and activists. Here's how my weekend went :
Got in Thursday night, taxi'd to Auckland Airport to Waipuna Hotel (which is a bloody long ways to go, $70 cab ride). Waipuna is a pretty posh digs/events centre, a bit far from Mt. Smart Stadium, but they had a great special on for BDO attendees, and most of the closer hotels were booked. So, just chilled in the room and bar, walked around the Panmure Basin.
Friday morning, cab'd down to the Stadium, dropped off at 10am. No line to get through the gates, the longest line was for drink ID wristband (lines were super long all day, in fact). Got in, wandered around to get stages layout & flow - 2 areas had a double stage setup, so bands' sets would bounce between them. Then a large tent for electronic acts, a smaller stage for folksy/acoustic pop acts, then an even smaller stage for the freakshow, "Lillyworld").
So, here's the lineup & approximate times. Most of these I didn't catch their whole show, some I only caught one or two songs, but I had quite a full day:

11am hour - Stereogram; Die!Die!Die!
12 The Greenhornes; Birds of Tokyo
1-2 Ratatat; Wunmi; body painting; Andrew WK
3-4 Lupe Fiasco; Die Antwoord (one of my favorite acts, watched most of the whole show)
5 Andrew WK (one of the more unusual sets - he played solo keyboard, and invited a bunch of peeps to dance onstage with him); Balloonatic

Around this time the weather was sinking, and I'd had hours of walking around, so I camped out in the upper deck near the big stage & video screen.

6 Shihad
7 Iggy Pop
8 Rammstein; Red Bacteria Vacuum (Japanese chick punk)
9 Tool

As Tool was wrapping, there were still a couple shows I wanted to see : Grinderman and M.I.A. However, it ended with a fizzle - Grinderman was delayed due to equipment problems, didn't see M.I.A. starting any time soon, so I took off. Thought I was prepared - the info booth told me earlier in the day where to go for a taxi. I walked down the 3 blocks to where that should've been... but, no taxis, just a couple chartered buses and cops directing traffic. I walked down another half-km to the train station - hundreds of people were crammed onto the platform, but no taxi stand. The traffic cop told me to try the other side of the station, on a busy main street. I went over there, after a few minutes, I did see a cab coming, I waved at it, it slowed down, but kept going, then stopped about 50 metres away to pick up some other people waving it down. Well, I was determined not to let that happen again, so when another taxi came down the street a few minutes later, I walked down the middle of the lane toward it. This one stopped, but as soon as it did, two blokes ran from the sidewalk and piled in. We discussed, fortunately they were going the same direction, so we agreed to split it & I made it back to the hotel about 15 minutes later.
Was spending the weekend in Auckland, so the next morning took a cab over to Jucy Hotel. Much more demure accommodations - single bed in a room, one table, no TV or radio, shared bathroom for the floor. But, about half the price, and I was only in there one night. Dropped my stuff off, and walked around the Harbour Quay, Maritime Museum, then walked down Queen Street, through Albert Park and the Auckland Art Gallery, to K-Road, hit a few places along the way, made a visit to the Minus 5 Ice Bar, and had dinner at Mexican Cafe.
Sunday headed to Kelly Tarlton's, but it was flooded out a few minutes after getting there. The shuttle bus was still waiting, so we headed back to town (traversing some dicey flooded bridges along the way). I walked back to one spot that was flooded, and took some pics. Then walked to the Auckland Domain & Memorial Museum, which proved to be a lot farther than I thought... But got back into downtown, then realized that just off of K-Rd was the Symonds Street Cemetery. I had about 90 minutes before I needed to catch a shuttle to the airport, it was about a half-hour walk down to Queen & K, so I hoofed it down there again, (realizing that I missed finding it the day before by about 30 meters...). and made it back to the shuttle & airport in plenty of time.

Turn of the Calendar

2011-01-29T02:19:00.000-08:00

Finally, posting about my holidays, back home in San Francisco area. I realize I don't have a day-by-day list of activities, but here are the hilights : Flew out on a Friday afternoon & arrived on... Friday morning (actually, calculated that door-to-door travel was almost 21 hours)! That evening - lovely reunion w/ Bonnie when she got home from work, lots of emotion flooding in... Saturday 18th, we checked out the Ragged Wing Youth Ensemble, which was very impressive work. Sunday, did brunch w/ Jacobs & Ann, then went to Shotgun Players in the evening (Salt in the Wound, a followup to 'Salt of the Earth' which we saw last summer - adaptations of Odyseey & Iliad, respectively. ) Monday and Tuesday caught lunch w/ friends from Tippett. Wednesday (22nd), my sister Rebecca & her beaux Rob came up for Xmas. Went to a few touristy spots around town - Fisherman's Wharf, Jack London, Telegraph Ave; also, caught True Grit (with Rob's fave, Josh Brolin). Xmas Eve, went to a special event as we usually do ( Bonnie was a champ with arrangements!). This year's event (after dinner at Parc 55) was : Kung Pao Kosher Comedy festival, a tradition of bringing Jews and Asians together on the eve of a Christian observation (in fact, one of the comedians was 'Viet Jew'). Very fun and funny night, even ran into some friends - Dani was there w/ his girlfriend, and Lisa Fay was running sound for the show!
Christmas Day was a fine celebration, great gathering with folks, and calls with distant family... that night, went and saw "The King's Speech." Sunday, Becca & Rob went up to Muir on their own, Bonnie and I had down time, but we grabbed dinner with them that night. Then, Monday with Bec & Rob on the drive back south, I went with them to the San Jose Tech Museum, we caught the Body Worlds exhibit, then I took the Amtrak back that evening. The next few days were getting stuff done around the house, and catching lunch with some folks during the days, and then evenings with Bonnie.
Then for New Year's - it was another exciting excursion - "First Night" in Monterey! Streets were closed around town, and set up with stages, vendors, various activities. Also, some of the rooms and halls in the Convention Center had performances. We got in early afternoon on NYE, checked in at the hotel a few blocks from downtown, walked around a bit and caught the opening ceremony featuring Aztec dancers and Taiko drumming! Quite a range of performers, including youth orchestras. Other highlights were : folkie Heather Waters, nerdcore hip hop MC Lars, and, of course, Mambo at midnight to bring in 2011 (well, I sorta danced). Hopefully 2011 holds much more good news than 2010 did.
Drove back up the next morning, and ready to prepare for our NY Day dinner. Scaled back from last year, but still great catching up with some friends. Then Sunday, the 2nd - my last day in town. Very stressful, and emotional, and lots to do. Stopped at the calendar sale at Pegasus & had to return bogus windshield wipers to Kragen), had some time to stop at Aidan & Anna's engagement announcement party on the way to the airport. Then settling in for the 12-hour flight...

Riding out Mission : NZ, 2010

2010-12-14T01:42:00.000-08:00

So, feeling a bit more settled in, and not just busying with relocation & work matters, and touristy sites, I'm taking more time to reflect & be thoughtful on my situation.

Schedule & near future is a bit of a grey zone : no longer have the familiar routines. There were a few weeks of upheaval with relocation, then a few weeks of training/feeling out the workplace. Now I'm getting close to the holiday, which will be a distinct break, splitting the time into 2months & 5months. Gym workouts are not the same time each day & lunchtime sports have been a bit sporadic. And being a 10-minute walk to work, makes it a bit surreal coming & going. So, will try to be more regulated in the new year. I've been doing a chat w/ Bonnie everyday though.

I am making busy with events & local culture. Not so different from life in Cali - Bonnie & I would go to events often. I would also find places to go & things to do wherever I was - the Peninsula, the Presidio, San Rafael. There's just so much going on here, and most of it really good and exotic. Definitely a big plus to being in Wellington.

Also, slowing down on food consumption : Indulged on NZ delicacies while I was in the hotel, but I've getting less of the novelties & snacks, dining out less (though have had Maylasian and tried the Mexican places). Got some kumara for homecooking, and eaten more kiwifruit & avocados than ever before. Lots of fruit juices at the store - seems more than typical US markets (standard orange, apple, grape, cran, other citrus. Mango, apricot, kiwifruit, feijoa, blackcurrant). Sticking to a vegetarian diet also since those first couple weeks.

Getting lots of physical activity. Between being carless, biking to most markets & shopping, gym membership, lunchtime sports, walking around the city when I go into town, and walking to work (climbing that dang hill every day as part of my commute, and having my desk at the top of the stairs). Summer months ahead mean even more outdoor activity, trekking, and beaches. It is a disadvantage in that it seems wherever I end up it's in haze of perspiration...

Hitting the library a lot. Awesome collection of CDs (especially NZ bands), and a great NZ-centric section. Discovered at their book sale : Paul C Doherty, and English professor who's done a ton of historical fiction: I was pulled in by his mysteries set in Ancient Egypt. He's also written about Rome, medieval Europe, Elizabeth I, Alexander the Great.

Had a Thanksgiving (Day After) chat w/ Bonnie, Nicole, Annie & Steve! It was like a piece of tradition seeing them all onscreen, and got to do a virtual tour of my place.

OK, after all that, a brief laundry list of what I have been up to :

Reunited with some old chaps : Phil Reed showed a martial-arts type short he had been working on for the last couple years, very well-done!

Workplace sponsored a visit to the Zoo to catch the chimp feeding/docent presentation, very fascinating. The New Dowse art museum / cafe night. Thorndon Street Fair, a nice crowd of folks & some awesome arts, crafts, food, shopping.

Movies : Harry Potter 7, part 1: I'm not a big HP fan, but I do appreciate the quality filmmaking & VFX. Narnia 3D: again, quality filmmaking but a bit sugary & watereddown. Megamind 3D : not highly impressed, story was bland (though I did know it from the presentation I got at PDI 3 years ago). The best find : Rare Exports, out of Finland - the best Christmas horror movie ever!

Events : "The Ragged" - a play based on the land-grab & racist imperialism that was the earliest days of Wellington. Very powerful, artsy while still staying on target, and expertly staged and performed. "Christ Almighty" - an irreverant look at the birth of Jesus & the birth of holiday traditions. Mostly annoying and bombastic. Also, went to Roller Derby. Crowd was huge, probably about 1000 people (compared to maybe a couple hundred last time in San Fran). Oddly, everyone seemed to take it a lot more seriously : lot more real officiating. Consequently, game play was slowed considerably and less fun.

And, last but not least, a new body piercing, a double-nape!

Next dispatch from the United States, after the holidays!

A few weeks in (in NZ)

2010-11-21T01:51:00.000-08:00

Lots to update - started work officially on Oct 25th, parts of most days the first couple weeks were spent with relocation business, and a few days of training. Got my desk, got my assignment on that ape-movie prequel, checked in w/ some old friends, started back with the sports...
Landed a place in Miramar, literally just a few blocks from work : furnished (even with TV), at a great price, wonderful landlords. Bought the Suzuki Bandit, it's a sweet ride. Got set up with : utilities, accountant, library card. The last weekend I had the car, drove up to Kapiti Coast to visit w/ Katie and family, on Halloween, got to see their 2-year-old in a Jolly Green Giant costume (had to load up a video of the commercials to explain the very American character to some neighbors). Went to movie night at Raine & Ben's place (Asian horror movie night). Had a 'team building' pub night w/ the apes crew.
Been busy with events around Wellington : got to see my favorite Kiwi band, The Phoenix Foundation (after the fireworks, on Guy Fawkes Day!). The New Zealand Parliament had an 'open house' day, allowing the public into normally restricted areas of the Beehive & other government offices. Docents, info brochures, video displays, all went into a very neat look behind the scenes of the government workings. One of the more intriguing parts was to see the Maori presence - they have their own committee room, and some MP's deliver speeches in Te Reo Maori language.
Performances : "Gene Pool" (an exploration of the sentience of cloning; featured a fully naked man 'evolving' & interacting with an elaborate sci-fi set built by Weta Workshop), "Y, A Play" (inspired by Robot Unicorn Attack, performed outdoors under a freeway overpass), "Ecology in Fifths" (interpretive dance piece themed on NZ's damaged ecological history; featured a live patch of grass which became a patch of dirt by the end. I spoke with the Playground afterwards, and learned they may be coming to San Fran in 2011), and "Apollo 13" (which featured interaction with audience members who served as 'Mission Control' during the whole show).
Movies : Wanted to check out movies that have a run that I wouldn't be able to see in the States. I saw "Made in Dagenham", a UK film based on a true story about women organizing at a Ford plant in the 60's.
Museums : paid a couple visits to Te Papa - their Maori exhibit is about the same, just as wonderful. They had new & expanded exhibits, of course (Phar Lap is on loan to Melbourne!), the featured exhibit now is works of Kiwi photojournalist Brian Brake (take a look through his photos published in LIFE magazine, there are some famous iconography in there). Also went to Wellington City Gallery for 'Roundabout' - featuring many up & coming artists in a variety of media, mostly from around Asia, commenting on modernism; some very good pieces.
One of the more unique events was "Project Born". I had no idea what to expect, the description was a 'lingerie fashion show', with costumes & bodypaint by Weta Workshop. Imagine, yes, a parade of underwear models, but backed by an array of monster-like characters in body paint & a g-string (or less), in elaborate sci-fi/fantasy scenarios, within an immersive soundscape & lightshow. It was also a high-society fundraiser for NeoNatal Trust Fund, so the attendees put on the fanciest togs (don't ask me, all I had to do was buy a ticket; and that included nosh & an open champagne bar). Then the post-show included mingling with the models in their costumes (or lack thereof). A feast for the senses, for sure, and a great appreciation for the talented designers, artists, and performers.
In general - settling in, appreciating the array of what Wellington has to offer. Not getting sick of roti or curry yet, but have slowed down on it :> (also sticking to a vegetarian diet, simpatico w/ Bonnie!) Oh yeah - also stopped in at Fleshwound, the premier Modern Primitive body mod shop; am exploring the notion of getting a new piercing. Also, looking at arranging a couple weekend trips next year, to places in New Zealand, coinciding with festivals; more on the later. Next week is Thanksgiving in the US, I will greatly miss the tradition of visiting w/ Bonnie's family in OC :( . But I will be returning home to San Fran area for a few weeks around the holidays, get to see Bonnie & hope to meet up w/ friends. A few weeks away... wonder if that will feel like a vacation?

The rest of the first weekend in NZ

2010-10-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, the 23rd: hit the gym & pool in the morning, then met up with Peter - grabbed coffee & went motorcycle shopping. Saw a really nice Suzuki Bandit, though at the top side of my budget; another store had a couple much-older bikes for not much cheaper.
Then had high tea with Raine & Ben, catching up with them. Stopped by to visit with Malcolm (might have a chance to do some Massive work with his freelance project). Then took a ride out to Island Bay to see one of their rental properties.
Came back, rested for a bit, decided to take a walk down to Cuba St before catching the Banksy film - ran into Sandip on Cuba St, and Chad at the movie. Then back & more organizing (and a replay of the English - Kiwi rugby match). Capped off with a chat with Bonnie!

Sunday the 24th : slept in a bit, but hit the gym & pool. Then found college football on ESPN, so I watched some of the OK St game while I sorted paperwork and cleanedup. Then took the car out - test run to see the old offices. Discovered one of the buildings had become the Weta Cave, a mini-museum and gift shop. Then shopping/exploring at Kilbirnie grocery stores & Asian market, then stopped at Real Groovy for CD shopping & got my Phoenix Foundation ticket!
Back to regroup & watch another college football game. Then a waterfront walk to the Diwali Fest, and a visit to Te Papa (heard a piper, and saw a family with an army of Leonberger dogs). A bit more strolling along Courtenay Place, got Nando's (they have a whole range of veggie choices!), eating in the room, then a nap before chatting with Bonnie.
Monday is the Weta start day - checkin, crew assignment, begin housing search & begin training.

First Day back in NZ

2010-10-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

Wednesday evening, leaving SFO. We were delayed from leaving the gate because of a 'hydraulic' malfunction, they eventually got fixed, then we taxied out to the runway, in line for takeoff, when the Capt'n said they had to return to the gate to fix the same thing. Fortunately, a few minutes later, they said the engineer had talked the pilots through it, and plane was OK to go, an hour late.
Flight wasn't bad (except for one of the numerous Texas retirees reclining practically into my nose). Despite heavy cocktails & a couple Sominex, I didn't sleep much, but it was OK due to the massive entertainment selections (I watched Prince of Persia, Get Him to the Greek, Crazy Heart, Winter's Bone, A-Team). Mid-flight the concierge informed me she had booked me on a later flight AUK-WLG. It still only left 90 minutes from landing til the departure of my connection - I had no real expectations that I would make it, so I didn't stress. Also, I took my Chapman Stick with me, as oversize luggage. At SFO, I had the brand-new case wrapped in protective plastic. When I picked it up in Auckland : the plastic was long gone, and there were several slices & gouges on the case, where it looked like someone took out their frustrations with a box cutter. Think I may lodge a complaint with Air New Zealand, but everything else on the travel was grade-A...
Anyway, it indeed took over an hour to pick up my baggage & get through customs (TIP : don't bring honey into NZ). By the time I got to the domestic terminal, I had to re-book myself on a later flight to Wellington. That worked fine, made it there & was greeted and assisted by the Weta PA, who joked about getting worried when I was originally slated to be there 90 minutes earlier... There was one other Weta starter, a TD from Toronto, who had recently been at Animal Logic. (he later griped about how difficult and expensive it was to live in Sydney, so that's a plus in the Weta vs. Dr. D dilemma).
He got to the Museum Hotel, then told us since Monday is a bank holiday, it would behoove us to get out bank account setups done today. Not a problem, since I wasn't feeling tired then. Got my bank account set, then the rest of the day was mine. I walked around town, hit up some local snacks, tried out the hotel's fitness center, and got my mobile phone taken care of.
In one of those great Wellington moments, I happened to hear on the radio about a film event tonight : Malcolm le Grice, a UK experimental filmmaker, presenting his work & performance. Very unique - not just interesting nonnarrative films, but the presentation on 2 or 3 screens, with personal interaction and dance. And, at 70, it was his first time in New Zealand. Great to see things like this.
After the show, grocery shopping ($10 for a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper??), some more snacks :O. Then chill & organizing & TV watching in the room (can't go wrong with shows like "The Naked Office", and the metal music video show "Steel Mill"), until chat w/ Bonnie. Loved seein & hearing her again! Then sleeeeeep... feels like it's been one long day since Wednesday morning...

End of summer 2010

2010-09-05T04:28:00.000-07:00

OK - just a rundown of life events since July...
* Movies watched : Inception (innovative & expertly executed, though it doesn't quite live up to the hype); Despicable Me (really fun, and not bad to watch); The Kids are Alright (indie dramedy, a little trite, but thought-provoking)
* Concerts/Theatres attended : Sleepytime Gorilla Museum ('goodbye Bay Area' show); 'Sex Tapes For Seniors' (a fun musical comedy with Nancy Shniederman; Charming Hostess, The Bowls Project @ YBCA (an elaborate installation outside the YBCA, great to hear the ancient-mid-East-infused accapella, the 'Orisha Girls' was a bit cultish); John Zorn, Fred Frith, Mike Patton @ Yoshis (amazing show of viruosity, too short!);
* Trips and weekends : Napa Wine Train; East Brother Light Station - a B&B on an island in San Pablo Bay; Second Saturday in Sacto & visit w/ Nicole and Jenay; Laguna del Sol in Wilton (sun and fun)
* Also - gearing up for the Ragged Wing Ensemble kick off for their upcoming season! Please join us at Solano Stroll on September 12.

The last week of July, I drove down to LA for Siggraph, a computer graphics and technology conference. Mainly to job-hunt, since we got 2 days paid from my employer to attend. I'd never been, it was interesting, though regular attendees said it was so much smaller than previous years. It was great running into so many old colleagues! The few places I met with went well - it's hard to judge fruitful results, though, since you still have to track down the recruiters and managers...
But, more on that to come - decisions are imminent!

Michigan Trip 2010 : Parents' Anniversary

2010-07-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

Bonnie & I took our oft-annual trip to Michigan over the the week of July 3-10. A bit more full than typical trips - met up at a friends' cottage on the lake for the holiday, and the whole family was in town for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Here's how our days broke down :

* Saturday, July 3 :
Shuttle pickup at at 3:50AM, ez time thru OAK, then a 4-hr layover in Denver Airport (free wi-fi, lunch at Paradise Cafe). Oddly, it was a small plane for the DEN-DTW. We weren't sitting together, but we asked a 22-ish woman to switch seats, which she graciously did. Then, she ended up chatting with the 25-ish dude she was sitting next to, for most of the flight. Could be fate...
Anyway, got in uneventfully, picked up the car (a Prius, that was a nice bonus), grabbed some Checkers Burgers, then drove the 3 hours up to Caseville to meet with the Bayleys, and Ron. We got a vague note that they were at the 'County Park'. Seeing as there was only one real park in Caseville, we set ourselves down there as darkness approached (9:30pm). After some trudging up and down the beach, and scant txt messaging, we found them in time for the fireworks. Then back to the beachhouse, Jill Sligay came over (hadn't seen her since just after high school, I think). for a bonfire and chat late into the night. Fun weekend all around, and a bit unusual as a vacation for us -just sitting around & relaxing.

* Sunday, July 4 :
Lazy day, fer sure. It was funny seeing the outdoors in daylight - didn't realize how close the beach/lake was to the house. Made breakfast, went for a beach walk and a swim. Definitely different on the lake vs. an ocean beach : no brine, no riptide, and walkable hundreds of feet out. There was talk about going for a spin on the jet skis, but we decided to take Andy's boat out to Big Charity Island. The island is the site of a 100+ year old lighthouse which has been converted into a dinner destination - the owners ferry people from the shore, serve dinner, and give a tour/speech about the island. It was a long history of the land - about 45 minutes while the boat crew doubled as the catering staff. Exquisite meal, too. Had an nice boat ride across the bay, except for the last stretch into the breakwater - the boat bottomed out, spewing up mud and forcing us non-essentials to crawl into the front... Happened on the way out, too - but we ended up getting out unscathed. Got back just before dark, hung out on the beach and caught lots of homebrew fireworks shows. Pretty amazing to see what elaborate stuff people came up with, lasted til after midnight.

* Monday, July 5 :
Today we'd be heading out to Frankenmuth & Flint , About a 2-hr drive to Frankenmuth, where we caught up with an old college chum Jeff Roberts, his wife Deb and their 3 daughters. Nice time at the famous Zehnder's. for family-style fried chicken, then walked around downtown for some shnitzel and landsjager. Bid farewell, and made a stop at Bronners, the 362-days-a-year Christmas store. I hadn't been to Frankenmuth since I was kid, not as magical as I remember - Bonnie pointed out she thought it would have more displays & dioramas (what it did have was thousands of Christmas Tree ornaments for sale). Then on to Flint.
Had no plan for Flint, we decided to see downtown first. Not much happening, and a place you'd want to get out of before darkness descended. So, we looked up an area, with a chain hotel, that seemed to be a bit more stable, if commercial, but then decided to go to another commercial district - Miller Street, to a Comfort Inn. Dinner at Logan's Roadhouse - one of the less franchisey places nearby. Tasty food, we loved our server, and had a good evening out.

* Tuesday, July 6 :
Went back to the Flint Cultural Center - a host of museums, we went to the Sloan Museum, which had a really thorough history of mid-Michigan, and the start of the auto industry. Then over to the Flint Art Institute, which had a fantastic collection of pieces, and a special exhibit of Tiffany Glass. Stopped a local, organic coffee shop, Good Beans, then on the way to Detroit area. Got in around 3pm to Gordon & Allison's place, would be our HQ for the week. Family dinner & visiting the rest of the evening.

* Wednesday, July 7 :
Went out to Ann Arbor to pick up the rental Chapman Stick from Oz Music. Then met up with former Californian Matt Sullivan (sorry we missed Michaelangelo!), had lunch and walked around downtown area. Back to the HQ - Bonnie and Allison went out for a dinner together (bar & grill), so it was boyz night out, with the little lady... NIce time hanging out, I had the Stick in full swing, I was hoping to get some recording or jamming done w/ the former bandmates, but alas, no. Good Pineland, and Meijer trip, nonetheless.

* Thursday, July 8 :
Had to go back to Ann Arbor to return the Stick, so we also used it as an opportunity to visit with John and Laura Turner, and their new 4-month-old, Marin (Brody was out a day care). Next up - headed to downtown Detroit, where we treated to a special tour of neighborhoods from Rob Feder. Rob is long-time partner to Alicia, Andy's older sister - Rob is a firefighter, and the two of them have lived in Detroit for years. Actual Detroit... So, Rob drove us around, Bonnie had a few hotspots to hit (Avalon Bakery, Cass Cafe), but we mostly got an earful and eyeful of his historical & geographical knowledge. I saw areas of Detroit that day I'd never been to before, and we got to witness the upside and downside : the countless abandoned houses, but very nice houses and streets close by. Saw empty lots turned into community gardens, and some of the businesses that served the community. Ended with a drive through Belle Isle (unfortunately, just as a huge rainstorm hit). Thanks again to Rob for the hospitality.
Thursday evening was a quick visit to the parents, we were there when Greg & Vicki & family arrived, but had to run, we had a gathering of friends at the Buddy's Pizza nearby. I'm always worried about those - will everyone show up? Will too many people show up? But, it was a great evening - mainly to see Dan & Michelle, and Kevin & Jen (glad they came, didn't get a chance to get out to their place!).

* Friday, July 9 :
Friday was a bit rough, schedule-wise. Plans for family events kinda fell through, as everyone went their separate ways. I went out for lunch w/ Greg & Vicki in Ann Arbor, thinking we could go to some record stores in downtown, but with traffic and packed plans, we just ended up sitting in the restaurant for a half-hour or so, then I split to come back and go to the Plymouth Art Fair. Ended up going w/ just Ben and Lila (and a girl Lila was sitting, Alli), but it was a nice time, shared some sweet Elephant Ears, and it was a good reason to get out of the house.
Followed up with Taco Night at the parents house, with everyone there. Well, except for Sterling and Elise who were left with the ex-nanny in Ann Arbor. After dinner, went to Gordon & Allisons for some S'mores and the firepit. I had plans to meet up with KeithF at ye olde Leland City Club, but couldn't motivate, plus I wussed out about making it through downtown at midnight, so I bailed.

* Saturday, July 10 :
The big day - still trying to keep it a surprise. I went with Ben & Gordon to the Livonia Rec Center gym - it was a good idea to get active, but the air was rank and frigid, think it was the catalyst to me getting quite sick later that night. Mostly spent the day helping clean up or setup, Rebecca and Rob showed up soon, then more guests started showing up. It was quite a wide collection of folks - esp. old neighbors, and people I hadn't seen in a long time, and some I don't even remember meeting as a kid. Then the countdown to the parents' arrival, they walked into the yard at 4:30ish, and were very surprised & delighted. Lot of good conversation, folks that they hadn't seen in years. We hung out til late night (Greg and Rebecca even went over to take care of the dog), parents went home about 10ish, along with Greg & Vicki. A few folks hung out at the house, but I was feeling increasingly ill, and went off to bed.

* Sunday, July 11 :
Feeling better in the morning, we went over to the parents' house for a breakfasty thing w/ Rebecca and Rob (Greg & Vicki had left at 5 oclock that morning for the drive back to N Carolina). I got caught up talking to neighbor Bill Jennings, then Ron came by, we made a quick run to Rock of Ages. (Has fallen into a bit of a state of entropy - things out of order, not a great selection, not much used.) Would've liked to have gone to Dearborn Music, or Encore, but time was short. Made it back to HQ, and after a big of contention about schedule and refilling the gas tank, made it to the airport.

happened recently last month (was recent, last month)

2010-04-15T03:08:00.000-07:00

Hey now, let's see what's new lately... of course, the biggest news (which now seems like old news, but I haven't posted anything about it) - the company I work for, ImageMovers Digital, is being closed down by their parent company, Disney. We got the news at a company-wide meeting at noon on Friday, March 12. Didn't sound like a good sign that they called a last-minute meeting with the company heads (Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke), but we'd just had a good review with the director on the project that was just getting into full production, most of the murmuring centered around that. Then - as we were all standing in the cafe (where all large-scale meetings happened) - Jack Rapke came onto the mic with "terrible news". Continuing on, stating this was 'the worst day in his professional career', he revealed the news that Disney had decided to pull their funding of Image Movers Digital, and would be closing the facility after the current project, "Mars Needs Moms". It was a lot of stunned co-workers , a lot of fear, despondency, anger... other company heads spoke on scant details, their own despair, the bleak future. They told everyone they could go home, but they stuck around to chat a bit more with people who wanted face-to-face talks. News spread like 'wildfire' (sorry for the cliche) around the industry - friends from other companies called me to see if it was true, lots of Facebook pages blowing up. The following week was very surreal - all that really happened was smaller company & department meetings, a whole lot of questions, not much work, we got our projected end dates and severance packages, talk of job fairs and re-placement assistance from HR... I've got a month of perspective on it, but still so many questions on WHY they made this decision when they did, and what they hope to accomplish by finishing the current project, but at least most of us have a few more months of employment... A couple major observations, though : a few folks had lived through unfortunate company closures - Dreamquest/Secret Lab, The Orphanage, Laika - I never have, and at least they didn't shut the doors & fire everyone that day, but to think of 450 crew/artists looking for work at a time when the trend is toward downsizing and outsourcing... looks pretty devastating...

But, as I said, I've had a month of perspective and other lifeness, and the night after the announcement, we had my birthday celebration at Ragged Wing for "Handless"! Great night out, and a perfect opportunity to get friends together, and introduce them to the theatre group! The overall run went very well, I don't have final #'s but I know most of the Saturday shows sold out. Show was fantastic, congrats to all!

We had our traditional Easter brunch (though it rained - moved everyone indoors) - lots of mimosas & bloody marys, quiche, and egg coloring. We had lots of kids over, too - so the egg coloring was particularly fun! Wondercon was the same weekend - it was the usual crazy scene, maybe even more people than last year. I know that a lot of the smaller panels were packed, and even filled up (I got to see 'The Spirit of Star Trek', and Ed Martinez' make-up FX demo; but I missed 'Forensic Psychiatry & the villains of Batman', and the 'Real Archaeology of Indiana Jones'). I didn't buy much, but I ran into a mess of coworkers and friends, and got to say hello to a few old friends and associates I haven't seen in a long while (esp. Geoff Johns and JT Krul from Michigan State days).

Colossal Inertia played another show, at The Bistro in Hayward. Really nice spot - no sound system to speak of, and while it's not a restaurant they serve some minor bites, and they don't have liquour but boast a wide variety of Belgian beers... It was a good setup for our band, we had the whole night for ourselves, but several of the bands we invited to play with us declined (it doesn't work great for rock, so we asked more of our bluesy-folksy-mellow peers). So the lineup ended up being : I did a solo semi-acoustic set (the debut of Cafe Inertia!); DJ Cypod did a singer-songwriter-drum machine set; then Colossal Inertia had a larger headliner window to play for, so we did an almost hour-long set. Low pressure, it was one of our most fun gigs we've done.

Got to see the reunion tour of Faith No More (they're only playing in San Francisco & New York, and at Coachella)! I'd not seen them back in the day, though I've seen Mike Patton in almost every variation since... They put on a great show, kind of nostalgic but very strong and energetic. They had a couple oddly-placed opening acts - an oldschool punkish band that apparently were missing their lead singer so they had a guy mumble through the songs (though I found out that day, that Deb Thomas' husband Kirk was playing guitar with them!); and an amateurish PG-13 fetish ensemble, and I think it was Neil Hamburger kind-of MCing and telling his staple bad jokes in-between acts. So, the biggest disappointment was that FNM didn't go on until almost 10:30, and we had to leave at the beginning of their first encore, to catch the BART back... still, got my evening's worth of entertainment with my best lady. :^*

Movie updates :: "How to Train Your Dragon" [verdict : excellent entertainment, solid story]; "Chloe" [verdict : broaches some interesting psychological explorations, but too luridly silly, and the ending devolves into a cheap thriller]; "Until the Light Takes Us" [a documentary about Norwegian black metal, went w/ Tim Coleman; verdict : fascinating movie, and fascinating crowd, I've never seen so many heshers at an art-house screening]; "Alice In Wonderland" [verdict : the best Tim Burton film in a while]; "Shutter Island" [verdict : thriller that delivers, helped by the strong hand of Scorsese, but not one of his best]

Guess that's about it for now. Despite unusually late rainstorms, the summer season is around the corner, so more festivals & events coming up!

Weekend Motorcycle Ride - Martinez

2010-03-02T22:45:00.000-08:00

FInding more things to fill time with on weekends, with the weather getting nicer and Bonnie being home on Saturdays. My sister-in-law Vicki was scheduled to come into town last weekend, but her business trip was cancelled a few days before, sorry she couldn't make it, but it opened up the weekend schedule. So, this past Sunday (28th), we decided to hop on the motorcycle for a half-day trip. Somewhere pretty local, but that got us on the freeway, and somewhere we hadn't been before, so we settled on Martinez. A town of about 35,000, right on the bay, about half-hour from us (and San Francisco), notable for its 'large number of preserved historic buildings', and claims to the birthplace of the martini... It was a fine ride, first time I've had Bonnie as a passenger for extended freeway miles. We parked in quaint downtown - lots of motorcycles around, but not very many places were open. We stopped in a quirky homestyle/antique boutique, then hit the Martinez Historical Society. Very well-thought out museum, and lots of contributions from locals.
Then we took a quick spin through the waterfront park, and stopped near the bridge (also, near the Amtrak station) - to get a glimpse of the most famous current Martinez restaurants, the Alhambra Creek Beavers! This is a family of beavers who built a dam on the small creek that runs through the center of town. The controversy stems from the potential flood problems, but the people have spoken, and the dam stays!! Huzzah! We met a man named Moses who was shooting some pics of the creek (didn't see the beavers or otters, at that time of day), and he played us some video he had gotten of them that morning. (People in Martinez sure like to talk).
Then stopped for lunch at La Tapatia - one of the few places that was open, and we had a coupon - but well reviewed, and very good food. (They included 2 kinds of salsa, plus bean dip, with the appetizers). Still had a bit of time on the way out, so we stopped at the John Muir historical site, the house where he lived for the last 25 years of his life, and wrote some of his most famous books, includes part of his orchard.
Then the ride back home - noneventful, but we did hit traffic in the last few miles, and I lanesplit around the cars - Bonnie took it well!
Later that evening, had movie night w/Kody - watched "The Informant!" (which I found very interesting, and thought it handled a bizarre individual's life most compellingly)
Coming up : Oscars, March 7!
Also, if you read this in the next few weeks : go see "Handless", performed by the Ragged Wing Ensemble, through March 27!

strong movie - "Eye of God"

2010-02-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

Browsing the DVD rack at my local library, I decided on this movie : "Eye of God", from 1997. It's a crime thriller with an impressive creative pedigree (written & directed by Tim Blake Nelson; stars Martha Plimpton, Nick Stahl, Richard Jenkins, Hal Holbrook). Given that silly title, I expected a mildly entertaining horror-type movie, but it had surprising depth and strong storytelling. It's hard to say I was 'pleasantly' surprised, because this is a very dark and unsettling story, but it delivered way beyond by expectations. I can appreciate a wide range of styles and quality of films, but it's always nice to find a hidden gem like this. I was compelled to write up this review on IMDB :

"I picked up this movie at the local library completely blind, on a whim. Based on the box & the title, I expected a cheezy horror movie, but with a potentially interesting cast. What I got was a very thoughtfully crafted human drama mixed with a compelling crime thriller. The characters could've smacked of cliche - but intelligent dialog & expert performances across the board helped convey their credibility. The way Tim Blake Nelson played forward and backward with the narrative chronology worked well (for the most part) - the style heightened the unfolding of the mystery, and delivered a strong punch for the scene he chose to end the movie on. Kevin Anderson was exceptionally strong in a role that could've wallowed in simplicity (I'm inspired to check out more of his movies). Richard Jenkins delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance, a forerunner of the fantastic work he's done in recent years. May be Martha Plipmton's best work in her career. It had a few problems - too much voice-over, the setup is a little too 'clean', the conversations are too 'smart' in some stretches, and a bit slow (particularly in the denouement). But worth checking out, and deserving of a wider audience.
Compares to : Once Were Warriors (abusive relationships); Memento (asynchronous narrative); Capote (southern-fried smart crime drama)
"

Seattle trip

2010-02-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

We made a trip to Seattle, the last weekend in January. It's a city we've wanted to go to for a while, and have a few friends up there. So we had to scale it back a bit, but it was a good occasion on our 'anniversary of our meeting' to take a weekend excursion. We headed to the airport on BART on Friday night (thanks Tom!), got into town & just made our way on the light rail to the Warwick Hotel, and planned out some specifics of our schedule.

Saturday - got up early, walked down to the Ferries, boated over to Bainbridge Island, walked around there a bit, then headed back and walked along shop-laden Alaskan Way to our meeting w/ friends at Pike Place Market. While waiting at the fish market, we saw other friends from the Bay Area walking past. Random! Well, Dave and Leah showed up soon (with 5-month-old son Connor), we walked around the Market & got some inside scoop from the locals... (Dave I knew through Michigan State U, Leah grew up in Seattle area). Went to Lowell's for lunch, but they were closed, so we went to the seafood restaurant next door. Then they took us for a drive, around Capitol Hill neighborhood, past the Jimi statue, into Volunteer Park, for a look at the 'Black Hole Sun' sculpture, and the Botanical Garden. Then they graciously dropped us off at the Seattle Center.
In time to meet up with friends Matt and Christina Clapham (and 16-month-old Lucy). I knew Matt from middle school, and we were in a band together in high school years. We went up in the Space Needle, while there was still light. Then had about 90 minutes to go through the Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum, which was a little glossed-over, but saw a bit of everything we needed to. Then grabbed dinner at the food court and hung out a bit more...
Headed to the monorail to return to downtown. It was pretty early, but we were figuring on an early night. We walked around the Westlake mall, then decided to grab a drink before calling it a night. Dahlia Lounge was full, so we went to Lola. Then hit the late-night Ralph's Grocery, then back to the hotel.

Sunday - made use of the fitness center and pool at the hotel in the morning. Later, met up for brunch w/ friends Adam & Eve Wood-Gaines (and 3-yr-old son Donovan) (I'd met them back in my days at Tippett Studio), they have a fantastic house in the Fremont neighborhood. We hung out & wandered through the Sunday Fremont Market. Then they were off to Vashon Island, so we went to the bus station for our journey to the eastside suburbs. On our way to meet Lisa and David Domke, friends of Bonnie's from Orange County, David is a professor at U Washington Communications (chair of the dept); Lisa is a pastor (she was a WA delegate to the 2004 Demo Nat'l Convention). Very nice meeting them, heard so much about them. We had a great, thoughtful discussion for a bit, then Lisa took us out to Capitol Hill, had famous cocktails at Liberty, then dinner at Coastal Kitchen. Strolled a bit on Broadway, briefly at the NW Museum of Mysteries, a hacky monument to things paranormal... Then, walked back to the car & back home (for the night).

Monday - woke to learn Lisa had started getting sick the day before, and had a rough go of it during the night. We partook/observed their morning ritual with the kids (Will, age 8, Sam, age 2.5). After some discussion & determining of health, we settled on going w/Dave to drop the kids off, and back to check out Will's alternative dance performance at a school. Actually, nice to kind of relax & take part of real-life events, and see some real neighborhoods where ppl live. And actually quite interesting to see what sort of alternative school events happen. After dropping a few kids off at their home schools, Dave took us to U Washington, and graciously offered use of his car the rest of the day. We strolled through campus, to the library and Red Square, then made our way to a few other things we missed but were on our list. Straight down 45th, quick stop at the Archie McPhee's store, along to the Chittenden Locks, which we got to see in action. Then through the Ballard neighborhood, shopping at Sonic Boom, got a local band, Feral Children. Back to the Fremont neighborhood to get a closer look at the Lenin statue, the corner rocketship, and finally saw the Fremont Troll (very cute public art sculpture of the 10-foot-tall upper half of a troll under a bridge onramp). Had time to grab some famous fish-n-chips at Ivar's Salmon House, then wrapped up a visit with Lisa, and made our way down the block for the bus. At the airport - no security line! Amazing! And free wi-fi while we wait in the terminal! What's wrong with the Bay Area??
Overall, a fantastic weekend seeing a progressive, quirky, arsty town, and lovely visits w/ friends we hadn't seen in a long while. We'll get back someday for sure!

2010, the descent

2010-02-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

So, 2010 is off to a roaring, and rocky start... After a lovely Christmas season (saw a staging of David Sedaris' "Santaland Diaries" in SF; nice Xmas morning; finally went to the King Tut exhibit at deYoung), then started the year with a wonderful dinner party at our house, on New Year's Day, and some positive looking-ahead. Positive news : my band, Colossal Inertia, is actually gaining some inertia. Had a gig at The Uptown in Oakland on Jan 6th, and more gigs booked in February and March.

The bad news - Bonnie was let go from her job... Very unfortunate, but we've taken a look at our budget & places to cut back, it shouldn't be too drastic on our household finances. On the positive side of that, she's looking at getting into more writing endeavors - freelance, magazine, local, and focusing more on her book projects.

Workwise, it's been pretty quiet since the end of "Carol". I've been working w/ the 'crowds' department. I was in talks to move into the dept for the show, sounds like I'll be staying put, though. Not a big deal, esp. since they exercised some cutbacks in our dept, unfortunate for those let go...

Well, had to get the news of the ups & downs posted, next up, a bit of a diversion - Bonnie & I went to Seattle (a trip we had planned since the New Year) - went to visit some friends we hadn't seen in a while, and tour around the city since we'd heard so much about it. Next time!

Best Music of 2009!

2009-12-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

Not an awe-inspiring year, but a few choice releases, (and quite a few from friends & associates). Also, very gyno-centric year, with half my favorites featuring female singers in a significant capacity. MY top 3 were down to the wire, and a few toss-ups at the end, but here's my list

1)The Decemberists - "The Hazards of Love". Decemberists still prove to be one of the smartest, most courageous acts around (and one of the few acts that get more popular as they get weirder) with this ambitious old-school concept album. A few misfires on this album - the 'story' is too convoluted to carry through, the female singers don't always fit, and the ending songs are anti-climactic. But kudos for tackling this, and making it as solid as they did.

2)Franz Ferdinand - "Tonight: ". FF take pop songs and retro-Talking Headsy-disco to a whole new level, with their arrangements and almost-literary depth. Outstanding songcraft, also exceptionally witty among often dumb peers. They make pop a not-so-guilty pleasure.

3) Dirty Projectors - "Orca Bitte". New Discovery of the year! Highly intricate arrangements, with the most incredible vocal work I've heard in a long long time. Weird songs, but delectably accessible, with noisy-sounding riffs that reveal mad chops. The only reason this wasn't the top was that many songs are a bit too abstract to hold up to repeated listening. But 'Cannibal Resource' is my top song of the year.

4) MF Doom - "Born Like This" Doom keeps up his humor and absurdist lyrical bent, this time mining 80's TV shows for sounds and samples. Fun mix, beyond typical hip hop.

5) The Fiery Furnaces - "I'm Going Away" Distilled and somewhat restrained for FF, almost like they were trying to make a radio-friendly collection. Almost. But still a lot to sink your teeth into, and arguably tapping into the best production values they've had.

6) Bright Brown - "No Matter How Faint, There's Light in Everything" . The erstwhile "Laughing Stock" by another name, still filled with deep thoughts, lush arrangements, and the magic of the Chapman Stick. I've known Alex Nahas for many years in the Stick community in San Fran, this is his first release since relocating to NYC, though I've heard most of these songs evolve over the years.

7) Neko Case - "Middle Cyclone"Alt-country queen delivers a strong, diverse, and deep collection. I'm struck by how well the tones & production go hand-in-hand with the emotional punch and personal message.

8) A Camp - "Colonia". Only recently learned about this side project, which released in February. A collaboration of Nina Persson and Nathan Larson from Sparklehorse, with Niclas Frisk. Captures the quirky glee sorely lacking in recent Cardigans fare, throws in some nice riffs & tasty production.

9) Mark Growden - "St. Judas"Another local I've known for a long time, I've heard these songs in many forms over the years, but Mark shows a powerful vision by putting everything together as an eclectic sextet. Amazing on all levels as a performer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist.

10) U2 - "No Line On the Horizon". Not really one to go out of my way to try U2, but as an Amazon special, it was a pleasant & satisfying surprise. Solid songs, very interesting production (courtesy of Brian Eno), and best of all, you could listen to large chunks of music without being reminded that it's U2.

Honorable mention :
Hometown hip-hop heroes Crown City Rockers - "Day After Forever"; Regina Spektor's pop gem - "Far"; David Sylvian revisiting noisescapes on "Manafon". Kevin Blechdom keeping it weird on "Gentlemania".

What are your favorites?

October-November-December

2009-12-13T23:01:00.001-08:00

Here's the update since the last event (finished up my trip beginning of Oct, just now updating). Let's see... Had the crew screening for "A Christmas Carol" on Oct 22. We got a thank you from Robert Zemeckis and his producing partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey. Bob and Steve had been present throughout the project, but it was nice to get a personal message from them. What more can I say about the movie? You've seen it, right?? I ended up seeing it in the theatres 4 times, I still want to try to catch it on regular old film, to compare saturation & brightness...
Halloween we went to the Spider Ball, part of the Black Rock Arts Foundation. It was an interesting scene, some highly elaborate and 'adult' costumes. We stayed at the The Mosser Hotel, on 4th St, which was remarkably convenient and especially cheap for the heart of SF. Plus, they have a special package deal with recording studio time! Didn't book that, but maybe some other time...
Bonnie & I got involved with local politics - we were campaign volunteers for Jennifer West for the Emeryville City Council. We fought hard, and she won (not only getting one of the 2 open seats, but finishing as the top vote-getter!). This offers hope that our municipality will put revenues to use providing more services for citizens, and not allow the big-bux developers to buy up power and influence in Emeryville...
We've also become more hands-on supporters of one of our favorite local theatre groups - Ragged Wing. They've even started a 'board of directors', which I will be officially on-board with (Bonnie will continue to help out as her sched allows). Very exciting time, and I think this group has some great things ahead!
Had some visits with friends - Andy Bayley came into town (Oct 17), right after I got my motorcycle back from the shop - he rented a bike & we rode up along Grizzly Peak. John & Laura T were in town (Nov 7) - the first time they've taken a vacation w/out their son (3 years?). Matt Sullivan was in town, around the holidays.
Speaking of visits, we made our now-traditional trek to visit Bonnie's family in Orange County. Always nice to see Annie & Steve, and Jack & Mercy - but this time had a few new twists. One - a time to be thankful for Annie's health after the very serious and scary events in the early summer (she had suffered a brain aneurysm; and survived thanks to the swift action of her husband Steve and the expert hands at Hoag Hospital; and recovered thanks further to the dedicated and hardworking Dr's and nurses, and her own hard work & will) - so, it was quite a cause to celebrate. Plus I got to visit Disneyland for the first time ever! We got to use my free parkhopper passes, (though I forgot to use the card for food & items inside the park)... We were surprised that it was not very crowded! By 1pm, we had gone on almost all the rides we'd set out to ride. Favorite : Indiana Jones - the best motion in the ride, the best design & production values.
Production wise : we got the last major shoot for 'Dreamfish'! This is a short film* project we've been working on for a while, it was originally my story idea, but Tom GIlx has taken it and run w/ it, added a lot of detail & style, and he's done some fantastic editing & even FX work. Looking fwd to helping complete it! I've got another very short scene idea, which is entirely possible to shoot ourselves - but I need to build a full-sized metallic-looking cow sculpture. Anyone care to help out?
We celebrated Bonnie's birthday in December! The two of us had a fantastic night out on the day, indulging in LaLime's. A friend also hosted a small dinner party that weekend, nice personal touch.
Other sundry events having happened : Star Trek exhibit at San Jose Tech Museum; taking a party bus across the Bay to celebrate a neighbor's 65th birthday! 50th Anniversary party of the SF Mime Troupe at YBCA. Tell-Tale Heartbreakers at Red Devil.

Next post, I will unveil my picks for Best Music of 2009! Stay tuned...

Trip 09 : Los Angeles area

2009-11-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

So, after we got back from Detroit, I took another week to drive down to Los Angeles area. Spent time catching up with some old friends, some I hadn't seen in years, and toured a bit around the area. Stayed mostly in northern neighborhoods - Glendale, Hollywood, Studio City, and kept busy! Here's how I filled the week :

Monday, October 5 :
Our friend, artist Steven Johnson Leyba was staying at our place while we were on the trip. He stayed there Sunday also, and Monday morning I gave him a ride up to Sebastopol where he'd be staying with some other friends, and doing further editing on his documentary. Nice seeing that part of the Bay Area, Jol and Katherine have an awesome place up there, lots o land. Then I turned around and headed south.
Easy enough getting out of the Bay Area (had to stop at a Best Buy in Tracy to get a new hands-free, which didn't work; ended up getting a new one at the Apple Store in Glendale Galleria the next day). Drive down on the I-5 was dull as usual, but I listened to the first four Danzig albums in a row, only time I've ever done it (3 weeks before Chuck Biscuits ended up dying...). That took up the bulk of the driving time.
Got into town 6-ish, stopped at Glendale Galleria to make some calls (figured it was a central locale). Got ahold of Betsy Nofsinger (known her from my earliest days at Tippett, also a co-worker at Weta, and she helped me get my job at DWA/PDI), so I made my way over there to stay at her place that evening. She's also active with indie filmmaking - we watched a few of my shorts and hers, which she made in Kansas City. I missed getting in touch w/ Mark Fattibene, though he lives right next door.

Tuesday, October 6 :
Had a full day booked - but before lunch, took my car in for an oil change. Stopped at Jiffy Lube, but because it's a Hybrid, they had to use 'special' oil, and they said it was $80... So I took it to the Honda dealership right next door ($30). However, I had to return there after lunch (more in a minute). Also, had a phone conversation w/ Bonnie about upcoming work shake-ups.
After that, made my way to Warner Bros to catch lunch with classmate (and MSU Filmmakers crew) Bob Beresh. He's manager of post-production sound facilities, and also a filmmaker on his own. Got to walk around the backlot, see a few sets for shows (including the old town square from Gilmore Girls). Then got a look-see into some of the mixing rooms at his facility - awesome, I sometimes lament that I missed the road to audio production). And checked out the Warner Museum - a collection of props and costumes from a long line of movies (Matrix, 300, Watchmen), and one room dedicated to the Harry Potter franchise (no pictures allowed!).
Next, made my way to Melrose St to visit with another classmate (and MSU Filmmakers crew), Kurt Jones. He's been working mostly as an editor, but producing his own shorts. We stopped in at a comic book shop there, and had early sushi dinner. Also stopped in at a favorite LA location - Necromance, the awesome freak store - funerary items, bones, taxidermy, vintage macabreania.
Next, went out to Studio City, to meet up with Ed Irastorza and stay at his place. He was a VFX producer on the del Toro films I worked on at Tippett, and went on to work with del Toro on several other projects. I'd be staying at his place, but I also caught up with another friend and ex-coworker, Dave Van Dyke, we just went to an English Pub down the street. Came back, stayed up chatting with Ed, watched some TV ('Daily Show', 'Colbert Report'), and movies ("The Hangover").
Cat allergies were acting up - but I slept OK, and appreciated the hospitality!

Wednesday, October 7 :
Had the morning free before lunch, so I went to the Museum of Death in Hollywood. The website said they opened at 10, but they didn't really open til 11, so with an extra hour to kill, went to Amoeba Music. Back to the M.O.D. - hard to say it's fun, but very intriguing and well-thought out. Then, before lunch - went through the Hollywood Cemetery. Been there many times, but this was the first time since Fay Wray, and Johnny Ramone! Then met Kelly (Reasner) Buller for lunch - a former MSU TC classmate, we were actually co-workers of sorts for a while (I was at DreamWorks, she's at Paramount, but we were both on the same company registry). Had a delish lunch, Thai food at Chan Dara, then I walked around the Larchmont neighborhood, pretty nice area w/ interesting shops.
Went out to Exposition Park, to see the Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum.
No plans set after that - made my way to a music store listed in the "Best of LA" (very vintage, pretty small), then stayed at an internet cafe for a couple hours. Didn't hear back from other friends, so I stuck with the plan to make it out to Santa Monica, and made reservations at Hotel Carmel just around the corner from the bar. Party-like evening hanging with Lance Powell (whom I worked with at Weta, now at EA) at "The Yard", for their beer flight/tasting, and meeting all the folks he knew there.

Thursday, October 8 :
Left the hotel, went down to Venice, to have a coffee chat with Aruna Inversin (worked with him at Tippett, now a senior comper at DD). Also, ran into Joel Behrens on the way out.
Then it was Miracle Mile, went through the Petersen Auto Museum and one of my favorite places, the LaBrea Tar Pits.
Next up was Mike Kallio, in N Hollywood. Kallio is an indie filmmaker and freelance editor, perhaps the most accomplished director I personally know, having completed 2 features, and we share a lot of contacts from the Michigan film biz. Interesting story on how we met - I was President of the MSU FIlmmakers, and was contacted by Tom McPhee who ran a filmfestival that brought indie films to college campuses. Mike's feature "Hatred of a Minute" was their hot property, which was co-produced by Bruce Campbell. Well, Filmmakers did some legwork, MIke & Tom came to MSU for promo, and we screened the film at a lecture hall. Bruce himself arrived, took part in the Q&A afterward, and I got to be his ambassador for the evening. I could write up a whole journal entry from what I remember of that day, and dig up some pics, but I'll move on for now... Anyway, great seeing Kallio again, I hadn't visited with him in years, since a Fangoria convention in Burbank. We swapped some shorts viewing, and I had the privilege of getting a screening of his latest feature, "Mutant Swinger from Mars", which was awesomely hilarious! Then talked more about possible collaborations and encouragements for future projects, which I'm very excited about! Later in the evening, his wife Jessica came home, and we went out to Culver City, where we met up with Guerdon Trueblood (another one I've known since my earliest days in the biz) at the Culver Hotel, right next to Sony Imageworks, for a few drinks.

Friday, October 9 :
Before lunch, drove thru Griffith Park, stopped by the Observatory and took in the view. Then lunch with folks who are now at Sony - Russ Sueyoshi, Colin Campbell, Al Bailey. Kind of a mix-up schedule wise, I spent 15 minutes running back and forth between the restaurants and SPI, while they were waiting at the eatery, and playing phone tag, so I missed a big chunk of time with them... Afterward, hit another of my favorite LA spots, the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City. Then over to Van Nuys, to meet up with Ken Burden (whom I know through friends from Tippett, but I never worked with him). He's a videographer/editor/producer by trade, but he's been doing a bunch of work as an extra. He's been on CSI and Monk a few times (we watched some of his clips). But, like many LA folks in production, it's been rough times recently, very unfortunate. Left Ken's place, checked into the Comfort Inn in H'wood where I'd be staying, then went over to Silver Lake to meet up with Robert Dorris (former Tippett associate, also a Michigan native!). We stopped at the Echo Curio art gallery (owned by a friend of Betsy's), grabbed a drink at a sports bar (which they say gets very busy on Dodgers game days), then went off to meet Briana Hamilton (I worked with her at Weta, both times - we actually started at Weta on the same day, and had the same flight over from LA to NZ). and Guerdon again. Funny surreal moment - as we were leaving, there was a line of vampire-types waiting to get in to the Goth Night, which apparently that sports bar becomes on weekends... So, we went out to 4100 Bar down the road, Bri and Guerdon showed up soon (missed meeting w/ David Rosenthal), and we grabbed some drinks, went to a latenight eatery around the corner afterwards.

Saturday morning was just getting up and heading out - making the drive back up north, on the 101 because I wanted to see Solvang (I'd never been there), and get an eyeful of the Great White Shark in captivity at Monterey Bay Aquarium. On the next installment!

Trip 09 : Detroit

2009-10-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Sept 30 :
Tuesday night, we were just thankful to get in after our airport nightmares... so my parents picked us up at the DTW, and we just chilled at their house, and snacked. Wednesday morning we made our way around to hit the array of stores I still remember... the disorganized but wellstocked Rock of Ages record store, the diverse and adventurous pet store House of Pets. Then more memory lane - went to Dobby's Formal Wear, where I had my first job as a teen (sorry to hear Sam Dobby & wife had passed; it was nice seeing Moe again), and Franklin High School, my alma mater (hadn't been inside since college days, none of my teachers were still there). Then caught dinner with Allison, Ben and Lila, and my parents, at Mama Mia's, a fine Italian restaurant. After dinner, went & watched Glee at their house (funny show, and well done).

Thursday, Oct 1 :
Made our way to Ann Arbor, with Ron along. Ann Arbor is such a great town - so many interesting stores (mostly Encore Records, and Dawn Treader.) Caught up with Matt Sullivan from the bus stop co-op - he's now a Sociology grad student at U-M, he made the trek around with us. Then he split off to study a bit, the 3 of us made a few more blocks, then we all met up again with John Turner & son Brody for dinner at Jerusalem Garden. Thursday night, went over to Ron's place, Andy came by, and we filled the evening with music. His band "S/N" is putting together some fantastic low-down industrial metal stuff.

Friday, Oct 2 :
In the morning, we went over to the Livonia Rec Center, for a workout and to see what the cutting edge . Then hit a few museums - MOCAD, Detroit Historical Museum, and Arab American National Museum. By then, we went back to HQ, and went to our chosen dinner place, Buddy's Pizza, I was pleased with a good turnout of folks (Floyd B, Tom M, Jenny Bags, Stef, Rebecca made it, too)! After all the festivities, went over to stay at my brother Gordon's place, since he had just gotten in from his drive across-state (he's been working in Benton Harbor, about 2.5 hours drive).

Saturday, Oct 3 :
Brunch with Gordon & family. Had some drama on the drive back to my parents' : the windshield wiper broke and got stuck off to the side of the window. After getting that all sorted, got lunch from a Chinese restaurant. The evening was a planned gathering at Andy's place, but not a lot of people made it out - thx to John for making the trek from A squared! Later that night, I had reconnected with a couple guys from my high school band, and it so happened their band was playing that night at the Lager House in Detroit! So Ron, Andy & I made it down there, and had a rockin good time.

Sunday, Oct 4 :
Last day in Detroit! Got to catch up with old friend Dan Wilson, his wife Michele and their son Ethan, we went to the DIA. Very nice being able to do a destination like that, and visit with friends at the same time! Finished at DIA, just enough time to get back, load up the car, and head for the airport. Great trip, all around!
Next up : Bonnie had to get back to work the next day, but I was taking another week off. Monday morning, I drove our house guest, Leyba, up to Sebastopol, and started on my road trip to Los Angeles!

Trip 09 : Niagara Falls

2009-10-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Monday, Sept 28 :
It was about an 1 1/2 hour drive to Niagara Falls, drove thru town and checked in at the Fallsview Marriott. They tried to put us in a 5th floor room, which had a view of the restaurant roof and a sliver of the river - we had a talk with the desk, who offered a 'partial fallsview', finally got a full view of both falls... Dropped our stuff off then went out to 'Maid of the Mist' for a boat tour. Pretty awesome - takes you right along the landings of both falls (can't see much of the Horseshoe Falls thru the mist). Then checked out some of the touristy Clifton Hill (think SF Fisherman's Wharf, complete with all the wax museums!), We went into Ripley's Believe it or Not 'museum' - outside : neat facade, makes it look like the building is sideways, with Kong hanging out on top; inside : fun exhibits, including a survey of people who have gone over the Falls! Then made a drive to see some of the actual town of Niagara - rather grim and rundown. We stopped at a bottle shop, then back to the room. We didn't like the fare at the Marriott restaurant, went to the Sheraton next door, and were given the high hat. We saw a restaurant at the Ramada hotel, menu looked OK, so we went in. The concierge at the front desk was very polite, even gave us a discount coupon. We went up to the 22nd floor, there were only 3 other couples in the restaurant, but the staff was very pleasant. Food was excellent (awesome baked brie), view was wonderful (the view of the falls, too 0:>). Lovely evening. Back to the room for some hot tub for more views...

Tuesday, Sept 29 :
Made our way down to the walkway to get a closer look at the Falls (the observation deck is about 5 ft from the drop-off of the Horseshoe! Then back to the car, and the drive over the bridge back to U.S.! Off to Buffalo Airport...

I was considering just driving to Detroit from Niagara, but it was an extra $200 for the drop, so we took our scheduled flight. Oh, hindsight is 20/20. The flight out of BUF was delayed an hour, then canceled. Meaning, we couldn't make the connecting flight out of Chicago. Thankfully, I was nosy and up at the front of the line, so we were transferred onto a direct BUF-DTW flight on Delta (apparently, there's no more Northwest Airlines anymore). Had to go out, pick up our luggage, recheck at the ticket counter, and go thru security. I forgot that I had picked up a bottle of Buffalo Hot Sauce (when in Rome...), so that was confiscated, even though I showed the TSA guard that the gift shop where I bought it was about 15 feet from the security checkpoint... Fortunately, it was only about $5.
We boarded the plane an hour or so later, THAT flight was delayed because high winds at DTW, they were metering the flights... so, all told : what couldve been a ~4 hour drive, became a 9 1/2 hour excursion waiting in airports and stressing out.
But, by 7 that night we were settling in at my parents' place in Westland. Ready to visit Michigan folks - next!

Vacation Madness!

2009-10-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

So, just finished up a whirlwind vacation period (as I write this, still have 1 more day til I go back to work, and that Sunday is packed, but I am done traveling). I took 12 days off work (18 total with wkends); flew between 3 cities (Toronto, Niagara Falls/Buffalo, Detroit); and logged over 1100 miles roadtripping to Los Angeles and back. This is the first major travel I've done in over 2 years (since June of 07; Bonnie & I have done a few extended weekend trips to San Diego, Portland, O.C. and N Carolina, but nothing more than 4 days). Overall - it was exciting, and frustrating in some regards, and exhausting & unsettling by the end (I've slept in the same bed on consecutive nights only twice in that whole time : 2 nights in Toronto, and 3 nights at my parents'), but I realized the best part about all of it was visiting with family and old friends.
So, I'll write up summaries/observations of each segment of the international tour (Toronto, Niagara Falls, Detroit, and Los Angeles), hopefully in the next few days. Here's Toronto:

Toronto

DAY ONE, Saturday:: Had a direct flight from SFO to Toronto. Started with some drama, when I realized I had booked the Shuttle pickup for the wrong date... Bonnie kept a cool head in a crisis, we tracked down a cab, and made it to the airport in plenty of time. It was technically an international flight, so that added extra steps to the travel of course, but the flight went smoothly (on-demand entertainment: I watched Star Trek, Wolverine (for the first time), and Night at the Museum 2). We (OK, all Bonnie) made our way on public transit from the airport (I got cranky cos we had a long wait, and the bus was crowded, and because the subway stop took us through a shopping mall with all our luggage). We caught a cab in the rain, through especially crowded streets, but soon got to the Gladstone Hotel. Very neat place - an old boarding house that's had the rooms redecorated by local artists, along with old school manually-run elevator. We were staying on Queen Street West, in the heart of one of Toronto's several hipster BoHo districts, fun & artsy things going on, so we walked down the street to get a taste, stopped at some galleries and bakeries, got some authentic poutine (fries, with melty cheese curd, and gravy), then caught Karaoke night at our hotel. Then back to the room to strategize the rest of our weekend.

DAY TWO, Sunday:: Walked further down along Queen Street West, caught some breakfast (Canadian bacon!), stopped at the Mocca(they had a hockey-themed exhibit, go figure); and passed through Chinatown and the very gentrified but hip Kensington Market. Utlimate destination was the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Word on the Street festival. The WOSF was pretty amazing - to see that caliber of production, and that number of people showing up for a lit fest. Plus I got to meet webcomic Ryan North, originate of Dinosaur Comics! Then we walked through the gay Church-Wellseley Village neighborhood : had lunch at a cafe, a 50-ish expatriate, ex-Navy guy struck up a conversation after seeing the tourbook on the table, he had some interesting insights into how Toronto had changed. Then back on the subway & bus, to catch dinner at an Italian restaurant (we wanted to go there, based on how busy it was the previous night).

DAY THREE, Monday morning:: This was the day for us to drive over to Niagara Falls, so we took the bus & subway Downtown to see the CN Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, where you can allegedly see for 50+ miles on a clear day. Unfortunately, it was socked in with fog, but we got a a few breaks in the clouds and saw some nearby sights... Picked up our rental car a few blocks away, and then drove back to checkout of the hotel. Had a bear of a time getting back onto the freeway (no onramp near the convention center?? REALLY??) - we had to go a few km East, then turn around to get back on the Westbound freeway, ugh. But we made our 1 1/2 hour drive to Niagara Falls, which will be the next chapter in the blog!

My Angry Letter

2009-09-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

OAKLAND TRIBUNE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, SEPT 11

The Oakland Tribune newspaper printed my 'Letter to the Editor' on Friday, Sept 11! A little background for those who don't live in the San Fran Area : the Bay Bridge is the main arterial roadway between San Francisco & Oakland/East Bay (260k cars every day), and during the Labor Day weekend (in 09 as well as 06 and 07), it was closed down for seismic improvements. This year, the planned closure was Thursday night-Tuesday morning, but Caltrans inspectors on Saturday found a crack in one of the supports, and warned that the Bridge may not open as planned Tuesday morning. Indeed, at 5pm Monday, they announced the bridge would remain closed til 5am Wednesday.
That sent commuters into worry and despair - Friday it had been closed, but many people had days off planned, etc etc. Tuesday would be a nightmare, and they encouraged people to get an early start on Wednesday's commute.
Lo and behold, Caltrans called a press conference at 6:15am Tuesday, to announce the Bridge would reopen at 7am. OK - it was great to have it open. But Caltrans obviously knew hours ahead of time exactly when they could get it open. Why did they not inform local news at 4am or even 5am, of the specifics?? Because - they wanted to be glory hounds and hold people in sway. Read on, for the text of my letter :

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I congratulate the difficult tasks the Bay Bridge workers completed in an incredible amount of time this weekend. However, I am irked at the atrocious timing of Caltrans' announcement reopening the Bay Bridge.

It was absurd to have waited until 6:15 a.m. to declare the bridge would reopen at 7 a.m. By this time, thousands of commuters were already stuck in traffic at the other toll plazas, or crammed onto BART, or huddled at ferry terminals. All of whom were getting an early jump on expected traffic, at Caltrans' behest.

Why wasn't this announcement made earlier, or at least released to local media, at a time when more commuters could have used this information? I know why — because Caltrans wished for a grand stage, a bright spotlight, to soak up accolades and make themselves look heroic.

There was a similar incident recently, in which repairs to a steel panel on the lower deck were finished ahead of schedule. Instead of waiting for traffic to quell, Caltrans actually shut the bridge down at 7 p.m. on a weekday, completely stopping eastbound traffic for more than an hour, just so the local news would give them undivided attention. Unbelievable and disgraceful.

Perhaps if they truly had the best interests of commuters in mind, we would have much smoother traffic flow, and not just news conferences and talking heads.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Support your local media!

Summer Goes

2009-09-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here it is, September 1. So, where has the summer gone? Well, I've been working a lot. Since my last update, most every Saturday, even a bunch of Sundays. In fact, this past weekend was the first day off after 28 in a row... And this week, already put in an 18-hour day (something I don't think I even did at Weta). The end is in sight, but still could be a few days out. (They're yet debating whether people will be called in on Labor Day). One other work event : they had scheduled the company picnic for Saturday the 18th, but, in deference to people's workload, they brought the picnic to us. They set up grills in the parking lot between the hangars, put up a bouncy house and inflatable slip'n'slide for the kids, and had live music. Bonnie came out and got to see the workplace, and meet some of my coworkers. And I got to catch up w/ people's families that I hadn't seen in a while.
Anyway, enough about work, here's what I've been doing for play : July 24th, saw the new Miyazaki film, Ponyo. Magical tale, about the sea squaring off against man's encroaching progress, and a bond of love that bridges the gap between worlds. Pretty simple story, one of MIyazaki's more simple and juvenile movies, and a little creepy to have such a strong romantic-style dynamic between 6-year-old characters (esp to a Westerner who isn't steeped in Japanese tradition and honor code). The fun aspect was that this was an advanced screening, Ponyo didn't come out at theatres till a couple later. Miyazaki himself spoke at a presentation at UC Berkeley the following day, but I decided not to go.
The next weekend, I got to see an old-school metal band, Sadus at the new Oakland Metro, and meet my favorite metal bassist, Steve DiGiorgio . The strangest part about the show was the pre-teen daughter of one of the band members was there with all her school friends. Like the crowd at a Jonas Brothers, but backstage at the Metro... Saturday evening we got comps for the Joe Goode Dance Performance at the SF Old Mint. Really oustanding performance, they made use of the space where audience moved from room to room, dancers came in and out, and the interacted or played out scenarios between the rooms. Sunday, we saw Shotgun Players' free outdoor theatre performance of "Animal Farm", done as a hiphop musical, in a Mad Max world. Came across very well, very engaging and very physical.
The next weekend was Nicole's birthday, Bonnie took her out of town for some camping/hiking in Yosemite. And my college friend Joe Behl was in town! (Dark Side represent!). We met up with him, and another ex-coworker friend of his who lives in SF, for drinks at Jupiter, then I got togther with them Saturday night for Memphis Minnie's BBQ and beers at The Toronado. The weekend after (Aug 15 / 16), Saturday was "the Big Idea" at YBCA arts museum (of which I am a member). Sunday, had some friends (Ed, Nina, M) over for a BBQ.
Let's see... trying to piece together the itinerary from my Edgar Allen Poe planner calendar... can't recall what was up for Aug22/23rd. Worked both days, and I did have to cancel band practice, partially because Jimmy had technical problems. Still bums me out to do it, feel like I'm losing out, and losing ground with getting the band gigs... Saturday we caught "Film Night in the Park" : "On the Waterfront". Bonnie had never seen it & didn't realize how iconic it was ("I coulda been a contender"). Ah yes, because mine (and Bonnie's) evening was suddenly freed up, on a whim we went out to the Solano Drive-in in Concord. Fun movie-going time, and it's great to see a place like this still open. Concessions was unbelievable - only $18 for a pizza, pretzel, popcorn, 2 drinks, and candy. Oh, we saw G.I. Joe, which was awful but mildly entertaining, and we were able to make fun of it loudly the whole time. It's a double feature at the drive-in, but I couldn't handle the thought of watching Transformers 2 starting at 11 PM, and facing a half-hour drive home after that... Oh, other movies we've seen in that stretch are "Food, Inc" (scary stuff, know what you're eating!), and "500 Days of Summer" which was well-done and stirred some interesting conversation between us.
During the week, caught later dinner with Tom Gilx at Marc 49. The next weekend (29th/30th) : Friday, the 28th was a show by Shelley Doty at Caffe Trieste in Berekeley. Awesome night with a lot of folks, pulling out all the stops! Saturday, after work, we went into Oakland for the Eat Real Festival. It was nice to walk around outside and sample a variety of foods (and beers) but the lines were very long, and places were closing down by that time of day.
Sunday, I actually took a day off & we went down to the Niles Flea Market , which is basically a big yard sale in an old-town district of Fremont. But it really does spark the community - you walk around the side streets, and every other house has a yard sale, people hanging out, kids running lemonade stands. I mainly went down to catch up with some old friends and hang out (some of the very first people I met when I moved to the Bay Area and started at Tippett Studio), so that was great.
That brings us to the present - after the day off, I put in an 19 hour day (well, with a lunch break) to get our sequence ready to finish this week (got home after 2am). Like I said, the end is coming up this week (or next) - it'll be great to see everyone's hard work payoff!
Just a note for Michigan folk reading this - the "Chistmas Carol" Train tour makes its stop, at the Henry Ford Museum! Check it out.

Half the year

2009-07-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

Well - it's been a long while since updating here. I've been keeping info up on Face-book mostly, so those of you who don't follow me there, sorry for the gap, I'll try to at least be more frequent here. Just a run-down of significant events since my last real post, in March :
* For my birthday, went out to Pt Reyes, stayed at a neat bed-n-breakfast, the Blackthorne Inn; went on a whale-watching trip (didn't see any whales and I got horribly seasick); capped the weekend off with a big dinner at Jayakarta, an Indonesian restaurant in Berkeley.
* 'Star Trek' came out in May - the first VFX film I've worked on since King Kong! It was a mostly-fun project, and I think the movie turned out awesome-ly! If you saw it, and stayed for the credits, thanks! If not - maybe it's still playing near you??
* My band Colossal Inertia played a gig at Flux 53, a new venue in Oakland, in June.
* The martial-arts parody short I did a couple years back played at the Herofest 09 film fest in Oakland. We were the only comedy in the lineup, and my short won the award for most views on youTube! Thanks again!
* visited my sister in San Diego, over Memorial Day weekend (while Bonnie & Nicole were off on their 2-week trip through the US Southern States!). Checked out the Wild Animal Park (close to where they live now), and Balboa Park with all its museums.
* More thorough mid-year musical update, but bands I've checked out recently : Secret Chiefs 3; Mark Growden; Decemberists; Tell-Tale Heartbreakers; Bright Brown; David Byrne plays Byrne/Eno; Dirty Projectors
* The biggest news this year was with Annie, Bonnie's mom. One Sunday morning in June, she had a brain aneurysm, and was rushed to the hospital. Very serious - fortunately they got her in quickly & she received great care. She was in intensive care for a few weeks and had several surgeries; then was in a physical therapy unit for another week. Bonnie flew down there 4 weekends in a row. Annie came home 4th of July, I went down to OC that weekend. It was great to see her up & around, her rebound's been nothing short of remarkable, and very encouraging that she'll keep fighting through, & make a full recovery.
* Had the 1-year anniversary of our ceremony. We couldn't get in to the hostel for a room (booked up, we were too late!), but we spent a lovely weekend at Cavallo Point resort at Ft. Baker. Kinda extravagant, but only for 1 night, and you get your money's worth, with access to the spa/pool. We also walked through our site from a year ago, and strolled along downtown Sausalito.
* Work's been rolling along. Had a few weeknds off, but from here out it's quite a marathon, less than 2 months till the deadline... Got to check out the Disney "Christmas Carol" promotional train, it was pretty fun. It's done on the west coast, but still quite a few cities upcoming, including St. Paul this weekend, and soon in Chicago, Texas, Detroit, N. Carolina!

That's about all for now. A lot of celebrity deaths in the last couple months... RIP Walter Cronkite...

Titanic Anniversary

2009-04-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

April 15th - 2009 is the 97th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Such an incredible drama:

- the worldwide hype of its maiden voyage; the unprecedented list of rich and famous passengers; and indulgence and avarice on display

- the extraordinary circumstances of the iceberg crash. If they had heeded the ice warnings, if the lookouts had spotted the iceberg seconds sooner, if the ship had been travelling a few knots slower...

- the disbelief and chaos on-board. So few lifeboats, so many who people didn't come up on deck to get to the lifeboats in time.

- the shocking details in how so many people died. In the flood of incoming water; those who were crushed and burned when the stacks toppled; the rest whose bodies lasted a mere agonizing moments in the sub-freezing water.

- the heroic rescue by the Carpathia; the gruesome recovery by the Mackay-Bennett.

- And, the most important lesson : man brought down by sheer arrogance, ego, and pride. Titanic was unskinkable! The greedy crew pushed on against all reason, ignored all warnings, and scorned all help, until it was too late, and 1,517 people lost their lives.

-Yes, I've seen James Cameron's "Titanic" at least 2 dozen times, and not because of the sappy love story, not just because Billy Zane and David Warner play some of their most delicious villain roles, not just for the groundbreaking VFX. It's still one of the most engaging and affecting tragedies in history.

The Economy, AIG, Socialism, and YOU (American execs)

2009-03-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

I'm just having some thoughts boiling up about the whole "government bailout" and "economic stimulus" spending, and how it's all coming to a head with the news about AIG. I'm no macro-economics master, but I'll share my political opinion. These are trying and extraordinary economic straits the world is in - never in my lifetime have I heard of businesses seeking, even demanding, assistance from the government. And why? The heart of it is free-market capitalism vs. realms of government regulation. I refuse to go so far as to say capitalism is dead, but this clearly shows the biggest gaping weakness of the system : how utter, blind greed can take hold and dictate unethical, imaginary business practices. (To say nothing about how the US $$ are being paid out to foreign banks).
The biggest outrage, and rightly so, has been sparked by the news of AIG executives taking tens of millions of dollars to pay out 'bonuses' to themselves. AIG execs make ridiculous claims, 1) "these contracts were in place before we got the stimulus dollars", and 2) "this is how the free market system works - we need to compensate our leaders appropriately, or risk losing them." Allow me to address each of these, and hopefully in doing so, exemplify the whole gov't stimulus argument.
1) - If you didn't get the stimulus dollars, you would have no money to pay out obscene bonuses anyway! They claim that if they didn't get the gov't charity, they would need to file for bankruptcy. How in hell would they pay out the bonuses then??
2) - to quote the NPR show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" : "If we don't pay adequate salaries to our executives, they'll leave their jobs & go into other businesses... and destroy them, as well." Funny, but sadly true. I, as a believer in capitalist philosophies & libertarian freedoms, agree that business leaders can be rewarded for doing well. But, let's be honest - if they cause such mayhem & disaster as they have the last few years - they must own up to it & take a greater share of the blame and hardship than even their employees. (This thinking is in-line with my disgust about how GW Bush betrayed fundamental Conservative values in his imperialist, dishonest reign as Prez). Consider theJapanese airline CEO who, when business is suffering, will take a salary well under 6-figures, and eat in the cafeteria, and give up his private SUV and jets.
Bottom line - the rules have changed, and you can't have it both ways. You can't slither on your serpentine stomachs to suckle at the teat of the federal government, then dictate how that assistance is doled out. You can't weep & whine and claim your world is crumbling, only to patch it up with funds given to you, then claim your world is fine and should work the way it always has. You can't be greedy with your ill-gotten gains which are evaporating in the harsh daylight of reality, and also be greedy with the money that belongs to the American public, which must be accounted for. This is like going broke & needing to move back in with your parents, then demanding to them "how things will be run around here." I don't want to say this is socialism, but if the government's paying for it, government (ideally, in the purest form, as a 'voice of the people') gets to say how it works. (OK - the argument about how this will balloon the federal deficit has some merit, but I won't go into here)
That's why I support the New Deal-like guidelines Obama has decreed for how the federal dollars can be used at the state and local level - and I have deep respect for those Republican governors and mayors who are declining the payments, because they don't want to be obliged to the gov't rules. They are walking the walk - they are not taking the 'charity', then moaning about it. It's called integrity, not hubris - pay attention, all you bloated American CEOs, you might learn a little something.

Watchmen, the Movie - my take

2009-03-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

I caught a (slightly) advance screening of Watchmen on Thursday - it was a benefit for the Cartoon Art Museum. Just wanted to share my thoughts after seeing this movie, hopefully not too many spoilers in here. First of all - I'm a huge fan of the book, I've been eagerly anticipating/quietly dreading the movie adaptation... When I heard Zack Snyder was adapting it (after over a decade of it changing hands, and even starting pre-pro with other helmers), I was encouraged - "300" faithfully adhered to the graphic novel, and had good action (though too much frame-speed ramping). Then, I read interviews where he had such intense respect for the work, and all the trailers, art, etc. seemed fair to awesome. Anyway, when this movie came up, I delightedly threw myself into the fray.
Oh my god, what a ride. Yes, it stuck very very closely to the story (omitting many scenes for time and redundancy - and the movie was still 2.5 hours). And the action was "bone-breakingly" brutal, and deftly executed. The stunts & VFX were amazing, especially Dr. Manhattan (OK, a few mentions i'll say at the end of ths post, since I'm in the biz and must be critical). Performances and casting were all spot-on (especially pleased with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian, and how Jackie Earl Haley *IS* Rorschach here, on the level of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine or Heath Ledger as The Joker).
As I watched, I was probably WAY too connected to the comic - nearly every scene I could envision each page, and analyzed how it all looked. And that is perhaps the movie's biggest downfall. The comic jumps around regularly , which is perfectly acceptable for the more non-linear printed work. In the film, this comes across as rather disjointed and distracting. And some scenes play out too long, and have an odd rhythm compared to the book (especially Dr. Manhattan's flashbacks).
But in my overall experience - wow. I realized even more how dark, brutal, and misanthropic this story is. It's quite a depressing and hopeless treatise on human nature, and their capacity for violence and arrogance. The ending is changed slightly (in the contrivance, but basically with the same plot outcome) - with all due respect to Alan Moore, the climactic event in the movie makes more sense than in the book. Anyway, I found myself 'enjoying' this movie far less than I expected, but I coming away with a lot more thoughtfulness than I expected. It is a difficult movie to experience, but highly rewarding and offers a depth very few movies at this level can.
NOTE: I'd be very interested in hearing back from people who saw this without knowing the comic. What did you expect, how were those expectations met, how it compares to the Superhero genre, and what your ultimate opinion is.
OK - a few critiques. I said, amazing FX & the way syn-thespian Dr. Manhattan holds up is shocking (in closeups, and even down to the subtle cloud of particulate which follows him around). Not perfect - some of the longer tracking shots don't hold up, and I disagree with how they treated his interactive glow/arcing. And the compositing was inconsistent - how the scenes were layered with elements/fog/smoke & fire/snow. And goddammit, Zack Snyder - give up your love affair with the slo-mo!! But kudos to him & all involved.

Portland/Eugene trip

2009-03-01T00:19:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of my 3-day weekend (President's Day holiday) and Valentine's Day, to take a trip up to Oregon. We've never spent time in Portland (which we've heard so many positive things about), and we wanted to visit old friends in Eugene. It was a pretty 'whiz-bang' trip (as my mother would say), but exciting and worthwhile. Our weekend (after my going to a party Friday night at the Bus Stop Co-Op, and me delivering Bonnie's Val-Day card on the plane ) :

SATURDAY, Feb 14 : Arrived in Portland around 9 AM (saw light snow as we walked to get the rental car!). We drove through downtown area (the "Pearl" district). Then checked out the historic Powell's Books , which was amazing (I actually found a book on Spontaneous Human Combustion. We checked out a couple other neighboorhoods (Belmont, and Hawthorne)- shopped at the awesome indie music store Anthem Records, had lunch at the "Bread and Ink" Cafe. Then, we made our way down to Eugene (about 3 hours travel) , to visit Shane & Missy. We got in late afternoon, went for a walk along the Wilamette River walk. On the way home, stopped at The Wandering Goat for coffee. OBSERVATION : TONS of coffee shops in Portland area. Then made it back, had dinner - with a couple of their other friends. Later, dessert & coffee & stirring conversation into the night.
SUNDAY, Feb 15 : Started with breakfast at the house. Then went out to visit an organic farm (run by the couple we'd had dinner with). It was really astounding - to see the details of how farms work, and much appreciated. From there, a short skip & hop to the King Estate Winery. Very nice surroundings, and a great meal. Drove them back to their house in Eugene, dropped them off and hit the road heading north.
Got back into Portland, and checked in to the White Eagle 'rock-n-roll' hotel. Part of the McMenamin company's historic buildings renovated into hotels. A very neat little place, very cheap & no-frills (11 rooms, common bathrooms). The quirk to it is that it's above a bar/stage. Our evening kind of fell apart here - mostly my fault, we had a plan for a few things we wanted to do, and we could've done it all but I screwed up the schedule. We should've stayed at the White Eagle for a bit, then gone off to the bookstore (Bonnie needed to return the book she'd bought), then made our way to Dante's, the goth club, for their cabaret; then hit the 24-hour Voodoo Donuts on the way out. Instead, I pushed to go out to the store & the club, so we missed singer-songwriter night at the White Eagle, (which was the main thing Bonnie wanted to do), and got stuck watching a crappy non-local opening band & Bonnie unprepared for such a night out. So, our short time there was marred by our disagreement, which left us both a bit disappointed (Bonnie more so than me). And I missed connecting with pal & former co-worker Ben in the area. But, in general, we were left with a very positive impression of Portland, and a thirst to visit again sometime (considering it's almost the same distance as a flight to the O.C.).
MONDAY, Feb 16. Since I had the day off, and Bonnie doesn't work until the afternoon, we had the morning to leisure our way to the airport. We drove around a bit, and settled on Smokey's for brunch. Very tasty, and great staff. Ran into a snag at the airport - firstly, we overestimated our path, and time was a bit tight when we arrived & dropped off our rental. Next, we had printed our boarding passes the day before, as convenience dictates these days. But they were printed on re-used paper, and the security officer denied mine, saying he couldn't read it. Yikes. I was ready to give up the ghost at this point, but Bonnie rushed us over to the kiosk, I printed up my pass again, and we got through security in about five minutes. The plane was almost finished boarding when we got to the gate, but we made it... :>.
As I said, I had the rest of the day off - my old college roommate/bandmate Andy, & his wife were in town for the long weekend as well. Monday didn't sync to meet up with them - so, I worked around the house. Tuesday, I drove up to Sonoma to meet them for dinner, we went to Maya. Had a great time catching up, and regaling in tales of MSU & the band of old.
Back to the routine for the most part after that... That was a couple weeks ago, more's happened since (including participation in the Tree Spirit, in San Geronimo), our quasi-annual Oscars Party, and a day at Wondercon 09!

More Economic Victims

2009-02-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

News came down this week of a big hit to my industry, in Northern California. A CGI studio which has been around nearly 10 years - The Orphanage - closed its doors this week and dismissed all remaining employees (it's so bad, I heard, that they couldn't meet payroll for 3 weeks, and won't get money to their workers until they liquidate...). I had worked there recently on a couple commercial projects (mid-Oct to mid-December), to pick up some short-term work, and get a look at a company I'd never been at before. The Orphanage was founded in 1999 by 3 guys who left ILM, to do their own effects work, and they had the loftier goal of producing their own movies. Well, they achieved varying levels of success on an array of projects, (including being one of the premier commercial FX houses after the ILM division closed), but they managed to carry on through the ups and downs and produced really good work for the way they were assembled and funded. From what I knew, The Orphanage had a reputation of being very rag-tag & shoestring, and having a dysfunctional pipeline which was re-invented for each show, and I definitely saw those aspects there (part of that was being spread out in like 10 different suites in a building in the Presidio). But improvements were being made. And I'd heard horror stories about people putting in crazy hours, and the company trying to cut corners on OT and perks. I saw that on the large-scale feature they were finishing, but the commercials I worked on didn't get too crazy. In the end, I had a good time being there & seeing how everyone worked together to come up with innovative ideas; and I liked the people I worked with. I'm worried about where everyone will land, and how this impacts the job market overall, having one less largish company in operation in Northern California.
That said, I feel very fortunate to be in the position I'm in, working at IMD in Novato. A little about the company: It stems from Robert Zemeckis' team which made Polar Express, Monster House, and Beowulf. The CGI for those movies was done at Sony Imageworks. But Zemeckis was so frustrated by the 'service' aspect of working with them, he decided to start a full studio on his own, building from the core of his regular pre-vis collaborators, Iceblink Studios, run by Doug Chiang. They got funding from Disney, and they started recruiting more talent from the area - we're now in the midst of production on their first feature, "A Christmas Carol", which comes out Thanksgiving of this year, and the future looks full. It has some growing pains, to be sure, and we're looking at a tight schedule, but It has so much of what I'm looking for : long-term production slate of an animation studio; cinematic and grittier approach to filmmaking from Zemeckis & DP Robert Presley; open attitude & flow of a startup; the commute isn't great (~25 miles), but much shorter and prettier than when I was at PDI, and I'm often carpooling; and a lot of good folks I've worked with before at Tippett & ILM (again, Nor Cal crowd). So, I'm very grateful myself, and I'm sending out good hopes and vibes & pulling for folks hurtin' out there...
Figure that's enough for this post, keeping busy around town (another thing I'm grateful for is that there's so much culture in this area) so I might update on that. Or I might rant about the absolutely ridiculous, increasingly outrageous story of the single mother living under her parents' roof with 6 kids, who used state disability money to pay for IVF to have octuplets. Or just general observations on the world of sports, and how disappointing it is my favored Detroit Pistons seem to be on the decline. Talk at you next time!

Holiday Trip : North Carolina

2008-12-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

Taking the time to recount our trip to North Carolina. Visited my bro Greg and family, between Xmas and New Years Eve, in aRaleigh, North Carolina. First time we'd been there, first time we'd really been in 'The South' (Florida doesn't count, and I'd once taken a rafting trip near Gatlinburg). Interesting mix of Civil War historical sites, southern hospitality, and rampant development. We mainly made it a 'cities' tour, didn't get to the natural wonders of the mountains or the beach, but spent a lot of time visiting. I'll run down the events, and interject and observate along the way :

Friday 26th : Got in, in the late afternoon - checked out local faves Sheetz and later Smithfields for BBQ, hush puppies, and sweet tea. And potato salad & cole slaw with heaps of sugar.
Saturday 27th- Bonnie arrived in the morning, we went back to the house & opened presents. Then to shopping haven of A Southern Season where we had lunch as well. Our destination for the day was Chapel Hill : Chapel Hill museum (w/ a James Taylor section), downtown area off of UNC campus, UNC science museum. Observation: Greg pointed out Civil War, and even Colonial era historical sites as we drove around - right in the midst of all the development & widening roadways & the like. Later, they made dinner at home, and we got some Dairy Queen before settling into movie night - "Elf".
Sunday 28th - made an early start to Charlotte (with Vicki's friend Robert driving). On the way, we stopped at the mall & Outdoor World. Parked in the lot for the Discovery Museum, but we were early so we walked around Charlotte a bit - saw a settler's cemetery just off downtown. Observation: given the area's growth from family-centric properties, there were many leftover family plots everywhere. Even right next to new apartment complexes, in urban nooks, and butted up against parks & schoolyards. We got into the museum when they opened, and made it over first thing to the Pompeii exhibit. Observation: very fantastic, really painted a picture of life & times, then had serious impact with the final room filled with the famous "negative corpse space" plaster castings. There was also a natural history floor, and a great hands-on area for the kids (featuring "Science of the Circus" exhibit, which we had seen a couple years back at the Lawrence Hall of Science, when Greg was visiting then...). While the kids played, Bonnie and I walked around downtown some, including the Bobcats arena, and lunch at BoJangles. Had a sleepy drive home, grabbed dinner at home while my nephew Sterling played video games, then the adults played euker into the nighttime.
Monday, 29th - Tour of Durham, courtesy of Vicki's co-worker, Ken. Saw some of NC Central campus; the neighborhoods of downtown, Brightleaf District, the re-imagined Tobacco District, where the Durham Bulls play; and a visit to Duke, included the famous Duke Cathedral and Cameron Indoor Fieldhouse! Observation: the 3 cities with the world-class universities & the 'Research Triangle' gives a rather atraditional view of the South. Heavy arts culture; large and highly-educated immigrant population (there was a Korean Baptist church, and a Hindu temple in Greg's hood); eco-friendly philosophies. Dinner was a to-do, at Angus Steins classic steakhouse, along with Vicki's co-workers.
Tuesday, 30th - Our last day, so we hit even more locally - Raleigh. Drove around more with the family to see Elise's charter school on NC State Campus; hit the Natural Sciences museum, with its Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit; then walked by the State Capitol (with its Greek revival statue of Washington); and a bit through Downtown. Then back & packing up, heading to the airport at 5.

Overall, a nice trip & a great visit. Very nice to catch up with them in a more casual setting, and longer timeframe, and to spend time with the kids. Now to block out time for a Michigan trip this year...
Big update on me : started my new job at Image Movers Digital in Marin! It's a feature animation studio (as opposed to VFX, which is what I did before joining PDI in 2005), run by Robert Zemeckis and his producing partners (performance capture, in the style of Polar Express and Beowulf) but is technically owned by Disney. More info soon...

Best of, 2008, musically

2008-12-27T04:55:00.000-08:00

Time once again for the year-end best of list. 2008 was a difficult year (sure I say that often) & my list evolved and shuffled quite a bit. One phenomenon I noticed across many lists from media outlets was that there were no clear-cut winners across the board, only a few albums showed up on multiple lists (TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend), and in different spots. Not sure what that means - maybe a positive sign of diversity and strength across the musical scene? Or a watering-down and further fracturing of the industry, diminishing our common experiences? This informed my list somewhat, in that I mostly judged on how much I liked the album, and how well it held up after multiple listenings and after a bit of time away, not really considering the albums 'importance' in the 'grand scheme' of things...

At any rate, here are my are my rankings. :

1) "Viva la Vida" - Coldplay ::: Yes, this is perhaps the biggest pop band in the world. But, really, this album stood out clearly as the best. Coldplay always deliver superbly-honed, catchy songs but Viva rises above, in its ambition and sonic scope (releasing a hit single with no drums? unheard of). So rare and exciting in this day & age that it works as a true album, almost start-to-finish, complete with a sorta overture, instrumental interludes, and segues. The production genius of Brian Eno is in full effect - the album is sonically delicious, and, again, it's refreshing to see a band pay meticulous attention to their palette. Most of all, it's an album I returned to again and again and was rewarded each time.
2) "Consolers of the Lonely" - The Raconteurs ::: Another group of master songwriters. Also keep things very interesting. A close second, it was only knocked down by the fact that there were a few songs I often skipped over after the first minute, and it could've done by cutting a few tracks.
3) "Traced in Air" - Cynic ::: Long long awaited release by the great prog-death metal band. Keeps with the style of their incredible debut ('Focus', one of my top 5 all-time death metal albums) : complex arrangements; on-a-dime switches from brutal to luscious; growls & soto voce. Yet it's new. Very ear-bending, but very solid and palatable songs.
4) "Everything That Happens" - David Byrne & Brian Eno ::: More Eno! Pairing once again, after last year's re-release of 1983's "Bush of Ghosts", the duo create a set of mega prog-pop tunes, that brings the best of their production, hooks, and grooves.
5) "Fleet Foxes" ::: The year's best discovery. Riding the wave of 70's soft-folk-prog retro, this one stood out as a solid album, catchy tunes with a degree of diversity and a strong voice of its own.
6) "Chinese Democracy" - Guns'N'Roses ::: Here it is, the release of arguably the most-awaited album ever. The Judgement : while it was very spotty and mostly overproduced, some very solid rock songs. Hard to evaluate it in the pantheon of Guns'N'Roses, or even rock in general, and it could never fulfill its promise, but as an album on its own, I enjoyed listening to it & revisiting the handful of best songs.
7) "J2" - Jarboe & Justin Broadrick ::: The meeting of 2 giants of the industrial scene - JK of Godflesh fame, and the Living Jarboe of even further-reaching Swans fame. Difficult to delve into, but intensely rewarding when you get in-depth.
8) "Odd Couple" - Gnarls Barkley A toss-up, between the production efforts of Danger Mouse. This, or Beck's "Modern Guilt"? Gnarls won out, because it had more diversity, and was more 'fun'.
9) "Borrowed Arms" - 2 Foot Yard ::: The much-anticipated (see a trend here?) sophomore from eclectic indie darlings (& pals of mine). The scope and talent of Carla, Marika, and Shahzad is unbelievable, and this album keeps with what I think is a stellar balance of strangeness and songness. I was, admittedly, familiar with a lot of these songs from their live shows, and some of the production decisions seemed a bit at odds with what I knew these songs to be.
10) "Death Magnetic" - Metallica ::: Bouncing back from recent foibles to make their first actual metal album in over a decade. The first time I heard it, I was rather impressed by the fact that it really didn't suck. That initial impression never really progressed further, the songs drag on too long, and the ridiculous trend of 'over-amped dynamics' is annoying, but it makes me smile, ironically. Worthy of inclusion on this list above the runners-up, simply because it sparked so much discussion during the year.

Honorable mention ::: "Accelerate" - R.E.M. (one of their best in a while); "Do It!" - Clinic (technically, a 2007 release); "Modern Guilt" - Beck; "Supreme Balloon" - Matmos; "Electric Arguments" - The Fireman (Paul McCartney & Youth). And a shoutout to the metal veterans still going : AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Testament, Whitesnake, Extreme, Cavalera brothers.
Thoughts? Disagreements? Opinions? Influence? Please share!

Thanksgiving O.C. 08

2008-12-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

So, I realized I hadn't followed up w/ a post about our SoCal Thanksgiving trip. It's been quite a tradition, visiting w/ Bonnie's family, but a bit different each time. This year we left OAK on Thanksgiving morning, and caught dinner with her Aunt Sheila & Uncle Ray's family in San Clemente. Along with their daughter's family (Jeff and Carrie & 3 kids - 17, 11, and 8), and Bonnie's dad & stepmom. My sister Rebecca & her beau Rob were able to join us, from Vista in northern San Diego County (about 50 minute drive). All told, I think 15 people came thru that day - great food and great company all around! We stayed Thursday night with Bonnie's dad Jack, & Mercy. Then breakfast Friday morning, then daring to visit the mall! OK - part of the story was that I lost my iPod at the Oakland Airport... left it where I was sitting at at the gate before boarding. Bummer, yes, but not tragic - at least it had no personal or irreplaceable info on it. And it was fun to get a new iPod ( though I didn't get a new one til a few weeks later. I just pretended my old one had died a mechanical death...). Anyway, continuing with the trip. We picked up Nicole from the airport in the afternoon, then made our way to Bonnie's mom's place. Hanging out, then taking a stroll down along Corona del Mar's main strip. Afterwards, enjoying dinner, and watching the Tim Robbins movie "Noise" in the evening. Which I had never heard of - very interesting premise.
Saturday I headed over to a gym to work off some turkey & honeybaked ham. Afternoon was a trip to the O.C. museums - mainly to the Bowers Art Museum to see their Africa photos exhibit, very excellent in its presentation and content, and context. But also checking out the Discovery Cube, which had a 'Bats' exhibit, and "The Science of Gingerbread", plus a lot of fun hands-on exhibits. Saturday night more dinner and visiting, then we wanted to check out some O.C. nightlife. We were thinking of checking out some Latin Jazz, but were unsure of the time frame of the show. So we ended up hitting downtown Newport Beach scene, to a bar to see a Pearl Jam tribute band, then part of a Stone Temple Pilots cover band. Had fun (as much as you can have at a tribute show... the people watching was the most interesting), then made a walk around the downtown strip.
Sunday we tried to meet up with Jack & Mercy again, so they could visit Nicole, but the timing just didn't work out. That concluded our family portion of the weekend (as always, wonderful spending time with all Bonnie's family!) We made a drive up to L.A. to visit Bonnie's friend Susan Isaacs, who's got a book being published & released in a couple months! Very fantastic comedienne and writer (a onetime member of the Groundlings), with a unique take on a religious viewpoint. But also a very lovely person, and wonderful friend (she worked her tail off helping with our big event this summer!). Her husband Larry is a great guy, and accomplished writer himself. We sat on their amazing deck & munched cheese and cakes, and green tea, then went for a proper Thai dinner. Great being able to spend some time with them! Concluded with a thankfully uneventful car return at LAX & flight home to OAK.
As I write this belated post, the day after Xmas, I am staying with my brother Greg & family in Raleigh, North Carolina! Only been here a few hours, but got some local flavor (lots of highly sweet BBQ at Smithfield's), and I spent the evening catching up and playing with Sterling and Elise's and their new Xmas toys. Full report later, as well as the Best of.

Year's "best of..."

2008-12-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

Another quick yabber : NPR's "All Songs Considered" is having their "Best Albums of 2008" poll right now. Results to be announced on the show on Monday, Dec 15. Certainly, a lot of safe and crappy choices on there, but always interesting to get the pulse of the zeitgeist and hear what people are talking about. My 2008 rankings out soon...

Alice's Restaurant

2008-12-05T00:48:00.001-08:00

We went down to Orange County to visit Bonnie's family over thanksgiving holiday. Nicole went as well, my sister came up from northern San Diego area, for thxgiving Day dinner. I'll post a more thorough journal of our journey, but I wanted to throw in a quick interjection. We caught Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" song on LA radio station The Sound. (It fit well into the trip from the airport to Bonnie's mom's.) Anyway, I was delighted to catch it on the radio once again, and realized it's a Thanksgiving Day staple experience (like "War of the Worlds" on Halloween, or "A Christmas Story" on Xmas Day, or the NYE Ball countdown). And I was delighted to share the experience with Bonnie - she had never heard it, or heard of it (or knew that Arlo was Woody's son)!! Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else out there has holiday staple music/movie/media traditions they live by... And will 'Shrek the Halls' become one of them ;P ??
PS - I really enjoyed The Sound, we had it on most of the time we were there - nice diversity of mellow; some lesser-heard songs; and it didn't make me violently lunge for the radio dial. One of the best commercial stations I've listened to since 'The River' in Detroit (years ago - not so much now. I once heard - David Sylvian! if you can believe it)

Politicos

2008-11-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Ok - time to lay it out on the line, and make my opinions known - I support Barack Obama, and think his election to the presidency is a great thing. Now, for some of you this is a given, but for those of you surprised - hear me out, and know this isn't the typical 'left coast' allegiance and support of sweeping liberal swing in government. This is coming from an historically Republican/Libertarian/conservative voter. I've liked McCain in the past as a legislator, and appreciated the 'maverick' streak he stirred up within the Republican party. But even for someone like me, the Obama movement makes a lot of sense.
Firstly, it must be said - it's an incredibly positive, monumentally historic event to have the first African-American president. A discourse on race is way beyond the scope of this posting, of course, and this election had historic aspects all around - the Dems side came down to the first black candidate or the first woman candidate; Repubs had their first woman on the major ticket, and the oldest man ever to be nominated (with his mom out stumping for him - go Grey Power!). Well, let's just leave it at, "Democracy is alive and well."
As a leader, the U.S. hasn't seen the likes of Obama in a long time. Yes, the right wing rants have been, "all style, no substance", "an empty suit", "culture of celebrity." But no politician in a long time has been so inspirational, motivating, unifying, since, oh, can we say - Reagan, and Kennedy before that? Clinton was charismatic and smooth, but there was a reason he was 'Slick Willie'.
Next, the way the Republican attack ads rang hollow. This was, sadly, a war of personal attacks, and a deflection of the the issues. How many of you got FED UP with all the negative buzzwords flying around? OK - Obama had his bullet points that got annoying ("McCain voted with George Bush 90% of the time"). But for the McCain camp to run so many negative ads & angles : Ayers, 'he's a socialist', 'he's a muslim', elitist, Jeremiah Wright, 'Joe the Plumber'; were all facetious argurments, just petulant flailing when they realized he was so far behind in the polls, so late. None of it stuck, not like the allegations of clueless oversight or even outright abuse of power by Palin. A real disappointment, for me, because I was aware of who she was as a strong woman & mother, and the good things she had done in Alaska, months before the wide populace had even heard her name, and I was hoping she might be picked as VP. But then when she came under the microscope, it was clear she was not cut out for the office.
One quick note, about the "Joe the Plumber" - what a laughable backfire by McCain. The facts quickly surfaced about Mr. Wurzelbacher - he wasn't licensed, he was a tax evader - to which the right-wing cried, "Witch hunt!". Beyond that, he was an unfortunate poster boy : every independent tax analyst would say that workers like 'Joe' would actually pay less taxes under the Obama plan vs. the McCain plan, and be better off as a small business owner.
Then it comes down to the defining issue in my mind : the war in Iraq. Yes, the economic disaster was what really allowed Obama to achieve the landslide, but he would've won anyway. Skipping the basic fact that the Iraq war is an entirely illegal, ill-advised military occupation founded on lies and machismo, and has nothing to do with terrorism (indeed it emboldens and inspires extremists far more than it disrupts them) - McCain has no intention of withdrawing, maybe not even reducing, troops in Iraq. While the U.S. is engaged in this quagmire, there can be no chance for economic recovery, and no hope that American's global cooperative environment will improve.
One more thing about the Bush Jr. regime. There has hardly been a president so inept, corrupt, brazen. Say what you will about Clinton and his shady dealings, and extramarital dalliances, I'm not defending the guy, but how can anyone defend Bush and what he's done? Even conservatives - ESPECIALLY conservatives? He's betrayed many founding tenets of right-wing philosophy and spearheaded the dissolution of the Republican party, as well as warping basic American freedoms. I believe in many aspects of conservatism, which Bush does not : limited government powers, federalism, checks-n-balances of the 3 branches, fundamental liberties, free market (the banking bailout), military superiority (again, the mess in Iraq diminishes the valid mission in Afghanistan). So, good riddance. I, for one, along with a ### of other Americans, can hardly wait until January 20.

November & the future

2008-11-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, realized I didn't post anything at all in October. Not much to crow about, I guess. But November - oh yeah, monumental change. Historical election, which has a lot of Americans really inspired again, and holds great promise for worldwide relations.
Firstly, a recap of goings-on. Finished my gig at ILM, which I mentioned last month. Been working at The Orphanage in San Francisco, on a commercial project (which is about 5 blocks from ILM). Definitely a different change of pace, and different workplace culture (and shoestrings) here... but interesting.
Halloween was OK - I had a wicked costume idea that came to me late. I usually don't do half-hearted costumes. If I have a grand plan, I'll go with it, but if it's half-baked, I'll skip dressing up entirely, or just do something ironic. Well, this one was cool : in one word, ossuary. 'What the...??', you may be asking yourself. Lexically, an ossuary is a collection of bones, usually in the open without confines of a coffin. In a more detailed explanation, it was a reference to the crypt of the Capuchin monks. Y'know, the famous piles of bones (more than 4,000 friars) in the Catholic church in Rome? Similar to the Sedlec Ossuary in Prague, or the Catacombs in Paris... My costume consisted of a typical monk outfit (robe, ropebelt, hood, cross necklace) + skull mask & skeleton gloves + a myriad of styrofoam bones sewn into the torso & I carried around a plastic skull. With the mask on, lurching around... I scared some kids, I tell you whut.
Other things happening this past month... went to a play by a small troupe in East Bay - "History of the Devil" by Clive Barker, produced by Ragged Wing troupe. They do a lot with very small budgets and limited space, we've been to a few of their shows.
Thought I could drop in my thoughts about the election, but I'll save that for another post.

So, this was September

2008-09-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Well, like I said a month ago, have some personal updates to make. Finally getting around to it, so here goes: I got a new job. I left PDI (after almost 3 years!), when my contract was completed at the end of "Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa", just before Labor Day. Then had a long weekend (the first time I've had more than 1 day off in a row since the big event - we went to Santa Cruz beach for a couple days), then I started the following week, back at ILM. I'm there for work on the JJ Abrams "Star Trek" prequel. It's a short stint (with lots of long hours packed in, in the meantime), so I'm free again in mid-Oct, and its likely off to somethings new. Why'd I do it? Leave the cush corporate confines of a major animation studio for the murky high seas of contractual project work? Well, long story with lots of jigsaw pieces to put together, but the upside has a lot of potential... more later, or if ya wanna send me mail to ask...
Santa Cruz, Labor Day : Bonnie actually had to work on Labor Day in the afternoon, but we felt it was a good excuse to get out for a mini-vacation, in-between my jobs. (with the economic & schedule realities of our event, plus the fact we had family come out to us, it's looking like we won't make a major trip to visit anyone this year. we'll be lucky to take a trip to SoCal around the holidays, but we're hoping).
Anyway, we got a hotel overlooking the beach, about 5 blocks from the BoardWalk. Left early Sunday - strolled around downtown (which had a Bad Ass Coffee Co!) found the hotel; went down to the beach for a bit, then Boardwalk (fun games, and we gave our tickets we won to a fam w/ little kids we saw); made our way to the Natural Bridges State Park, and the Lighthouse Surfer Memorial (it was closed by that time). Grabbed a snack while we waited for the evening. Then in the evening, met up with pal and erstwhile co-worker Kane, whose girlfriend is in Santa Cruz - we met up with them at the Red Room, had a couple drinks then they were off to the movie & we went upstairs for dinner. Waited an exorbitantly long time for a table & service (though they were pleasant enough). Dinner was exceptional, though, we got a few small plates & more cocktails, then made our way back to the hotel & crashed out.
The morning gave us another opportunity to stroll along the pier & beach; I went for a longer walk along the street while Bonnie lounged on the deck & read. Then it was time to return - drove Bonnie back up to SF (lordy, but the 17 highway is one of the worst bottlenecks ever). Then I still had a couple days off - did some music & writing & work around the house, then stared at ILM on Wednesday.
The biggest change (and one of the main impetii for leaving PDI) was the new commute. No way I'm driving into & across San Francisco on a regular basis at regular hours, so I'm committed to commuting on the bus now. The Transbay picks up about 5 blocks from our house, takes me across the Bay Bridge (a commute Bonnie has taken regularly for the last 4 years); then I pick up a shuttle which takes me to the Presidio. Not too chaotic, and now I'm much more used to it. The worst aspect is that I need to leave work at a certain time to catch the last shuttle & bus, otherwise the SF bus system takes another 1/2 hour, and I have to find a way home from BART (wait 1/2 hour for the Emery-Go-Round? or pay $10 for a cab?) Anyway, it's not unlike a trip thousands of people have to deal with everyday, and it's nice to go 3-4 weeks without a fill-up. I'm getting caught up on my Audiobooks & podcasts & librivox. And my commute is still cheaper (consider : 2 $4-bus rides, vs. 2 $5's worth of gas + $4 bridge + 400 miles on my car each week.) And the Presidio is lovely - I can take a stroll at lunchtime : check out a National Park & Museum; check out the Bay coastline & Golden Gate Bridge; visit a military cemetery; walk down to shops & eateries in SF; go to the Exploratorium or Palace of Fine Arts. Vs. previous job - take a walk & visit a saltflat, a junkyard, or a marina full of personal sailboats; or a rocky shoreline with a lot of dredge. Not a bad tradeoff, for now. Oh, on a interesting note - I know of 6 other ppl who left the company after me, including Tim, our keyboard player, who's moving to the midwest! Colossal Inertia won't be the same...
Course, I'm still dealing with a sched which gives me 1 day off a week. What to do on that day? Well, other than cleaing house & laundry, we've been up to : hosted a b-day party for one of Bonnie's long-term friends; went to naturist resort Lupin Lodge; Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in GG Park (Gogol Bordello is there this year!).
One other fascinating event I got to be a part of is : our writers group at PDI completed a feature-length screenplay, in collaboration w/ 6 writers. The process itself was amazing - colaborating, learning the screenplay writing techniques. But we finished a script that I was quite excited about the way it turned out, and we got it submitted at Dreamworks for coverage. We met with an executive in development, and he gave us tips on what wouldn't work & sell (in a mainstream movie); and how to make changes. Fascinating, informative, and a bit humbling. Still, a great experience.

But now we're facing October, and it'll be stressful (stressful because it's busy, or because I won't be busy, if ya knowhutahmean). Halloween parties coming up, which is ~~always~~ usually fun. So, I'll keep folks informed on my next move (movie).

Our Big Event (part III)

2008-09-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, it's high time I wrap up the recount of the Big Event (then I have to get to updates about our Santa Cruz trip, and my new job!). Heading into brunch on Sunday morning. Had quite a spread - quiches went quickly, muffins, bagels, mimosas. Seemed to get rolling a bit late - most folks stopping by on their way out, not staying too long. But there were quite a lot of folks coming through after all, and a handful of people sticking around. And moving onto the help of the cleanup. (Thanks again, all!). Then there were those 2 dodgy characters, eyeing the bikes and being rather intrusive... proved to be nothing of note... We were worried about getting everything back in the cars we had. But in the end, we packed up OK, and began the ride home.
Got home in the afternoon, packed up, set gifts aside (more thanks - thankyou notes have all been sent, actually!). Gordon and family spent the day in SF - Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, then came by for pizza in the afternoon, on their way out to Livermore to get out of the commute traffic to start their drive back home. Nice having them over for a last day. The ice cream man even came through the hood, and I treated everyone to ITS-IT, which no one had tasted before!
Monday we had off, too, so we caught dinner with Tom Miller, and Jan & Troy - went to Becky's Chinese, then walked around Rockridge. This was before all the robberies happened, thankfully...
So, that wraps up our spectacular weekend! Really wonderful getting everyone together and sharing the days with them. Especially family who had never been out here (or at least in a long while). And thanks again to all our helpers. Those that were there, please share your thoughts & pics!
-Jeff & Bonnie

Our Big Event (part II)

2008-07-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

The ceremony got started at 4 - Bonnie & I walked down from the hostel house, about 40 steps to the spot on the grass, all eyes on us. I had mixed feelings about planning for the ceremony. I mean, the original reason for arranging the event the way we did was to stay away from a typical 'ritual'. Had many discussions about this with friends and advisers - someone said, 'ritual is very important', another person said 'don't skimp on the ceremony, that's why people are there.' Well, I disagreed - they were there for the community, they were there for the whole day, they were there to talk to us. Certainly, we cut out or changed a lot of the common elements, kept it secular, kept it short, and personal, and focused on egalitarianism. We greeted our parents, did our own vows, and did an exchange of art rather than rings. More details on our blog, but it had much more emotional impact than I expected.
After the last part of the ceremony, Charles did his presentation, we walked off, over to the reception area. Which was about 50 feet away, where the tables were set up. So, in the humorous moment of the day - we were standing around off to the side, people were still watching us, then Nicole stood up and declared, "It's the Great Chair Migration. Please pick up your chair, and help your neighbor, and let's move over to the reception area." Then everyone made their journey over to the tables - Bonnie compared it to a "Wagons West!" pilgrimage...
The rest of the day was a social blur. Just greeting guests who came up to us (we were standing by our 'master' table, next to the food line.) After a few minutes, the food seemed to be ready, but no one was eating - apparently, they were waiting for us to start, to which I said (paraphrasing), 'Hogwash! Everyone get in line and get food!" After a bit of mingling, once the bulk of people were back in their seats. Then we did toasts/speeches.
Bonnie and I started, welcoming and thanking everyone, saying a few things (think I was kind of toasty myself by then, if ya know what I'm saying). By the way, if anyone out there has video of the ceremony or the toasts, please let us know, we'd love to get a copy! We introduced Bonnie's mom Annie, and my dad Arnold, who shared their lovely and stirring sentiments. Bonnies longtime friend Andrea stood and gave her comments, about the strengths Bonnie & I share, and compliment each other with, and I was very touched.
We went back to mingling some more - sat with some ex-co-worker friends, and some of Bonnie's family, and some of my Michigan friends, and some of the bus stoppers. And watching Bonnie woprk the social magic from across many tables, and catching glances with her, very sweet. No one started clanking their forks and glasses, thankfully :> .
Nicole made a speech, which I was very touched and inspired by as well - about how our friendship has grown into familiness, and the rousing and educational discussions we've had, 'on politics, and history, and the Church of Satan." That caused a bit of a hubbub, but, in a fun way... Bonnie pointed out my mother, who stood up, and I started telling her she didn't need to make a speech (which I knew she didn't want to do). Apparently (and Bonnie didn't point this out to me til later) some folks thought I was just telling her to sit down & be quiet, which wasn't my intent (at least, only sarcastically it was...). So, sorry if people got the wrong impression :P.
The day started to wind down, people departing as the sun went down. Bonnie & I never even had dinner (Ed & Nina made a point to sit us down to grab a bite, thx!). My parents & brother Greg and family were flying out that night, so by 8 they loaded up into the car and out to SFO. Brief time, but great to have them out! An impromptu baseball game broke out, with a ratty old tennis ball (probably a retired dog chew-toy) and a couple big sticks... Some famous portrait photographer showed up - Scott knew him through his own photo work and exhibits at the Walker in Minneapolis, and was taking pics of the kids in their finery (with parents permission o'course).
We got folks to help haul stuff up to the house (thanks immeasurably to our helpers!), then setup in the house. Putting out some of the remainder of food, snacks, and beer and wine; cranking out our dance tunes playlist (thanks Kody!); and hanging out chatting. About 20 people were staying in the hostel rooms, some of them slipped to bed as the night wore on (the bus stoppers scuttled their plans to camp down the road, and just threw their sleeping bags on the porch), Pete showed up late, after his gig, yay! I was up till the small hours, cleaning up a bit then discovering that raccoons had tore into our trash on the back porch. In fact, there they still were, with their beady glowy eyes and weird human-like paws! So, I was frustrated and worn out after cleaning that up, went to bed.
To Be continued - Sunday brunch, cleaning up, and wrapping up the visiting.

Our Big Event!

2008-07-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since the Big Event. still a lot of glow from it. The biggest thing, of course, was seeing all the family & friends together in one place. But the whole day worked out so well - weather, setup in the morning, moving smoothly to each stage, ceremony, dinner, dancing. And the whole week - with my family in town & Bonnie's family in town. Here's how the week went :
Thursday - organizing last minute, running errands. Andy & Becki & Maggie came over in the evening, went to Shen Hua & walked over to Telegraph and Amoeba, then back for some musical exchange with me & Andy.
Friday - Met up with my family at their breakfast grotto at the hotel in Marin (Greg & family (Vicki, Elise, Sterling), and my parents, and my sister Rebecca & Rob). I had a rapid-fire itinerary for a driving tour of San Francisco w/ a few stops, which everyone seemed on board for, so we were off (in 2 cars, I was with Rob & Becca). We got through a few stops - GG Bridge, Presidio, Great Hwy/Ocean Beach, GG Park (w/ Bison), Haight Ashbury, Twin Peaks. Then we took a trip to visit my sister's former workplace in Diamond Hgts, and the group decided to go for Chinese food, which was the day's undoing. Ordering for that many people & kids is a debacle, with an orgy of food & long wait times. Then a few people were tired/cranky & a trip back to the hotel took up the rest of the day. Lunch I can deal with, ( I was thinking of stopping for lunch at our next stop, Pier 39), but this just derailed us & we missed out on seeing : Castro, Chinatown, Marina, Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Embarcadero, downtown, Bay Bridge, Treasure Island... Becca & Rob and I ended up going back to East Bay, via downtown/Market St, which was a spectacle of seething humanity to behold (worthy of being its own tourist attraction). We hit some of Berkeley (Sho Chiku Bai!) & went to Lake Merritt, then headed back. Friday night was our planned BBQ w/ our immediate families. But we showed up inconveniently early - Bonnie & crew were still hard at work in the kitchen...
So, when Greg & crew showed up, we had to scoot. Which was fine, my mom wanted to see the East Bay Vivarium, so we had a good time checking out the place (even ran into Chere in the parking lot!) By the time we got back, brother Gordon & family were there, and the festivities were underway. Gave a speech welcoming everyone, then explained the lay of the land & what to expect at the event.
Saturday was an early start. Nicole went to pick up the cake & Susan from the airport, Bonnie & I stopped at Costco on the way over, Tracey was holding down the fort & waiting to help load up our friends w/pickup trucks who were coming by. The next batch of time went smoothly - getting there, getting in to the hostel, unloading rentals. Casual lunch started around 1, it was a good thing we had people come early - a few got lost (though the didn't mind the scenic route). If they were targeting getting there at 4, they woulda missed. Saturday day was great - so many people huggin together, friends I hadn't seen in a long while, Bonnie's fami I'd met only once or a few times.
Got ready for the pictures at 3 - Bonnie looked so great in her dress, I felt rather dapper too. We ran through the family pics - 15 groups/poses, all outdoors, then we stll had half-hour til the ceremony.
(to be continued)

Happy Birthday America

2008-07-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Friday was 4th of July, and, really, who doesn't like to watch explosions? We just used it as an excuse to go out for a night walk, we made our way down to the Emeryville Marina - about 2 mile walk, not as far as the Berkeley marina (where they were having a summerfest, which we went to last year with my brother Greg and family). It was so foggy, we could barely see some of the glow from the San Fran show, and just few lit-up clouds North in Berkeley. Not a disappointment, as I said, it was a reason to get out. On the way back, there seemed to be a whole lot of fireworks displays going on in weird areas in Berkeley and Oakland. Well, at least there were no reports about fires, and it is pretty extreme fire season here...
So, in the last couple days before the big event. I'm sure I'll write up a more in-depth exploration of my thoughts & experience. But it's most exciting to think of the array of people who'll be there from all walks of our life.
Movies & music quikpiks - the new Coldplay album (produced by Brian Eno) is really good, Wall-E was excellent & quite adventurous for the level of family movie it was conveying.

Omnibus

2008-06-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

So, biggest thing going on with us lately is our big event . Shaping up to be a fun day! In other news, caught 3 concerts this weekend - Rebecca Riots at the Freight in Berkeley. Saturday night, caught El Fay at 12 Galaxies, then BARTed over to east bay for Shelley Doty Xtet at Starry Plough in Berkeley. Love seeing friends play, but it always makes me wonder why I'm not up there...
Counting backwards - saw "Indiana Jones" and "Iron Man" again, at Cerrito. Saw a documentary - Surfwise, about a very unique surf-hippie family originating from OC. Bonnie's choice, it was a family she had had some contact with back in her youth. I'm usually a fan of her movie choices, and going to the movies with her.
On the jobfront, nothing exciting. Nuff said. Oh, actually - there was a screenwriting course I took, sponsored by work. I've been working with this group for a while now, our project for this session has been a bit of a 'master class', and we've put together a collaborative screenplay, which is pretty outstanding. We're scheduled to wrap it up in the next couple weeks, and have a staged reading of it in front of workfolk, I'm really looking fwd to that. Also, refining my script to get a reading.
Band front is a bit rocky - one guy is having a kid & is stepping back from Band duties. One guy has blown out his knee and needs surgery. We'll keep working on stuff, but we've got nothing public for at least 3 weeks. Bummer, especially since we moved into a new rehearsal space and were starting some momentum.
[total aside - I'm sitting here watching PBS as I write this, y'know, I love it, but PBS has a lot of commercial-looking segments in-between shows.] Also an aside, I'm reading a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection, much more interesting than I would've believed, knowing what I know about Sherlock Holmes. Now that's a franchise which could thrive, with a Hollywood-size injection of medium+ budget. I have my own take on how the Green Hornet franchise could be a big hit, too :>.
So, Ron Paul was in the news - oh, wait, I'm not getting into Politics here. (except the occasional political humour excursion).
Last month I went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. This month, Bonnie got free tix to a Media VIP day at Great America (another theme park in the south bay). I'm realizing I don't like roller coasters anymore. Maybe it's motion sickness, the knocking around. the upside-down-iness. Well, at least I enjoyed the animal park at Six Flags.

Summer incoming

2008-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Update on summer movie-going : Indiana Jones seems to be falling behind after its monster opening weekend, I doubt it'll pass Iron Man. Saw "Narnia", which I thought was quite good - nearly as good as the first one, if not as fresh and smoothly-paced. Bonnie tooke me to the midnight screening of "Sex and the City", which I have to say was a disappointment. MINOR SPOILERS : the quality of craft was there as in the series, but the brutal dragging out of the relationships, the too-obvious symbolism of one relationship vs. another, and the too-neat resolution of the forgiveness and men-save-the-day for the women just left a bad taste... Kung Fu Panda was acutally pretty good, one of the strongest DreamWorks efforts ever, and very funny all through. Planning on seeing "The Fall" this weekend, too.
Our neighbor Diane had a summer party this Saturday, to celebrate her getting into UC Berkeley, and getting a job there. Nice group of folks - she kep saying how it was 'worlds colliding' of old friends, and work friends. One friend happened to be a pastry chef at a upper-classy restaurant in Lafayette, he brought an awesome trifle to to the party. Congrats, Diane!
Watched the Australian-indie Heath Ledger movie, "Candy", about... self-destructive drug-adled lifestyle. Art oddly imitating life. I take it back about 'Indiana Jones' or 'Iron Man' being the biggest movie of the year, I think it'll be "Dark Knight"...
Colossal Inertia put on our showcase event last Friday, went great. We added 3 songs from our San Jose set, much tighter, ran through our new PA. Only about 20-25 friends made it out, but it was a good experience for us, and a lot of fun. Still haven't posted clips from the last show on U Tube, but soon. If anyone wants a copy of the full DVD, drop me a line and I can send it out.
The vocal class finished up (5 weeks, they offered an add'l 6th week, but then cancelled the day-of). But I've been applying the lessons learned in my songs, and singing along with other tracks, and I do notice a difference. Less throaty, more able to hit the high notes. Don't have the same power, yet, but I heard it comes with practice.
Screenwriting class is looking promising. Our 'semester' project was a collaborative effort (6 writers), with a hodgepodge of characters from other's scripts, set in an animation company. It's come together in a very satisfying, and rather amazing way so far. They've arranged to have a table read of the complete draft in a few weeks. Exciting to have a writing outlet and a goal, like that.
Plans for the big event are moving full steam ahead. Arranging rentals, catering, last minute stuff.
More later!

May Be

2008-05-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Much to update, and not much... I have the recording of our Colossal Inertia show, haven't digitized them yet, but with this long weekend, more time to work it. We're playing a show this upcoming Friday at our rehearsal space - Oddstad Gallery in Redwood City. It'll be more elaborate since we're putting it on ourselves, but we're still making sure it's top-notch. In related news, we're moving our space - Oddstad's raising the rent, so we're moving to RHL down the road. Bigger place, which is cheaper, if a little rougher. Still sharing with "Big Eye", a co-workers band.

Nicole had her graduation last weekend from Mills College. Outstanding journey, and accomplishment for her, congrats! Bonnie's mom came up from Corona del Mar, great to see her. Bonnie was busy Saturday with a lot of graduation things, so she & I got to spend more time together - drivin in the car, gettin coffee, waiting in the frustrating line of traffic trying to get into the Mills lot... Then in the afternoon, we hosted a BBQ, with all the folks that helped Nicole along the way. It was good to gather the community, especially a few people who haven't seen each other in a while. She's going into a flagship Master's program for Public Policy next year at MIlls, so the journey continues.
Summer movie season begins! Could be an exciting time - Iron Man was great, Speed Racer was very interesting, haven't seen Narnia : Prince Caspian yet, got to see an early screening of "Indiana Jones IV". I predict that'll be the top movie of the year, I really enjoyed the ride watching it, but thinking back on it, it becomes less rosy (SPOILERS follow). The action was way over the top (too long and too '1000-bullets-never-hit-anyone' unreal); the pacing was odd between talk and action; and the storyline/invented mythology was too convoluted and ridiculous. The good stuff was very good - the world they inhabit; the depth and subtext of the characters discussing their archaeology; and, of course, just seeing Harrison Ford in action again. Upcoming hilites - Kung Fu Panda (of course, I should plug a DreamWorks pic); Sex and the City (Bonnie's favorite); Dark Knight; The Hulk; Get Smart; Hellboy 2.
The screenwriting class (vetted through DreamWorks) has been going well - got positive feedback on my spec script (about 75% done with the draft) and some inspiration to continue; the direction of the class, has been collaborating on a feature script where we started by pulling 6 characters from others' works, put them into a familiar world (an animation studio), then defined their relationships and built a plot from there. An excellent exercise in group writing, thinking on the fly, developing characters, and it's fun times to boot.
Vocal lessons are useful, too, with Raz Kennedy at Blue Bear School of Music. Learning specifics, and getting exercises to work on. People have been giving a 'performance', which he analyzes, then gives advice on how to hit it stronger. I performed 'Guide Vocal' by Genesis, accompanying on the Stick. He said he was impressed by the power and 'big voice', and wanted to compare it to the original recording before analyzing it, so that'll happen next week. Great assortment of students in the class, from varying levels of professionalism (including one guy who says he's from the Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars).
Laundry list of other things recently - ran the "Emeryville Shortest Triathlon", which consisted of 100 yard swim, 2.5 mile bicycle ride, 1 mile run. Finished in 18.5 minutes, running was the toughest part - kicked up a boost at the end, but lost it and dropped back aways... Had a day off on Friday, 23rd - went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly Marine World). As part of a promotion by Alice Radio , tickets were only $9.73 (to match their FM freq)! So, got out there early & hung out, no rides - mostly checking out the animals. Caught the Shamu show (sorry, I mean, Shouka), and the Bird Theater (with a real-live American Bald Eagle!) - got me inspired again to look into falconry...
Anyway, more soon, and enjoy the Memorial Day weekend yall.

Live Inertia

2008-05-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

So, Colossal Inertia, played a gig in San Jose, at The Caravan Lounge, April 19. We were supposed to be opening for The Tell-Tale Heartbreakers on a Saturday night, but they had to cancel due to illness in the band - so, it was us solo. We considered cancelling - there seemed to be some weird pressure from the bar & other band, but no definitive reason, so we went ahead with it!

An odd space - a very clean & well-lit dive bar on Almaden Ave., our 'stage' was a corner of the long, rectangular room, maybe 15'x8'. We kept our set-up rather slim (amps & instruments; smoke machine; a few extra lights), and sensible costumes. They provided a PA for mic's and the keyboard, nothing fancy, no mixing/sound support. Given that, it went well - our playing was mostly solid & discernable, the 30 or so people seemed to get into it (only 5 people from work that I noticed). Since we were the defacto headliners, we were in-line for some $$, but since we only had our warm-up act ready, it fell short of the minimum-45-minutes they were expecting (though I was tipped to 'stretch things out', no one stressed to me how imperative that was - we could've thrown another 15 minutes out somewhere. Way to learn, I guess).

Overall, great start & great confidence builder - our next show's at the end of May!

Music Updates

2008-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

A few notes on the music front - band is still spinning our wheels, a bit. I really like what we've done, and how it's all going, but we're itching for a gig. Our demo's nearly done, I'll get it onto our myspace immediately. But I've also been branching out with 'Cafe Inertia' - a sorta singer/songwriter folksy-acoustic set I can do solo or with the keyboardist. Here's an open mic I did at Blake's On Telegraph mid-March. Please peep it (if you can put up with the crazy noise levels) & give me feedback.

Also, I'm signed up for voice lessons at Blue Bear in San Francisco next month. Do-Re-Mi!

And, you may have noticed the Pandora billboard on my sidebar. For those unfamiliar - it's a music media player (the 'music genome' project) which compiles a random playlist based on dichotomizing from some of your favorites that you give it. I'm a big fan of this service - it's a great stream to have on at work or in a radio-like setting (don't get me wrong, I don't think this should replace radio, just another option if you get sick of radio streams...) If you're on Pandora, look me up & lets share stations (my user ID is pegasusgiraffe, of course).

In non-me music happenings, I'm not very excited about the slate of musical releases this upcoming year (2007 didn't have a lot of high anticipation, and ended up disappointing in total). But March kinda snuck up on me, several releases I got recently which have pleased me : Gnarls Barkley - "The Odd Couple" (which was my first Amazon MP3 purchase); The Raconteurs - "Consolers of the Lonely"; and J2 - Jarboe and Justin Broadrick; Cavalera Conspiracy- the reunion of Sepultura's Cavalera bros.

Weekend Getaway

2008-03-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

So, last Friday was my birthday. I usually keep the observation lo-key, so no party this year, but Bonnie and I stole away for a weekend in nearby destinations...

Friday, March 14 - hit the gym in the morning, took care of some house things, then went to Safari West, an animal park near Santa Rosa. How cool - take a jeep (we were on the top bench) through a preserve where the animals roam free. Lolling giraffes, skittish antelope, milling zebras, aggressive goats - over 80 species. Then into the cage areas - aviary, foxes, lemurs, cheetahs. Awesome experience overall, pics soon! In the evening, stopped at Bad Ass Coffee Co for a delectible specialty mocha, then hit lively downtown Santa Rosa. Skipped on paying $17 bux to see a bar-rock band play, so we stopped over at an English-type pub next door. Turns out they had music, after all! Stayed for a few songs from Petracovich (not bad, typical edgy-folk-rock chick). She seemed to have a lot of friends in Santa Rosa. Which isn't all that weird, it's only 1.5 hours from San Francisco, but since we were on vacation, we tried to make the whole weekend seem more exotic than it was :>.

Saturday - Lazy start, hit the breakfast bar. On our way out, went to The Last Record Store. Quite cool - I always look for the belweather of the counter-culture of a town based on its record store, and local artists section... Stopped at Community Market , an organic grocery store next door. Grabbed some healthy snax...
Made our way out toward Konocti Harbor (stopping again at the Bad Ass Coffee Co - got me a cherry chocolate mocha). Lots of winding mountain roads, a bit of rain, but no problems. Checked in, and looked around. Konocti's long been a place of interest to us - it's a resort up in the mountains, right on the shores of Clear Lake, and they host a series of summer concerts. Usually pretty B-list, but fun I'm sure. We just wanted an opportunity to explore the place, find out how far away it was, see the accommodations. Glad we did - it's much further than we thought, and much more compact. We reckon that place fills up with knuckleheads right quick on a summer weekend... We made a trip into town to hit a wine tasting, then we got ready for our spa appointment.
That's where we hit a snag. We booked a mud bath, and expected a bathtub filled with mud, only to find the 'volcanic ash bath' is pretty much just a jacuzzi with some grit floating around. We asked for a refund, as it wasn't what was advertised, and the desk workers admitted as much (saying they're planning on changing their brochure). Anyway, it was pretty contentious, and they only offered half the money back, as that was their policy & the manager wasn't around. Bonnie went so far as to putting a customer service claim with her credit card, but the manager was very contrite and helpful come Monday afternoon, so it worked out OK in the end...
Saturday night - we went to, well, the only restaurant we didn't have to drive to ( the onsite). A Hard-Rock Cafe rip-off, but got a decent BBQ bacon cheeseburger. Afterward, went to the club section & shook our things (and discussed our individual opinions on dancing...) to a cheezy cover band.
Sunday - We decided to live large & hit the brunchffet. $17 - I usually can only eat a very small breakfast on the road, but I got my money's worth on the mimosas, and we got a nice seat on the lakeside... Our big plan was the Napa Mustard Festival at Copia, but since we got denied the spa experience the day before, we wanted to get a package in Calistoga (Take your pick on hot springs/mud bath/massage - there's about 2 dozen of em...). We booked a time, and made a bit of a drive (~20 miles) down to Copia, though we had to come back for our 6 PM appointment.
Mustard Fest - must've sampled about 40 mustards & hot sauces with little pretzel sticks (and 10 samplings of wine & local beer). We made a few purchases (seeing later that most of 'em were the award winners), and then went around the Copia building, which we'd never been to. Caught a band playing some RnB & pop standards, then headed back north for our appointment (had a few minutes to wander around quaint Calistoga town). Interesting experience w/ the mud bath - very thick, you had to wriggle down into it. Very hot, relaxing in some ways, but almost uncomfortable (the hot tub was way too hot, we ran the the cold water into it for a few minutes to regulate). Then the 'wrap' room, and off to a massage. Very smooth ride home (listened to the new 2 Foot Yard disc in its entirety), didn't mind getting back so late to finish off the weekend.

Oscars recap

2008-03-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

A bit late, but : the Academy had their big awards ceremony, quite entertaining & 'rewarding' (the general reviews were pretty down on it, but I tend to like it, and be a bit more vested than the casual citizen). Many surprises : Marion Cotillard win (I am a bit of an Edith Piaf fan); Golden Compass VFX win (though friends at Tippett worked on it, so I hope that helps their biz). A few bright moments : Jon Stewart's joke about watching movies on the iPod; the chick from 'Once' getting invited back on the stage to finish her speech (WTF was up with "Enchanted" getting 3 noms for best song?? OK- maybe they were good songs, but to have 1 movie blobbed in there like that makes a mockery of the process. And no nom for Eddie Vedder?? Yeesh.).
In the past, we've hosted quite the festivities for the evening - this time, had a small invitee list, and a few of those bailed, so it came down to one other couple (my college chum Janice - just moved to the Bay Area from Orlando! welcome, Jan! - and her guy Troy) and my pal D-Flo. A nice & enjoyable afternoon, spending time with friends (plus, being on the West Coast, the event was wrapped up by 8:30 PM!)

Oscars 2008

2008-02-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

So, yay for the writers' strike coming to an end! Now I hope my friends in the biz stay employed, and that there's somewhere viable for me to go to after this current project mercifully comes to an end... Anyway, the other good result of this is that the Oscars may put on a decent event, and we can perhaps host an Oscar's party. Which leads me to my next point - this is the first year that I can remember in which I've actually seen all 5 best-picture noms, before the laurels. My opinion - a lot of hype & hyperbole, but surprises too. The ones I've heard so much about & were the most interested in seeing were largely disappointing, and the ones I went in unheralded, were the most unexpectedly satisfying. Lemme run down, briefly :

Atonement - by far the most overrated and worst of the lot. I liked the premise, liked the period flavor but this was overly sentimental, and collapsed under its own pretentiousness. Too long where it didn't need to be (and don't preach to me about being 'patient' as a filmgoer - I'm a huge fan of low-paced Malick, Kubrick, Kurosawa - and brother, this movie doesn't get near their level), it pounded the audience over the head with 'slow' where it was really being 'smarter than you'. The scenes were unnecessarily 'clever' and added nothing to the story - around the war effort, the odd flashbacks which took 20 minutes of the movie to get back to. A lot of too-convenient plot twists and characters doing whatever the hell they wanted, too. Not totally without merit - I liked the general plot, liked most of the acting, even liked the Redgrave plot-twist ending. But, hard to believe this actually made the cut (& WON the Golden Globe) for best picture (thankfully, the director's not up for an award).

No Country for Old Men Another one I found overrated. The plot is too simple - & the whole conflict is set up based on Moss going back to give water to the dying man that night & getting caught with his truck. Which is totally unbelievable - OK, yes, we're supposed to know he's having an internal struggle about leaving the man behind, but if he did it in the first place, we know he wouldn't have gone back, especially having gotten away scot-free. One thing that really annoyed me about this film, was that every single person accepted being murdered by Anton, without resistance. Which makes for great drawn-out dialog but eye-rolling disdain for dismissal of human nature. Characters all-around were too flat & 'invincible' - except, maybe, for Tommy Lee Jones' sheriff not being a stereotypical rural Western tough lawman - he has flaws & doubts about himself, his age, his motivation for the job, which I think came across very well. And the Coen brothers set the mood excellently - the chase & fight scenes were very exciting and moved along. But, I think this story was told much more chillingly and realistically a few years back as Sam Raimi's "A Simple Plan", which really was more thoughtful and realistic about human nature.

There Will Be Blood Bears comparisons to "No Country", in that both represent the darkest corners of human nature & have very desperate tone. And both really have little in the way of story, and depth of characters. Which, in "Blood", didn't bother me all that much. I know we're supposed to accept that Daniel Day Lewis' character Daniel Plainview was a real EVIL a-hole, but that's not what I got out of it. He was tough, yes - strict as a father, strong enough to face his own physical pain, hard-nosed and shifty as a businessman, but I never got the sense he was that bad of a person. Driven by his the times, by his own greed, by life-shattering events in his way - we still saw that he loved his son, appreciated his employees, gave back to the townsfolk, opened up to his 'brother' (before killing him, but, again, the Wild West mentality of the time still held sway & Henry was a threat to him). He disowned his son because he felt betrayed, he killed Eli cos he was a crazy old man. The preacher Eli struck me as much more shiftless, crude, selfish, and creepy. There was really not a central conflict - stuff happened, good & bad - which, again, didn't bother me because it played out like a good biography (reminded me a lot of "The Aviator"), a genre which I love. But, it provoked these discussions with people, which I guess is a mark of a good movie.

Michael Clayton This is the one I resisted seeing the most : 'a terse legal drama where the shark lawyer has a change of heart & redeems himself by blowing the whistle' seemed very unoriginal & uninteresting (hey, 'The Insider' and 'Erin Brokovich' were true stories at least). And the beginning was filled with an unneccesary VO & flashback (2 techniques which I find lazy & bug the hell out of me as a writer), and I nodded off for large portions of the 2nd act, but by the end I wanted to see what happened. Great performances from Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton (hey, come to think of it - this character was FAR more scary than Bardem in 'No Country'), well written dialog, moderately nuanced characters, & satisfying if predictable ending. One thing that bothered me was the ease with which the assassins were able to go wherever, and the fact that when Clayton began to suspect the conspiracy & the people chasing him, he should've been far move vigilant about his tail. Minor point. Overall, well done but the plot didn't really grab me, so it was hard to really get into the movie.

Juno That leaves Juno, which I can certainly say I enjoyed the most out the 5 noms. Billed as this year's "Napoleon Dynamite" or "Little Miss Sunshine", it was hard to go into it objectively. Criticism: the dialog was too rapid-fire clever, and out of the league of a high school crowd, but (much like in Superbad), that faded from my annoyance radar 20-minutes or so in, and I really got into the humour of it all. Plot was quite believable throughout, performances were fun all the time, characters actually had some depth (from the Allison Janney mother-in-law to Juno's change of opinion about the adoptive couple), plus I liked the ending. There are conflicts galore, but no 'bad guy' (you expect Garner's character to the mega-bitch, but it turns out the Bateman character is the more hateable), which is like life.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, 'Juno' is the best movie from the list, but since no light-hearted comedies will ever win, I'm sure it will go to 'Atonement' (got the momentum), or 'No Country' (though the Coen Bros have already won). My top 5 for best movies? Hot Fuzz, Into the Wild, Waitress, The Astronaut Farmer, Sweeney Todd. With a shoutout to Juno, The Savages (more comedic than I expected), Superbad (far more depth than 'Knocked Up'), Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in all its surreal plot mess, and 'King of Kong' for the docs.

Also : no-brainers that "Ratatouille" will get Best Animated Feature, and "Pirates 3" will get best VFX.

Bonnie in Newsweek

2008-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Kinda late for this post, I sent email to a large list of acquaintances, but now I'm posting here. My partner Bonnie had an essay published in the Newsweek 'My Turn' section - It's her view on institutional marriage at odds with the personal nature of love, as defined in societal and familial contexts.

I'm very proud & excited about it - well, I knew that when she got the news it had been picked up, and again when we went with the photographer, but it's different to see it for real on the printed page. Very thoughtful, and deep, and boldly personal. And, very controversial, apparently, and it's sparked a lot of discussion - between us, between Bonnie & my family, and from a whole host of the general public who have lashed out with vitriol and defensiveness. I won't go into the meat of their beef, but a lot of people get very defensive when you say something like, "I'm choosing to not follow tradition."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/8453

It's been popping up a lot of other places, too. There was also a mention of it in a Salon blog, which also sparked a lot of commentary - this batch most still disagreeing, but much more thoughtful. Out family in North Carolina said they heard a preacher on the radio go on, talking about the article for almost 15 minutes. So, we did a search, and there's a lot of people blogging about it (probably the venomous types who left their angry comments).

Anyway, hope those of you who haven't read it, please do, and share your thoughts.

Music - Best of 2007

2008-01-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

Time once again for my year-end music review. I have to say, other than a few top choices which stood out (1-4), it was hard to fill in the rest of the list. A lot of routine releases from established bands (which undergo the inevitable comparisons to their previous works). I decided it was fair to factor in special and significant circumstances (such as revolutionary new methods for marketing and distribution) if not the quality, winning them a place...

Top 10 albums, 2007
1) The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
Delivered the most consistent quality from start to finish. Great songs (hooks, changes, lyrics) that have a visceral, organic truth to the performances, and an excellent variety of interesting styles.

2) Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
A close second, some outstanding original material, but falters a bit in its few weak moments. Even more significant is its groundbreaking rollout (sold at any-price or even no-price to fans) - showing even greater cracks in the record industry.

3) Phoenix Foundation - "Happy Ending"
NZ masters of the alt-folk-psych-retro had a great year - US distro, worldwide attention for the Eagle vs. Shark soundtrack; and a remarkably solid outing. Departing from their more meandering, sparse past efforts, this still has great ear-bending in quality songs.

4) The Fiery Furnaces - "Widow City"
Thriving at what they do best - hyper, chimeric, and tasty grooves, this brought a more rockin' foundation to their usual sound (compared to the now-I-realize-weaker effort a couple years back). It also helped that I got to see them live, and realized what makes these songs tick.

5) Einsturzende Neubauten - "Alles Weider Offen"
Another effort noteworthy for its trend-defying process (Neubauten produced this disc themselves with money collected from website subscriptions, who got to watch online while the album took shape over 1 1/2 years). OK, but how does it sound? Great, as usual, lot of the same style - sparseness slapped alongside explosive beats, found percussion, powerful vocals & lush poetry.

6) Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
The first disc I've gotten from Aesop Rock, so I won't compare to previous albums! I will say I really appreciate this kind of hip-hop - weird sounds, absurdist lyrics (not just about the sexism, violence, and materialism), a smooth bed in beats and riffs that avoids being annoyingly repetitive (perhaps my strongest criticism of hip-hop in general). And a nice diversity of tone throughout.

7) NIN - "Year Zero"
A pinnacle of viral marketing (Trent Reznor sent out tracks on MP3 players randomly hidden throughout the country). But this album impressed me, where it seems to have turned off most people - its lack of gimmickry (which has annoyed me about recent NIN albums). Reznor seems to have stripped down his sampler-happy style, and these songs come across in very pure form, and solid songs they are. Almost adhering to Bjork's aesthetic principles of recent years (though Bjork's album 'Volta' didn't make my list for almost the opposite reason - it all sounded like too much effort)

8) Tomahawk - "Anonymous"
OK, I just said gimmicks tend to turn me off. And this is the most gimmick-heavy of the list - (uncovered transcripts 'from the era of Teddy Roosevelt', of Native American folk songs - which Patton & Co. then adapted in heavy metal arrangements). But it had enough impact on me to garner a lot of respect (though appreciation waned upon repeated listenings...)

9) Paul McCartney - "Memory Almost Full"
A reminder of many reasons why Paul McCartney is arguably the most popular rock star in the history of rock-n-roll, and his mediocre-est is still acceptable over so much other garbage. A few gems on this disc, (plus bonus extras). Keeping with the theme on this list, new kinds of distribution : the first original album released on Starbuck's Hear Music label (say what you will about Starbucks). I first got this in the summer, and quite enjoyed it, for a month or so. Then I put it on whilst reviewing the year's releases, and it was as delightful as I remember it - a sure sign of a good album.

10) Kula Shaker - "Strangefolk"
Hard to pick the 'last kid' for this game (see close runners-up below), but this is one of few on the bottom ranks which excited me to get it (I was surprised by the glorious return of Kula Shaker!), I liked at first listen, appreciated its spirit and modicum of originality, and think that I will listen to with eager ears in the future.

Honorable mention :
Clinic - "Visitations"; Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky"; the rising American conquest by NZ band The Brunettes - "Structue and Cosmetics"; associates and metal gods Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - "In Glorious Times" & inter-contemporary release The Book of Knots - "Traineater"; Mother Hips - "Kiss the Crystal Planet"

Oh, another addendum - biggest disappointment of the year. I have to say it was the Marilyn Manson album, "Eat Me, Drink Me". Nothing new or fresh, and a nosedive from his usual quality production (helmed by "Shotgun Messiah" founder and self-styled electronica artist Tim Skold, who butchers the guitars and any hint of bass on this pathetic, weak album).

Opinons? Disagreements? Arguments? Have at it.

End of 07

2008-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the 'holidays' are past - overall, nice to be away from work. No, seriously, not just 'nice to have time off', 'nice to have some down time.' It was an enormous weight lifted from my very soul not to have to think about the wretchedness for a few days. Xmas was very pleasant - many gifts that I appreciated and could use, the most satisfying overall christmas in a long time. Nicole was here for the eve (we went to the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir at Slim's - very uplifting & huge, diverse crowd), then the morning & much of the afternoon. Opening gifts, reading cards, writing letters, calling up family. In the evening, got together with Bonnie's friends (and our friends, as supported in our relationship) and caught a movie (it's a bit of a tradition for me to go to a movie on Christmas Day)... We saw 'Atonement' which I thought was drastically overly dramatic and over-rated. A lot of annoying plot leaps, distractingly confusing flashbacks and asides, and too long to get to the payoff. But most of what it did well was fantastic - looked gorgeous, the performances were pretty great, and the end was rather satisfying and thoughtful.
New Years we went to a Burning-Man -type extravaganza (in our pajamas) - 5 stages of music (rock bands on stages on alternate ends of the hall; couple different DJs; burlesque; wandering slit-walkers). Sipped champagne at midnight & got outta there to get home before the craziness. Happy New Year.

But, of course - the inescapable downside - not getting far enough through your To-Do list... Didn't get nearly enough music done (though we did do some serious demo-recording with the band . Slept way too much, ate way to much (though I did get to the gym nearly every day). Got many financial obligations done, but still many outstanding. Well, ya do what you can.

Also had a string of really bad luck around here. Nicole's car fell apart on the freeway (turns out the axle wasn't fitted securely. Luckily no one was injured, but after paying to fix that, it died literally out the door & she had to dump it. Then Bonnie's car started hemorrhaging power steering fluid (not just leaking, like it was before). Then the word from the shop was it needed steam clean & other diagnostics on the power steering, and suspension, and tires, to the tune of more than a grand. (She managed to get some basic work done to get it on the road again.) Then the coup-de-gras : I came home one day to find our house had been broken into. The side door busted open, the alarm tripped. Fortunately, the scummy human detritus didn't take much - rifled through a drawer and took a nice camera (Canon Digital Rebel EOS - if you find one at the Berkeley Flea Market, give me a heads-up).

Other fun stuff we got up to - went to the DaVinci: The Genius exhibit (kinda cheesy, but chock full of fantastic info on DaVinci's inventions, and an X-ray analysis of the Mona Lisa); went to Spud's Pizza Friday Comedy showcase - lot of sour self-deprecating Jewish humour, but overall a very fun, entertaining evening, and excellent pizza if poor service; saw a women's bball game -St. Mary's vs. Cal State Fullerton, (Bonnie's alma mater) which the Titans unfortunately lost in the last 3.7 seconds, but thrilling);

Well, one other piece of good and exciting news! Bonnie submitted an essay for Newsweek's "My Turn" and it was published! It's her view on institutional marriage vs. personal love, in socially-conscious & family-tinted relationship definitions. I encourage you all to pick up the issue at your local indie bookstore (Jan 6, Obama primary cover story), but if you don't get there soon, you can read the article & controversial comments here :
http://www.newsweek.com/id/84538

Next post - my top 2007 music picks!

Thanksgiving O.C. Trip

2007-12-20T22:55:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving weekend this year (Friday-Sunday) we went down to OC to visit Bonnie's family. Here's what we did :

Friday - Early morning flight, got in hitch-free, picked up the car & headed over to Bonnie's mom's new place (since the spring) in Corona Del Mar. went out for brunch when we got there.

Friday day - Walked around Little Corona Beach, & shops. In the evening, we watched 'Talk to Me.'

Saturday - Hit the hot tub & the pool (alternating). Brunch at Zinc. Then we went around the Sawdust Art Festival Art in Laguna Beach.

Saturday eve - dinner at Claim Jumper's with the Eslinger family. Good times - met a lot of the relatives on Bonnie's dad side for the first time. I got the salad bar & a huge Bloody Mary.

Sunday - Bonnie was off brunching with her friend Gina, Nicole and I went with Bonnie's dad Jack to take the dog for a romp around the lakeside park in Anaheim. That was fun & good to see the area. After, we went to the standard 'Ruby's Diner', we came back & packed up. Then we went over to some fetish/piercing/head shops on the way to the airport, but it was too late & they were closed.

Sunday return - made it to the airport in plenty of time, dropped off the car & had time for a cocktail. Our flight was even delayed 1/2 hour - not a big deal, until we learned that there's an OC ordinance that if the flight can't leave by 10 PM, it can't fly. Meaning that if we didn't get boarded in time, the flight would have to be canceled til the next morning. Well, no one wanted that - so there was a big push to get everyone to make haste getting on. They took some of the larger carry-on bags to check. TO their credit, everyone rushed on in time, and we made it home to Oakland! We even ran into Shelly on the same flight (& saw Morley at the airport in O-Town)

2007-11-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

So, I could run down the list of stuff Bonnie & I have been up to, but let me first say - holy cow, it's November 30. Only 30-some days left, then we have to start all over next year. Let's hope next year has some upswings.

So, here 's our recent events (counting backwards) :

27th - I went to a chamber concert at Berkeley City Club : Edmund Welles Bass Clarinet Quartet I've always found bass clarinet cool (we have a bass clarinet player in Colossal Inertia, and there was one with us in El Fay) - to see 4 of them playing jazz, gospel, rock was fanastic!

Thanksgiving Day was busy - we were looking for a place to volunteer our services to - it seems that most places want to be coordinated beforehand, so there was no place to fit us. But Bonnie saw a news segment in the morning on a family that just cooks meals out of their house in Oakland, and has a team of volunteers delivering. So, after the gym, we headed over there.

It was a bit chaotic, with folks running around and folks waiting for meals to take. We were going to offer to run a delivery, as we had a commitment for an early dinner, so we waited for the next round to be ready, started serving up some dishes. While we were there, we saw two local TV news personalities, and it was an interest study in contrasts - Frank Somerville was there in shirt and jeans, so urban I didn't even recognize him at first. Then a roving reporter came by, and he was all buziness. He got some soundbites from the the mother, father, and her brother, then he got on the line to dish up. But he was pretty much just holding the spoon, giving his report, and only serving when on-camera. He did stay a few minutes later after the camera was turned off, but only a few. I realize, he was working, and he was doing good by giving them promotion, but it was kinda funny at the time...

Thursday afternoon, we went over to Bonnie's friends (Green & Root) for a hodge-podge of folks that didn't have big family gatherings to go to. It was lovely - very communal & homey, and great food that people brought! Also wonderful to talk to a smaller group, these are people who show up to many related gatherings, but we don't spend much time with them individually.

In the evening, we went and saw "This Christmas" - a black family gathering in LA on Christmas, dealing with rivalries and family tensions. Well written and well-acted, if a bit too much coincidental misery to go round (I call it the 'Party of Five' syndrome). I don't understand why everyone was so keen on family though... Sure, they're people you can always rely on, but they're people you shouldn't want to spend THAT much time with, am I right? 3 stars.

Well, this post is going on for a longish while, I'll wrap up with a few specific things & make a separate post about the weekend hanging out with (& meeting some more of) Bonnie's family. There's that word again, but this was a positive weekend!

Back in Northern Cali - a friend from jobs of old came into town for a visit the weekend before Thxgiving! Raine, whom I'd worked with at Tippett and on Kong, she's back at Weta these days. Her and Ben T came in from Wellington (via Florida). Great to see her, one of the folks I would hang out with and not talk about work, those are too few :). We've played music together, too - I borrowed her cello while she was travelling once. Oo- she also was able to pick me up the new Phoenix Foundation disc, so I am stoked and very grateful.

Got to attend an advance screening of "Beowulf", which I was looking fwd to. Except it was a quagmire of ineptitude : the projectionist team couldn't make the 3d projection actually work in 3d. After several false starts, they let the movie play while they fiddled with it, so the audience had to watch 15 minutes worth at varying levels of polarization, stereo convergence, and focus. Then they shut it down, and ran it back to the beginning, which was too much for me - I left, along with 2/3rds of the crowd. A troop of monkeys would've been more effective... I ran into my friend Joe there, and got a ride back to East Bay from him after stopping at Bi-Rite Creamery (gourmet, organic ice cream near Dolores Park)... yum.

The day before, I caught up with ex-PDI coworker, basketball afficionado, and Detroit tranzplant Dan Kirksey - we see each other in passing at the gym, and play some hoops now n then, but it was chance to hang out at a sports bar in San Carlos, and get caught up on life things, so that was good. And we got to see the Billups-less Pistons come from behind to take down the Warriors in Oakland. Bittersweet, I'd like to see Oakland do well, but Detroit's got to keep winning some games! Since then, the Warriors have gone 8-1 to get over .500, Detroit's lost to sad sad teams like the Knicks and Chicago... It's a long NBA season.

Free4All Museum Day

2007-11-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

So, the most exciting thing I did this weekend was... museum crawl! Downtown San Francisco offered all their museums free4all to the public, all day on Saturday, Nov 10. It was sponsored by Oracle OpenWorld07, (I'm sure as some recompense for them getting to close the streets for a week), and co-organized by the Yerba Buena Cultural Neighborhood organization. I got an early start - getting onto BART at 10:30 (Bonnie had paperwork to do with Nicole that day). The musuems & galleries I visited - ones I've been to many times before : YBCA, the SF MOMA, Cartoon Art Museum, though the Academy of Sciences was closed due to a power outage (PG & E, you bastards), and several museums I've never been to : California Historical Society, Museum of African Diaspora; California Pioneers Museum; SF Camerawork; LBGT Archives; and Museum of Craft and Folk Arts. The highlights at each :
* YBCA - always exciting to see how this place changes every few months.A smaller venue with lesser-known artists, they seem to try harder than than their compadres at the MOMA. One exhibit had a photo series with an explosion, bullet-time style.
* SF MOMA - I didn't get into the special exhibits of Eliasson - lines were too long. It was the last museum I went to, so I was bushed... Though there was a neat Joseph Cornell collection.
* Cartoon Art Museum - Edward Gorey's Dracula! Nuff said. They were selling the 'Dracula Toy Theatre', which was a paper 3d-stand up of the sets and characters from Gorey's set design. Also, they had the works of Mary Blair, an art nouveau commercial designer, and early Disney animator.
* California Historical Society - special on camping in California
* California Pioneers Museum - one room on the Gold Rush, one on the history of minor league baseball.
* LBGT Archives - a look at lesbian folk music, and an exhibit on gays in the military. References to the quote "The Army gave me a medal for killing 2 men, and a discharge for loving one."
* SF Camerawork - artsy photo projects, one on 'flat daddy', and a youTube kiosk...
* Museum of African Diaspora - some interesting display kiosks about the dissemination and evolution of some musical styles, dance, fashion, and other cultural institutions. Also ones about food (don't see much diaspora connection there). Then the odd part - 2/3rds of the entire museum was taken up by the "What the World Eats" photo exhibit. Interesting, but odd...
* Museum of Craft and Folk Art - I've tried to get in here several times, but its always closed... finally got in there, but it was rather disappointing - only 1 room. But a few interesting ones - an anvil suspended on a plate of glass, a glass-blown sculpture looking like bubble wrap.
All in all - an exciting day & worthwhile to traipse around the city.

Genesis - LIVE

2007-10-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Oct 10 - Dateline, San Jose. Genesis, live in concert!! We went out to see the 'reunion tour', the first time in 15 years that Phil Collins has played with Mike Rutherford & Tony Banks. The reunion was originally conceived with Peter Gabriel & Steve Hackett as well - how awesome would that have been!! Still, this concert was cool, the best of the year I must say. They played for about 3 hours without a break. A lot of typical choices - the 'old medleys' were the same as what they had done on previous tours (In The Cage -> Cinema Show -> Afterglow, & "Firth of Fifth/I Know What I Like w/tambourine tarantella"), but a few surprises : opening with Duke's End, playing "Ripples", and 'Domino'. The video display was solid for the most part (too-cheezy CG animations; and, really - "Hold on My Heart"? Utter waste of 4 1/2 minutes), and the delivery was effective (they transposed most of the later stuff down, so Phil wouldn't have to sing so high). Plus, a good 1/3 of their set was Hackett-era material, he should've joined them on the tour!! They coulda done "Please Don't Touch" and "In That Quiet Earth", and maybe even "Star of Sirius" with Phil singing... Ah, a fan can dream...
FYI - you can get a copy of each concert from either their N American or European tour, 2-CD set soundboard mix, or a complete collection of every concert from each leg of their tour. Lemme just say - I find live albums kinda pretentious and opportunistic - I mean, it's the same songs you know, with a different arrangement & poorer sound quality. But for someone to buy 20 versions of the exact same concert ($940 for the entire boxset) is f*cking absurd! Still, I'd consider getting the San Jose concert, just for memorabilia's stake, kinda like getting your photo from the Splash Mountain, probably won't though... Plus, their T-shirt merch was kinda silly - just rehashes of old album covers, much like The Police tour shirts. And, at $35 a pop, not fun.
What was fun was a concert this weekend - The Fiery Furnaces, Oct 19 at The Independent Lounge . Very college-rocky band, but they have a great mixup of punk, prog, and '70's retro (with a refreshing absence of guitar - all keyboard. Plus a female singer). They'll play a theme in a song, and do several variations on it (think how many times the main theme of Beethoven's 5th gets varied in the first 2 minutes of that piece), and live they'll play a nonstop medley of songs. Strong groove, strong melodies - perhaps too incohesive, and a little too much of their 'garage virtuosity', but still satisfying. It was one of those shows where you say, "OK, two more songs and we'll leave.", but we ended up staying for their whole set.

Silicon Oct 07

2007-10-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to appear & present at a comic/sci-fi/movie convention - the SiliCon on Oct 5, 2007 in San Jose (thanks to my friend Ed Martinez). I hosted a solo presentation about the CGI/VFX industry - basically, I just spoke about my background in the biz, then showed my reel, & walked through it, explaining the technical and contextual aspects behind each shot. I made a meta-version of my reel, including shots from Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers, thru King Kong (no Shrek 3 available then, though I did get my reel within 2 weeks after the event). It was fun - first time I've done public speaking at that level in a while, it went well - I was rather dry, but I didn't make any major gaffes or lengthy pauses. The audience was only about 10 people, but a few people had compelling questions. It was a bit convoluted at first - the room we were scheduled to be in had no A/V services (in fact, only1 room among all the conference did...) So, it was some wrangling, but the organizers were very apologetic and friendly, and it all worked out in the end. (well, maybe it would've been a larger turnout if we didn't wait till the last minute to switch rooms). Anyway... I appreciate the opportunity to be included.
After my presentation, Ed did a demo of makeup & FX, based mostly on Smooth-On & its wonderous qualities. Very interesting walk through of creating basic makeup FX & scar tissue.
We checked out some other things going on - the vendor hall, the film fest, the charity auction, the live music (maybe get my band to play there next year!),the 'Hollywood movie museum'. All good, I hope SiliCon gets more funding and attention next year, & can sustain for a while (though unfortunately I think they got royally screwed by the DoubleTree on many levels...)
Thanks again, Ed & Nina!

Then October

2007-10-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... seems these updates are becoming monthly... Anyway, fun news - this weekend is SiliCon 07, a sci-fi/media arts/indiefilm convention, where I'm doing a presentation about my experience in the CGI business. I'll report back later...

Events the last few weeks : went to some concerts - Power to the Peaceful (Indigo Girls, Spearhead), Midlake (very cool - huge array of instruments); saw some classic movies - 'Hunchback' at Essanay Silent Film Museum, 'Day the Earth Stood Still' at Oakland Outdoor Movies. Went to bandmate Tim's wedding in Santa Clara; had a couple earthquake retrofit appointments on the house; caught up with friends who are changing jobs, or moving away (good luck Gen & Tom in Sydney!)

Also, my good friend from college Jan Miller has moved out to the bay area to work for Autodesk, I caught up with her for dinner in SF (at the launch of the new Kid Robot line of figures), but she's been pretty slammed with the move & looking for housing in Marin & paperwork for all those life things. Fluxuations in work have come up for me as well - got an offer from a small company in SF - very intriguing project & very attractive offer for the most part, but I ultimately decided to stay where I am, mainly because they've started to make good on giving me additional training, leading toward an opportunity to move into FX anim. More on that down the road, too... Bonnie had an intriguing new opportunity at work as well, but she declined as she determined it wasn't quite in-line with future goals. Still, always nice to have choices like this.

Plans are moving forward for out Big Event next summer. We've said all along we want to keep it manageable, not let it get out of hand, do planning in pieces, eschew tradition & impersonal standards, and focus on the guests, not us. Still, lot of work to do, and I expect the specific flavor will take shape when we plan the moment-to-moment.

September Already

2007-09-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

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...

San Diego Comic Con

2007-08-09T15:51:00.001-07:00

OK, so it's been a while since posting, but I went down to check out the Comic-Con in San Diego this year. I've only been once, I think like 10 years ago, which was a whole different world. For those who don't know - ComicCon is the U.S.'s biggest convention to "celebrate comics and other pop culture art forms," but it's basically a gaggle of fans of sci-fi/horror/superhero/action genres in all media - comics, books, movies, TV, some games and internet. Plus this was a reason to go visit my sis in San Diego (who may not be there this time next year, but you didn't hear it from me), and catch some hot hot weather. [Bonnie and I had gone to O.C. the prior weekend, to visit her family and share the news of our impending nuptials. That was a great time, spending more time with her dad, seeing her mom's new place, and meeting the Aunties and some of the extended fam - looking fwd to seeing you next year!].

Anyway, I got in on Thursday, took a day off to walk around town Friday (dang, it was hot, but a welcome, brief change of pace from NorCal weather), Bonnie got in Friday, we went to the Con on Saturday, went to the beach on Sunday, and came home Sunday night. So, details of the Con :

Huge crowds! Lots of peeps in costumes (at least 1/3 of all antendees). Missed on meeting Ed & Nina at the appointed time in the morning, but I ran into them randomly in the crowd - what are the odds against that?? Most of the hi-profile presentations I was keen on seeing were way WAY beyond capacity (Simpsons, Futurama, Marvel, Disney, Family Guy, Heroes), so I geared my day toward the smaller panels, which were still hit-or-miss to get in for. Kinda sad in some ways, that people line up to hear 'celebrities' - actors, directors, producers blather on, and sit for hours just to see a minute of a movie that's coming out next year anyway! Meanwhile, talented artists, writers, designers, indie filmmakers, scholars, etc. speak to much smaller crowds (at WonderCon they spoke to nearly empty rooms!). Anyway, my schedule played out :
Morning film school (panel on 'Working With Actors'); 'Reality-based Graphic Novels'; laughing at the line of folks waiting to see the 'Heroes' panel & knowing they'd never get in; 'Voice Actors' panel; (Bonnie left to hit the Marriot pool); panel on 'Class of 3000', with Andre Benjamin!; 'State of the Animation Industry'; 'Visuals and Storytelling' about collaborators in words and drawings; 'Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury' (hilite of the day, by far); and some trolling the exhibitors floor. I didn't get very much at all, just some DVDs from Bill Plympton (inspiring to meet him and hear him talk about the independents in the biz). The Hall was crazy, too - most of the hi-profile Studios had crowds blocking the aisles (I got tired of hearing security scream about fire hazards). Paramount was there, with the 'Bee Movie' trailer playing on their screens, but their push was for Beowulf and Indiana Jones 4 (2008). We got out of there to catch dinner in OldTown, before the harrieness of the Masquerade got started.
Overall, a fun time not only for the spectacle of it, but to see the scope of our biz and craft, and the range of really talented and inspiring artistes. Saturday night, late, I went to see a co-worker's goth-punk band, The Tell-Tale Heartbreakers, who had come out all the way from San Jose. The show was tied into the Con - it was a promotional for the indie zombie flick, "", and the band, "Hola Ghost", who got real punk cred. That band was great, too - they had a singer/guitarist, and bassist, and drum machine.
Sunday we went to Imperial Beach, where they were having a sand-castle contest & street faire (wanted a different scene than the usual Mission or Pacific or Ocean). We didn't stay long enough to see the results of the contest, but there were a lot of good castles and dragons... We spent some time at Sun Island sunning our buns, then made our way back to pack up and head to the airport. The weekend was all good all 'round!
Next up : more band info (we updated our mySpace, check it out!); kinda quiet end to the summer - we're having a Labor Day BBQ but I think our travels are done for a while.

Bro & family visit

2007-07-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

The few days surrounding July 4th, my brother Greg was in town with wife Vicki and kids. Fun having them around, I haven't seen the kids since Thxgiving 05! Their trip was off to a rocky start - they were scheduled to come in Friday, but their flight was delayed due to weather, and they were worried about their connecting, so they re-sched'd til Sunday (and stay an extra day at the end). So, ffwd to Sunday : they arrived in the afternoon, we met them at the hotel down the street, in Emeryville, and jumped right into things. First thing, we went up to the Lawrence Hall of Science - great museum for kids, the special exhibit was 'Science of the Circus', which the kids loved to varying degrees (Elise liked the magical & musical, Sterling liked the bungee bounce). Plus, we got to give them a splendid view of the Bay, from the Berkeley hills, and a tour of UC campus. Then a BBQ at the house, with some picture slideshows and TV watching.

Monday - They were off to Muir Woods in the morning - it was a bit rough, lemme just say the 'Ocean View' trail ain't easy to get to. TIP : If you want to go off on a hike, be prepared to HIKE. Back to the hotel, to meet up w/ Rebecca who had to fight her own traffic comin from OAK. Went swimmin at the hotel, then when Bonnie got home - off to dinner at _____. After dinner, took my bro shopping at Amoeba.

Tues, 3rd - This was a full day, to get as much San Francisco touristing as we could. Drove over to financial district, took the 'F line' up to Fisherman's Wharf, where we started with an hour-long Bay cruise. After redocking, we played in the 'Musee Mechanique', then walked along Pier 39 for shopping, Sea lions (there were only about 6 of them on the rafts!), lunch, a magic show & Aquarium of the Bay. Then some discussion about taking iconic cable car back downtown - we had a moderate long trek ahead, down to Ghiradeli Square area, then a wait for the cable car. In all, we all got thru it & had a nice ride back to the end of the line at Market. Then killing some time - Bonnie & I took the kids to the SF Carousel to give the parents a minor break (an hour-ish). Then over to dinner at Buca di Beppo's, where Nicole joined us! Good dinner, a festive atmosphere there (my nephew was giggling about all the paintings of butts on the walls), then the 4-block walk back to the cars & home.

Wednesday - The family wanted some downtime, so Bonnie & I left them to stay at the hotel & pool, and shopping center; and we scooted to the Piedmont 4th of July parade. Big crowds lining the streets in an affluent neighborhood - we soon learned why it was so under-promoted, we knew about it through Nicole's work with Sandre Swanson who was in the parade. Then a mini-BBQ again at the house (this time with S'mores!) and a drive over to the Berkeley Marina for the festivities. We were worried about having to occupy the kids for 4 hours til the fireworks started. They loved the Berkeley Kids' Adventure Playground (all things DIY for kids to climb on - rope net, zip line, tire stack. Dangerous, but just keep an eye on them, y'know??) Then finding our camp-spot (Rebecca was tired out, and held down the fort), so we went over to the inflatable slides and such, and games. Then waiting in line for an hour for funnel cakes ate up the rest of the time! Fireworks - boom bam oooh aaaaaah (we also got to see the SF Pier, the Sausalito, and the Giants displays). After 1/2 hour waiting in the parking lot, they opened it up, and we were on the way back.

Thurs 5th - I was back to work today (most people still seemed out for the holiday). They all came down for lunch at work (Becca had a flight to catch at 4). After work, I stopped over to the hotel, Vicki was feeling ill so Greg & I went with the kids across the street to CPK. Bonnie had the TV show, so afterward she stopped off to meet up with Vicki briefly at the hotel bar, and the rest of us stopped at the house for some digital pics and movies exchange. Bonnie got to say g'bye to Greg and the kids when I dropped them off, then they were off!

Great having them out for the week-ish!

June-teeth

2007-07-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Looking back on this, June was super busy! As I write this, we've just wrapped a visit from family (basically all the peeps who w brother Greg & family, which I'll make a separate post about. After getting back from our midwest trip, we hit The Police reunion show at Oakland Coliseum. Very good show, kind of odd because they are so iconic, and I knew every single song they played. Sting can still belt it out, they had spectacular video displays, and I thought it was amazing it was only those 3 guys on stage (no extra singers/keys/percussion/etc). That weekend, I got naked on Lake Shore drive, for the Tree Spirit project. (A PG pic of me made the online Chron). Sunday was a friend's B-Day party and jam, which was fun and fruitful. The following week, I started a screenwriting course provided thru work (maybe send some of my efforts to those interested), and my band got a rehearsal space just a couple miles from the office! We're excited by that, just in time to prepare for the "talent show" at work Thursday, where we played 2 songs at high volume, and pretty much came in last by the judges. Badge of honor!
The following weekend was SF Pride - super huge crowds, surprising (to me), even for San Francisco. We watched most of the parade, a couple hours worth w/ 200+ dykes on bikes; all sorts of dancers; local politicians; quite a few animals rights organizations; Sulu on the Google float!; an annoying mom from Redding with 3 teenish daughters; the S&M contigent bringing up the rear, so to speak. Then met up with Tom Proctor & Gen for their going-away at Zeitgeist, we'll miss ya!!
Then I had a few more chill days, until Greg came into town. I stayed up all night on Thursday-into Friday, and got a call from him at 5 AM - they were delayed due to weather and pushed their flight until Sunday! Disappointing, but sht happens, and they were on track to arrive Sunday early, and stay an extra day at the end.
So, next entry - family visit, July 1-6. Stay tuned...

Midwest Voyage 2 : Minneapolis

2007-06-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 :: Pulled up to Beth & Scott's place around 3PM in a very nice 'burb of Minneapolis. Beth greeted us, and my family dropped off our bags and turned right around to get back to Ironwood that night (Gordon had a car show he was involved with on Sunday, and so wanted to be back into home Saturday eve.) Beth made a nice salad & took us on a walk around the area - going down to the lakeside beach a few blocks from their duplex. Scott got home from work a bit later, our evening plans included stopping at a plaza bluegrass show ( getting some Cheese curds), and over to comedy troupe Brave New Workshop, which was quite funny.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 :: Breakfast at the French Meadow ( I got a muffin!). Shopping at Electric Fetus record store - 20% off special, and I got a local punk compilation! Scott needed to get some photog work done, so he dropped us off at the Walker Art Gallery and sculpture garden. Thus began a huge walking tour of town - downtown biz district; pho lunch; thru the revitalized warehouse area (including the old Gold Flour Mill which had exploded & they've rebuilt inside the ruins; and the Guthrie Theatre with its Amber Room vista point, and the Endless Bridge). We took a footbridge across the Mississippi River, to a hipster neighborhood and shopped at Bibelot, and met up with Scott for drinks at The Bulldog. By this time it felt like we were living the life of 'The Sun Also Rises'... Next was a World Music Fest back in downtown area; dinner at Pizza Luce across the street (getting their famous Garlic Mashed Potato pizza); then to Nye's Polonaise room for some polka, cocktails, and karaoke. It was a bit of a late night after that, sharing music and videos w/ Scott as the ladies hit the hay.

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 :: Tried a couple places for brunch, top choiced seemed to be closed, so we went to the hipster haven for Moose & Sadie's (I got a muffin!); then off on the transit train to the... Mall of America! Yes, it was a consumer orgy with its aquarium tour, giant stage with line dancing and inappropriately dressed underage girls, and amusement park. We did hit the arcade, and went on the 'Ripsaw' roller coaster ride (which gave a good overview of the whole scene). Then to some shopping - cheese store, sporting goods (3 stores right next to each other, and still it was hard to find a good Minnesota Timberwolves shirt), and food court. Scott got a Red Baron-looking kite, which we took to a hill near their place (never really got it in the air), then went to the lake beach for some swimmin. Back to the house to chill, then Beth took us off to the airport at 7 PM.

It was great time hanging with good friends who had moved away and hadn't kept in good enough touch. But we were reminded all the time there why we were such friends with them - bright, worldly, similar sensibilities in lifestyle and the arts, generous and supportive. As Bonnie said, too - it was like an introduction into our CA world, being in a bigger city and with familiar folks. It was also intriguing to see that they had friends who were artists or otherwise involved in 'the scene', and wherever we went, it seemed one or both of them knew someone around (Beth's old school chum at the Guthrie, Scott's co-worker at The Bulldog, etc). Thanks again for a spectacular weekend!

Midwest Voyage 1 : Michigan

2007-06-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

We made our usual-annual voyage to Detroit to visit my friends and family. Like 2006, we made it into 2 vacations-in-1, coupled this time with a visit to friends Scott and Beth in Minneapolis. We travelled via northern Michigan, a trip which I hadn't made since high school. Good times throughout, & a nice way to get away :

FRIDAY, MAY 31 :: arrived 6 am, chilled out for a bit. Went to Westland Mall (forgot my phone charger) and went around town. Friday night, went along with Andy & Becki (and met up with my college chum Joe Behl) to check out Sleepytime Gorilla Museum playing in Detroit at the Magic Stick! This was significant in that 1) we surprised the SGM crew by showing up on the other side of the country, and 2) Andy was on crutches, his wife was 8 months pregnant, and MI doesn't ban smoking in public places. Everyone enjoyed the show (despite the bland opening instrumental act that went on too long). Bonnie and I stayed til the very end - it was unusual to be able to get close to the stage, we said hey to them afterward & went home.

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 :: We went out to the Garden City Summer Fest (played on the ice rink in our bare feet, saw the classic cars, ) Shopped at Traders Joe's for a planned Sunday BBQ, and took my mom back to the G'City fest to watch the raffle we entered earlier (we didn't win). Caught up with Ron, then grabbed some Pineland (shish tawook & chicken schwarma!), and hung out at Andy's place checking out new and old videos & pics. Afterward, I went to check out Ron & Khris' new house in Livonia off 7-mile (v nice)

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 :: Got to go for a walk around the hood (Bonnie's made a point to go for a power walk most every day) & do some yoga in the morning. Then we went off to 'fabulous' Ferndale for the Motor City Pride Event. Interesting to see this event going on in a town like Detroit & very surprising to see how big it was. Lots of people, 4 blocks of booths (even some animal rights booths with lots of 'gay dogs), the opening of a new community center. There was a bit of a downer when a storm ran through - flooded people out, they had to close down the stages. But a very positive and encouraging display. We also hit some stores (Record Collector, where I got a Royal Oak punk comp; and a new comic book store).
The afternoon was gathering folks at my parents house for a BBQ(in lieu of the regular parties at Andy's house). So we stopped at Randazzo's Produce (it would've been fun to shop around w/ Bonnie - it's the closest thing suburban Detroit has to Berkeley Bowl) but it was super-crowded (so I guess that is like Berkeley Bowl). Then held court at the BBQ - John & Laura stopped by, Ron, Gordon & fam, Rebecca W (who came with news of having a little one on the way!)

MONDAY, JUNE 3 :: Went out to 'The Henry Ford' with my sister-in-law Allison. Bonnie & I had been there on her first visit, the day after Thxgiving so it was rather cold & wretched so we didn't get very far in Greenfield Village - we went through the whole thing this time. Later, Keith F came over for a brief chat & we had Hungry Howie's Pizza. Then over to Ron & Khris' place to hang out for a bit. Then a stop at Meijer for some late night shopping.

TUES, JUNE 4 :: Strolled through Town Peddler craft mall in the morning (where my mom has her purses booth), then headed to downtown Plymouth (kinda quaint townie area with an open park) and shops (including a Made In Michigan store). Stopped at an old workplace of mine - no one there at the time whom I knew.
In the evening, met up at Gordon & Allison's house, on the verge of departure for our road trip. Got on the road about 6:15, made a pretty smooth shot up to Mackinaw City, got into the hotel (Hamilton Inn) about 10:30. Dipped in the pool for a few, then walked (about 8 blocks) over to Dixie's Saloon, had a drink & I karaoke'd to Pearl Jam's 'Go' which shook up the locals a bit. :)

WEDNESDaY, JUNE 5 :: Was able to get into the 'fitness center' at the hotel, then nibbled at the breakfast bar. First item of the day was Fort Michilimackinac, which was fun and informative (including a live artillery exhibition!). Then ferried over to Mackinac Island : grabbed pizza lunch; went to St. Anne's Butterfly house & the church; carriage ride to the Grand Hotel & the famous porch; my dad & bro headed back to the hotel and Bonnie & I went on a bikeride and nature hike.
After hitting the cafe for some Mackinac Island Fudge!!, we got back across on the ferry & got dinner at The Lighthouse, then strolled the downtown shops for more fudge! Went over to Dixie's Saloon again with my bro & dad, but there was no karaoke.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 :: Longest stretch of driving ahead of us today, got an early start, headed across the Mackinac Bridge, and stopped in Rudyard, MI to visit some old family friends - Ralph & Sharon White. We spent an hour or so with them, and their 7 chihuahuas, and 2 rottweilers, and 3 horses (2 mini's). Then on the road, through Christmas, MI, and stopped briefly at the Marquette Mall. Got into Ironwood, since it was kinda late in the day, we made our touristy stops to Copper Peak, Black River Harbor, Potawatomi Falls, and Hiawatha statue. Checked into the hotel (AmericInn- hee hee), got dinner at Swiss Bell Chalet across the border in Hurley, WI (very interesting in that the 2 towns are pretty much just down the street from each other). Then a whirlwind visit to relatives : Karen & fam; Terri & fam; and by the time we got to Rod & Edie, Rod had gotten a call for work (he drives a hearse and pickup van), so we didn't get to meet up with him. When I spoke to him a few days later, unfortunately, Rod had arranged an interview with me at the Ironwood Globe -about my local connection & movie career. Feel bad about not making contact earlier.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 :: Got on the road pretty early - 8 AM ish, stopped into visit another of my dad's cousins in Hurley, WI - Elaine and her husband Roy (50 years + married!) They are such a hoot - in their 80s and going strong (Roy had even broken his ankle in November & was still quite mobile. We left, and were on our way to the Twin Cities (with a stop at the Duluth, MN, visitors center).
Overall, I didn't have as strong a connection to childhood memories as I would've thought, and the cousins were certainly were different than I remember (they didn't even have kids the last time I was there). But I'm glad we took my dad with us (which really wouldn't have happened without my bro going too), it was great seeing him with family from his youth that he hadn't visited for many years, and telling stories about growing up & family.

NEXT POST - our few days in Minneapolis!

Big green = big green

2007-05-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

So, the green ogre movie was a whopping success, setting a record for the best 3-day opening ever for an animated feature, and coming in 3rd on the all-time list (behind Pirates 2 and Spider-Man 3). Who says audiences are fed up with sequels?? Well, everyone at work is upbeat about it, and we even got an extension of our holiday weekend, which I appreciate. Saw it again, with some civilians, and it was fun to see people getting into it, but... eh. I doubt it'll carry on much, with Pirates opening next week, and 3 more family flix opening in the next few weeks.

Nicole has moved back in with us for the summer (it's great to have her in the house, feels like family), so I had to cram everything in the back room, now I'll have to reorganize. Long weekend for that... and getting more songs and clips put together to bring back with me to Michigan when we go, next weekend! Coming up fast. I'll post more details about that, on the trip, even. We managed to wrap the shooting on the room in time for Bonnie's mother to come visit, it was nice having her around, and on Mother's Day no less! On the short film front, the stuff in the room is not quite half the total, but there are some complicated FX stuff to work out, and rebuilding some sets... Tom & Garth did a genius bit of set dressing - flat panels w/ contact paper, we painted on that to grunge it up, then mounted it in front of the real walls. Looked great, too.

Got my car broken into... sucks. They targeted my Hybrid for the paperwork allowing it to ride in the carpool lane. Not much else was taken - sunglasses, gum, they left most of the change and audio cables in there. And no damage to the car, as far as I can tell - they didn't really 'break' in. I'd like to believe it was just a notion of someone that walked by, and not some prowler. The cops were friendly, if ineffective, as I'm sure most of these cases go. Still, sucks that it happened, and it's not something you want to have happen in your neighborhood.

Well, next post should be about our trip!

Green Beast

2007-05-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

We got a crew screening of a certain green cartoon 'part 3' tonight at a megaplex in SF. I think I'm contractually obligated to not disparage the movie, plus I then jeopardize my stake in any BoxOffice bonus money, but let me divulge two revelations I had that night, take them as you will. 1) My tolerance for alcohol is far greater than I believed, and 2) I should've had more to drink going into the theater. Three cocktails beforehand (on an empty stomach) and a paper bag full of tiny bottles snuck into the theater wasn't enough to buffer sitting through this movie. Granted, I was too close to it, still carried too many fresh scars, and hadn't had enough to drink. And at the base level, watching it still felt like I was sitting through dailies (I expected the art director to pipe up with notes). Technically-wise, I swear to zeus the print/projection was waaay too dark and contrasty. (It made me cringe through the first 20 minutes of movie, but then I concluded - "Hey, if the real audience presentation is this dark and weird-looking, maybe that will make it more distinctive.") Humor-wise/script-wise, I was sitting in a room full of people who had been watching the same jokes for a year or more, so they only laughed at the bits which they were surprised had made the final cut, saw which of the best, edgiest gags had been made a casualty (most of them). And incidentally, it was not really the final cut - the producers joked about making the editors go back to work the next day (the movie offically opens May 18). Which, again, is a wider joke, in that this screening and premier party was hosted on a Thursday, and we are all expected to go back to work on Friday. (Haha, the joke's on you.)
All of which contributes to the argument that I am neither legally eligible nor newsically competent to make an unofficial, advance review of ______ Part 3. And I'm carrying a lot of baggage. Let me just say, "Good luck."

Fiery Hell

2007-05-03T22:24:00.001-07:00

So, there was a major freeway accident in my neighborhood last week. Some nimrod truck driver rolled his fuel tanker truck in the MacArthur Maze - recognized as one of the busiest traffic interchanges in the U.S. Fortnuately, this happened on a deserted roadway at 4:30 AM on a Sunday, but said tanker truck caught fire and burned - yes, burned, and melted - a 250 yard section of the EB 580 freeway overpass, which then collapsed onto the SB 880, which is the major freeway I need to take everyday as part of my hellish, Earth-raping commute. (Hey, I admit my villainess. But a job is a job). The whole debacle was the feature of news for days. Gov't response was immediate - CalTrain cleared the scene within a few days; Gov. Schwarzenegger held a press conference on the site, with Oakland and SF mayors standing beside;
At any rate - what is the aftermath, who is to blame, who makes restitution, and what does it mean for me?
This week's commute was screwy to begin with - Monday I was out sick, couldn't carpool on Tuesday so I drove myself. I left home at 6:30 AM, and the roads were OK. Still feeling sick, I left early and got home OK. Wednesday I took an alternate route, which was OK, but again I left at 6:30 AM. Thursday was a special case - I needed to go into SF in the evening, so I took public transport in the morning. Through a series of clusterf_cks, it took me more than 2.5 hours to get to work (compared to driving, which takes about 45 mins). More research to follow, but I'm not keen on that slog again. Friday is a half-day, (see following post about the screening), so I can't judge again. The good news is that officials estimate 880 can re-open in about 2 weeks.
Newsmedia has been reporting dirt on the truck driver, (survivor James Mosqueda). No amount of humiliation, disgrace, punishment, is enough for this guy and his employers. Police determined he was going too fast, so 1 jackass caused $150 million in damage. He's had several convicitions in the past, the business has had several complaints and that particular truck failed Gov't inspections, yet they're still able to turn a buck at the expense of the public.
(On a side note, this pokes holes in the WTC conspiracy nuts who argued, "Steel can't be melted by a fuel fire!" Unless, of course, the same shady agents who took down the WTC also wrecked the Oakland freeway. Hmmm... there might be something to that.)
Replacing the 580 will take months, due to needing to replace the custom steel supports. This means that traffic coming off the Bay Bridge will be routed through the Powell street exit, and our own neighborhood. I saw it the other day - around 6PM, the backup was more than a mile, getting off that freeway. As much as I love Emeryville, and support their city plan for combining growing residential with local business & larger corporate retail (except Wal-Mart, fuck them), their idea for getting freeway traffic coming into the Bay Street Shopping Center is ridiculously stupid. One single exit, one single right turn, to get thousands of commuters and shoppers through town? And at an absurdly long light? Rethink that one, E-ville city planners. (to defend myself - Bonnie and I have been involved with the city general planning commitee and steering committee meetings for months.)

Party and Show

2007-04-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (Mar 24th) I had a sorta birthday party, and my band Colossal Inertia put on a show. Fun times, had a good turnout and it was a good way to move the band forward (in the dearth of gigs lately). Mostly Bonnie's idea & handling of the facilities, but the band put on the show. We rented Studio #16 at the Sawtooth Building in Berkeley - a labrynthine sprawl hosting a lot of artists' studios from different disciplines - painters, sculptors, dance & drama classes, antiques, even a few musical instrument shops. This room was nice and big with high ceilings, and a wooden dance floor.
It was fun organizing and planning, but lots o' work. Our philosophy is to be put on a show, and not just a rock band standing up there, so we started with the props. Smoke machine, strobes, stage lights, rotating siren lights. Then a video projector, displaying an array of freaky clips we had all gathered from various DVDs and the internet (the animals, and the soft-core aerobics videos seemed to be the most popular). Then there were the costumes - each of us had a different wacky outfit going on. So, the eye candy was underway, next on to the songs. Most written by me, since I had originated the band the previous autumn, but a range of stuff from heavy metal to ballads, to acoustics, and lengthy instrumental passages. It all came together well, despite not many rehearsals, and not being able to get into the room until the moment we needed to start setup.
Well, that was a bit of a nightmare. We got there at 6, people were gonna be arriving by 6:30 and we'd start at 7:30 was the plan. We had 5 players, 12 different instruments at various times plus vocals, and 2 video projectors each with their own laptop. With a couple borrowed PA systems, only a few mics, and an elaborate stage to set up. In addition, we needed to be extra careful about the wooden floor, not to damage it. We must've moved the PA system and the projector at least 3 times, and had only a minor soundcheck (interrupted by the breaker switching off), and main instruments sounded OK, from what I could tell. So, we broke, to get into costumes.
Mine was easy, I must admit - I changed my shirt, put my hair in ponytails, and put on a Viking hat and jacket. Tim had a hazmat suit on, Linda went as a gypsy ninja, Jimmy had his gorilla suit and the crazy rabbit head (which has its own cooling system, and A/V unit), Pandacat went with a King Diamond-esque makeup and leather getup.
So, we went on - first couple songs I played my doubleneck guitar, was doing the typical frontperson banter, adjusting levels as much as I could, going smoothly. Then I switched to Stick (while the rest of the band vamped on the 'Switch'), into the instrumental. Then in the middle of the next song, the breaker flipped again, so we started over with it. Then into the song with the bass clarinet (Tim has significant instruments changes as well). Couldn't hear the bass clarinet thru the sound system (one of the many technical problems which plagued us - not sure if it was even hooked in). Then a switch to banjo, during the surf song (wherein I couldn't fire up the Theremin), and Tim came up to the front of the stage to play on Melodica, then bass clarinet, and Pandacat switched to bass guitar. The crowd warmed to the Pirate song, and we did an extended jam at the end to keep it going. Then into the other banjo tracks (I liken one to a 'goth-dixieland', and the other to a 'deserted Mexican highway ballad') which were delivered well, but the arrangements do need some punch... Then a switch back to Stick, when Pandacat started a spacey guitar-keyboard jam which rolled into the Apocalypse Waltz (all improv, but needs some arranging to hone it.) Next was 'Gingerbrains' which I was going to run the loop on, but that didn't come through and I spent too much time futzing with it (I mean, the point of our random trax is an Oz-like 'Don't look behind the curtain'. Luckily the band struck up while I was messing around). So, we forged ahead with me really playing the riff on Stick, and I wasn't able to do the Theremin solo (that wasn't getting any sound anyway). So, next was 'Cave Bear' which went well and was one of our more popular selections. And we left the stage and came back (guess that counts as an 'encore') for our unnamed (oft-titled the new song or the drinking song or the hungry song) pounding hard rock track.

Our set list [including so-called bumpers]:
* Metal in the Microwave
* Asphalt Flowers Generator
* [Switch]
* Arbogale
* Gathering Dust
* Remember to Pay
* [Surf Song]
* Pirate's Cove
* No Not Me
* Revelations of My Friends
* Armageddon Waltz
* Gingerbrains
* March of the Cave Bear
* The Hungry Song (encore)

Unfortunately, I was so busy and didn't have the wherewithal to arrange recording (I had any number of people who simply could've brought a video camera). Some nice pics, though...
Band is in a holding pattern for now, coming off this show and waiting for some to wrap up being busy at work... So, more updates later.

Random rolling along

2007-03-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

So, updates go by the wayside... The Lo-Tech Cinema fest wrapped up at work, I didn't place in the competition (top 3), but I got 'Best Fight Coreography" for my tale of rivalry and retribution between 2 newspaper delivery ninjas. Fun stuff, I'll post it to YouTube once I re-edit and fix some technical hiccups. Also planning on submitting it to other 3-minute film fests... Then I'm also getting a new project underway with Tom, Garth, Stacz. This is one I was originally thinking of doing for the Lo-Tech, but Tom had some great ideas for expanding it. We're moving ahead with the larger but still modest new production!
Went to the Wondercon (NorCal's extension of the San Diego Con). Nothing too fantastic - panels for 300, Ratatouille, The Reaping (with Hillary Swank attending, so props to her for getting out there), Resident Evil 3.2 (I read that some guy was heckling Ali Larter about her bad character on 'Heroes', poor her). The Spider-Man3 started AFTER Sony's half-hour blather about their penguin surfing movie (so we left), and the presentation was some Sony marketing guy, not even any crew or talent. Got the 'Marvel Zombies' collection, and a few random back issues, that was about it. My old college associate, Geoff Johns, wasn't there for the DC booth, there was no Marvel presence whatsoever, nobody I cared much to hear speak. One of the more interesting rooms was the Comics Art Foundation, with some very scholastic presentations on the literature of comics. One we went to was about the female protagonist and issues of gender power dynamics; one was about NYC and the 'skyscraper' as a device of modernity in Marvel comics. Sad that there were only 10-15 people there to check it out...
The big Game Developers Conference was going on in SanFran, got invites for a few parties that friends' companies were putting on. Foundation 9 at Fluid, with my friend Jody, who just had a son. This is a friend I grew up with, just a few houses down. Then Linden Labs ('Second Life'), at 111 Minna, met up with my friend Jeska who I hadn't seen in years, even. Great catching up, along with free booze :).
Still lurching along with that ogre movie, working Saturdays for the next few weeks. Commute is still soul-eroding. It'll be interesting to see how May shapes up at the Box Office - Spidey 3, Shrek 3rd, then Pirates 3 come out within a few weeks of each other. It was encouraging to see "300" score a huge opening weeekend - a March record $70, 3rd highest R-rated opening.
Bonnie took me out for a nice birthday dinner at Tavola. We're planning on renting a studio in Berkeley, and putting on a rock show. Ostensibly for my birthday, but not till next weekend now (to avoid St. Patricks Day). Should be fun, we as a band seem to respond well to deadlines and goals, as is understandable. Need to make the push to get it going for real.
Hit the cinemas some recently. Saw 'Black Snake Moan' (from the director of 'Hustle & Flow'), which was great. Well - strange, and a lot of delightfully trashy, exploitative moments. I could go on for a while about how each scene was almost a different kind of movie, each one executed superbly, but not a cohesive whole, but that in itself is a brilliant accomplishment. Also saw 'The Astronaut Farmer', from the creators of 'Northfork' which I totally loved. Another weird one - kind of absurd premise, but the character moments that came through were genuine and heartfelt to an amazing degree. Without being overly sentimental. Both movies were similar in that were about so much more than their surface plot and characters, twisted cliches and conventions to make audiences think (or simply not get it), and were quite strange when taken as a whole package. Inspirational, to me, that movies like this get made.
That's about it for now.

Giraffe, baby

2007-02-19T23:53:00.000-08:00

In Santa Rosa, north of San Fran in Marin - there's a wild animal park called Safari West - sorta a reverse zoo, where you drive through the fake savannah, or even camp there. I've never been, it's been on my list for many years - this could be the summer! At any rate, they had the news of a new giraffe baby being born there after Christmas. The local paper has a slideshow of the birth process - warning, pretty graphic in spots... But way cute at the beginning and the end.

James Taylor - Live!

2007-02-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

So, Bonnie & I checked out the James Taylor concert (on
Valentine's Day, no less) at the Orpheum in SanFran! Now, hear me out - I'm actually a bigJT fan, for those who didn't know! It's been a long while since I've been to see him - I'd seen him 3 or 4 times in Michigan, and he always puts on a great show. This one was billed as the "One Man Band", so I was intrigued at how that would take form.

Impressions - great throughout, and probably the most interesting arrangement of stuff I've ever seen him do. It wasn't quite one-man, he had LarryGoldings accompanying on keys, but that was it. Oh, and a video screen behind him. And an electric guitar on stage, I eagerly awaited seeing him bust that out. I can't recall the play-by-play, but here's what I got :

He came on to raucous applause, and started with 'Something in the Way She Moves' (Bonnie's favorite JT song). Then 'Never Die Young' (one of his more underrated songs, I think). Then a lengthy discourse, with associated slideshow, about the Frozen Man discovered in the Italian alps in the 90's, followed by the song (he did a lot of talking & it seemed very natural, almost stand-up bits in between, which was neat). Then a no-guitar song, 'Mean Old Man', introduced by a story of his father being an Antarctic explorer, and his mom having to raise the family. He
rolled out a big "wood-shop" player-piano-like drum machine - literally an automateddrumset on a platform. Then 'My Travelling Star' with a video projection of a choir recorded in his hometown. He did 'Country Road' in the first set somewhere, concluding with 'Steamroller Blues' on electric. As soon as he put the strap over his shoulder, I yelled a solo 'woot', he said "Oh, you like the guitar?"

Second set started with 'Secret of Life' (I think), and included : 'You've Got a Friend' with a reminiscing of the days he hung out with Carole King, Carly Simon, and he was Joni Mitchell's "bitch" (awkward, but people laughed). He recounted his memories of Nixon's resignation on TV, mused on Elvis' sideburns going down to the floor, and followed with 'Line Em Up'. He put the acoustic down for 'Valentine's Day'. The choir made a return appearance, on 'Shower the People', as did the drum machine and electric axe on some song about Pink's Chili Dogs. Thecappers (along with tales of wild parties in the UK and Spain in 1968) were 'Sweet Baby James', and 'Carolina In My Mind'.

First encore was 'Fire and Rain' and 'You Can Close Your Eyes'. Then one more - 'Copperline'. Overall, flawless as expected, but also enough unexpected to really keep it going to the end. Excellent!

One more for Rex

2007-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Last week, Tippett Studio hosted a memorial for Rex Markle, providing co-workers a chance to honor him, where he had worked for 6 years and been the Roto/Paint department head for 4. As some know, a place like that can feel like family in many ways. It was a fine ceremony - there was a hired minister who led the proceedings, and she did a remarkable job, taking stories from John and friends and creating a very real and honest portrait. There was a slideshow of personal pics put together by M and editorial, and excerpts from an internal blog, quotes from co-workers on their reaction to the loss. They played the songs, "Gimme Shelter" (the Sisters of Mercy version), and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". Jules commemmorated the new editing suite the 'Rex Room', with a stunning plaque carved by Blair Clark. Larry, his brother, and Tom, his father, had gotten a tour of the Studio, along with a viewing of Rex's demo reel, and donated to the Studio a fantastic impressionist portrait done by a family friend. Phil and Craig started the comments by talking about how impressed they were by Rex's general love of filmmaking, and comiserating over the promulgation of talking animal movies vs. killer robot movies. Several people spoke, many getting choked up again. I related a couple stories - about how, when Rex started, he had taken over my roto shots for Mission to Mars, and that he never forgave me for that; and how he chastised my gig at ILM/working for George Lucas, and that even though I wasn't working at Tippett where he said I belonged, that he would still be a good friend. And he was indeed one of my closest friends in my time here in California. He touched many with his easy way, his wicked smart humor, his range of art and talent, is very missed by very many.

Later Bonnie and I went up to visit Rex's old desk, which had been converted into a shrine of sorts (reminded me of a voodoo altar, in a good way), by Tom G and his crew. Strange, but wonderful, to see pieces of his life laid out like that, a few things I had given him. Larry took some of the items to return home with.

It was also a good opportunity for me to catch up with folks I haven't seen in a long while. Sorry I didn't get to everyone I saw!

Thanks much to Phil and Jules, and all involved, for putting this together.

Best Music of 2006

2007-01-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

In other news, time to look back on the last 12 months of music. 2005 saw some fantastic releases, big and small (Foo Fighters, Coldplay, White Stripes, Gorillaz), and I was blessed to have been in the thick of the New Zealand scene (Phoenix Foundation, Shihad, Che Fu, Pluto, Gramsci). But summing up 2006, I have to say it surpassed it in depth and new discoveries. Difficult, as usual, choosing and ordering my top 10, but here goes (plus the runners up who deserve mention) :

10) "10,000 Days" - Tool. Sounds somewhat the same, but they still got it. Also, the best packaging, bar none.
9) "Idlewild" - Outkast. Ambitious, sometimes faltering, crosshatching of Prohibition-era jazz and hip hop. Mad props for making a music video in the form of a feature film!
8) "Dante XXI" - Sepultura. Their best since Max left. Gotta love the Divina Commedia in heavy metal.
7) "Bitter Tea" - The Fiery Furnaces. Amazing collision of electronica, prog themes, garage punk, and improv.
6) "Trials of Van Occupanther" - Midlake. Sweet harmonies, delicious melodies, masterfully produced flavors of 70's prog pop. Two of my year's top 10 songs - 'Roscoe', and 'Young Bride'.
5) "The Crane Wife" - The Decemberists. Not as strong an album as last year's Picaresque ('16 Military Wives' beats the pants off of 'O Valencia'), but a major impact on their major label debut. Hugely epic, yet intensely personal, catchy (despite the repetition repetition repetition of some lyrics), this band made huge strides.
4) "Ys" - Joanna Newsom. More epics abound, with 12-minute songs and 25 pages of lyrics. She delivers the goods as a modern troubador, a captivating singer/songwriter, and a visionary composer.
3) "St. Elsewhere" - Gnarls Barkley. I'd been anticpating this one for a long while : Danger Mouse & Cee-Lo, if it was as good as 'Danger Doom', I'd be happy. Well, this hip hop-meets-Motownish soul exceeded all expectations & became one of THE biggest albums of the year overall, and 'Crazy' just never got old, all summer long.
2) "River of Crime" - The Residents. I'm ashamed to say I've only gotten into The Residents recently, despite being aware of their talent and weirdness for more than a decade. True artistic and marketing innovators, when I heard they were coming out with a radio serial, and that you'd buy the blank CDs and download the episodes in installments, I was all over it.
1) "The Rose Has Teeth In the Mouth of the Beast" - Matmos. A series of biographical sketches realized in song, everything good about Matmos on display here, as they continue to grow as artists. Their live show in October was one of the best, most interesting shows I've ever seen.

Honorable mention - the re-release of "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" by David Byrne and Brian Eno. Go online to remix their songs!

Worth a mention - "Tweedles" by The Residents; Thom Yorke; Don Cabellero; "Operation Mindcrime II" - Queensryche; Mike Patton's "Peeping Tom" for the 2nd best CD packaging; Slayer back with their original lineup; Wolfmother; Dr. Octagon; Starlight Mints; The Ditty Bops; Vienna Teng; Cat Power; Dixie Chicks
Worth mentioning I didn't get these ones, but I wanted to. Maybe my list would've been different : The Raconteurs, Loose Fur, Strapping Young Lad, Johnny Cash; His Name is Alive (go suburban Detroit!); David Gilmour; .

New Year

2007-01-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone. I'm not usually one for platitudes and affirmations, but it's time to take a deep breath and head forward. May you put the worst of 2006 behind you, take the best of 2006 with you, and face the future with open arms and mind, may you reach your goals, and may the cosmos treat you fortunately.

Funeral for Rex

2006-12-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

What an amazing event today - full of tears, open emotion, joyous reminiscing. It was such a healing process to come together, and get some great stories about Rex for everyone.
Hectic morning - lots of preparing, TomG and crew arrived with facilities from Tippett Studio for the service (heaters, tables and chairs, coffee machine, beverage). By 1 PM people began showing up, and it hit me hard. Three or four times in the next hour I had to excuse myself for fear of breaking down. M and Rev Steve, and Rex's family showed up by 1:30. More people arriving, and by 2:10, Steve started the ritual. A reading of one of Rex's poems (we uncovered an enormous amount of fantastic works of art and writing at his apartment). A memory of what Rex meant to him. A sage smudging. And one his favorite Leonard Cohen songs played ("First we take Manhattan. Then we take Berlin."). I went to the mic (choked up) and invited anyone to come up and speak.
It was such an amazing collection of community I witnessed. I wonder if Rex had any idea how many great friends he had, and how much his family truly appreciated him. I would think so. People had such great memories of how wonderfully he treated them. How his generosity and capacity for concern touched them. How smart, stimulating, sly, he was in conversations. His easy way with all kinds of people. His sense of humor, and the jokes and funny anecdotes helped make our feelings real.
Everyone told us how much they appreciated Bonnie and I opening our house and arranging the gathering. I could only say that we were glad to do it, to give something back, to give everyone a place. M had his laptop with a slideshow of pics, and we played some of his favorite music, and people brought in several cornucopias-worth of food. As the day went into night, (and after a 4.0 quake rattled through, epicentered in Berkeley... his spirit departing the earth?), I became very at ease - not that the loss was made any less horrific, but the realization that what was left in its wake was enormous, and a fantastic thing. LX Rudis said 'he's only as gone as we let him be gone, in our hearts," and I agree and would add this : Rex fostered his myriad friends of different backgrounds. We keep him in our hearts, and our togetherness keeps his memory alive.
There was an additional undertone to his condition. When Rex's body expired, they took him into the OR to extract his organs. The surgeons found out he had extensive stomach cancer, which had spread into his liver, and was terminal within a year. All the unanswerable questions - how much he knew from a doctor about the seriousness of his condition, if he knew instinctually his body was dying; how long he had been dealing with the pain; why he didn't bring it up in any detail with friends; what was going through his mind in the seconds before he fell - could drive you mad ricocheting in your mind. The facts are (and M has provided us with most of the insight) : in the preceding weeks, he had shown no mood change of having received the inevitable news, nor any outward signs of significant stomach disturbance; that he was looking forward to hosting a BBQ at his place the next weekend, and birthdays to be celebrated next month; that his last few hours and minutes were spent doing something he enjoyed, with good friends; that he was spared (and did spare us) the excruciating and drawn-out process of dying in front of his friends. This changes nothing about how much we loved him and will miss him, but in some small, indescribable way it's a comfort, and makes the death a tiny bit less senseless, that he went quickly and with no suffering.
Mark has started a Wikipedia page to honor Rex and his lifetime of art and artist support. Please view it, and share in his life's memory.

Goodbye, friend

2006-12-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

Goodbye, friend

Rex Markle (Richard Phillip Markle) was disconnected from mechanical life support, and passed swiftly and peacefully, in the early hours of Tuesday, Dec 19, 2006. Age 35.

The Finality

2006-12-18T00:31:00.000-08:00

Made our way to the hospital Sunday morning, and met Steve and Sarah outside. They already had the news to share, the result of the neurological tests. The first words out of his mouth, that hit me in the gut, but there was no easy way to get it out - "They're pulling the plug on him tonight."
The tests showed no brain activity, the response to reflex and pupil tests was nil, and they determined his brain was deprived of oxygen for too long to reverse the damage. No hope of recovery - highly unlikely he would ever regain consciousness, much less cognizant function or motor skills. The family made the decision to unhook life support and let nature take its course. If the heart stopped within a half hour, dozens of his organs could help other people.
We went in to see him (meeting the stepsisters on the way in), extremely tough, him lying there still hooked up to machines (oddly, looking more at peace than the day before), and the reality and finality of it hit Bonnie pretty hard. She had some words to say. The only things I could come up with to say were, "Goodbye" and, "Thank you for being in my life." I touched his hand, his skin was warm. I noticed things I wished I hadn't, things I don't want to be part of my last memory of his appearance. Allow me to indulge in my journal here, please skip ahead if this is too disturbing... His growth of stubble, and realizing he hadn't shaved in 3 days and would not. The way his lips accepted the intubation tube, the tightness of the securing rubber straps against his cheeks. Scrapes on his face and knuckles that won't heal. The look of his face, and thinking, "Is it swollen?". I've never seen him sleeping, other than the times he's passed out on a couch - is this the way he looks when he's asleep? The shape of the face, to me, only seemed correct from the angle where I was standing right next to him. I took one last look at his face, and began walking from the room. I looked back, and his face didn't look right to me, so I had to return to his bedside, take a final portrait photograph in my mind, and I could not look back when I left the room for that final time.
Again, the next chunk of time is a blur. M coming out to tell us they'd disconnect life support on Monday afternoon (this timeline changed much the next few hours); John and Neal and Trisha showing up; Heather showing up in tears; Mark M returning; almost missing Leslie and Tulah because we took a break down in the Cafe; M talking in distant terms about funeral arrangements, and what to do with his 'stuff'; how the news would spread at work. Rex's Dad going to pick his brother Larry from the airport. And phone calls. Lots and lots of phone calls. Who did I miss? Who would want to know? Who would want to visit in the few hours still available? Maybe I missed some people whom I should have called that afternoon, I apologize. Many people found it hard to believe, a few were intensely weeping. This is the first time I've ever had to deal with anything like this, so little you know, so little you can control.
Back to the rest of the day, Bonnie (my fantasitcally supportive and helpful partner!) and I split and went home in the afternoon. Gilx called and said he and Vicki had gone, no other visitors at the time, and the reality of it hit them hard. More hanging out at home, called M and Steve Leyba a few times, they had a full house and were thankful of the the surroundings. I was on the way to a show at Yoshi's, but I decided it was way more important to be around friends of Rex. Met his brother Larry, who was handling it rough. He related a story that Rex had bought a huge gift for his two-year-old niece, it had just arrived 3 days earlier. Very nice guy, I can notice a lot of similarities in the mannerisms and appearnace with his younger brother. Bid goodnight to the family, and headed home.
I realized I hadn't called Matt and Ann, they were people that should know before the big email send. They showed up on our doorstep 10 minutes after that phone message. Matt said they had already sent a mail - respectful enough, and there's no easy way to announce news like this, but hard to think that's the first thing people will read on Monday morning. Bonnie and I offered to host the ceremony, Rev. Leyba to preside over it, but we'll see how it works out, if we can take the whole capacity of Tippett Studio. Friends of Rex, please mail or call me, we'll put a memories board together.
Sucks. Unbelievably.
We'll miss you, Rex. Incredibly.

Critical condition (long post)

2006-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Had some very grim news come through today. It was one of those things you get the initial call, early in the day, with very little information to go by, and the gravity of the situation grows as you learn more, as other people in the same circumstances pull together in a room, and it really starts to sink in. Starts to, mind you - part of it is you don't want to believe it, shock that it can't reallly be happening. Your friend can't be walking around, joking, partying with you one day, and be comatose, hooked up to machines in a hospital room with little chance of recovery the next. And you can't go by what the doctors tell you - they don't know everything; the expert still has to diagnose; people get better from worse conditions, you hear about 'miracles' all the time.
The situation, and the way my experience unfolded : late in the morning on Saturday, a call came in from M Stevens, that our very good friend Rex Markle had a serious accident Friday night. He fell from a 2nd story balcony - a freak incident, a porch he had spent countless evenings at, drinking and discussing the world with friends. In analyzing it, it would seem not very far - people survive leaps from buildings or sky diving incidents, come on! - but the impact was serious enough to rush him off in an ambulance, and to transfer him to an ICU at a larger hospital within a couple hours. The initial word, I got from M, described him with a possible broken neck. My stomach sank, M was so distraught he didn't know the name of the hospital, only the phone number - I googled that, and it was Highland. I called Bonnie, who was dealing with car service. At this point, I had no concept of what was going on- I wasn't even sure about going to visit - I figured Rex had a few scrapes and cuts, and needed a few days in the hospital, and a few weeks to mend bones. The situation, mood, circumstances... declined from there throughout the day.
Got another call from Brian, who expressed a grimmer outlook, one M hadn't even considered, who was already starting to sound a wreck on the phone. Several folks were on their way to Highland, so I stepped up my pace, picked Bonnie up and made our way there. Looking back on this now, the exact timeline is foggy - who was already there, when certain persons showed up, who got there before whom, and in making calls later, I honestly could not remember if we had been there an hour, two hours, whenever. We got through the staff (who for the most part dealt with us with utmost respect) and went into room #13 (actually just a bay along the wall) to visit Rex.
Shocking. The first concrete example of the heavy truth of it all. In my life, I've never been around that much - hospitals, sickness, injury. I've never even been to a funeral (it was pretty impossible for my grandmother's and uncle's in the past few years). Seeing my friend, lying unconscious in a robe on a gurney, scraped up head and knuckles (later visitors said his knee was messed up, too), hooked up to the EKG and a respirator! for god's sake - this was the first time it hit home. I didn't know how to react, what to think. Bonnie asked, could he hear us. The attending nurse said probably not. We spoke anyway (Bonnie took the lead) - we let him know he was surrounded by people who loved him, and would do anything and everything it took to get him through this. The next moment freaked us out - his eyelids fluttered, then his eyes opened. We rushed out to the station, practically screaming. The nurse informed us it was 'normal' (how anything could be normal in those circumstances, I can't understand) - it was a neurological response to the injury. I watched for a few seconds (and this memory I did NOT share with anyone else the rest of the day) as his eyes opened wide, his face contorted, his mouth bit down, and repeated the same motion perhaps a half dozen times. A seizure, essentially as the nurse described it, and again, that made the situation hit home hard. A lingering glance on his face and form after the seizures had quelled, and I had to get out of there. Other people made several return trips in to visit during the day, Bonnie included, I did not.
So, returning to our crew in the waiting room ( at that time - Mark Morris, M, Brian & his girlfriend, and Chris whom Rex had known since high school) to get an update - Rex's father was commencing the drive from San Diego area. We had very little information, but it was a huge indicator for us that it was a 'next of kin' situation, and only immediate family could make any decisions. M was taking it the hardest, and were all offering what we could. Garth had called me about the camera, and I broke the news to him. Gilx called me back a few minutes later (Vicki later too), and I filled him in. The Tippett xmas was Saturday night, I can only imagine how the news rippled through. I also called Ed & Nina, who got on their way to visit, and Dan F. Rev. Steve arrived with Sarah, who was weeping, the first of the tears that I saw that day.
The next few hours are a chronological muddle in my memory - news trickled out from the staff, we fielded calls throughout the day, took a break for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and waited for his father who was going to be the only one to get the whole story. Other arrivals were LX, K2, Rob, Florek (who was actually there when Rex had his fall & called 911). His father arrived in super good time, and was amazingly cool and collected, and very appreciative of Rex's circle of friends, M especially. Some more waiting for the doctor (though not the neurologist, who won't see him till Sunday morning) and here was the full story as I got it, and the prognosis, and where there is hope :
He suffered three fractured cervical vertebrae, and his spinal cord was pinched between. Massive injury to the base of the skull and top of the spine. Concussion and excessive swelling of the brain, which makes it very difficult to make a long-term outlook (if the swelling goes down, maybe the injury is less severe than it first looked). The brief CAT scan showed zero higher brain activity, and no reflexes or pain response. Almost certain quadripeligia, if he ever even reawakens. Where there is hope : the specialist hasn't tested him, and there are no continuous electrodes attached so that's not a definitive report. His spinal cord was not severed. His heart and lungs are still functioning on their own. And we refuse to give up hope, to accept that nothing can be done. We want a second opinion. And beyond that, we want these people to know who they're dealing with. It's not just a general case, not just flesh, it's Rex! And they don't know what he's capable of, we all do.
So, for tonight, we wait. Please give your good vibes/prayers/karma to Rex.

Most Hated Songs?

2006-12-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

I'm a positive guy when it comes to accepting music (except when it comes to the real enemies of art - pop singers. I digress.), but I have a list of most-hated songs. You know those songs you simply have to get away from - if they come up on the radio you dive across the room to turn it off, if it comes up in mixed company you can't politely hold your tongue, if your friend admits to liking it, you may actually lose a tiny bit of respect for that person? Real audio popcorn under your gums, like bending your fingernails back but in your ears. I realize in many cases, this distaste is exacerbated by weasely DJs or other sycophant 'moguls' (I'm looking at you, KEXP's Kevin Cole) who heap the praise on these cultural warts. These are in my opinion, and perhaps only a few others, because these are wildly and undeservedly popular songs.

1) "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)" - The Proclaimers. First of all, it's the height of pretentiousness to have parenthesis in a title unless it completes a phrase or is funny. This one ain't funny. The video makes this even more evil, those guys are so weird looking when they dance around. Chicks buy into this crap?
2) "Hey What's Going On?" 4 Non-Blondes. Again, the video amps up the hate factor. That singer tries too hard to look freaky - like a poser goth. And that hat looks like Seuss puke. As an aside, I'm embarrassed to admit I sometimes confuse them with Concrete Blonde.
3) "Zombie" - The Cranberries. Eeee. Eeee. Eeee. Eeee. Eeee. Eeee.
4) "The Boys are Back in Town" - Thin Lizzy OK, hate is too strong a word, but it's highly irritating to me, though it's impolite to speak ill of the dead, and I generally respect Phil Lynott
5) "Chicago" - Sufjan Stevens. The false-idol darling of indie radio, and I listen to a lot of indie radio. This song in particular is a lightning rod, but his whole style rubs me the wrong way. He's got all the ingredients I should like - multi-instrumentalist, lush arrangements, he's from Michigan! - but it all seems so disingenuous, like ersatz cherry flavoring (not classic Traverse City cherries, yum!).
Well, that' all I can think of for now. Maybe more later. Send me your own list! My best of 2006 coming up soon!

December already. December 6??

2006-12-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

Been a wee while since the last update (how often to blog entries start that way?). So what's been up... house is coming along OK, finishing up the winterizing soon. Band is coming along, some great jams that I've recorded, and been digging through to find parts that go together. Improv is excessively fun, funnest thing of all, but after a while it can seem like you're spinning your wheels. It's worked well to gel the band and throw out ideas without criticism, and get the fires going, but it'll be good to get real songs done. And I need to work on my lyrics and vocals. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll make serious progress till the week off I have around the holidays. But that will hopefully be intensive, I have nothing else to focus on, and I'll be at home.

I've also been occupied with movie-making! Not that big budget, Hollywood fare that pays the bills, but my own shorts. It started with assisting Proctor on his short, which went really well, and he's got an awesome camera. Then I was inspired to get something done for PDI's Lo-Tech Cinema, 3-minute film fest. I threw out some ideas to my oft-co-conspirators Tom, Eric, Vicki, and Garth. (Tom) Gilx really liked one idea, and developed it way further than I had, so he's taken it over to direct, which is great. But we figured it deserved more attention than the month-to-make-it, 3-minutes-max, format, so we set that aside, and I came up with another quickie idea that we've started producing. First shoot was a bit rough, my first time directing in a few years, and I'm also starring in it. And the weather prevented our outdoor shoot, so we did the interiors. Now we're backed up against the wall to get our exterior scenes done, and the weather is foreboding on the only 2 weekend days we can shoot. And trying to coordinate 8 volunteers' scheds, a couple days before I need em. Then that gives me 4 days to edit and sound mix. Yikes. Looking forward to it tho. We're planning on picking up the first project again in January.

It's been kinda quite on the social/cultural front. Went to an amazing show by 2 Foot Yard at the SF JCC. Someday I'll map out the 'Sleepytime<->Charming Hostess' family tree, and how 75% of all Bay Area eclectic musicians fit into it, but 2 Foot Yard is one of my favorite facets, as far as technical exploitation, songcrafting, stylistic variations, and flow of the show. This was possibly the most extensive and well-executed performance of theirs I've seen, so kudos. It was great catching up with everyone, I feel very honored to know them as well as I do. Also, Lisa Fay was running sound, and we went out for dinner (or whatever you eat at 1 AM is called), and got filled in with her life. She'll be back in Oakland, after her tour with the Smuin Ballet, so hopefully get collaborations with her again.

Thanksgiving was a becoming-traditional trek to OC to visit Bonnie's family. Her brother Tracy came out from Carson City on the Amtrak, the first time I've met him, good guy. We drove down on Thanksgiving day (remarkably smooth traffic wise), and Annie and Steve had taken very ill but managed to get through dinner. Then we went to a movie (a tradition of mine, I guess) to see 'The Fountain'. Ugh, wretched, so overblown and unfocused. Friday, we went with Bonnie's dad Jack to the Huntington Library in Pasadena. First I'd even heard of it - it's from a wealthy family who have opened their private collection of art (Blue Boy and Pinky), rare documents (Guttenberg bible, Chaucer manuscript), pottery (vases and china sets, etc), plus the sprawling grounds which include a Japanese Tea Garden, and cactus garden. Very cool and unique museum-going experience, I highly recommend anyone in LA who may have run the gamut of museums to check this place out! (OK, first check out the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, but the Huntington a close second!). Saturday we met up with Bonnie's long-time friend in Long Beach (nice meeting her and family), and I strolled Belmont Shores shopping (including Fingerprints Music and Polly's Coffee) whilst they went for coffee. Then we made our drive back up, managed to avoid the insanity that was Sunday.

We have houseguests this week also, Steven Leyba and his paramour Sarah. He's been nomadic of late, and this is the biggest chunk of time Bonnie and I have gotten to spend with him, and we have a history of domesticity (he sub-let my Berkeley place when I was in NZ the first time; I moved into the Berkeley duplex when he vacated that in '03), so it's been good times having him around.

Bonnie's birthday bash was in full effect on Dec 3. She has a tradition of big dinner parties (much classier and more intimate than beer bashes or the like), but since this was the first at the new house (the indoors aren't spacious enough to host it), we spread out the tables in the yard and had a lunch. It was spectacular - my friends (who have become Bonnie's friends), Bonnie's friends (who have become MY friends), new neighbors, wonderful food, a great contingent of musical talent ( Andrea Prichett did an informal gig with guitar and singing).

So, more news as it breaks... next post should have the results of my craziness to get the short project done.

The Monkees: Head

2006-11-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

Lend me your ears, that I may sing the praises of one of the greatest movies ever. A masterpiece of absurdism, a pinnacle of '60's pop culture vignette, a cheeky chunk of iconoclastic self-aware self-indulgence - "The Monkees : Head". Part the adult version of what freaks were hoping their TV show could be; part psychedelic storytelling which 'Magical Mystery Tour' wished it could be; part cinematic version of the avant garde hippie musique concret 'Lumpy Gravy'. Unquestionably the zenith of The Monkees' output : where they ceased being merely a corporate-generated American answer to the Beatles, and transcended all preconceptions to achieve a surreal, self-reflecting convergence of their collective talent. The weirdness of the 'fourth wall' movie-making is stellar, the art direction is cosmically mind-blowing, the music is outstanding, the humor is black, thick, and infectious. Some examples? The slo-mo opening of Micky Dolenz jumping from a bridge and becoming a mermaid's mate; reference to being a 'corporate generated' band in the theme song, the numerous interruptions to chat with the director on-camera, the channel-changing montages that blur the lines between reference and re-creation; the admission that Peter Tork is always the 'dumb one'. A loosely patched together string of often high-concept scenarios, it's clear the filmmakers knew in every shot what they were doing, how silly the ideas were, and which notions of celebrity and 'art' they were skewering. It's a send-up of Westerner's ignorant, shallow consumption of feel-good Eastern philosophy, and a parody of several film genres, while at the same time embracing the truth therein (its symbolism of the 'black box', and the Coke machine in the desert, is unmistakable). On the many occasions where the jokes were over-extended, lazily realized, or just plain unfunny, they knew how to milk them and turn them around, so the awfulness came bubbling to the top like fine cream. For those who followed the TV show, and kept hoping they would ditch the lowest-common-denominator, dumbed-down for the kids wimp out of most of the jokes, this film delivers on those dreams! For people who knew the Monkees real musical talent for the psychedelic was trapped in a Boyce-and-Hart pop song box, here is your champion!
The move culminates in a stereotypical, amped-up chase scene through the studio backlot, with the obvious gang of antagonists in pursuit of our heroes. And yet - the music slows, and we get a reprise of the opening slo-mo underwater sequence, which is then revealed to be an on-set water tank, taking the concept of cliche and parody and bending it even further to deliver the unexpected. All this, and co-written by Jack Nicholson, with cameos by NIcholson & Dennis Hopper (as stagehands), Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston as a boxer, Terri Garr, Annette Funicello, and Victor Mature.
If you've never seen it, put it on your list. And watch it before you die.

Octoberween

2006-10-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

So, this has been a super-busy month events-wise. First weekend - there was my band playing. Then, Bonnie's mom Annie was in town that weekend - went to Bucci's for Saturday dinner. Shelley and Jodi had their baby shower on Sunday, excellent seeing them and other friends I've met thru Bonnie. Also, both days, Tom Proctor was shooting for his short - a neat twist on typical horror expectations, plus it's great someone's doing a project. (It's got me inspired to get my short going - more on that later).
The next weekend (after making a sidetrip during the week to drop off the demon to Ed's place) was Friday night at the 1-year anniversary of the new deYoung museum, and their special exhibits about the Chicano movement, and one about the quilt-making heritage in the small, isolated Alabama town Gee's Bend. Saturday, went out the Castro Theatre for a special 3D presentation of "Creature from the Black Lagoon", with a live appearance afterwards by the stars Julie Adams and Ben Chapman ( the creature on land). It was really neat and charming to see a couple of octogenarians reminisce about the golden days of H-wood. Had an adventure on public transit to get home, then it was a chill evening. Skipped on Gamelan Sekar Jaya at Zellerbach (I know, it's rare for me to not catch their appearance), and also Dynamite 8, went to see '49 Up', which was interesting to see the aging process and life unfold. It did get long after a while, I admit I dozed, and missed some of the most interesting story - the guy with schizophrenia, and some of the reunions of friends. Sunday was dinner with Rev. Steve, who's in town for a stint.
Now comes the most packed week - monday Jam w/ the Colossal Inertia crew. Wednesday 18th was Matmos at Great American Music Hall - a rare concert tour, it was fantastic, or at least fantastically interesting. Some wacky instrumentation included : roses as drumsticks, balloons, microphones on dry ice, someone getting a haircut, and buttcheeks (don't ask). Lot of improv, too, and a whole other electronic artist (Walter Kitundu, whom I learned from Pete, was briefly in Crown City Rockers), I was surprised at how much piano MC Schmidt played. Thursday no event, but we got our gutters installed, in the morning! Friday 19th I took the day off, helped Proctor on some shoots during the day (at leatherman shop in SF..., and at his home), did some biz in the afternoon, then made my way on public transit to SF again, for the Decemberists show at Warfield (ran into Dave Eberle from work). The show, sorry to say, didn't blow me away - less energy than the one we saw last year at Bimbos. Strange song selection - it consisted mostly of tracks I often skip over when listening to the albums, and new material, which I was familiar with, I got the 'Crane Wife' album the week before, but with their subdued and stripped down arrangements, translate into being quite looooong onstage. The highlight of the evening was an excluded 'Crane Wife' track, "Culling the Fold", whereupon they danced wildly. The closer was a 'bonus' CD track from the new album, "After the Bombs", which I thought was very dry and slow to cap the night, and rather unsubtle in its lyrics. Sunday the 21st DID blow my mind - Crispin Hellion Glover, presenting his movie 'What is it?", a quite surreal and disturbing trek through a man's psyche, made even more 'uncomfortable' (a favorite buzzword for Crispin) by the near-entirety of the cast being Down's syndrome kids adults. A very unique event - he's not distributing it, nor releasing on video, so this is the only opportunity to see it. This is a movie Ron's been pushing me to see since he caught it at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2003 (where it won, inexplicably for 'Best Narrative' movie). Crispin did a Q&A afterward, which was highly fascinating and ultimately interminable, and did clear up a lot of mystery regarding how much of his mannerisms are an act, or an Andy Kaufman-like trip on being weird. After answering questions for over an hour, he got into a mano-y-mano debate with one dude, and spent 15 minutes talking to him. That was almost midnight on a Sunday, and we had to catch BART, so that closed the eve. Oh, before that on Sunday I put in a few hours assistance on Proctor's movie, shooting at the Berkeley Rose Garden Inn.
The next week had 2 evening jam sessions at work, M & W. Also, spent several evenings this week tied into the baseball broadcasts - the Detroit Tigers were in the World Series! Hard to believe, they've been losing for so long, but so great to see them do well ( they lost in 5 to the St. Louis Cards. Oh well, they went far, and no New York team was in the finals, so harhar!) . Thursday 26th was nice - got invited to (old friend from childhood) Jody's company's Halloween extravaganza, and quite a party it was. At Nimby Art Space in west Oakland, they had several fire installations - including "Dance Dance Imolation", a DDR game where a misstep will get you a blast of fire in the face (behind a firesuit, of course). One of the team behind DDI was my pal Matt Blackwell, from ILM, whom I run into at many a show. It was great catching up with Jody and Micki, who are expecting a son in February! Also, caught up with Kevin Wilson, a neighbor, and a whose brother and sister I was good friends with back in the day. I didn't recognize him until introduced, and I realized I've never really known him as an adult. He's the only one of his family to have uprooted and come to Cali (after years of chasing his bro to do the same), so good on him.

Friday 27th (after winning our PSC league soccer game!) was a production meeting with Gilx and Garth, about a short idea I had thrown out in hopes of stirring up some interest to get it done for the PDI Lo-Tech Cinema, 3-minute film fest. Gilx really jumped on it, starting popping up ideas, and I handed it over for him to direct, which I'm excited about, and so is he! Looking forward to doing this. Saturday was the company screening of 'Flushed Away', the Aardman-coproduction (Pete came along as the guest, good to catch up with him). Neat, funny, charming, and I really like most of the claymation effect, a la Wallace & Gromit. But don't take my word for it, go see it at the theaters! (opens Nov 3)! Also, while I'm shilling, the DVD of 'Over the Hedge' is out this week, so buy buy buy! Back to our regularly scheduled program... we wandered around Mission St for a bit, stopped in at Bonnie's office, chilled in Yerba Buena Gardens for a short time, then took the bus a few blocks & walked some more (following behind a protest march), to the SomArts Center. There, we saw the newest Shadowlight production - "Monkey King at Spider Cave", adapted from a few chapters of "Journey to the West", a Chinese epic folktale. Love that stuff, seen a few that were lo-quality production values, but overall shadow plays are magical and enthralling works (especially accompanied by gamelan, this one wasn't - it was Taiwanese music, but still outstanding.
Wrapping up as I write, listening to the new The Fiery Furnaces album, "Bitter Tea", which I am highly impressed with; also some of 'Metalmorphosis' on KUCI out of UC Irvine (let me re-iterate once again how super-awesome I find it, to be able to stream audio from any number of college/public/non-comm radio stations across the world. Even commercial stations, as I switch over to KSL for OTR.) I am a huge fan of radio and all it represents, especially as a community form of local and regional broadcasting. I have much to say about this, perhaps when I have some time, I'll give it a separate entry. HA! It is now the 'magic hour' - the death of 2006 daylight savings (which apparently has snafu'ed the ability to publish my blog, have to save a draft and publish later), and I get an extra hour of 'Metalmorphosis'. Hail the Lord of Dark Metal! So, tomorrow we are hosting a brunch for Rev. Steve Leyba, as he is leaving the Bay Area once again. Always nice to have guests...

The Band Plays on at Carnivale

2006-10-12T02:48:00.000-07:00

So, my band - Colossal Inertia - played as part of the 'Carnivale' at work. The whole event was very neat - entertainment, games (balloon pop, coin toss, hoop shoot, life-size Operation), food (corn dogs, kettle corn, funnel cakes). We went on 3:30ish.
The stage setup (primarily through the work and design of Aaron Florez) was great. We were playing on a half-circle concrete slab, about 15 foot radius. We populated it with 3-sided pyramids, cardboard painted black - 12 of 'em at 7' tall, another dozen at 3' tall. Then 4 stage risers, wooden, painted black with an orange swirl painted on the platform, skirted with black, and a 2' skull face in the front, with fog machines routed through the mouth. Then costumes - Aaron as a goth reaper, Linda as a pirate, me with a viking helmet, Jimmy the Rabbit. His rabbit getup was wild - an oversized helmet, wrapped in silver duct tape, with glowing eyes, and LEGO ears that clicked and spun, and also a photosensitive theremin for the nose. So, we were ready to play.
It started with a noisy bass solo. I did some slap stuff and tapping up and down each string on the Stick. In retrospect, not a very effective intro - it just didn't grab the attention. Then into an instrumental with noisy accompaniment. Crazy part of the story - after the song, Aaron jumped off the riser and sustained a foot injury (but kept on, rock hero style, more later). Then a vocal song, another with loose backing. Then a switch - we had a plan to incorporate 'bumper music' between the songs I switched instruments on, a repeated riff for a minute or so, and we played movie sound bites on top of it (played by a 'random song generator' Shockwave project Jimmy did). A little rough - I had to start and stop the generator, and sometimes the song didn't go long enough to cover til I was ready to play.
Anyway - third song - I played banjo, it was a Pirate-type shanty. Played in front of a mic, which was a bit awkward as I couldn't move too much. An aside here - this was the first time I had sung into a mic, playing simultaneously. Though my singing was one of the elements I was most nervous about, I think it came off smoothly, though it was awkward for me to keep track of everything going on - singing, listening to my vocals (again, complicated by lack of monitoring), playing accurately without being able to look at my hands, listening to the rest of the band, bantering with the audience, and keeping the whole thing on track. The audience, such as it was - afterward many people said they heard at least some part of the show and enjoyed it (doubtless enhanced by the visual art of it), but as far as I could tell there were only about 4 people at the front of the stage.
Next was a switch to guitar (had my 12/6 doubleneck), we played a heavy metal instrumental, cadenza'ing & crossing right into a vocal ballad (a la "Court of the Crimson King" into "I Talk to the Wind", or "Why Go" into "Black"). Then a punk song where I improv the lyrics, with a shouty chorus and over-hyphy guitar solo. Then a switch back to Stick, into Cave Bear (which I co-opted from my previous band, Ichabod Crane), and finishing with a 'lullaby' with a harpsichord-like ostinato and lyrics inspired by an e.e. cummings poem. I even throw a loop into a phrase sampler, and do a Theremin solo to close it out (though I must admit I screwed up the timing on this loop, and threw the drums off for the last 2 minutes of the song, ugh). La Fini.
Overall - superfun to play, and the stage setup looked supercool, but very difficult to hear each other (no monitors to speak of), and we were spaced out a bit widely - we missed cues, but kept it together and soldiered through for about 40 minutes. Really loved playing with them - Aaron Florez on guitar, Linda Bork on violin, Jimmy Maidens (there's a rock star name) on V-drums and electronics. I wasn't really nervous about performing (usually don't get any 'stage fright', I let the music speak for itself) but I was a little uncertain as it was my lead vocal debut, and as frontman I need to work on my crowd banter. I even practiced, on the commute with the set as an iPod playlist, stopping between songs to talk. Remembered most of my shtick, but I forgot to thank Carol and Chris who helped build the stage, and I forgot to introduce the band! Which would've been useful information - in the costumes, a few people actually didn't know who the playas were! So, great if inauspicious start, and we're planning on playing more! So watch for notices from me about upcoming gigs, and follow our mySpace! Photos soon too.
Oh, in the aftermath - the fall Aaron took jumping off the riser on the 2nd song was pretty serious - he broke his foot and ankle! It was swollen badly after the show, but he said it wasn't very painful, but on Monday he found out the truth. So, he'll be off it for a while, but good luck to him, and kudos for the rock-n-roll spirit!

Counting down to the band!

2006-10-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

First of all - more mundane biz out of the way, watched the 2nd episode of "Heroes", and I must say I'm enjoying and respecting that show, if not in a huge way. Dialogue was better this week (there was much less of it, other than than Indian professor flapping his gums). But more StephenKing-like melodrama, where things play out and you discover everyone's involved in everyone else's life by these convoluted conspiracies and you hear about 2 or 3 times (though in this series - of course, these connections are the heart of the whole story). And it gets a little slow, with showing too much detail of each character's half-assed sleuthing. Almost like Unbreakable-meets a much watered down Watchmen-meets X Files not smoking weed. But tackling an ambitious story in an engaging manner, and I'll keep watching, and revising my own story to improve it.
But back in reallife, had our final big practice before the show, and helped build some set pieces for it. I'm very excited and confident that this'll be good, sounds great playing with these folks and the songs have come together really quickly. And I'm hoping that it'll get the audience to think - our set is a wide range of influences, and some weird stuff, but 'accessible'. I've got some low-level demo tracks up there, but they are super rough, complete with editing mistakes... A half-hour at my Mac, or a few tracks from rehearsal with one mic in the middle of the room. Maybe do some real recordings after the show.

More in September

2006-09-27T23:39:00.001-07:00

Well, nothing groundbreaking and new. It feels odd coming out of summer - last year at this time I was coming out of winter (amidst the 90-hour weeks, and the travelling 10,000 miles round trip for a weekend). I haven't felt this particular change of seasons in 2 years. Um, what else... the car is running OK, but it's physically damaging and injurious to my soul to travel 45 miles to work. Other than that, the job is fine. Oh, crew gear ordering is open, friends give a shoutout if you want some S3 shirts and such. Oh, a new TV show debuted this week - "Heroes", taking a realistic, and often cynical exploration of people discovering they have super-powers. Interesting premise, but some really awful dialog, and why did they wait till the second week to introduce Greg Grunberg??. I like some of the story arcs and I like the little tidbits they're throwing in - the Texas teenage girl, and the Japanese salaryman in particular. I'll keep watching to see how it unfolds (the only show i might watch except for the FOX Sunday animations, and the occasional CSI). 'Heroes' is of particular interest to me, because it follows the same premise for a story I've been working on for a while. Mine deals more with a group of youths coping with their abilities (and how their messed-up lives unfold in contact with each other), whereas NBC's is more epic in its societal scope, there are a few definite similarities. Any writers in the houssse want to share ideas, give me a shoutout. Still, ya snooze you lose, but it's motivation to actually finish. I'm motivated on the musical front, too - I've put together a band to play at a company event. One could say a limited audience, but it's given me a reason to write and arrange and complete songs, and play with others (our practices have been great, stuff is sounding cool). Hopefully inertia will keep me going, as that is the name of the band - Colossal Inertia (taken from Faulkner).
I'll post some tracks as I finish arranging and mix them, maybe some live pics from the show!

SoCal Trips

2006-09-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

So, made a rare pair of trips to southern California the last 2 weekends in August. Aug 26/27 we went down for the wedding of Bonnie's writer and comedienne friend Susan Isaacs, in Culver City. Drove down Friday evening, stopped for the night at Super 8 in Kettleman City and went to In'N'Out which was quite the teen hangout. Where do people go in towns like that, where the oasis off the freeway was the only thing we saw for miles and miles? Anyway, got an early start and went to Venice Beach, met up with my old Weta friend Donny, jammed some music at his place in Culver City, then made it over to the wedding. Wonderful meeting Bonnie's longtime friend, whom I'd heard much about. Interesting scene - didn't know anyone, very churchy, and lots of people making speeches about 'how they finally found someone'. Missed meeting up with some other folks, so we caught 'Idlewild' at Santa Monica Promenade, then off to her mom's place in Huntington B. Nice morning catching up with them, still missed connecting, so we went to California ScienCenter for their Science of (Marvel) SuperHeroes exhibit - kinda fun, but definitely geared for kids. Then we made our way outta town, about a 6 hour trek, got a little stir crazy in the last hour, but made it back home.

The next weekend - Labor Day holiday - went to visit my sister in San Diego for the first time(I've been to SD a couple other times). Drove to SJ airport after work, way early cos I expected more holiday traffic (but fun cos I found the Australian Products store), but got to SD OK and we went around the Gaslamp district, the hip downtown - makin' fun of the drunken loud bimbos & himbos, then hit a tiki bar and Hard Rock Cafe ( didn't get to Croce's or House of Blues). Got back to her apt in El Cajon - nice complex, and spacious.

Saturday mornin, I hit the meager weight room, then we went to Balboa Park for the Museum of Man's Body Decoration exhibit. A walk back across the bridge, then off to Oldtown and lunch. Back in El Cajon, checking out Blue Meannie Records (not a typo, probably avoiding a lawsuit). Then off to Che Cafe, a coffee house cum avante-garde showcase on the UCSD campus. Finding it proved to be massively difficult - it wasn't at the place our map said it was - we stopped at a Ramada, the woman didn't know about it, but we finally crosschecked it on a campus map. 9PM, the bands weren't there, we cut out and headed over to La Jolla for a walkabout. Here I learned the 2 basic lessons about San Diego traffic - have patience at their super-long red lights; and the road names don't often match the road curves (seriously, if you stay on a straight road, you'll find the road name you wanted actually veered off to the right a half-mile back). Made it back to Che's, and the 6 spots in the lot were full, and nearest parking was about a half-mile away, so we skipped it. We made our way to a dive bar I'd heard about - Tower Bar, which supposedly had live bands and burlesque on occasion, but it was a dead scene for a Saturday night, so we went back home.

Sunday morning was a trek to Mission Beach - we hung out on Dog Beach for a few hours, then return to the homestead. I tried to go out to Sun Island Resort, but found I had to make reservations. Stopped at a hillside cemetery and a CD store. Then out to Mt Helix for the spectacular view (they have outdoor theatre there!), and dinner for the snake and a stop at Bec's place of work, and return to feed the snake. Out again for a buzz through Coronado, picked up some electronics at CompUSA, and sushi and shopping in Pacific Beach. Declined a movie, in lieu of going to see some music at Belmont Park. Somwhere in the evening, the button came off my pants, so I had to buy new shorts. Then I left my old shorts at the arcade and they were gone ( didn't realize it till later, good thing I transfered every last thing to what I was wearing.) The band at Cane's was Damage, Inc. - a tribute to Metallica. Pretty lame but guilty fun & great people watching - the singer had a passing resemblance to Hetfield, but the guitarist looked more like George Costanza. We didn't stay for Atomic Punks (Van Halen trib). Good times, but I realized I should've gone to a local punkfest at a Masonic Hall in El Cajon - I guess my thought was to get out of E.C., but if there's something interesting going on, what the hey!
Monday, Labor Day - Packed up in the morning, then we were off to the Point Loma/Cabrillo Lighthouse. Nice view of the city, but a fear that I lost my wallet threw a damper on it (found it btwn the car seats). Then over to the Maritime Museum ( a mooring of 5 various historical ships), including a pirate ship (pirates are big these days!). A 5-minute trip to the Airport (ending in another too-long wait for me), and I was off!
Uneventful return trip, and Bonnie met me at the SJ airport, then we went to downtown and checked out their end-of-summer fest.

Keeping Busy

2006-08-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

No major news to relay, but looking back on our calendar we do keep very busy with our social and cultural calendar. :) The biggest thing I got going on is preparing for a music show! It's going to be the PDI Halloween party of sorts, gonna do a half-hour set in the late afternoon. I'm putting together and recording some songs, it'll be a blend of ballads (I'm ready to sing), electronic loops and drum machines (just got a new drum machine and JamMan phrase sampler), and aleatory music with some other co-workers. I have no doubt we can get it solid to at least have an engaging set without too much noise and musical masturbation.
Other events - in no particular order other than how they come back in my mind : friends Scott and Beth moved back to Minneapolis (had bar night & got a viola!); caught Thai Brunch in Berkeley with Gen and Tom; Nicole's birthday (I made dinner); Shotgun Players 'Ragnarok' outdoors (fun take on mythology); Berkeley Summer Symphony played my #1 or maybe #2 all-time favorite piece of music - Bela Bartok's 'Concerto for Orchestra'(my only other possible #1 is Ravel's String Quartet No. 1); won tickets from KALX to Cal Shakes "Merchant of Venice" (very interesting multi-media and multiple role); Survival Research Labs at San Jose ZeroOne Festival(awesome fire and giant robots); Indonesia Day at Union Square (couldn't find any wayang puppets!); BBQ and movie night at Rex's; San Mateo county fair, with REO Speedwagon; caught 'Little Miss Sunshine'(amazingly funny and well-put together!) at the new Redwood City downtown cinemas; Shane & Missy in town, taking a break from the road, having a pool party in Napa; Sunday the 20th was the season closer at Stern Grove, Pete's band Crown City Rockers played, opening for Ozomotli. Great seeing them with a massive crowd!

Midwest Part Deux - Detroit and burbs

2006-08-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Bonnie and I just got back from a vacation, to Chicago (read this first or scroll down!) for a weekend, then off to visit friends and family in metro Detroit. Part two deals with time in metro Detroit :

Arrived in Westland in the evening on Monday, July 24. My niece and nephew were staying at my parents' house, as my sister-in-law was going in for surgery early on Tuesday (not too serious as I understood it - wasn't too much worrying by anyone and she was in good hands).
TUESDAY, JULY 25 : My mom took the big dog into visitation. Through the Pet-a-Pet program, she arranges to take her bullmastiff to nursing homes, convalescent centers, hospice, even classrooms and special ed programs, for animal therapy sessions. Bonnie went along with her, and while I wouldn't say she enjoyed it, she got a lot out of it. They came back, we decided (after much much discussion) to take the kids to Cranbrook Science Museum (part of the whole Cranbrook Institute) - they had never been, and neither had my dad! The museum currently has a load of mastodon bones which were excavated at a freeway construction site, they had people cleaning them, available for questions. The other hilite was the Bat Zone - Cranbrook is home to the Organization for Bat Conservation. Then, trying to coordinate dinner. Alison was still not in her hospital room, so Gordon was stuck there, and then I was trying to settle on a time with Ron & Khris. Finally made it out for Mai Garlic Thai food (quite good for the area!). And in the evening, with no call from Ron (actually, never heard back from them the whole week), went on a long drive downriver with Andy & Becki to Stroh's for ice cream and a walk on the Wyandotte waterfront.
WEDNESDAY July 26 : Took my parents on an excursion to Trader Joe's (they got em in Michigan, even had some things different than Cali!), talking them through the organic food and sushi. Drove around the neighborhood, seeing the few standing pieces of Wonderland Mall (soon a super-Walmart) - Bonnie was really into hearing neighborhood, and life stories. Afterwards, went on a nature walk around Hines Park (not for long, had to get away from the mosquitoes). Then hit the pool over at my brother Gordon's place, then met up with Keith and his lady Nicole, went to dinner at East Side Marios (neat decor - replicates a city street scene), and out for a walk around Royal Oak.
THURSDAY July 27: Went with my dad on Captain Jack's river tour along the Detroit river (near Ren Cen, around Belle Isle, skirts the coast of Windsor and under the Ambassador Bridge), weren't sure of the restrictions on crossing the border, plus you have to wait 24 hours to shop Duty-Free! And there wasn't enough time in the week, but that was Bonnie's first time in Canada. After the boat ride, we went on the People Mover, and grabbed lunch in Greektown. Then went to Second City comedy club in Detroit, since we missed it in Chicago, and it was easy to get to (the highlight was getting them to sing a song about a giraffe!). Then decision time - I found that a band that was around when I was at MSU - Calliope - was having a gig in Lansing at Mac's Bar (or whatever it's called now, if it even stays open). An hour drive, plus waiting for who-knows-how-long for them to go on. On a whim, we decided to go for it, and it was totally worth it to see Calliope play, and catch up a bit with the guys in the band, I encourage everyone to visit their web site! They'll have a new album out later in the year, I'll update when it's released! We stocked up on snacks and caffeine, then on the road back to Westland.
FRIDAY July 28: Eased into the day, went to Ann Arbor (missed the art fair by 1 weekend). Trying to find a breakfast place proved tough - finally found one, Bonnie got potatoes and eggs, I got a $2 cheeseburger, can't beat that. Checked out some of the best Ann Arbor shops and locales - Encore Records (where I got a local compilation), Dawn Treader bookshop, Crazy Wisdom books and new age, walked by the Ark (folk-blues-rock club) and State Theater. Afterwards, went to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (a fun arcade + classic games and sideshow replicas of Cardiff Giant, and some Ripley's exhibits), then a stop at Awrey's Bakery before HQ. In the evening, had a party of sorts over at Andy's place, not a lot of people but good times.
SATURDAY July 29: Last day! But we didn't have to leave for the airport til 4. Made a trek to visit my brother on the 'Telegraph Cruise' of classic cars, then headed to Hitsville, USA - the Motown museum in Detroit. I freaked out on time a bit - it was a guided tour, and since the place is just a house, we waited in line for about an hour. Once we got in, it was rushed - we only stayed for the intro movie, one room of exhibits, and the the gift store. But it was enough, and we made it back in time for a family luncheon over at Gordon and Alison's. Then onto the airport, smooth return of the car and exiting Detroit. Smooth transition to Denver, then our troubles began. A 15-minute delay in the electrical turned into an hour-long wait and deplaning. As we waited, they announced they wouldn't have a maintenance update for another hour. Bonnie was told by one person United would put up people in a hotel, then the customer service desk said no, only if the flight cancelled, they'd help you *find* a hotel. More like 'customer disservice' - granted, they deal with a lot of angry, confused, worried, stressed people, but the company should be prepared for problems like this, and the treatment we got and we saw directed at other people was shoddy. Minutes away from us rebooking on a flight in the morning, they announced the plane was ready and reboarding. Bonnie expressed her fear about going up in a plane that minutes before they didn't even know what was wrong with, but we worked it out and were on our way. Let this be my warning to anyone thinking of flying United - think twice. At SFO, Nicole (much gratitude) was there to meet us - almost 3 hours later than scheduled - and we were home!

Midwest Part Uno - Chicago & road trip

2006-08-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

Bonnie and I just got back from a vacation, to Chicago for a weekend, then off to visit friends and family in metro Detroit. Part one deals with Chicago :

Arrived late on Friday (12:30 AM), and finally found where to pick up the Wyndham shuttle - 2 15-minute checkpoints passed (despite the assurances from the desk jockey on the phone), more hotel guests congregated for the wait. Finally arrived and got over to the lobby. Um, sorry, no non-smoking rooms available. Bonnie did her best to get one, but we settled for the room - and realized how spoiled you get in Cali sometimes. She went back to negotiate and they found a non-smoking available. We had to wait for them to prep, so we chatted with the clerk who was now friendly and helpful with tourism tips. Eventually settled into the room ~3:30 AM.
SATURDAY JULY 22 : Got the shuttle out to the airport ~9:30, picked up a 2-day transit pass (any train/bus only $9!), and off to the heart of the city. Famous Lou Mitchell's for breakfast (donut at the beginning, ice cream at the end); an hour wait to get to the deck of the Sears Tower; the bus over to Field Museum for the main reason for our trip - the King Tutankhamun exhibit! More on that later. A quick scamper thru the rest of the museum in the 15 minutes before closing, then a walk thru the new Millennium Park (the bean, the bridge, the fountain). Then an attempt to make the closing ceremonies of the Gay Games (it was at 3, we got to Wrigley Field at 7), and further north to check out the Green Mill Jazz club (great ambience, but I was feeling wretched, it was $20 for the show, and SRO). So we hopped back on the train, and after a digression on my part to switch from the RED line to the BLUE, we were back to the Rosemont stop, and grabbed a cab back to the hotel (got some martinis and ate too much pizza).
SUNDAY JULY 23 : We scuttled an idea to leave superearly and return to the Field. Went on the architecture boat tour - very informative and entertaining, now I know why it's called Second City! We made it to the Museum of Surgical Science, the beach (the waves of Lake Michigan crashing on a concrete slab), and off to the Wicker Park summerfest, a 6-block avenue blocked off with food, vendors, and a stage at either end. Had a bit of a disagreement - I was wanting to rush through and check out a couple stores in the area - Quimby's Books, and Reckless Records, Bonnie wanted to sit and enjoy the summer neighborhood ambience. We worked it out, and made it to Reckless after all, as the sun went down (I struck up a conversation with a guy wearing a KFJC TShirt - his band, Plastic Crimewave Sound, had trekked from Chicago to the Bay Area to perform on the show and do a minitour. I got one of their discs at Reckless, neat noisy soundscape stuff but rather un-outstanding. Found out Second City comedy show was sold out, but we went over to Nomi restaurant (nice 7th floor terrace), on the recommendation of Mayor Daly's press secretary herself! Perks being with a journalist are great! Then over to Exit Chicago club, to see what their Voivod CD release party was all about, plus it's my favorite 3-story punk-rock dive bars in Chicago (though only the first floor was open on a Sunday night). Got a giveaway copy of 'Negatron', and some fliers, which I forgot to pocket when we left. Headed over to the bus stop, to the Blue line to the Rosemont stop, a cab back to the hotel, and we were in for the night.
MONDAY July 24 : Caught the shuttle to the airport, picked up the rental car (a couple companies we called wouldn't let us return at Detroit Metro!). Then on the road, heading for Detroit! Got out of Illinois, thru Indiana, into Michigan - stopped at the Welcome Center. I was surprised at the amount of promotional materials! So much to do - canoeing, festivals, crafts, ag tours. We got what we were looking for - a wine country map, and Cereal City USA. (I had neglected to print out maps before we left). Stopped at Round Barn in Union Pier (had a large assortment of fruit wines and demi secs, and a very interesting cherry wine), then there was a stretch of em in Paw Paw - St. Julian's (MI's biggest), Warners (specialty in sparkling), and Black Star (which was closed). Pretty good wine overall, most don't distribute, though. After that, got over to Battle Creek - host of the grave of Sojourner Truth, and home of Kellogg's, and Cereal City USA (not actually part of Kellogg's). Silly fun, we got through on the last 'tour' of the fake factory, so they were anxious to boot us out. Missed meeting up with my friend Derek in Grand Rapids, but called him on the road to Lansing. We got into town ~6, we were able to get into the CommArts building, so I showed Bonnie around where I had most of my college classes! A drive around campus (including a stop at the Dairy Store for ice cream!, and people watching the early frosh); a cruise along Grand River and Albert Ave (very different than last I saw, but not as deserted as I was lead to think); then around 8 PM onto the I-96 for the Detroit burbs!

July July!

2006-07-15T09:12:00.001-07:00

Had to look through my calendar to see what I've been up to - so much going on around town, and thinking back to what I missed last summer, makes me realize how great the Bay Area is for culture, art, significant things to do. Plus, having Andy visiting, and being envious of my having musicians such as Buckethead, Fred Frith, Mike Patton, etc in my backyard, and having seen Zorn 4 or 5 times in the years I've been out here. O yeah, my old college pal/roomie/bandmate Andy (Flanders) and his wife Jen were in town from Michigan. They spent a few days in Napa, a few in San Fran, drove to Monterey. In all, they seemed to have a great trip and loved the area. We had them over for a BBQ and some East Bay times on Sunday, I took them to Telegraph & one of the all time awesomest stores - Amoeba (Rasputin is cool too, but time ran out), then for a drive to Wildcat Canyon vista before sunset. Then hanging out for a bit back home, sharing some tunez, then they were out. Great times.
Other things going on this week - we are out camping, visiting Lisa Fay tonite in Hopland, get some jams going to.
We caught the new "Rockstar : Supernova" show on CBS. I'm not much for 'reality' shows, and that's gotta be the lamest, laziest band name in the last 30 years, but I was intrigued to see how the metalheads (Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted, Gilby Clarke, and Dave Navarro) conducted themselves. Anyway, I saw that a friend of a friend is one of the contestants! Storm Large, who is definitely the strongest female performer/singer on there (the young girl Dana is green but strong competition). I'm breaking tradition, and saying watch the show, and vote for her often on voting nights!