IPOD
RADIO
WHat better cure for the wintry blues than a double whammy of Elvis and The Fall?
Tonight I'm getting together with a friend to resume our Elvis movie project. We're about halfway through watching every single Elvis film. We're planning on writing up our findings when we're through, but we've already discovered that these films have been grossly misrepresented. They're not all about a young man working his way to the top. Very few are about that actually. The dominant theme we've been able to identify is that of the small business.
I'll go into more detail some other time, but more often than not Elvis plays someone--not necessarily poor--who is trying to get a small business off the ground. The last one we watched before our holiday break was "Spinout" which features Elvis as a successful race car driver and Nancy Sinatra as the IRS agent investigating his tax situation. What the fuck is that? Not a lowly race car driver who wins against all odds and claws his way to the top--he's a successful driver who has TAX PROBLEMS!
And after Elvis we're heading down to the Knitting Factory to see my absolute favorite band in the universe: The Fall.
They're in NYC recording their latest record and I just found out about this show late last week. Huzzah!
Still got piles of crap at work I don't want to do, but that's why it's called 'work' and not 'superfuntimeusa'
Tonight I'm getting together with a friend to resume our Elvis movie project. We're about halfway through watching every single Elvis film. We're planning on writing up our findings when we're through, but we've already discovered that these films have been grossly misrepresented. They're not all about a young man working his way to the top. Very few are about that actually. The dominant theme we've been able to identify is that of the small business.
I'll go into more detail some other time, but more often than not Elvis plays someone--not necessarily poor--who is trying to get a small business off the ground. The last one we watched before our holiday break was "Spinout" which features Elvis as a successful race car driver and Nancy Sinatra as the IRS agent investigating his tax situation. What the fuck is that? Not a lowly race car driver who wins against all odds and claws his way to the top--he's a successful driver who has TAX PROBLEMS!
And after Elvis we're heading down to the Knitting Factory to see my absolute favorite band in the universe: The Fall.
They're in NYC recording their latest record and I just found out about this show late last week. Huzzah!
Still got piles of crap at work I don't want to do, but that's why it's called 'work' and not 'superfuntimeusa'
It's starting again...
I'm annoyed by everything I'm supposed to be doing for work so I end up spening far too much time on SG. Lurking more than posting these days too...
It's clearly some sort of depression thing. Maybe a dose of sunshine will cure what ails me.
I'm annoyed by everything I'm supposed to be doing for work so I end up spening far too much time on SG. Lurking more than posting these days too...
It's clearly some sort of depression thing. Maybe a dose of sunshine will cure what ails me.
The good news is that my best friend and writing partner finally got paid for the film treatment he wrote for a German production company. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they'll ask him to write the first draft of the script--that's worth a whole lot more money than just a treatment.
And now that he's got something sold, it's easier to get other things sold--like our vampire movie or our historical-action-adventure-comedy. It looks like we'll be spenging spring break in Munich tied to the keyboard and bashing out the words.
That's one way to keep my European vacation under budget.
Why is it that I can read an entire 400 page 20th-century novel in 2-3 days but it's taking me two weeks to get through "She"? It's trashy Victorian pop fiction--what gives?
Still, I'm digging this book reading groove.
And the new Low album.
And now that he's got something sold, it's easier to get other things sold--like our vampire movie or our historical-action-adventure-comedy. It looks like we'll be spenging spring break in Munich tied to the keyboard and bashing out the words.
That's one way to keep my European vacation under budget.
Why is it that I can read an entire 400 page 20th-century novel in 2-3 days but it's taking me two weeks to get through "She"? It's trashy Victorian pop fiction--what gives?
Still, I'm digging this book reading groove.
And the new Low album.
Despite the snow and the cold things are still good. I'm still reading like a fiend--devouring books at a ridiculous pace. It's party the cold and partly my plan to stop spending money I don't have.
In the last couple weeks I've torn through:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry
Houses Without Doors by Peter Straub
The End of Alice by A.M. Homes
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls
The Battle for New York by Barnet Schecter
Chronicles by Bob Dylan
The first four on that list are really pretty dark, but all very good for a cold winter's night.
On now to
She by H. Rider Haggard
The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto
Koko by Peter Straub
I'm on a real Straub bender right now.
In the last couple weeks I've torn through:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry
Houses Without Doors by Peter Straub
The End of Alice by A.M. Homes
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls
The Battle for New York by Barnet Schecter
Chronicles by Bob Dylan
The first four on that list are really pretty dark, but all very good for a cold winter's night.
On now to
She by H. Rider Haggard
The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto
Koko by Peter Straub
I'm on a real Straub bender right now.
I have just two words:
BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!
Really. It was fucking awesome.
It was just me and my lady and our cats and egg nog and presents and no work and no school and nothing but us and the city. And I can't even believe it, but I'm GLAD my bossman is back from his sabbatical.
I mean, the real deal is that I finally get to relax for the first time in, oh, SEVEN YEARS. I got my tenure, I'm not running this fantastic but woefully understaffed library, and I can just do what makes me happy.
Turns out what makes me happy is reading books and fondling books and talking about books. I'm something of a bookish type, you might say.
Anywho, things are looking good.
Back to the books.
BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!
Really. It was fucking awesome.
It was just me and my lady and our cats and egg nog and presents and no work and no school and nothing but us and the city. And I can't even believe it, but I'm GLAD my bossman is back from his sabbatical.
I mean, the real deal is that I finally get to relax for the first time in, oh, SEVEN YEARS. I got my tenure, I'm not running this fantastic but woefully understaffed library, and I can just do what makes me happy.
Turns out what makes me happy is reading books and fondling books and talking about books. I'm something of a bookish type, you might say.
Anywho, things are looking good.
Back to the books.
I'll be taking a break from all things virtual for a while. It'll be good not to sit in front of a computer all day or manage anyone for a while.
Or even get out of bed if I don't want to.
Hope everyone has a good holiday.
Or even get out of bed if I don't want to.
Hope everyone has a good holiday.
It's time for my library Christmas party--I'm sorry--HOLIDAY Party. Let's be careful about that.
That means it's time for Dickens Punch. Actually, it's not a punch at all. It's technically a "Cup" because it has carbonated water in it. Punch is never carbonated, apparently.
Anywho, here's what Charles Dickens wrote:
"Claret Cup
Put into large jug six lumps of sugar. Add the thin lemon rind as above, and steep in a little boiling water, as in the previous recipies. Add a wine glass of brandy, then a bottle of claret, then half a bottle of soda water. Then stirr well, and grate in nutmeg. Then add ice as above. If borage be used for this cup, half the Cider Cup quantity will be found sufficient."
This recipie is on a sheet with three others--Cider Cup, Champagne Cup and Moselle Cup--but I'm not typing them all in. They're all basically some sugar and lemon peel steeped in boiling water plus cider/wine/champagne and some brandy.
Honestly, it wasn't so great last year so I consulted the Joy of Cooking and I'm going to use way more sugar and lemon juice. Mine will be thus:
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Heat the sugar and water to make a simple syrup, remove from heat and add the lemon.
To this add two 1.5 liter bottles of cheap red wine, half a bottle of brandy and 2 liters of club soda. Top with nutmeg and serve.
Yow.
That means it's time for Dickens Punch. Actually, it's not a punch at all. It's technically a "Cup" because it has carbonated water in it. Punch is never carbonated, apparently.
Anywho, here's what Charles Dickens wrote:
"Claret Cup
Put into large jug six lumps of sugar. Add the thin lemon rind as above, and steep in a little boiling water, as in the previous recipies. Add a wine glass of brandy, then a bottle of claret, then half a bottle of soda water. Then stirr well, and grate in nutmeg. Then add ice as above. If borage be used for this cup, half the Cider Cup quantity will be found sufficient."
This recipie is on a sheet with three others--Cider Cup, Champagne Cup and Moselle Cup--but I'm not typing them all in. They're all basically some sugar and lemon peel steeped in boiling water plus cider/wine/champagne and some brandy.
Honestly, it wasn't so great last year so I consulted the Joy of Cooking and I'm going to use way more sugar and lemon juice. Mine will be thus:
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Heat the sugar and water to make a simple syrup, remove from heat and add the lemon.
To this add two 1.5 liter bottles of cheap red wine, half a bottle of brandy and 2 liters of club soda. Top with nutmeg and serve.
Yow.
Good lord. Enough about my goddamned job already. It's Christmas time!
I'm well into my first massive hangover of the party season, but I had a grand time last night so I can't really complain. I probably didn't need the after dinner drink, but who's counting.
I'm well into my first massive hangover of the party season, but I had a grand time last night so I can't really complain. I probably didn't need the after dinner drink, but who's counting.
Trying to shake the end-of-the-semester blues. I had such a burst of Christmas joy right after Thanksgiving and I don't know where it all went.
It was great meeting everyone last Saturday. I'm still contemplating that excellent latex t-shirt I found at Purple Passion...
Maybe I should just go buy it after work today. Maybe that's the boost I need? Or a whole lot of egg nog?
The holiday parties begin tomorrow night with a festive dinner. The real corker is always the party at the Ireland House--I refer to it as the "Whiskey and Singing" party since they lay out the Jamesons and there's always lots of caroling, some of it in Irish, even.
No, the real drag that hits me every year at this time is the disintegration of my staff. Managing student workers is like herding cats. Or not even. Ultimately, they're here to go to school, so OF COURSE their exams and papers take precedence. The problem is, I still need bodies to run this place. It's just a dumb situation and I'll get over it soon enough.
It was great meeting everyone last Saturday. I'm still contemplating that excellent latex t-shirt I found at Purple Passion...
Maybe I should just go buy it after work today. Maybe that's the boost I need? Or a whole lot of egg nog?
The holiday parties begin tomorrow night with a festive dinner. The real corker is always the party at the Ireland House--I refer to it as the "Whiskey and Singing" party since they lay out the Jamesons and there's always lots of caroling, some of it in Irish, even.
No, the real drag that hits me every year at this time is the disintegration of my staff. Managing student workers is like herding cats. Or not even. Ultimately, they're here to go to school, so OF COURSE their exams and papers take precedence. The problem is, I still need bodies to run this place. It's just a dumb situation and I'll get over it soon enough.
