You're Doing It Wrong

Still trying to get this new system organized. Efficiency eludes me. I have a complaint about OS X which is it has that annoying windoze quality of making me confirm every stupid thing I want to do. I hit a keyboard command to bookmark a webpage and then I have to click again that yes, I do want to add as a bookmark. It asks me if I’m sure I want to shut down. All the double whammy not necessary.

Also CBS apologized for the OutKast Indian number. Quote: “CBS television on Friday apologized for any offense taken at the American Indian-motif Grammy Awards performance by the hip-hop group OutKast that some Native Americans have condemned as racist.” … ” ‘We are very sorry if anyone was offended,’ CBS spokeswoman Nancy Carr said when asked about the NACC boycott. She declined to comment further.” How perfunctory is that?

I made a fun dinner for Valentines: Cook’s Illustrated Rosemary-Garlic Roast Chicken with roasted vegetables. The recipe said potatoes but I also threw carrots and onion in plus a turnip and a few pieces of daikon radish — just to see what it would do. It was all yummy. I made an Expresso Brownie cake from Sunset for dessert. (Both websites want you to be a member or sign in or something.) We invited Priscilla over and had some cheesy pink champagne — we had a great time and I have a sugar hangover this morning.

Here’s a map of all the states I’ve visited. Only 15. It was kind of hard to remember where I’ve actually been and places I’ve wanted to go. Also I didn’t count airport layovers otherwise I could have added Utah, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia and Maine.

create your own visited states map

or write about it on the open travel guide

Weekdays are nuts. I seem to constantly be in a state of hurrying up or cramming something in half-assed or running late. This morning I couldn’t (and still can’t) find my glasses and I was wandering around the house looking even in the illogical places and I was thinking, I’m turning into my Aunt Janet who is always looking for her glasses and will pick up any pair she can find in a pinch. Later when Bob left for work I said: “I can’t find my glasses,” and he said, “You’re turning into Aunt Janet.”

Native Americans Rap OutKast

I didn’t watch that Grammys, obviously, because if I would have seen this I would have been ranting about it all week but apparently OutKast performed in front of a green tepee and had backup dancers in feathers and fringe. No one questioned this?

The article says:

“We’re not attacking OutKast as artists,” the group’s chairman Andrew Brother Elk said Wednesday, “They can go out and make fools of themselves if they want to, but we are going to question the commercialization of our symbols.” … “If people were wearing yarmulkes and the Hasidic dress and bumping and grinding, we would see that as ridiculous, but for some reason we don’t see what OutKast did as ridiculous,’ Brother Elk said.”

The double standard is appalling.

More updates on the aging thing: found second grey hair; am getting biofocals.

Frodo

I got my new computer on Thursday and we’re having a tough time getting used to each other. First of all, I’ve never used OS X and sometimes when I want to do something that normally would take me about 10 seconds and it takes me 10 minutes because nothing is like I remember it, well, I call my new pretty machine “a piece of sh*t.” Second, I am still using the desk that my Dad made for me when I was in the 7th grade which is a great tribute to the solidity of the stuff my Dad made, but hey, I’m a grown up now (and have been for some time) and desperately need a bigger desk. This desk was ridiculously small for Yoda, the iMac and is downright absurd for the mammoth eMac. So it’s uncomfortable to use. Also, the keyboard is different so things I used to do w/o looking are now all forked up. Also, I’m still getting all my regularly used software loaded, upgraded and preferenced like I want. I’ve got a lot of work to do still. But I can tell after I’m used to it, I will love this puppy.

Everything is Illuminated

I got this book for xmas and when I read the first few pages I loved the voice although I wasn’t sure if I could stick with it for a whole book. Turns out the story switches between several voices. I’m not sure how to explain this but there are certain well respected literary voices that I have had a hard time following. A perfect example would be Salman Rushdie. Others: Tom Robbins, Maxine Hong Kingston and Jack Kerouac. I don’t know what it is but I have a hard time concentrating on the words long enough to follow the narrative and there is one “voice” in Illuminated where I had this problem. So for 50 or so pages I was bummed that maybe I didn’t like this book as much as I wanted to. Turns out it gets hilarious in the middle — also some very tragic stuff — but the voice is so charming and funny. I loved it in the end.

Today I went to my first presidential caucus and it was awesome. We met downtown at one of the government buildings where four local precincts were meeting. The room was way overpacked — so many people cared enough to be there at 10am on a Saturday morning– I was impressed. Everyone clapped when Brian Baird (HR) came in and several local government reps were also present.

Lots of people were saying that it was their first caucus. Lots of people brought their kids. The representation was full spectrum — all ages, looked like even split on gender. Our precinct was one of the smallest ones and I’m not sure if that has to do with the way the precincts are organized or suggests an apathy among our neighbors. I’ll go for the former. We walk almost every morning and it was fun to recognize other walkers that we see all the time and wave “hello” and exchange small talk with.

When Hairbands Ruled the World

I had the TV on VH1 for the Alarm so I caught this show about when Metal Ruled the World which was basically an hour program about my life in the late 80’s. It showed the whole Sunset Strip/Cathouse scene — all the bands, the flyers, everything. Those were some fun, crazy times. I’m glad I was there. But as I watched I realized what’s wrong with Little Friday is there is zero sex and drugs in it. There isn’t even a lot of alcohol in it. In terms of my personal experience in Hollywood there was zero sex and drugs (well, to be honest, slightly more than zero, but still a very miniscule amount in the bigger scheme of things) which is a bigger statement about my social failings than my moral values. But the whole scene was defined by the hedonism of its heroes. For LF to be a successful story about the times — it could use more juice. I don’t know. I love the story and think it stands on its own the way it is — I love the naivete of my wannabe rock star. Regardless, I don’t plan to do anymore writing on this exact project. I still have some 80’s stuff in me and I’m still working out what I’m going to do with it.