Tuesday, July 24, 2007

i love neko case's sound factory


i just bought my ticket to see the new pornographers in october. i am insanely excited. saw them in sf at bimbos in 2005 - my hopes were HIGH and let me just say that i was not disappointed. neko wasn't at every show that tour (and will not be at the oct show,) but i was lucky enough to see her that night. yeep! she gotz mad skillzzzz! the woman's pipes are unbelievable and rock the live performance. in short... i neko and the NPs. here are some songs in case you are wondering why...

my slow descent into alcoholism = one of my fave NP songs

letter from an occupant = beauty in a neko (try to ignore the fact that the vid is lame and focus on neko's pipes)

Thursday, July 19, 2007

lolcat bible

i don't know how many of you are familiar with lolcat funnies, but this is hilarious to me.

genesis in cat-language...

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Time for Teens - Part 8: Richard's Armor

i was having a totally crap day when i received this little gem from the immortal rock-god known as todd petersen. this unexpected awesomeness instantly sent my misery back to the hell-fire from whence it came. i believe i may promote it as a treatment for migraines... enjoy.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

just for juan...

since you're bored at work and they blocked youtube...



no? ok, try this and watch the first one at home... it's not very funny, but you can see rob corddry, who i believe is hot:

DV Presents: Hollywood!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

reason #357 why old people are cool

as some of you may know, (and by "some of you" i mean the 4 people who read my blog,) i work at a website devoted to the rockin' boomer crowd. that's right people - internet socialization of the over 50 set. yes, it is endlessly entertaining for all the reasons you probably imagine, but! there are moments when i am pleasantly surprised and entertained by things i never imagined. this morning was just such an occasion. turning on my computer, opening up all my apps so i could get to work solving the problems of our more disgruntled members, i gave our homepage the usual quick perusal. that's when i came across this little gem. enjoy.
zombie-fun

THANKS JESPY!!! check out this rad addition to the zombie post courtesy of the jespy:

Zombie-American Chapter One

Monday, July 9, 2007

where thinking in the car will get ya...

tonight was my last tango class. it was by far the most difficult class. the material was challenging and as we all struggled, i left tonight without getting a really good dance in. just didn't find that - click - with anyone. hard to explain why, but this produces a weirdly uncomfortable, unsettled feeling. it's an extremely unpleasant form of dissatisfaction. and i was tired. i mean, i worked. yet, there was this something that just never got a chance to get out.

so, i got in my car to leave and figured i'd put on some music and sing it out. i threw on some of my favorite music to sing to and just wailed. it felt GREAT. not just, yeah!-i-got-it-out! great, but great the way singing feels when your breath is free, your body feels strong and relaxed and it's just easy. flowing. funny enough, this is exactly the feeling that never happened at tango tonight. yet, it was tango that got me into this place. prepared me to sing with like, 70% better technique than i normally muster. so it occurs to me, it's amazing how similar singing and tango are.

in my singing lesson days, my biggest liability was my resistance to relaxing into my breath. to let the breath flow, while at the same time supporting it firmly, committing yourself to even the subtlest use of that breath. and this of course can not be achieved while holding back, being tentative, or dwelling on self-consciousness. you have to take the plunge, and still be taking the plunge, never abandoning, even when a note is soft and long. tango is exactly the same way. like many beautiful voices, it is very often slow and deliberate, while still undeniably dynamic. lingering, subtle, intimate. then a burst of overt power. a display of what's been contained.

thinking on these qualities, i have come to an interesting realization. almost everything i love to do is made more excellent by the mastery of these qualities. i think that is because i love artistic expression. the importance of pace and timing, the interconnectedness of breath and ground, strength and fluidity, dynamic subtlety and overt power - all of these relationships inform creative expression at its best. they all contribute to the kind of controlled tension that poses a question and demands a response. there may be an infinite number of answers, but you must pick one. even if just for a moment.

so what's the point of all this rambling? i guess all i'm trying to say is, when i dance, i am literally becoming a better singer, writer, photographer, and well - artist. and i love that. it rocks.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

what i love right now

-half nelson
-driving brian's S4
-tango
-salsa
-my new undyroos
-my open-toe blue patent pumps
-the word "ass" (sorry guys, i try to keep it to a minimum around people bothered by this delightful word)
-buy2-get2 free previously viewed dvds at blockbuster
-red lipstick that stays on NO MATTER WHAT (seriously, i slept in it, showered in it, ate with it on, ... ok, no, i didn't make out with it on, cuz i'm currently luvurless. what a waste of NASA-strength red lipstick, right?)
-57 t-bird spike's dog with a pepsi
-America