Congrats to those of you who are graduating, especially to newly-minted Dr. MIA.
Ok here's an amateur video collage of my trip to Oregon last month. Sorry for the frequent blurry shots, but I was both cameraman and driver.
The long weekend has so far been nice and easy. Parents took me out, friends took me out to eat, it seems like the entire month of May I've been taken out for all the stuff I couldn't eat months ago.
A little while ago, I got a fortune cookie with the message, "Soon you will be sitting on top of the world."
Be careful on the road: I was on the 405 one night when the car ahead of me lost its rear tire. One minute everything was routine, next minute I hear a loud crash, and the car turn into a mobile fireball. The tire veered left and then whip-tailed right across all lanes of the 405, narrowly missing a mini van to my right. Luckily, the driver was able to manuever the three-wheeled vehicle over to the right shoulder.
Two pedestrians have now thrown things at me while I am behind the wheel. These individuals were simply trying to demonstrate how brilliant they are, as their arm can fling a cup or dry grass at a certain velocity and my one ton vehicle with a top speed of 110mph can't do much. Oh wait...
Anyone remember some of my older, now defunct pages? Uhh...
Movies I have seen
Greenberg: Normally, I steer clear of Ben Stiller movies, because whether it's his dopey acting, or the silly gags that he gets himself into, I rarely found him interesting to watch. This film was different, it was a decidedly un-cool role, where he plays a kind of pre mid-life crisis musician trying to figure out where he took a wrong turn. The film's unnerving lesson that the opportunities you sabbotage early in life portend to a habit of sabbotaging all manner of things, be it relationships or work, is depressing. Would I recommend it? Only if you're having a crisis of identity or purpose. But I suppose more damning is when someone close to you says, "Hey I saw the tailer for Greenberg and thought of you." Uh, thanks?
Youtube Embed Selection of May
Politics
Anyone else find the Republican slime fest between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner amusing? "Steve Poizner donated to Al Gore's recount fund." Really now? I think anyone running for office in CA at this point would have to prove that he or she didn't support the Dubya Administration. If anything, supporting Gore's recount in my mind shows the sanity of the man, not the lack of credentials.
But then I like to be in touch with sanity, something CA Republicans apparently think is over-rated.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is thought to be in a tough race for re-election in Nevada. His presumed opponent is former chairman of the State GOP, Sue Lowden. Supposedly, many in Nevada are upset with Reid over his support for the Affordable Care Act of 2010. As a result, it's thought that people will want to vote for Lowden, whose idea of health care reform is telling patients to "barter" with their doctor or "bring a chicken to their doctor." Well that's perfect isn't it? TEA Party activists call Obama a socialist for passing a plan that makes it so people don't have to sell their barn in order to get medical attention, and Republicans advocate for the replacement of capitalism with bartering.
Music
Is there anyone more relevant to rock music right now than The National? Apparently, lots of other people thought so by the way their Wiltern show sold out and the debut of their newest album, High Violet, at #3 on the billboard charts. Here's their slow-building but thundering "Afraid of Everyone"
Pavement was awesome, but I don't think I've got such a bad case of 90s nostalgia that I have to see them at the Hollywood Bowl with Sonic Youth. Speaking of Sonic Youth, I saw them in January at the Wiltern but it was the first time I ever went to a show and recognized so few songs. Maybe it was the margaritas? Or maybe something else.
Now that bassist carlos D has left Interpol, I'm not sure what their sound is going to be like going forward, but here's something from their upcoming album (w/Carlos D): Interpol "Lights"
You all know me as the guy with the ancient Mp3 player by Dell. "Why don't you get an ipod?" I get asked. One is, I don't care about apple products. But now I've got a good reason: they killed LaLa dot-com. I spent the early part of my day listening to obscure artists for free. Thanks LaLa for the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and the RHCP double-disc, but no thanks for getting jerked around on Air's Moon Safari. RIP LaLa.
My Life in Pictures (Not Recent)
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