Upcoming shows

• Josh Rouse @ Cat's Cradle -- Jan. 24 (going)
• Yo La Tengo w/ Portastatic || Rosebuds @ Cat's Cradle -- Feb. 5, 6
• Explosions in the Sky @ Cat's Cradle -- March 15 (going)
• TV on the Radio @ Cat's Cradle -- April 15 (tix on sale Jan. 20)
• Ratatat @ Cat's Cradle -- April 16 (tempting)
• John Vanderslice @ Local 506 -- April 26

American Hardcore

Went to the Colony last night w/ badger and Robin. Ehhh. Interesting from an anthropology perspective and some of the dissonance of comparison between seeing throbbing show footage set against interviews in front of Little Tykes swing sets. Best: H.R. of Bad Brains in D.C. with a stream of... well, I found the imagery funny. I'll let it surprise you.

Someone I wanted a little more screen time from: Kevin Seconds. Kevin and his (then?) wife Allyson ran the True Love Coffeeshop until they lost their lease, then reopened. But, I digress...

My complaint: Not being terribly into the music, I thought the film overstayed its welcome, just as everyone was wrapping up about the end of hardcore shortly after Reagan's second term started.

Other stuff

• Renewed LJ for another year. Yay.
• There's a documentary in progress about Helvetica. [via Daring Fireball] Helfuckingvetica.

Free Expression I/NCSU f/8 @ 1/640 sec

Sunday: Robin and I were going to try to get in for brunch at NC Museum of Art's restaurant, Blue Ridge before our time slot to see the Monet in Normandy exhibit. Glad I called ahead to ask for reservations because I was told everything was booked and even getting fitted in around reservations was, at best, an hour plus wait. But, the hostess was friendly enough, it just meant we had to pursue other options.

First and foremost, with the weather being quite delightful, we had to get out for a bike ride.

Next, brunch at Porter's, where we hadn't been in a while.

Then, Monet.

My parents saw the exhibit in San Francisco and said it was excellent. On the whole, I would agree. However, I would also add that holiday weekends are incredibly popular times to see special exhibitions by well known artists. I exchanged vouchers from work for tickets on Friday and I should have guessed or remembered from the Matisse exhibit just how crazy the museum would get. Think audio wand listeners standing in front of "La Chapelle de Notre-Dame, de Grace, Honfleur" for the entire three or four minute audio track as one would think of driving on cell-phone neglecting to merge properly in rush hour traffic.

Still, much to see and I highly recommend going. if you can manage, during a weekday might be best to have a better experience with the art.

Some favorites:

• "Garden at Sainte-Adresse"
• "Cliff Walk, Pourville"
• "Low Tide at Pourville, Near Dieppe"
• "Rouen Cathedral Facade and Tour d'Albane (Morning Effect)"
• "Snow Effect at Giverny"

And no, the N&O's flash gallery of some of the exhibit does not do the paintings justice. They are suggestions at best of what the pieces convey. Hopefully, I'll have some more time to go into further depth on my impressions of the show. One I do want to throw out is Monet's apparent consistency of working. Painting several canvases at once on a single theme, working on the best one given the light at the moment. I am reminded again that excellence is forged in consistent practice.

Photo editing from Saturday with an eye towards overdue projects afterward with a wickedly funny Family Guy in the background.

Saturday: Wonderful day out for walking around Hillsborough Street and campus. After being caught up in a head then chest cold from the early part of the week, Saturday was the first day I felt well the entire day.

So, a chance to get outside and walk. Ostensibly, we left the house to go deposit some checks, but the credit union was closed. Then, so the trip wasn't a waste, a stop for coffee, but everything but CAJ was closed. No worry. Then, not wanting to quite go home, walking around campus. I've signed up for "Technological Failures" next semester, the online section, so it was worth seeing if the bookstore was open. Ordinarily, it being Thanksgiving Day weekend, I'd say not. But, with the final home game of the year, State's bookstore was wide open. And, I managed to pick up the 600 or so page textbook, complete with introduction from Henry Petroski. Rawk.

Nice. Not too terribly stressful. A couple of large tasks accomplished.

• Completed a six-month "extra-curricular" course at the N&O.
• Dinner w/ saspenguin and Jason.
• Moved out of Whitaker Park, along with several other people. Found out there have been a variety of dates thrown around for people to move out, such as "right now." It was claimed, however, that my apt. is being rented out until May.
• Cleaned apt.
• Discovered a headboard travels quite nicely on the roof rack.
• deviant_ was in town so Robin, myself, deviant_, ambermae and gorski got together for beer. Had Magic Hat No. 9 for the first time, and a black currant lambic. Both tasty.
• Saw Clash of the Titans with R, ambermae, gorski and badger after badger put the event on our radar a few weeks ago.
• Flickr outing Tues. 10/03.

Handful of Bees/Raleigh f/8 @ 1/50 sec

At some point, I'll actually update on the past couple/three weeks. But, that whole real life thing keeps happening. So, I figure I can at least post some quick hits.

So, Robin and I were going to go see Lawrence of Arabia at the art museum this evening. I figure there are very few opportunities to see the film big screen.

However, with rain at the house now and doppler showing more on the way, I'm thinking three hours, 47 minutes or so in the rain, plus whatever wait time we have wouldn't be fun outside. So, Snakes on a Plane!

• No more dancing at the Weaver Street Market. [Disclosure]
• Depp and Burton. Sweeney Todd. [via Digg]
• The Ditty Bops are cycling cross-country from show-to-show. I want their flag.
• "It's like a microcosm of the Beltway out on the trail." Growing pains and road rage on a DC area cycling trail.

Robin and I have started on part of our movie list.

In this week's batch:

• Sexy Beast
• Pi
• Requiem for a Dream

Sexy Beast was as good as ever. Pi, I'd not seen in quite some while, so good to refresh my memory there. I was really looking forward to Requiem, since I'd heard so many great things about the film.

And it was great, except for missing out on the last two scenes of the movie due to scratches on the disc. I put a note on the disc case and we'll see if I actually get a credit back on it. Am I entitled? Well, Netflix has a little check box on the sleeves to let them know if a DVD wasn't playable. So, I'd say it's in Blockbuster's best interest.

Having assembled a good list of outdoor activities that could keep Robin and I occupied for a little while, I spent some time with gorski and ambermae last night at Third Place pulling together the obscure reference/quotable movie list.

So, with some concern over having dropped out of sight the last few days, I can explain. Her name is Robin and she's wonderful [1].

Luckily, ambermae and gorski can provide verification we have made it out in public, joining us along with Jess and Andy from Schoolhouse of Wonder for dinner and shenanigans up at Brier Creek Thursday after work.

Pretty decent weekend. The first in a while where I wasn't either injured or on-the-run somewhere or other. And that was nice.

Friday

Taking full advantage of some free evenings, I managed to get to dinner at Royal India with Tom, Bethany and ambermae. Quite delicious and far too long since I'd been to Indian. ambermae had an eggplant based dish that looked good. Tom and Bethany both had magic vegetarian platters of rice, five mini entrees and a sort of potato dumpling. I ended up having what was essentially tandoori red snapper, followed by mango ice cream. Very, very good.

I've been lamenting the lack of shows that I want to see in recent days. Maybe I missed acts on their way to or from Bonnaroo. But, in some actual looking I found:

• June 30: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) at NC Musuem of Art
• July 4: Aimee Mann at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro (though I've already made other plans on the day with Flickr)
• July 7: King's Barcade has it's seventh anniversary with Goner and Des_Ark. That I am all over.

At the implosion yesterday, jason0x21 mentioned Improve Everywhere and their recent mission at a Manhattan Best Buy. Completely separately, ambermae told me about their suicide jumper mission.

Not only do I think I could seriously talk Raleigh Flickr into doing something like this, but I have Jeannie and my coworker Robin on board. I don't imagine I would hurt for volunteers if something like this were to happen locally. And that's why I like knowing all of you.

Dark Bulb/Antfarm f/4.5 @ 1/30 sec

ambermae's former neighbor, Andrea Stevenson Won, was nice enough to return and drop off an invite to a potluck/open house/fundraiser last night for Antfarm Studios. Stevenson and other artists had several pieces up for silent auction.

Between the art, a key and tasty potluck (spicy soba noodles and teriyaki chicken reprazent), it was a nice way to spend a cold, wet evening. More photos from Antfarm. Not a bad day, photographically speaking either, considering I postponed my original plans.

We met gorski at Third Place afterward and the three of us picked up some beer and a couple of movies. Watched House of Fury for the second time.

I think I need an Olympics fix today.

Pending Assignments/Raleigh f/5.6 @ 1/6 sec

A few quietly intense days between work and training. Swimming was more of a challenge than I thought it would be starting out, but it got better. Definitely something I'll be working into my routine. Running is getting easier/better, but, due to the weather today, I'm now five days without riding. Still considering the bicycle trainer vs. some other potential purchases. Rumination.

Stress/Centennial Campus f/9 @ 1/125 sec

More from the day

Saturday: Bike ride, lunch @ Lilly's w/ ambermae, then of to Play-It-Again and REI to look for bicycle trainers. Play-It-Again has no cycling gear, but if I take up anything remotely net related, I'm there. Held off from purchase to see if it's money I really want to part with and my living room, small as it is, is really where I want to exercise instead of going to the gym for cardio.

Dinner at Sawasdee with ambermae Leslie and later, gorski. Drunken noodles == good. Good times, appropriately spiced. Lots of discussion regarding my doctor question with the doctor in the group. Based on a discussion I had at the fitness shop next to Whole Foods, I got some encouragement at the table to give contacts a shot. It's under consideration.

( More... )

Gram LeBron/Rogue Wave f/1.4 @ 1/25 sec

I've spent most of week out of the house after work, often at home long enough only to sleep. Unfortunately [1], since my vacation, my body decided that six and a half hours a night really was not enough So, having dragged through most of the week on coffee, plans for being productive through the evening were more or less scrapped. Laundry is going to wait another day or so, gift research [2], the same.

My parents and I drove an hour or so from Yuba City to Roseville to see Shopgirl this afternoon rather than partake in the schadenfreude at the mall. Good performances are had from all three of the primary actors, but especially Claire Danes. In conversation over the cast last week with lady_ishmael, I mentioned that I'd have preferred having Scarlett Johanson in the roll of Mirabelle and Luke Wilson as Jeremy. I might still have preferred Luke Wilson, but more out of familiarity than thinking that Jason Schwartzman did a bad job. In fact, it was good. While I loved Johanson's roles in both Ghost World and Lost in Translation, Danes was the better fit for the role in this case.

It's an excellent film, sparse in places, but never overwhelmingly heavy. Steve Martin has done a rare thing in 1) writing the tight novella that was a delight to read, 2) doing a great job writing the screenplay and 3) a minimalist turn as Ray Porter, the December in the May-December relationship. He's distant, flawed, but never inhuman. On the way back from the theater, my dad and I were comparing his work lately to Bill Murray's recent oeuvre [1]. If you've seen Martin's work in LA Story and, perhaps, The Spanish Prisoner, you can see this performance coming.

Sadly, one of the more honest films about the painful beginnings of relationships is likely to be overlooked. It's already left North Hills in Raleigh. I hope it will return if the Oscar buzz around Danes keeps growing. I enjoyed her turn in the role and would not be disappointed if she won, but the role didn't overwhelm me as "Oscar-worthy." I'm not seeking to damn her by faint praise. It's a very good performance, but it also didn't involve a lot of scenery chewing. That's good, but it didn't blow me away as I was watching Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast, Leo DiCapprio in The Aviator or Jennifer Connely in House of Sand and Fog.

This is a definite repeat film, different than Garden State, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Lost in Translation, but as "honest."

1. badger and I have recently discussed Murray's work after seeing Broken Flowers, another gem of a film.

Now Playing f/4.5 @ 1/60 sec

• Saw Capote. Philip Seymour Hoffman, again, doing a wonderful job of falling into a character [1]. Some good moments of cinematography. Otherwise, good character studies. Capote, talented as a writer, didn't seem terribly likable, accustomed as he was to holding the center of the room.
• Found tasty beers, particularly the North Coast Brewing Company's Old Stock Ale from 2004. Very, very tasty. Very powerful as well. No, I totally didn't follow the recommendation to leave it alone for a year. That's what a second four pack will be for.
• Attended Tom and Bethany's house-warming party.
• Attended Badgerhaus, watched Shaolin Soccer. I don't even know where to begin describing how enjoyably silly that movie was.
• Saw Good Night, and Good Luck, George Clooney's period piece of Edward R. Murrow taking on Sen. Joseph McCarthy. I highly recommend seeing it. Yes, Clooney probably is trying to make a political point making the film now. However, his argument is more subtle than say, Michael Moore [2]. Also, the film does not need to be viewed as an analogue to current events. The events covered by the film are well worth appreciating in their own right. Kudos for David Strathairn's performance.
• Post-movie photography with in late afternoon light.
• Post-photography bike ride, albeit brief, allowing for the fact that I ended up a bit dehydrated after Saturday's ride. Hoping to overcome some disappointment from the past week where, back from Kansas City, I didn't get to the gym once and only out on the bike three times in the last seven days.
• A belated birthday dinner for Leslie with ambermae and gorski at Firebirds in North Hills. Decent service and OK, but not outstanding food. The decor is nice, but perhaps a touch too much an attempt at a mountain lodge. The lobster spinach queso is good. Good to see all involved.

1. Two of the others being Brian Mahowny in Owning Mahowny and the very creepy Jacob Elinsky in 25th Hour.
2. Not that Moore is who I expect subtle from, mind you, but I've also seen more ham-fisted polemics.
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