'Tis the Season

..yes, the season for Gingerbread People! I made my first ever gingerbread men yesterday. As my friends pointed out I am almost a foreigner since I have never experienced that nor does my family do the whole Christmas Stocking thing. Oh well. We have other traditions like...um...hm...I'll get back to you on that one.

Besides that moment of fun, followed by the weirdest version of Trivial Pursuit ever (too many colors and dice for me to keep up), I really haven't been up to much of anything. I did have my wisdom teeth removed (2 of them), and parts of me are still numb. I did call the doctor to day and the nurse was all like "well I have heard of it lasting up to a week," It has almost been an week!! Appointment on Wednesday. A friend of a friend apparently experienced numbness for 2 years in her tongue. ( I wonder if this is an example of how urban legends and folk stories about dental procedures get spread?). Hopefully this is not permanent b/c my teeth feel really strange on one side and I don't like it :(

Almost end of the semester. Today is the final for Anthro, scantron and thus easy. I turned in a paper yesterday with the greatest title ever "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps: Revitalization, Revolution, and the Apocalypse in 17th Century Russia." It might be the best part of the entire paper, which kind of fell flat. I had all sorts of grand ideas for it, but it just ended up being sort of me rambling about how pissed off I was that all the historians keep writing aritcles about Old Belief in which they referred to the rituals as "insignificant' or "meaningless." So, yeah, I had to pull out Turner and Geertz (and Asad, cannot forget his critiques) to point them in the right direction. I have one other paper to finish...at some point. Not sure when, but it is about the Toronto festival I went to so lots of "ethnographic description" and such. Should be easier to finish than the one on Russia.

Maybe I will post something before Christmas, but if I don't - Happy Holidays. I will try to take pictures of sunshine and warmth to counteract the dreadful winter when I get home. Actually though the weather there hasn't been all that nice recently.

For now though pictures of gingerbread men:

Pirate and parrot

Ukrainian

Scottish highlander

Rock and Roll couple

Gingerbread boy with hat

I have others, may post later.

More Snow Day

I had to post this, it is too funny. I am seriously shocked that no one was crushed by the giant snowball.

Giant Snow Ball

Snow Day

I woke up to the delightful observation that someone had cleared a path from my door to the street. Thank you neighbors. I then helped a couple shovel out their car, not sure if they are the ones who cleared the porch, but thought I would make myself useful somehow. We cleared the driveway, then helped some other poor soul whose car completely buried. And then I made a snow-woman and played in the snow a bit, ended up soaked and freezing, but it was fun! :)
Pictures:

End of the Semester Strikes Again

You know how sometimes you take a class and at the time it was fun and interesting, but really you never read any of that stuff again, and it was kind of a waste of time ultimately? Ever had the opposite happen? Maybe you took a class, thought it was good on a basic level, but it wasn't super engaging? You didn't do all the readings, sort of skimped on the final paper....but then realized several years later, that you should have totally invested time in this course?

Yeah well, that happened to me today.

Actually, this post is a completely random shout out into the aethers to my Folklore Theory professor. His hefty reader for the course saved my life yesterday and today. I needed a literature review on some central themes in folklore - identity, performance, and tradition - but didn't have time to read and then remembered I had a huge packet of articles on key themes in folklore theory. It is not perfect, but it allowed me to turn in a 12 pg draft today whereas without it I would have had nothing. So, thanks :)

On a completely unrelated note, b/c I know you are super curious, below are the lyrics to the song that I am totally obsessed with at the moment, with the oddest title of Club Foot

One...take control of me?
Yer messing with the enemy
Said its 2..it's another trick
Messin with my mind, I wake up
Chase down an empty street
Blindly snap the broken beats
Said it's cut with a dirty trick
Its taken all these days to find ya
I tell you I want you
I tell you I need you

friends, take control of me
Stalking cross' the gallery
All these pills got to operate
The colour quits and all invade us
There he goes again
Take me to the edge again
All I got is a dirty trick
I'm chasin down the wolves to save ya

I tell you I want you
I'll tell you I need you
I... the blood aint on my face
Just wanted you near me

I tell you I want you
I'll tell you I need you
The blood aint on my hands

Just wanted you near me

I tell you I want you
I'll tell you I need you
The blood aint on my hands

Just wanted you near me

Stupid Bus System

I seem to always have problems with the buses. I guess b/c I spend so much time on them. So this is how stupid they are...
The bus I was one was early, so the bus driver takes a break. Totally cool, no problems, I sit patiently. As he comes back, some guy walks up to the bus driver and asks "Were you the bus just now on State St?" The driver says no, he was here. This person is super angry and immediately starts yelling about how some bus had nearly ran over a blind man with a guide dog in the crosswalk and how the driver of that bus had been steadily blowing his horn and apparently being obnoxious. So the angry man says "I'm calling this in." Ok, perfect, feel free.
Except that my bus driver then gets off the bus to go argue with this man (I couldn't hear, but the gestures definitely indicated argument). He is off the bus for another 10 minutes. Ok, fine. I am annoyed, but not particularly upset.
But then, the driver gets on the bus, the angry man goes away, and an older gentleman walks up to the door (which the driver closes in his face, but then opens) to ask about some destination. The driver says "yes I go there, but I have to leave now." So the man gestures to another individual who (not to be too stereotypical) appears to be homeless, and also rather infirm. He is not right by the bus, but a bit down the street. The first guy tells him to take this bus. Meanwhile the bus driver keeps saying "I have to go, I am leaving now!" But the man couldn't walk any faster, yet the driver was totally inconsiderate, and nearly shut the door in his face too.
So my question is: why would you have a pointless argument with some guy (business man, well dressed, nice suit) that has nothing to do with you for 10 minutes, but then almost leave some person (potentially ill and homeless) with the excuse that you are going to be late? Oh and he used the passangers as an excuse "They have places to get to" he said, gesturing behind him. That didn't stop him from chatting with the other man. It wasn't nice. And I just thought I would share, b/c I was aggravated.

Book the Fourth (and stuff)

I was going to let this go by w/o commenting, but it has been bothering me. Oh, what would a book challenge be for me if I actually finished one. It would take all the *fun* out of it. Yeah, I only read three - again! But I guarantee had I said "I will read three" I would have only read two. That my dears is how the world-according-to-Chay works*.

To be perfectly honest about it though, I don't think I have finished a book in like a month. I started reading..wait let me turn around and count... 9 books in the past month - none of them I have finished, and some of them are quite overdue. And this is not a number that includes academic scholarly books. No, they are all fantasy or fiction of some sort (and one mystery that is amazing if I ever get through it; The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie). However, grad school caused me to develop ADD, which I have acknowledged usually as a joke, but might actually be serious.

Oh, and might I remind myself and everyone else that I have to read 4 Faulkner books in the next month or so. That has a potential of being completed b/c I will be flying home for Christmas and I usually manage to get at least one read during my journeys, and then I will have some time off to just lay around in warmer climates whilst trying to not stress about being unemployed next semester.

Since I might not post before then - Happy Turkey Day. I am attending a Thanksgiving Dinner largely as a bum in which my sole contribution will be fruit salad and potentially port or vodka. But I like fruit salad, and alcohol, so it kinda works for me.

*i.e. sort of half-assed most of the time

Milorad Pavic

(Apologies to fans of Milorad Pavic, b/c I already know that any description I offer of his books is going to do the man a great disservice.)

Thanks to a sojourn to the library last weekend, I found a great new author (new as in "new to me"). But there is a surreal story which goes along with the discovery of this book and just so happens to perfectly complement the style of the book. Meaning, ultimately, that the universe wanted me to know about Milorad Pavic.
So, the story goes...

Me and a friend were scanning pages for class. Actually she was scanning and as I had been in the library for 6 or so hours at that point, I was just talking to her. Next to us was a cart for books due to be reshelved. I was glancing through them, making completely random work-addled comments like "oh I should study Polish" or whatever b/c all of the books were dictionaries of various kinds or language instruction manuals.

But then, I see this red book with gold lettering entitled "Dictionary of the Khazars: male edition." Between the two of us, I feel me and this person know a lot about East Europe, Russia, and Central Asia - the name Khazars definitely felt like it belonged to that region. But we had never heard of them. I start to browse through the book. It has the oddest introduction. This tells the story of how in the 16th century there were two known copies of the Dictionary; one in gold and one with a silver lock. One of these was written in poisoned ink so that anyone who read it would instantly die. Furthermore, if one read the gold edition and the silver edition side by side they would be able to learn the moment of their death. I am at this point beyond intrigued, and yet completely confused.

Now for most people, the end to this story is obvious. Its not a dictionary at all, and you would have figured that out much sooner. We might have immediately come to such a conclusion also, except for the fact that it was to be shelved with other dictionaries - thus, lending a certain amount of credibility to the book's assertion that it was in fact a dictionary. And yes, you could dismiss such an incident with the very mundane comment "the librarian miscatalogued the book." Well, yes, that is one explanation. But considering Pavic's style (evoking comparisions to Borges), that his goal is to create non-linear books, which can be read in a multiplicity of ways, I feel that the circumstances of finding the book are completely appropriate. It wasn't miscatalogued at all.

Dictionary of the Khazars is a story told in three sections. It is the story of how a mythical group of Khazars come to choose between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In real life, they chose Judaism, but in the Dictionary their choice has been lost in time. One section of the book consists of Judaic sources regarding the Khazars, the other Christian references, and finally information from Islam on the group. There is a male edition and a female edition, which differ in only one, apparently crucial, paragraph. But this is not the most interesting of his books.

Landscape Painted With Tea happens to be a crossword puzzle. Yes, a crossword puzzle. I have only begun to read it, but my understanding of the book is that the first part is a story with various different endings and beginnings, while Book II can be read either "across" i.e. linear, or "down." There is a page that serves as a guide and tells you which sections to read depending on the path that you chose.

Last Love in Constantinople is a "Tarot Novel for Divination." So, it can on one hand be read in the normal way, or it can be read dealing out tarot cards as if for a reading. The sections in the book correspond to the cards, and whichever cards you are dealt you read those sections. Luckily for me, I already own a pack of Tarot cards.

He has a few other books, but my library didn't have those, so I have no idea what gems they conceal. I did read on his website that he wrote a book called Unique Item that consists of a different ending for every single copy produced - that is the book is in fact unique to each person who owns a copy.

Book The Third

I bet you didn't think I would get this far? That I had given up on the book challenge? Almost...but not quite. A few pages left in The Keeper, but I don't want to rush through it b/c I actually like that book. However, for now, for my 3rd book I read Dark Delicacies, which is a collection of short stories. I am not the biggest fan of short stories or anthologies in general, but there was a lot of hype about this one. And it had some cool names on the front - people I've read, like, or at least recognized. But what can I say about this book? Meh. Thats it. I really liked the first story - by of all people Ray Bradbury.* It was a sort of ghost story/zombie/reincarnation mixture that was a bit creepy, but over all entertaining. The Brian Lumley story is ok, yet seriously weird - and way more sci fi** than horror. Not outstanding though. My favorite story by far was by Nancy Holder "Out Twelve Steppin." It was about a couple of famous rock stars who are in fact cannibals, and who have a strangely co-dependent relationship. Overall though, I wasn't impressed with the book. I would probably give this book 2.5 stars

* I saw him give a talk once. FYI

** Which is odd b/c Bradbury is usually sci fi, and Lumley pure horror - guess they decided to switch up genres here.

insert expletive here

Finally we are at the point in the class that I teach where I feel comfortable and suitably knowledgeable - i.e. religion, symbolism, mythology, meaning. All such fun things. And we are reading about shamanism - should be fun. Except that it is only Tuesday and I am exhausted. Was being nice and scheduled extra office hours this week. That was a train wreck. I'm glad I helped people but sitting in the office 4 1/2 hours one day then 2 1/2 the next day talking to students non stop during those periods totally wore me out. That shouldn't be strenuous, but really I could go to sleep right now (it is 8:36pm at this exact moment). Except that I have to right a lesson plan for tomorrow, finish reading several books, and write an exam.

On a positive note, I went to a concert over the weekend (god, was that really 4 days ago?!). St. Vincent. Normally I would link to her website or post some sort of video in the "music of the moment" space to the right, but I don't feel like it. She was cool. And I mean that word quite specifically. My friend lent me her c.d. which I am now listening to. I think I like her a bit better in concert, but still good stuff.

Blade Runner

I watched this movie last night when I was supposed to be doing work for school - as usual. And yeah I managed to watch the movie (while reading The Reindeer People), and read Pandemonium. But no, I haven't finished reading for my "Imperial Russia" class. Which is what I should be doing RIGHT NOW. Priorities.

I just wanted to write quickly that I had never seen Blade Runner, but became a bit more interested in watching it after I learned all sorts of fun things about Phillip K. Dick (see previous post). Anyway, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix. I liked it. I hear people complain b/c it is very different from the original story (which I haven't read, but cannot be worse than the adaptation of Queen of the Damned), and that it was slow. Neither of those issues bothered me, but what drove me bloody crazy was the voice-over narration. That sucked. Apparently the director's cut leaves this out, but then people say you miss a lot of what is going on. This is probably true, I might have been really confused without the narration, but it sucked. This is one movie actually that I would love to see remade. Actually, I want whoever directed The 5th Element to redo Blade Runner. They might not be able to get Gaultier for the costumes again, but there are lots of new edgy designers who would be perfect.

Ok, going to read A Woman's Kingdom: Noblewomen and the Control of Property.

Book the Second

Finished Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory. No, please don't ask me how I had time. Basically, the story is focused around the main character of Del who experienced a possession by a demon known as the Hellian when he was about 5. This isn't possession as you are used to hearing about it - no Catholic priests involved. In fact, this is a sort of alternate Earth where demons (or archetypes or spirits or whatever) take over people's bodies usually for short periods of time to cause random trouble, paint pictures, or murder people. Most of these incidences are linked back to a specific cohort of demons all named all with certain immediately recognizable "signatures" or characteristics. But the story isn't really what you think it is. There are all sorts of little gems embedded in the main story - for instance, I learned more about Phillip K. Dick than I ever cared to know.

Cons: The story pulls from a lot of obscure literary references, and if you don't read Science Fiction some of the jokes might be lost on you. I had to look up a couple of authors. There were several scenes that were gratuitious - mainly the completely random sex scene between two of the characters. And I do mean "completely random." A couple of others come to mind, enough for me to be annoyed. Finally, I would have liked to know more about the underlying mythology - I am left wondering what was really going on with these demons/archetypes.

Pros: An interesting mix of gossip (possibly via Wikipedia), conspiracy theories, Jungian psychology, and possession. It was totally readable with a well-paced plot and memorable characters. Despite problems, clearly I was interested. Finished the book in 2 days - it is a fairly quick read.

I am undecided between a 3 1/2 and a 4. I have a longer "con" list, but it was a good story overall.

Not sure what I am reading next.

Book the First

One book out of four done! Hurray. I read Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. It was ok. Basically, this magician living in L.A. gets sent to Hell, but miraculously survives, then comes back to earth to get revenge on the people that sent him down under. The book jacket says it is "twisted, irreverent, and hilarious." I would agree with irreverent, but I did not find it hilarious. Don't get me wrong I love dark humor and sarcasm - Sandman Slim has both, but not on such a scale that would warrant "hilarious." However, it is a new take on some old mythology, has several original concepts (see one exception that annoyed me), the characters are well-developed, and if there is a sequel, which I have a feeling there will be, I would read it.
One exception: I don't think this counts as a minor spoiler, but it might. So beware. There is one character, an angel, who Stark (aka James, Jimmy, Sandman Slim) doesn't get along with. Every meeting between these two reminded me of the movie Constantine. Remember Gabriel? Tilda Swinton? Not a major problem with the book, just an association that I found annoying. Actually, the more I think about, there are other similarities between Constantine and Sandman Slim. Regardless, I guess I would give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. It wasn't bad.

Was going to read The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. Why did I say "was?" Well, funny story that. So, I ordered the book from the library, and start thinking "this title reminds me of something." And this kept bothering me b/c that is a fairly unique title. I pick up the book today, and read the book cover. And I keep thinking "what does this remind me of?" I then sit down and force myself to really think about it - a couple of random images come to mind, but I still cannot figure out what is bothering me. I read the book jacket again, no idea. I read the first page - still confused. I start flipping through the book, and what do I discover? I already read the book!! When? Not a clue. Did I like it? I have no idea. But I find it very very strange that I finished the book, and had zero recollection of doing so even after getting it from the library and reading the cover - twice. Clearly I am getting old. My memory is failing me.

The second book I will read, and sat down to read half of it already today when I should have been doing something else (anything else really), is Pandemonium. More demons, but after all it is a Halloween book challenge. This one is very different though and so far I like it better.

In Anticipation of Halloween

"Anticipation" here being pronounced as if you were a cast member of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Last year I attempted to participate in the R.I.P Halloween book challenge. It didn't work out, I only read 3 out of the 4 books I had committed too. Not surprising, I never finish book challenges (as you well know by now I am sure).
But another year, a chance to redeem myself so on that note may I present:

Goal: Read 4 books in any category or subgenre of scary stories that you choose. Detailed description of challenge, and site for book reviews can be found here.

I checked out a bunch of books from the library b/c they had a special Halloween themed exhibit. Maybe I'll read those, or something else. As I know from experience, if I say I am going to read it, make a list, or otherwise announce some sort of set plan - then it is guaranteed not to happen.

In other Halloween related randomness, I really want to do a super scary horror movie marathon. Asked around on facebook, and I got some suggestions - The Ring, The Shining, Alien, Poltergeist, etc. I would add The Blair Witch Project (yes, I know some people think the movie is dumb), and The Excorcist. There are lots that I have already seen, but so many that I have missed, so feel free to provide me with suggestions. And besides, even if I don't do a marathon movie night, I am still curious to know what movie you think is the scariest of all time.

ДахаБраха

Title refers to a Ukrainian band - in the Latin alphabet that would be DakhaBrakha. I thought I'd post something about them b/c:
a) they are good
b) they are Ukrainian
c) I found a new favorite song and finally
d) b/c I cannot sleep.
I slept late this morning, but only b/c I couldn't sleep last night. I woke up in the middle of the night after this horrible nightmare that I was at my grandmother's house and a plane crashed into it. No one died or anything, it was just extremely vivid. I had a few other weird dreams as well.

Anyway, more about the band...
I would classify them as "ethno-rock" or "folk-rock" - they classify themselves as "ethno-chaos." Not sure what that category means, but basically they reinterpret Ukrainian and East European folk music with their own very unique style. They are from Kyiv and affiliated with a Contempory Arts center there DAKH*. Their theater background is probably obvious from their shows, but I have never seen them in concert. I only learned about the band this summer, though apparently my friends saw them last summer at a festival. For more information, here is their website.

In other news,...oh, wait there isn't any other news. Not really, not anything of interest. However, I managed to be fairly productive today. Graded all the mulitiple choice tests. I hope my students aren't the only ones who had a hard time. Checked out a million books from the library b/c I have decided to become interested in Critical Theory. Hm..and that is about it besides wrestling with some Russian text that I needed to put online for my classmates, which I cannot read so really have zero clue if I copied the correct pages (microfiche were invented by a sadist or a lunatic).

So, goodnight. I am still wide awake, but hopefully all the rest of you are sleeping peacefully!


*A clue to where their name comes from, but also Dakha Brakha in Old Slavonic means "to give" and "to take". In modern Ukrainian, it would be "Daty" (дати- to give) and "Braty" (брати - to take). From their website:

The meaning of “giving” is obvious - to give music, joy, celebration, the whole spectrum of emotions, feelings and reflections that fresh music and singing bring with itself.

But where “to take” from? The energy can be taken not only from a native “source” but from anywhere...

Modern ethnic music needs a sort of reconstruction and in a way it means to search roots, to move back in time. But if one belongs to the urban culture and has no initial experience of the traditional life, how can he find these roots?

Simultaneously Terrifying and Hilarious

I feel like that rarely happens. When you see or hear or read something that is really really scary, but at the same time utterly amusing. Today's example - Tom Cruise interview. And yes, I know we shouldn't be suprised by anything that comes out of that man's mouth, but this was too much.

As a Scientologist, at the scene of an accident, "you know you are the only one who can help." -Yep b/c non-Sc paramedics don't know anything.

"We are the authorities on getting people off drugs. We are the authorities on the mind."
- Just watch the video to know why this is really ironic.

"We unite cultures!"

"If you are a Scientologist you see things....... the way they are."

And I am not linking to the video, b/c I am a little paranoid and more than a little scared of those people.

4 Down...5 to go

Finally, I have finished the first volume in my quest to read the earliest 9 Faulkner books. I know I think I said I was going to do that this summer, but at least I am only 2 months behind. It could be much worse, I am so bad at these book challenges. The ones I read were Soldiers' Pay, Mosquitoes, Flags in the Dust, and The Sound and The Fury. Out of the four the best was The Sound and The Fury. The worst by far was Mosquitoes. It was absolutely the most pointless book ever. Next up is As I Lay Dying, which I read last year, and Sanctuary - the beginning of this last one is amazing, so hopefully it will not disappoint.

Soldiers' Pay

I started the book several months ago, and couldn't really get into it due to time constraints rather than lack of interest. Once I had a chunk of time to really engage with it, I found the book utterly captivating. I am rather impressed that this novel was Faulkner's first, but at the same time I felt it was very different - less sophisticated perhaps? - than his other works that I am familiar with. The plot at least is pretty generic. Sections are definitely slow, but other scenes blew me away - I was totally amazed by Faulkner's skill at writing. Granted that might be obvious, he did win a Nobel Prize, but it is nice to experience an author's ability for oneself. As part of a reading challenge, I decided to read Faulkner's first 9 books - this one is definitely a good start.

Mosquitoes

Took me a really long time and to be honest I skimmed most of the second half. One of the most utterly pointless books I have ever read in the sense that there wasn't too much of a plot and nothing really happened throughout most of the book. Gets 2 1/2 b/c some minor sections were interesting and b/c I found W.F's descriptions of the landscape (esp the swamp) and some of the characters' emotional states to be well-written and realistically portrayed. Otherwise, honestly I would say it is not even worth the time to read it.

Flags in the Dust

A bit more developed in terms of characters and plot than his first two books, but had the potential to be so much better. The biggest problem is that some of the most interesting scenes - that create tension and drama in the novel - are never resolved. There is an entire secondary plot that seems, at the beginning, like it will be the focus of the action as the story unfolds, but Faulkner never really follows up on this aspect of the book. It is also a bit confusing in parts because so many people have the same names, and it isn't always clear who is being referred to. I do realize that Faulkner had a specific reason for doing this; he is trying to show the Sartoris legacy and tradition is bound up in the names of the family members as if they develop a particular set of characteristics or a certain personality type simply because of their name. I think that point is made very clear at the end of the book when the new Sartoris is named. 3/5 stars.

The Sound and the Fury

I am so happy I finally read this book. I think I started it in 8th grade, but never could get through the beginning. Trying to follow the flow of the story through the perspective of Benjy amidst numerous flashbacks through time, characters, and space was, I think, a bit too much. However, this time around, I didn't find it that confusing - except for maybe the first 5 or so pages. Really Faulkner does a good job of leaving clues in the text as to when certain events occur whether early in the story when the characters are young, or later when the whole family has nearly disintegrated. The Compson Appendix definitely helps clarify some issues that Faulkner was not completely clear about in the novel itself. The ending was a bit random, but maybe considering the "stream of consciousness" style of the work that was to be expected. My absolute favorite part was with Dilsey at the end when she goes to church. The passages during the revival with the out of town preacher are amazing. Try reading them out loud (I did, it was great). Faulkner nailed this section. 4/5 Stars

Toronto

Went to the annual Ukrainian festival in Toronto last weekend. Super fun, had an amazing time. The festival itself was ok. We were there a lot, but really were only paying attention to one band - which was Ludy Dobri. They are from Ukraine, from Lviv actually and play traditional Ukrainian folk music with a modern twist. We met them last year and hung out a bit. It was kind of strange to see them in Canada, but not as weird as I thought it would be. I did see a few of the other performers. A couple of dance groups who were apparently not very good - I have no standard to judge them by b/c I know next to nothing about Ukrainian dancing. The best part really was that I got to see a lot of people that I met this summer and several people that I met last summer. This is the largest Ukie festival in North America so "everyone" tends to be there - at least everyone who is important :) Ok, that isn't exactly true, but my basic point is that I was excited to hang out with people that I otherwise would probably never have seen again. Pictures and video and all that fun stuff to be posted on Facebook at some point in time - possibly tonight. I might write a more extended version on the other blog seeing as how I was actually supposed to be doing fieldwork while there for my folklore class. I think it was all participation with zero observation this time around.

...Of Cats and Corsets and Chocolate Ice Cream

I used to have two other cats. I had them when I was an undergraduate, but left them with my parents b/c I couldn't have cats in my apt where I live now (i.e. Kishka is a secret, so don't tell my landlord). Their names are Nikolai Ivanovich and Ivan Nikolaiovich - and no I didn't make those names up to be mean. It is from a book. What I noticed was that they would always sit on the things that I needed. Like if I were reading a book, or if there were some papers on the floor. Apparently Kishka has this problem too, except that he gets mad when you try to move him. Like today. I moved him off of my makeup, he sat on my purse, I moved him from there (all the while he is making these fussy not quite growling not quite meowing sounds), he tries to sit on my glasses, and I have to intercept. Finally he storms off to sit on the corner of my bed after swatting at me a few times with his paws. B/c I found the entire incident amusing I took a little video - well, and also b/c I kinda like playing with my new phone.




The other stuff referred to in the title here is that I went to a mini food festival type thing today. I went a few years ago - both times it was fun. Of course it was though b/c what could be better than all the restaurants in your town gathering in one place, and offering samples of their food? I had some squash curry, buttermilk hush puppies, eggplant fries...oh, and some dark chocolate ice cream. All really really delicious.
However, today was a game day. So all the crazies were out (and all wearing red). Got asked a few weird questions. The first I won't type out here b/c I have no clue what the girl was talking about, and my luck it is some sexual position that I do not want to know about.
The second question was "could you buckle my shoe?" Strange enough having someone ask you that who is waiting for a bus at 10pm at night. Even stranger was that she was wearing a tiny plaid school-girl style skirt and a white corset. I am thinking she couldn't buckle her shoe b/c the corset was too tight, but I mean really if you are wearing something that prevents you from getting properly dressed - i.e. buckling your red 4 inch heels - then you probably shouldn't be wearing it. But maybe I'm just too conservative...

Kishka Adventures: Day 3

I think we are sort of friends now. Except when he does something that I don't like, and I yell at him. Then he growls and hisses. Which is actually still all of the time. He is out of the "hiding under couch phase" and into the "lets explore everything" phase. Essentially this means that he tries to drink out of my glass, eat my food, climb on my computer, sleep on my clothes, turn over the garbage can, and sit on the book I am reading. So, I redirect him in a nice way like "hey kishka stop that!" and then he turns his head and makes a vicious demonic sort of noise.
Funny moment that I heard, but unfortunately missed... he had some sort of run in with my desk chair. I think he tried to jump on it, not realizing that it was going to move. I found him looking a bit shocked lying underneath the chair. Where is a camera when you need one!

And in the midst of such cat induced mayhem I almost forgot to mention that today was the very first day of the semester. I taught three classes. In each one I managed to forget something super important, but I think they will survive. My two morning classes are 99% Freshman. In fact, in one of them, I have all freshmen and then one lone senior. He looked a bit overwhelmed to hear that. I of course redirected all campus, UW questions to him. He laughed thinking I was joking, but actually... Anyway, my second section is also all freshmen. They all seem friendly and talkative though, which will be good. What else, oh I was mistaken for a student today. That was funny "are you in our class too?" "nope, I am your TA."

Wednesdays are such long days, as are Thursdays. I am on campus from like 9:30am to roughly 7:30pm. I know it is like having a real job. I shouldn't be complaining, but my response is to say I just think I will go to bed early tonight. By the way, I did read like 4 or 5 articles for my own research ( I know!!). And started reading this really interesting book on Ukraine. And by "interesting" I mean full of useful sources and very recent (2008?). So, I am actually rather proud of how productive I was. If only I could be like that every day....oh, wait I wouldn't still be in graduate school - I would be out, doing someting useful, like fieldwork. (cue manaical laughter in the background).

Cat-Sitting: Day One

I agreed to watch my friend's cat for like 2 weeks. I thought this would be great b/c I love cats. Kishka ("cat" in Ukrainian) has been here about 2 hours. First he hid underneath the couch. His owner tried to get him to come out so that she could say goodbye to him, but he just hissed at her. I will try to keep that in mind when he starts hissing at me...oh, I mean I should keep that in mind while he is hissing at me now. Yeah, he finally came out from under the couch and ended up in my closet. I saw him and started talking to him (in English though apparently he speaks Ukrainian) and he started making some odd noises. Sort of like sounds of discomfort. So I got up and walked in his general direction - he started hissing. Full out, fangs bared.

I guess I could say then that so far the experience has been great! :) Hopefully he will come around, and also hopefully not break anything while I am gone all day tomorrow.

Midget Car Racing

No, not midget racing. Though that is what the sign says as you drive into the park where the race track is. Anyway, this is not something that I am in the habit of doing, never been to car racing of any sort, but it was actually fun. I felt rather American though as they prayed before the event, they sang the national anthem, and it was sponsored by Miller. The winners of each "heat" received a case of Miller - and oddly enough a bottle of water.

Watching the cars going around the track would have been even better if:

a)it wasn't ridiculously cold. Supposedly the low tonight is 38 - it should so still be summer!!
b) dirt wouldn't have been flying at us. The dust was annoying and got into my contacts, nose, and clothes. Worse though were the large clods of dirt that flew into the stands. I might have a knot on my forehead from one rather large piece that hit me.

I should probably do something useful and explain exactly what midget cars are, but since I know nothing about cars period, I won't even bother. Basically they were just small, loud, and fast. No one was injured, a few cars broke down, and one kind of caught on fire, but no serious drama which was good. Oh, and there was a raffle, really bad music during the "intermission" and a "t-shirt toss" in which a few firemen threw shirts into the audience.

Global/World Music

My brother sent me this clip from a group that he saw in New Orleans. According to their website they bridge African jazz and "the culture of New Orleans." I thought it was pretty interesting so here you go:
Fatien Ensemble

In other musical news, I have developed a minor obsession with this Belarusian folk band that I saw at the Art Pole folk/art/music festival in Ukraine. You can see a different video under my Song of the Moment section, but just in case you needed more:
Нагуаль (Nagual)

In regards to that video - I was actually there. Yes, in the audience kinda far back, but dancing with enthusiasm. Admittedly the band is a little weird. I do realize this, but also utterly amazing. And really really good live. On a positive note, every single person that has listened to the c.d. that I own has also enjoyed it. Here is a description of the band:

The band NAGUAL (a rolling stone, wanderer) was formed in winter 2000 in order to recreate sounds which can express both the beginning of the dance of life and one's own song.

NAGUAL consists of six musicians. Their aim is to deepen their knowledge about music origins, modern trends, shaping of folk cultures, relations among people, since these factors directly influence the group's creativity. They create music by means of selected instruments, their unique arrangements and feelings of the musicians. They play instruments which vary from archaic to classical.

Psycho-folk is a trend in music which combines the personal with the social. The vocal is a sophisticated mixture of phonemes of various language groups, sounds of nature, psycho-physiological processes and the primitive and the postmodern. Therefore, the gist of this work is admiring the world, biostimulation, deep experiences and expressing emotions and feelings explicitly.
(http://www.gadki.lublin.pl/east_eng/n/index.html)

Psychology, anthropology, music, folklore all wrapped in one group - perfect for me wouldn't you think? :)

Hello from Home

Back in Madison. Haven't been doing much. Went on a Frank Lloyd Wright tour, saw a funny play in an out door theater, and watched a couple of movies. Online: Prince Caspian. Much better than the first. In theaters: District 9. It was really good. Hope no one tries to make a sequel just for some extra bucks though. Of course, Hollywood being what it is, I am sure that they will.
Plodding my way through the self-imposed Faulkner book challenge. 3 down, 6 to go. In four months? Not likely. When I am feeling less lazy I will post my reviews of the ones that I have read here (two of them are on Library Thing now).

Hello from Lviv

Basically, just a note here to say that I will be posting on the other blog for the rest of the summer and not this one. Having lots of fun and hanging out though. If you read this one and not the other one, but don't know the address send me an email.

Fishies!

I went fishing today for the first time in forever. It was fun, but the fishes were just too smart for me. They were jumping around right by me, but would not bite. It then started raining so we had to leave having had zero luck. Then these crazy redneck people drove by with all sorts of "suggestions" about what we should and/or should not be doing.
In other news, not doing much of anything. Watched "Mr and Mrs Smith" today, it was so stupid. I almost couldn't finish watching it. Strange how the last few movies I have seen with Angelina Jolie I have hated, and I thought I liked her as an actress. However, I have "Changeling" to watch, which I have heard was really good (but sad, and you know how I feel about that). Also watched "Max Payne" and "Driving Lessons" both were decent. "Driving Lessons" was so British and so awkward, but pretty funny.
Currently reading Pillars of the Earth. It is taking such a long time. Yes, it is about 1000 pages, which normally isn't an issue - I like long books - but with this one I feel like I cannot make progress.

What I Have Been Doing....

Much of nothing actually, but I did manage to read three books:

S.: A Novel About the Balkans 4 1/2 Stars

A book about the Bosnian war from the point of view of a woman who survives a prison camp. Not light reading clearly, but the author is an amazing writer. She has this great ability for invoking all of the senses in dramatic ways. A couple of themes are humiliation/dehumanization, and the power of everyday objects to define identity. Some reviews compare it to One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, which I can definitely see, but I prefer Solzjenitsyn.

Soldiers' Pay - 4 Stars (first of the "Faulkner" book challenge)

A good start to my goal of reading the first 9 Faulkner books. This is his very first, and while the writing isn't up to par with his later more well known works, I still think this book clearly showcases Faulkner's abilities. The storyline is pretty basic - essentially a love story, but absolutely worth reading.

The Angel Maker - 3 1/2 Stars

This one is translated from Dutch and I have a feeling that reading it in the original language would make it ten thousand times better because there seemed to be something lacking - I couldn't ever really connect with the characters. The structure of the book is also a little weird, the first section is from a completely different point of view than the other two, and while the middle part works amazingly well - it gives the background of the main character - the last section's climax isn't as powerful as it could be. Essentially, the book is about cloning and genetic experimentation, but also a bit about society in general and religion.

Besides reading, I hung out in N.O a bit, ate fried oysters, and went dancing - all in all a good time.
Had my hair cut today, but the lady totally fucked it up, so I have to get it fixed tomorrow.
Have been enjoying copious amounts of sunshine and NCIS (I alternate). May have broken the "addicted to facebook quizzes" phase of my life.
And I had my first snowball of the year, raspberry with condensed milk

Summer Music Fun

B/c I am here, hanging out at my computer after having too much food and 28oz of Margarita (why oh why did you let me do that), I thought I would blog a bit about how new music might actually be exciting this summer. (In no particular order)

1)The Killers - actually old news b/c their album has been out a while, and b/c I just missed a show, but they are touring this summer. Day and Age is worth listening to, but its not my favorite.

2) Franz Ferdinand - also touring, also just missed a show, and also not my favorite album by them. Their first was by far the best. I liked Lucid Dreams, but the single version not the album version.

3) Placebo - oh, what to say? I would like to scream "sell out" into the aethers, but won't ;o). Or maybe I just did. Funny how the less I like them, the more popular they become. Their new single "Battle for the Sun" not so good. But in case you are listening Brian, Steve (Hewitt that is), and Stefan - you are still my 2nd favorite band of all time. They are touring Europe, and I will be in East Europe, sooo close when they are in Poland, but probably won't make it.

4) Tori Amos - has a new album and is touring. This doesn't matter so much to me, but thought I'd mention it. ETA: You can listen to the entire album b/w now (May 16th) and Tuesday (May 19th) on her MySpace page

5) Coldplay - please, go download their new live album - apparently it is free. (Learned via Twitter btw). I love their second album, not so into the rest of their music, although the latest effort is fairly decent.

6) The White Rabbits - something to get excited about. The fact that I am missing two of their shows in Chicago is really the reason I regret being out of the country this summer. Seriously, go listen to their new album on their myspace page, i..e NOW. One of the best bands live that I have ever seen, and I accidently went to their concert. Totally dynamic, and utterly amazing on stage. For now, go buy Fort Nightly their debut.

7) Cinema Bizarre - I am throwing them in there b/c .... well, they have a new album coming out in Europe, and they were just recently touring the U.S., and apparently are big on MTV's Buzzworthy at the moment (only after they toured with Lady Gaga). I am proud to say that I knew who they were before the rest of you. I just want to feel superior ;)

And oh God how could I forget the singular most exciting bit of music news that I have heard all week.

8) Cornershop - new album coming soon!! What could be better than that? Nothing is the answer, absolutely nothing. ETA: You can watch the video to Roll Off Characteristics (of History in the Making) on YouTube.

I feel like I should have 10 just to round things out, but cannot think of anyone else I care to add. Drop me a line if you come up with someone I should care about.

Eurovision

12 points to Serbia. The only song that I listened to twice, and thoroughly liked. It was quirky and the guy's hair was a bit much, but the lyrics were catchy.
So many others were too generic, or super scary - like, as much as I hate to admit it, Ukraine. What was she thinking? It was terrifying on multiple levels actually. The music video is freakish and her live performance, was well, sketchy to say the least, not to mention the utterly ridiculous lyrics.
Seriously, Serbia should win, but probably won't.

Boring Update

I've been looking guiltily at this blog for weeks. I just don't have anything interesting to say. It is once again the end of semester drama. 15 weeks of work crammed into about 5 days.

I have however had beignets and Community Coffee the past two weekends, and will again this weekend. It gets me through the week :) I think the people at this restaurant know me by now - or at least should.

Oh, saw Slumdog Millionaire finally. I really enjoyed it, and I thought it was beautiful, and the kids were adorable, but the movie was just a bit sad for my tastes. I'm glad I wasn't totally disappointed though, b/c many times those over hyped movies just don't do it for me.

One last random note - I received a lovely volume of Faulkner's first 4 books in the mail yesterday. The pages are paper thin and the print is tiny, but I will read it; if not in La then in UA this summer.

Off to grading now, just didn't want anyone to think I had forgotten about posting (not that anyone reads this I'm sure, so its basically like talking to myself - which I actually have a tendency to do, but only when grocery shopping for some reason. I was humming to myself at the bus stop today and people were giving me weird looks, what is wrong with humming? At least I wasn't whistling, that is annoying).

Movies!

I just wanted to point out that Alexander with Angelina Jolie is quite possibly one of the worst movies I have ever (almost) seen. I couldn't finish watching it b/c of the bad dialog and the totally bizarre accents - especially Angelina's.

Went to see A Haunting in Connecticut. It creeps me out that this movie is supposedly a true story, and I thought it was overall good. There were a couple of really weak scenes that didn't quite fit with the plot (yes, there was one). Apparently the guy from Twilight is the main character, but as I 've never seen that movie, it didn't bother me too much. Actually, I really want to see the documentary that this movie is based on, supposedly its even scarier.

Oh, and in a final note, was supposed to go to the Film Festival, but that didn't work out. I did try though even if I should have been writing a paper (which I turned in yesterday, even though it was 12 pgs of nonsense!)

BDSS

A thousand days after the show, or in normal people time one week later, here are my observations on the Bellydance Superstars show. Honestly, I was waiting until I typed my fieldnotes, but that hasn't happened, soo...

The show begins with the disembodied voice of a male narrator. Its actually sort of terrifying in a way b/c there is this burst of really really loud music (thunder?) and then he starts talking. Just a few of the things I jotted down: belllydance is the "beauty of the female form" the "rhythm of life" "we all come from the belly" and finally, the best part, " sometimes mystical, sometimes sultry, but always sensual."

The dancers were basically of two types: Egyptian/Cabaret - i.e. bright colors, bra top, sequins, frills, and glitter (sorry couldn't find a good picture, I liked), and American Tribal - that one is a bit harder to describe, but basically darker colors, a lot of large adornments, jewelry, tassels.... i.e. above*

Sometimes, the Egyptian Cabaret dancers were highlighted, i.e. they would be dancing in the foreground with other background dancers behind them, or even the tribal dancers, and then for other routines this would reverse. There were also several solo dancers of both varieties. At points in the show however, way too many dancers were on stage with all sorts of crazy props that just made it a bit overwhelming - very much a circus or carnival. Oh, and the props themselves - unbelievable. Traditionally** from what other dancers have told me there are only about three or four major props - zils (finger cymbals), swords, and veils. I've also seen people dance with candles (apparently that is more Tunisian, though I honestly don't have a clue).

But not the BDSS, no they have these wing type veils, and regular veils, and veils that are attached to fans. Not to mention at one point these background dancers come out in what seem to be black skirts with a mosaic pattern of bright colors on them, and as they twirl around these heavy (sort of look quilted) skirts flare out. But then at some point I notice, that the dancers now have the "skirts" up over their heads twirling them around. It was interesting, but I wonder who comes up with these ideas? My friend remarked that this scene might have been influenced by the Dervishes.

And how could I forget the one man who was in the show. This guy would come out at intervals, and try to interact with the audience, getting them to clap to certain rhythms (by the way, audience that night = dead, they were soo quiet). He also played a tabla, which would light up in the center different colors when he hit it, for several solo dances. He also was accompanied by two or three tambourine players who stood arrayed behind him, and were dressed in rather modest long robes (though they were totally strange designs and colors): hm...contrast to the half nakes dancers? coincidence? did someone say "harem"? yeah, it was a little sketchy. Actually, to be honest, I don't know what to make of that particular aspect of the show, but it is a fascinating juxtaposition.




One of the other things that the disembodied narrator pointed out at the beginning was that belly dance has incorporated many different influences/cultures over the years. Well, in the show, they really really try to point this out. There are Polynesian (ok, probably Hawaiian) dancers with "grass" skirts and shells adorning their outfits, the Tribal dancers incorportate some aspects of the Roma culture, and then there was this extraordinarily stupid dance that involved the women dressed as soldiers, Turkish maybe, with swords, and they did this whole Rockette style line dance, while cheerfully waving the flimsy plastic swords in different patterns around their face and over their heads - seriously stupid, and one final interesting combination - the ballerina belly dancer.

Overall, I thought the show was good. Obviously, the dancers are super talented and from what I understand many have had formal dance training. However, I much preferred the small scale show on campus last year for several reasons. One, it was so much of an over the top spectacle. Two, the audience was enthusiastic - partly set up by the hostess, who told people to cheer during the dance if they felt like it, and not wait to the end, but partly b/c the dancers interacted more with the audience. Honestly, the BDSS is a global show, they travel all over, and are going to do the same dancers whether or not the audience cheers them on or not - this makes a big difference.

*I stole this image from http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/eion1980/Belly%20Dance/lookdown.jpg)
** pretend there are quotes around that
*** tabla player picture borrowed from http://www.thedctraveler.com/bellydance-the-rhythm-of-life/ (which actually has a much more eloquent and positive description of the show)

A Food Post

I have really had way too much good food in the past few days. The "New Orleans Style" place was good though my roast beef po-boy was not "authentic." Tasted great, but really they should be made with lots of cheese, mayonnaise, and most importantly the gravy should be dripping everywhere; i.e. if you don't use at least 5 napkins then its not worth the trouble. :)
Also had a great Italian pasta dish - w/o for once tomato sauce. I'm semi addicted to the red sauces, which is why I love pizza, and oh most Italian places. This however had a balsamic vinaigrette sauce which was amazing.
Today, was Indian. The entree was good, but the best part - mango ice cream! I'm actually still too full to talk about my dining experience this evening, but I will so go back there.

The Fall

I just watched The Fall. The film is absolutely beautiful, and the story is great. The little girl who plays the main character is one of the most adorable children ever, and she was perfectly cast for this role. I'm not great at summaries, so just click on the link and look it up yourself. I would totally recommend it, but will never ever watch it again because it was so sad. I really really do not like to watch sad movies, tend to avoid them, and I am rather glad I didn't know exactly what this movie was about before renting it.
The Cell is also by the same directer - Tarsem Singh. I saw that a really long time ago, and loved it; only in part b/c Vincent D'Onofrio is in it.

A Soldiers' Pay

"Faulkner wrote Soldiers’ Pay while living in New Orleans in 1925, but much of the inspiration for the novel dates back to the time of the war. When the United States entered the war, Faulkner eagerly tried to join the U.S. Army as a pilot, but he was turned down because of his small size. Dismayed but undeterred, he adopted a British persona and joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet in Canada, but before he could finish flight training, the war ended, thus robbing Faulkner of the chance to achieve a hero’s status in the skies over Europe." http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/n-sp.html

Later on on this website, it says that Faulkner was published in the Times-Picayune; the newspaper in S. La. Having read that paper my whole life, I find it really really hard to associate William Faulkner with it, but whatever....

This was just a note to say that I actually am serious in my challenge to myself to read 9 books by him. And yes, I am every so slowly working my way through this first one.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful...."

Ha ha, actually for once it is not frightful at all. It was beautiful. The rest of the week...that is another story.
Hope everyone is having good times wherever they went off to this week. I am obviously here, doing nothing. I will however go do my taxes tomorrow, finally.
Nothing of interest to note. Had a very nice Friday 13th/St. Patty's Day party. Took lots of funny pictures, which are now on fb for everyone to enjoy :)

Happy St. P. Day!

eta: I was going to publish this in green, but with the purple and black - that was truly frightening. So, sticking to purple.

At the Moment...

Not finishing the book that I was supposed to read for tomorrow - typical.

Just finished making a dessert that involves half a bag of oreos, a can of fudge, 2/3 of half a gallon of vanilla ice cream, and most of a container of cool whip. It might be lethal.

Received a book in the mail today (not that I should be buying any), and decided to read it while the ice cream was melting - hence the reason I didn't finish my homework, but I blame the post office. If they just would have kept that other book one more day.

Oh, Faulkner by the way. I did start a Soldiers' Pay. The beginning is seriously hilarious.

And finally whilst stating random things about books - the one that I lost on the plane, remember that? - yeah, well I finally got the replacement copy in today (which is actually another much longer story, but not right now...) so tomorrow I can officially have my damned account unblocked. Great timing as Spring Break really means Research Papers.

Going to bed now have a great night!

A Faulkner Note

In case anyone is curious, I have decided, as of yesterday, to read 9 books by William Faulkner. In chronological order.

The first nine are:

A Soldier's Pay

Mosquitoes

Sartoris

The Sound and the Fury

As I Lay Dying

Sanctuary

Light in August

Pylon

Absalom, Absalom

As I have already read, As I Lay Dying, the 9th book I will attempt is If I Forget Thee Jerusalem (first published as Wild Palms).

Feel free to join in if you so desire... :)

Damanhur

I was sitting at the computer all prepared to start work on my 60 pages of papers that are due this semester. And then I received an email from my brother. It was about this underground temple in Italy in the Alps named Damanhur (you should really do a google image search - right now!!). Honestly, when I first read about it I was thinking - this must be an internet hoax. Its too unbelievable. But then b/c I was intrigued I did a little more searching.

Essentially, the temple began in the 1970's and remained secret until 1992 when discovered by the Italian police (if you didn't do the image search you should NOW, so that you will understand why it is so amazing that these people weren't discovered). One individual started digging out these temples with a few friends, and now there are over 1000 people living there. The Federation of Damanhur is larger though, with centers in Europe, Japan, and America (yes, here). I think they are a sort of new age/pagan group, with lots of interesting ideas, such as time travel.

Anyway, I'm doing a bad job of synthesizing this so you should read all about them on your own.

Hmm....if only I spoke Italian....

Something about Nothing

Ok, really this post has nothing to do with anything, except I am tired of looking at projectile points. They are neither erotica nor exotica (all of two people who read this blog are going to get that remark).

I would like to point out two things:
1) I have stopped spending hours on Facebook. Great!
2) I spend hours on Netflix. Bad!

However, I have seen a couple of good movies such as Dangerous Liaisons with my absolute favorite John Malkovich.
I watched a terrible Guy Ritchie movie - Revolver. I mean, really Guy, REALLY?!! He is so hit and miss. Its like Yoko and John, I swear. (i.e. I am blaming Madonna).
Hm...what else? Oh, I watched a movie that I had already seen, but didn't realize I had seen it until the end 2 hours later. Do you think that says more about me or about the movie (goes both ways, I suppose).

Now that this post is essentially non-essential and therefore perfect - I am going to bed.

Name that Projectile!!

yes, I am taking an archaeology class, and yes I will probably post totally random archaeology related stuff just because throughout the semester (I am broadening my horizons).

The Things One Sees on T.V.

For some time now, I have been reading Poppy Z. Brite's blog. She happens to be one of my favorite authors, though I prefer her earlier books and stories to more recent writings. Anyway, she is now Catholic*, and along with many other parishioners in New Orleans has been attending a vigil to keep one of the churches there open**.

Ok, I've known about this awhile, and also knew that she was arrested earlier this month b/c the Archbishop decided that it was important to have the police pulled away from more pressing things (oh, like investigating murders***) to arrest a few people that weren't really doing anything except refusing to leave a church.

Well, here I was watching the CBS evening news, and then there was Poppy Z. Brite being led away in handcuffs. Obviously, they are a little behind seeing as how the actual arrests were weeks ago, but I was rather surprised. Most of the story however, was devoted to vigils in Boston rather than in N.O. Just thought it was interesting thats all.


*which might come as a surprise for people who know her for such things as Exquisite Corpse.
** yes, I know, all these details are vague, but if you are curious just use Google.
*** N.O - one of, if not the, highest murder rates per capita.

To Venus and Back

I have been recently wandering my way through various Tori Amos albums. Always loved Little Earthquakes, but not too much of her other stuff. However, I have decided to endorse To Venus and Back as being as good as Choir Girl, but perhaps not up to par with her first album. On account of discovering a new song to like today, here are the lyrics:

"Glory Of The 80's"

I took a taxi from LA to Venus
In 1985 I was electromagnetically sucked
Back in to a party going on that night
It was the glory of the 80's
With karma crawn up in lines
And two bugle boys models saying 'baby.
It's a freebee you sure look deprived'
I had the Story of O in my bucket seat
Of my wanna be Mustang
Auditioning for reptiles in their
Raquel Weish campaign
IN the glories of the 80's
You said "I'm not afraid to die"
I said I don't find that remotely funny
Even on this space cake high
And then when it all seemed clear
Just then you go and disappear
Silicone pary barbies
To the left and
Joan of Arcs to the right
No one feeling insecure
We were all gorge and famous in our last lives
In the glories of the 80's
You said 'the end is nothing to fear'
I said -blow the end- nowbaby
Who do I gotta shag ot get outt here
And then when it all seemed clear
Just then you go and disappear
Sure you're out there
orbitiong around
Wish I had you back now
I met a drag king call venus
She had a velvet hologram
She said 'my husband ran off with my shaman
But they love me as I am'
In the glories of the 80's
I may not have to die
I'll clone myself
Like that blonde chich
That sings Bett Davis Eyes
And then whenit all seemed clear
Jut then you go and disappear