August 2005 Archives

For those of you who have been calling or sending emails, here are the updates on the family canines:

1) Freckles is mending from the removal of the humongo sarcoma cancer tumor that was removed from his right rib side almost two weeks ago. He is resting lots, taking small walks and the tumor has not returned. Best of all, he is more alert and awake than he has been in two years. He must like his daily morphine. Our dog, the junkie. He is even taking the time and energy to intimidate Scruffy.

2) Scruffy has recovered fully from his fall and head bonk at Erika's shower. Scruff is back to his fully active skirmy self. Good news.

The countdown to Ireland has begun, 29 days until I board a plane from LAX to DUB. Here are the updates:

1) I have been accepted into a Hall on Trinity College for housing. My space will be a "single ensuite" which translates into a single bedroom with it's own bathroom within a larger apartment where I will share the kitchen and living room with 6 other folk.

Best of all, each room has a Network Connection. Yep, internet happiness.

2) I found another incoming M.Sc. student who is blogging! Wahoo! Say hi to Irish Stu...

Now I must get a crackin' on the packin'...
Uggh....

Mon 08.29.05 - Allison and I went and got pedicures this morning.

Thur 08.25.05 - Happy Birthday to Dave Irish!

Thur 08.25.05 - Greg, Gina & Matt at Steve Soto's b-day dinner.

Wed 08.24.05 - Freckles in his recovery t-shirt. Last Wed. Freckles had a huge cancerous tumor cut out of his rightside ribs. He is a trooper.

Sun 08.21.05 - The reality is another story. This is The Very First Time I have EVER seen Alex wear earplugs. Ever.

Jucifer = Visually lovely, Aurally excurciating.

When you find yourself riding your bike around the neighborhood to get the Sunday paper and diet coke, and you realize...

"Aggh! It is broad daylight, I am wearing a thin white tank top and a pink & purple patterned bra. Aggh!" Ride home quickly.

Sat 08.20.05 - Trici, Alex, and Cyndi.

Sat 08.20.05 - Plan 9 at Alex's.

I have always maintained that chocolate and diet coke ought to be controlled substances, but the wording of this quote (via Mirabilis) made me laugh:

When Hernán Cortés invaded Mexico, he found a society besotted with strong sensations, from blood sports to drug-level chocolate, which the Aztecs sometimes stirred with the powdered bones of their enemies.

Hmmm... powered bones and chocolate.... eek.

Sat. 08.20.05 - A girl just walked into Alex's clutching a stuffed squirrel!

Photo Friday : One

Fri 08.19.05 - Veronica holds her one Boddington's.

Ok, maybe in 1790 Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky were the Midwest, but why do these states still get called the Midwest in 2005???

All states East of the Mississippi River but not the Atlantic seaboard states ought to be called the Mideast.

All states West of the Mississippi River but not the Pacific seaboard states ought to be called the Midwest.

What happened to geography as an accurate science?

Here are the dates for the Moving Sale and Going Away Party (at my house):

Sat. Sept. 10, 2005 : 10am to 2pm : Moving Sale
I am taking any donations towards this sale to help to raise $ for Ireland. Come and buy things.

Sat. Sept. 17, 2005 : 7pm plus : Going Away Party at my house : Aka the Last Geek Party

::Confirmed Going Away Shows ::

Thurs. Sept. 22, 2005 : Channel 3 (!!!), The Kissfits, The Irish Brothers, and The Ignorant at Alex's Bar

Fri. Sept. 23, 2005 : Royal Crown Revue (!!!), Viernes 13, plus more at Alex's Bar

In 41 days, I board a plane from LAX to Dublin, Ireland. Yep, less than 6 weeks from today I will be departing for Graduate School. The Utopia/Distopia that I have longed for many a year.

The perpetual student in me is darned excited to get crackin' at the books and programs. The 37 year old adult in me is anxious about big change, a new culture, scarce residential broadband (only 1 Mbps!!!) and the reception of Americans at this point.

No, really, I am a Californian. Didn't you know that we succeeded from the Union after the 2000 elections? We did. I swear.

My adventure itchin' side is roaring to go and wants to leave yesterday. My practical side is worrying about all the details.

But most of all, as I read Molly's blog on her going back to grad school as a 30 something, I am a bit sad. Why? Molly's Yale classmates have been contacting each other for months and several of them blog. She had community before she left San Francisco.

I feel stuck in a void. I have no idea who will be my 30 classmates for the next year and no one but me is blogging this. I keep googling all the keywords and have only come up with one student who is about to graduate in the 2004-2005 year and one who graduated a couple of years ago and is now at MIT's Media Lab.

Hello! Hello! We are going into a computer science masters program and no one is blogging?

Anxiety.

Obviously, Ms. Mathis read my About Ms. Jen description before she wrote this morning's LA Times Taurus horrorscope:

Taurus (April 20-May 20). It seems you've been dubbed the patron saint of difficult people, as many are referred your way. Face it: You're most equipped to deal with the incorrigible and misunderstood. Your talent is financially rewarded.

My new Job Title for my Resume : Patron Saint of Difficult People. Who is going to design the medalion or statue?

Tue 08.16.05 - ... has moved to new opulent space on 2nd St.

Photo Friday : Violet

Fri 08.12.05 - An odd violet tinged cream colored rose in the struggling rose beds at Hart Park.

... from the Rock'n'Roll Industry.

I still love music, but I am ready to get the heck out of the music industry and go back to loving music for the pure shear pleasure of it.

After ten years of making a smallish living as a rock journalist/photographer and for the last couple of years as a promoter / booker and small venue business consultant, I am ready to throw in the towel and get on with my own art weirdo life.

And I shall at graduate school. Art, web, photography, writing, and reading. I am excited.

Naturally, in my last few weeks of booking and promoting bands at Alex's Bar, the worst of egotistical musician behavior has surfaced and I am itching to blog about it. I am waiting until I am in Ireland before I start telling good stories, but in the meantime the semi-non-specific rant...

Two booking pet peeves:

#1 - You are in a baby band that that has minus 5 fans and you call and email me at least 3 times a day *demanding* a direct support slot on a firday or saturday night. What glue were you sniffing before you called? The worst part is when you brag in front of a bunch of hot chicks at the Warped Tour that you can bring in 150 fans and that you MUST have a friday night. Nice that you cleared the club, smokers & non-smokers alike, to parking lot on your Thursday night opening slot. Practice before you play and force Mikey to scream, "Turn down the Suck!"

#2 - You are a BIG Talent Agent. Some of your bands play arenas and have bought you a house in the hills with your 15% cut. Marvelous. Wonderful. Glad to hear it. Please be honest. Please don't demand that your baby band get a Friday night slot with a $12 cover charge. We both know that you will NEVER EVER give me your arena rock band, so don't blackmail me for your baby band's overblown ego when they would do quite nicely on a Thursday night opening slot with a $3 cover charge. If you are honest, I can help you build your baby band's career, but now I don't want to take your phone calls or return your emails.

More to come...

Wed 08.10.05 - As seen on the 405 southboud near the 110.

Wed 08.10.05 - Contrasting new orange trike with old porsche bodies.

Sat 08.06.05 - At the Good Luck Bar.

Sat 08.06.05 - Birthday Balloon.

Sat 08.06.05 - At the "Worship the Leos" birthday party.

Sat 08.06.05 - At Lauren & Todi's birthday bash.

Sat 08.06.05 - Julie Wanda's martini.

Imagine the best of American youth - bright, intelligent, engaged, clean cut, well-groomed with spikey flattops, nice buttoned up shirts with white undershirts, pressed pants, and shined shoes. Mormons on a mission, you ask? Some of the nice young men who have been in my classes at Biola the last couple of years? No, the Dyke Bloggers at BlogHer. There has been much ado about the Mommy Bloggers, let's talk about the Dyke BlogHers.

Welcome to post-post-modernist America, where nice lovely young ladies at BlogHer are dead ringers down to the crew cuts and patterned button up shirts, except for the tats and piercings, to a few of my very conservative Christian male students at Biola. In fact, last Sat. Barb wore the same shirt that my most white and uptight senior male frequently wore to class last semester.

I love Digital Age America, where the far left and the far right start to bend into a full cirle of gender, attire, and hair cuts...

The Bird Show : Aug 6 - Sept 25, 2005 at the Grand Central Gallery, 125 N Broadway, Santa Ana. Artist Invitational, of which Dan Callis & Kurt Simonson have pieces in.

The reception is this Sat night from 7 to 10pm at the Gallery.

August 1988 - I went on "sabbatical" at Scripps College and transferred to Biola University. My dad was furious at me for leaving a well-respected women's college for a no-name Christian college. Furious. But I had to go, I had no direction at Scripps and it was way too hot & smoggy for me in Claremont. Biola was the only school in the medium sized range within 20 miles of the beach, thus cooler and less smoggy.

At Biola, I met my mentor and one of my best friends, Dan Callis. Painter, teacher, voracious learner | reader, and good friend. I babysat his kids, Ryan and Jeremy on occasion.

August 2000 - I left my cublicle day job to be a freelance web designer full time, excellent timing... Dan recruited me to teach 20th Century Art History, which turned into a regular adjunct gig teaching web design & art history. My two best students that first semester of teaching at Biola were Dustin Kensrue and Ryan Callis, who both sat up front, actually did the reading and were willing to challenge me in class discussion.

August 2005 - Tonight I went to dinner with Dan and his wife Terri Callis, afterwards Ryan and his wife Tammi joined us after dinner to hang out and chat. Ryan will start on his MFA in painting at the end of the month at Claremont Graduate (just west of Scripps) and his dad's MFA alma mater. I will go to Trinity for my M.Sc. Ryan talked about his excitement for grad school for both of us among other things. As I listened to him, I heard the future of a talented teacher and marveled that the kid I babysat is soon to be a father himself. Blessings my friend. Blessings.

Now I must convince Dan to start blogging...

Wed 08.03.05 - Expounding.

Wed 08.03.05 - After dinner.