Wow, I really am just "phoning it in" on this blog lately.
6/28/2007
6/26/2007
Hammy Time
I know, I know. I still have concerts to discuss, films to review...
Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around seeing The Police live twice last week and will hopefully be able to put some coherent thoughts together about the experience soon. And I think I'll probably wait until the end of the film fest to give movie opinions and recommendations.
In the meantime, I want to give a shout-out to my little hamster, Ami, who finally made it onto Cute Overload! I guess between being so busy, I just haven't checked the site as often (daily) as I used to and had no idea someone had submitted his broccoli fest video.
Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around seeing The Police live twice last week and will hopefully be able to put some coherent thoughts together about the experience soon. And I think I'll probably wait until the end of the film fest to give movie opinions and recommendations.
In the meantime, I want to give a shout-out to my little hamster, Ami, who finally made it onto Cute Overload! I guess between being so busy, I just haven't checked the site as often (daily) as I used to and had no idea someone had submitted his broccoli fest video.
6/22/2007
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Unfortunately, I'm too beat right now to write about how much I enjoyed the first Police show and the Don Cheadle movie Talk To Me that opened the L.A. Film Fest. I'm only awake because I'm doing a quick load of laundry.
6/18/2007
Full Plate
I'm going to attempt to throw together a few coherent thoughts here, which may not work as I'm getting by on little sleep (and a little caffeine). I think it will be more of a glimpse at some of the things that have been going on and are upcoming in Jodiland.
Last week we attended a Scion event. I have yet to post any photos I took of the modded* cars, which were pretty cool. Eric did a presentation on "Why I Love My Scion." Sadly, I'd left mine at home. Oh well, it's not like I've done anything to mine and it's pretty dirty right now. We raced out to get to a free screening of a film called Mojave Phone Booth. I think it's going to air on Showtime later this year. Check it out. I dare you to not be impressed that it was made for $40,000. It's a great example of quality, low-budget indie filmmaking.
You may have already read about the tote bag. Why I chose to devote an entire entry to that is a little beyond me, but hey. Often, I just have to be a dork. There were far more interesting things that happened that day, such as our quest to eat at El Compadre. E had eaten at the one in Echo Park recently and liked the food, so he suggested it for the Mexican food craving I was having. We decided to go to the one in Hollywood, since it's a little closer to home. After pushing our way through the very crowded bar, we learned there was an hour-and-twenty-minute wait. Um, no. So, we drove east on Sunset Boulevard to the other location. After driving around a bit to find parking, we were seated immediately. It became a really interesting "Tale of Two Los Angeleses" experiences. While the Hollywood location was chock full of hipsters and "beautiful people" in their party clothes sipping margaritas and martinis, the Echo Branch turned into a raucous post-Dodgers game party, complete with beer-swilling fans singing along to the live Mariachi music. I can't say I "fit in" with either crowd, but it was fun. Oh, and the chicken in molé sauce was really good.
Saturday was a work day for me. Bleh. We did make it out for Thai food with friends later that night. It was a good time that devolved into giggling and arguing over what is cooler...light sabers or tote bags. Yep, dorky again. It happens just about every day, folks.
I got up very early on Sunday for the Special Olympics in Long Beach. My dog, Rusty, and I volunteered at a booth our Therapy Dog group had there. It was a fun time, but pretty exhausting. I took a much needed nap afterwards. We had errands to run after that and it was impressive how long Sunday turned out to be. I'm feeling it today. Somewhere in the weekend, I also did some writing, but not enough and not very good.
Tonight we're seeing Emo Philips with some friends from Indiana who are in L.A. for the summer. The week will continue to be crazy with TWO Police shows(!!!), and the start of the L.A. Film Festival. So, my updates here, comments on your blogs, and photo uploads may be limited. I'm sure I'll resort to a lot of mobile blogging. There's always Twitter that will have the best chance of being the most current over the next 10 days or so. That is if you care. And if you don't, I'm too tired to care about that.
*I was gonna say "tricked out," but then you'd know how uncool I truly am.
**I am working full-time and doing a few other things during all of this too. That may partially explain why the dishes, laundry, dog hair, and hamster poo are piling up! And if you saw E's schedule...it's pretty jam-packed too.
Last week we attended a Scion event. I have yet to post any photos I took of the modded* cars, which were pretty cool. Eric did a presentation on "Why I Love My Scion." Sadly, I'd left mine at home. Oh well, it's not like I've done anything to mine and it's pretty dirty right now. We raced out to get to a free screening of a film called Mojave Phone Booth. I think it's going to air on Showtime later this year. Check it out. I dare you to not be impressed that it was made for $40,000. It's a great example of quality, low-budget indie filmmaking.
You may have already read about the tote bag. Why I chose to devote an entire entry to that is a little beyond me, but hey. Often, I just have to be a dork. There were far more interesting things that happened that day, such as our quest to eat at El Compadre. E had eaten at the one in Echo Park recently and liked the food, so he suggested it for the Mexican food craving I was having. We decided to go to the one in Hollywood, since it's a little closer to home. After pushing our way through the very crowded bar, we learned there was an hour-and-twenty-minute wait. Um, no. So, we drove east on Sunset Boulevard to the other location. After driving around a bit to find parking, we were seated immediately. It became a really interesting "Tale of Two Los Angeleses" experiences. While the Hollywood location was chock full of hipsters and "beautiful people" in their party clothes sipping margaritas and martinis, the Echo Branch turned into a raucous post-Dodgers game party, complete with beer-swilling fans singing along to the live Mariachi music. I can't say I "fit in" with either crowd, but it was fun. Oh, and the chicken in molé sauce was really good.
Saturday was a work day for me. Bleh. We did make it out for Thai food with friends later that night. It was a good time that devolved into giggling and arguing over what is cooler...light sabers or tote bags. Yep, dorky again. It happens just about every day, folks.
I got up very early on Sunday for the Special Olympics in Long Beach. My dog, Rusty, and I volunteered at a booth our Therapy Dog group had there. It was a fun time, but pretty exhausting. I took a much needed nap afterwards. We had errands to run after that and it was impressive how long Sunday turned out to be. I'm feeling it today. Somewhere in the weekend, I also did some writing, but not enough and not very good.
Tonight we're seeing Emo Philips with some friends from Indiana who are in L.A. for the summer. The week will continue to be crazy with TWO Police shows(!!!), and the start of the L.A. Film Festival. So, my updates here, comments on your blogs, and photo uploads may be limited. I'm sure I'll resort to a lot of mobile blogging. There's always Twitter that will have the best chance of being the most current over the next 10 days or so. That is if you care. And if you don't, I'm too tired to care about that.
*I was gonna say "tricked out," but then you'd know how uncool I truly am.
**I am working full-time and doing a few other things during all of this too. That may partially explain why the dishes, laundry, dog hair, and hamster poo are piling up! And if you saw E's schedule...it's pretty jam-packed too.
6/16/2007
Hopelessly Addicted To Tote Bags
My tote bag addiction really is a disease. We were innocently entering Ikea yesterday to scope out some flooring options and what do I see but an adorable ORANGE tote for only $4.99. I hemmed and hawed a bit and decided that no, I don't need it. I mean I just got the exceptional vinyl sock monkey tote, as well as another one with naughty chihuahuas.
I'm not sure what it is. I thought the issue was with purses and bags in general, but I've been consistently carrying the same tokidoki bag since December. But I continue to collect and rotate use of tote bags.*
I'm not sure what it is. I thought the issue was with purses and bags in general, but I've been consistently carrying the same tokidoki bag since December. But I continue to collect and rotate use of tote bags.*
So, yeah, it's cute and surprisingly sturdy and well-crafted for five bucks. But, THIS is the one I'm really wanting right now. Maybe it will go on sale.
Invalid URL
Blogger has been a pain for the past couple of days. Off and on, I have not been able to access any of its blogs, including my own. I've seen updates on my Google reader, but depending on how people set their preferences, I mostly just get a sentence or two. I have been able to access my dashboard, but hesitant to post without being able to check over the final result. Between working, volunteering, cleaning, and possibly having some fun this weekend, I'll try to get caught up and stop by to say 'hi.'
6/14/2007
Come Pick Me Up...I've Landed
Seeing Ben Folds perform not once, but twice, at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend was really exciting, but also a little bizarre and surreal. I'm much more accustomed to packed shows at venues like the El Rey, where Ben is the headliner to a very enthusiastic audience, who happily participate in such things as rousing three-part harmonies under the tutelage of Mr. Folds. He just seemed dwarfed on that humongous stage. That said, I did enjoy the Bowl performances immensely and will keep my fingers crossed for a show with the Bowl Orchestra one of these days, like he has done in Australia and Boston. A girl can dream, right?
Saturday's crowd was much smaller and less receptive to Ben, who one person near us referred to as "just a nerd," than Sunday's. He cut a couple of songs short when the people unfamiliar with his work clapped prematurely. There was also a snarky comment after unsuccessfully getting the audience to sing along at one point. There were slightly different sets each night, both being peppered quite heavily with Ben Folds Five songs, as well as a couple of covers. I would say hearing Ben Folds sing Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" at the Hollywood Bowl is up there with memorable life experiences!
Perhaps because Sunday was a school night, the attendees were more attentive, less drunk, and more polite for Ben Folds. We talked to Jared*, Ben's bass player, outside after the show and he agreed. Granted, there were the women sitting next to me who would not shut up and just kept taking camera phone photos and giggling and talking about their kids' preschool graduations. Ugh. I was writing down the songs** Ben was singing and one them asked what I was writing. I said, "Everything you and your friend are saying." She laughed and told her friend. She thought it was great and said, "Oh, that's totally our sense of humor!" She obviously missed that I was trying to subtly say, "SHUT THE F&%K UP!" Hilarious.
We did not stay for John Mayer Sunday night. We sort of did on Saturday (much of the time was spent outside of the actual venue chatting with other Ben Folds fans and people-watching), but didn't really feel the need to do so again. Our leaving worked out well for a couple of his fans too, as Nanette explained on her blog. She's a good egg.
*On our way out, we talked to Ben's new drummer, Sam Smith, and his bass player, Jared Reynolds, who remembered meeting E before at another event. It turns out we will be helping Jared celebrate his birthday next February, but more about that later.
I've been asked if by "freak show" I meant an actual freak show or just concert goers. While the falling-down, stinkin' drunk Mayer fans from Saturday night could possibly be called "freaks," I just refer to them as "party girls." Or "dumbasses." Anyway, we did actually attend something called The Freak Show Deluxe at CIA after leaving the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night. I was a little nervous as occasionally they have some gross things, but it was more comedic. There was fire eating, knife throwing, glass walking, straight jacket escaping, etc. There was the requisite nailing of the steel spike into the nostril bit, but that was over fairly quickly.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the bowling party we went to Sunday afternoon. It was fun, but I got dirt from the bowling ball all over my new Ben Folds shirt and I'm having a hard time getting it out. And yeah, I suck at "real life" bowling. Nothing like my skillz on Wii bowling.
**I'm not posting the set lists I wrote down as I figure most people who read here are that interested. If you are, feel free to contact me via snarkydork [at] gmail dot com and I'll send it.
Next week: I'm seeing The Police...twice...OMG!!!
Saturday's crowd was much smaller and less receptive to Ben, who one person near us referred to as "just a nerd," than Sunday's. He cut a couple of songs short when the people unfamiliar with his work clapped prematurely. There was also a snarky comment after unsuccessfully getting the audience to sing along at one point. There were slightly different sets each night, both being peppered quite heavily with Ben Folds Five songs, as well as a couple of covers. I would say hearing Ben Folds sing Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" at the Hollywood Bowl is up there with memorable life experiences!
Perhaps because Sunday was a school night, the attendees were more attentive, less drunk, and more polite for Ben Folds. We talked to Jared*, Ben's bass player, outside after the show and he agreed. Granted, there were the women sitting next to me who would not shut up and just kept taking camera phone photos and giggling and talking about their kids' preschool graduations. Ugh. I was writing down the songs** Ben was singing and one them asked what I was writing. I said, "Everything you and your friend are saying." She laughed and told her friend. She thought it was great and said, "Oh, that's totally our sense of humor!" She obviously missed that I was trying to subtly say, "SHUT THE F&%K UP!" Hilarious.
We did not stay for John Mayer Sunday night. We sort of did on Saturday (much of the time was spent outside of the actual venue chatting with other Ben Folds fans and people-watching), but didn't really feel the need to do so again. Our leaving worked out well for a couple of his fans too, as Nanette explained on her blog. She's a good egg.
*On our way out, we talked to Ben's new drummer, Sam Smith, and his bass player, Jared Reynolds, who remembered meeting E before at another event. It turns out we will be helping Jared celebrate his birthday next February, but more about that later.
I've been asked if by "freak show" I meant an actual freak show or just concert goers. While the falling-down, stinkin' drunk Mayer fans from Saturday night could possibly be called "freaks," I just refer to them as "party girls." Or "dumbasses." Anyway, we did actually attend something called The Freak Show Deluxe at CIA after leaving the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night. I was a little nervous as occasionally they have some gross things, but it was more comedic. There was fire eating, knife throwing, glass walking, straight jacket escaping, etc. There was the requisite nailing of the steel spike into the nostril bit, but that was over fairly quickly.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the bowling party we went to Sunday afternoon. It was fun, but I got dirt from the bowling ball all over my new Ben Folds shirt and I'm having a hard time getting it out. And yeah, I suck at "real life" bowling. Nothing like my skillz on Wii bowling.
**I'm not posting the set lists I wrote down as I figure most people who read here are that interested. If you are, feel free to contact me via snarkydork [at] gmail dot com and I'll send it.
Next week: I'm seeing The Police...twice...OMG!!!
6/11/2007
6/09/2007
Various and Sundry
It felt a lot like Largo at The Roxy last night. Just with a bigger stage and no dinner of honey-baked chicken. There were also a couple of moments when I thought that just maybe I had ended up in the audience for radio's A Prairie Home Companion and Garrison Keillor would walk out at any moment to share some folksy tales of life in Minnesota. In short, it was awesome! We got great seats right up against the stage. I took a couple of crappy photos with my phone just to show how close we were.
The Various and Sundry tour is summed up pretty well in this article. Not only did we get to enjoy Glen Phillips, Sara and Sean Watkins, Grant-Lee Phillips, and Luke Bulla, but there were a couple of other great musicians who joined the group. Unfortunately, I can't recall the names of the piano and guitar player. I'm not even finding anything online. They were wonderful additions to the already solid collection of people performing.
Glen Phillips always impresses me. Not only does he have one of the most amazing voices*, but he is very down-to-earth and kind of nerdy. How can I not like that? It was really cool when he sat in the empty chair right behind me during part of the show. I could hear him singing along.
Being a fan of Nickel Creek, I'm quite familiar with the brother and sister act of Sean and Sara Watkins. I'm not only blown away by Sara's violin skills, but she is another beautiful singer. I'm not even going to try to come up with some comparison, as it will sound corny.
I'd never seen Grant-Lee Phillips or Luke Bulla play live, but that was another treat. For most of the show, there were various combinations of all of the acts on stage. They are an increcibly talented group who clearly enjoy playing together. It was obvious that they were having a great time.
Another great night of music, with two more to go...
*I always want to say that Glen's voice is "like butter," but I don't even like butter that much and I'm not sure that's an adequate description. Whatever you call it, it's amazing and can drive me to tears.
The Various and Sundry tour is summed up pretty well in this article. Not only did we get to enjoy Glen Phillips, Sara and Sean Watkins, Grant-Lee Phillips, and Luke Bulla, but there were a couple of other great musicians who joined the group. Unfortunately, I can't recall the names of the piano and guitar player. I'm not even finding anything online. They were wonderful additions to the already solid collection of people performing.
Glen Phillips always impresses me. Not only does he have one of the most amazing voices*, but he is very down-to-earth and kind of nerdy. How can I not like that? It was really cool when he sat in the empty chair right behind me during part of the show. I could hear him singing along.
Being a fan of Nickel Creek, I'm quite familiar with the brother and sister act of Sean and Sara Watkins. I'm not only blown away by Sara's violin skills, but she is another beautiful singer. I'm not even going to try to come up with some comparison, as it will sound corny.
I'd never seen Grant-Lee Phillips or Luke Bulla play live, but that was another treat. For most of the show, there were various combinations of all of the acts on stage. They are an increcibly talented group who clearly enjoy playing together. It was obvious that they were having a great time.
Another great night of music, with two more to go...
*I always want to say that Glen's voice is "like butter," but I don't even like butter that much and I'm not sure that's an adequate description. Whatever you call it, it's amazing and can drive me to tears.
6/08/2007
6/07/2007
Here's To You Having A Good Life
The first of four nights in a row of live music has come and gone. I was really excited to see Francis Dunnery in an intimate setting. It doesn't get much more intimate than someone's living room with 34 other people. E and I first heard Francis about 11 years ago and always wanted to see him perform in person. It turns out he took some time off from music, but has come back and is touring people's homes. How cool is that?
The show did not disappoint at all. It was fun, entertaining, and in many ways quite profound. Through Mr. Dunnery's storytelling and music, we all went on a journey through his and our pasts, presents, and futures. In spite of having a little "flu," as he put it, his voice was brilliant. And he sang my two favorite songs of his--"Too Much Saturn" and "Homegrown." He closed with "Good Life," which you may have heard on Scrubs.
The venues will get larger in the coming nights...The Roxy and The Hollywood Bowl. I have high hopes for those concerts too though.
The show did not disappoint at all. It was fun, entertaining, and in many ways quite profound. Through Mr. Dunnery's storytelling and music, we all went on a journey through his and our pasts, presents, and futures. In spite of having a little "flu," as he put it, his voice was brilliant. And he sang my two favorite songs of his--"Too Much Saturn" and "Homegrown." He closed with "Good Life," which you may have heard on Scrubs.
The venues will get larger in the coming nights...The Roxy and The Hollywood Bowl. I have high hopes for those concerts too though.
6/06/2007
Seven of Memes
Got a tag from Jenn, and while I don't mind doing a meme, I do tend to try to overthink things instead of just having fun with it. Here are the rules:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.
Since it's all about 7, I tried to incoporate a 7 theme. See? Overthought and in the end, probably not all that entertaining. Oh well. It's what you get.
1. Seven fun things I did this past weekend:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.
Since it's all about 7, I tried to incoporate a 7 theme. See? Overthought and in the end, probably not all that entertaining. Oh well. It's what you get.
1. Seven fun things I did this past weekend:
- Volunteer work with my Therapy Dog, Rusty.
- Pirates of the Caribbean with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time.
- Late dinner at Canter's after the movie.
- Late lunch at the Burbank Porto's.
- Yummy Thai food dinner.
- Got a new, more up-to-date cell phone. Yes, I may send you hamster photos now.
- More volunteer work at a theater which involved selling snacks to a few cool people.
2. Seven and the Ragged Tiger is not my favorite Duran Duran album, but it always brings back some good memories of 8th and 9th grade. And they looked so glamorous and hot on the cover!
3. I guess it's not really an unknown fact that I love writing and reading haiku. I tend to stick with the format of 5-7-5, which is pretty simple for me. I discovered a fun haiku site yesterday, that any fans of the poetry, or fellow Twitter folks, might appreciate.
4. Two of my favorite numbers are 5 and 2, which happen to add up to 7. For alarm clocks and publishing times on my blog I like to use increments of 5. However, for my car stereo volume has to be an even number.
5. This fun fact isn't really about me, but did you know that the 1 dog year=7 human years isn't quite accurate. I guess I come in to this by being annoyed when people think it is. Also, I'm practically running an old folks home as I have a 98-year-old and a 70-year-old. Rusty's only 49 though, so he keeps the other two young, I suppose.
6. Seven places* I've lived other than Los Angeles:
- Richmond, Virginia
- Galveston, Texas
- La Marque, Texas
- Downingtown, Pennsylvania
- Ithaca, New York
- Rochester, New York
- Jacksonville, Florida
*I had to leave off a couple.
7. I'm a fairly picky eater. Here are seven things I despise:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Fish
- Mushrooms
- Meatloaf
- Cream cheese
- Onions
I tag: Ren, AC, Aggie, Madretz, Brenda, Mad Doctor, and TiggerLarue.
6/05/2007
6/02/2007
Badass
The following is an excerpt from a conversation that I had with my 24-year-old brother, Scott, on the phone yesterday:
S: I went to the mall and got a Judas Priest cd. I LOVE those guys!
J: Yeah? Cool.
S: Oh, and guess what else I got? Duran Duran! Rio! It's from 1982.
J: Duran Duran? Very cool! Rio has my favorite Duran Duran song on it.
S: "Rio?"
J: No. "New Religion" is my favorite Duran Duran song.
S: Oh. And then I went to Hot Topic and got an Iron Maiden t-shirt.
J: Scott, you're a badass.
S: *giggles* Thanks, sis!
S: I went to the mall and got a Judas Priest cd. I LOVE those guys!
J: Yeah? Cool.
S: Oh, and guess what else I got? Duran Duran! Rio! It's from 1982.
J: Duran Duran? Very cool! Rio has my favorite Duran Duran song on it.
S: "Rio?"
J: No. "New Religion" is my favorite Duran Duran song.
S: Oh. And then I went to Hot Topic and got an Iron Maiden t-shirt.
J: Scott, you're a badass.
S: *giggles* Thanks, sis!
6/01/2007
Star Wars Lite
So I spent this past Memorial Day remembering those from the Rebel Alliance, who so bravely fought against the Galactic Empire. That is, I went to Star Wars Celebration IV, which commemorated the 3oth anniversary of the first movie. I did see the film in the theater that summer, at age 6 and 3/4, and it had an impact on me. Well, I was inspired to hang a poster of Luke Skywalker in my bedroom at least. E was a 10-year-old boy in 1977, the key demographic of Star Wars: A New Hope. He's told me, but I can't remember how many screenings he sat through, back to back.
So, for E, the big Star Wars convention taking place in Los Angeles last weekend was a big deal. Many months ago, he joined the fan club and purchased the 5-day pass. While he'll tell you that the event was not very well run in many aspects, he did have a great time. One of our friends went with him for a few days and the two of them ended up shooting a movie involving many of the people in costume.
I chose to go for only one day and I think that was plenty for me. I didn't go to any panels, but that's okay. I was able to get some merchandise 50% off, since it was the last day. My two favorite things were the Vader Project and all of the droids roaming around, courtesy of the R2 Builders Club. I took plenty of photos of each, but haven't gotten around to posting them yet. E met some of the droid builders and hung around after hours to take some 3D video for them. I have a feeling we may have a homemade droid entering our lives sometime within the next year or so.
The Tokidoki Vader helmet was probably my favorite! Go figure.
So, for E, the big Star Wars convention taking place in Los Angeles last weekend was a big deal. Many months ago, he joined the fan club and purchased the 5-day pass. While he'll tell you that the event was not very well run in many aspects, he did have a great time. One of our friends went with him for a few days and the two of them ended up shooting a movie involving many of the people in costume.
I chose to go for only one day and I think that was plenty for me. I didn't go to any panels, but that's okay. I was able to get some merchandise 50% off, since it was the last day. My two favorite things were the Vader Project and all of the droids roaming around, courtesy of the R2 Builders Club. I took plenty of photos of each, but haven't gotten around to posting them yet. E met some of the droid builders and hung around after hours to take some 3D video for them. I have a feeling we may have a homemade droid entering our lives sometime within the next year or so.
The Tokidoki Vader helmet was probably my favorite! Go figure.
I took some video of some of the droids in action, including a conversation I had with one, but who knows when or if I'll get around to posting those.
May the force be with you.
May the force be with you.
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