March, 2008

music — 1 Comment
25
Mar 08

Everything I Say To You Feels Stupid Now

I’ll get to my memes and they’ll strike like a heatwave. I’ve been working on them, perhaps a little too thoughtfully, as I got too caught up in how they sound. Now, I’ve been tagged once again by Chris, which means a chance to get back at Danny. ;)

Bob Mould 3/24/08

Last night, I had a much needed distraction from returning to classes, the car drama, and even the memes I’ve been procrastinating on. I went with my friend Scott to Bob Mould‘s show at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, and he rocked!

Over the past few years, Bob Mould’s been very hard to pin down musically. After the aptly named Last Dog and Pony Show, he took a break from music for a few years. A few years ago, he made an under the radar comeback with Modulate, his experiment in electronic music. Modulate then paved the way for Blowoff, his collaboration with Rich Morel (they regularly host a dj party at Washington DC’s 9:30 club). Mould’s collaboration with Morel didn’t end there, as Morel contributed synthesizer work to Mould’s last two hard rocking albums. Just when one thinks he’s figured out Bob Mould, he manages to surprise.

This was definitely the case with his largely fast paced power pop set last night, which would seem to run counter to Mould’s recent flirtations with dance music. Much of the songs were Sugar-laden or from his Hüsker Dü past. In all fairness, he performed a lot of songs from his solo career, but the amount of songs from District Lines, his most recent release, was minimal. However, Morel was present to contribute some keyboards to some very guitar heavy tunes. Mould also had a fine sense of timing, as he started high, relentlessly kept it going, took it down before the middle of the show, and brought it back up again. Whether he’s spinning records or he’s playing rock music, he can get the guys to dance.

blogging — 3 Comments
21
Mar 08

Spring Break

I’ve been on Spring Break from classes, and I’ve also took a little holiday from the Internet (more like the Blogosphere). Unfortunately, I haven’t had a vacation from car stuff. I’m still trying to avoid smarmy car salespeople if I can.

I’ve been watching my fair share of Netflix movies. I’ve watched some stuff such as Heroes (I broke down and bought the DVD set), Fay Grim and its predecessor Henry Fool, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Dan In Real Life. Pan’s Labyrinth is definitely worth watching, very moving story that effectively goes back and forth from period piece to fairy tale.

Through my favorite Internet movie service, I also got to see why Battlestar Galactica 1980 was short-lived. It really was such a bad and cheesy show, though a few of its ideas seem to show up in the new incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, such as the humanoid Cylons. I wonder if the flying motor cycles will ever make an appearance now that Kara Thrace has discovered Earth. Advice to anyone who sees the BSG 1980 set on the store shelves: Save your money, view it through Netflix.

Since I’ve mentioned BSG, I’m still Jonesing for the 4th season, even though it’s two weeks away. Heroes did nicely for a while, but I’m only up to episode 5 of the second season (it’s all they have so far on the website and I don’t feel like paying for the Amazon Unbox editions).

It seems like Caprica has a greenlight after all. David Eick compares “it to American Beauty” while Ronald Moore says it’s “a sci-fi Dallas.” Who gets to be J.R. and will one of the seasons turn out to be just a dream?

This week, I discovered I’ve been tagged. Twice. Both times, I’ve more or less been tagged by Danny. The first time, he went the indirect route – tagged Chris to tag me. I’ve now been officially tagged by Chris. The second time, he went more direct and tag! I’m it. I’ll do the posting tomorrow for sure. Let me think of the answers.

Uncategorized — 4 Comments
11
Mar 08

Can I Get That in Euro’s?

In Barbara Ehrenreich‘s blog, she mentions a few Manhattan stores began accepting Euros, supposedly to accommodate European tourists, but not doubt because US dollars are quickly becoming worthless. Of course, this scenario is very familiar to those of us in Southern California, as Mexico’s cities and towns close to the border have long accepted US currency from American tourists.

If the dollar gets weaker, I’m sure taking Euros will become more commonplace. I wonder if I can then get my pay in Euros.

Now the question is if the temporary White House resident has any solutions. After all, he made it our patriotic duty to shop a few years back.

science fiction / television — 4 Comments
9
Mar 08

Heroes, Season 1

I just started watching Heroes through Netflix. Unlike Chris and Brian, I didn’t get into the show early on. These days, if you’re out of the loop on a TV show, it’s hard to catch up. In this case, the first season’s out on DVD, so I get started. Once I go through the set, I can catch up Season 2 through the website.

I’ve only seen the first two episodes and I’m hooked. No spoilers, please.

blogging — 1 Comment
9
Mar 08

This Week

Without going into much detail, the whole accident deal is stressful and it’s not even my fault. I want the whole thing over with soon and I want to avoid the whole smarmy salesman ordeal Chris mentioned in his comment to Totaled. I’m scouring the internet ads looking for the right car at the right price. I don’t want to be encumbered with car payments, especially since I had none on my other car. I have a whole lot of financial issues to worry about without car payments adding to them.

It hasn’t been the greatest week of classes, since I’ve been stressed out. Strangely enough, one of my students had an accident with his motorcycle, so I was very sympathetic.

I kind of feel guilty for not posting as much lately. I’ve also gotten a bit behind on reading some of my favorite blogs. I miss you all (you know who you are)

Spring break is coming up. In the past, especially in my student days, I entertained fantasies of getting caught up. I would use the week outside of school to read up on everything, and I would be totally up to speed. The reality was that I would simply take the needed breather from the craziness of the school world. When I was in graduate school, my alma mater, in order to accommodate the basketball team’s schedule, placed Spring Break right after Holy Week, putting us out of sync with other colleges. I tutored at the urban college, and their Spring Break was the same as most other school’s spring breaks, so I had a break from school, but not from work. Thankfully, I get a break from both this time.

fashion / television — No Comments
7
Mar 08

Project Runway: Season 4 Finale Part 2

Here, you can see the designers go through casting drama.

Needless to say, Christian worked his Harry Potter magic, created some “fierce” ruffles, and had a winning collection. When Tim Gunn checked in on him a month before, he had some feathered leggings. For good or bad, he ditched the Big Bird pants, but he had some amazing garments that incorporated feathers on the runway. The hat on the first look and the feathers on the final gown added to the fantasy, couture aspect of his collection. Christian also retained the giant collar Tim Gunn had some concerns about. He had some bitchy model drama before the show (one complained about the shoes). Somehow, flats wouldn’t look right in the Spanish Renaissance inspired look.

Jillian had so many shapes and so much variety in her collection. On a creative level, this is great. She can conceive and execute many different looks. The one thing that was missing was cohesiveness, or what they like to call a “point of view.” Great work, though. I don’t doubt her phone will be ringing for days from potential clients.

While she wasn’t hemming things at the last minute (an 11th hour garment challenge would have killed her), Jillian tried to recast the models at the last minute as she didn’t pay attention to their heights. A short model in a long dress can be a nightmare.

Rami retained his signature of draping; however, he branched out with some very eclectic results. Some of his dresses were reminiscent of Chloe Dao‘s, including some extremely bold color choices (blue-green, magenta, blood red). He used draping techniques in newer ways, as to create blouses and dresses that didn’t look like they were made for Greek goddesses. The gold gown looked like it could be fantasy Grecian, but it also was reminiscent of a something a 1930′s starlet would wear. Weaving the fabric was an interesting touch, especially in the bodice of one gown. He was holding back in the walk-off between him and Chris March, as some of what he presented on Fashion Week was much more interesting.

The judge’s roller coaster of praise and criticism is a fun feature of this finale. This time, at least they’re not accusing someone of having the boobs in the wrong place. Victoria Beckham, the guest judge is wowed by Christian’s collection. Will we see her in one his creations in the future?

See the final collections.
Christian speaks!

blogging — 2 Comments
6
Mar 08

Totaled

Earlier this week, someone wrecked my car in front of my house. It’s a goner and I have to drive around in a rental. I can’t give any more details than that until this whole issue is settled. I’ve resisted the temptation to post in detail about it because it is one juicy story.

I did watch the Project Runway Finale last night and I’ll post on it later. Chris has a fun election parody of the last few minutes.

This Tuesday, Bauhaus released a reunion album – the first one of original material in 23 years. Peter Murphy returns to some spookiness with the Love and Rockets guys and they all claim it’s a “Final Solution”* for them. Who knows. They’ll probably milk a whole new generation of goth kids and record a few more albums. It’s a fun listen, though.

Back to commuting back and forth in the rental.

*Peter Murphy’s cover version of the Pere Ubu classic.

fashion — No Comments
1
Mar 08

Project Runway: Season 4 Final Collections (website)

Warning: This entry contains some spoilers.

I went on Project Runway‘s website, and found that they have posted a gallery of the final collections. Like a little kid before Christmas, I just couldn’t resist taking a peek. Unlike the coming episode, they show all five finalists’ collections go down the Bryant Park runway.

Last year, Tim Gunn declared the decoy practice was over. This time they returned to it with some byzantine twists.

Sweet P was one decoy. Since she didn’t make the cut to compete in the Fashion Week finale, she was perfect for throwing off the press during Fashion Week. However, a decision had to be made about which one would be another decoy and which one would actually compete regarding Chris March and Rami. Even though I still think decoying like this is a mindfuck, perhaps worse than the previous seasons, I am very happy for Sweet P and Chris March for getting to show at Bryant Park.

Sweet P’s palette is perhaps the most eclectic of the group. Gold, lavender, chartreuse, fuschia, and even some doses of black and white help shape her collection. She’s a lot more adventurous than her previous challenges, which I’m glad to see.

It is a shame that Chris March doesn’t get to compete in the finale. He makes some very odd, but great fabric choices in his gothic collection, and I’m not talking about the human hair weaves. That part is interesting, but he did think about patterns, prints, and textures in building these creations. The collection, as a whole, was cohesive and informed by a point of view. Adding to it, Chris March’s own ensemble was definitely something from earlier Tim Burton films, making him fit in with his own collection. Perhaps in the long run, he’ll get more opportunities for not winning.

I’ll reserve comment on the other three after the finale. I will say that Christian’s collection kicks ass.

science fiction / television — 2 Comments
1
Mar 08

What the Frak is Going On?

If you’re a new fan or you just want an 8 minute recap of the previous three seasons of BSG, watch the vid on the Sci-Fi channel. The best part is the deadpan delivery with some jokes. I wish I could embed it, but click, watch, and listen.

Speaking of jonesing for some sci-fi programming, Eureka‘s most likely going to air in the summer for a third season.

Just don’t tell me to satisfy my withdrawal symptoms with Lost.