September 2008
I walk into 800 Larkin to wait to meet ML and AH.
Guy at the bar, remarking on my purse with the record in it (see post below): “Is that a 45?”
Me: “Yeah, I just got it, and I’m trying to decide which of my favorite songs to get a copy of and swap out the one that’s in there.”
Bartender, turning around: “Oh thank goodness, I heard ‘is that a...
Favorite line to have hollered at me in the Tenderloin thus far: “Are you that pretty when you go to bed and wake up in the morning? Da-yum.”
Not quite sure what that even means.
August 2008
“From October 3-5, the eighth annual free-of-charge fest will run the gamut all...”
– Oldham, Iron & Wine, Elvis Costello Play Bluegrass Fest | Pitchfork
Transcript - Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech -... →
“We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
“Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive,...
It came up in conversation who I considered to be my favorite live performers, and for a moment I couldn’t remember, so I’m getting them down here for posterity. My top 5 in no particular order:
Okkervil River: Will Sheff is amazing. That’s really all I can say.
The Hold Steady: I find Craig Finn’s lyrical delivery and hand gestures endlessly entertaining, and...
Ubiquity 0.1 User Tutorial - MozillaWiki →
I’m playing around with Ubiquity for the first time and wow… it’s impressive.
Friend or Foe? Crows Never Forget a Face, It Seems... →
Yet another study illustrating the intelligence of corvids, who it keeps turning out are even more crazy-smart than we realized.
Bad Baby Names 5 →
“Death to all vowels! The Ministry of Truth says vowels are plus undoublethink. Vowels are a Eurasian plot! Big Brother, leading us proles to victory!”
Thank you DM for the link!
The Psychology of Happiness: 13 Steps to a Better... →
I think this is a great column that sums up most of what I believe about how to live one’s life, except that I would have put “be grateful” at number one.
White People in the News - Political Prisoner... →
“Questions for discussion:
1. When there is a typo on a vintage sign, what is more important: Grammar or character?
2. Once all typos have been corrected, what will be the next cause for white people to solve? (side note: do not say Africa, white people are already fast at work making t-shirts)”
Leaving Portland
Everyone I’ve met in Portland — and I’ve met a lot of people here — has been friendly, generous, and charming. The last person I talked to was the cab driver who took me to the airport. He was looked to be in his mid-twenties and had moved here from L.A. four months ago to be with his girlfriend.
He had started driving a cab after his hours at work got cut back and he lost...
I love a town where I can tell multiple strangers, “I saw this band that consisted of an acoustic guitarist, a violinist, and a woman who played the saw, and they OPENED with ‘Hallelujah,’” and not only does every single one of them get exactly what I mean, but I even get one shocked response, “That would be like if Neutral Milk Hotel opened with ‘Jesus...
Wandering around Nob Hill this afternoon gives me the impression that it’s the analog to the Marina, whereas Lower Burnside is Portland’s Mission District. I’m definitely a Lower Burnside kind of gal.
Just finished a conversation with a guy who was of the opinion that Portland sucks compared to his hometown of Long Beach. Might be the first time Long Beach has been compared favorably to anywhere.
I met a great group of people last night at the Doug Fir after I checked in to the hotel, a violinist with the Oregon Symphony and his friends who were violinists in other orchestras in town to visit, who told me about a free symphony performance in Mt. Scott Park Saturday. That might fit in perfectly after my Shanghai Tunnel Tour scheduled for that afternoon.
I’m on my way to Portland for the weekend. Don’t worry, I’ll probably be posting via e-mail. Wouldn’t want you guys to miss me!
Design your own shoes online →
WANT
Sailfish — Photo Gallery - National Geographic... →
Great photoset of one of my favorite fish species, the sailfish, attacking a school of sardines. Thanks Boing Boing.
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The laughable and poorly-conceived music categorization system used by Rhapsody came up in lunchtime conversation with CV and VK yesterday, and I tried and failed to recount the seven subgenres that Rhapsody believes make up the universe of “Indie Rock” (which is, in itself, poorly classified as a subgenre of “Alternative/Punk”). For the record, they are:
...
Random Rules: Lou Barlow | The A.V. Club →
AVC: What Turkish music do you have?
LB: Sebadoh went to Istanbul last month. We had these incredibly gracious hosts, and they were like, “Have you ever heard any Turkish music?” I was like “No!” They were like, “Great, I’m going to bring you a DVD with like a million mp3s on it.” And she did, and I swear, like fucking 75 percent of it is amazing.
NPR: About A Song: 'Hallelujah' →
