So Bush is off to Saudi Arabia, to beg and grovel for cheaper oil and "help [Saudi Arabia] in developing peaceful nuclear energy".

Now, just waitagoddamminute. We're helping SAUDI ARABIA build nuclear plants? Saudi Arabia, native home of Osama bin Laden? Saudi Arabia, home of 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers? Saudi Arabia, whose "intelligence" services have been closely tied to Al Qaeda? Saudi Arabia, whose oil wealth has funded religious extremism and violence all over the world? Saudi Arabia, who kicked the US out of the Riyadh bases as payment for saving their asses from an Iraqi invasion back in 1991?

Bush. Is. Giving. Them. Nukes.

Oy vey!

Meanwhile, McCain has apparently dropped his "a hundred years, or a thousand, or ten thousand" position on Iraq, and is now promising we'll have the troops home by 2013. And ponies. That cut'n'run Chamberlinesque pinko!

In the words of my friend, the late Brandon Ray, "This isn't Vietnam! You don't get to just declare victory and leave!" Apparently, the only difference on Iraq now between Democrats and Republicans is that when Democrats want to leave, they're sniveling cowards who hate America, but when Republicans want to leave, they're victorious heroes.

ps: Gay people can marry each other legally in California now. Did anyone notice? Someone please remind God he's supposed to inflict an earthquake on them for their sinning ways. Apparently, plagues of locusts are passe'.

Went out over lunch to a few more bike stores. The real scores were at Varsity Bikes in Dinkytown, who had an excellent selection of budget single-speeds. They had a Redline 925 for cheaper than the Hub, and a couple of other candidates as well.. the SE Lager and the Cayne Uno. I'm partial to the Lager just because it's named after beer (and for the bull-horn handlebars), and the Uno for overall feel, and the 925 for features. Both the Lager and the Uno were slightly cheaper than the Redline - about the price difference of the fenders I'd have to buy for them.

I hate getting sticker-shocked. I had sort of mentally budgeted about half as much for a bike as I'll really need to spend, apparently, unless I get lucky and find a used bike that I like.

It's been a while since I smacked John McCain around, so I guess I'm due. Now, since he's older than Alaska, chocolate chip cookies, Israel, plutonium, Bugs Bunny, and Dick Cheney, he's supposed to have this "experience" that makes him a better leader than the supposedly inexperience Obama. And with that in mind, here's a trick question quiz!

Poll #1187100 it's not important, really
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

When did McCain's vaunted experience show in his judgement?

Yesterday, while driving to work (sigh), I saw - and ran over - an American flag blowing around on Hiawatha Ave. My inner Boy Scout recoiled at this sight so hard I turned around at the next intersection and drove back to rescue it. I was expecting it to be completely trashed, but it turned out to be a good quality flag (nylon cloth) in okay shape, so I kept it instead of burning it (Note to politicians pushing the flag burning amendment - burning is the correct way to dispose of damaged flags, assholes. Now, would you please go do your fucking jobs rather than making up pseudo-patriotic distractions?)

Faron noticed it last night and asked what I was going was going to do with it. I said I'd probably hang it in the studio. She said "You're not going to have it on stage at Convergence on Juy 4?" Then she saw my face and said, "Did I just give you an idea? Oh, crap!"

Oh, yeah.

On an unrelated note, I started looking for a bicycle. I haven't owned a bike for many years, since my last one was stolen. But I have a really good bike commute distance (seven miles of scenic, at least once they rebuild the 35W bridge that my route would go under), and I don't have to worry about my bike getting stolen from work now - I can park it in the garage where it'll be guarded by guys with guns.

I found a bike I really like - a Redline 925. But at over $500, it's more than I want to spend. The thing about the Redline is that it's a single-speed road bike. The rear hub can be flipped for either freewheel or fixed-wheel riding. I HATE maintaining derailleur gears and grew up on single-speed BMX bikes, so the idea really appeals to me. I like the simplicity and the feel, although I rather fear the hill on River Road by the Franklin St bridge... anyway, people often convert older road bikes to single-speed. So I've started looking on Craigslist for conversions.

Now that pleepleus is back, I can talk about this...

Our sister has been doing geneology work for some years now. Our mother was born, um, out of wedlock, and we previously knew nothing about our biological grandfather but a name and a photo, and that he probably had other kids. My sister managed to track down Mom's half brother a few weeks ago. He (and his older sister) were thrilled to find out about the half sister they'd always suspected existed but never had any way to find! Mom is really excited, too. They're all planning a family reunion next summer, so I'll get to meet a bunch of cousins I didn't know I had.

I also spent a half hour on the phone the other night with our other sister's new boyfriend (aka new de facto brother-in-law). He seems to be a nice guy and takes good care of her, something her ex didn't really do. Kind of a culture shock talking to him... I haven't listened to THAT deep a southern accent in a long time! They're both long-haul truckers and they found a team run from Georgia to Washington state and back, so they get to spend LOTS of time together (albiet on different sleep cycles). Hopefully, they'll come up to visit us at some point.

Nice to have positive family news.

Speed Racer is a better movie than Iron Man.

I just got back from taking the kids to see Speed Racer at the IMAX. If you have access, I HIGHLY recommend paying the IMAX tax for this one! First and foremost, it's a genuine visual breakthrough - a feat of live action/animation mix as powerful and important as The Matrix was. In this case, though, the live action was in service of the cartoon aspect. The only other movie I've seen with this approach was Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but that one suffered from a truly sleepy storyline and an excess of retro. Speed Racer pulls it off much more, well, believably.

The acting is, well, eh. Nothing to write home about. But it didn't need to be great, because the story stuck to the well-loved Speed Racer series plotline like glue. It was modernized with a nicely anti-corporate, pro-family message, but all our favorite schticks are there - Speed's determination and talent, Trixie's adoring rescues, stowaways in the trunk, Pops and Sparky building a great car (if anything, there was LESS magic in the Mach 5 and more focus on Speed's talent in the movie - a good thing imho). If you liked the series, you won't find any fannish continuity nitpicking in the movie plot. The biggest gripe we had was my daughter complaining that they reversed the red and black in the Racer X color scheme... sheesh!

That being said, ( Iron Man had some real story issues... (spoilers) )

Now, Speed Racer isn't doing well with the critics, many of whom complain that the story is confusing. Huh? Well, they DO use flashbacks as scene-time shifts for a full-on storytelling advice, but I suspect 98% of those critics would never dare say anything bad about, say, Pulp Fiction breaking the time-flow. I thought it was all quite clear. And the villain's plot was just enough complexity to be interesting, but simple enough for a child to follow. Not confusing at all, even if you weren't familiar with the Speed Racer storyline.

Anyway, go see Speed Racer, but don't expect a technothriller, a philosophical concept film like The Matrix, or even a simple action flick. Expect a CARTOON, and you'll be very pleased.

Oh, and take some dramamine first.

Oh, an observation about the race scene animation (about half the movie is just animated car racing)... it was a PERFECT blend of the original Speed Racer cel animation style (overhead shots of cars spinning in impossible ways), pod race-derived video game tracks, Hot Wheels, skateboarding, Supercross, and modern superfast action sequences. I was flabbergasted at how totally modern it looked while being 99% loyal to the classic Speed Racer style (hey, they DID change the Racer X color scheme!) It's just cool beyond cool.

First, a request: If you stupid fucking gangbangers want to shoot each other to death, would you please do it somewhere safely away from my friends' houses? Seriously, I'll gladly pitch in to buy you a big plot of land out in the country with a big fucking fence and all the ammo you want.

Bastards.

Now that THAT'S out of the way...

I had a nice productive night in my nice quiet neighborhood, recording a song with my friend Levi. I'd been promising to help him with this for months. It's called Juicy Lucy, and it's an ode to the semi-official sandwich of south Minneapolis - a sort of double-layer hamburger with cheese cooked inside between the layers. They're a challenge to eat, because they look and smell SO good when they arrive, but the lava-like cheese inside will scald your tongue right off if you're not careful. You can get them at several restaurants around here, but the supposed originator is Matt's Bar on Cedar Ave. We went there for our Juicy Lucys before recording.

Levi Roll on acoustic guitar and vocals, Robert Hubanks on electric guitar, Easy Jim Jones on stand-up bass, and yours truly on drums. Recorded live with no overdubs, although we'll be recording some sort of solo into the allocated space for it. I clearly need to practice drum kit more. :/ But overall, it's pretty good.

"Did it just end tonight?" Russert sez yes.



Finally. I've spent too much time this primary season alternating between admiring Hillary and wanting to scream at her, between pride in Obama and worrying about him. But there's no way Hillary recovers from this. If she stays in now, she'll be a joke - and worse, bring the simmering insider/outsider resentments that have driven this campaign to a boil. As much as she wants the presidency, I don't think she wants the rank and file taking up torches and pitchforks - or the other nobles deciding it's time to toss her to the rabble to save their own hides.

So she's canceled all public appearances tomorrow. I imagine the next thing we hear will be a concession speech. I hope so... and not just because I'm an Obama supporter or because I don't much like Hillary. It's not even about turning our fire on McCain, because I think he's roadkill by November. I want it over because the Democratic Party needs to start healing.

A scary and troubling list, courtesy of androgenie. This is probably a must-read if you give a damn about what you eat.

Hey blueyeddevil, you'd better get cracking on this list since You. Cannot. Be. Killed. :}

Despite dropping the May Day Parade, yesterday was completely filled up. We saw Iron Man. I'm not quite as awed by it as some seem to be, but it's well worth seeing. I'd give it a B+... it missed an A- due to a moment of gratuitous heroism that irritated me (Dear Hollywood: We know he's supposed to be a hero. Duh). Not as good as Spider-Man, better than X-Men.

And absolutely, stay through the credits! barthir and I literally squealed in fannish delight! I told him it gave me a fannish boner. He responded that he had a geekgasm. Oh, yeah.

Much of the rest of the day was spent moving furniture around the house, which isn't quite done yet. :( And I pulled a muscle in my forearm, so I can't do any more heavy lifting (i.e. furniture) for a few days. I have no idea how I'm going to move the last two pieces of musical chairs. OTOH, the den, which was so dirty it was grossing me out, has been largely cleaned now. Huzzah! And my studio has a love seat! Huzzah! And the most comfortable furniture we own will soon be in front of the tv! Huzzzzzzah!

No May Day Parade for us after all. :( Klee is tremendously busy today, Faron isn't feeling well, and Tristan and his friend just aren't really into it. I hate to miss it, but realistically, it makes more sense to spend the day dealing with all this other stuff.

My Telecaster has turned into a bad girl, sort of. Since I swapped pickups, I had to give up the elegant "copper pearl" pickguard that looked so classy. Since the new pickups are plain black plastic with no exposed pole pieces, I got a really vintage-style bakelite pickguard. Now it looks like an entirely different sort of 1950s hot rod. About as evil as Olivia Newton-John's black leather pants in Grease, I suppose...

Today is a day for moderately difficult tasks. We're going to the May Day Parade (a HUGE social event with tens of thousands of people, for you non-Twin Cities folks), and bringing the dogs along. They haven't been out in a big crowd like that for quite a while, so I expect to have some anxious puppies. And after that, we get to play musical chairs with furniture... including moving those two leather pieces that I had previously sworn would remain where they are until we sell the house so I could impose them on the next owners. The leather sofa will still be donated to whomever takes it (no committed volunteers yet), but it'll be hard to resist the temptation to simply break the frame in order to get it out the door. Oh, and I have to clean a working path into the basement for the love seat. But it'll be worth it!

Last night, Al Amarja played live music for Klee to the sparsest crowd I've ever seen at a Pratt Hafla... apparently, everyone was at a workshop yesterday. Nonetheless, it went well. We'll be doing the music again live (sans Klee) at the Pratt Show on May 17. Maybe we'll see some of you there! I'm hoping to have another new piece composed in time for that show. ac_philosopher started us on a really interesting rhythm in 7/4 time that forms the first section of what's coalescing in my mind. Hopefully enough more will coalesce in time to actually practice it...

One LARGE leather sofa. Medium brown, adequate condition. Some wear, no tears, minor (not severe) cat smells. Comfortable and good-looking. Available for pickup tomorrow (sunday). We'll get it out of our house; you haul it and get it into yours. You'll want a pickup or van for hauling. Did I mention it's large?

If it's not gone by tomorrow evening, it's going to the curb.

I'll be out much of the evening, and checking email when I get back.

I forgot to mention... in a period of less than 24 hours wed/thu, I bought TEN cds. Eep! I bought two side-project albums at the Wilco show, and then... the next day, at Borders, I ran across a "75% off" bin stuffed with, among other things, a shitload of "Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" remastered/reissued classic jazz cds. I got two Louis Armstrongs, two Duke Ellingtons (including "Black, Brown, and Beige Suite"), Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music" (his favorite album, and it includes my favorite Mingus track, "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive-Ass Slippers"), Max Roach's "WE INSIST! Freedom Now Suite", Thelonius Monk, and Henry Mancini. I paid $20 total for all eight!

It's gonna take me all week to listen to them. Especially since I can't seem to make myself turn off this Mingus in order to rip something else.

While ripping them, I re-headed ogsnart's tom-toms. Turns out he owns a PAIR of gorgeous USA-made Gretsch toms from the 1970s. They're the nicest-made drums I've ever worked on - even nicer than the Woodstocks I used to own. Unfortunately, they're missing bottom rims, and Gretsch drums have funky rims. I can fake it on the 14" tom, but I have to get a real Gretsch rim for the 12" somehow. And there's a lot of tonal richness they're missing due to only one head. So now the drum kit is up to two floor toms and a rack tom and sounds FAR better. Even if it looks like it's made up of four different brands of drums and four more brands of cymbals...

edit: Listening to Louis Armstrong play the blues makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. As much as I hate to agree with Wynton Marsalis about anything, Satchmo practically invented American music. Anyone who thinks he's just corny is missing a piece of their soul. He's the musical equivalent of Shakespeare.

That doesn't mean it has to stop today. (observation via my friend Ryan - now I understand what Lizzy sees in him!)

How was the Jonathan Coulton concert last night? It was kinda like this. (video by davedujour, NWS)



Other than that... I took the day off yesterday and spent much of the afternoon shopping with Klee. I spent part of our "middle class welfare check" on a somewhat overkill toy for me... a 24" monitor for the computer. I think this is the largest monitor that would fit on my desk, and certainly the nicest I've ever used. It's a Gateway FHD2400, and pretty much creamed everything else Best Buy had for picture quality. So now my basement studio is also a movie theater...

Those who are meeting us for dinner before the Jonathan Coulton concert... I have a reservation at the Loring Pasta Bar under "Dave Stagner", at 5:45. Not being quite sure how many we have, I made the reservation for an even dozen.

Alas, ogsnart and his lady will not be joining us. :( Hopefully, the rest of the Feng Shui Ninjas will be there.

Somewhat unrelatedly, I took the day off for mental health and shopping and just hanging out with Klee. It's nice.

Saw Wilco last night, their first show of the tour. They played like a band that REALLY REALLY WANTS to be on tour again. The FIRST encore was four songs long. The SECOND encore was another two. They were clearly having a blast onstage - honestly, I think they were enjoying it more than the audience, not that we weren't having fun!

They're also the biggest guitar nerds I've ever seen onstage. I have NEVER seen a musician use more different guitars in an evening than Jeff Tweedy did last night... at least seven, by my count (three different SGs, six and twelve-string acoustics, a Tele, and the big double-cutaway Gibson that I think is a Trini Lopez). The new-guitar-every-songness of it prompted Lizzy (my favorite concert companion) and me to filk up a Beatles song...

I got no guitar and it's breaking my heart
But I got a roadie and that's a start
Baby you can tune my guitar...

Nels Cline, the lead guitarist, was also swapping nearly every song... which I didn't quite get, because they were basically all exactly the same (Fender Jazzmasters), and he was tuning them himself rather than using a roadie. Ah, to be wealthy enough to have a half-dozen Jazzmasters onstage so I could decide which color I wanted for a given song! And here I feel like I'm being excessively rockstarish when I bring two very different-sounding guitars...

It's nice to see the band finally stable, too. Wilco has been severely marred by personnel changes over the years. Lizzy, who only has one album of theirs (Summerteeth), was kind of shocked to find out that only two members of the six-piece were around when Summerteeth was recorded, four albums ago. But I think this current lineup can hold. I especially hope Nels Cline on guitar and Glen Kotche on drums stick it out... I think the blend of jazz sophistication, punk energy, and sheer dramatic authority they bring makes for a much better band.

Anyway, wow. That was a GREAT concert.

Ali Baba, recorded earlier tonight by Al Amarja. This is a VERY rough cut - really, it's for Klee to learn the outline of the piece for dancing to it live on saturday. Recorded live in mono, with no processing. Brian Timm (ac_philosopher) on doumbek, Courtney Faragher on riq, me on guitar and loops. And the live glitch... you can hear me picking the notes acoustically before they get looped at the beginning. That's not supposed to happen! But I was right next to the mic, so audible it is.

I'm really proud of the dynamics in this piece. Besides the upcoming live performances (saturday at the Pratt Hafla, and May 17 for the Pratt Showcase), I want a GOOD recording of this one. Speaking of which, there's a second Al Amarja recording in the works as well - I put down rough tracks for it sunday with Charlie Obert (from Felahi). It's the same guitar piece I initially wrote for Felahi, that we performed at the January Pratt Hafla, and it's a good one. I'll post it once I punch up some flawed guitar bits.

But this new piece... for the first time, I feel like I'm really composing at least quasi-middle eastern music, adapting the distinctive parts of my guitar style to the constraints of that music and adapting the music to the uniquely personal side of my guitar playing. I hope there'll be more to come as well.

We're going to see Jonathan Coulton at the Varsity Theater on Beltane. Who else is coming? Doors open at 7pm; gamerchick is talking about meeting at the Loring Pasta Bar down the street for dinner at 5:45. It's 10% off if you have a ticket for the show. Let me know if you want to meet us for dinner, because we should make a reservation.

Poll #1179341 First of May
Open to: Friends, results viewable to: All

Are you going to see Jonathan Coulton on the First of May with us?

Sure, what's one more iron in the fire?

I'll make room for THAT iron. :}