I've taken a while to write about it, I know. Mostly I've been recovering. Large events where I don't know anyone and have no idea what to do with myself are super stressful for me. It was really great to meet asakiyume and watermelontail, and to attend a couple of panels and so forth, but I think the next time I attempt a con, I need to volunteer so I have some direction. Since I had no specific assignment, I spent large portions of Sunday at the edges of rooms, trembling, nauseated, worried that people were staring at me, and feeling incredibly stupid about all of the above. I had a major meltdown in the car during our lunchbreak, complete with tears and protestations of, "See, this is why I knew I should wait until I had a better plan before going to a con!"* Is this rational? No. But that doesn't change my feelings. I'm throwing this out there so that if you meet me at a future con and I seem unbearably awkward, or reserved to the point of rudeness, you'll understand that it's not you, it's me and my panic!brain.

And now, the first panel I attended:

( Trolls Got Rhythm? )

It seemed like everyone was a afraid to step too hard on this topic for fear of seeming racist. I would have liked more exploration of ways to communicate that the terrorist was a lesbian, or of how not to make your aliens seem like cheap knockoffs of Japanese businessmen, but as it was the panel seemed mostly to acknowledge that racism is touchy and tricky, and that writing diverse characters is hard. Please feel free to explore the topic further in the comments here. I welcome discussion.

I'll try to get my other panel notes up soonish.





*Moss, it should be noted, was very good about the whole thing, and took me to a drive through so I didn't have to go in a restaurant with my splotchy meltdown face.

Back in the summer of 2002 when my friend Cait and I were hanging out in London with very little money, we routinely passed posters for Mamma Mia!, and wistfully read each other the puntastic tagline, "It's ABBAsolutely Fabulous!" We knew the show was probably terrible (and we couldn't regret all our money going to tickets for The Mikado at the Savoy), but still, the very idea of a whole musical devoted to ABBA songs was just glorious.

Fast forward six years, and here I am, in Boston with Moss, and Mamma Mia! has made the transformation from stage show to film. Upon first view, the trailer looked pretty shaky to me. It wasn't clear if this was actually going to be a singing and dancing spectacle, and honestly, it looked like it might be too much of a serio-comedic chick flick. I was uncertain. Then a friend linked to a video of Mark Kermode's Review, and my attitude changed.* After watching the review, I told Moss, somewhat sheepishly, that I was probably going to drag him to see this movie, and he looked relieved and said, "Oh, good. I wasn't sure you were going to want to see it." This pretty neatly sums up why Moss and I work so well as a couple.

I went in with fairly low expectations (even after the pep talk from Patty Bunny Mark Kermode), but I came out grinning. It was amazing. Now, there are a couple of taste requirements you'll have to meet if you have any hope of properly appreciating this movie. First, you must agree with the basic sentiment that ABBA songs are excellent and enjoyable pop songs. If you don't, then there is zero hope for you, because this movie is full of them. Additionally, you have to not be an ABBA purist. If you hate covers, and if you hate people doing their best to murder excellent pop songs (but, as Kermode points out, never actually managing because the songs are that good), you should step away.

Finally, you need to love Shakespearean comedies. I don't mean this in the hoity toity way that says, "Yes, I am a pretentious scholar, and I have read and intimately dissected every play and sonnet, to say nothing of the bard's shopping lists and dry cleaning bills." I mean it in the way that says, "Ridiculous plots, playful characters, and a very tenuous grasp on history? Sign me up!" Mamma Mia! is the most Shakespearean comedy I have seen in ages. I want to say it is my favorite adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, but even though it's set in Greece and has a very Puckish bartender, the plot really isn't the same. In spirit, though? Totally.

The movie gave itself over to gleeful flamboyance quite sincerely until I couldn't help being swept up, too. The plot is hacked together, the singers are not the best, and the world it portrays is full of bizarre holes, but it doesn't matter. Sure Sophie's 20, so her fathers should all be reminiscing about the summer of 1987, when apparently Pierce Brosnan was a Flower Child with long hair and bell bottoms. Whatever. By the time Meryl Streep sang her heart wrenching version of "The Winner Takes It All," I didn't even have to try to suspend my disbelief. If you can relax and go along for the ride, you may find this movie surprisingly brilliant. I liked it enough that I'm considering going back for more.

(Also, there's Colin Firth in a wet shirt, and topless, and [spoiler!] if you're into that sort of thing.)

I'm behind on my friendslist because I've been running around trying to get stuff done in preparation for Moss's aunt visiting us tomorrow, but I wanted to post this before it slipped my mind.

Anyone out there going to Readercon this weekend? I will only be able to make it on Sunday, but if you're going to be there and would like to meet up, please say so! This will be my first con, and I'm vaguely anxious about it because, well, big social events tend to make me anxious. That said, I've heard people say cons can be a lot of fun, and I'd sure like to be one of them.

This is in response to sartorias and nihilistic_kid, who both recently posted about great writing.

In case you are too lazy to click through, I'll do my best to give a bare bones explanation of what exactly I am responding to. The two posts linked above explore the question of whether someone can set out to become great. Sherwood leaves the question open, while Nick Mamatas gives us his roadmap to facilitating (though not necessarily achieving) greatness.

I think this topic is too dense and chewy to tackle in one entry, so I'll limit this one to examining the nature of greatness (which, I know, is perilously close to philosophy). In Sherwood's comments frumiousb brought up Alexander the Great as an example of someone who set out to become great and is remembered as being great. Sherwood replied with uncertainty that military conquest was automatically great, and followed up with, "If greatness is defined by the charisma that leads men to follow, then Hitler was great. Stalin was great." The original commenter came back with the idea that Alexander was Great by his own definition, suggesting that greatness is decided by personal goals, but I'm not sure I agree.

( Pretentious and long-winded ruminations follow. Click at your own risk. )

The Summer issue of Goblin Fruit is up! It's full of delicious poems, including one by gwynnega. There are green dots next to some of the poems, and you can click on those to hear audio versions.

sartorias led me to this nifty language survey about Yiddish in modern American speech.

And finally, I know that many of you probably spend hours of every day wondering what sort of music I listen to. It may even keep you up at night. In an effort to set your minds at ease, I've made a Muxtape. It's a 12 song mix that you can listen to online for free if you just click on the first song.

And now I really need to write 500 more words. I am made of slack.

I keep seeing this controversy survey with its lackluster questions, and awkward phrasing that makes people wax pedantic ("Yes, I believe the death penalty exists..."). Frankly, I'm tired of it. Since I don't want to just be a whiny whiner, I've decided to rewrite it in a (hopefully) better way. Feel free to copy it and pass it on.

These questions might make you think about upsetting things, so they're under the cut.
( Read more... )

That's how we spent our afternoon. Click the picture below to view the entire set on Flickr.

Photographic documentation of the proceedings of the Mad Scientist Club Mentos Coke Experiment Picnic can be found here.

ETA: And Erika's comprehensive notes on the experiment here!

It's Moss's birthday, and my cat has given me the gift of peeing! On my new favorite capris! Which had my headphones in the pocket! Did she miss the pocket perchance? No! Of course she didn't! This is Moss's birthday pee!* It must cover as much of Julia's favorite things as possible! I found this out while I was vacuuming in the bedroom, and I picked up the capris to move them out of the way, and they were wet. And distinctly odorous. Eeeewwwww. They are now in the washer. I have no idea what to do with the headphones, though. Bleh. I guess I can sponge them with vinegar and see if they still work later (if the smell is gone).

In any case, today Moss is 31 years old, which I said makes him a grown up because back in the 60s and 70s the word on the street was not to trust anyone over 30, and which he said makes him, "Thirtysomething, just like all the Baby Boomers!" Except of course now all the Baby Boomers are 50 or 60 something, but oh well. No matter what one associates 31 with, it's still a cause for cat pee celebration.

Here's the big plan:

Moss and I will meet up in downtown Boston by his place of employment this afternoon, and there will perhaps be some pictures of Moss frolicking on the Boston Common, because hey, frolicking! And then we will take the T back to our neighborhood and see Son of Rambow at the local movie theatre. Following that we will go grocery shopping, and then Moss will bake a pie, because hey, pie! Then we'll go hang out with our friend Kelly and a bunch of her friends to celebrate her moving on from her current job. I hear there will be pizza and beer. Very exciting.

Then we will come home and sleep, and when we wake up, it will be tomorrow! Tomorrow is exciting because it is Moss's and my independence day Mad Scientist Club Birthday Picnic! We are going to go to a park (well, if it doesn't rain anyway) with all our friends (well, a few friends at least), and drop Mentos into Diet Coke, and Pop Rocks into regular Coke, and all manner of other candies into other drinks. All very exciting. And we will eat Moss's pie, and other assorted picnic foods. Yay!

Unless it rains. If it rains everyone will come to our house and we will forlornly stare at our stockpile of candies and drinks, imagining explosions that might have been if only. Also, we will probably play Sentence Picture.

And now back to getting stuff done.

*I think it is because I neglected to clean her box yesterday. Normally I do it every day, and she is fussy about it. So it's probably my fault, yeah, but does that make me any less bitter about my headphones? No, I can assure you it does not.

We've had Chinatown out of Netflix for three months now. I put it in the queue because it's one of those things every movie buff ever loves to reference, and I felt like I ought to see it. Now after my spate of screenwriting books in March, I know the whole plot, and I have it here in a little red envelope, but I haven't gotten around to actually watching it. Why? Probably because I know it will be depressing/disturbing. We err on the side of silliness in this household, and rarely end up watching the horribly dramatic masterpieces we feel we ought to (for instance, even though I thought City of God was excellent, I haven't ever actually said that Moss should watch it with me).

So. This is getting ridiculous. It's cost us roughly $15.00 to keep it in the house unwatched for this long, so I am doing the only sensible thing: creating a poll!

Poll #1216739 Forget it Julia, It's Chinatown!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Should I send it back today, unwatched?

Do you love this movie?

Sway me?

**43. Firebirds Rising edited by Sharyn November: I have been in the mood for short stories lately, so I picked this up with a Barnes and Noble giftcard I'd gotten for my birthday. It's a great collection with several stories that stuck with me and made me think. I really want to check out Ellen Klages a bit more, as her wonderful story about a girl raised by librarians in a closed library was just right.

**44. Unwelcome Bodies by Jennifer Pelland: Continuing on the short story train, but moving firmly into adult territory. This collection brought up a lot of questions related to disability culture and morality, which is something I've been thinking about for a couple of months now. I have a few disabled friends, and in conversations with them I've come to realize that I'm very uneducated on that sort of thing. I've been silent on the topic because it's all rather a muddle in my mind, but I was glad these stories stirred the questions up more. I can't say I know any more than I did before, but I think that being aware of the fact that such questions exist is a good start. I may suggest this as a book group read, although some of the stories are seriously disturbing and squicky. Have to think on that further.

45. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden: Very mixed feelings about this one. I know I read it as a child, but all I remembered was that the cricket slept in a matchbox. Coming back to it as an adult, the portrayal of the Chinese characters left me very uncomfortable. I got the feeling it wasn't meant to be racist, and indeed meant to show that Chinese culture was neat and all, but it still came across as horrible infantilization. Sai Fong always spoke in dialect, replacing every R with L, and he laughed like a little kid, "Eeheehee!" But then, the book did have some good points. I liked that Harry the cat was not an evil menace, and that the boy, Mario, understood when the cricket went back to the country that it was right and good for him to do that. This book was a runner up for the Newbery in 1960 (the winner was Onion John by Joseph Krumgold, which I've never read), but the writing seemed... I don't know. Not quite right. I kept being reminded that this was a book For Kids, and that sort of thing doesn't happen with the best books. Anyone read this one recently? If so what did you think of it?

Marriage: As you may have heard, California's supreme court recently said that same sex marriages were indeed marriages and should be legally recognized as such. Yay! But of course, now there will be a bunch of people who want to make them declared invalid by amending the state constitution with a new bill. Boo! Luckily we have a nice group of LJers who want to help raise money to try to fight this bill. Yay! And the double bonus yay is that they want to do this by auctioning off handmade crafts, original fiction and artwork, graphic design, and baked goods. Double Bonus Yay! I hope you'll take a look at livelongnmarry, and consider offering something of your own, or bidding on something awesome.

Music: My bittercon post about non SF influences for SF writers got me thinking about musical influences. I know that typically musicians are the ones who cite musical influences, but I believe that music helps to shape us all. In my non-SF book influences, I kept coming back to strong female characters who needed to adapt to new surroundings and make their mark despite the odds being stacked against them. And I wanted them to be funny, too. In Music I realized I was the same way. Following is a brief exploration of my top three musical influences from childhood through college.

1) Mary Martin. I read her autobiography when I was 10 or 11, and I loved it. We had the original broadway recording of South Pacific, and a VHS tape of her Peter Pan, and I listened and watched repeatedly. As far as I could tell, Mary Martin was awesome, and had gumption, and wasn't going to not be a big star just because she was short or from a small town or whatever other excuse you wanted to give her. She had determination, which I knew I had, too. If nothing else, that.

2) Bette Midler. In 6th grade I had a crush on this girl who loved Bette Midler. Or at least I thought she did. I think maybe she just loved "Wind Beneath My Wings" or something, but I didn't realize that right away, which is why, to impress this girl, I started learning everything I could about Bette Midler. Oddly enough the crush went nowhere (this girl and I had not much in common as it turned out, and I was totally in the closet anyway), but my love of Bette Midler went through the roof. Now here was a Jewish woman from Hawaii, with a voice that was more "distinctive" than beautiful, and a body that did not resemble conventional standards of attractiveness, but she looked at herself and show business and said, oh what the hell? I'm going to be a star anyway! How could I not love that?

3) Liz Phair. A few years later, when I'd had a chance to dabble in teenage heartbreak, I found Liz Phair's first album, Exile in Guyville (incidentally, this album has just been re-released, so if you don't have a copy, now is a great time to fix that), and it was a match made in cynical teen heaven. She was funny and smart, and I felt like she was singing my heart. She went on to do some other great stuff and some not so great stuff, but I'll always love her as I've explained in detail before.

And you? What are some of your musical influences, and why? Really, I'd love to know!

Madcap Adventure: Last weekend Moss and I went on one, and I've posted a little photo essay over on flickr. I believe that silliness should be shared.

I've never been to a convention, but if I could have managed it, I would have started by attending the Fourth Street Fantasy Convention this weekend. Since I'm not there, I'm hosting my own panel here for today. I won't be able to check in until tonight, but I hope there will be lots of interesting discussion while I'm out.

Non-SF Influences For SF writers

What moved you as a child? What sets off your creative flow as an adult? Which books seem magical without actually being about magic? My answer is under the cut, so you can pause to think before it sways you.

( Read more... )

Special all three star birthday books edition!

***40. Making Book by Teresa Nielsen Hayden: After my birthday had passed, I decided to buy myself a few books I'd been wanting to read for ages. If you read Making Light, you probably already know that Teresa Nielsen Hayden is a kickass person, and a great writer. If you don't read Making Light, I'm sorry. This book is a collection of essays and letters spanning from 1980 to the early 90s. I was a bit surprised to find that it wasn't actually about the publishing process (although there is one long essay on copyediting), bu tit was still a fantastic read. I left it feeling like I knew and was friends with Teresa Nielsen Hayden, which is a fantastic feeling, but could eventually get me into the sort of trouble that overfamiliar fans tend to get into if I weren't so shy and reserved.

***41. New Magics edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden: It seemed fitting to read something that Teresa Nielsen Hayden's husband had worked on next. I was interested to see what sort of stories he liked enough to put into an anthology, and the answer is: Good Ones. I'd already read "Chivalry" by Neil Gaiman, but all the other stories were new to me. It was a nicely rounded collection, which left me feeling pretty good about people. I like things that give me hope.

***42. Armed America by Kyle Cassidy: kylecassidy is one of my favorite photographers. I discovered him through the kittypix community a few years ago, and have been looking at beautiful pictures on his journal ever since. I read about the making of Armed America as it happened, so I was really interested to see the finished product. Cassidy doesn't put any of his own opinions about guns into the book, just lets the gun owners speak for themselves. I think the most interesting part was seeing which people looked to me like they'd own guns, and which didn't. There were people whose houses looked normal and comfortable to me, people I could imagine visiting, and I had to stop and wonder if I'd have ever guessed they owned guns. I don't own a gun. I never have, although my father did, and I remember shooting cans at the local airport when I was very small. I hated it because I have never liked loud noises. Seeing all these pictures and reading all the accompanying text really brought home the fact that gun owners are people. That's something worth noticing. Some of them still scared me, but they definitely seemed human.

I'm not a terribly handy person. Sure, I can put together IKEA furniture, but I never acquired basic home maintenance skills when I was growing up. I know some people who have Mr. Fixit dads and Ms. Fixit moms, and it seems they all either learned how to fix things when they were still in diapers, or never learned and never mind since the knowledgeable parent will take care of things for them. Not so with me.

My father was not at all the handy type. True, I did spend a fair amount of my youth in grimy hangars reading books while he fussed around with airplanes, but he didn't really pass on a lot of mundane skills (possibly because he grew up with servants and never lost the "it's someone else's job to worry about this" attitude). And although my mother was a single parent and a homeowner, I don't think she knew how to fix things anymore than I do. I remember her renting a wet vac to clean up a flooded laundry room when I was ten or eleven, but other than that my memories of pesky household problems correlate pretty keenly with my memories of family friends or (if we had no other option) professional repairmen coming to take a look.

Now I'm an adult, and more importantly, an adult who suffers from social anxiety. I know it sounds silly (especially when you consider that I have worked in call centers on multiple occasions, and that my customer service skills are quite good), but I hate calling people. And even more than that, I intensely loathe the idea that strange people (or the landlord!) might come into my house and ... See it? See me? Here the fear gets a little hazy. I never said it was rational. In any case, this drives me to be the best, most self-reliant renter I can be. If there is a problem, you can bet I want to fix it fast, and on my own.

Surely I can't be the only person with this desire. I mean, okay, most of the others probably want to for less dorky reasons, but still. So why isn't there an obvious, universally read manual out there; The Joy of Basic Home Maintenance or some such? Maybe there is and I am just ignorant. Please tell me if that's the case! I'd really love to correct my error. As it is, whenever there's a problem, I run to the internet (thank humanity for having invented such a beautiful series of tubes) and spend hours trying to find any relevant information.

What I really want is a magic book.*

In the ridiculous (but fantastic) Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart was constantly consulting a giant old book (with inexplicable rhinestones on the cover, as if someone in the late 20th century had decided that plain brown leather was not showy enough, and rectified the dullness with a [warning: link talks] BeDazzler), and it occurred to me this morning as I was fretting over our lack of hot water that a book like this would be extremely useful. Yes, Sabrina's book was all about magic, but it talked, it was arranged by topic, and it was full of helpful information and instructions. Now imagine that kind of resource applied to home maintenance, with sections for the water heater, circuit breakers, sink and toilet repair, how to change a lightbulb, care and maintenance of all types of floors, how to get stains or bad smells out of things, and so on. This book would be huge (but portable!), and everything would be cross-referenced and explained in simple language. Wouldn't it be glorious?

I did fix the water problem, by the way. It was as simple as flipping a switch in our circuit breaker panel. Still, I'd love to know where your fixit knowledge comes from, and any reading recommendations you might have in that area.

*I'd also take a primer like the ones in The Diamond Age. Same basic concept, really.

		I will marry Jane Austen.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Boston in our fabulous House.
		We will have 0 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Green Skycar.
		I will spend my days as a Writer, and live happily ever after.

37. Austenland by Shannon Hale: The premise is that a thirty-something woman who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy is sent on a trip to England by her dead aunt. The trip is a 3 week visit to Pembrook Park, a regency LARP theme park, more or less, and Jane, our protagonist is meant to be getting over her Darcy obsession by being there. I felt like this book would have worked better as a movie. I'm afraid my attention was rather horribly drawn to that early on when the protagonist mused that the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice was a "pure romance" because it didn't have Austen's witty narration. After that, all I could do for the rest of the book was imagine how each scene might look on film, and how much better I might like it without the narrative voice. I didn't exactly hate Jane, but I didn't exactly like her either (for one thing, she didn't seem quite real), and little things grated.*

I should know better by now than to read things that will constantly compare themselves to Austen because it makes me notice tenfold when they inevitably don't measure up. I believe this could very well entertain many other people who aren't me, though. Hale won a Newbery award for her novel The Princess Academy, so I figure I should try that one before I give her up as a not for me sort of author, especially since I really could imagine this making a tolerable movie. It all seemed very cinematic.

*For instance, early on we learn that Jane's very interested in Austen and has read all the novels at least twice, and yet it takes her 3/4 of the book to connect one of her fellow LARPers (whose fictional background consists of having been engaged to a sailor, then breaking the engagement at the behest of her family because he wasn't good enough, but still being in love with him) with Anne Elliot. That is the premise of Persuasion for crying out loud. It is not obscure allusion!

**38. Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson: The premise is that a seventeen-year-old girl who is shy is sent on a trip to England by her dead aunt. No, really! That's how it starts! I'm glad I read this right after the last one because it made me better appreciate Maureen Johnson. She gives us a solidly real character in Ginny Blackstone, and sends her off on a dream backpacking trek through Europe. She puts Ginny in a little bit of danger, offers her a little bit of romance, and lets her learn some things about herself and the world. It's a fun read, and a nice primer for the would be traveler who hasn't yet left home. One thing I loved about it was that Ginny was a bit square (she obviously wasn't ready to go very far with a boy, and she really didn't like breaking laws, or drinking), but she seemed natural and likable, and she still had a fun and kind of edgy adventure. I can't actually imagine her parents letting her go on this adventure alone (without ever even calling them!), but that's why suspension of disbelief comes in handy.

*39. Bonk: The curious coupling of science and sex by Mary Roach: The premise is that a middle aged woman who is obsessed with writing pop science fluff is sent on a trip to England by her dead aunt. Okay, not really, but she does go to England at one point in the book. I enjoyed Spook, so I was pretty sure I could expect more of the same irreverent tone, and fascinating research anecdotes in this book. I was not wrong. I know a lot of people have their hate on for Mary Roach, but I find her entertaining.

**34. Undertow by Elizabeth Bear: I'd enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's blog and her short stories, but I hadn't previously read any of her novels. I picked this one because it's a stand alone, and because I couldn't find her first novel, Hammered in the bookstore. This one took me a while to get through, because it was dense and chewy. Lots of stuff to think about. I found myself forced to sip instead of gulp. It was good, though, and the story's themes lingered on in my brain after I'd finished reading it. In some ways it put me in mind of Ursula Le Guin. Something about the worldbuilding and the details of alien society. Will definitely read more of her novels.

35. Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent: A book group selection. I was apparently one of two people who finished it in time for the scheduled meeting on the first of June, so now we're not discussing it until the 29th. It was interesting, but I am not sure I know what to make of it. Honestly, I'm not sure Norah Vincent knows what to make of it either. She dressed as a man for a year, and went on a quest to learn what being a man was like, but when all was said and done, I'm not sure she knew what to do with the information she turned up.

36. **The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia: This keeps getting compared to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere because it takes place under a city where fairy tale creatures live, but even though the surface similarities are there, Sedia's story is very different from Gaiman's. Gaiman has described Neverwhere and a boy's own adventure story, and while it is wonderful and shiny, I have to agree with that assessment. The Secret History of Moscow is a meatier story, which examines post-USSR Moscow and the way that environment affects human relationships. I didn't lose myself completely in this book, but the story was excellent, and the ending totally made me cry (which was awkward because I was on a plane at the time, and a) I hate crying in front of people, and b) I had no tissues). This was a first novel, too, so we can possibly look forward to even stronger storytelling in the future. Yay!

Yes, today is my birthday! I have been overwhelmed with the flood of birthday wishes, so here's a little something in return.

I am in a small mix CD exchange group. Each month one of us makes a mix and sends it to the other members. This month it was my turn, and though everyone else had done mixes according to very specific themes, I just couldn't make one stick. Here's my tracklist and commentary. If you would like a copy, let me know. I have the power to get you one!

It’s My Birthday, and I’ll Mix What I Want To!
(May 2008 mix by Julia)

1. “Start As You Mean To Go On” – Black Box Recorder: In this case, I’m taking it literally and starting the May mix with a great song. I don’t have a real theme here, but my birthday is the 28th of May, so I am giving you all the gift of music that makes me happy.
2. “Xavier Says” – The Magnetic Fields: The Magnetic Fields is one of Stephin Merritt’s projects (two more will appear later in the mix, because I really enjoy Stephin Merritt’s stuff), and this is a track from their last album Distortion. The last bit of this song amuses me, “quite a lot.”
3. “Hunter” – Portishead: After many years of silence, Portishead made a new album! Fans around the world rejoiced! I am one of them! This track is from that new album.
4. “Black Mountain” – Isobel Campbell and Mark Langan: This song is lovely and soothing. Isobel Campbell used to sing for Belle and Sebastian, and I always liked her voice, so I was really happy when she got together with Mark Langan to do a whole album of lovely, soothing songs.
5. “Cinco de Mayo” – Liz Phair: When I was a tortured teen in January of 1994, I discovered Liz Phair’s first album, Exile in Guyville, and it helped me through the rough times. Now she’s re-releasing a 15th anniversary version with a few previously unreleased tracks, and I am a squeeing fangirl. This track is actually from her second album, but it seemed appropriate to go in the 5th slot of my May mix.
6. “Give Me Back My Dreams” – The 6ths: This is another Stephin Merritt project, which tends to use different singers for most of the songs. After I chose the song for the 5th slot, it seemed obvious that I ought to put this song by the 6ths in the 6th slot. It’s like a mini theme!
7. “New Soul” – Yael Naim: Yael Naim is French, and has a delightful accent. This song is bouncy and happy, and the video is great. You should look it up on YouTube or something so you can see for yourself.
8. “Hot Chocolate” – Shonen Knife: I think it is impossible not to smile and bounce around while listening to this Japanese punk/pop girl band. I know May is not exactly traditional hot chocolate season, but see the title of this mix? Yeah. Sometimes I alter the lyrics and sing “Mrow mrow mrow mrow mrow mrow mrow mrow, mrowing!” to my cat.
9. “A Little Respect” – Erasure: Mmm, 80s synthpop! This is the third song in our second mini theme of bouncy songs. Once an ex-boyfriend, having realized his mistake, gave me this song on a mix tape a couple of years after he dumped me. We got back together only to have a really messy break up, but NOTHING can kill this song for me because it is just that awesome.
10. “Norvege” – Alexis HK: Okay, we have stopped with the bouncy for a chill song that makes me laugh every time I hear it. Since you may not speak French, I will give you the gist. So there’s this French guy, Alexis, and he has a Norwegian friend who invites him over for Sunday brunch. He goes over and has a beautiful time drinking orange juice and eating cheese, and they talk about how Father Christmas comes from Norway, which is perhaps why every time he goes over to her house, it’s like Christmas time. Then they have a silly vocal breakdown, and he reminds me of my father, who used to do the exaggerated jazz breakdowns because in some ways he was very silly (which is probably part of where I get it from). Anyway, after that, it’s 7:30 in the evening, and the Norwegian chick is like, “Okay, you have to go home now.” and Alexis puts on his sexy voice and is all, “Yeah, but my Norwegian, I want to live with you, and watch DVDs on your sofa.” But then she shuts him down enough times that he agrees to go home, and she says, “Ciao ciao!” Man, I love this song.
11. “Mainstream” – Thea Gilmore: This is from the album Avalanche, which is one of my favorite albums. This song makes me walk faster if it comes up on the iPod while I am out in the world.
12. “Gentle Sheep” – The Ditty Bops: This is really catchy. It gets stuck in my head a lot, but I don’t mind because it’s a great song. I have synaesthesia (which means that among other things, I see music in color), and for me this song is dominated by a really pretty shade of yellow.
13. Choi San Do(?) – Unknown Artist: So this one time, Moss and Cait and I were in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and we heard this amazing music, so we followed the sound into a CD store and asked the clerk what was playing and then bought it. The music we heard was a medley of roughly 6 songs that were all on the CD, each one with at least two different versions. The liner notes are all in Chinese, though, and because we don’t read or speak Chinese, we have no idea what the songs are called. I asked a friend who had studied Chinese, and she said that it looked like a Chinese New Year album, so I guess I am the equivalent of a Chinese person rocking out to “Jingle Bell Rock” without understanding it at all. Now you can be that person, too!
14. Ca M’aurait Plu – Louise Attaque: Louise Attaque is a French band I got into when I was living in France in 2001 or so. Their first two albums were produced by Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes, and sound a lot different from this song, which is from their third, mellower (not produced by Gordon Gano) album. I like songs from all their albums, but this one seemed to fit here.
15. “Follow the Light” – Travis: I also got into Travis when I was in France, but it was mere coincidence as they’re Scottish. Pretty!
16. “But You’re So Beautiful” – Future Bible Heroes: This band is another Stephin Merritt Project, but he only writes the Lyrics. The Music is by Chris Ewen, and it always reminds me of Final Fantasy video game music. Luckily, I like the Final Fantasy music, so that’s okay. The other day a different song by this band came up on my computer, and Moss somewhat confusedly asked me if I had Final Fantasy music in my iTunes library, so apparently I’m not the only person who makes that association.
17. “Keep the Car Running” – The Arcade Fire: I know [other member of the excahange group] had The Arcade Fire on his CD a couple of months back, but I love this band, and so I must remind you once more of the title for this mix.
18. “Shake It Up” – The Cars: More 80s synthpop! I decided to end on a bouncy note, and to give you one last mini theme: cars. Happy my birthday, everyone!

So far my visit has been good. I've been chronicling it in photos on my Flickr account. I haven't photographed anything today yet because we ran boring errands in the morning (bank, unsuccessful search for some sort of wall bracket at Home Depot, etc.) and then went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. All worthwhile activities, but not terribly photo worthy. I'll probably get more photos tonight, though. I can smell something delicious in the kitchen, so that might be worth a shot.

I went into the movie with really low expectations since I hadn't heard from anyone who liked it. One friend even walked out. All I can say for these people is that they must have some bizarre idea that Indiana Jones movies are supposed to be less pulpy and campy than they actually are. I mean, yes, I could have done without the CGI gophers, but otherwise it was pretty much spot on, I thought. Silly, full of action, ridiculous dialogue, and of course snakes. Or at least a snake. So that was fun.

I managed to write about 100 words before we left, and figured I'd pick up when we got back, but that was before people decided to play Yahtzee in the same room, and also before I realized that my headphones were missing. I am officially stopping now after 416 words. I just can't seem to tune out the talking and the sound of the dice shaking. Apparently we're going to play Monopoly after dinner. I didn't realize adults enjoyed Monopoly, but maybe I'm missing something. I guess we'll see.