We got ourselves a U-Haul truck on the 22nd to move all our big ticket items to the new place. We ended up doing two trips with it to move all the furniture that wouldn't fit or collapse down to fit in my Saturn. We couldn't get a Comcast technician to the new place until the 31st, so, with work being as busy as it was, I decided to plan on being in the old place, wired and set up to work, until then. That meant that my bedroom was still pretty much unmoved after returning the truck. I was keeping my desk, futon, and tv set up until the end of August.
Here Rowan and In and I admire our very excellent U-Haul Tetris skills...
Gotta love warning signs...
The view outside the Cambridge U-Haul depot. Note James Tiberius in the front window. Judging by the sun-sapped desaturation of his typically robust complexion, he's been in the window a While. Why? He's James frickin Kirk! He doesn't need a reason!
On August 26, I finished up THE LONG GOODBYE. I'd read it once earlier in the year, but when I came across this particular copy of the book (Elliot Gould as Philip Marlowe?! Wack! I'm gonna hafta watch that sometime), I ended up starting it up again. I picked it up at one of the random little Cambridge book drops I've encountered in the neighborhood. The one I like to call "the giving tree stump."
On the streets that cross from Harvard Street (or is it Road?) to Mass Ave are the remnants of trees. I suppose in their prime, they must've been growing into the roadway or causing some sort of trouble for public works or whatnot and needed to be cut down. Well, apparently the city got some artisans to do a bit of architectural and detail work on the stumps, carving out these really gorgeous chairs, or thrones, from what remained. They call to my mind the idea of a "high seat," a perch that affords a view of the entire cosmos for this Norse god or his Greek or Roman equivalent.
The Giving Tree Stump...
Anyhow, in my pedestrian commuter travels, I've discovered that Cambridge locals have taken to leaving giveaway items on these seats, usually books. THE LONG GOODBYE is the first one I ever picked up. Now I feel like I should return to one of these drops and leave a book, y'know? Circle of life, dude...
See the bookybooks?
The receipt for the book was tucked into its pages when I picked it up. It turns out the day I finished the book was one year to the day since the book was purchased at the Brattle Book Shop, which is just a block over from my office in Downtown Crossing. Kooky, no?
I'd been keeping a receipt from an order of chicken teriyaki, no vegetables, from Sakkio in the Corner Mall food court as my bookmark. I got that receipt on the day that I started GOODBYE. I was holding on to it as a record of when I began the book again. Unfortunately, I lost it to a gust of subway wind at the Park Street T stop a couple days before finishing the book, and so don't have it to help me figure how long it took me to polish off the black and white candy that is Raymond Chandler's LONG GOODBYE. Such delicious reading. =)
In the process of packing myself up, I managed to purge a few dozen videotapes out of my collection of Stuff. Many of them were recordings of TV shows or dupes of films and those went into the trash. A few were actual purchased VHS tapes of films and were still in very playable shape. I thought of making these a donation to the stump, but the particular days that I was sifting thru videos were a bit rainy and wet.
Sad, thinking of the books that get caught in the rain...
At the time I was doing a couple of last laundry loads of towels and such and realized that the laundry room in our apartment building had an unofficial book/magazine exchange going—I could leave my videos there!
And so...
I did.
That's QUICK CHANGE on the end there, which I *just* picked up on dvd. A damn smart little robbery picture. Some of Bill Murray's best work, and supported by a kickass cast of then-not-so-well-knowns, including Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub. It's like AFTER HOURS if it was a heist film.
Also in the collection is Regis's workout tape. I wonder who will pick that one up. Back when I was first looking for animation work in the early 90s, I went and bought short commercial VHS tapes at the dollar store to use for my short student reel. One short film, really, my final animation project, entitled, "
Spanghew," which means to throw, esp. a frog, from the end of a stick. Anyhow, I'd tape over the copy protection tab and record over whatever was on the commercial tape with my dopey little film, then send or present this tape as my reel, complete with kitsch/fried packaging!
Also uncovered in the process of packing and moving... my @world
Pippin! I won this disowned bastard child of Apple and Bandai in a giveaway by the Gadget Guru on AOL back in 1996. Frickin frackin a decade ago! Anyhow, I'd never once unpacked it and plugged it in. I just never got around to it. When I won it, I was living in a basement studio apartment in Back Bay and just didn't have the room to set it up in the bricked up fireplace with my TV. In the apartments I lived in after that, well, I moved it in its box, unopened, and it was just easier to keep it stored that way. It lived with me, undisturbed, in... Let's see... Coolidge Street, Haskell Street, Blake Street, Bolton Street, Broadway... six places. Wack.
Well, I'd mentioned that I had this freak of late 90s tech development to Applehead Jeff some years ago, and made a promise that he'd be able to play with it one day. Well, no day like Tuesday, right? I had some other bits of hardware that Jeff had generously lent to me as part of his lifesaving measures for my old Titanium, so I was planning on dropping by anyhow...
That's the Pippin giving Jeff the lowdown on its ancient (but damn prescient) console control pad. It comes with a 14.4 modem, an online account (sadly, 10 years defunct now) with @world, a 4x CD-ROM drive, a keyboard, a touchpad, and game controllers.
Designfemme has a great blog entry covering the highlights of the opening this time capsule.
And speaking of historical Apple tech...
A snapshot of my Mac SE FD/HD sitting on top of the "pizza box" Performa 450 (equivalent to the LC III) in the downstairs off of our new place.
The weekend ended up being a washout for beaching, thanks to Ernesto's passive aggressive temper. But Labor Day itself, altho a bit schizophrenic about whether it wanted to rain or not, turned out to be pretty fine for some grass King & Queen vball action in Arlington...
*sigh*
Just there in the bottom left of the picture I think you can see the shadow of the hole that I stepped into and sprained my ankle in. Bleah. I'd just won my first game of the day (after four losses, bleah), with partner Jen, was walking back to my seat, cleaning off my glasses, when the ground disappeared under my right foot. As I tumbled forward, I muttered to myself, "Feckin super." I went as much as I could with the fall, to keep my weight off the foot, but I didn't catch myself soon enough. I heard-felt a definite *pop* Feck. And thusly was my ankle turned.
Of course, it didn't stop me from playing out the rest of the day, ankle wrapped in a brace (thanks to BK for letting me strongarm him into handing over the brace =).
Keep on keepin on~
Frack. I admit, I'm more of a fan of Fluff in a metaphysical mode than a physical one. The idea of it, rather than the... errr... substance. Still, a science fair, a cooking contest, Fluff-inspired concoctions by Union Square local food and drinkeries, and rumors of a tug-of-war over a pool-o-Fluff...? This may trump THE MALTESE FALCON and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE at the Brattle...
It's in Revelations people!!!
A very entertaining and lyrical show by The Mountain Goats and opener Christine Fellows!
I've never been *super* keen on the live music experience. Arena stuff is its own thing. The shows I went to were all unique experiences, built by the bands, and I especially dug them because of the good company. In smaller, club venues, I'm partial to shows that don't typically encourage fist pumping and jumping around. Rows of chairs, or bleacher, cafe and/or booth seating certainly make it easier to take. I saw an excellent John Cale show at the Middle East many moons ago with Zorknapp. The performer and his music and his fans were just right for an attentive, sit-down audience set up, and that's what was provided. Rows of folding chairs in front of the raised stage. Everyone could see and hear the music making and the crowd was all kinds of pleased. That is pretty much how I dig catching live music. The Paradise in Boston has some great options. The club/mainstage is a big room with multiple levels. The stage is raised over a floor that's open and danceable. Around the floor are two bars towards the back, and steppes of seating and railed milling about areas that go up to a wider second floor with another bar, railed overlooks, and more seating in booth and freestanding varieties. I've also seen one show in the Paradise bar, and was lucky enough to have a barstool for my seat. The space is pretty multi-use, seating with tables surrounding two sides of an open floor, the third side features the bar, and the fourth is the backdrop to the low stage. It probably gets rowdy with the right performers, but I saw the Modern Troubadors, featuring Teitur and Abra Moore, a very mellow, low key, and wonderful show.
Thanks to Keri for the pointer to this fun by MagicDonnie & Co. =)
They're not new, just new to me. Surprising, I know. What with my finger on the pulse and all. =)
The interview continues with discussion on the Initiative as well as Rovian tactics in part 2.
Now, wait a second. To whom do human beings typically acknowledge or assign the love of bananas? Now why would the big guy set up bananas to be so perfectly suited for humans but have them be so beloved by monkeys? Perhaps Lucy's baby could tell us...?
Talk about nail on the head! Or perhaps it ought to be IN the head...
Dennis Leary and Lenny Clarke (together of RESCUE ME) step up to the mikes for some guest commentary at a Red Sox game broadcast, bringing with them some very thoughtful political insight. It IS somewhat dated now, but hey, memory games are good for the brain, right?
Free martial arts and Chinese language films screened under the stars in Chinatown! Check out Chinatown's "Films At The Gate" series tonight thru Sunday night (started last night, but I spaced on it : P). Also, on Saturday, a live performance/program from the Bow Sim Mark school, followed by a "mystery movie" starring the school's master's son, Donnie Yen (of HERO, IRON MONKEY, and LEGEND OF WOLF)!
Alas, with my workload and weekend plans, I'm probably not going to make a screening until Sunday night, but I can't complain about "only" being able to see ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 2! =) It's got a brilliant Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen duel. I saw this for the first time back in college at the MFA as part of a new east Asian film series and it was a revelation. As with HARDBOILED at the Brattle, I felt the axis of the planet tilt as my mind soaked in non-Hollywood/HK film greatness.
If you happen to be in Korea over the next few weeks, do, check out Hyungkoo Lee's fastastic archeology in the Animatus exhibit (two specimens from monument valley shown above).
THE HOST, one of many films I'd want to catch, playing at the New York Film Festival
"Once More With Feeling" at the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Sing-A-Long happening at the IFC Center. (The Sing-A-Long was first born at screenings at the Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline!)
The wind carries Rowan off the court...
Jacky and company huddle for warmth...
Keri's had about enough...
*sigh*
Who is this festival for? Maybe it's just me, dodging/missing a lot of mainstream flicks of late, but did anyone else know that today was the first day of the Boston Film Festival? I only got a clue earlier this week when I was clicking thru Fandango checking out listings and came across HOMIE SPUMONI (BFF) at the Boston Common.
Here Rowan and In and I admire our very excellent U-Haul Tetris skills...
Gotta love warning signs...
The view outside the Cambridge U-Haul depot. Note James Tiberius in the front window. Judging by the sun-sapped desaturation of his typically robust complexion, he's been in the window a While. Why? He's James frickin Kirk! He doesn't need a reason!
On August 26, I finished up THE LONG GOODBYE. I'd read it once earlier in the year, but when I came across this particular copy of the book (Elliot Gould as Philip Marlowe?! Wack! I'm gonna hafta watch that sometime), I ended up starting it up again. I picked it up at one of the random little Cambridge book drops I've encountered in the neighborhood. The one I like to call "the giving tree stump."
The Giving Tree Stump...
See the bookybooks?
And so...
I did.
That's the Pippin giving Jeff the lowdown on its ancient (but damn prescient) console control pad. It comes with a 14.4 modem, an online account (sadly, 10 years defunct now) with @world, a 4x CD-ROM drive, a keyboard, a touchpad, and game controllers. Designfemme has a great blog entry covering the highlights of the opening this time capsule.
A snapshot of my Mac SE FD/HD sitting on top of the "pizza box" Performa 450 (equivalent to the LC III) in the downstairs off of our new place.
*sigh*
