I instantly thought of you...

Clicky.

Consolidation. Maybe?

Happy holiday of whatever sort you celebrate.

Here's to peace and joy and how about some more common sense, empathy and integrity out there, especially amongst politicians, hmmm?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, you can find me at bittersweetdistractor. Sometimes?

"When love is not madness, it is not love," said Spanish dramatist Pedro Calderon de la Barca. But according to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will dramatically disprove that notion in the coming weeks, Leo. In fact, I'm betting that love will make you stark, raving sane. It will calm you down, heal a wound or two, improve your eyesight, help you understand yourself better, improve your digestion, and stimulate you to become more tolerant and forgiving towards the entire world.

Trying to have faith in you, here, Rob :)

It's snowy out there, 6 inches or so? supposed to go away pretty quick though.

Dog loves the snow, yes; dog was off-leash and didn't come when called, gah. Trotted away from me for four blocks, ending up crossing a traffic street. BAD DOG :(

Thinking of going to Berlin in July...Radiohead and also ex-BF's band playing within a few days of each other, opportunity to say hi to ex-BF and see Berlin, which I didn't really do last time I was there. Bit of a pipe dream, but still possible. Makes more sense to try to go to a couple-three California shows, see friends there. Or Philly, obviously. I don't know. I have these airline miles I have to use or lose but I never seem to be able to find a reasonable way to use them, which I guess is exactly their intention. Maybe I'll end up getting a monitor or something with them, as trying to book a flight anywhere, ever, seems impossible. Flying to Berlin is spendy as HELL, is the main hitch in that right now; hotel is v inexpensive, and I can live on Currywürst when I get there, but getting there is like $1400 or something. So we'll see.

Got a new iPod as the old one's battery is crapping out, and holy smokes, it's teeny for 80 GB, also found I don't have USB 2.0 on this computer, so tomorrow I will pick up a card with four slots and then I"ll be able to get an external HD too, so that's all working out OK, and for less $$ than I expected it would.

I'm shockingly meh just now.

There are some 14,000 people blogging about the environment today (October 15, which it isn't quite yet in my time zone, but oh well), yay!

It's an encouraging time to talk about the environment, what with Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize win. I have described it as a positive reinforcement prize, rather than a fait accompli prize.

And the whole point is, even if you think the whole concept that human action has caused global warming is so much bullshit (and I know an otherwise intelligent someone who does), we are all going to have to work together to try to stem the tide.

Start small if you must, but start. Spend less energy not because it's cheaper to do so, but because it's the right thing to do. Reduce, reuse, recycle--it's not that hard to start, and when you get used to doing the small things, you'll be encouraged to do some bigger things, I bet. I mean I never even used to recycle cans! don't tell anyone. But I do now--well it's damn easy here: when the garbage men are actually not striking, they collect it each week--and it's a ridiculously easy way to feel self-righteous.

I got a double whammy with Enzo, because it's way cheaper than driving, more fun, and uses exponentially less gas than my car. And I get to park it for free cause I'm lucky. Plus being a four-stroke, it's not a big stinky polluter like some of the older scooters. By the time I can afford my Porsche 911, I will be able to afford a really cool "green" house, which will balance out. But right now even with flying to California once a year (seems to be my habit) my carbon footprint is rated "angelic." That's about the only thing that's angelic about me, so I'll take it, yo.

Anyway. Turn off the lights in that room you're not in. Turn down the heat two degrees. Turn up the AC two degrees! put those cool energy-saving bulbs (I like the IKEA ones, they're neat!) that last forEVAR in your non-dimmer fixtures. They do cost more but they last SO much longer. Whatever you can do.

You know what to do.

There’s a blog day of action for the Burma monks as well (does the date conflict? that would be kinda funny)

Here is the link for info.

There are demos of support all ovah...if you want to learn more and some of the people to email to add your voice or websites to get more info and read live text message updates from people actually on the ground in a few cities in Burma, there's a big facebook group. Search support Burma monks, that should find it for you.

I know, I know there’s no oil to be found, but there are people demonstrating for fucking democracy, and those big fucking democracy-spreaders to my south are going hmmm, buncha monks...heh.



And no, I’m not blaming solely the big bully--not that anyone expects Canada to ever do anything decisive--slow and considered but with conviction is more our way--but THEY’RE PLAYING YOUR SONG THERE, BABES! GO AND FUCKING DANCE!

Thursday was a long one...got up relatively early, rode SkyTrain to work (!!!) so that my friend and I wouldn't have an embarras de véhicules at the end of the day...Worked, got groceries at lunch, worked some more, met up with my friend to feed his meter and direct him to coffee and finish the Gibson book around 4:30 or something, he drove us home, I made him a (n ass-kicking, apparently) martini, walked El Choobinador, we zipped back to the CBC and due to hitting every conceivable red light between here and there, made it, sweating, with about 10 seconds to spare before the taping began, nearly colliding with Gibson himself outside the studio (Hi! I say, Hi! he says back, nodding), listen to him read two chapters and talk and he's just a great raconteur, I didn't really know what to expect but it was v entertaining, and he seems like such a super guy, and Peter asked the last question, which was a good one, about how it used to be that an author had some kind of esoteric information to impart, often, but how has that changed in the Age of Google, when anyone can sort of know any, unexpected, thing...and Gibson responded that well, yeah, he was talking to a friend and the friend said, oh YouTube Françoise Hardy, and he spent days watching Françoise Hardy videos, and he never would have thought to do that, much as he loves Françoise Hardy, and he ran into a guy who said oh I love to watch insect parasitism videos on YouTube! and he never would have thought to do that either...and probably won't, and I mean YouTube has everything from Françoise Hardy to bot flies exploding from someone's forehead... so even though everyone has everything available, people still search the things that they are interested and so everyone doesn't know everything about everything. I was all proud of Pete for having evoked a bot fly

We stand in line and fail to win any of the door prizes, oh well, and then I get up to the man, and present my copy of Spook Country and have it open to the dedication, For Deborah, and say, my name is Deborah too, and I'd love if you could sign here, and he does the following:



Which just tickles me pink I must say.

And Pete and I are just on cloud nine and really happy with the whole thing, we both love his writing so much and really met because of Gibson, and posting on Gibson and Cyberpunk tribes, and it's just so cool that he was able to make it here for this, and the book has scenes in Vancouver, and mentions Burroughs (another of Pete's favourites), and yada yada yada, and then I took him to the shining stars of Vancouver, locations from the book: Main and Hastings, where the kids were all out looking pretty shady, and cruising by the shipyards and Crab Park, and seeing the most amazing variety of users, dealers, prostitutes, you name it...

And then we come home and I make red curry with pea pods and pork tenderloin medallions, and green curry with red peppers and prawns, and rice, and we have a bottle of Jackson Triggs Dry Riesling, and I had made The Chocolate Cake, and we had a slice of that, and we're just yapping our faces off and then it's like 2:00 a.m. and CRASH, he's still jet lagging and I was completely burnt.

Wake up this morning around 9, set some little potatoes to boil, clean up the kitchen, fry some onions, add the potatoes, he scrambles a couple of eggs, coffee, more yapping and then he's off.

Doesn't count much for me given my limited audience, but hey fabulous friends of mine, I submit for your consideration Blog Action Day to add to the voices.

We all have to live on the planet, yo.

Thanks to Amanda for bringing this to my attention.

And a freaking whirlwind of every possible thing...

My charity newsletter ended up taking me three or four times longer than I anticipated (boy I hope I got that external HD I asked for for my birthday, because if I don't clear some crap off my poor G4 it's gonna ASPLODE) and I was up till 2 a.m. working on it, PDFed it before I went to sleep and realized when I got up this morning and tried to forward it that it's 65 MB and thus un-emailable LOL

Work was a clusterfuck the past few days as everyone suddenly "remembered" that I have six working days off and inundated me...at the same time as I had my work PC replaced, and the ensuing time-eating setup etc involved with that.

This morning I crawl out of bed looking like I've been on a three-day bender (and I haven't at all! I'm going on a three-day bender and have been living clean to rest my liver up!) but I went to my previously-scheduled pedicure and supa goddam Guinot facial (please refrain from teh facial jokes, mmk?) and I look like two years younger, before those jowly things started hanging out under my chin. Well!!! if I had more hundreds of dollars, I would be getting one of those puppies every coupla weeks, let me tell you!

Radiohead kids are coming from Texas and Alabama (via Portland--or is it Portland via Alabama?) and my house is, predictably, a wreck, in spite of many large efforts and improvements to the worst areas. But hey! I've never made any claims to housekeeping skill. Cooking is my sole domestic métier, really. Sad but too bad!

And yesterday I got email from the CBC that I won tickets to the Wm Gibson taping of their radio and whatnot Book Club, and he'll be signing afterwards and all, and what do you know, my friend Peter will be in Seattle then and seems to think he might actually be able to come! so woo! (oh and I finally got my copy of Spook Country but haven't had a chance to crack it yet)

And I'm making friends with my next-door neighbour who attended the same Cure concert in Montréal in 1980-whatever it was--my ticket stub is not handy although I do still have it. So that's nice.

Oh and I have to go get my driver's license and pick up a few things at the grocery and make the Jell-O Stained Glass Cake out of the White Trash Cookbook one of my Radiohead kids gave me for Secret Santa last year for Joie's White Trash Party tomorrow. It looks good!

And Joie and I are heading to Parkside (where the hell else?!) for dinner tonight!

So I doubt I will have a chance to catalogue the horrors as usual but the ones I've peeped have looked pretty good.

Have a good weekend, yo, raise your glasses! I will be doing so at every opportunity :D

Sally Brompton, NY Post:

Mind planet Mercury is activated by Mars on your birthday, so if you have an opinion you will give it, no matter how outrageous it may sound to those who think you should be seen and not heard. Sometimes it’s fun to be loud and assertive, especially if it shakes up those who still live in the Dark Ages.

Holiday Mathis:

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). This is the final act of a family drama — the situation is resolved, and all players can take a curtain call. Soon you may actually find yourself once again liking those crazy people to whom you’re related.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 3). You’re strong this year. Maximize the potential of your body, mind and spirit through physical exertion. With a little creativity, you delight people who are notoriously hard to please — it pays handsomely. January is romantic. A fantastic break keeps March interesting. You have a special connection to Libra and Taurus people. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 20, 1, 13 and 23.

WEEKEND LOVE FORECAST: LEO: You’re feeling irreverently youthful, maybe even mischievous. Whoop it up.

( and more longer kinds even )

Happiest day and year ahead to yoooo-hooooo!!

...with your advance copy of Spook Country, the new William Gibson book that I was all set to go buy at lunch, having read your review on boingboing.net.

Thank goodness I decided to double-check the release date before I went off into the blazing heat!

Sigh. I wonder if Chapters will have signed copies...

So it's been a while I think since I posted about some band I've seen that I've gotten all wacky about...tonight I went with my friend Sean (who's heading back to Aus and his woman later this week) to see Ryan Adams, about whom I've heard a few things, many of them unsavoury (tales of cancelled and short-lived shows, nasty addictions, the whole gamut, really, of Rock Star Angst).

I don't know that I'm getting wacky about him, but when he's on, he's on. It's quasi alt-country rock, with enough rock to see that he do love him some heavy metal, and enough lovely close harmonies to see that he has listened to The Band once or twice in his life. It's not really my thing (although one song starts off like every other George Thourougood (sp?) song, and I was laying bets as to whether it was Right On, Josephine or Who Do You Love? but I was wrong on both hands), but he's a talented fellow, and I guess we're lucky that he can still stand to play when he's sober. It is clearly Southern Rock, there's no other way to describe the progressions and the steel, but it's no Allman Brothers (thank GOD).

Anyway...he's put out 9 solo albums, according to Sean, and I'm not running out to get the whole catalogue, but I might get one or two. Keep your ears open, and if you feel the need for some kind of emo but really well-executed twangy stuff, give him a listen.

The Saturday of Shit: GWB has polyps removed during colonoscopy, and Tammy Faye Bakker dies of far-reaching colon cancer.

There are myriad punchlines regarding uptight assholes...

Yawn.

Coffee machine still warming up (during the week it’s ready when I get up, it’s on a timer; but on the weekend, it isn’t). It’s been a quiet weekend; the Friday date wasn’t a disaster but it wasn’t worth repeating. Yesterday I had either allergy or incipient cold symptoms, not sure which. Took a 1.5 hour walk with Choobie and then we both relaxed the rest of the day really. Drank some super vitamin C smoothie thing from a hippie granola grocery. Got some more potatoes to have with the rest of my green beans, then when I got home just wasn’t in the mood for them so had a big iceberg salad (I like iceberg, OK? so does Choobie, it’s v thirst-quenching) with beautiful ripe plum tomatoes and thousand island. LOL

Later watched Brick (pretty cool, some good performances, and why wasn’t Lukas Haas cast as a hobbit or elf or something in LoTR?) and ate some Chocolate Oblivion leftover from Sean and Amanda’s visit earlier this week, with some white chocolate raspberry gelato...screw the whipped cream, this is the perfect thing to eat with this cake :o

Today I have to do some cleaning/tidying (I was flinging things all over yesterday in a vain search for my Tevas. I know they are in this house somewhere, in a box, and there aren’t that many boxes left, but...). My units are coming to drop off their cats for minding en route to lovely Phoenix AZ (yes, exactly where I would choose to visit in July during heatwave, too o_O) and we’re scheduled to go out for a good dinner tonight.

Recent reading has included Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Birds Without Wings and The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières with a little break for Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great in there...The first three chapters of the Hitchens were so poorly written I nearly gave up, but it did get at least coherent after that.

OK, the Gaggia should be ready to go by now. Have a lovely week, mah peeps.



ETA: Alan Johnston was freed this week, and many of my Radiohead kids mocked me mercilessly for posting about the petition that I heard about from my friend Peter and signing it, and perhaps you guys, too (although if you did it, at least you did it silently!). When he got out, though, he spoke about how encouraging and touching it was while incarcerated to know that so many people cared what happened to him, that he wasn't just forgotten and ignored (he had access to a radio periodically). So maybe it didn't increase his government's efforts or make Hamas emulate Avis, but it still served a worthwhile purpose. So yay, you! if you signed too.

Sliced boiled red new potatoes
Blanched green beans
Tuna
Dressing 2:1 olive oil to tarragon white wine vinegar, S&P, dried tarragon, "some" grainy frainch mustard, some dijon pour l'émulsifier (I don't know if that's a word actually), a very little bit of cider vinegar, and a similarly little bit of honey, beat that bitch with a fork and you are good, babes.

Tis teh yum.

Oh and I am having a date tomorrow night with a new lavaboy who's 39, a teacher...he loves many many many of the authors I love, and much much much of the music I love and we talked and laughed for an hour last night and well I haven't been on an actual date in quite some time, but I have a good feeling about this one anyway. He kinda looks like Anthony LaPaglia, that chubby cheeked "nice" kinda face.

We share a lot of deal breakers, which is pretty fuckin' cool IMO.

I hope to have pleasant if not spectacular results to discuss Saturday...

There’s this whole continuum of stuff: the judge throws the book at Paris (although letting her nolo to reckless driving or whatever it was instead of prosecuting her for DUI--she’s 26, she’s old enough to know better, and that was the start of the preferential treatment), and specifically states that she has to serve her time in jail, not at home, not in any other place, there is no substitute for jail when you flout a license suspension twice. That we know of.

She shows up late to jail.

She cries for 48 hours--big fucking deal, I have actually done that, and it makes you puke but it’s not the end of the world.

Her shrink comes and says aw de po bebbeh she’s saaaaaaaaaaaad.

Sheriff Vaca says mmmk she can go. Calls the judge, says yo judge, gonna send you the medical papers saying why this po bebbeh shouldn’t have to stay here with all the bad peoples. Judge says I’m waiting. Papers never arrive, but de po bebbeh has been sent home already. OH NOES.

Judge says HAI WHAT? GET IN HERE! Po bebbeh’s lawyer says oh surely mah po bebbeh client can call in, don’t make her all extra sad going downtowns! and tells the press that, judge hears on the radio that he approved her appearance by telephone, judge says HAI WHAT? NU-UH I DI’INT!!!!!!!!!!! GET IN HERE NOWS!

De po bebbeh gets all cuffed and dragged to court without any makeup on, in sweatpants, crying in the police car. Po po bebbeh.

Judge says NO WAIZ! I don’t care if you’re sad. County has many sad peoples, de po bebbeh can go to County medical ward. OH NOES IT’S NOT FAIRZ MOM MOM MOM screams de po bebbeh, purely astonished that half a billion can’t buy you out of jail.

but I was just surfing one of the bazillions of social networking sites, virb.com, the, like, “anti-myspace,” evidently, and I just wonder how people think they are going to find their peers/friends/what have you of the sort you can expect to find when clicking on the obscure (or not) movie or band or author you like, in hopes of finding others who have listed it, when they have spelled it wrong?

“Why yes, I hope to find other dyslexic/sloppy lovers of that great movie, lucky#selvin, and the band my chemichle romanse”