the Memorial Day weekend that wouldn't quit

 

Fri - graduation party,  Variety Show afterparty
Sat - The Lexington , then Tonic
Sun - one very artsy-fartsy house party, followed by getting lost in San Francisco. Fun!
Mon - BBQ at my place
Tue - Animal Collective at the Fox in Oakland
Wed - Werd at Project One , then psytrance at... a dive bar??? Yes, at Il Pirata .

I suppose I'll go to work now or something.

Friday night at the T-Sisters residence

IMG_1382
Originally uploaded by Rena1357

Late night planning sessions will be the bane of my existence. A new blog is in the works. As soon as it's all together and up, I'll start posting a lot more often.

Magic shows are now on par with spontaneous dance parties as far as foolproof party optimizers go.

self-discipline

A few moments ago I had yet another temporary freak out over my level of connectivity to the internet. I'm on vacation from school so this issue has become more prominent over the past few days. I blog here, I am on facebook constantly, I tweet and I'm addicted to my Google Reader. I do not yet use Digg or del.ic.ious (or wherever those commas go), but I do hear they're fun and even useful. I'm not that involved, but I do have an uneasy relationship with it all.

I grew up on the computer, so it is a very comfortable relationship in a way. I clearly remember my 1995 moment of awe over the powers of the internet. The internet is a beautiful thing, I do believe that. It isn't even that I feel like I'm wasting my time online. I just feel like I'm spending my time in all the wrong places.

Today I will read, I will write and I will learn.

ten kinds of soymilk that all taste the same

Friday, March 27th, 2009.  Approximately 4pm at TJ's Rockridge.

A young, very androgynous female stands in front of the meat section (sausages to be exact) looking utterly confused.

Me: Hey! Did you need any help?
Girl: ...
Me:  Just trying to decide?
Girl: ...I don't eat meat, like ever.  And now I need to buy meat for my friend's birthday and I have no idea what to get.  It just all looks so phallic to me.
Me: ...
Girl: You know?
Me: ...uh, yeah.  Well, you could also go with some marinated chicken.
Girl:  No.  I think pork.  Do you have any pork sausages?

I heart our customers sometimes.  Here's my workplace in a nutshell... or a youtube video.  How did they know I have a soft spot for Brazilian lounge music?




And here is the very beautiful original as sung by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto.  Who wants to take me to Brazil this summer?

Modest Mouse 2-22-09

Dear  Modest Mouse,

I have been listening to you guys since my sophomore year of college, right around the time when all the hipsters were getting over you due to newfound pop appeal of indie rock. Your albums make me feel things.  Building Nothing Out of Something makes me more melancholy and wistful than some of the best Radiohead.  The Moon and Antarctica makes me want to take an everlasting autumn roadtrip to the Northwest.  I defended you for years and put you up on the same impossible-to-sell-out pedestal as the Red Hot Chili Peppers who still rock after all these years of fame and fortune.  Despite all of this, you disappointed me last night.  Now, boys, before you reach for that whiskey, let me explain.  (Actually, fuck it. Grab the whiskey).

Opening with 3rd Planet was awesome.  You were on, you were energetic, you warmed up the crowd.  By the next song people were already moshing up front.  Then something happened and you slipped into comfortable, leveled, practiced rock.  The one song that excited me in the middle was Baby Blue Sedan, but even that didn't create that much of an atmosphere.  I will say that Alone Down There was a great way to leave on an intense note.

Perhaps I've been listening to too much Phish, but you sound over-rehearsed.  You knew almost every note that you were going to play and where your solos were going to go.  Almost every song you played was upbeat, and while I realize that it is a live show with a very young crowd, if I want to jump around all night long, I'll go see Franz Ferdinand.  Where did your downer songs go? Where are the bloodcurling screams?  There were some, but they felt so planned.

I bought your awesome $10 t-shirt and I will wear it proudly to promote your albums, but I don't think I'll pay any more than $15-20 to see you live again.  Thanks for a fun night anyway.

Love,

Rena Ragimova

Dear Fox Theatre,

You are a gorgeous venue and I'm glad that you are in my town, stumbling distance away from a couple of friends' houses as well as bars at which I can continue drinking after your shows.  Having said that, please do something about the garbled sound on the main floor in front of the stage!  You didn't do anything to make the run of the mill Modest Mouse show (to which I was psyched to get tickets) any better.  kthnxbye.

Sincerely,

Rena Ragimova

meow

One of the first things that struck me about wine a couple of years ago while still in college was just how much letting wine breathe changes it.  This 2006 Big House Petit Sirah from Bonny Doon was like a new feral kitten (excuse the domesticated animal metaphor - I've been craving a pet) when I opened it 5 hours ago.  Clawing and scratching with all that acidity and alcohol.  Now it's gently purring next to me on my desk.  Now it's showing more of the fruit that was hiding behind the tannins.  I pointed out so many different fruits while drinking it that I'm starting to think that it's mostly marketers who make up the labels on wine.  Each palate will taste different fruit, so it's really learning to connect the sensations you feel to past experiences and taste memories.  Wine is so chemically complex and varied that each person has an enormous playground of flavor molecules from which to choose from in each bottle.

2007 Stonehedge Sauvignon Blanc, Lodi, CA

I'm drinking some very yummy and complex Stonehenge Sauvignion Blanc.  It's very true what they say about not drinking whites too cold.  They should be just nearly touching room temperature.  After a half our or so all this citrus rind came through the "it's just white wine" taste I get a lot with whites.  Then after a few hours in the bottle, melon.  Then after an hour in the glass oak just sprung up.  I think I'm starting to see the complexity of whites as well.

Having said that, this wine is $5.99 at your local Trader Joe's, so don't expect a mindblowing experience.  As for myself, I'm simply exploring the only white varietal that hasn't completely disappointed or bored me yet.