Indigo Girls
My parents and I went to see the Indigo Girls a couple of weeks ago. Their opening band, Three5Human, has what we later found out is a great singer, but their sound mix was off so you couldn't hear her and their sound itself is pretty generic rock.
But after them was the Indigo Girls, and they were awesome. Just awesome. Their whole show is just the two of them with an ever-rotating selection of guitars against a colored background. And they were fantastic and the audience was totally into it.
The audience itself was interesting. We saw Ani DiFranco a couple of years ago, and the place was full of lesbians my age. The audience for Indigo Girls was full of middle-aged lesbians with an additional assortment of families and straight couples.
There was some moment of their performance that made me think of the scene in Arrow's Flight where Dirk and Talia sing "Sun and Shadow." So I went to Barnes & Noble to read that scene and any other good bits of the trilogy. They had Arrows of the Queen and Arrow's Fall, but not Arrow's Flight.
John Cleese
Last week we went to see John Cleese, who, like the Indigo Girls, came to Chico State. I expected him to be a lot better than he was. He was good, but not awesome. The best joke was at the beginning: "This is the first time we've played at a college named after a comedian. On Tuesday we'll be at Harpo and next week we'll be playing Karl." The audience didn't get it.
Guys and Dolls
Last night's cultural experience was the Chico Cabaret production of Guys and Dolls. The chorus was a little weak, but it was a ton of fun. Adelaide was especially good.
I also realized something during "I'll Know." Back in the day, we saw the Chico City Light Opera production twice, and I had a huge crush on the guy playing Sky Masterson. But last night, I realized that I'm really just in love with Sky Masterson. If he were real, I'd go to Havana for dinner with him any day.
History Sneaks Up On Us
One of the things we have to remember as writers is that people are always going to bring their own stuff to our stories. I know this, but I sometimes forget how that applies to things other than writing. I've had a couple of those kinds of experiences recently.
( Experience 1 )
( Experience 2 )
Something New
I went to see Something New last week. ( Spoilers )
Second Sight
I've been watching Second Sight. ( Spoilers )
Computer Maintenance
Today I disassembled and reassembled my computer. (If you got email from me dated July 19, 2001, it's because I didn't realize the clock had reset itself.) This was not just a random thing. I bought a new and prettier case, and a quieter power supply and CPU fan. I also bought a DVD burner, but it remains in the clutches of UPS. I had planned to go buy washers to cushion the hard drive (the hard drive vibrating against the case is one of the big sources of computer noise), but my new case actually came with them. My computer is now much, much quieter, and much more attractive. It also fits under my desk, which means I have more room on either side of the desk to get to my bookshelves and couch.
Complex Chore Chart Dilemma
Note to those of you trying to parse this section heading: it's the chore chart, not the dilemma that's complex.
In an attempt to get into a regular exercise schedule, I've created myself a chore chart. It has various yoga and belly dancing things as well as lifting weights, and I assigned points to everything. My goal is 93 points a week, which I could get by doing each thing on the chart three days a week. (In reality, I'm doing the yoga stuff way more often, doing nothing on days when I have yoga class--class doesn't count for the chart--and catching up on the weekend. I may need to adjust the point values next month.)
Here's my dilemma: Some of the things on the chart could be done while watching TV. On the one hand, that would help me actually do them more often. On the other hand, if I do them while watching TV, I'm not really focussing on my body, and I somewhat think that's part of what I should be doing.
Target
My Target shopping trip was largely successful today--Bewitched on sale for $10, new shower curtain, two-pound weights, and vacuum cleaner--but the hot security guard wasn't there today. Every time I see her, I think, "If I were a different kind of person, I would totally hit on her."
Slightly Better This Year
I've made some Valentine's Day cards, which is better than last year, but I don't actually have the right size envelopes and I didn't make it to the post office today, so very few people will get valentines from me on or before Valentine's Day.
My parents and I went to see the Indigo Girls a couple of weeks ago. Their opening band, Three5Human, has what we later found out is a great singer, but their sound mix was off so you couldn't hear her and their sound itself is pretty generic rock.
But after them was the Indigo Girls, and they were awesome. Just awesome. Their whole show is just the two of them with an ever-rotating selection of guitars against a colored background. And they were fantastic and the audience was totally into it.
The audience itself was interesting. We saw Ani DiFranco a couple of years ago, and the place was full of lesbians my age. The audience for Indigo Girls was full of middle-aged lesbians with an additional assortment of families and straight couples.
There was some moment of their performance that made me think of the scene in Arrow's Flight where Dirk and Talia sing "Sun and Shadow." So I went to Barnes & Noble to read that scene and any other good bits of the trilogy. They had Arrows of the Queen and Arrow's Fall, but not Arrow's Flight.
John Cleese
Last week we went to see John Cleese, who, like the Indigo Girls, came to Chico State. I expected him to be a lot better than he was. He was good, but not awesome. The best joke was at the beginning: "This is the first time we've played at a college named after a comedian. On Tuesday we'll be at Harpo and next week we'll be playing Karl." The audience didn't get it.
Guys and Dolls
Last night's cultural experience was the Chico Cabaret production of Guys and Dolls. The chorus was a little weak, but it was a ton of fun. Adelaide was especially good.
I also realized something during "I'll Know." Back in the day, we saw the Chico City Light Opera production twice, and I had a huge crush on the guy playing Sky Masterson. But last night, I realized that I'm really just in love with Sky Masterson. If he were real, I'd go to Havana for dinner with him any day.
History Sneaks Up On Us
One of the things we have to remember as writers is that people are always going to bring their own stuff to our stories. I know this, but I sometimes forget how that applies to things other than writing. I've had a couple of those kinds of experiences recently.
( Experience 1 )
( Experience 2 )
Something New
I went to see Something New last week. ( Spoilers )
Second Sight
I've been watching Second Sight. ( Spoilers )
Computer Maintenance
Today I disassembled and reassembled my computer. (If you got email from me dated July 19, 2001, it's because I didn't realize the clock had reset itself.) This was not just a random thing. I bought a new and prettier case, and a quieter power supply and CPU fan. I also bought a DVD burner, but it remains in the clutches of UPS. I had planned to go buy washers to cushion the hard drive (the hard drive vibrating against the case is one of the big sources of computer noise), but my new case actually came with them. My computer is now much, much quieter, and much more attractive. It also fits under my desk, which means I have more room on either side of the desk to get to my bookshelves and couch.
Complex Chore Chart Dilemma
Note to those of you trying to parse this section heading: it's the chore chart, not the dilemma that's complex.
In an attempt to get into a regular exercise schedule, I've created myself a chore chart. It has various yoga and belly dancing things as well as lifting weights, and I assigned points to everything. My goal is 93 points a week, which I could get by doing each thing on the chart three days a week. (In reality, I'm doing the yoga stuff way more often, doing nothing on days when I have yoga class--class doesn't count for the chart--and catching up on the weekend. I may need to adjust the point values next month.)
Here's my dilemma: Some of the things on the chart could be done while watching TV. On the one hand, that would help me actually do them more often. On the other hand, if I do them while watching TV, I'm not really focussing on my body, and I somewhat think that's part of what I should be doing.
Target
My Target shopping trip was largely successful today--Bewitched on sale for $10, new shower curtain, two-pound weights, and vacuum cleaner--but the hot security guard wasn't there today. Every time I see her, I think, "If I were a different kind of person, I would totally hit on her."
Slightly Better This Year
I've made some Valentine's Day cards, which is better than last year, but I don't actually have the right size envelopes and I didn't make it to the post office today, so very few people will get valentines from me on or before Valentine's Day.