Variations on Fire and Light

My computer somehow deleted a project I've been working on since...February?

( I feel really sick and scared about this. )

My inclination to tell the barstaff that they forgot to charge me for those drinks is directly proportional to the amount of wheels they put in motion when I tell them the ladies' washroom is out of toilet paper.

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I'm never going to grow out of this tendency to get shy and nervous around a guy I have a crush on but have never spoken to. I think that's kinda cute.

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Note to guys performing on a stage that puts your crotch at audience eyelevel: It's all about the pants. Yes, we do look.

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(click for website)

I'm quite fangirly over these guys. They're supernice, very bright and warm, and put on a great show.

"It's hard to say
That I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep,
Because my dreams
Are bursting at the seams."
~Owl City, "Fireflies"

For akka_pelah's 1930s theme party, I defaulted to my standard of 'dress plus accessories' -- a long slim cocktail gown with rhinestones and tall velvet gloves. While getting ready for the party, I found a hat I was going to loan to a friend and, having no free hand to carry it, I put it on my head.

Then I glanced in the mirror. ( And made a few changes. )

...please do be gentle with the cashiers.

A charming wee video on the fine art of customer service....



(Of special note is the name of the store on his nametag, and the word-for-word reinactment of a managers' meeting at 1:20-1:27.)

One of my friends only just yesterday was told that yes, you can get an S.T.I. from unprotected oral sex.

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Whoda thunk a wrist problem could spread so far. My carpal tunnel wrist braces aren't enough anymore -- I think I need a fullarm model. I wouldn't be able to brush my teeth or scratch my nose, but maybe the ache in my shoulders wouldn't wake me up so badly.

* * * * *

Guy exits the barroom door into the outdoor sidewalk alcove. Turns around a few times, looking confused, then goes back inside.

Wrong door, buddy. The bathroom's on the other side of the dance floor.

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"If somebody's got soul / You gotta make the move."
~ Metric, "Collect Call"

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"I don't drink to fight sexism. I drink to forget about it."
~ from athe OneDataTime blog

My neighbours, they are such kind people. We share a laundryroom, and they always switch my wet clothes to the dryer or take my dry clothes out and fold them for me.

Last night, I loaded up the washer with workclothes, added the soap -- then noticed my neighbours had a lineup of baskets of wet clothes waiting for our uberslow dryer. So I figured I'd just wait until their drying was reasonably caught up, then I'd start my load of wash.

Forgot about it. Went to bed.

Today, I found that my neighbours had completed their laundry and had noticed my clothes in the washer, presumably waiting for the dryer -- so they put my clothes in the dryer. Soap and all.

Guy steering his bicycle with one hand and holding a bag and drink from McDonald's in the other, to me:
"Want some soda?"

* * * * *

Veryshort twentysomething woman fiddles with the edge of my coat, slips her arms around my waist and leans her head on the front of my shoulder. I chuckle and hug her back as my friends stare perplexedly.

"Oh, random hugs from strangers are great," I comment when she pulls back and looks me in the eye.

"You're the one wearing the buttonpin, lady," she says.

I glance at my lapel. There, the 'Born to be Hugged' button I've had since high school.

* * * * *

Couple walking by me on the sidewalk. One to the other, thumb pointing at me:
"Why aren't you wearing that?"

* * * * *

From the bus, I watch a lady with big sad eyes rearrange her suitcases on the busstop bench. The man getting on the bus waves at her -- she smiles and waves back enthusiastically.

She catches me watching her. As the bus pulls away, we wave at each other and grin.

* * * * *

Hugely beefy tattooed guy sitting on a pub patio, to me:
"Where have you been since we last met?"

I've been hyped about Blue Man Group's upcoming Vancouver performance ever since I spotted a mention of it early this summer.

Agonizing over the price of tickets, I watched the seat-availability for months and chewed my nails, determined to wait until the last possible moment to try to snag some halfpriced samedayshow seats through TicketsTonight.

I've been counting down to October 8 for ages. Sooo patient.

Tonight, I checked Ticketmaster to make sure there were still seats available and only then realized....

( For Christsakes )

I love -- *love* -- Blu's site-specific installation animation projects.

I'd love to do something along such lines, only with words instead of surreal cartoons.

My constant complaint. This.

Twelve performance poets. Twelve songs on Nirvana's "Nevermind" album. One cover band.

Each poet was assigned a song from the album and told to run with the inspiration. Finished pieces were presented in conjunction with the songs played by Lithium (a.k.a. Vancouver's prog-rock trio The Frame).

Some of the pieces were incredibly touching and beautiful; others were strangely funny. Or perhaps just strange and funny. Suprisingly, few people took the opportunity to dress grunge in plaid flannel, shredded jeans, Doc Martins, messy hair, and dark eyeliner.

I was the only one who, instead of writing something inspired by the song or the band, wrote new lyrics to the song....




(skonen_blades has kindly assembled a list of links to all the videos from that night....
http://skonen-blades.livejournal.com/367058.html)

This? This is not a zucchini. This is a demented cucumber, an organic dildo, a zuke sproutlett, an eensy baby veggie. It's bad enough that I actually have to *pay* for a zucchini, but presenting this in a grocery store as an actual whole zucchini? Way to be the laughingstock of the entire produce section.



When I was growing up, my mom and everyone else in the world grew their own vegetables. A zucchini was ready to be picked when it was a bit smaller than the size of your calf. If you neglected to harvest it, it would continue to grow to stupidlyhuge sizes, the size of your thigh or bigger.

Every year, there was a glut of zucchinis amongst the local gardeners. My mom would make zucchini cake, zucchini cookies, zucchini stirfries, you name it. A zuke in every meal, because every day there would be another calf-sized zuke for picking in our garden. And no one -- and I mean no one -- even considered throwing out perfectly good zukes. She'd try giving them away to the neighbours, but after a few days they'd start saying no thanks. I remember one time when I was going to the post office to pick up the mail, and she loaded me up with zucchinis to pawn off on whomever I ran into. I was unable to get rid of any of them because the only person I encountered on my walk was -- you guessed it -- another poor preteen similarly laden down with an armload of zucchinis.

(Ai yai, this was intended to be posted months ago, but I got caught up in the summer's running pace. I only just thought of it today -- something monkeypudding wrote in a recent entry reminded me.)

( Of mice and man. )

So. Awesome Face, They have a song called "Don't Get Drunk and Sleep with Your Friends."

At tonight's Awesome Face show, the Awesome Face cover band Possum Face did a number of pieces including the solemn "Don't Get Drunk and Sleep with Your Friends...Seriously."

Then, the Possum Face cover band, Schlossum Schlace, comprised of Barbara Adler and the oddly absent Geoff Berner, did a few pieces including "I Get Drunk and Sleep with My Friends."






Now I totally have an idea for a Scholssum Schlace cover, titled "Don't Get Drunk and Sleep with Barbara Adler's Friends."

As I guessed, there's now all kinds of shots of my friends and I dolled up for the Zombie Walk on Flikr.

( A few choice pics: )