So I got a letter today from my bank, stating that I had been turned down for a loan. Funny thing is, I never applied for one. In the modern day and age, that's a rather scary thing.
I had a nice little chat with corporate headquarters, and eventually determined that my local branch had rather badly fucked up some paperwork for overdraft protection. So, false alarm. But still. Stopped my heart for a minute there.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Sunday, February 27, 2005
My Funny Androgyne
So last night, I was treated (or perhaps subjected) to the Late Night Theatre, an apparent Kansas City legend. They're a troupe of actors who do musical parodies of the best and worst movies ever made. The nearest analogy I could make might be to a Rocky Horror cast with broader horizons. Their home is a tiny, grungy shoebox of a theatre downtown that only holds a few dozen people. As a result, it's a very intimate evening of entertainment.
The show? Purple Rain. Now, it's been a long time since I've seen it, and I've never been the biggest Prince fan, but the show was absolutely hysterical all the same. I'm told the casts are usually all-male with lots of drag, but this particular show was all-female with lots of drag. Which, if you're playing Prince, isn't all that much of a stretch. It's pretty risque, too, with some full-frontal nudity, and I hear there's been worse. Not for the faint of heart or ear.
Shows for the remainder of the year include: Rockula (The Hair Band Vampire Musical), The Bad Seedling, Supermodels in Space (The Wrath of Madeline Kahn), and The Valley of the Dolls. There's a show going on nearly every weekend, so add this to the list of things I'm more than happy to do with my guests.
The show? Purple Rain. Now, it's been a long time since I've seen it, and I've never been the biggest Prince fan, but the show was absolutely hysterical all the same. I'm told the casts are usually all-male with lots of drag, but this particular show was all-female with lots of drag. Which, if you're playing Prince, isn't all that much of a stretch. It's pretty risque, too, with some full-frontal nudity, and I hear there's been worse. Not for the faint of heart or ear.
Shows for the remainder of the year include: Rockula (The Hair Band Vampire Musical), The Bad Seedling, Supermodels in Space (The Wrath of Madeline Kahn), and The Valley of the Dolls. There's a show going on nearly every weekend, so add this to the list of things I'm more than happy to do with my guests.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
It begins...
I was wondering how long it would take for the people I went to school with to start getting married - in mass quantities, at least. Just got a wedding invitation from Adam Brehm & Ashli Eickman, who I can recall pestering about their inevitable nuptuals for years. And it's a block away from my parents' house to boot. Congratulations, guys.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Poor Design
I finally had the distinct pleasure of visiting Manhattan, KS, and the distinct misfortune of visiting its one and only movie theatre. I'd heard the stories, but it's even worse than I thought:
* It only shows the most generic, commercial blockbusters. Of the numerous Oscar nominees currently in wide release, not one was showing.
* Despite (or perhaps because of) Manhattan's status as a college town, there are no student discounts whatsoever. Cash only, too.
* Nothing at the concession stand is priced in $0.25 increments, so there are nickels and dimes everywhere.
* The aspect ratio of the individual theatres is off; they're too long. Despite having fairly standard screen sizes and stadium seating, everything's too far away from the screen. From the topmost row, which would be an excellent seat in many theatres, you would hardly be able to see a thing.
* I was informed that some of the older/unrenovated rooms have completely flat floors, rendering any row but the first few useless. This may have something to do with their previous existance as gymnasiums.
* There is only one exit leading out of the theatre, one exit from the building, and a single driveway leading out of the parking lot. It's one bottleneck after another (not to mention a fire hazard).
Just craptastic all around. And Constantine is as ho-hum a movie as I'd predicted. Oh well. It's always nice seeing Matt and Steven. Happy Birthday!
* It only shows the most generic, commercial blockbusters. Of the numerous Oscar nominees currently in wide release, not one was showing.
* Despite (or perhaps because of) Manhattan's status as a college town, there are no student discounts whatsoever. Cash only, too.
* Nothing at the concession stand is priced in $0.25 increments, so there are nickels and dimes everywhere.
* The aspect ratio of the individual theatres is off; they're too long. Despite having fairly standard screen sizes and stadium seating, everything's too far away from the screen. From the topmost row, which would be an excellent seat in many theatres, you would hardly be able to see a thing.
* I was informed that some of the older/unrenovated rooms have completely flat floors, rendering any row but the first few useless. This may have something to do with their previous existance as gymnasiums.
* There is only one exit leading out of the theatre, one exit from the building, and a single driveway leading out of the parking lot. It's one bottleneck after another (not to mention a fire hazard).
Just craptastic all around. And Constantine is as ho-hum a movie as I'd predicted. Oh well. It's always nice seeing Matt and Steven. Happy Birthday!
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Reviews
Saw a couple things this weekend. First was Sideways, the latest from Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt). It's up for about a zillion Oscars. And on top of all that, it's pretty damn good. One of those very, very rare romantic comedies that actually feels like it could happen. Highly recommended. Rusty, if you're reading this, I can see the two of us reenacting it someday - I'll let you decide which of us is which character.
Also watched all fifty-one episodes of Full Metal Alchemist, thanks to a kind donation from Mr. Stolee. Reminiscent of Evangelion in a lot of ways, including the sudden left turn and plunge over the abyss near the end. Catch it on Adult Swim some evening, and if you like it, hit up Derrick-san.
Burned some bread in the microwave tonight, sending a huge plume of smoke into my apartment before I noticed it. Neither the sprinklers nor the smoke detector went off. Which is lucky in a way, but also a bit disturbing. What would set them off?
Random musing: is there a metaphor to be had in the fact that the time on most clocks can only be adjusted forwards?
Last but not least, Blogger has a new comment interface, so now you anonymous people can leave your names (hint, hint).
Also watched all fifty-one episodes of Full Metal Alchemist, thanks to a kind donation from Mr. Stolee. Reminiscent of Evangelion in a lot of ways, including the sudden left turn and plunge over the abyss near the end. Catch it on Adult Swim some evening, and if you like it, hit up Derrick-san.
Burned some bread in the microwave tonight, sending a huge plume of smoke into my apartment before I noticed it. Neither the sprinklers nor the smoke detector went off. Which is lucky in a way, but also a bit disturbing. What would set them off?
Random musing: is there a metaphor to be had in the fact that the time on most clocks can only be adjusted forwards?
Last but not least, Blogger has a new comment interface, so now you anonymous people can leave your names (hint, hint).
Friday, February 11, 2005
One for you, nineteen for me
So it turns out I'll be getting my first tax refund ever this year. $523 from the feds, $171 from the state of Missouri. Not a fortune, and it'll all go straight to various bills, but better than a kick in the groin.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Amazing!
Last night's finale for the Amazing Race was really good (of course), but they dropped the real stunner at the end of the show: "Stay tuned for scenes from our next season... Three weeks from tonight, eleven new teams will begin a race around the world..."
What an embarassment of riches. It's almost unheard of for a reality show, or any show for that matter, to start a season so soon on the heels of the last. Among other things, it means that CBS will be betting its spring sweeps on the show. Guess all those Emmy awards and climbing ratings are finally paying off, eh?
What an embarassment of riches. It's almost unheard of for a reality show, or any show for that matter, to start a season so soon on the heels of the last. Among other things, it means that CBS will be betting its spring sweeps on the show. Guess all those Emmy awards and climbing ratings are finally paying off, eh?
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Finale
It's always nice to get sent home early from work due to a blizzard, isn't it? (No, Tom, that was not sarcasm.) Due to the weather, the friends I was going to have over to watch the Amazing Race season finale won't be able to come. But I'm going to watch it anyway, as should you. 8:00 Central on CBS.
I'm used to getting junk mail from a wide variety of sources, but it still burns me when I get it directly from my bank. They want me to sign up for their credit monitoring service - only $9.99 a month! They seem to have conveniently forgotten that in three weeks everyone in Missouri will be able to get a free credit report from all three of the majors, by law. I hope no poor schmucks sign up for this thing.
Read the rest of Close Range and, if it's possible, I'm even more gobsmacked than before. The characters in all of the stories are ultimately melancholy, hollow, futile, but they manage to be fascinating in the process. It makes you want to either move to Wyoming, blow it off the face of the earth, or both. Consider it on my must-read recommendation list, if you're the sort who reads.
I'm used to getting junk mail from a wide variety of sources, but it still burns me when I get it directly from my bank. They want me to sign up for their credit monitoring service - only $9.99 a month! They seem to have conveniently forgotten that in three weeks everyone in Missouri will be able to get a free credit report from all three of the majors, by law. I hope no poor schmucks sign up for this thing.
Read the rest of Close Range and, if it's possible, I'm even more gobsmacked than before. The characters in all of the stories are ultimately melancholy, hollow, futile, but they manage to be fascinating in the process. It makes you want to either move to Wyoming, blow it off the face of the earth, or both. Consider it on my must-read recommendation list, if you're the sort who reads.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Where the Buffalo Roam
Working a full day on a Saturday: not cool, but bound to happen eventually. At least everything went well, and there were donuts.
Didn't manage to find a Super Bowl party. Still enjoyed the commercials, though. This is my favorite; I personally call it "Oh Brave New World". You'll see why.
Picked up some Annie Proulx at the library, specifically Close Range: Wyoming Stories. You might have heard of her most famous book, The Shipping News. I got this particular book because one of the stories in it, "Brokeback Mountain", is currently being adapted into a film. Her writing style is just amazing. Dense, complex, visual, a lot like how I would write myself if I ever got up the courage to attempt fiction. As for the story itself... I haven't been able to get it out of my mind for days. It pops back into my head at idle moments, and every time I feel a strong need to cry. If the movie is even halfway decent, I'll be bawling. It's not that it's tragic or depressing exactly, just extraordinarily sad. As one reviewer put it, you need a hug afterwards. I suppose it's probably fair use to quote a brief excerpt:
"Around that time Jack began to appear in his dreams, Jack as he had first seen him, curly-headed and smiling and bucktoothed, talking about getting up off his pockets and into the control zone, but the can of beans with the spoon handle jutting out and balanced on the log was there too, in a cartoon shape with lurid colors that gave the dreams a flavor of comic obscenity. The spoon handle was the kind that could be used as a tire iron. And he would wake sometimes in grief, sometimes with the old sense of joy and relief; the pillow sometimes wet, sometimes the sheets.
There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it."
Didn't manage to find a Super Bowl party. Still enjoyed the commercials, though. This is my favorite; I personally call it "Oh Brave New World". You'll see why.
Picked up some Annie Proulx at the library, specifically Close Range: Wyoming Stories. You might have heard of her most famous book, The Shipping News. I got this particular book because one of the stories in it, "Brokeback Mountain", is currently being adapted into a film. Her writing style is just amazing. Dense, complex, visual, a lot like how I would write myself if I ever got up the courage to attempt fiction. As for the story itself... I haven't been able to get it out of my mind for days. It pops back into my head at idle moments, and every time I feel a strong need to cry. If the movie is even halfway decent, I'll be bawling. It's not that it's tragic or depressing exactly, just extraordinarily sad. As one reviewer put it, you need a hug afterwards. I suppose it's probably fair use to quote a brief excerpt:
"Around that time Jack began to appear in his dreams, Jack as he had first seen him, curly-headed and smiling and bucktoothed, talking about getting up off his pockets and into the control zone, but the can of beans with the spoon handle jutting out and balanced on the log was there too, in a cartoon shape with lurid colors that gave the dreams a flavor of comic obscenity. The spoon handle was the kind that could be used as a tire iron. And he would wake sometimes in grief, sometimes with the old sense of joy and relief; the pillow sometimes wet, sometimes the sheets.
There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand it."
Friday, February 04, 2005
Reinvented Wheel
For years now, I've been putting Italian salad dressing on white rice. I assumed this was just another of my bizarre food preferences, kinda like putting ketchup on scrambled eggs.
I've also never had sushi, since I have a strong dislike for seafood of all kinds. Perhaps if I'd ever tried it, I would have realized long ago that sushi means literally vinegared rice, and I'd accidentally recreated a Western version of it. As it is, it took Iron Chef for me to figure it out.
I've also never had sushi, since I have a strong dislike for seafood of all kinds. Perhaps if I'd ever tried it, I would have realized long ago that sushi means literally vinegared rice, and I'd accidentally recreated a Western version of it. As it is, it took Iron Chef for me to figure it out.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Just Two Sentences
"Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be redefined by activist judges. For the good of families, children and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage."
A little lukewarm? We can only hope. I'm sure y'all know my feelings on the matter, but a few rhetorical questions all the same: What business does the government have calling anything sacred? Who does have the authority to redefine it? Which is more often dangerous to society, activist judges or political majorities? If the amendment is for the good of, are its opponents for the evil of?
Here's a nice summary of same.
A little lukewarm? We can only hope. I'm sure y'all know my feelings on the matter, but a few rhetorical questions all the same: What business does the government have calling anything sacred? Who does have the authority to redefine it? Which is more often dangerous to society, activist judges or political majorities? If the amendment is for the good of, are its opponents for the evil of?
Here's a nice summary of same.
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