There was a huge turnout for the free "Music in The Park" Flogging Molly performance. Every redhead in the bay area showed up. There were a bunch of other people, too- a diverse crowd indeed. Flogging Molly put on a great show! The band rocked, and the singer's in-between-song banter cool and gracious.
After the show there were kids all over the place, making noise, playing drums. They were probably jazzed after seeing fantastic LIVE music!
Unfortunately, some of the San Jose venues allowing live music seem to be sending mixed messages. For example, last Saturday I was at my friends' show at Johnny V's. There were three bands. In between each act, the bartender played what sounded like loud ghetto-rap on the iPod stereo. This attracted a completely different crowd with absolutely no interest in the music the bands played once they took the stage. I understand that the bartender wanted to sell drinks, but it might have been better to play something a bit more compatible with the evening's entertainment- most rock/pop from the 60's to the present day would have done nicely.
The coolest communities in the SF Bay Area seem to be Oakland and Berkeley. San Francisco people THINK they're cool, but they're just wealthier (except for some of the folks in the Richmond, Sunset, and outer Mission areas, they're cool). These communities are cool because there is culture (art, music, dance, etc). In order to have a lively arts scene, artistic folks need affordable housing. That way they can pursue their low or no-pay creative pursuits as much as possible.
Frankly, I'd rather pay money to see a band playing all original music. In San Jose, it's usually Bob the Cisco Systems engineer and his buddies drunkenly playing top-40 covers on their fancy equipment. Boring! But the opportunity to hear even crappy live music is becoming more rare. Most SJ venues are "ultra-lounge"- pseudo-European clubs in which DJs play dance music. DJs are great, but it would be nice to have more diverse music options. Venues like the Blank Club, the Caravan, and Johnny V's are a good start. Not everyone wants to hang out in a sweaty dance-club or upscale restaurant.
San Jose has a lot of potential, but I'm afraid it will always be the bedroom-community bastard-stepchild of San Francisco. The powers-to-be rarely get it right (last night was an exception). Most events are geared to aging yuppies. Greedy developers are trying to take over, building exclusive high-rise condo communities for aging retired yuppies. Once downtown SJ becomes completely gentrified, all hope for culture will be lost.
My great-uncle, who is well into his seventies, constructed this beautiful platform in his backyard. One sad thing about my generation is our inability to work with our hands. Most of us sit in cubicles and plunk keyboards. Sure, we can assemble IKEA furniture, but a monkey can do that.
The platform was solid and well-made, unlike most things that are slapped together these days. Building something like this takes real craftsmanship. I admire that talent and ability.
I just got back from a (free) bangs trim at the salon. There were a couple of men getting their hair cut. WTF?! I don't understand. In the past I have spent quite a bit on my hair because it's long, thick and wavy. The cheapo places have no idea what to do with it, so it's worth spending a bit more to get an even, layered cut. Most men have really short hair. My ex got his hair cut at a salon. It cost him around $30- a waste of money considering it never looked good. In fact, sometimes his hair looked downright stupid. On the other hand, my current boyfriend's hair looks great! I think he goes to a barber...
In conclusion: Real men get their hair cut at a barbershop!
Mon, Jun. 23rd, 2008, 01:37 pm I think I am, therefore, I am. I think.
George Carlin died yesterday. Some of my favorite memories are of listening to George Carlin tapes with Brad in his car. While his jokes made me laugh, I always thought of him as a mean-spirited old man. That opinion changed when a friend told me that Mr. Carlin called his terminally-ill brother. Most celebrities wouldn't do that sort of thing- it was a very compassionate gesture. Anyway, if you're not familiar with his repertoire, you can find a bunch of Carlin quotes here.
The history nerd within has been awakened! I MUST see this movie. As if Ghengis (pronounced sort of link Chingis) wasn't already bad-ass enough, he apparently rolled in the hay A LOT. Millions of folks are descended from the mighty Ghengis Khan! http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0214_030214_genghis_2.html
I'm watching a documentary on one of my favorite old-timey actors, Errol Flynn. Apparently he had been trying to woo Olivia de Havilland. Ms. de Havilland (who attended Los Gatos High School, by the way), ever the lady, refused to continue with the relationship until he divorced his wife. While they were filming Robin Hood, Flynn's wife visited the set and it appeared that they were far from divorcing. So Ms. de Havilland decided to "torture him" by messing up the kissing scene, resulting in several takes. The camera focuses on Ms. de Havilland, a dignified old lady, and she says "He had, if I may say so, a little trouble with his tights."
Part of growing up is learning how to communicate effectively with others. If there is conflict, one needs to take a step back from their emotions and examine the situation in a rational manner. I am still working on this, but I've come very far in the past several months. I suddenly feel this strange sense of peace.
I am fortunate to have such a wonderful family (friends are family, too) who love and provide constant inspiration. If I have hurt you, I am very sorry. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make amends. If you have hurt me, there is no ill will. It's all in the past. I want everyone to be healthy and content.
Thu, Jun. 19th, 2008, 10:59 am Things suck right now
The current mortgage/credit crisis will likely result in very few of us owning a home. I'm glad to see that they're catching some of the crooks, but they'll never get them all. It sickens me that middle-class homeowners unable to pay their mortgages are mostly blamed. The truth is a lot more complicated and sinister than that. I recently listened to a This American Life podcast ("The Giant Pool of Money") that did an excellent job explaining the credit crisis. It seems to stem out of our transformation from a manufacturing to a financial economy. A financial economy can be unstable and nefarious, particularly when there are few regulations.
Funny, I never cared about this sort of thing before. I was also apathetic about politics. Now I seek out this information. It's important to understand what's going on in the world. If more people paid attention, we'd all be better off.
In one of my dreams last night, John McCain won the presidential election. My favorite part in this video is when the doctor says "I'm voting Republican because I don't want a cure for AIDS or breast cancer. I just gaze at women..." Hahahahahahah!
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