On Sunday, Pam and I went to see Speeding Motorcycle, a musical at Zach Scott. The songs and concepts are Daniel Johnston's - there is even an appearance by Jeremiah the Frog. I had a nice time. The atmosphere was very fun and touching, just like his music.
So, I think that makes four cultural events for me this year so far:
-Avant Cinema at the Film Society featuring the work of filmmaker Scott Stark.
-It is Fine! Everything is Fine. Slide show and film screening featuring Crispin Hellion Glover narrating his slide show and doing a Q&A following the movie.
-Lichtenstein exhibit at the Austin Museum of Art.
-Speeding Motorcycle at Zach Scott.
I guess five if you count the local documentary I went to see with the filmmakers, but I don't feel like counting that one.
And in the coming months:
-March 7 - 15, SXSW Film Festival. Passes went on sale on February 9th! I hope I can still get mine, I'll be going tomorrow.
-March 12 - 16, SXSW Music Festival. I will be entering the drawing to get a discounted wristband, and if I win the lottery, I will definitely go. However, if my name is not drawn, I would have to pay the full price, and I may not go. But there are several people I would like to see.
-April 5, Xiu Xiu. Thank you, Jesus! Great birthday present.
-Mid-April, Carmen.
-June, Die Fledermaus. Actually, I don't know if I can handle this retelling - it's "Austintacious" with cowboys and tech millionaires.
I just read Women As Lovers and it broke my heart.
Along with a few coworkers, I will be making lunch for some families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in early March. I am trying to work with the UT Volunteer Corps and volunteer at sessions to help kids and parents fill out FAFSA paperwork and learn about college. I will be helping out at Expanding Your Horizons on March 29. I am going to the Art Show fundraiser meeting next week for Choices for Children, and it looks like I will be the volunteer coordinator for an annual fundraiser for a local theater group.
I voted today.
I've also been working on some music for the accordian and other art projects. Maybe one day I will finish one I am brave enough to share. That would be nice.
I will post pictures of my new apartment soon.
I did a lot of thinking last year and decided there was a lot in my life I wanted to do differently. It appears I am heading in the right direction.
2.19.2008
Speeding Motorcycle
8.06.2007
little updates
phone interview for a job today - didn't do so well! I do better when I can see a face, eyes.
um, I'm thinking about entering a recipe contest with a variation on my "this is good shit!" cake. yes, I will invite certain individuals over for taste-testing.
perseids peak this sunday night! as of now, just partly cloudy skies forecasted, keep your fingers crossed. it's a new moon that night, and that is a huge improvement over last year (or the last shower I tried to watch which was in the spring, I think).
interview tomorrow with the job I'm most excited about! I will be on the ball for that one, no kidding.
I'm looking forward to watching the shows we recorded from shark week. yeah, I know, but seriously there had better be a lot of shark teeth-in human flesh action or I will be disappointed.
started reading a sci-fi book, the first in a long time, recommended from a reading list. like the plot, and I've only read the first few chapters, but now I remember why I find it difficult to get into genre lit - the quality of the writing is lacking. it's not one of the legendary authors, so I wasn't expecting anything revelatory, but I was hoping for some finesse.
must read: in africa a thing is true at first light and a lie by noon... started it, but never finished, and a conversation saturday reminded me of the potential.
ciao!
5.17.2007
Good book
Moth Smoke, by Moshin Hamid.
A good book! I didn't love it starting out, but it turned out to be a pretty amazing read. The main character is on trial for murder, and we follow him on his downward spiral from a month or two before the trial. He loses his job, has an affair with his best friend's wife, starts selling drugs. It takes place in Pakistan among the educated and status obsessed in the city of Lahore. His account is mixed with chapters from the perspective of the other main characters of the story.
The writing is at times beautiful and inspiring. The main character is an anti-hero figure, but intelligent and easy to identify with. Hamid doesn't get all Chuck P on the reader. What I mean is even when the situation is bleak, the writing elevates it above typical angsty, "we're screwed in modern society" verbage. The heart of the story is much more about an individual in a specific time and place, not simply a person as a victim of a culture with misplaced values (although that is an aspect).
I definitely recommend!
2.11.2007
Sheesh! Alright already
Here are some updates:
Still writing my thesis. Working on the methods section or Why I Choose To Base The Hominoid Molecular Tree On This Study Over That One.
I have four books out from Austin Public Library: black swan green by David Mitchell; new moon by Stephanie Meyer; The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; and Adventures in the Bone Trade by John Kalb. I've read David Mitchell's other novels and loved them in this order: Cloud Atlas, Ghostwritten, Number9Dream. I read the book before new moon, twilight, last month for the bitches' book club - it's a fast, enjoyable teen-vampire-romance novel and not my usual read. Their selection for February is Time Traveler's Wife, which I've heard a lot of good things about, but again, not my usual read. The last is by a geologist/physical anthropologist who lives in Austin, TX. It's about fossil hunting in East Africa and the crazy shit that goes on when you're living in a foreign country during war digging in the ground in 120 degree heat. Or something like that - it's due back in four days and I've got a few hundred pages left.
Stuart bit me a few weeks ago. Bad bunny! I felt so unloved. He must be disgusted by me.
I've been cooking several meals a week. Not just grilled fake cheese and tomato soup, but real meals that take one to two hours until they are finished. So worth it! One draw back: restaurant food is not as good anymore. Not that I'm Julia Child or anything, but I can make it taste how I want and the food is very fresh. No heat lamps here.
I measured the distance that I've been walking with Friedrich around our neighborhood. Two miles! Yippee! That's awesome. It takes us a little over 30 minutes, and I was worried that we were only walking a mile or so. But two miles is pretty awesome - I should wear my pedometer and see how many steps I'm taking. 10,000 steps a day for optimum health! I read something that said Amish men get around 17,000 - 25,000 steps a day which is amazing. The researchers thought this might explain the Amish's low amount of obesity despite a diet high in refined flours, sugar, and meats.
I hope that is good for now. I'll try and think of other things to post later.
11.20.2006
NaNoWriMo
Yes, November is National Novel Writing Month. I have been trying to write a novel since November 1. I have a little over 900 words.
Ooops! Guess I'm not doing so well. I did all of that in an hour or so on the 1st or 2nd. Since then, I haven't even opened the Word document with the stuff in it. I keep forgetting. I'm too busy filling out job apps (still searching!) and avoiding my thesis.
I kind of liked what I was writing, but I'm not sure if I am going about it the right way. Okay, obviously writing would be a good start, touche, but I mean my method. I am trained in screenwriting. With that, you pretty much plan out as much as possible ahead of time - your characters, major plot points, beats, etc. I understand that is helpful for novel writing as well, but the people over at nanowrimo.org advise not overthinking this novel. after all, trying to write a novel (50,000 words by there count) in a month is daunting enough. they say, just write, get down as much as possible, and then we can worry about the details.
so what do you guys think? should I give up for now? or do you think I can squeeze out 25,000 words or so over thanksgiving break? cause even if I got that far by the end of november, I just might try and finish.
I never finished my screenplays. ooops! ;)