chase the light

I rode the bus to concert. Damn right. Proud of it. Why not spend $1.25 instead of $10 for parking. Anyway, Matt and I texted back and forth to coordinate where he was sitting so I could meet up with him. After Lacuna Coil was finished the lights came up and I was able to find him. Really that’s the beauty of the text page at a concert. You can’t really speak on a phone so sending messages is perfect. I didn’t really dig Lacuna Coil so I was just sitting in the lounge area and people watching until Rob was ready to go on.

Rob Zombie’s funny. Remember that hilarious Billy Squier video Rock Me Tonight? The one where he’s dancing all fey and apeshit around the room? That’s Rob Zombie on stage! Kinda a goofy way about him. He wasn’t even wearing big black boots. They looked like Converse AllStars. What’s going on?!? Rob Zombie is actuallly Billy Squier! That’s cool Billy, I dig your new direction then.

So Rob comes out and does new stuff, old stuff, inbetween stuff. Between you and me I was there for Dragula. Just play that one damn song and I’ll go home happy. Oh, and Astrocreep. Maybe Devilman too. Yeah, that would be good. He delivered. Giant puppets came out and walked around the stage with their arms falling about. Kinda like the big Eddie at an Iron Maiden concert. Then in a really cool awkward moment, Rob started berating the security for bullying some people. The show came to a screetching halt and it got all weird and political. The poor security was standing right below Rob while having to act like they’re not getting verbally assaulted by the very person who’s paying their nights wage. Yea for awkward concert moments!! I think we ended up getting ripped off a few songs because Rob was too busy talking and they ran out of stage time.

After the show Matt wanted to grab a bite to eat so we stopped and ate at some place called Young Dong. Yeah, I know. That takes the prize for unfortunate restaurant names. I’m afraid to even Google that to see if they have a website. But even if the food was crappy (which it was), we would now be able to say we had some Young Dong for dinner. So after a show at the Wiltern don’t forget to get yourself some Young Dong. They’re right there around the corner waiting on Wilshire. All the Young Dong you desire. I can say with certainty that after trying Young Dong it’s really not my thing.

Met up with Alicia and Jill at The Brewery for the bi-annual Art Walk. I swear I burn out faster and faster each year with eye fatigue. The Brewery is just to big to do all in one day with a clear head. I did get to meet and chat with Michael Salerno. He had some really beautiful and colorful canvases that look really amazing when you get up close to them. The amount of tiny little patterns in the paint is spectactular. He invited me over sometime outside of the Art Walk so I could look through the paintings he wasn’t showing. There were quite a few people there although the picture is deceiving because not that many people were walking underneath the bridge when I took it.

As I was driving over I was kind of making up the route as I went. Highland to Melrose, to Western, to Sunset, to Main, through Chinatown, etc. As I got closer I didn’t really know where I was but knew I was close. A girl pulled up next to me and asked where Alameda was, I said I didn’t know at that moment but was she looking for Union Station or something? She said no the Brewery Art Walk! Ha! I told her I was headed there but I was making it up as I went so she followed me. Fortunately I made all the correct turns and I got her there with no problem. A girl asking for directions and a guy not? What are the odds?

I’ve heard a total of about 45 secs. of one Kittie song and that’s all I know. Matt and Steve were already going so I thought I’d catch up with them tonight and hang out. Matt’s friend Cameron was visiting from Salt Lake so he was there too. I parked my car next to the Kittie tour bus down the street and they were all hanging out inside getting ready. The little asian bass player came out and started to walk over to the Whisky which I told Steve about later and he was jealous as he’s the biggest Kittie fan of the lot. I told him I’d introduce him to her later. I think he was hoping I was serious.

Since Kittie weren’t going on until about 11:15pm I headed over to The Hustler store (lame), Tower Records and Video, Book Soup, and then to The Coffee Bean and chilled out by the fire with my Ice Blended. About 11pm I walked back to the Whisky and the guys were there and we chatted a few minutes before Kittie came out and yelled and screamed a lot for an hour. After the show we hung out on the street and chatted a bit and then took off. The Whisky to my house, 6 minutes. Nice. Kittie are The Bangles while The Donnas are The Go Go’s.

No really, I swear to Flying Spaghetti Monster [LINK] that thousands and thousands of people line up to have Cardinal Roger Mahony throw water on their pets for 5 hours. No, seriously, I swear, even turtles. Turtles! It’s time again for the yearly Blessing of the Animals down by Olvera Street! Woo hoo, let’s get wet! They even refill the water with those giant plastic Sparklett’s bottles. Which begs the question how much does Arrowhead holy water cost anyway? I’m always intrigued by the strange but true religious rituals even if the individuals doing the so called strange but true ritual don’t actually see it as strange. Dancin’ with serpents, drinking strychnine, dunkin’ your baby under water and rubbing ashes on your forehead. Strange to me, but knock yourself out because I wanna see it. You are going to get a lot of questions from me and probably more than a few photographs. I love stuff like this because I don’t have a ritualistic bone in my body so it’s kinda fascinating.

I remember one time I walked into a church with a hat on and the guy at the inside door nearly passed out like he was about to be struck down. He was all scared and talking in hushed tones, “Sir, you can’t wear your hat inside the church.’ I was all “Really, why not?!” His answer was “Because we don’t cover our heads in the presence of the Lord.” He really didn’t think it was funny when I pointed out that is was an Angel baseball cap and the Lord probably has x-ray vision. Yeah, he didn’t like that so much and I wasn’t able to attend the wedding rehearsal. Yeah, not one of my better to just let it be moments. Sorry Shawn, I didn’t get to videotape the wedding rehearsal because I was busy being a dick. Some churches allow hats, how am I supposed to keep them all straight? Maybe if I was wearing a Popey kinda hat like the Cardinal it would have been all cool and stuff.

To get there I took the Red Line down to Union Station so I could avoid the traffic mess and the cost of parking. It worked out perfectly and I was able to grab lunch at Rodolpho’s on Olvera Street [LINK]. Sooo good. Turn Here is a great site of local videos. I can sit and watch these all day [LINK]. And hello…[LINK] girl with feathers in your hair and paint on your face!! Wow, she’s pretty.

When a show opens with a song called “What the Fuck is Ladylike?” being sung by girl, I’m there for ya. A couple of weeks ago I got an IM from friend Keith asking if I knew where Molly Malone’s was. It’s only like the closest club to my house. I just walk out my door and go a couple of hundred yards west. He was giving me a head’s up about this singer he’d seen named Storm Large [LINK]. She was playing there for two nights and he thought I’d dig her. Of course I will, I love wailing girls! Roundabout 10:45 I walked over and walked my way up to the front and Storm came out and did a great rainy night set of tunes. Storm’s a little different. She’s one of those scary girls you’d be afraid to take home to mother. At 6ft and then heels it’s a lotta woman whose a bit unpredictable and crazy and powerful and drop dead sexy because of it. All that with a set of Tina Turner legs and you get the idea.

When I shot the photos of her looking right at me I got a little worried. She’s not afraid of making the audience part of her show so if you’re staring her down in a viewfinder be ready. Fortunately she just gave a little twist that can be seen if you rollover the image. She played all sorts of songs including Ace of Spades by Motorhead, Abba-Gadda-Davida, which is Inna Gadda Davida with the lyrics from “Take a Chance on Me” by Abba. The vibe.. [AUDIO LINK] Also Tainted Love, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Hopelessly Devoted to You all done in a scary mental patient kinda way. LIke I said, totally freakin’ sexy. Falling in love with her has got to hurt.

The show was way cool and it reminds me that I have to catch a show by Abby Travis now. I haven’t seen a proper show of hers except outdoors at the museum. Which was weird but good.

Next up on the wailing girls concerts, Kittie at The Whisky and then Beth Hart at The Knitting Factory. And then in the wailing dudes category, there’s Rob Zombie at The Wiltern and then Pearl Jam at The Forum. Long Live Rock! Ha ha

One of my favorites photographs is Ansel Adams “Rose and Driftwood” from 1932. It was shot with a 4×5 and the detail in the petals and wood is really amazing. You have to see an original print of it in person to really appreciate it but never-the-less it’s really stunning. I think I first saw it at The Ansel Adams Center for Photography in San Francisco. (now closed) I think it’s why I really like the rose bush by my front door. It blooms on and off all year long and sometimes I can smell them well before I get near the door. They remind me of that photograph. They’re light pink which is what I guess the color of the flower is in that shot. Also since the stems and branches on rose bushes are so stiff mine actually has the added bonus of being able to hold my screen door open when I have a bunch of stuff to carry. The other photo is just a flower in Canada I thought was cool. Little bells.

I finally pulled the trigger on this thing! Word Press! Woo Hoo! I’ve been playing with Word Press for the last year trying to get it to a point that I like it. So I’ve finally moved it to the head of the site! I love it! Not only do I finally have a search feature, but categories! Search for your name if you think I’ve written about you. The categories are sooo great and it archives until the end of time. The earliest Blogger would allow you to post is 1990! Come on I have journal stuff from way before that! I even have the wrist band I wore in the hospital after I was born. Crazy stuff. So, F’em. Also you can finally click the banner on top and come back to the home page if you get lost. I also wanted to make the site a little more utilitarian to try and cut down on the visual noise.

So, my goal is to start plugging in my whole life. I have so much shit in boxes that my parents have given me that I think filling up the journal with all of it will be an awesome record the events I can remember! There’s a few stretches of time that I don’t have pictures or videos from they can be filled in with mental memories. Go over to the categories and drag them down and click go to see what happens. Neko even gets her own category. So now I can post random stuff from the past such as this… [Changing the Marquee at Edwards Cinemas!].

There’s a few things that are still wonky but I’m not really done with it all and sometimes the links go to the old old site but it’ll always be a work in progress! What a relief to finally get it up.

Pssst… need some shoes? I’ll bet anything an old pair shoes I used to own is sitting out at the Rose Bowl parking lot. I lost my Rose Bowl Swap Meet virginity today and I can honestly say, like my first loss of virginity, it didn’t go too well. It’s all kinda hot and sweaty and I rushed through it with no sense of satisfaction. I got lost on my way there, and ended up with nothing worthwhile to talk about and went home sad. So really, the Rose Bowl Swap Meet is just like losing your virginity. Hopefully subsequent trips will yield better results. Just as subsequent trips of the other… oh never mind.

But damn, if you want shoes, they got ’em! Rollover to see the mad amount of Converse All-Stars.

Dear Mother Nature,
You hormonal bitch. Would you please go away and spoon Father Time or something? Do what you have to do but leave us alone already. The rainiest March ever!? Oh very funny of you. It’s “In like a lion out like a lamb” you cranky wench not “In like a lion out like a screaming banshee.” I demand my summer right now. We even pushed our clocks forward to try and spurn you yet look what you do. I hate you.

And the wind, really, come on, what’s with the wind?

Thanks, for the lovely Spring you better be providing,
Chris

P.S. I have about a month left on the Ghostrider project. Maybe I’ll actually get to do something some weekend. Last Friday night I went to the Billy Shire Gallery for a group show opening and then across town to Los Feliz for another group show opening at Bedlam Art. It’s actually Bedlam Art’s final show as they’re closing their doors. Ya know because L.A. needs another sushi restauarant. L.A. Art gallery icon Jim Fittipaldi was hosting as usual and I’m not sure what’s going to happen to Bedlam Warehouse in the downtown area. There was piece there by Michael Salerno that I liked but it was too spendy. Anyway, The Brewery Complex is having their open studios in a couple weeks and Michael Salerno’s studio is there so maybe he’ll have something in my range where a gallery doesn’t have to take a cut.

I sent out some emails this week about the bike in the loading dock but the mystery continues. No one knows nuttin’. Or they’re not speakin’. You’d think someone would have a story, it didn’t just drop out of the sky. It’s probably a rather boring explanation like most things. That, or someone’s screwing with me because they know I have a camera and I’m not afraid to use it.

1. Occumbo contemno / blood trees reign / dreams / the Sneetches graveyard.
2. Red / Venus rising / young lust / fishbreath.
3. City folk are / lacy pinafore / next appointment / in Kalamazoo.

The latest 3 of 12 Exquisite Corpses [LINK] that I’ve now worked on. I’m pretty disappointed in two of these as it looks as some artists just gave up on trying to work out a solution to a transition. I still regret handing off those kids to someone, but I left the strip pretty easy to work from. Just brown and white shapes.

I did the bottom of the first piece, the Super Mario/Scrabble/Tetris section in the second one and the top piece in the third that ended up getting kind of ignored. Oh well, the middle one makes up for the other two.

The middle one also has a bonus in that it includes a piece by internet friend and fellow travel bug Jake Drews [LINK]. Check out their travel web site as I use it to get ideas for my next travel destination! Randomly I came across it about 5 years ago and one day I noticed someone I knew in one of their photos! That, and they’re from Laguna Beach. I’ve spent more than a few years of my life down there having grown up in Laguna Hills.

I’m really tired right now. 6 day work weeks and then on Sundays I’m having to cram in all the little errands I can’t get to during the week. Bills, laundry, groceries, hygiene, smog tests, flat tires, dead car batteries. I haven’t seen friends, haven’t had time to write people, haven’t gotten home before 10 in awhile. Oh woe is me. I’m sad.

Corpses are fun though.

[L.A. MARATHON VIDEO LINK]

Since I’m basically trapped inside today because of the L.A. Marathon. I might as well just enjoy it. Besides, how many people have 25,000 runners going by their house at any given time. The added bonus this year was I actually knew someone in it. So I grabbed my beach chair, some cameras, a bottle of water, the left over pizza and I just chilled out on the curb. There were police all over, helicopters flying around, people on bikes, and no cars. Unless of course you were outside of the marathon route. Then it was gridlocked. It was a beautiful day and just hanging out sitting in the sun was nice. No worries.

Some wheelchair riders went by, then the women leaders, then the men leaders, and then the mass of humanity called the rest of them. Sean, a friend from work for years now made a commitment to do the run this year. His father ran the Boston marathon some 30 years ago and so to make the old pop proud he vowed to run the L.A. Marathon this year. His parents were out here to cheer him on. Sean came through my area about 10:55 and whooped it up and looked like he was in good spirits. It’s a long final stretch from my house. I sat and watched for another 1/2 an hour or so and then packed up but realized I couldn’t actually cross the street at this point because of the amount of people. So I just chilled some more in the sun and decided on which movie I wanted to see later.

I found a gap in the runners and headed home then hopped in the car and went to see “V for Vendetta”. I needed to see me some killin’. It was playing at the Vista in Los Feliz which is just the best damn theater in the whole world. Old time movie theater, $5, first run movies. Sweet. And Vendetta…? Meh.

It’s no secret that I love pizza. Every couple of years or so I break out the flour, water, polenta, cheeses, oregano, italian tomatoes, and whip up one of my own masterpieces. The smells of yeast, cheese and pepperonis are to die for. I love the thin sliced pepperoni because it gets all crispy with delicious goodness. Another secret is not using a tomato sauce, but rather italian plum tomatoes. You put the cheese down first as a layer and then the plum tomatoes. That way the dough doesn’t get all soggy. Pizza anyone? Roll over the picture… just sayin’. The idea completely ripped off from friend Aaron [LINK] who posts all sorts of alternate photos of his kid.

BRAIN DUMP: 50 things I remembered and wrote down this week.

1. In elementary school a kid won our school presidency by saying he’d get the drinking fountains to have soda rather than water. We all voted for him.
2. My Mom’s “I don’t have to time to prepare dinner” taco salad was made with Fritos.
3. I remember Doug Henning, the magician, use to have these yearly TV specials in the 70’s. I thought he was a weird guy, always ooooing and ahhhing. He tried treating his cancer with transcendental meditation. That was pretty stupid.
4. First song I learned on guitar: Baby, I Love Your Way
5. My velcro wallet use to smell funny because I’d take it to the beach and it would getwet from the salt water.
6. I never ditched a day of high school, but my attendance record showed all sorts of absences in everyone of my classes. That’s when I knew I could no longer trust The Man.
7. Our high school once had an assembly featuring a christian rock band. Except you didn’t really know they were until they sprung it on you if you went to the show later that night. They played Crazy Train and some AC/DC and then they started talking about fellowship. I felt ripped off and left. Reaffirmed my belief that you can’t trust The Man.
8. Blindly not knowing that the Indian Guides were a part of the YMCA. Again, The Man.
9. The Man is all in my head.
10. Didn’t understand at the time why was I so attracted to Melissa Sue Anderson from “James at 15”, Emmy Jo of “New Zoo Revue”, and Joy from “The Bugaloos”.
11.Those plaque pills that made your teeth all red so you knew you had to keep brushing.
12. Always thinking that wherever “Battle of the Network Stars” was shot, it was amazing. Only to find out years later it was just Pepperdine in Malibu.
13. The big-ass Sears Christmas catalogue that I’d cut out pictures and paste them onto paper to give to Santa.
14. I got a 4 foot long aircraft carrier for Christmas one year. It shot foam planes off the flight deck. It broke on Christmas day and I never played with it again.
15. I forgot that San Franciscans hiss at trailers and commercials in movie theaters. Nobody in Los Angeles does because the whole industry is here and trailers and commercials mean more jobs.
16. I once stole a Playboy from the bookstore at the mall. It was the Dorothy Stratton issue. Who knew at the time?
17. In elementary school poor Patty Etchevery was called Itch My Berries.
18. KMET used to do a little segment called “The Fish Report with a Beat” where they would supposedly call out the days catch.
19. The 45rpm single of version of “Spirit of Radio” by Rush cut out the little reggae section in the middle.
20. One time I won Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley posters at the fair by popping balloons with darts.
21. At age 11 me and John Boyles were at Aztec Bowl on Beach Blvd. waiting for my Mom to pick us up. We bought some french fries at the coffee shop and I still had a quarter left so I played “Bennie and the Jets” on the juke box.
22. The clown my parents hired for my birthday party showed up totally drunk.
23. Was told by my sister’s friend that “Afternoon Delight” meant the “in out in out” as he gestured with his fingers.
24. Of the cereal trifecta Boo Berry, Count Chocula, and Frankenberry, Boo Berry was my favorite.
25. The first 45rpm I bought was “Who are You”. My sister gave me money to buy her Anne Murray’s “You Needed Me” and enough to get something for myself. I rode my skateboard three miles to the Sears.
26. I stopped using a cell phone headset as soon as I saw bits of a Garth Brooks concert on PBS.
27. My grandmother showed me how to macram?ɬ© but I never really could do it without her there. And I didn’t like it.
28. One time the band I was in was supposed to open for A Flock of Seagulls but there was no room on stage for our keyboard player, so we left. The guy with the funny hair was kind of an ass to us anyway.
29. Whenever someone calls me by the wrong name, it’s almost always Scott. Last time it happened was a month ago.
30. At the high school winter formal at The Balboa Pavilion the band only played the slow part to Freebird. It was the last song of the night. They also did “Turning Japanese” by The Vapours. The guitar player played a blonde Les Paul.
31. Upon discovering a huge man-made turd in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a friend of mine turned to me and said slowly, “There’s been humans here”. We ran and kinda dry heaved because it smelled so bad.
32. Aspen sodas tasted terrible.
33. My friends parents would drive us from Orange County to The Valley to go to Busch Gardens just so they could sample the free beer. We went there a lot. Then they’d drive us home drunk.
34. They also invited me to dinner once and then kicked me out of their house for not finishing everything on my plate. It was supposed to be “clean as a hounds tooth”.
35. For a poetry assignment in our high school english class, my friend recited his poem which he called “The Electric Eye”. It was really just the lyrics to “Electric Eye” by Judas Priest. He changed the name to disguise it and he got an A. Everyone in the class thought I was being rude by laughing out loud at his poem.
36. I was on a bus going through the Fillmore district when a huge fight with hundreds of people broke out. People were getting slammed against the bus and getting beaten up, but the driver kept the door shut.
37. My Kiss ticket, for the 1979 Dynasty tour at the Anaheim Convention Center, was 9 dollars.
38. My sister ran away from home once.
39. Was once scolded by a much wiser friend of mine that “Who Wants to Live Forever” by Queen is not a “cruisin’ down Sunset on a Saturday night” type of song. The Doors “Break on Through” was and she popped it in and blasted it as we turned right off of La Cienega.
40. Whenever I crossed Slauson Ave. I’d think of Johnny Carson. “Go to the Slauson cut off, and cut off your slauson”.
41. One of my college roommates had a girlfriend in San Francisco and one in San Diego. And they knew about each other.
42. This guy Nathaniel I knew in high school was always asking for Chizz. You got Chizz?? Know anybody that’s got Chizz? I found out much later he wanted matches so he could go smoke.
43. In the 70’s I used to love to shop at the TG&Y five and dime store.
44. I used to think Humble Pie and Uriah Heep were the same band.
45. Tony Alva was my hero. So I bought one of his skateboards and a set of his wheels. Little did I know he was only 9 years older than me. There is now an Alva retail store a few blocks away from me that I have yet to go to.
46. Once when I was a kid and goofing around I hit my best friend in the forehead with a golf club. A curtain of blood poured out of his head and down his eyes and face. I ran home.
47. The week after I learned how to whistle I swung from my neighbors lamp and fell face first into their marble coffee table. I slammed my mouth in and my upper lip puffed up and I couldn’t whistle anymore. I was sad. I still have a scar on my forehead.
48. Our neighborhood bully used to ride his bike and huff paint on the playground at my elementary school. Jerry Main. He has to be dead.
49. I got so drunk at a college party once that I stole a chair and a car antenna.
50. Every year when I get my taxes done, it’s at an office near where I grew up. As a treat afterwards, I always go to the Wienerschnitzel by my old house that my friends and I would ride our bikes to. I order the same thing to this day, 3 chili dogs, fries and a drink. Although 3 chili dogs used to be 99 cents with the coupon on the back of the grocery receipts from Food King.

[GOLDFRAPP – STRICT MACHINE VIDEO LINK]
Three weeks ago I was sitting at my desk and saw in the L.A. Weekly that Goldfrapp was going to be playing The Wiltern. I love me some Goldfrapp. So I blurted out “Shit! Goldfrapp’s coming to town!” Little did I know Peter, who sits across from me, also likes Goldfrapp so he was into going too. He had to talk his wife out of going because she’s pregnant. It’s his child, I had to check. So I bought a ticket online but he wanted to beat the Ticketmaster charges and decided to do the box office thing which went horribly wrong and he ended up buying it through Ticketmaster anyway. Stupid Ticketmaster. I really can’t think of a company that people hate more than them. A lot of companies you can just go to other brands or products. Nope, not with this evil cancerous business. I didn’t even get my ticket until the day of the show because they’re morons. Anyway, not what this is about.

To me, Goldfrapp is the premiere electronica band. So soooo good. And their videos kick ass too. The show was awesome and the only one of two shows that they’re doing in North America at this point. But, they’re going to be on the Tonight Show Monday night. (Update: It kinda sucked.)

Didn’t know they have a huge gay following. Sometimes you find this out just by the crowd that’s present. I suppose it makes sense. A female lead singer, electronica, sort of a dance kinda vibe, etc. I dunno, I don’t have any gaydar at all other than when it’s completely obvious. In fact I went to see the mullet sportin’ Melissa Etheridge in the early 90’s and was wondering why there was so many butch women at the show. Ooooooohhhh….

The dude sitting next to us was out of control! He was freaking out that he was getting to see Goldfrapp. He could barely sit still for a second and Peter finally had to ask him what he had taken when he went to the restroom. He denied anything. The guy was flyin’ whatever it was. Then when Goldfrapp came on I’ve never heard such a squeal come out of man before while he shut his eyes, clenched his fists and stomped his feet really fast. Wow, he was happy. Hardcore for sure, but I have to admit it was a bit distracting.

Anyway, they played every song that I would have wanted to hear except Twist. Setlist: Utopia – Lovely Head – Tiptoe – Train – Koko – Slide In – You Never Know – Fly Me Away – Satin Chic – Beautiful – Ride a White Horse.
First encore: Ooh La La – Black Cherry. Second Encore: Number 1 – Strict Machine/We Are Glitter/Paris Loaded.

One of my favorite videos is Strict Machine, it’s a work of art. I can watch that thing over and over, and believe me, I have.
[GOLDFRAPP – STRICT MACHINE VIDEO LINK] Good song to crank up.

On the occasional Friday Bau from the office next to me and I leave work at lunch to ride our bikes down to the beach. It’s 12.65 miles according to the little bike computer. Well, this Friday my back tire was way low and the wind was blowing hard down Ballona Creek so it was a real struggle. I thought it might be a good idea to get some air in the tires so we headed over to Helen’s Cycles and I went around back to the service area. Got the air and we took off for lunch and as we got a block away a loud hissing noise started coming out from the rear. My wheel blew out. I’d been riding on it with no air and the rim had been rubbing against the tire and tube and promply wore it out.

So back to Helen’s and I got a brand new tire and tube and also bought a new pump. They were really cool about it and did the work while we waited knowing that we were out on the road at that time. What a difference! It wasn’t even the same bike. So, I suggested for lunch we head over to Uncle Darrow’s cajun place. Damn goooooood. Catfish sandwiches, jambalaya, gumbo, beignets, etc. After we filled up we headed back to work and after all was said and done I was $65 dollars lighter in the pocketbook. Nothing like completely nullifying any benefits you get from a bike ride than with deep fried catfish and sugar covered pastries.

See, Neko Case said she loves me. Just look at that CD cover. Love Neko. It’s plain as day. What you really have to look at though is the the WAY she’s written it. See the “o” at the end? See how it kinda trails off downward? It’s like she’s writing Love Neko… dot dot dot. Ya know, like Love Neko… wink wink wink. So basically what’s she’s trying to say is “I love you Chris, I just don’t want anyone to know. Our little secret, ok?”. Yeah, I guess I’m cool with that Neko, but you really should write more often. I mean, I sit home while you’re out there on the road. I worry. I worry about where this is going. We’re not in a good place. I do hope your Tonight Show appearance goes well Thursday and I hope you like the flowers that I had sent to the Green Room. Love you honey.

Oh that Neko. She sure has a mysterious way.

Ok, really I just went to rock and roll girlfriend’s free show at Amoeba Records and had her sign my CD and then went straight back to work. It really wasn’t filled with all that much sexual tension. In fact there wasn’t really any. As a matter of fact there might have been negative sexual tension. This is the 8th time I’ve seen her live. I think 16 Horsepower is the only band I’ve seen more times.

Told you I’m Neko crazy.

Copyright 2006. This has been for entertainment purposes only. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be very afraid.

This weekend one of the guys I had worked with on Polar Express decided it was all too much. So he took his life. I worked with him a lot on the caribou sequence in Polar and man did I ever ask some dumb questions of him over a period of several months. From the simple… “Why do all of my caribou have white antlers?” to the complex “What’s for lunch?”

Above is one of my shots from Polar that he helped nurse through. Those thousands and thousands of caribou I had to light, render and comp all look beautiful thanks to him. He was quite busy fixing any little hiccup that came along to make them look good and make my life easier. It’s been a bit downbeat around here.

Ladies, check your boobs. Men, check your balls. Everybody, check your heads.

I have one of those mothers that has saved a ton of stuff from my childhood. A couple of years ago she dumped this huge box of stuff off to me that had everything from the wristband I wore when I was born on up to my college graduation. Why did she want to give the box to me now? Because they needed room in the closet… Oh, thanks!

There’s some amazing things in this box of wonders. I think at some point I could probably piece together my whole life with this stuff. One thing that cracked me up was my autographed photo of Miss Mary Ann from Romper Room. I used to watch that show like crazy.

From the 1950s through the 1990s, the Romper Room hostess ended each program by reciting the show’s signature magical chant:

“Romper, bomper, stomper, boo.
Tell me, tell me, tell me do.
Magic mirror, tell me today.
Did all my friends have fun at play?”

I love the idea that Miss Mary Ann and Romper Room were dabbling in the occult by using a magic mirror and chanting. With the chant spoken, Miss Mary Ann gazed through the empty mirror frame and recited the names of children whom she pretended to see watching the program. A different list everyday. “I see Tommy and Susan and Hannah and William and Mary and all you boys and girls out there.” Of course she couldn’t actually see the children, but we listened for our name to be mentioned. I’m sure she probably said Chris at some point and it probably freaked me the hell out. According to her you could either be a Do-Bee or a Don’t-Bee. Of course I was a Do-Bee. I didn’t want to upset the raven haired wicca woman who would chant just so she could see through her magic mirror. And that hair, it’s so tall? It’s like Rock Lobster tall.

TRIVIA NOTE: Via a news report. Former Romper Room hostess Mary Ann King (in Los Angeles from 1966-76) was mugged in the parking lot of a Hometown Buffet in the City of Industry on December 17, 2003. The encounter gave King, 70, a broken arm, rib and punctured lung. Besides her injuries, the thieves stole a black taffeta bag that contained the original Magic Mirror (white plastic mirror frame) used on the Romper Room program so many years. King began carrying the magic mirror around with her to satisfy the wishes of people who confronted her with the allegations “you never said my name.” In the case of the criminals who stole the item, King confessed “I’m sure those hoodlums who did this just looked at the mirror and said, ‘What in the world is this,’ and just discarded it.”

Oh my. Poor little fragile Miss Mary Ann.

BRAIN DUMP: I have not seen any of the movies up for best picture. They all seem kinda, eh. Of 54 films nominated for anything, I’ve seen nine. Six of those are nominated in just one category. Neko Case is doing an in-store at Amoeba Records. I want to go to Japan. Kyoto specifically, and to ride the bullet train there from Tokyo. hoops and yoyo [LINK] e-cards are pretty funny. My house is a mess. I bought Goldfrapp tickets for the Wiltern but haven’t received them. It’s been awhile. I called Rachel up and we went over to Burbank for some Penne al Pollo at Market City Caffe. At lunch tomorrow I’m going to ride my bike to my car insurance place and pick up some proof of insurance cards. I forgot to send them in with the registration. For a second I thought it would be funny if I got hit by car while riding my bike to Allstate to deal with my car insurance. Now that would REALLY be ironic, not this “10,000 spoons when all you need is knife” kind of ironic. Thank God the Olympics are over tonight. Even if the Mens 5000m Relay in Short Track Speed Skating was hell of exciting. Damn. This next episode of Lost better be freakin’ good. The Office is back too. A friend of mine sent me an email petition about putting prayer back in schools. Um, yeeeeeah. I was listening to Pandora [LINK] the other day and tried to get it to play “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” by creating a Night Ranger station. It preceded to burn my ears with hours upon hours of the worst garbage of 80’s light hair metal. It never did play the song after 3 hours of suffering. Yep, Pandora’s Box on that one. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow. I’m still busy redesigning this website. It’ll have a search feature finally. I have a slot in my front door where the mail comes in. If I don’t pick it up everyday it starts to look like I leave trash just laying in the entry. I’ll never buy another Cinefex unless my name is in it. Qantas airlines never credits my miles to my frequent flier membership. They didn’t credit my flight home from, Fiji. I always have to bug them later. I have 50,000 miles right now. That’s a trip to Sydney, but I’d have to swim back. I wish Apple would release an updated version of the iSight. Mine broke months ago.

This is awesome [LINK].