Monthly Mix – May 09

Here’s May’s most played in order of date added to myTunes. What’re you listening to right now? Want to trade mixes? Leave a comment.

Check out local band, Gospel Gossip at the Walker’s Music and Movies in the Park series this summer.
And don’t miss Halloween, Alaska and some Cool Hand Luke action. Can you eat 50 eggs? I didn’t think so.

Infinite Summer

Before Books & Bars book club, back in Los Angeles over ten years ago, a group of friends tried to read a book together. The book was Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, weighing in at almost 1,100 pages with albout 100 of those being footnotes. Some of these friends lived across the country, some lived in the same city, but none finished the big book, except for one. And it wasn’t me. Now we all have a chance to try again with people from all over the world.

Anyone up for a challenge? Like Books & Bars summer school extra credit?
We’ve almost ten people on board already.
Details on June 1, but you don’t have to decide to start until June 21st.
http://www.infinitesummer.org/

Check out what B&B member Doubtful Guest wrote about his fave book.

Anyone second the motion? Think about it and check the details on Monday, June 1st. Then please tell us if you are in at www.booksandbars.com/forum or comment on Mustache Robots or Facebook.

I will dare if you will dare.

Great Expectations vs. The Grab Bag

Have you ever liked a band for years without seeing them live? Your expectations run really high for what they might play. You have a dream set list in your head or maybe you even made a best of mix CD. The band may have more than a few albums already to pick songs from so it becomes a grab bag of riches. You’re happy to hear many, but wish they would play certain ones. In the past I’d judge a show unfairly if an artist skipped my faves live. Now I’ve grown to appreciate the grab bag and enjoy the ones they do without dwelling on what I may have missed. It’s difficult to let it go, but as Doodles would sing, look on the bright side.

Finally saw the band Doves live in concert last night. They’re the last of a trio (Badly Drawn Boy and Phoenix) of artists I got into in 2000 which remind me of living in Los Angeles among other things.

The show was great overall. I’m especially enamored of films/images being projected on a screen whilst a band plays. It sets a tone, gives more ambience and also helps a band that’s not jumping off the risers doing high kicks. Good to hang with Andy, Alex, Chad, Kay, Jesse, Bradford and celebrate Steph’s birthday.

Yes, the set list was missing a lot of older ones, but the new ones sounded even better than the record. After previously raving up my fave venue, The Varsity Theater, it was too hot and crowded. They’ve been renovating it, so I’ll reserve final judgement till completed. We’ll be back for Phoenix on June 23.

Here’s a link to Doves live/interview with Mary Lucia on The Current.

Next big show: Metric at First Ave on June 13th. Watch for the review.

Gone Fishin’

Pablo caught a few sunfish at Nana and Papa’s on Prior Lake.
(We catch and release.) It’s great cousin-bonding time for the kids.
Uncle Greg runs the bait shop.

Unfortunately when we go fishing it appears the blog does, too. My minimum goal is 5 posts a week. Please comment on M.R. to inspire me to keep it up, people.

Thanks for reading.

(not so) Bright Aside

Uptown Kickball: Let them eat cake

Uptown Kickball – Game 1 – May 27, 2009

A cloudy 50 degrees set the tone for a fun, but offensively subdued opener with over 20 people playing and at least 5 more jeering us from the peanut gallery.

Team names were Cake Eaters vs. Birthday Suits. (In honor of Captains Jim and Laura’s birthdays. Laura’s from Edina, but no one else admitted to that if they were.)

Birthday Suits won 3-1 after an extended 9 innings. Everyone was well-stretched, but the 10 players in the field rule, including a catcher, should help improve scoring next time.

Jefe tried to slide under Morgan at 3rd base and was later reminded by Mama that he shouldn’t hurt himself trying so hard. He took what was deemed to be an intended slide by his teammates, Cake Eaters, or a fall trying to dodge the ball by the opposing team. (It was a slide, really, I’m fine, just dusty.)

The Jackal’s new shoes proved sadly in need of practice without Jess there to cheer him on to victory.

Jim Schloemer (Co-President/Overly Competitive Jackass)* proclaimed
“Game MVP: Laura Hovi – because she pitched 8 straight no-run innings, and also it’s her f’in birthday!”

Cedric, the 11-year-old neighbor groupie, nicknamed newbie Erin “Old School” and Sarah B. “New School” and wanted to play doctor with both of them after getting past “Old Man” MacGillis. We welcome all three, new to Uptown Kickball this season. Another new recruit, Peter “Don’t call it a comeback, been on the list for years” was stellar in his first showing. Also Erin shared a story with a fake happy ending and her fear of balls. And don’t expect Sarah to play, but she’s happy to cheer.

We forgot to take the group photo, but now have two video cameras shooting with Jefe adding to Stensby’s stellar production values. The team went to Country Bar for karaoke after lingering in the cool park and discussing the last party mishaps.

We’re just warming up for what promises to be a really fun season. I’m going to need a better camera.

*self-described on Uptown Kickball’s Facebook page

School’s out for summer

Tomorrow is the last day of Pablo’s pre-school. I don’t know how we’re going to handle it. I am scrambling to get a few things done before I know I can’t.
This is what he and his classmates want to do this summer:

And today was red, white and blue day at school. At least one other parent participated with me this time. (Baby steps.) Another parent said she heard about me in the robe and jammies and was sorry she missed it. I said, there’s always the blog.

But what do I want to do this summer? Let’s look at what’s coming up on the iCal.
Brewers/Twins, kickball (!), Houghton BBQs, our new BBQ space, Grand Old Day, concerts (some of my fave bands), 10 Second Film Festival (entering a few Bright Asides) dodgeball, Books & Bars, Liz and Turf’s wedding in Oak Park, St. Paul Saints, park playdates, Prior Lake, and my first (not the year obviously) high school reunion in Milwaukee. Hopefully we’ll fit another weekend getaway from Pablo and Doodles in the schedule, too.

This past weekend we attended the LynLake Festival and Art-A-Whirl and then the LynLake Festival again. Not the most economical planning, but at least we live near LynLake. I got to hear local buzz band, Solid Gold, whilst the boys loved the Strider bike race set up in the middle of Lyndale…

…so much so that we bought a couple used Striders the next day.

Swimming pools, squirt guns, and watermelon on tap for today.
What about you and your summer? Hope to see you outside soon.

Terminator: Will you care?

Terminator: Salvation has awesome action sequences, but when they stop, the clunky acting and directing (McG) is a go. Christian Bale is extremely unlikable in the lead and Anton Yelchin appears to be doing a bad Bale impression since he plays his teenage father (time travel complications). Bryce Dallas Howard is wasted, but the jury is still out on whether she has ever lived up to her hype. At its best it recalls the vehicular action of The Road Warrior. The new Terminators are really eye catching and a few of the thrilling set pieces are first rate, but by the final act there’s a been-there- done-that-who-cares feeling which prevails on leaving the theater. See it for Sam Worthington, the special effects, if interested in bombastic action and the series in general. But if you’re already not sure you care, this won’t change your mind. It’s numbing entertainment for the summertime, but pretty bleak, dark and grittier than the last couple in the series. We all know Everyone Poops and in summer blockbusters Everything Blows-up. Missing the fun and humor, it’ll give you less a reason to return.

Grade: McB

Bright Bits

A reason to support non-commercial public television –
Apropos of nothing, Doodles exclaimed:
“Don’t just clean it. OxiClean it!”

Instead of birthday cakes for kids, you should just give them a cup of birthday frosting. It’s all mine eat. Do yours have their cake and then actually eat it too?

Whip-crackin’ Fun

Incessant Giggles

Not Your Mother’s Jane Austen

Seth Grahame-Smith chatted with Books & Bars via Skype video. It was our first video chat with an author and a rousing success we hope to repeat soon. A movie screen on stage held his image while we sat in the theater with a couple microphones to ask him questions. He could see us as though he was sitting towards the back of the theater and also see his own image the movie screen. We discussed his smash hit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which pokes broader fun at the social changes taking place in Jane Austen’s classic, and his other projects for about 45 minutes. Then had time to have our regular discussion without him (another 45 min), making for a good balance. Seth was thoroughly engaging and entertaining, even breaking some secret scoops for us. Topics included the process of writing a mash-up, late night humor, how anything + ninjas = awesome, the drunken washwoman defense, zombies as a metaphor (marriage, etc.), and much more. I’ll let you see for yourselves from the two 8-minute video clips. If you had a particular question you were wondering about, ask me, we may’ve gotten an answer.

Part 1

Part 2

Next month join us for non-fiction (!): June 9th we cover Bonk: the Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach.
at Bryant-Lake Bowl