This isn't Shakespeare, this isn't news/ It's just my thoughts on music and booze/ Read if you dare, leave if you must/ Though you'll miss out on my musical lust/ Depart and go on your own merry way/ But much is offered, should you choose to stay.
Had a pretty good evening. Went out with a friend to get a beer, then watched a couple of bad Sci-Fi movies. I was in the mood for them. First up was Ice Twisters. Didn't really fulfill my needs. Too scientific. Then came Sand Sharks. Much better! Weird animals where they shouldn't be, suddenly appearing and eating people... sometimes bloodily. That's the stuff.
The day started pretty well too. Began with some music. "Beautiful Freak" album by Eels. Nice and mellow.
I'm really ready to be employed again. Ready to have something that keeps me busy, and pays me money. And HEY! MAYBE, just MAYBE, I'll get a job where management aren't complete asshole prick douchebag shitheads.
Low point, last two days. But, working my way out of it.
Currently listening to Nine Inch Nails. Their "Year Zero" album, my favorite. So good. It's a concept album (a set of songs that express a particular idea or theme) that is set 15 years after the album's release, which was 2007. At that time, 2022 has been renamed "Year 0" by the government. Meaning the U.S. was reborn that year. Apparently there was a film adaptation of the album in the works, but nothing came of it.
My favorite song from the album is "My Violent Heart." I really like the contrast between the verse and the chorus.
So, I got ahold of the Grindhouse double-feature a while back. First film "Planet Terror" by Robert Rodriguez, second film "Death Proof" by Quentin Tarantino. I watched the first by itself, and quite liked it. I really liked Michael Biehn in it. His mannerism and timing is just great. Had me laughing. And the relationship between him and his brother, played by Jeff Fahey, was a good addition. I also really liked seeing Freddy Rodriguez in a leading role in a movie, after watching him in the Six Feet Under TV show.
Then there's the "Death Proof" movie. It starts out slow, with 3 rather attractive chicks driving around talking about guys, but then it picks up. The second half of the movie features Zoë Bell, whom I've come to love. She's Uma Thurman's stunt double in the Kill Bill movies, has a brief role in The Hateful Eight, and is a derby girl in Whip It. She was great in Death Proof! She probably had the greatest line. Very tense moment, and she pops up with a peppy comment.
I think I can say that the car chases in Death Proof are some of the best I've seen.
Tape Face! He's made it to the Live shows, and his first Live show was pretty great. Here y'go...
I loved it. As soon as the second pair of sunglasses came out, I said out loud, "PLEASE do Peter Gunn!" and I wasn't disappointed. He's my odd act. He's why I watch the show. The dancers come out, and you expect them to dance. And they do. Singers come out, and sing. Tape Face... Who the hell knows!? Excellence. And it's so simple! His act is so simple that it can't go wrong. No wrong step, no bad note. Just incredible imagination. Fantastic.
Really wanting a new tattoo. Looking for my sixth. I have a few options, but again, a lack of income. Really wanting something to cover my upper left arm. Or the Elbow cube, between my shoulder blades at the base of my neck. I think that one holds a lot of meaning for me.
Short on words tonight, other than the above. More soon, perhaps. Bye bye.
Greetings. Since I've last posted, SO MUCH has happened!.... No, not really.
Summer continues. The kid went to camp, spent all week there this time. Ruled the roost, apparently.
Family vacation took place. Three days, two nights. It was nice. The zoo we went to was friggen hot. Humid, with no breeze whatsoever. The animals we never saw were obviously seeking shelter. But I really enjoyed later camping along a small river, with a spring feeding it from a hundred yards or so upstream.
Then, once home from vacation, I took another 2-day road trip to assist someone in the acquiring of vinyl records - and stands - for his up-and-coming record store. The first half of the trip was fun, the next day's acquiring of the records was fulfilling, and then... I guess we just wanted to get back home. A rather long and quiet trip back.
I remain unemployed. My last attempt resulted in "we only have part-time, at minimum wage"... Doesn't work with our budget. So I'll start actively looking again next month, and hopefully find something the pays decent and starts about the same time the kid starts school, and is something similar to school hours. Wish me luck, I'll need it...
My summer continues. It got hot quickly this year, up in the 90s by the 2nd week of June. We were hoping to hold off as long as possible on putting the air conditioning window units in, but that just didn't happen.
Unfortunate news... Our beloved cat, Vigo, will be leaving us. No matter our efforts, he is set on getting outside as often as possible. There are fleas outside. Well, mostly outside... Anyway, hopefully he goes to another loving home and we get ours cleared of pests.
I just wish I could turn all our little "guests" into one large Flea...
...And the rest of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are welcome to set up shop here as well, of course...
A few weeks ago, I looked into more Stoner Rock bands. Basically anything Joshua Homme has done has been, or at least included, Stoner Rock. Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age... So I wanted to find more. And I found Atomic Bitchwax. Well right away, the name had me. Loved it. I'm listening to it now, their Gravitron album, which is their most recent, released last year. I'm enjoying it. Though, they seem to have a bit of a faster tempo than the usual Stoner Rock. No matter, still good.
I may be switching back to my rum & colas. I'm not sure if the Stonewalls I've been drinking for some time now are actually better for me or not, so I'm opting for the cheaper route.
Ah now on to Arctic Monkeys. They're a good go-to when you're not sure what to listen to.
There's a bit of a chance we'll be relocating... majorly. Over 22 hours' drive worth of relocating. To a place that's half our town's population, and... in the desert. I don't handle heat well. People say that a "dry heat" is better than humidity. I'm not arguing, I'm just saying heat is heat. It's more difficult to escape heat than it is cold.
But then I thought... I'm always looking for something new. While it's not necessarily my first choice, it's still something new! I have a select few people I interact with regularly that I'll be heartbroken to leave behind, but I'm not exactly drowning in friends.
There IS a brewery there whose best seller is a red ale, so I know where I'll be spending a lot of my free time. AND another one about an hour away, bordering a lake.
Now for some throwback. Eve 6. Their self-titled.
I started another art project the other night. Rather than continuing with the Gotham Gals oil paint, I started a chalk portrait of Illyria from the tv show Angel. She makes her appearance in the final season. I've always been drawn to her blue hue... Her hair, her eyes, her lips... and the character that accompanies these attributes. And I feel like the desire to capture it in a portrait has recently reached a peak, so I obeyed my desire.
Also, I think I figured out why I prefer using oil paint on canvas over using pastels. It's more precise. If I need a sharper line, I can get a smaller, finer brush. You can't really do that with chalk. Sure, pastel is easier to fix, but I found oil paint to have a better finished product.
Oh! Right! MUST mention this! We watch America's Got Talent, and I think my favorite act of the year showed himself in the first one or two episodes. Tape Face! I always go for the "odd" acts. There are plenty of competitive shows for singers and dancers. Even magicians and stand-up comedians have a type-specific show they can try for (though I have a soft spot for comedians). But the odd acts! Like Uzeyer last year! And this year, Tape Face! Here...
If you don't like the first part, just hang in there for the second. It's great. I can't wait to see more of him. Very creative, imaginative.
Apparently I have quite a bit to say tonight.
Now listening to Fun. Another good go-to. Their style is different. But excellent.
Alright, I'm gonna call it a night. Gotta get up somewhat early for the kid's dentist appointment.
May your summer be a "dry heat" and your air conditioned.
Today was my last day of work. Yesterday was the kids' final school day, today was an in-service day, and once I left the school at 3:30, I was no longer employed by the public school district. Turned in my I.D. and key as I walked out. Luckily to the secretary, with whom I've had a good relationship with, as opposed to the principal. It's been a bittersweet couple of days. Saying goodbye to the kids the first day, and then my coworkers the second.
Tonight I watched Dangerous Liaisons. If you've seen Cruel Intentions, you'll follow it pretty well. Cruel Intentions was a modern take on the former movie, and both are an adaptation of a novel. Dangerous Liaisons, released in 1988, has John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Uma Thurman, and Michelle Pfeiffer in it. Also Swoosie Kurtz, who is in the remake, and... sigh... Keanu Reeves. This is the second movie I've seen him in where he's in a role that doesn't fit him. The first was Dracula, with Gary Oldman. I don't agree with Keanu being in historical-type movies. He's a modern-day guy. Maybe I'm missing something that the people in show biz see. I dunno.
(Those two paragraphs were from two nights ago. The following is from the now.)
Today I watched another Glenn Close movie. Albert Nobbs was made in 2011 and it features Close in 19th Century Ireland, posing as a man just to hold employment. I enjoyed it. Close played a big part in getting the story on film, as well. In addition to playing the titular character, she's also credited as a screenwriter and a producer.
My garden is fairing well. Bit worried about some of my tomato plants. Couple of them have been growing every which-way, it seems. I'm afraid to straighten them to attach them to a stake, and that's a ligit fear, because today while attempting that very thing, I broke off a rather large branch of a plant. Frustrating. This branch had buds on it, too! Erg.
Finished my Harley Quinn oil painting about a week and a half ago. Here's the finished piece:
I'm pleased with how it turned out. I know I said I'd do Catwoman next, but it's been difficult figuring out how to portray her. So I may have found a way to do Poison Ivy instead, and I hope to get started soon.
Less than 3 weeks of school/work left. I'm rather glad.
Not sure what the summer's going to bring. The kid will have summer school and perhaps a week away at a camp (last year he only lasted one night) and maybe some other stuff. I'll be job hunting, of course, and cleaning around the house. Tending to our garden! I check on it and my potted stuff every morning before I leave and again when I get home. Hopefully we got rid of the rabbit problem by putting a fence up around the veggies.
My birthday weekend started this evening, even with having work tomorrow. It was kinda spur-of-the-moment, but those are worth the groggy mornings... ;)
