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October 31, 2005
On that list of stupid things...
Ok, I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year. Yes, it's punishing, but I haven't done any writing in so long it looks like the best possible way to get some done. I made it last year, might not make it this, but that's alright. Don't expect to see me often through the month of November. Sigh. I'll float some excerpts so you can see how I'm doing.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:08 PM | Comments (0)
What I learned about Meredith Monk on Saturday
1. She looks like Alanis Morrissette. (courtesy of Roddy)
2. Her music sounds great in concert but singers hate performing it. (courtesy of David)
3. It's deceptively simple music full of effects that make it sound like some electronic form. (Guess that's what makes her avant-garde.)
4. We shouldn't make fun of her because she might not be dead. (courtesy of Mike)
Posted by deaconmf at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2005
Narratives?
I've been reading "Our Lady of the Forest" by David Guterson. It's very impressionistic and keeps wandering from one character to another as we read various lifestories. It makes me suspect we actually create order out of our lives through the stories we tell. Are the stories real? Besides causal events, I doubt that they are. The stories tell more about us than they do about the events of our lives. Anybody else feel that way?
Posted by deaconmf at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2005
While waiting for Fitzmas...
Does anyone read the Borowitz Report? Today's one is damned funny.
http://www.borowitzreport.com/
Posted by deaconmf at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)
Washing the Streets of San Francisco
I love it when it rains here. I love the literal shit getting swept away and I love the cleaner streets even more. I love the drip off the hood of my raincoat as I walk through the streets. I love the swoosh of cars and buses passing by and the light tapping of the rain on the windows. I love the diffuse grey light and the wan colors. At least, I feel this way during the first rain of the season.
Only problem: is this the end of our Indian summer already?
Posted by deaconmf at 08:54 AM | Comments (1)
October 23, 2005
Sudokusai
A couple of weeks ago, one of the medical students showed me how do to sudoku. Damn him. I'm now doing it everyday. And stuck most of the time.
Posted by deaconmf at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2005
The Real King of the Gay Twinks...
Is Truman Capote! Has anyone seen his pictures lately? (Check out the one in the latest New Yorker.) At 21, he wouldn't have looked out of place at Daddy's during underwear night.
Posted by deaconmf at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)
A couple of notes on Tippi Hedren And The Birds
1. She still has that same patrician, emotionally even voice.
2. The movie seems very heavy-handed and emotionally confused because the characters don't seem to be drawn well, but I still enjoy it because the birds just keep coming for no reason at all.
3. Tippi Hedren seems better suited for playing pranksters than emotionally distressed women. Why didn't she do a comedy?
4. Miss Hedren looks great for her age. She also looks great for someone who was bitten on the back of the head by a lion.
Posted by deaconmf at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2005
New useful word
From today's SF Chronicle: The Japanese have a term - hikikomori - for teenagers who withdraw completely from social contact with others. (Usually refers to those kids who are completely enveloped in their little techworlds.)
Posted by deaconmf at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)
Wondering out loud...
I use the sun as my alarm clock. Does anyone else do that? Does that make me a luddite?
It isn't very effective this time of year, so does that make me foolhardy?
Posted by deaconmf at 10:08 AM | Comments (2)
October 18, 2005
Muni fashion tip #1
If you're a junkie, make sure your pants stay way above that nasty scar on your ass.
Posted by deaconmf at 10:39 AM | Comments (5)
October 16, 2005
Lit crawling
1. Watching people read from their literary journal pieces usually doesn't make great entertainment.
2. Music writers talking about music is generally more entertaining.
3. Beware of writers that love ZOSO and the occult.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)
The most beautiful airport at 3 AM
Went to the De Young last night. Waited almost 2 hours before deciding to just cut to the front of the line as so many others were doing. Spent about an hour running through the art of America, Africa and Oceania. A beautiful crowded building (hence the title), just not sure it was worth it because I was too tired to concentrate.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
Shiny things down on the farm.
Gotta love Melissa Hutton's artwork, especially the farm scenes. They look so mass produced, but mass-produced objects are usually not covered in successive layers of enamel to give the work an incredible sheen.
Check out her stuff at http://www.whatsoutwest.com/ .
Posted by deaconmf at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
Things that fascinate me
Blond men with curly hair.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Best Storm name ever!
Typhoon Longwang.
Posted by deaconmf at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)
Useful advice
Nobody needs more than one chili dog at a time.
Posted by deaconmf at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2005
Wrong! #2
Being very relieved my grandfather is so hard of hearing because he used to be so rude. Whew.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
Tootsie @ Dolores Park, 10/9/05
One of those amazing movies where the plot comes together beautifully with theme, where the actors are perfectly suited and the direction stay clear and clean. The ending still doesn't quite work, but it's still the second most insightful American sex comedy. Thanks to Miss C for the suggestion and to all my friends for showing up. I'm still full.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:07 PM | Comments (4)
October 06, 2005
Just wondering
Why aren't rulers in porn movies more often?
Posted by deaconmf at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)
October 04, 2005
Wondering if I should be pissed...
Here's a joke I heard online this morning:
Asian men are like parking, taken or handicapped.
It pissed me off. Should I be?
Posted by deaconmf at 10:59 AM | Comments (2)
October 03, 2005
Here's to Shallow #2
I've rejected people for having irritating voices or vocal ticks.
Posted by deaconmf at 03:48 PM | Comments (1)
Here's to Shallow
I think I'd date more if I were blind.
Posted by deaconmf at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
Thumbsucker @ The Embarcadero, 9/30/05
Sometimes, movies are about our deepest impulses expressed more meaningfully than we ever approach in life. When we have these moments, we fail to express exactly what we mean because we keep getting interrupted or we don't have the skills to express ourselves clearly or we don't have the time to think about the event as it occurs. Not all of Thumbsucker approaches that depth. But it does have Tilda Swinton saying what every mother must think when she knows her child is growing up and eventually leaving. It's devastating enough to hear Tilda say she's lonely even with a husband and family; it's worse when she knows her son is already gone. (Thanks for saying what I was thinking, Ms. C.)
My mother finally has all of her children out of her home and this protagonist probably will seem a lot like me. I'm not even mentioning this film to her. Maybe in a year or two when she has more grandchildren.
Posted by deaconmf at 01:25 PM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2005
New slogan
Miracles happen all the time; it's just not your turn.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
My Neighborhood
I was waiting for a bus last night and watched four drugged people wandering around. One of them tried to spit, but failed to get it out of his mouth and drooled on himself.
Posted by deaconmf at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)