Category Archives: true life 2009

Olafur Arnalds "Eulogy for Evolution"

Have you listened to Olafur Arnald?. When I had the passing delusion we’d be going to the Iceland Airwaves Festival in October, he was one of the artists I was curious to check out.

We aren’t going to the Festival this year, but in just a few weeks Samer is headed to Iceland to celebrate his 40th birthday.

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This morning, promo info for Arnald’s new album landed in my inbox. This seemed like a sign of some sort to me. Or possibly that was just because I haven’t had any coffee yet and my brain is still fuzzy from last night’s adventures with Tracy that included mint julips and a musical about our friend’s childhood misadventures with a monkey.

So, in honor of Samer’s impending trip, here’s “3055” by Olafur Arnalds. Leave me a note in the comments if the file misbehaves. I don’t know that I’ve done this right, but I’m going to blame the file if anything goes wrong…

Is this how I appear to children?

I popped into the Dairy Godmother earlier today to pick up a wand. You know, for a friend.

There were two little girls there. They were clutching their Harry Potter tomes and studying me intently while their mother was at the register. They kept nudging one another and whispering, as little girls are wont to do.

“You ask her.”
“No, you ask her.”
“No, you ask her.”

I finally smiled at them and said hello.

They stared at me in abject terror, then one of them blurted, “Are you evil?”

They seemed to think I was in costume. As Bellatrix Lestrange.

Their mother was mortified. I found it amusing.

To be fair, this has been going on in some form or another for years. Here’s an example from 2007:

“Bellatrix Lestrange”
November 27th, 2007 | 8:39 am | rebecca
tags: bellatrix lestrange, harry potter, helena bonham carter categories: true life 2007

People tell me I look like Helena Bonham Carter.

That would be well and fine, I suppose, but then they clarify that they mean Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange. So what they really seem to be saying is that I remind them of an insane serial killer, which makes me want to lean forward and hiss at them, “Well then maybe you shouldn’t be annoying me,” possibly while waving a pen as a wand and hissing curses.

Nodding and smiling is a more practical plan.

One of the women in the locker room yesterday was leaning more towards “Fight Club Helena,” as she kept calling her, but the others out-voted her. Fight Club Helena?

At least no one was voting for “Planet of the Apes Helena,” right? Then they clarified that I’m “the small version.” I didn’t know what that meant ’til I looked it up. Helena Bonham Carter appears to be carrying Rosemary’s baby. She is hugely pregnant. Makes much more sense now.

[read the whole post]

Ah well, time to go to the movies. Later, I’m going to get a haircut.

edited July 15, 2011 to relink & replace image

scrapbooking chimps

This morning I got out of bed, talked to Dr. Birdcage on the phone, drank a cup of coffee, and then went back to bed.

I dreamt that I woke up and walked into my living room and George was sitting there checking his email. This didn’t seem weird in the dream. Tracy, Roger, Rania and a few other people (can’t remember who) were doing something in the kitchen, though I have no idea what. There was a lot of whispering. Before I could investigate, George told me “we” were done converting the new office and showed me that my basement had become this very swank artomatic office with a big worktable in the middle. There were 4 chimpanzees wearing artomatic t-shirts and khaki shorts. They were intently scrapbooking.

Then I looked out the window and there was a fullsize trampoline in the back yard and Patrick was jumping up and down on it while intoning, “You’re gonna get hurt.”

Then I woke up and decided to drink more coffee and never sleep again. Ever.

(I blame some of this on Pepe the Mailorder Monkey)

Free Range Crazy, Knitting,

Oh my but do I have stories for you, kids. Right now, however, I have a headache, I need a shower, and I need to head to Artomatic for a manager’s shift. Artomatic is closed to the public now. Only participating artists are allowed in the building right now and they must show ID. Photo ID. Legal photo ID.

I finished the Sunkist Cardi today, after it dries and I sew the button on it I’ll post pictures. I don’t think I’ll take any knitting with me tonight. It’s too hectic to sit and knit while I manage and I really don’t think I should have sharp objects while I’m there. The temptation would just be too great. I’m pretty sure there are only so many times you can tell a grown man to get out of the dumpster before you completely lose it.

In the meantime, why don’t you check out the remarkable comments spawned by a post Ta-Nehsi Coates wrote about Mayo v Miracle Whip over at The Atlantic. It’s fun.

This is the end, my friends…

This is it, the last day of Artomatic 2009. By the 4th weekend we’d surpassed our previous visitor numbers. By the time this – our 6th, and final, weekend, began – we’d surpassed an attendance number the Board never thought possible. As soon as we release the numbers, I’ll post them.

In the meantime, you have 10 hours left to take in all of the sites, sounds, and, increasingly, smells, of Artomatic. When the event closes tonight there’s an after-party at Molly Malone’s. It’s not over ’til George Koch sings.

Then, you can get a couple day’s rest before Thursday night’s Capital Fringe Festival kickoff.