Due to a scheduling conflict, our company had its Cinco de Mayo party today. This means I'm not longer craving junk food, but I think I've also reached critical mass. There will be no need to eat for days. Blug.

Anyway, I've decided that the time has come to resurrect a time-honored tradition on this here blog - FRIDAY ROCKS! That's right - five videos featuring only the best music by the finest artists, all centered around a theme of my choosing. Given the occasion, I've decided to go with Mexican and Mexican-American musicians. It's not just flamenco and mariachis, kids! Enjoy!

Rodrigo y Gabriella


Los Lobos


Rage Against the Machine (via Zach de la Rocha)


Santana


Joan Baez (with Bob Dylan - he gets a pass today)

You can all blame onceupon for this. She posted an entry featuring the whole, "What seven songs are you listening to right now?" meme, and invited anyone to participate. Anyone who's read this journal long enough knows that I see this as an excuse to geek, so you're stuck with this on your flist. Again, it's not voluntary! I was coerced!

All songs listed feature commentary and a video, each behind a cut to spare your flists. If anyone else wants to participate, feel free to rock it. Yeah.

Seven Songs

As already noted by cammila_radio, last night was company bowling night. Despite not having bowled since elementary school, I didn't completely embarrass myself. Which isn't to say that my score wasn't abysmal, but at least I hit some of the pins some of the time. On the whole, it was a very pleasurable time, marred only by the aforementioned hip problem. I think I pulled the muscle again when I went to leave the lane; my shoes grabbed the wood floor, I pivoted on the joint instead of properly spinning around, and...ow. I was limping pretty heavily that night and today, but this evening I figured out that it is indeed a muscular problem and not a joint one. That's fine - I can deal with muscle pain. I did some stretching, so hopefully that will help.

It had better, anyway. Even with just two days out of commission, I'm really feeling a need to get back to using the kettlebell. At the risk of making my blog sound like it has some sort of endorsement deal, I just want to say that it's unlike any other workout I've experienced, and I mean that in a good way. It's taken me only a few days to feel stronger, more energetic, and even leaner. My body's strange propensity for building muscle at a stupid fast rate is benefiting quite a bit from this too, which is all the more reason to keep going. I think I'll give it a gentle try tomorrow, or at the very least do the stuff that doesn't involve my hips and legs that much.

There's a little more news I could write about, but I'm still kind of tired (I've been tired ever since this whole hip thing happened) so I'll wrap it up for tonight.

Though I suppose I should mention that thanks to a conversation with ericadams, I now have over two hours of the stock production music used on the Ren and Stimpy show. (So if any of you are making films...) All I need now is a decent Raymond Scott CD, an extra iPod and some mini speakers to make my dream of a soundtracked life complete.

Spring is here, and I'm in the mood to do some more cube decorating. Consequently, I've been looking for band posters, as I'm now settled enough in my environment to admit that I'm a shameless Zeppelin and Aerosmith fangirl. I've already decided on this Zeppelin poster; I've always liked that shot of the band, but what really seals it for me is Plant standing there, relaxed in his good-natured young lion arrogance, sporting a smirk that clearly says "Dis mah jet," in early macro speak. It's charming, and it's made all the more so by Page standing there, with his look clearly saying, "Robert, please! We are serious musicians, wholly dedicated to our craft in ways that mere mortals can never understand! At least try to look the part. Here, like me and JP - hands on hips, and...would someone get Bonzo on board, please? The cameraman's waving at us."

Or maybe I read too much into these things.

I was pleased to see that the Zep poster is a decent price (after all, it's only cube art), but I'm having a bit more difficulty with the Aerosmith posters, as all the decent ones are on the pricey side. (I really like this one, for example, but it seems a bit much to pay $16 plus shipping for something that's probably going to end up with pins in it.) It's a shame - the Nine Lives album was what first piqued my interest in the band - but I don't know if it would make sense to pay that much for it. Something to save for, perhaps?

And once that's bought, I think I'll have to get an Eddie Izzard poster, all because of this routine (thanks to calysto):

I learned about this really intriguing project (called a "collaborative online world" by the creator), and it's really got me itching to, well, roleplay. (Gary Gygax, God rest his soul.) In what is best described as "Ye Olde Backe In The Daye," I used to play mainly the goodie goodie types, like clerics. I'm good at it, since it's basically an extension of my good side. But I feel like trying something new these days - not necessarily a bad character, but not a particularly good one. I'm thinking some sort of good-natured outlaw - some sort of petty (or maybe not so petty) criminal who just happens to be in possession of magical abilities/powers. theycallmeboy is a busy man these days, what with work and plenty of his own projects, but I would love to somehow get him involved. Last time he was here, we tossed around some ideas about hilarious, but not inept, partners in crime and in love. Should Shayara be open to general players either now or later, I think it would be a great way to give some of our ideas a place to play.

But there's one problem. The world of Shayara seems a fairly formal, straightforward, serious place. And no matter how many scenarios I run in my head, I can't help but think that our characters' devious dealings would go down something like this:



Except with no guns. Or cars. Or baby. There would be magic, though. And witty banter, especially. You can always count on us for that.

So I'm thinking of getting involved in this organization in some capacity. I'd love to volunteer or teach a workshop, except for one one very important problem.

I have no idea what I'd teach, because when it comes to writing, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I know I can write, but it's never been a process or a craft for me. Really good writing, the sort that makes me look back and go, "What? I wrote that? How the hell did that happen?" is more of an event than anything else. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it's awesome.

Anyway, I'm having trouble figuring out the good and/or unique points about my writing, and I doubt that a workshop entitled, "Better Writing Through Natural Chemical Enhancement¹" would go over very well.

This will have to be investigated further. There may be a repeat post tomorrow.



¹ I would just like to state that I do not condone the use of drugs, nor do I advocate the use of drugs while writing.

Caffeine is not a drug. It's the Higher Power's way of rousing its minions without having to resort to this. Be thankful, and don't argue.

So I'm listening to Pandora, and a U2 song comes on that I've never heard before. How do I know it's U2? Because I hear the guitar solo, and I recognize The Edge's guitar sound. It's so distinctive, and...

...and that's when I realize something. I don't know The Edge's guitar from the sound. I know it from the color. I see it before I hear it.

The Edge's guitar playing looks like teal light.

And once again, it's just another day in the life of a strange, silly girl. With mutant powers.

...but I must have supposed that I'd go through life never meeting a fellow sound -> color synaesthesiac. (I'm enough of a music geek that I want to call us "Sound and Vision," but I don't feel like getting my ass sued by David Bowie.) That's what made meeting co-worker hearingincolor so fortuitous; not only does she have the same sense of humor and musical taste as me, but she also understands what I'm talking about if I go on and on about what music looks like. It's made me feel a bit less isolated, and that's always a good thing.

The curious can see us talking shop here.

Waaaaay back in April, I made a post based on a crazy idea I had for a comic or cartoon series in which Led Zeppelin, in addition to being bad ass rock stars, also use their incredible skills, wealth and influence to fight crime around the world. No one cared at the time, but given the circumstances, I'm hoping to resurrect the idea.

Click here for the origins story, fankids!

I'm thinking Robert would be the leader, Jimmy would be the mystic/magic user, John Paul would be the technical whiz and Bonham would be the muscle. ("Bonham SMASH!") I had a girl at work ROLLING about this premise at lunch today, and soon were were bringing in all sorts of other characters, all of them (with the exception of those who belonged to the shadowy super villain organization known only as The MAN) being rock stars. We think Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd needs to make an appearance, as well as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jarvis Cocker and Aerosmith. I could go on, really.

I was so bummed when no one responded last time. I really wanted to see what sort of art people would come up with.

Ok, so if I may say this without coming across as a pretentious wanker or a twitchy LOLkid, this weekend was made of win. I don't know if it was luck or karma what did it, but everything that could go right did, right down to the stuff that a majority of people would find inconsequential but was very, very important to me.

It started with my volunteer stint at Rockin' for the Hungry. I could only stay for an hour or two, and I wasn't sure what I could contribute. I was happy to hand out flyers and somewhat grateful that they didn't immediately assign me to loading detail, only because I wasn't sure about my ability to hoist heavy bags up into a truck¹. They had me doing a little of that for a while, and I had a moderate amount of success; some people took the flyers, and some said "no, thank you," but ALL of them listened and looked at me. This was actually a bit of a shock, as I'm used to living in a place where people see activists as entities to actively ignore, if not verbally harass with a rousing, "Get the fuck out my way." But my real success came a bit later, when I walked over to the info table to get some hot chocolate. There was a box of complementary CDs (provided by the Ann Arbor-based Borders Books and Music) for people who were kind enough to donate to the cause. One poor schmuck was looking through the box and made the always fatal error of looking at me and saying, "So, got anything good in here?"

Five minutes of lengthy discussion, demographic analysis and psychological profiling later, the donor was walking away with a lovingly assigned CD and I had been given a new purpose - music guru. Finally, my music geekery is applicable to charity work, and I no longer feel as guilty for not having ridiculous amounts of money or mad fundraising skills. Eventually I had to go back home, but I was still pleased with myself. It was only going to get better.

Next stop was the nearest Jo-Ann Fabrics to find fleece remnants for to make the Insta-Scarves. I was prepared to pay $12 or $13 for the stuff, as I'd grabbed four remnant bundles of varying sizes and prices. However, there was a 50 percent discount on that fabric in general, with an additional 75 percent off because they were remnants. Final price? $2.65. I'll be able to make about eight scarves with what I got, from what I can tell. I may have to go back there and get more of the stuff, just because I'm grooving on the fact that I can make something really useful without having to know how to sew. This would, of course, mean I'd end up making them over next weekend, so I need someone to talk me out of this right now because I have to Clean My Apartment Like Woah. Otherwise my boyfriend is going to know think that I exist in cluttered, disorganized chaos and that I can't keep a household neat and tidy to save my life, soul or something of equal importance, like my David Bowie records.

So what else happened? Well, the $50 gift certificate from Borders that our company gave us for the holidays, combined with a Borders Rewards card, saved me a crapload on Christmas gifts, I found a bunch of awesome postcards at an antique store that I can use for my project, and I finally found out where Trader Joe's is located here in town, so I now have a brand new money sink to replace the old one I was forced to leave behind when I moved. They'll know me on sight in a month, you mark my words.

God, I fucking love Ann Arbor. I'm starting to think it loves me, too.

¹I'm supposed to avoid the "heavy objects above shoulder height" thing because of my loose and not-so-charmingly spontaneous joints, but I usually just keep my mouth shut and do it anyway because I don't want to come across as a whiny, prissy, spoiled bratlet who's afraid of getting her hands dirty. Dad wouldn't stand for it, for one thing, and I figure that if something were to happen and I was left in screaming, nauseating agony, I could at least make the most of it and try to break my own record of four hours with no fixes or examinations by medical professionals.

I'm all sorts of sleepy, and yet I feel a need to update. Addict much?

First and foremost, I am thrilled to bits to announce that theycallmeboy overcame all sorts of obstacles to complete a short film for the Film Racing Grand Prix. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I need heavier music am extremely proud of him for making this happen, come hell or high water. You can get an exclusive behind-the-scenes play-by-play here, and you can watch (and vote on) his film here. He's so getting fancy dinners and baked goods when he arrives. And I need to do something to thank his friend Mark and Mark's girlfriend, Jess, for helping out with the shoot. I'll need cookies that can survive a flight in a box. It may be time to consult scorceseisgod.

cammila_radio write a review that she's very proud of right over here at the new All Movie blog. I work with cool people.

And me. What about me? Nothing much.

After little less than a week of nearly boundless energy that seemed to defy convention, logic and the need for food or sleep, I finally hit a wall today. I woke up sleepy, went to work sleepy, and answered the siren's call for meat in the form of a McDonald's lunch. I hate when it happens - me, the liberal-do-gooding-wannabe-hippie-carbon-footprint-reducing girl who is actively trying to avoid as much processed food as possible...was in line...in her car...for an extra value meal. It makes me feel vaguely guilty and slimy, even though I know such feelings are basically unwarranted. I've gone there a grand total of twice (including today) since I moved here; I'm hardly clogging my arteries, killing the planet and waddling around like a shambling ball of sentient dough or anything. And yet, the guilt. I mean, what if Michael Moore showed up out of the blue and remembered me? What then? He'd probably make me give my book back or something.¹ That would suck.

In the event that the postcard project ends up not working out (which it probably won't, as I've found, like, three postcards in my possession that pack any sort of emotional punch), I managed to secure what I think is a pretty cool axillary backup gift for my Boy. How cool, you ask? Cool enough that I almost bought it for myself. It's part of a private collection that one of my editors is selling piecemeal; I also picked up some stuff for my dad and teaandbitchery that they will hopefully enjoy. I need to go Christmas shopping; it's kind of scary how fast this is all coming up. Damn.

I've only heard back from isilrandir about participating in the veterans charity drive thing so far. I don't know how much participation (if any) is going on among the employees, so per usual I am feeling the urge to Step In And Take Care Of The Matter. It's a weird personality quick that I've been discussing with Boy lately; basically, I have a streak in me that takes over when it appears that a task is not going to be completed by others. It isn't a blame thing - I don't play the martyr, and I give people the benefit of the doubt - I just roll up my sleeves and take on the task as if it's been handed to me personally to complete. This means there will be much fleece purchased and Insta-scarves made, no doubt. I can pick some up on Saturday after I'm done volunteering for this event. I've wanted to be involved with this organization for a while, and as much as I hate the cold (ironically, with the intensity of a thousand suns), I figure that I shouldn't be a damn baby about standing around in the cold if it means helping people who have to deal with hunger every day of the year. If I can't handle 90 minutes in 30 degree weather to raise money, food donations and community awareness about hunger (or, as our government calls it, "food insecurity") in our area, I shouldn't even consider calling myself a good citizen.

And just like that, "One" comes up on my playlist. ;)

I think it's time for bed.

¹ Click the link and look at the second bullet point. I was there that night, and I remember the debate well. There was lots of cheering when the final name was announced, and we were all excited because we helped make a collective decision about a movie. Later, during the Q&A, I used my amazing "I've been to concerts and I know how this shit goes" skills to convince shadownex that if we wanted our copies of Stupid White Men to get signed, we'd do well to leave the auditorium and get in line immediately out in the lobby. My instincts paid off - she and I were some of the first people, and possibly THE first, to get our books autographed. It was an awesome moment, but has led me to suffer from a certain degree of Mooreophobia, defined as the irrational belief that every time you do something that goes against your generally progressive beliefs, Michael Moore will see you, remember you, take away your Bleeding Heart Liberal card and demand that you relinquish your copy of his book. I still feel a twinge of paranoia when I turn on the one remaining lamp in my house that harbors an incandescent bulb.

ETA: OH MY GOD, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING TO INFURIATE MY MOTHER AT CHRISTMAS.



(Thanks be to piemancer)

...we have curtains.



Ridiculous as it sounds, I'm very excited about this development. Heaven knows that I've needed the things for weeks now, if not months, and now my saintly, long-suffering neighbor has helped me to make them a reality. I want to do something for him in return - he always says I don't need to, but I feel bad about his helping me carry and assemble things and not showing him that I appreciate the favor. I know it's the whole Southern Gentleman thing he has going on, but still. I don't want him to think that I'm the helpless damsel in distress, and making something for him might (might) help dispel that notion a bit. To that end, I think it's time to bust out the yogurt maker my mom gave me. I'm thinking he might like some frozen yogurt with dark chocolate and peppermint bits. (Good thing I have that hammer!) I'm going to run out and buy yogurt making ingredients now - I'll start with a batch for myself to test, then make more later in the week for him. It'll be good practice for when the Boy comes in.

Speaking of Boy, I'm still looking for help making this little project a reality, so check it out. (Honey, if you're reading this, do NOT look. I want it to be a surprise.)

Ok - time to get into some acceptable clothes and put my hair up so I can get started with this yogurt makin' thing. Wish me luck and stuff!

So, because I Am Geek, I decided to take this test and see what happened. I must say that the answer is rather appropriate.

Link: The RPG Class Test written by MFlowers on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

More geek-type knowledge here.

God, this makes me want to game again. My boyfriend must never know how psyched I was to get this result.

I was talking to trytobegood yesterday, and she said that theycallmeboy should make a film about the past four years of his life. We started talking casting and decided that the current Dr. Who should play my Boy. trytobegood wanted to be portrayed by Janeane Garofolo.

I have no idea who would play me (if I were to appear).

Even though it's silly of me to even think about something like that, I can't help but turn it over in my head. I've pondered it ever since college, when one of my professors related the story of how one of her books was almost turned into a film. (She eventually decided not to sell the rights due to the studio basically wanting all rights to the book, i.e. she would have no say in how they interpreted her material.) She jokingly told us that we should all keep a mental roster of actors in mind in case we ever encountered a similar situation. At the time, I didn't think myself particularly worthy of emulation, so I didn't really give it much thought. Now I'm all sorts of curious. Figures.

Got any ideas, guys?

Then again, I could always be played by a computer monitor and a voice on the phone...

I was bopping around YouTube tonight, one thing led to another, and...yes. Total rock, kids.

First, we have a project involving John Lennon and Trent Reznor.




Next is this one. Given that most everyone I know from Northeast Ohio is a Zeppelin fan, and most of the people I know from the southern half of the state are Sabbath fans, I think Ohio should chuck "Hang On Sloopy" (the current official rock song) and slot in this mashup instead. Wizards vs. Iron Men. The battleground? Columbus.



If I ever find myself wandering alone around a major international city late at night (I'm thinking Tokyo, Nagoya, Dublin or London), this is the song I want playing on my iPod.



Last but not least, there's this. I was jokingly searching for a mashup that would provide a musical "illustration" of my relationship. Amazingly, I found it. (And if anyone can find me an MP3 of this that they'd be willing to send along, that would be AWESOME.)

OH MY GOD. I remember seeing this video back in college; it was on one of the many tapes that shadownex and I managed to acquire through study abroad trips. I think the first time I saw it, I just sat in stunned silence for about five minutes afterward as my brain slowly repaired the parts of itself that had exploded in fiery rebellion after futile attempts to figure out just what the fucking fuck was going on. Because seriously - saving the world through rock and the strategic use of perennials? What? What? WHAT?!

And this isn't a promo for an anime or some fanvid, kids. This is the real deal. They actually used this to promote a single. I'm thinking there must be some sort of cultural disconnect, because the second time I watched the thing, I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Because...

Oh, I can't do it justice. Just...watch the clip:



You will note, however, that it's my favorite band member who kicks the most ass. Shit, he takes out 3/4 of the remaining band members. Go forth and conquer, my short, pink-tressed rock idol!

I think these two screen shots came out best:





And all of that said, I still love this band. And the song. And...shit, I love the video, too. Don't want to readily admit it, but I do.

Can't let the office know about this, not to mention Boy. I'd lose all credibility or something.

Ah, so THAT'S how they do it. I may have to look into finding something like that, as December is getting closer and closer. I owe Boy one nice dinner at a cool restaurant, and I wanna look damn good when the time comes.

Another eHow article what I wrote, this time on how to make a perfect cup of French Press coffee. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Go. Read. Learn.

One of the cool things about my job is that I'm now allowed to geek and research music to my heart's content. What with the possibility that I may become one of, if not the, point person when it comes to Japanese rock music, I'm getting all sorts of obsessed with hide and X Japan again. (Their getting back together again is only making the syndrome worse.) So now, you get links to videos. See how everyone wins?

( Cut for geekage. )

In other news, Boy is still looking for work, still trying to do anything to get his name out there so he can actually do what he wants to do for a living. I continue to flap uselessly about it, so I really have no idea who to contact or what to do. Case in point - he's pondering entering this contest, and I want to tell him to go for it. Thing is, there's a $35 entrance fee, and money is tight for both of us (thought obviously tighter for him). I'm thinking that I'll offer to pay the entrance fee for him, then make the money back via freelance jobs. I'm getting some leads in that direction, and I've already made...12 cents over at eHow. Joy. Well, there's always Helium, neh?

Oh man, now I'm mixing Japanese and English. Broke, geeky and multi-lingual - it really is like college all over again.

So far, it looks like a grand total of 4 people have subscribed to allmusicblog here on LiveJournal. (I'm not one of them.) That's not bad, given that the blog has only existed for a couple of weeks now.

I have no idea who made the syndication for it - if it was one of you guys, I'd like to thank you muchly.

Ok, so I think I need to post this, just because it's amusing me.

( It all started at Electric Picnic... )

Anyway, since then, that song has been following me everywhere. They're playing it now on RTE 2, they played it last night on the The Hibernian Connection, of all shows, Thin Lizzy was the featured artist over at Wolfgang's Vault last week...you get the idea.

Man, I liked that song before, but now...oh dear.

I'm normally not the biggest fan of electronica, but damn if this song isn't just perfect for the day. (You'll hear why about two minutes in.) Mercifully, it's pretty catchy too.




(Thanks to zarq for the intro to this artist.)

Why yes, I can find a song to fit any occasion.* Your point?



*It's part of my secret fantasy of being one of those people who figures out what popular music to put on movie soundtracks. Yes, I KNOW.