Pernice Brothers at the Empty Bottle, a review

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When I got down to Chicago last night, Jake informed me that the Pernice Brothers were playing at the Empty Bottle, and he was going. Despite having a friend in town, I chose to go to the show. This is a rarity – as a rule, I hate going to see live music. I have to stand, everyone is posing about, it’s smoky, and my ears hurt.

So that’s how much I was excited about seeing the Pernice Brothers. They were great, even though they didn’t play my favorite song “Our Time Has Passed”. Dino and Jake yelled it between songs, but alas.

Joe Pernice looks a lot like Joe Lindemann, my dad’s friend from up the road.

I can thank C-ris Weber for introducing me to this song. He put together a random sampling of what he had been listening to, back in 2003, and “Our Time Has Passed” was one of the best. The best, of course, was “Canyon Ride” by the Beachwood Sparks.

He sent me a new bunch of songs, a few months ago, and I’m now very unselfishly going to release the new blow-your-ass-out-your-ass list. Don’t ever say I didn’t do nuthin’ for you.

1) Arcade Fire–Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
2) Ben Harper with the Blind Boys of Alabama–Picture of Jesus or Church on Time
3) Bright Eyes–At the Bottom of Everything or We are Nowhere and It’s Now
4) Broken Social Scene–Stars and Sons
5) Cub Country–Be Yer Own Hitman
6) Damien Rice–the Blower’s Daughter or Cold Water
7) Decemberists–We Both Go Down Together
8) Dolorean–Jenny Place your Bets
9) Ed Harcourt–Kids (Rise from the Ashes) or Born in the 70’s
10) Elefant–Now that I miss you
11) Erin Mckeown–Blackbirds
12) Frou Frou–Must be Dreaming or Let Go
13) Helio Sequence–Repeater
14) Iron and Wine–Sunset Soon Forgotten
15) Joanna Newsom–Sadie
16) Josh Rouse–James or Love Vibration
17) Kashmir–The Aftermath or Petite Machine
18) Loretta Lynn–Portland Oregon or Van Lear Rose
19) Madeleine Peyroux–Don’t wait too long
20) Maritime–Sleep Around the Clock or James
21) Mason Jennings–Ballad of Paul and Shelia or Lemon Grove Avenue
(watch this last one–it will stick in your head for days)
22) Matt Pond PA–Kc
23) Nellie Mckay–Change the World or Baby Watch your Back
24) Now it’s Overhead–A Skeleton on Display
25) Phoenix–Everything is Everything
26) Rilo Kiley–Absence of God
27) Rufus Wainright–The one You Love
28) Son Volt–Windfall
29) Ted Leo and the Pharmacists–Walking to Do or Me and Mia
30) The Shins–Girl Inform Me or New Slang
31) Tom Mcrae–A Day like Today
32) Anything you find of the Voices on the Verge
33) David Mead–Nashville

You’d better enjoy this, or you’re not neat.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a review

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Last night I saw the abovementioned movie, with Jason.

The original movie leaves out a bunch of stuff from the book, so I was delighted when they created those scenes. As for actually getting in the factory, I began to feel disappointed. Johnny Depp was acting like Jim Carey from the Mask, capped teeth and all. The capped teeth thing actually leads to part of the story (albeit not in the book), so I soon got used to Depp’s particular style of creepy.

I particulary enjoyed the Oompa Loompas. I think it was the best part. Plus, they did the songs Dahl had written lyrics for in different musical styles, ala St. Ambrose’s production of James and the Giant Peach.

I’ll watch it again, I’m sure, but the original movie is still #1 to me.

Especially since they totally effed up the boat scene.

There’s no earthly way of knowing
Which direction they are going!
There’s no knowing where they’re rowing,
Or which way they river’s flowing!
Not a speck of light is showing,
So the danger must be growing,
For the rowers keep on rowing,
And they’re certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing…

I want to build a Stonehenge, Dad.

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Oh, my heart is singing with joy. As much as I shrug off mysticism and wicca (they’re neat, but not for me), I do get really excited about the mystery behind ancient structures. The pyramids are a good example. I think my favorite is Stonehenge.

BoingBoing, doing their job, reported a story about a man in Michigan who has figured out a way (possibly THE way) that ancient Britons could have created Stonehenge.

Stonehenge

Here’s a link to the page on Discovery.ca. It’s the last item on the page, and there’s a video of the story. It’s so cool!

The guy is a former construction worker with a penchance for moving heavy things. Sound like anyone familiar? His name is Wally Wallington, and he has his own website that I’m SURE I’ll be perusing for the rest of the day, as I figure out how moving heavy stuff can become part of my library science thesis.

This makes me want to build another rock wall on my parent’s farm. Or maybe a replica of the Easter Island thingies.

Easter Island

Sure, sure, now it works.

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Last night I couldn’t access any of the sites hosted on the server. Jason swore that he could view them. Who’s lying?

What I really wanted to do last night was post about finishing the sixth Harry Potter book, The Half-blood Prince. I was kind of book-sad, and I wanted to post about how nice it was that a book could make me feel geniunely sad, not just you-pulled-my-heartstrings-you-bastard sad (like ER).

But I guess I can’t really discuss the plot much, because not everyone has gotten their hands on the book yet. My noble sister is number fifty-something on the wait list at the Iowa City public library, and she works there.

I do want to say that I didn’t feel that this book was the darkest yet. There’s a lot more plot per page (seeing as it’s smaller than Order of the Phoenix), but it was straightfoward adventurelike.

Anyway, I’m over it. I’m back on the Infinite Jest teet.

I hate feeling yucky.

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I’m trying to find a place for the cat I have. I feel really yucky calling adoption places and asking them if they’re taking new animals.

To make myself feel better, here’s a picture of me dancing with Margot Kidder at the wedding I went to on Saturday.

IMG_7024

I invented a pocket monster … oh, wait.

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So during the roadtrip I decided to make a monster for Noah, who I would be seeing Austin. See for yourself what 17 straight hours in a car can make you do:

Here’s the monster studying Eugenics.
monster1

And after I gave the monster to Noah, it tragically attacked him in the car.
monster2

It turned him in to the actor that played Screech.

Exploits

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Whilst on vacation, in Philadephia, in a library-based used book store, I found this book. At first I thought it was another crappy sweater book, but I flipped it open anyway.

beastly

That’s when I fell in love. The book opened to a sweater featuring the visage of a badger. And it is called “Beastly Knits”.

I’ve vowed to knit a beastly badger sweater.

Happiness has never looked so bookish

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Half-blood prince

I’m about halfway through the sixth Harry Potter book. I preordered it from Amazon, and when I got home on Sunday night (from a massive 17-day vacation) it was waiting for me. Amazon had even made special boxes that fit the book perfectly, decorated in HP style.

I actually had to do work yesterday, so although I schlepped the book to work, I didn’t get a chance to read. Then, when I got home, I decided that if I started it I probably would forget to pick Jason up at the train station.

Then we played tennis until it got too dark to see.

So I didn’t start the book until last night around 9:30. I’d like to think this shows just how patient I can be. Last time, when Order of the Phoenix came out, I was at the downtown Chicago Borders at midnight, waiting in line with a bunch of kids. It was pretty cool, to see trains full of giant blue books in front of faces in every train on the way home, but I think I got a little too excited, and read the book entirely too fast.

So waiting until I was able to sit down with it properly did me good. I’m enjoying the book much more, and I think I’ll retain the details better.

I recently had a conversation with friends about the HP books. One friend mentioned that he thought that Harry wasn’t a good main character, because his adventures are concluded with either dumb luck or the help of his friends. In this sixth book, a character points out the same about Harry. So there you go, he isn’t a traditional hero. He’s a kid who’s managed to not get killed. Yet.

Here’s what I do like about this book: unlike the fifth book, where life went from normal to high terrorist alert, this book is post 9-11/Voldemort. Everyone realizes that the bad guy IS alive, so a lot of the frustrations of the kids knowing it but adults not listening isn’t there. I have to say, the whole “no one listens to kids because they can’t possibly know more than adults, but in reality they have discovered the secret/key/lair” thing really bothers me. Not the use of this concept in children’s literature, but more the concept in general. I find it incredibly frustrating. I hated that part about being a child, and it still irks me when I read about it.

Not that I knew any secrets that adults didn’t know (other than that spinning around in a circle is really really fun, but I think the Deadheads figured that out).

Now, if I can just finish up my work, I can get in a few more chapters of HP6.

Whoa baby.

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I can’t help it. Between seeing the picture and reading Stephanie’s post (on a different, secret blog) I had to steal it all and present it thusly:

stephanie

I’ve been playing a lot of Final Fantasy VIII this past week. … There’s nothing quite like getting kicked in the innards by an unborn human child while you control anime-style characters who are fighting enemies called Blobras and Creeps.