David Lynch 4 president

I've told you for a while now that I was going to post about gettting to hear David Lynch speak. Well, this is the post you've been waiting for.

On November 7th, David Lynch came to the University of Washington campus to talk about Transcendental Meditation (TM). Luckily, the entire night was not merely dedicated to this new-age babble.
The lecture actually opened with a question and answer period with the director himself. This allowed all of us fanboys to get those questions out of systems.
In fact, the first douche who asked a question asked something like, "How has being an Eagle Scout affected your life?"
If you're a fan, like me, then you know that when Wild at Heart premiered at Cannes in 1990, the director's bio read "Eagle Scout, Missoula, Montana". This, of course, has led to much mythologizing about the man himself, his normalcy, and his artwork. There's a great article over at the BFI with the same name. [article]
Listening to him talk is truly riveting. He waves his hands like a cross between a hypnotist and witch doctor. When asked where he came up with his idea for the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, he recounts the moment with attention to odd details. He and his editor had been editing the pilot all day in August and he went out to the parking lot. It was probably around 63 degrees (see what I mean about odd details) and the roofs of the cars were still warm. He put his hands on one of them and "it just came to [him]." That's what I love about Davy. He has no qualms with the fact that he imagined something and its his duty to make it happen. It doesn't matter if it has meaning or fits in with whatever type of story he's trying to tell.
Then he talked a little about TM and how it allows you to think bigger thoughts. Then he made an analogy to ideas being like fish and if you can think bigger ones, you can catch bigger ones.
The next part of the seminar included a physicist and a neurologist telling me why I should meditate. Apparently, there's this thing that is everything, and if you meditate, you get a better sense of what that thing is. Whether its a lepton or electromagnetism, its all that thing, man. And you can think about it. Whoa.

So to prove their point, they hooked this kid up to an EKG and forced him to meditate. "Meditate like you mean it," they chided. "No, really, use your mind," they yelled. And lo, and behold, his brain waves all started matching up (or something) and it was like that thing that's everything was in the room, and I saw him, dude. He was like Mohammad or Jesus or Buddha or Love. And, like Mr. Burns after his treatment, the whole lecture hall was full of peace.
Ok so those last two pragraphs are a little fabricated (not the part about the EKG, though), but really, if this shit is as great as the claim, then wouldn't they want to teach everyone the methods for FREE? If everyone meditating really could bring peace to the world (as they claim) would they really have to charge $5,000 to learn how to do it?
Speaking of the claims they made, I was pretty OK with them saying that TM could help drug addicts or people with ADD. But when they started talking about Senegal and how the crime rate went from 90% to close to 0%, my disbelief kicked in. Here's an article about that far-fetched claim. [article]
I did like everyone's conviction to their cause. I like that they want to open a College for Peace in Washington, D.C. I just didn't like feeling like I was trying to be sold something.
The lecture ended with David taking more audience questions but relating his answers more to TM. I should have brought my Blue Velvet screenplay or Lynch on Lynch book with me, but I didn't think I'd actually get to meet him. He stood around and signed autographs and talked to people after the lecture and I was kicking myself. I did manage to shake his hand and say something to the effect of, "Fire Walk with Me is the best film ever."
Remember how I said they gave out an audio CD of the event? Well, apparently, its a DVD. So I can't burn it and post it. However, if you live in the Seattle area, UWTV will be broadcasting the session here in Seattle December 1st-4th. Sorry, I don't have the times.
On the count of 3, everyone think about peace.
Ready?
1 . . .
2 . . .

Just to let you know

I'll be working on my template here for a while. I'm trying to get away from this cheesy Blogger template and actually do a smidge of my own style. So if you come to the site and everything's all wonky, don't say I didn't warn you. (Although, hopefully it will be a painless process.)

Update:

Its taken me an entire day, but I'm getting *very* close to unleashing the new format. I'm about to go crazy.

Update #2:

So here is the tenative format. Now I just need to fix all the colors and such. Plus I need to get that damn AdSense back up and put links to the Flickr pages. Ah well. That's what they're paying me for. Wait. That's not what they're paying me for? Then what the hell am I supposed to be doing?

Playing catch up

You'd think that I wouldn't be able to find time to post--seeing that I've been out of the vault since Wednesday. Given, I do have a lot of work, but there's just so much crap I want to share with you, that I thought I'd take the time to do so.

First of all, and this is really life-altering, you guys, so pay close attention--
Dale Cooper may return to the big screen. Mark Frost and David Lynch are apparently working on a screenplay. It won't be Twin Peaks oriented, but everyone's fave Special Agent may soon answer the question, "How's Annie?" [article]

More exciting David Lynch news--INLAND EMPIRE is, as they say, in the can. Now its just about tweaking and perfecting another David Lynch film--well, this one's acutally all on digital, but you get the point. Really exciting cast--the return of Laura Dern. Jeremy Irons who, in my opinion, is a great pairing with Lynch. Julia Ormond--who knew she was still around? And, the person I believe Lynch sees as himself, Justin Theroux. [article]

And I wouldn't be a fan-boy if I didn't at least mention that the Spike television movie is closer to being made. James Marsters to reprise his role as the titular character and the lovely Amy Acker to reprise her role as Ilyeria. (I still miss Fred!) [article]

Oh, and did you hear that Milo Ventimiglia of Gilmore Girls is going to play Rocky Balboa, Jr. in the sixth installment of the Rocky series. Seriously, six Rocky's? Hasn't Stallone gotten the clue that nobody really likes Rocky--or Rambo? I mean, given Dolph Lundgren looked pretty damn hot in Rocky III--but unless this new opponent is Alan Richtson, I'm not gonna see it. [article]

Wm. Steven Humphreys pretends like he likes Arrested Development more than me. Includes quotes from David Cross about the ineptitude of the Fox marketing team. [article]

In case you were wondering, depression rarely leads to murder. [article]

Also, cat poop causes schizophrenia. [article]

Oh, and hamsters get S.A.D., too. [article]

And now that you've waded through this entire post, you get the reward of my take on the movie version of Rent.

Structurally, its completely effed. Aurally, its a little too good. Visually, its pretty boring. As far as performances go, though, its pretty good. Jesse L. Martin, especially, as Tom Collins does a great job. I guess after all those performances, he really found Tom's soul. Santa Fe was generally one of the songs I skipped when listening to the soundtrack, but with his performance the song finally achieves the levity that is much needed in the first act. Idina Menzel is also great as Maureen. Rosario Dawson doesn't really get a chance to resonate as Mimi. Besides the fact that her range is nowhere near where it should be, you never really get a chance to understand why this group of people would find Mimi appealing. Her dancing in the "Out Tonight" number is pretty hot. So really, the movie is for fans of the operetta and it does an ok job in conveying the urgency and sincerity of the original material. The most favorable review I've read of it so far, comes from A.O. Scott at the New York Times. Roger Ebert, apparently, gave it a "Thumbs up!" when he reviewed it on his TV show, but changed it the rating to a 2.5 (thumbs down) in his review in the Sun-Times.

Giving thanks

Today, after work, my college roommate and I will see Rent. It was eight years ago(!!) that we drove 37 and a half hours from Bozeman, Montana to NYC to see the original cast in the musical. I forgot to bring a change of underwear. We were tightly budgeted. I had the wise idea to break in my new boots in the city. And about a half-dozen more mini-stories happened on that trip. Since then, she has lived in Poland, Denver, CO, and New York City. I am more than thankful that she lives here now and that, even if the movie doesn't live up to the memories of that trip, we get to watch it together.
I am thankful that so many people who mean so much to me live so closely. I never, in a million years would have thought that my best friend from high school would live in the apartment building next to me. That my best friend from Montana would live just a few blocks north.
They may not always know it, but their love and support sustains me--for that I am more than thankful.
I am thankful for having a group of gay male friends who are intelligent, witty, artistic, and kind.

I am thankful that, even though there are still many obstacles to overcome, gays and lesbians are being treated more fairly than they were when I was born.

I am thankful for my job which is fun and interesting and blends my meager artistic and technical skills.

I am thankful for my family and their well-being. I hope that through my example they will learn to be more accepting, tolerant, kind, and wise. Those are all qualities they have taught and are still teaching me.

And finally, even though we are led by selfish, unaware leaders, I am thankful that I am an American, and I have faith that the will of the people will turn the tide of injustice, ignorance, and entitlement.

Winkelman

Josh Wink played a great set, but more importantly, he got to meet a great fan--me! When he walked into the club during Funkstorung's set, I ogled him from afar until I screwed up the courage to talk with him. "Huge fan, blah, blah, blah. Left Behind the Clouds, yada, yada, yada." He was so warm and receptive, though, that I didn't feel like a total bone (even though I am). More on him tomorrow (or whenever I can find the USB connector for my digicam to upload pics).
On to Jeremy-oriented news.
Remember how I said I want this for Xmas? That's all well and good, and I may very well buy myself that. However, I have just learned that there is going to be a Buffy cruise in 2007 with some of the cast members. How freaking cool/dorky would that be? Five bucks says that James Marsters is one of them. [link]
Speaking of Joss Whedon related crap, here's an article titled The Future Is Now: Battlestar Galactica, Serenity and Science Fiction's Allegorical Indictment of the New World (Dis)Order. Which brings me to my next point, I started watching Battlestar Gallactica over the weekend and I think its pretty amazing. Yes, I realize that I am predisposed to liking something of its ilk, but it really, really is a good show. Read that article if you don't believe me. Still don't believe me? Fine. How about this screencap of the oh-so-dreamy Jamie Bamber who plays Apollo. Check out my Flickr badge in the sidebar for even more photos--including the much talked about towel scene!

Uh. Yes, please!
And in more dork-related news, Mercedes from my favorite cycle of ANTM is apparently going to play M in the new X-Men movie. (Click pic for link.)


What else . . . oh, if you didn't know, TV is becoming more and more censored as time goes by. Even Gilmore Girls is minding its P's and Q's. [article]

And, finally, in some design related news, you can get your Mac laser-etched. That's pretty effin' cool, if you ask me. [via CoolHunting]

I'm also gonna add a Sexy Short Dudes category for my Flickr page. Right now, the count is at 2.
Elijah Wood and Sean Astin . . . I wonder how tall Jamie Bamber is . . .

When life gives you AIDS, make LEMONAIDS

Yeah, I couldn't think of a title for this post, so I just ganked it from Sarah Silverman. She deserves it, though--since her movie STILL hasn't opened in Seattle.

I think I told you once before, that Japanese people are weird. Let me just reiterate this point. [article]

Maxim has named Angus Young of . . .um . . . Angus Beef fame . . . (hold on, let me Google this--oh shit, he's the little douchebag in knickers from AC/DC). Well, anyway, they named him the "Greatest Short Dude." Also on the list--Jon Stewart and Napolean.
I know its Maxim, so they'd never give us the "Sexiest Short Dudes." So I ask for your nominations.
I would like to nominate Elijah Wood who, at 5 feet 6 inches tall, is still the hobbit I would most like to bang.

I'm not the only one pissed with this season of Gilmore Girls. [TVEnvy] Carole King will be back on the show next week with a re-vamp of her theme song and a guest spot. Maybe we'll ge to hear her and Sebastian Bach rock out! [Mr. F]

And Tyra booting Lisa on ANTM this week has made my entire universe slip a little. [article] For an always great re-cap, read Rich's take at FourFour.

ADULT.-ery

Check it.

Went to Chop Suey last night to see ADULT. I can't say that I had a good time, but the company I kept was great. Bill actually made the whole show bearable by pointing out Nicola Kuperus looks quite similar to Ashlee Simpson. I like ADULT. I don't love them by any stretch of the imagination. Their sound, at times, broaches art noise acts like Pere Ubu (and that's being super generous), but the juvenilia and antic oriented stage show really takes away any cred. I mean, you guys are called ADULT. right? Maybe you should start acting like one. The crowd they drew was uber-annoying. It was an entire art school clad in black. They were too young to pull off pretentious.They danced like rejects from Stop Making Sense. So hanging with Bill and Derek was nice, even if the show only made me realize that in the future, I will only listen to ADULT. recorded. (Plus, there are some subtleties in their recordings which totally get sacrificed for their stage show.)

As for opening band Numbers, they severiously(tm) blew. Their songs had a surf-pop sturcture and dragged on entirely too long. Surf-pop should be short and sweet. Take lessons from The Rogers Sisters. They do have one strong plus: a female drummer/singer. Other great acts with a female drummer/singer? Sheila E, The Carpenters.

Sorry the pictures really suck. I was having major issues w/ the cam last night. Plus, I can't ever seem to point to the stage when I hold my camera up.

p.s. I got a hit from Boise, ID. Is that you Matt?

Reunited and it feels so good

Well, after a lengthy separation, Lorelai and Rory are back together. Was it sweet? Well, Kelley was crying. I, on the other hand, was completely angry at the ridiculous 5th season plot twist. Buffy did it, The Cosby Show did it, even Diff'rent Strokes did it. And what exactly does bringing in a young, cute character do? Well, if you work for the network, the line probably sounds something like, "brings in a younger demographic," but if you're a television enthusiast, then it sounds more like, "the end is near." So I'm giving Gilmore Girls one, maybe two more seasons tops. [TVSquad recap]

Charisma Carpenter and Jason Dohring of Veronica Mars interview. [here]

I thought I was a nerd, but this dude is a total dweeb (and I mean that in a nice way).

Peace Division releases 'Club Therapy' on NRK. The vocal for this track is on Sander Kleinenberg's Everybody CD and I've always loved it. Peace Division lays the smack down, though, and blows D2's version out-da-water. [stream]

I guess that's it. If my links seem a little random today, its cuz that's the way I'm feelin'.

Home is where the house is

Morgan Geist and Andreas Tilliander stopped by the Baltic Room a week ago, and their respective sets were so damn good, that its taken me an entire week to post about it. That's how long it took to recoup from dancing. That's how long it took my brain to process the entire evening. Below are some pictures of Morgan, whose set was phenomenal. The set began with some killer disco tracks. There was requisite hand claps and cowbells, but not in a cheesy way. I remember turning to Bill and just saying, "Holy shit!" It was percussive and melodic with gret vocals, but the end of the set was where my heart was. It was deco-house drama with samples crumbling and reconstructing. The crowd was sparse, but super-attentive. I crushed out on this adorable (presumably) straight guy who kept clapping to the beat and bobbing his head. A lot of the usuals were there and a bunch of the Decibel Fest people as well. If there's a sound I'm into right now, its what Morgan was dropping. Andreas' set wasn't memorable, but it must have been good enough because I don't have a bad memory of the evening.

While doing research for this here post, I came across this article in Stylus written by Rich over at fourfour. (He has a great new mix up right now. Check it out!)
Also, here's what the Stranger had to say about the show.
Hope to see you all out this week for Adult., Funkstorung, and Josh Wink.

Boy bus, part 2

I don't know what it is about riding on the bus that makes me so willing to project my hopes and dreams onto another person, but it happens--and quite frequently. Maybe its because I'm still in some sort of sleep state. Slowly rising to full consciousness. Or maybe its because my morning wood strains at my briefs for at least an hour before I finally wake and relieve my bladder. Or maybe its because I realize that I've woken up alone, yet another morning. Whatever the reason, I do this thing--play this game--with the people with whom I ride the bus. This morning, at the bus stop, a nerd had his copy of A Feast for Crows open in his palm. His bespectacled eyes shot from line to line as he read the fantastical story. Now, he is a nerd, but not as much of a nerd as the ponytailed nerd that wears his "Han shot first" shirt all the time. So I imagined myself approaching the guy and saying something like, "You might want to read that more slowly. The next book isn't coming out until 2007." Of course, I didn't.
That's ok, though. My headphones were on under my cap and trying to carry on a conversation would have been complicated. So the local comes and he boards. Minutes later, a full express comes and I eke my way to the back hitting only a handful of people in the face with my bag. I take a seat and this other guy sits next to me.
I've definitely seen him before. Not in a while, perhaps, but I remember him. He says, "Nice bag," about my crappy old Gap bag. Then I realize he has the same one and I reply, "Thanks, yours is pretty nice, too." However, I have said this perhaps ten decibels too loud (damn headphones!!). His face turns red. My face turns red. He pulls out his book--some play. I pull out my book--A Feast for Crows. A few times on our journey to downtown, he slides into me. Every time he makes a point of making eye contact with me. I'm generally the scared bunny-type and avoid eye contact, but I can't help but return his gaze and smile.
So I play my little game, where its so much easier to have fantasy relationships with people you don't even know than it is to have real relationships with people you do. He's the best boyfriend I've had all day.

see also:
Boy Bus
Books Need Rubbers, Too

All I want for Xmas

Yes, that is the sound of me drooling. 40 discs. Tons of bonus features. Its definitely what I'm buying myself for Xmas this year. [link]

And in non-Buffy related news -

Someone made a comment about me posting pictures of the dudes from Stargate w/ their shirts off. And you know what's funny? For some reason, I can't find a one. Could it be that I have merely projected my will in some fever dream onto the Stargate series? After all, my first homosexual memory revolves around Gil Gerrard as Buck Rogers being stripped by some Amazonian women for auction. If you have any screencaps of the dudes from SG-1 or Atlantis w/ their shirts off, please, send them my way.

In the meantime, here's a picture of Joe Flanigan from his guest spot on (another of my favorites) Dawson's Creek sans shirt. Enjoy!

Parker does Audrey

Just about the only person I can stomach dressing up as Audrey Hepburn. [video]

John Cusack is a writer? Go figger. [article]

And, if you just can't get enough positive reviews for Soul Calibur III, here ya go. [article]

And I don't care if you think I'm a dork cuz I watch Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis. Check out the dudes on the show, and they're always taking their shirts off--not that I need to justify being a huge dork.





(And for the Patties and Selmas out there, Richard Dean Anderson stars in SG-1)

Mohammad is magic

Roger thinks Sarah is funny but not so good. [article]
Minneapolis thinks Sarah is funny and good. [article]

Japanese people do the weirdest things. [video]

Soul Calibur III is awesome--even the Village Voice thinks so. [article]

Now I'm pissed

From TVWeek.com

Fox is pulling its Monday 8 p.m. hour block of comedies
"Arrested Development" and "Kitchen Confidential" for the rest of the November
sweeps and is replacing them with repeats of the drama "Prison Break."

That fucking sucks.

Mr. F

If you love Arrested Development as much as I do, then this NPR interview with creator Mitchell Hurwitz may interest you. Also, here's a TVSquad recap.

Ricky Gervais is doing a series of documentaries in which he interviews his comedy heroes. On slate: Christopher Guest and Larry David. [article]

NRK releases Kerri Chandler's "Bar A Thym" with a remix by Tom Middleton. Truthfully, I don't think its that great. Listen for yourself.

Sebastian Bach and Carole King rocked out on the Gilmore Girls set. Creepy. [link]

Tom Ford likes New Mexico. [article]

Good interview with Adam Glickman of Tokion about his Creativity Now Tokyo conference. [article]

OK article about the lovely Patricia Clarkson.

Veronica Mars was pretty great last night--and I'm not just saying that because Joss was on. Read the TVSquad take.

ANTM was a total bust cuz none of those bitches got cut.

The teaser trailer for the new Superman movie will be at the beginning of the new Harry Pucker. [article]

And if you haven't seen pics of the new Superman, check these out. Yum!

Here's a decent article on Michael Kors.

And, finally, the Village Voice has an interesting take on Ellie Parker--the short film Naomi Watts was in before Mulholland Drive blew her up huge. [article]

I'm all out of faith. This is how I feel.

Do you know what makes me sick? No, not the fact that Proposition 2 passed in Texas and, as a result, gay marriage is not an option there. No, not the fact that Initiative 901 passed and, as a result, smoking in public areas in Seattle is not allowed. What makes me sick is that voter turnout, while higher than projected in some areas, is still, on average, around 30%.

Why does that make me sick? Well, because we are fighting a war. We are killing people and people are killing us so that we might sow the seeds of democracy, but we can't even make it to the fucking polls.

Have you met my daughter Apathy?

I am sad about Proposition 2. Even though my near-evangelical mother voted against it, her vote was outnumbered. Does anyone know if there was any sort of grass roots movement in the larger Texas towns to get the gays to the polls? For example, a van stopping by the gay watering holes and taking people to vote. Anything? Please let me know what you find out.

As for Initiative 901 here in Seattle, I am actually quite happy that it passed. I have attempted quitting the evil cancer sticks three times. Obviously, it never stuck. One of the reasons why is because I go to a bar, have a few and next thing I know, I'm smoking. The only part that makes me sad about it is now I won't be able to burn idiots on the dancefloor.

I am sad about Proposition 1, though. We have voted on a the damn monorail 4 times and now, after paying for it for 3 years, we decide not to build it. What a joke. Does anyone know if we, the citizens of Seattle, can file a Class Action suit against the city demanding our car tab tax back?

And for more political shit--

Check out future president of the US, Barack Obama on The Daily Show last night.

If you want a more serious side of him, check out this link to his appearance on This Week.

Seriously, I think Barack is the O-bomb-a. I hope he runs for pres.

And now, not-so political shit.

Did you guys check out the pictures of Jake's ass? Some people say there's an ass-double. I say no. [via Towleroad]

ANTM tonight. Who's gonna get booted? My vote is on Kim.

Uh. What else. Joss on Veronica Mars (but I've already mentioned that like a million times).

Styrofoam tonight @ Chop Suey w/ Alias.

I'm sure I had more, but I don't remember now.

K just sent me this video. So I thought I'd share. Funny shit.

In the mix

Ok. So, I've decided to start putting my crappy mixes on the blog. First of all, let me make lots of excuses about the quality. I do not own turntables. I own only a small selection of vinyl from the 80's. I have an old laptop with only a 2GB hard drive. I cannot make MP3's on said laptop. The program I use to "mix" my tracks is from 2001. I had to write the code for a plug-in to analyze the BPM (oftentimes, this plug-in gets the BPM wrong). I have to look at the WAV form of each track and hopefully match the beats from one to the next. There are occasional train wrecks. Also, due to lack of processor speed, I can't really mix in the middle (i.e. break/bridge) of a track so most tracks are in their entirety. What else . . . oh, and I don't know the titles of all the songs.

With all of that being said, I would like to present--

OKDJ's In a Vault Underground Vol.1

Oh, and if you live around here and have recieved a CD from me lately, this is it, so no need to download.

I'll put a tracklisting sometime tomorrow.

And also, you may remember when I talked about "Mrs. Henderson Presents". Well, now there's a trailer you can check out. Looks pretty good, no?

Vote. No, really. Vote.

I know you're expecting a summation of last night's events at Kane Hall, but I left my USB connector cable at home so I can't upload pictures. That's ok, though, because there is tons o' crap to talk about.
First of all:
AT LONG LAST!!!
George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows is available. The good news--now I have something to read for the winter months. The bad news--this is only half of the intended novel. His publisher told him he was writing too damn much so the story gets split and some of my favorite characters won't surface until the second half gets released.

Secondly, Happy Birthday to Parker Posey and Risa's sister Nikki!!!

Last night's double feature of Arrested Development was much needed, but (and maybe this is just because I was watching by myself instead of with the gang) some of the jokes are reaching a little too far. Por ejemplo, the "pussy" jokes in the first episode with the cutaways to an English play. Also, Charlize Theron has overstayed her welcome, but the parody of Pretty Woman was pretty effing funny. Then you find out she's a tard, and tards are always funny.

Tonight! Jess returns to Gilmore Girls to slap some sense into Rory. About friggin' time!

Uh. What else. Oh yeah, if you like the house music, then I'd like to direct you to this site where you can vote on the House Music Awards.

Check out the cast listing for the much-anticipated Todd Haynes film "I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film About Bob Dylan". Looks to be a winner.

I think that's it. It seemed like there was more . . . maybe there will be.

Oh, I put up my atom feed so if you use an aggregator, you can add me to your list.

New friends

Two of my friends have joined the blogosphere and you should check them out:

www.nilla.typepad.com

www.shermanscorner.blogspot.com

Nilla's got some phat pics and Sherman's keeping up with the Joneses (musically).

Also, this is fucking funny.

Which Salt Grass do y'all go to?

I'm back safe and sound, and what a lovely trip it was.

I landed at DFW to a horizon smog filled horizon choked with water towers and telephone poles. Mom and dad met me at the airport and we went to Owens for lunch. Owens is sort of like a Denny's. Its more like a Bob Evans, if you know Bob Evans. Our waitress, Charlie, had the requisite raspy voice and nicotine stained teeth, and she delivered our food quickly and courteously. The restaurant is located in the parking lot of a strip mall just off of loop 820. When I lived in Texas, that strip mall had a Best Buy, dollar cinema, and furniture store. Those establishments have all left, and discount stores have taken their place. One boasted, "Pet Food, Cosmetics" on a cheap vinyl sign.

It so strange to go back to this place where these mega consumer corporations sprawl into the distance. Most of the strip malls have been abandoned and only the odd chirpractic clinic remains in them. As we appraoched the town in which I grew up, my parents were ecstatic to show me where their church used to be. It is now a Target. This was followed by a trip to see where their new church is. It is an ugly contemporary (read: disposable) building made of cheap materials which is cheapened even further by a ridiulously phallic lighthouse instead of a steeple. It is on forty acres of land surrounded by multiple developing housing developments.

Then it was off to my childhood home. Not much has changed. The stair four steps from the top still creaks. My bathroom's shower door still has hard water stains. There is still an overabundance of signage--things that read, "Life, Love, Laughter" or "Home is where the Heart Is" or some other country-fied down-home saying.

Mom fixed dinner and a neighbor joined us. This is when the titular, "Which Salt Grass do y'all go to?" was spoken. I think the dearth of culture in the midwest is depressing. Which Applebee's do you want to go to tonight? I don't want to go to Applebee's. Let's go to Chili's. Which Chili's do you want to go to? And all of these businesses only produce strip malls and water towers and telephone poles and more asphalt and it stretches out as far as the eye can see.

So after my mom got a little tipsy on white wine, we attempted conversation. My mom wants me to "find someone" and I confronted her about the gender neutral "someone". She says, however, that she means a man and that she is not hanging onto some hope that the "someone" will have a vagina. Then she tried to tell me about how gay culture is all about dominance and who has it or something, but I did get her to cede that she is not voting for Proposition 2. Yea. Now if only we could get the rest of Texas to take her side.

Saturday we drove to Oklahoma (which is very much like Texas with its sprawliness) and I got to see my two lovely nieces. I made Lauren very happy by bringing Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. Then it was Sunday and I flew back to Seattle. Rainy, cold, homey Seattle.

So that's it.

And it looks like my dance card is pretty full this week.

Tonight - David Lynch - I'm so so so so excited about seeing him in person. Yippie!! I'll be sure to take pictures.

Tomorrow - Morgan Geist @ The Baltic Room

Wednesday - Styrofoam @ Chop Suey

Friday - Doc Martin @ Trinity

Yippie!!

And here's your news (or my version what makes news):

Joss Whedon is making a cameo on Veronica Mars Wednesday on UPN (after ANTM). Plus, here's a TVGuide interview where he talks about all of his Buffy cast's current roles.

An article on Tom Ford's new Estee Lauder make up line. [TimesOnline]

Magnolia Films which will distribute Steven Soderbergh's Bubble on Jan. 31st is also doing putting out Hal Hartley's "Fay Grim" starring Parker Posey and Jeff Goldblum. I know, I know, I swore off Hal Hartley after "The Girl from Monday" (or whatever that travesty was called) but I will never swear off Parker. [Article]

And, of course, Arrested Development returns tonight with an hour long episode. I hope I remember to tape it.

Less serious

• Tom Wolfe will appear as himself on an upcoming episode of The Simpsons. [NYPost reg. req'd.]
• Joel Silver wants Kim Bassinger to portray Wonder Woman. Jessica Biel is the runner up. I'm still holding on for Lauren Graham. [Killer Movies]
• Jennifer Coolidge doesn't say a word about For Your Consideration, but you can bet its gonna be good. Ricky Gervais joins the Guest ensemble. [TVGuide.com]
• The Colbert Report gets picked up. (Who woulda guessed?) [E! Online]
• More mysteries surrounding Parker Posey's rental mishaps . . . [Sydney Morning Herald]

Vaht are you talking about?

Sorry I been out of commission, but I've been under the weather. And what a crappy week to be stuck at home watching TV--they're all re-runs in preparation for November sweeps. And last night's ANTM clips show was a real let down.
Anyhoos-
The release date has come and gone, but there is still no sign of Jesus is Magic in Seattle. So to sate your appetite for inappropriate humor, here's a link to Sarah's "Sounding Board".
Um. What else.
Adam over at Kreb's Cycle has published the third installment and epilogue of the final Christmas he spent with his brother. I'll say it again, I think this is hugely moving portrait of a family dealing with grief and disease.
And on that uplifting note, I'll give you a couple other links that I have found whilst perusing the web.
The first comes from DurbanBud out of DC.
The next comes from David out of LA.

It is stories such as these that help me understand our community and that give me hope that one day we will not have to know shame to know pride.
Oh yeah, and I'm out til Monday. Making a trip to see the folks. When I come back, its David Lynch, Doc Martin, and Josh Wink!
Here's to feeling better!!