maps_or_guitars

First, Big ups to MLW, who just got what I think is the best reference letter in the history of good reference letters, with regard to her teaching in the North South Bronx. One choice paragraph:

"...But a good course is nothing if the students are not engaged.  (MLW) knows this, and with the population in her school, getting the students engaged and invested was crucial to a successful lesson.  What I saw in the second semester of the school year was the stuff that movies are made of.  Students were real readers, making personal connections with authentic texts, completely engrossed in the story.  Students were acting out Maya Angelou’s poetry with feeling and humor.  They were willing to take the risk because they had learned to trust (MLW) .  They would try because (MLW) showed them that when they tried, they would succeed.  What they had learned in (MLW) class were the two keys to academic success:  that learning is fun and that they can learn." 

Please note: a lot of these kids could barely manage "Hello, my name is..." when they first showed up.

She's a better damn teacher than I ever was, that's for damn sure. Last time I got observed, I spent a good part of the class trying to keep two of the girls from clawing each other's eyes out. (FAIL!)

***

In view of the fact that I've managed to develop a performable set of my own material of perhaps a half hour (maybe more, less if you want) I have begun pestering several small venues in the city for gigs: Cake Shop, Pass Out records, Club Midway, Googies, the Sidewalk... anybody in town have an "in" anywhere else? Anybody want to throw a rent party?

For that matter, does anyone in Boston/Cambridge have an "in" for a guy with a guitar? I know that's a longer shot, just 'cause I'd need to make train fare...

***

In the meantime, A BUNCH OF GIRLS will be playing Boston!
January, 19 2008 at Church
69 Kilmarnock St., Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Doors open at 8, and it'll cost 8 bucks.
If you've seen us, you know we rock hard.
If you haven't seen us, you still know we rock hard, 'cause I told you so.
And you know we'll make you feel young, because we look so old.
It's AWESOME.

We'll be playing again in NYC on February 22, Club Midway. dangerboy, pharminatrix, it'll be your next big chance!

If'n you ain't in the club, hit me and maybe I'll let you in.
Genius image offa Married to the Sea

"We think this was an extraordinarily serious plot and we are confident that we've prevented an attempt to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale," Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson

I dunno. Darfur? What Belgium did in the Congo? What the Congolese did in the Congo? I can *imagine* that. Top that, and then you can start talking about "mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

I'm hearing 21 arrests.

That's potentially some really bad, horrible stuff. Good on the cops for stopping it, if it's true.

A probationary "Bravo."

But it's not in the league of "mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

Makes a nice sound bite though.

edit

So I'm a little snippy. Basically, anybody who wants the public frightened? I don't care who they are. The gummint, what know that fear keeps us in line. Teh Terrorists. The Press, who know that fear sells. Ollie Stone, or whoever's going to cash in on the docudrama about THIS one. All them?

They can all just blow me. Here and now. And you can tell 'em that, from me.

another edit

Oh, and Lieberman can blow me, too. Anyone else want to line up? You over there? Maybe YOU? COME ON! STEP RIGHT UP!

Song I wrote a while back pretty much sums it up for me right now:
Letter To The Editor
Lyrics to be found HERE

Panty Browne








Eww.

Saw Serenity.

Sad for predictable reasons.

Pretty Cool.

So Sad for predictable reasons.

Sigh.

Dinosaurs getting to me.

Had a very pleasant visit in the map gallery from the charming modpixie prior to her dashing off to catch the New Pornographers. A mos' pleasant chitchat, and she both saw the maps and heard the guitars. Yay! Everyone's welcome to follow her 'zample. I like meeting people IRL.

Those what ain't met her, she's nice peoples. Go friend her.

My Admin Powers tell me of 8 listens to To The Young Goth yesterday, and that the average download was 1.69 mb.

Since the full size of the song is on the order of 4.75 mb, that means that one or two folks listened to the whole thing, and six or seven hit the link and then hit the back button as soon as they'd heard enough (I reckon a lot of people would stop right around when the "drums" come in.)

One or two is plenty enough for me, no fear, I'm not complaining. I ain't playin' no MOR over here.

***

I've just recently listened to the first four songs on the first LP of the horribly named Canadians, AIDS Wolf. I think they're probably hella fun to watch live. The recordings sound a lot like they haven't actually written any songs yet. Which is fine by me for a live band, I like it when they're up there making it up as they go along, but it's hard to carry it off in the studio. I'm going to check the next four tunes, and then we'll see.

I feel much the same way about Magik Markers.

I really would like to see both these outfits live. But I think their current oeuvres are, ultimately, Marked For iDeath.

Okay, I wish I had 1337 video editty powarz so I (and you!) could see and hear what's in my head.

What you hear: The "Bring Out Your Dead" skit.
What you see: Raul Castro, Fidel Castro, and the Entire Population of Little Havana.

EPLA: Here's one!
RC: Ninepence.
FC: I'm Not Dead!
RC: What's That?
EPLA: Nothing. Here's your ninepence.

You know how it goes. Back to work, you slugs.

So, the new song went up Sunday night.

About thirty downloads since then, I figure about half of those were full listens, which by my standards is pretty good.

Thanks!

September will find me in Denver, from the 14th to the 17th. I'll be there representing My Lords And Masters at the Rocky Mountain Map Fair.

karlchristian, I think I owe you twenty bucks...

So the new one? To The Young Goth? I've had it in my head all day. And I'm okay with that, so I think I do like the new one.

Which is a nice way to break a dry spell.

My 1337 4dm1n p0w4rz tell me that a few people have checked it out, and even downloaded the whole thing, so that's pretty okay too.

Full Bragging Rights to anyone who can tell me what *I* think I did wrong in this tune, and am thinking about fixing.

'Tis not my best, but not my worst. Please listen.

To The Young Goth

And if you don't like that one, there's more, you know.

The James Rocket

1: Take anything you want! Take anything you want! Take anything you want! Take anything you want! Take anything you want!

2: Spare me my life! Spare me my life! Spare me my life! Spare me my life! Spare me my life!

3: I was robbed by two men! I was robbed by two men! I was robbed by two men! I was robbed by two men! I was robbed by two men!

EDIT: My Lovely Wife Pointed Out That Nobody Can Be Expected To Have Seen This:

I ran a face-to-face Traveller game last night. Four fine folks, inclusive of camwyn, amidst the deafening roar of the a horde of Card-Carrying Geek maleness at Neutral Ground. Hard to hear, hard to speak, hard to think.*

Fun game, but not in top form.

But that's not it. What I was going to say.

What I tried to tell the players was that apparently, on the world my players were visiting, there had once been a

FERTILITY CULT.

The words that somehow muddled out past the barrier of my teeth were

FERTILITY KILT.

O Merriment.

Now, what might a Fertility Kilt do? Hmm?
"Great Scott, Man, Don't wear that! Your life will never be the same!"

*Hard to breathe, too. We're looking into a different space...

This will be a fine excuse for me to try out the icon I just yanked from genericus what I saw on substitute's page. Trop cool.

Here's a quick shuffle for you:

Minutemen, East wind/Faith
Slint, Breadcrumb trail
Husker Du, The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
Sex Pistols, God Save The Queen
Marc Ribot & Los Cubanos Postizos, El Gaucho Rojo
Wilco, Was I In Your Dreams
(Marked for iDeath) Devendra (Fucking) Banhart, Oh me Oh My The Way The (Fucking) Day Goes By (/Marked for iDeath)
Death Cab For Cutie, Why You'd Want to Live Here
Richard Swift, Lady Day
Jessamine, Periwinkle

***

For the following reasons:
1) They're fluffy and cute and eeee.
2) Their lively blundering may exorcize our study of the air of feline suffering with which it has been suffused
3) It feels good to take care of the little guys
4) We forgot how stinky the little buggers are
we are fostering & socializing a pair of kittens for a local feline rescue outfit. We are not keeping these STRICTLY TEMPORARY kittens.

It amuses me that, completely accidentally, My Lovely Wife has named the two TEMPORARY kittens after not one but two drummers I've played with. Yep. Bones & Jubal.

***

Hey! My Landlord's totally trying to singlehandedly gentrify my block. It's virtually all assisted housing (section 8!) but for the building we're in. And the past couple years, he's gradually been trying to pack the place with young hipsters. There's the Japanese Stoner Musicians on the first floor. And I think it's nobody but Whiteys Like Me up on the fourth floor now. It's really funny. You'd have no idea how funny it is until you actually saw the block in all its domino-playing-on-the-sidewalk-dice-shooting-hoodrats-on-my-stoop glory.

Couple days ago there was an apartment fire across the street, roughly coinciding with a break in the weather. Something like ten trucks, ladders and everything. Didn't look like anyone was hurt. And everyone, but everyone on the block was out there watching. Huge crowd. Helluvashow.

***

I rock the hummous house. I don't think I could make a better hummous than this if I were a Syrian chickpea farmer. I pwn the chickpea spready goodness.

And shadesong hipped me to this, which had me laughing beyond tears for the first time since, well, I don't remember.
550 things Mr. Welch can no longer do during an RPG

Hey all, just wanted to say thanks. The good wishes meant a lot, to both of us, actually.

We're in sort of a constant process of remembering. Remembering and sharing the remembering. Something like that.

It's weird. The other cats seem already to be shifting roles somewhat; I suspect they had already begun that process during Charles' illness. But they are behaving differently.

I think also I'm noticing them more.
Something like that.

Work worky work.

Sunday's bounceback was a temporary thing; Charles had a couple of seizures yesterday, and there was nothing else that could be done for him. We had to let him go.

We sat with him, he in her lap, and saw him through to the end.

***

He always looked at me somewhat askance - I distracted My Lovely Wife from him slightly. But he accepted my brushing well enough. He loved that; he'd drool from pleasure of it, a little puddle on your lap. And vocal, responsively vocal. You could have a conversation with this cat.

And he was beautiful. Here's Charles and Montgomery together:


The best Orange Boy in the history of orange boys.

Oh hey guess what! My Freindslist is bleeding! Bye kids! Bye! *Waves both hands*

Did I fart?

It must be my boring. Am I getting my icky boring on you? Sorreeeeee.

***

I don't think I know anyone in NYC anymore, who would come to a show I played. Usually this doesn't bug me but for some reason, the knowledge is sticking in my craw.

I mean, not just a ten dollar show like I'm playing tonight, but I don't think I know anyone in town who'd turn out for a free show, like I'm playing Monday.
That's right up there with "Won't come out for a frigging beer."

Sometimes New York sucks that way.

The show tonight at Club Midway's gonna be AWESOME. Easy Action will be there. NeVah will be there, and they've got peeps from Swans and Unsane in the band, which is very good. Oliver North will be there, which I'm really psyched about, because it's their first NYC show: vocalist used to front both Red Bliss and The Takers. (That's very good too.) And Saint Bastard will be kicking the ass as well as taking the names.

Sub Pop Darlings "Pissed Jeans" were supposed to play too, but I understand they wussed out.

Listening to the Greenhornes. Good record. I saw them play a wedding once. The bride got hammered and took the wimpiest swing ever (but she took it!) at the photographer. She waved the cake knife at him, too. Did I tell you this story before? I think I did.

What do you reckon: Broken ribs? Sternum? Minimum?