learning guitar and other random bits of progress

okay, so i learned one of my 5 songs. except that i actually kinda learned 2 songs today.

i completely suck at both. but that's kinda the point, isn't it?

maybe if i quit smoking for real, i'll take the acoustic to school for something to do during the breaks that still gets me out of the room.

even if i don't quite smoking, i'm totally going to quit smoking at school.

but--even if i fail at quitting, i get to cross something off the list!

i've been smoke-free since sunday afteroon! in just 2 short hours i will have accomplished the "smoke free for 5 days" item. yay!

this just in: we're thinking pretty hard about a trip to spain (where the rain, it is told...oh nevermind). it's actually kind of a trip to france that begins in spain and might or might not involve renting a car.

i'm like 87% sure we're going to bilbao and it's quite likely we'll spend christmas day in paris this year.

there are worse places to turn 33 (just ask jesus).

#80

Okay, I haven't actually taken any steps toward learning these things, but I have picked out my 5 songs for acoustic guitar:

1. "Ball and Chain" by Social Distortion. So's to make myself cry while I sing it.
2. "Gloria" by Them. I have this miguided notion that it'll be easy. Plus you don't hear it a lot.
3. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by REM. Because I already know the words, and who doesn't want to show that off? Oh, it's just me, then. Okay.
   
4. "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis. I don't know if this song will work as an acoustic song, but I don't care. It's got singalong cheesy goodness.
5. "I Fought the Law and the Law Won." I'm punk rock, just like Buddy Holly. I'm hesitant, though because I think this one will be really hard. Who am I kidding? They're all going to be really hard!
   

closer

my groovy short film

back to back action!

I feel like posting a list!

Top 5 things that actually are worth the money:

1. $50 haircut
2. $5 shampoo (as opposed to $1 shampoo)
3. $80 shoes
4. name-brand potty training pants
5. a really good pair of scissors

Top 5 things that are a total waste of money given my lifestyle/inability to be kind inanimate objects:
1. any shirt or sweater costing more than $25
2. "nice" pots and pans
3. a food processor
4. CD's
5. any handbag/purse costing more than $15

oh, god

so it looks like we might start thinking about buying a house, like, now. b's in charge of talking to people and i'm in charge of "legwork." we're basically just going to put our toes in the water and see what we see. but apparently the markets all squishy and looking for buyers right now and people say it will recover by spring, which is when we were planning on buying before (well, maybe summer). i'm not crazy-enthusiastic, but i think i'll get there eventually.

happy birthday, the internet!

It's weird to thing that there was a day with no internet and then a next day with the world wide web all over the place. But that's the way it was.


It's also weird to me that it was both a very long time ago and later than I remember. I really am a geek. Well, anyway, now the internet can drive, so look out on the road.

Fishing With John

This is seriously one of the weirdest things I've seen on DVD, and not for any reason you'd expect.

For more weirdness:
http://www.johnlurieart.com/art/

Canada: Check

The path home (away from home)
Originally uploaded by the_pdub

So, it's been a month since we got back from Canada (yeah, I'm organized and on top of stuff). I crossed it off my list, because that is gratifying, but I failed to blog the experience.

And now it's sort of a wash of "pretty" and "wow" and "I wish I lived here."

We went to Vancouver BC (forced to skip Victoria by our own collective stupidity and spent the entire day in the car instead. argh). We ate good sushi, saw Canada Day fireworks, drank bubble tea and walked and walked and walked. Aquariums, science museums and the single largest toy store I have ever, ever seen. Plus, you can't turn around without encountering beautiful, beautifuler, and still more beautifuler views.

War and Peace

I did it! It was more enjoyable than reading anything by Dickens, but not near as fun as Les Miserables. Initially "war" was far more fun than "peace," what with peace being meaningless balls and oddball snooty conversations (and really, I can get that shit at home)...but once the soap opera kicked in and you started rooting for all those crazy kids to make it, thee peace became a good time indeed.

What I did not enjoy was the horribly out of date historiography--which can't be helped, the guy was, after all, writing in the 19th century, but whatever, it was still boring.

I think I'll take a break from the Russians now--actually I'm swinging fully into pop lit and reading Eragon--yay stocking stuffers!

top 20 people who should be in the rock'n'roll hall of fame, but aren't (and the dates they became eligible)

first: i should clearly win an award for that mammoth title, no?

1. carole king (1984)
2. chubby checker (1985)
3. mary wells (1986)
4. the hollies (1989)
5. the moody blues (1989)
6. donovan (1990)
7. the guess who (1990)
8. t rex (1993)
9. jethro tull (1993)
10. blood sweat & tears (1993)
11. the steve miller band (1993)
12. genesis (1993)
13. steppenwolf (1993)
14. alice cooper (1994)
15. kool & the gang (1994)
16. chicago (1994)
17. derek & the dominoes (1995)
18. the doobie brothers (1996)
19. rush (1998)
20. KISS (1999)

okay--and there's more than 20...so 1 for every year since 2000:
2000: journey
2001: heart
2002: cheap trick (but really? xtc)
2003: dire straits (or maybe, oh, the cure)
2004: def leppard
2005: the gogos AND joan jett--what a cool year that could've been
2006: depeche mode (though my heart screams: duran duran! simon's so hot!...yes, my heart is still an 11 year old girl).


and just to make myself feel old--some of the people who became eligible this year:
10000 maniacs
the beastie boys (ack!)
big country
culture club
madonna
metallica
sonic youth
sting (solo sting already? ack, again!)

although i guess i can be consoled in the simple fact that they are all much, much older