Dusty Chalk

The rule of thumb is, if you owe money (which you should), you should wait until the last minute to file, keeping the money for as long as you can. Of course, that rule of thumb is based on getting some kind of interest out of that money, and if you're like me, you're not getting very much...maybe 1%...

Meet us in New York, this is the first time they've been here (the US) in years, possibly ever (don't really know). Facepalm because I keep saying I'm trying to save money by not traveling, and within less than a week, I've bought two tickets to two out-of-town shows, which will require travel.

Oh. Black paint, I get it.

I wonder if that's actually a good idea -- I mean, from a green perspective, the best insulation is "air", so most insulations (fiberglass, double-paned windows, etc.) are all "tricks" to trap air. Bottles are already trapping air, so it's just a matter of arranging them in a pattern where they reinforce each others' weak spots (e.g., pattern them alternating up and down, with the neck of one between two bodies of another, then create a second layer to reinforce the weak spot, which would basically be doing the same thing at a second layer). (wanders off to think about it further)

Hey, just think, you can go back into business building and fixing stuff for people to pay it off. We'll make a capitalist of you yet.

1 ticket to the Within Temptation show in September.

PS Zoe has played with Halou before. I forget what the circumstances were -- they may have become Stripmall Architecture by then (that's what they're known as now). Yes, I am really coming out for that show. That is easily my favorite album from 2001. I think. PPS It's a Saturday.

And finally...Have you ever wondered how a woman's brain works? Well....it's finally explained here in one, easy-to-understand illustration: Every one of those little blue balls is a thought about something That needs to be done, a decision or a problem that needs to be solved. A man has only 2 balls and they take up all his thoughts.

Halou is a local band (to you), indie/alternative/trip-hoppy, electro and guitars, and the lead singer's voice makes my toes curl (in a good way): (extended version not from the album, unfortunately -- that section from about 4:04 is curtailed just a tad). C'mon, come with me, tickets are less than US$20. My sister may not be in town, so there's no guarantee that I won't be going alone. (And that's an open invitation to anyone in the San Francisco bay area.)

Kevin did his typical Tim the Tool-man Taylor impression and decided he wanted to make one that was moar powaful.

Yes (i.e., both -- I wanted a bit more real estate, and a bit more pixel density). And: I don't. I think they're eventually going to shoot past it. I look forward to the day when we look back on what will then be referred to as low resolution displays and 16/44.1 audio in the same way that we now look back on 8-bit audio and ASCII terminals. It's just a matter of time. And Apple will have led the way...I think. (The high-res downloads thing and the retina display. Not necessarily first, obviously, but they will be the ones who will have brought it to the mainstream.) Also, I don't need one (an iPad)...at all. I just got a laptop, and that will be fine. Dan -- my laptop is 1080p and 15.6"...

I would if I wasn't such a procrostinator. ...and disorganized...

1 ticket to the Halou/Wiser anniversary show (yes, in the San Francisco bay area, San Franciscans).

Tried the Moylan's Irish style Amber -- very good.

Happy Belated, Nate, hope it was more awesome than two bags of honey roasted nuts. Hey, look, I'm late for something...shocker. :|

A review of the Hilary Hahn performance I went to...and my response (quote from an email to a friend of mine): PS The Halou/Wiser anniversary show (in which they will play the album in its entirety with a string section) is set for May 14th. I have my ticket, but I'm not sure I'm going yet.

Me neither, going to wait for the 1080p version.

Me? I'll wear them alternately throughout the day. Or simultaneously, build up arm muscles. Srsly: I'll give you the same advice that I received (but haven't followed yet) -- don't skimp. The cheap ones will magnetize your watch and throw off the timing. There are two big names, Orbita and...I forget the other one. Get one of those, just look for the best price you can get for one of those that meets your needs. My solution has been to wear my automatics once a month -- I choose when to wear them based on the date they stopped the previous month. I have about 10 of them at this point, I think (1 Ocean7, 3 Androids, 1 Armitron, and the rest are Invictas). I have a couple of cheapies, but I don't care about those, I don't wear them once a month.

http://www.youtube.com/user/wtofficial Bunch of current Within Temptation shit.

Jesus, that might be as big as bigger'n anything I have. And I have some pretty big watches.

Think of it as the exception...

I'm not conveying myself correctly -- maybe I shouldn't have used 'carelessness'... What I'm trying to say is that she went beyond just hitting the right notes, and was trying to convey whatever the piece merited. For example, in the Antheil, the pianist is require to stretch almost the entire length of the keyboard (sillily, I might add), hitting the upmost registers with the right hand, and the lowermost registers with the left. She almost looked like she was throwing her hands haphazardly onto the keyboard, and I think that's what the composer was going for. There was another piece where she really had to bang on the thing (the Ives, I think?), and she really went at it. I think she did really well. I would love to hear you play some time, so count me in if you need volunteer audience members.

Hey guess what? We agree on something!

Poppaskull -- yum. Yumyumyumyumyum.

Went to Hilary Hahn, of course, that was sublime. She didn't come out for autographs, surprisingly, because "she wasn't feeling good". Which didn't show, because, amongst a terrific performance, they played three encores (one each solo, and once paired again). Justin, you have a much more critical ear for technique beyond just hitting the right notes than I do -- they certainly hit the right notes, but I do feel they evoked whatever it is they were trying to evoke successfully as well. In fact, the pianist made it look quite careless, like she just happened to be hitting the right notes without even trying. Perhaps she's simply improved since you saw her. I don't know. But as a reference point, she's much better than I will ever be. I'd be happy enough hitting the right notes. The Bach partita was particularly good, that was worth the price of admission right there. The Antheil sonata I also enjoyed a great deal -- reminiscent of Stravinsky a bit, and very cinematic. On the way in, I was asked by the attendant at the ticket booth if I knew my sister (by name)..."yes, she's my sister"..."for real?"..."ayup"...etc. Was slightly disorienting -- didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she seemed pleased enough, so I forwarded some salutations to my sister. Unfortunately, my 'nockers fell apart, so I could only see what I could see anyway, and I sat towards the left (must remember to get a seat towards stage right...must remember to get a seat towards stage right...must remember...), so couldn't see the pianist's hands anyway. Oh, and this looks interesting.