Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Holy Cats, Batman! It's Halloween!














Cheers to Julie Newmar (and Catwoman!), my inspiration.


Tuesday, October 30, 2007

All Things Brave and Beautiful



"I wanted to write a book about people doing brave and beautiful things in an ugly world."

~Markus Zuzak



This book was on my reading list this summer. It's absolutely brilliant. So when I heard that Aussie author Markus Zuzak was appearing at Kepler's in Menlo Park, well, I had to go, didn't I. He told some really wonderful stories (which I hope to post at some point) and right in the middle of it all we had the earthquake. He quit talking and everyone was just sort of sitting there, riding it out. And the quake kept rolling, and someone shouted out, "Welcome to California!" Then everyone laughed. Kudos to him, he remained completely unruffled by the experience, and even made a few jokes about being the closest to the only table in the room.


The Book Thief is truly marvelous, a book that I wish I had written myself.


Monday, October 29, 2007

Hey, Buddy... You got any Sudafed?



I wish I could breathe like a normal person, I really do. My allergies come and go as they please, my sinuses flaring up regardless of the time of year. They were bothering me so much one year that I actually went to the trouble of getting tested to find out what the main culprit is. It was not any kind of flowering plant or animal hair which I had previously suspected; instead I found out that my main allergen is common house dust, specifically the dust mites that inhabit said dust.

Basically, what this means is I'm allergic to just about everything in my house that collects dust. Finally, I have a legitimate excuse to avoid housework, and a reasonable understanding of why I hate it so much: It makes me sick. (Honestly, if I go to the trouble of vacuuming, I breathe like an asthmatic for three days; suffice it to say, I don't get much vacuuming done these days). My only recourse is to wrap everything in plastic, buy phenomenally expensive 300-thread-count woven Egyptian cotton sheets, and pay someone else to clean my house (yeah, like any of *that* is going to happen). My only *other* recourse is to find a drug that works.

Enter Sudafed, with pseudoephedrine. This is the stuff that works. And it's the only stuff that I can't get. You know why? Because pseudoephedrine is also the main ingredient of crystal meth. So to keep evil people from coming in and buying buckets of the stuff, this drug has been officially moved "behind-the-counter." You have to ask for it.

Now, I don't have a problem with this. I understand they need to control access to this drug. What I don't understand is why they limit purchase to two boxes per customer which does *not* equal a month's supply, if you are using it as the manufacturer intended. And do you know how they track this? They run your Driver's License through the computer to ensure you aren't sneaking around to other drug stores buy more. When I murmur my complaints about this, the pharmacist only shrugs and says it isn't his rule and directs me to the alternate. This drug, Sudafed with phenylephrine, is sold without restriction; however, case studies have shown that not only is it ineffective, it is little better than a placebo.

Well, *I* could have told them that! I have popped up to three of those things at a time and *nothing happens*!!!

It just burns me that because criminals are using this drug illegally, I have pay the price. I'm the one restricted from this drug. It's easier to buy this stuff on the street than to get it from your local pharmacy.

For the love of Pete, I am *not* running a meth lab in my home! I just want to breathe like a normal person!!!


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

She's Vader As a Girl

I don't know which of these two scares me more...




Monday, October 22, 2007

She-Vader Strikes Back!

(Cue Darth Vader theme)
Bom-bom-bom-bump-bombom-bump-bombom...

So there I was at this con (in the dreams of my head upon my bed) and I was dressed up as Darth Vader. But I was, like, Darth Vader with breasts. I was fully clothed, you understand, it was a full-on, authentic costume, but it was all skin-tight and sexy.

And, go figure, everybody wanted to take their picture with me. So there I was, posing, taking picture after picture. And the helmut starts to get a little uncomfortable, so I take it off and put it under a seat somewhere to keep it from being stepped on in the crowd.

Later, I can't find it. I search for it everywhere--it's gone! I've lost my helmut!

What does this mean? Is this some kind of euphemism? Have I lost my con virginity?

I told you my unconscious is weird, didn't I? I warned you.

Isabel says I've stumbled upon my ideal Halloween costume.
;-)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Smells like Manipulation


Someone's finally done it, folks: aroma-emitting sign technology, or "Kaoru Digital Signage" as it is known in Tokyo.

On the one hand, this seems like a pretty cool idea. On the other, I can't imagine how many people will be allergic to these things. We are bombarded by so much sensory media now as it is, and now there's more? Scents are extremely powerful motivators. If you don't think so, click here to read the entire article.

Knowing me, I'll probably be in the 1% of the population allergic to the damn things.


Saturday, October 20, 2007

Delusions of Homestead

My friend Isabel has been staying with me temporarily until she gets settled in the area. She started out as my housesitter (well, apartmentsitter/bunnysitter) while I was gone this summer, and when I came back it just became convenient for her to stick around. She got a job at the local bookstore and now she's looking for a place to live.

The thing is, it's been kind of nice having her around. She's good company and one of the easiest people to live with that I've ever known. So we have kind of sort of been toying with the idea of finding a place to live together.

I checked out Craigslist and found that anything with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is well into the $2000's per month. Reduce it to 3 bd/1 bth and it's marginally less, but still not affordable for our means.

Today, there was this little place that put up a rent sign that was right across the street from her work, so we went to check it out. It was more than amazing, it was uber-cute. It didn't look like much from the front but inside was a little 2-bedroom place with a studio attached out back. We got all giggly and excited thinking this was "our" place.

The bad news: $1400 for the 2-bedroom; $900 for the studio; $3000 if you want to rent the whole place together.

So that was the proverbial that. Isabel observed, "It's kind of like falling in love with a man: We always fall in love with the potential." Ain't it the truth.

We didn't stay down for long. We went to go see our friend Bruce play his guitar with a band in Felton. Had a beer, listened to some good music--funny how troubles slip away.

But what troubles me is that there are actually people out there who can watch $3000 of their money slip out the door every month for a rental.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Demonization of Science


So I finally got out to see the third Resident Evil movie. And I took the trouble to watch the first two, even though the plot is fairly straightforward, just because I like to get the big picture. Granted, these films are not high Art, but they are viscerally pleasurable: the special effects are exceptional, the plot is passing fair, and the hero, Milla Jovovich, kicks ass. (I've been a fan of hers ever since she released a CD in 1997, but I digress...).

However, this movie (or rather, series of movies) got me thinking. Thinking the kind of thinks only my brain can think. We know, don't we, that every era produces movies, especially science fiction movies, that reflect the fears of our age. For instance, The Day the Earth Stood Still wasn't really about our fears of alien invasion, it was about our fears of the Russians. I've read this somewhere-- don't ask me to quote my sources now. So.... what are the movies of today revealing about our fears now?

Whenever we look at a monster movie, the monster isn't really a monster, is it? The monster is us, it's that through-a-mirror-darkly image that reflects back at us in our darkest hour. The monsters in this movie, the mummies, are denied their humanity by a genetically engineered virus. Within hours of exposure to the virus, people are reduced to mindless, ravenous creatures with only one crude, overwhelming need: the need to feed. The mummies stagger through the streets, still wearing the clothing of their previous lives. I don't believe I am mistaken in suggesting there is some cultural criticism going on here. We have become a nation of mindless consumers. If we're not careful, we could become mummies; perhaps we already have.

That was the more obvious observation (along with the desert setting of the third movie--hmmm. Wonder why they did that?). But more disturbing to me is the underlying theme that science is dangerous and evil. The scientists in these films are amoral--even immoral--whose only concerns are with the success of their project. The corporations that back them are only interested in their bottom line. The computer program in charge of security will do what is most expedient, including killing humans, in order to protect the project. Although one could argue that science produces both the T-virus that creates the mummies and the anti-virus that reverses the process, showing that some good can come from experimentation, we are presented on the whole with an overwhelming number of images and characters representing science as a malevolent entity. This is the Mad Scientist motif at its very worst.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, science is struggling. It is under attack in our schools. People fear what they do not understand, and they do not understand science. So an uneducated populace dismisses it as worthless. Projects that could ultimately benefit humankind go unfunded by a government that is incapable of understanding it (and cherry picks only what it sees as useful to the war machine). Laws are passed limiting funding in research. These things are all connected. We are reaching forward technologically faster than our scientific understanding can keep up. The system seems headed for a breakdown.

That's why I find it disturbing that movies like these reinforce the idea that science is evil. The population at large is already confused, undereducated, and fearful about the subject.

On the other hand, Milla's character Alice is a paradox. She, too, is a product of science. She was infected with the T-virus, but her DNA has assimilated it and she has evolved into some advanced form of human. She is stronger, faster, and possesses psionic powers. There is a telling scene where she regains control of her body by mentally shutting down the satellite that sends orders to the chip in her brain (put there by the "evil" scientists in an effort to control her). A definite victory for the human spirit over technology. And yet that power was given to her by science.

I guess the connection that needs to be made is that science is just another extension of the human spirit. And that is something not to fear, but to celebrate.





Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Guitarmageddon

Well, I did it. I bought my son his first guitar--an electric guitar to be precise. The music store cut me a pretty good deal, because my son will be taking lessons with one of their teachers there, but it still put a nice dent in my pocket book.

There better be some dag-gum, sure-fire pickin' and strummin' that there guitar, because sure as God made little green apples, I will take it out of his hide if he gets bored and gives this up in six months.

And yes. I know. I'm the coolest mom EVER. And don't you forget it.





Friday, October 12, 2007

Mic or Mike?

I love the English language. It's so delightfully ambiguous.

Question of the day: What is the correct abbreviation of "microphone"?

I have become accustomed to using "mic." I don't know why. I don't know when I picked it up. I imagine it's because of my music background. Apparently, this is the version most used by musicians and technicians in the industry.

But if you look at other words as precedent, why then you have "bicycle" reduced to "bike" and "tricycle" reduced to "trike." So many people use "mike."

More complications result when use of the word changes from noun to verb. When you are setting up a microphone for the drums, for instance, are you "micing the drums" or "miking the drums"?

Personally, I don't mind a little mix and match: mic, miking, miked.

But this was enough to send one linguist into a rant on the subject. He also happens to link to a poetry site where the question was posed to poets at large. Their responses are varied and entertaining.

So which do you use: mic or mike?

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Terror and the Ecstasy

Most people don’t realize how much they’ve been penetrated by technology.
Isn't that an interesting concept? We've been penetrated by technology. Like it's living inside of us. And perhaps it is. Gibson pointed out how many vaccinations we receive in childhood: Many of us living 100 years ago would never have reached our fifth birthday.

The future is no longer knowable: In the 1950s, grown-ups planned the future: one positive—rockets to the moon, the world’s fair; one negative—the atomic wasteland.
It seems to me that on the whole, if people even stop to think about the future, they are mostly apathetic. I don't think anyone truly believes in atomic warfare anymore (except maybe Tom Cruise); I don't think a whole lot of people believe in a Star Trek future either (except maybe the die hard Trekkies). The Environment is the new hot topic: Is the world warming or cooling? Reminds me of that Robert Frost poem: Will we end in fire or ice?

It's difficult today to find a non-mediated human.
Again, I love his choice of words. A non-mediated human. We cannot escape it. Media surrounds us and defines our existence. Even if we live our lives in opposition to it, we are still responding to its presence. Daily we are bombarded by images, words. I am often struck by the fact that I read so fast naturally that I have already read a billboard or advertisement before I can look away. I can't even decide not to read it because by the time I look at it it has already penetrated my mind. It reminds me of those science fiction stories where ads are beamed directly into peoples brains as they are walking down the street. I think that this would drive me crazy, but the truth is, it's already happening.

In the 1920s, recordings of music from the Appalachians—people who never heard a recording, or radio—sound fundamentally different.
This concept fascinated me, especially with its ties to music. Culture is constantly influencing culture, but the rate increases exponentially with the introduction of media. We notice, don't we, how quickly new bands influence one another, how scores of them seem to sound the same. We may never have a culture that can produce a band like the Beatles again. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but Gibson surmised that Nirvana may have come out of the last truly creative period. (He says) We no longer have a backwater culture behind the main culture where a movement can gain momentum and grow. Young bands are catapulted too quickly into the spotlight only to flash and burn out in the glare of the paparazzi. Is he right?

Victrola trauma—a preacher who listened to one of the first recordings thought it the voice of the devil. He was experiencing the cusp of change. We don’t find it strange we can hear the voices of the dead whenever we want to.
Not only do we not find it strange, we can go online and download those voices in mere seconds.

The non-mediated world is a lost world. We cannot get back there. There is a sense of loss, but a sense of what we are gaining: Loss and Christmas morning at the same time.
I like the way he phrased that.

Vertiginous moments: we realize the contemporary, experience terror and ecstasy, then retreat from it because we cannot stay in that state of panic. We're more comfortable with who we were 10 years ago.
I love technology, I really do. When it works, when it's beneficial, it can be truly wonderful. Kind of like that comment Harrison Ford makes in Blade Runner: "If it's a benefit, it's not my problem." But I think I agree with Gibson. Even with the best toys, we still experience a certain level of resistance, of discomfort. Well, anyone over 30, that is. I mean, just looking at music as an example, I am far more comfortable with CDs as a medium. I own an iPod, but I haven't completely made my peace with it. I still haven't completely figured out how it works. It frustrates me, so I retreat from it. But I marvel at it all the same.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

SiliCon 2007

This weekend was a success on many different levels. Not only did I get to attend SiliCon nearly every day, but I also managed to slip away and attend my friends Dave & Deborah's annual Harvest Festival on Saturday night *and* managed to grade about 25 papers for one of my GA classes as well. Oh, yeah, and I also had to go into work on Sunday afternoon-- a really lovely community concert was presented featuring two pianos, a flutist, and a soprano. They performed the story of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. It was fabulous!

No, I did not get any sleep. Not until about 12am Monday morning. But this weekend was worth it.

Good friends, good food, good fun, serendipity and splendor...

To Tracy Newby: You're my hero. Thanks for watching out for my kid.

To Jenkins: You owe me a fish taco. And maybe a song or two...





Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Suffer the Little Children



I returned corrected quizzes to the students yesterday. They looked so stricken. I felt sorry for them. I tried to go easy on them, I really did, but their answers were so. so. awful. And these are college students. Juniors and Seniors. And they write like 5th graders. These are our future teachers, ladies and gentlemen.


Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Monday, October 1, 2007

I see trees of green...



Sometimes something happens that restores my faith in humanity.


I was at Jamba Juice today and discovered, after placing my order, that I had left my wallet at home. (This is what I get for going out and *exercising* -- good gawd -- I end up leaving my wallet in my fanny pack).


I'm about to turn away and the girl at the counter says, "Don't worry about it-- It's on the house."


What a wonderful world.