One day, found this in the gummi bear container in the kitchen at my office:
A pair of gummi bears, getting their 69 on. Cute.
Then, my coworkers noticed other freaks popping up:
including a few conjoined gummis and biracial gummi.
This morning, we found this one:
I don't even know where to begin...
Friday night I headed over to the Bowery Ballroom with Wawa, his friend Marc, Shana, Andie and Matt from The Music Slut to check out Bright Eyes aka Conor Oberst & Co., who are in the midst of a mini-tour supporting the newly released Four Winds EP and the upcoming full-length Cassadaga
In the past I have caught Conor playing a song or two here and there, and once for a proper gig during the forgettable Digital Ash In A Digital Urn tour in May of 2005, and was never blown away. I have been reluctant to embrace him and the love bestowed upon him by the indie kids, finding him a wee bit too precious and waif-like for my tastes and doubting whether he can truly be the next Bob Dylan. Plus, I really have to be in the mood to listen to an entire cd of his in one sitting. So, I was definitely not looking for a self-indulgent, acoustic set after a very long week.
Well, Conor brought the guns. He played a tight, energetic set without spending too much time on the mope, interspersing a nice level of banter throughout the 2-1/2 hours. I didn't know everything he played, but he brought a sense of urgency to his songs that Andie deemed "compelling." And the crowd was not filled with as many assholes as I had originally worried there'd be. The three girls who jutted in front of us did comment on what beautiful wrists Conor had, however.
The icing on the cake? M. Ward showed up about 2/3s of the way through the set and played second fiddle to Conor for the most part, occasionally lending his smoky vocals to the songs. A nice surprise, well, not really, since Conor did declare Matt to be his BFF, and well, M. Ward does appear on the new material.
Oh, also Craig Wedren, the lead singer from Shudder To Think, was one of the openers for the evening. He plays an interesting blend of songs with sounds ranging from hard rock/punk to pop. Craig has a melodic voice and often uses it almost operatically. I didn't realize that he has written many songs for various film soundtracks, including one of my favorites, Velvet Goldmine. His music had its moments, but was quite uneven, perhaps since he was trying out new material for the most part. I enjoyed his set I caught in November 2005 at the Living Room much more.
Triple Chocolate -- chocolate cookies & chocolate caramel, covered in milk chocolate.
Sucheela sent me an interesting personality test called VisualDNA that is all visually based, as opposed to the standard questionnaires I've done on sites like OkCupid and the ilk.
Check it out -- it's kinda neat. You select one picture out of fifteen choices (fourteen pics and a blank one if nothing applies) that you feel most represents the category. And at the end they analyze your choices and give you a report, which for me, said:
"You're a bit of a romantic and have a taste for the exotic....You like to kick back....you're experimental and sometimes a little unconventional. As for music, for you it's all about joining in; a bit of self-expression. It's always on your mind, and helps you let off steam. Your choice of treat [chocolate] shows you love being a little bit naughty. Being good all the time is a bore. You've got a good sense of fun and maybe an infectious giggle....You have a relaxed approach to life and your environment....For you love is about long-term commitment, it means devotion and tenderness."
Hmmm...interesting....well, better than a Rorschach ink blot test, I guess!
AMITUOFO! For a peek into my other obsession, Shaolin kung fu, check out this other blog I recently started with a few friends: Kung Fu Dorks Unite!. This new blog documents our various observations and lessons learned while studying at the USA Shaolin Temple. It probably won't be that interesting for those not involved in our kung fu madness, but who knows? Maybe it'll get ya thinkin'.
Yesterday, while waiting for the 4/5 back to Brooklyn at Grand Central, I spotted Elmo hanging out near the tracks:
Poor guy! He looked kinda stuck. Hope the rats don't get him!
For the second year in a row, I opted to forgo buffalo wings, chili, Italian subs, nachos and the standard grubfest associated with Superbowl Sunday to see a favorite indie female singer. Whereas last year, I caught Jenny Lewis, this year, I met up with Shana and Andrea to see Chan Marshall aka Cat Power play an acoustic gig at the intimate Hiro Ballroom. This also marked a year that I have known Shana. Hooray for good friends! :)
Anyway, Shana and I had caught Cat Power last summer at Town Hall and she was gorgeous. This time she appeared sans the Memphis Rhythm Band, which supported her on my favorite album of 2006, The Greatest, and played some songs solo on guitar or piano, and other songs with her guitarist, Judah Bauer.
We were eager to catch this gig based on the Town Hall show, as well as on the beauty of the Hiro venue itself. However, little did we realize that the freezing cold would be such an annoyance. While waiting in line outdoors waiting well past the advertised door time of 7pm, a cheery Chan jumped out of a cab around 7:10 and told us to warm up in the lobby or something. Ummm, yeah...
We finally got in and sat on the floor near the front by the stage. Unfortunately, the venue seemed not to be well-heated, and a draft from the main doors came into the room so we spent the entire show huddled in our winter coats. Unreal. You would think the bar would've sold hot sake, but nooooooooooo...
No opener for this show, which I took as a blessing. Chan hit the stage around 9 and played for about 90 minutes. Well, I use the term "played" very loosely. For those of you who haven't experienced a Cat Power concert, she is attention deficit disorder personified. She will tell you little stories and jokes in between her glorious songs. She played some songs only partially. She reminded us about her new drug free outlook on life by playing a song referring to MJB (or Mary J. Blige, whom she credits as inspiring her via an Oprah episode to turn her life around), and joking that Starbucks should have her promote a drink called "Sobrie-Tea." She played songs from all over the place, including her now standard cover of "House of the Rising Sun" and a variation of the Stones' "Satisfaction."
I have to admit, the cold made me feel yucky and impatient, so her rambly erratic style didn't sit well with me tonight. And my ass really hurt from sitting on the floor after all that.
So would we want a polished live show during which she would rip through a set without letting that edginess seep in? Perhaps it's that sense of uneasiness that has me hooked to Cat Power, aside from her aching voice. The feeling that at any given moment, it could all spiral away very quickly, so we should appreciate the good bits, just like life itself in many respects.
Even though I have come home to a nightcap of Theraflu and Zicam (go for the faux Starburst chewy squares), I feel oddly satisfied for having gone tonight instead of sitting through the Superbowl. My head is stuffy and slightly numb (and probably worse off for having exposed myself to the elements), but I guess I am somewhat happy to have witnessed Chan Marshall and her bewitching foibles and moments of brilliance, though they were far greater at Town Hall last summer.
Here is a clip of her singing "Empty Shell" from The Greatest:
And here is "The Moon."
