It's Opening Night!

*finally*

visualize serenity

. . . rendered speechless

Damn. I don't even know what to say . . . I'm rendered speechless for a number of reasons, and from a number of angles. Where to begin? Mainly, there's the fact that I don't jive with capital punishment. But - and secondly - the man in question committed some horrific crimes. Horrific! And thirdly, just...wow. Imagine if YOUR boss rang the death knell for YOU.

This is going to explode in the media. Especially in this neck of the woods.

complex simplicity

For as much time as I spend around music, performing music, listening to colleagues perform, studying music, practicing music and buying music . . . sometimes I forget how much I actually really just enjoy LISTENING to music for music's sake. Not while commuting or walking or using it as the soundtrack for some other activity, but making the listening the main focus.

A few weeks ago, I felt like I had returned to college when a friend and I sat around for an hour or so just listening to new bands. We had started a discussion prior to that about rock guitar . . . and it just spiraled into an "oh...yeah, you'd like these guys, check them out. And if you like THEM, then I need to play THIS for you." I spent hours of my life doing that same exact thing in college, and I had missed that.

Last night, on my way home from rehearsal, I was listening to Spanish guitar and flamenco guitar on NPR. It just hit the spot - all the stress of the day melted off. When I got home, I tuned the radio to the same station and listened to the entire program. It was lovely.


**UPDATE 9:28 PM**:
As I am sitting here at home, writing some letters and listening to the radio . . . I just heard an advertisement for my show. That was pretty cool, I have to admit.
(We open on Thursday!)

Coincidence? I think not...

I just found out yesterday that the man Formerly Known As LTG and now known as Capt.G is friends with and a frat brother of MY brother.

Consider my mind blown. And please - every and anyone who reads this - get up to speed here.

snippet

Me: "Hey, Dad - how'd you get that odd little bruise in the center of your thumb?"

Dad: "Oh, this? From work the other day."

Me: "Work? Weird. How'd you do that? It's such an odd spot for a bruise . . ."

Dad: "The power switch on our linear accelerator was broken, so everything had to be done manually, and the manual switch sticks. Switching it back and forth hundreds of times throughout the day caused the bruise."

Me: "So. What you're saying is that your injury was caused by a linear accelerator?"

Dad: "Well, yeah."

Me: "You are the only person I know who would ever be able to utter the sentance, 'I bruised my thumb with the linear accelerator.' That is pretty awesome. And funny."

Friday Five - All that you can't leave behind

What are the five things you simply must have when you are away from home? And why? Any history or goofy things, or stories?

1. Some means of telling the time. It could be a cellphone, watch, sundial, etc. Even if my final destination involves lots of lazing about, not bothering with the time . . . I MUST know what time it is when I'm en route (plane, train, auto, etc). I wouldn't want to miss any connections!

2. My camera. I love taking pictures. Though - in a pinch - my cellphone works for that, too.

3. Drugs. Legal ones for allergies and asthma. I've had too many close calls resulting in trips to the ER not to have them with me.

4. A book. Or a few. And I have this habit of buying a book at the airport if I'm flying, even if I already have one with me. I read so quickly, I've got to keep something on hand.

5. Music for listening. Went from walkman to discman to iPod. For as long as I can remember, music has been a must-have for me on any trip. Family trip? Airplanes? Cruise ship? Road trip - good music for the car is a MUST.

Chickens, Muppets, and Music, oh my.

Seriously. These videos brought me to tears, I was laughing so hard. (And it might just be that I'm the right combination of tired/stressed and music nerd that they hit me square on the funny bone. But man...LOVE 'em!!!)

Thanks to AZ for sending the link.

Transformation - yeah, it feels a little like this

Focus. Forget what's just happened. Forget the mistakes, the stopping and starting, the frustrations of the day thus far. There is only this moment - this one chance to get it right.

Wind-up, wound-up. Coiled. And waiting.
Pacing. Wait - No. No pacing. Pacing diffuses energy – did you ever stop to think about that?

Standing. Waiting. Still…yet not. Placid calm belied only by anger, desperation, and “unbe-fucking-lievable”-ness building behind the eyes.

Poised. The pinball pin about to come smashing through the gate.
Crouching tiger, hidden…wait - wrong country, wrong story.

Somewhere – in the back corners of her mind – music registers.

Happy?
Joyful?
Laughing?

How DARE they delight while she suffers in the shadows!
How can they be so ignorant? How can they not see in her writhing body the pain that each peal of laughter brings?
Straight pins shoved up underneath her fingernails wouldn’t compare to this torture.

Laugh upon stabbing laugh upon stabbing and cutting and bruising laugh builds up quickly. And agonizingly . . . slow. Each laugh reinforcing the shattering blow of the previous one.

The dam gives way, the torrent breaks through: she teeters on the brink. With sudden, crystalized clarity – the confrontation begins.

No one ever yet died of a broken heart.

one of these things is not like the other

There’s a lot of hullabaloo surrounding Obama and his current campaign trip abroad. I’m not going to comment on any of that right now, other than to say that I’m just glad Iraq & Afghanistan are back in the news at all. The recent trending has seen both The Long War and The Forgotten War preempted by such fascinating items as Britney giving up custody of her kids and Brangelina’s twins being born.

Who knew?

I never realized that there was an arrow in the FedEx logo until today. I guess my brain never processed that! Crazy!

A few weeks ago at brunch with Sibling

meh

I was awake all night long and didn't fall asleep until 5am. Partially due to the chai I had at dinner...and partially due to a stomach bug. food poisoning...I don't know. ugh. Today, I've been laying low and drinking gatorade. Hence this really exciting blog post. *awesome*

It Came From The Desert

The title of a B horror film? If only. I present to you, dear readers, the CAMEL SPIDER:



And why, you might ask, am I posting a picture of this potentially nightmare-inducing creature? Because of the email I received from P this morning:

The other big event was encountering a camel spider the size of a kitten outside our showers. They eat meat that they tear off large mammals with their fangs. They run around with their front legs in the air and attack whatever they bump into if it seems like its made of meat-fearsome!

HOLY CRAP! The size of a KITTEN????????? *shudder*

Friday Five - What's in a Name?

1. So how did you come up with your blogging name? And/or the name of your blog?
Well, my blogging name, MezzoSF, is a combination of my location and voice-type. As for my blog name "Random Laundry" ... it came from my very first blog post, which I just went and re-read - and DAMN! It's quite the tirade, if you ask me. Thankfully, in many ways, I am very different from the girl who wrote that entry almost four years ago, now.

2. Are there any code names or secret identities in your blog? Any stories there?
I try to use - or I've tried as of late - to use nicknames and initials when talking about other people. I have a couple of codenames for certain people (ex-boyfriends and the like). A lot of times, though, those nicknames are actually used in real life. For example, my brother and I really DO address each other as "Sibling" instead of using each others' actual names. It's pretty funny.

3. What are some blog titles that you just love? For their cleverness, drama, or sheer, crazy fun?
I'm partial to the title of yesterday's post, actually. It cracked me up when I wrote it. And puns...anything with puns or very pithy titles I love.

4. What three blogs are you devoted to?
Hmmm...how about let's do three categories of blogs I'm devoted to:
Real-life friends (see sidebar); Milblogs (again - sidebar); and further down, total strangers, whose blogs hold a strange power over me (can you guess? sidebar). I have a few updates to make to my sidebar. But probably not right now.

5. Who introduced you to the world of blogging and why?
AZ got me hooked to the blogging thing. I'm not sure why. Maybe she wanted someone to link to? Or to link to her? Whatever the reason...well...I've had fun thus far. Especially this year - the blog 365 thing has been more challenging than I thought it would be.

Bonus question: Have you ever met any of your blogging friends? Where are some of the places you've met these fun folks?Other than the people I was friends with before-blogging who now also have a blog...I have not! But I'm sure they are all quite wonderful people!

Because buying school supplies in the fall turns me on

I just signed up for two classes this fall. They both meet once a week and run
10 - 15 weeks.

1. Spanish I: This is through UC Berkeley extension program. A few years ago, I took private Spanish classes for about 6 months. It was great for my conversational skills and some vocab, but not for grammar. I know how to learn languages and I needed something a little more structured.

2. Introduction to Arabic: This is through an independent language school - the other places I looked at didn't have schedules which would work for me. I've never learned or studied a non-western language before; I'm looking foward to the challenge.

I know - at least where Spanish is concerned - I'll probably start off filtering everything I learn through French, then Italian, and then (hopefully) spitting out the correct answer in Spanish. It's happened before. As far as the Arabic class goes...who knows. I have always thought it a very interesting and beautiful language - visually and aurally - and would like to know how to say more than just [ir fawu adeikum terra armi], [salaam aleikum], and [shaku-maku].

Thank you, Steve Perry

Math Jedi came up with this little gem here...

All I Really Needed To Know I Learned From Journey

Don't stop believing. Hold on to that feeling.
Burning love comes once in a lifetime.
You learn to take the laughter with the tears after all these years.
Two hearts born to run, who'll be the lonely one? Wonder who's crying now?
Give me all of your sunshine. A spark is all I need to take away all of the shadows.
Don't give up, never walk away.
I'll be alright without you, there'll be someone else.
Someday love will find you, break those chains that bind you.
Inside is where the heart grows.
If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you.
I'm not a dead man walking without you, you know I'll be alright. I'm showing signs of life.
So you think you're lonely? Well, my friend, I'm lonely too.
It's sad, oh there's been mornings out on the road without you, without your charms.
When you can't give no more, they want it all, but you gotta say no.
It won't be long, yes till you're alone, when your lover, he hasn't come home, 'cause he's loving, he's touching, he's squeezing another.
Compromise, the price they had to pay.
Take a chance now, the timing's right.
Oh, no, you should be holding on to him girl, just like you want to do.
Any way you want it, that's the way you need it.
There's a time to fall, there's a time to rise above it all.
Some will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the blues.
The memories never fade away.
The road ain't no place to start a family.
To forgive is to forget.
Only so many tears you can cry 'til the heartache is over.
You stole my heart, but you'll never get a piece of my soul.
Living without you, living alone, this empty house seems so cold.
You know I still love you, though we touched and went our separate ways.
Roses never fade.
Be good to yourself when nobody else will.
When you're down in deep despair, ask the lonely.
The fighting is worth the love they save.
When you love a woman, you see your world inside her eyes.
I was alone, I never knew what good love could do. Then we touched, then we sang about the loving things.
You can reinvent your world anytime you like.
Being apart ain't easy on this love affair.
Love's a promise that he made.
Wheel in the sky keeps on turning. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow.

(compiled by DGS, from lyrics by Journey and their various members and collaborators over the last three decades)

Hooray!!

GRAND LAKE has a blog!!!!!

I'm so excited, I don't know what to do!?!??!!?!?!?!

SO, go check out the Grand Lake Outdoors blog. woot!

le spam

For the last couple days, I've been getting French spam in my email.

It's still annoying, like regular spam, but I have to admit that I am secretly thrilled to read it - because I miss speaking French!!

Must. Find. A. Language. Outlet. Soon.

See Also: Nostalgia

It makes me a little sad to think that kids today probably have no idea what The Encyclopaedia Britannica is, much less The World Book.

I spent many happy childhood hours holed up with a volume or three of The World Book. I could study, say, the flags of the world for an entire afternoon.
(And yes, I do realize that this makes me a huge nerd. Still am.) I am pretty sure my parents still have our (now vintage) copy of the 1990 edition packed away in the basement storeroom somewhere.

I’m a big fan of the interwebs and all – don’t get me wrong – but there was something special about opening the a volume for the first time. It was the smell of the gold-edged pages; the crackling of the virgin binding; the silky feel of the thick, glossy paper beneath my fingers. Oooh! And remember when the words “See Also . . . “ were magical? Those two little words would send me into paroxysms of delight! I’d run off to the bookshelf to grab the other four volumes I needed in order to continue down the rabbit hole of knowledge. An article on "Creole" would inevitably be followed up with See Also: "France," "Louisiana Purchase," "New Orleans," "Canada," "Cuisine: French," and on and on. The possibilities? Endless!

Sites such as Wikipedia and RefDesk help to fill the hard-copy, heavy-tomed reference void. And if anything, they make following those rabbit holes much more efficient - everything's just a click away!

But . . . it's not quite the same, you know?

(Perhaps, freshly in my 29th year, I'm becoming more nostalgic for things past already? hahahaha)