i hate it when I type out an entire entry only to hit the wrong key and lose it all.
just though I'd share since I'm obviously not going to post anything else today.
Feh.

umm...whoo-hoo....it only took me three freakin' days (not three continuous days....sheesh)...but I finally figured out how to move this blog to my Web site.
Now ....if I could only figure out the archives...that's next...it'll take some trial and error I suppose...if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know via e-mail or my guestbook.
Anyway, it's not like there was anything particularly scintillating in said archives....in the meantime, check out the rest of the site if you can. It's not done yet - far from it. Indeed, there are only a few pages up, but hopefully I'll have most of it done by early next week....

so it's mid-July and I thought now might be a time to play catch-up and do a run-down of my favorite albums so far this year.
(um, I just know that as soon as I post this I'll remember 5 other records...oh, and this is not necessarily a definitive order)

1. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot


2. Paul Westerberg / Grandpaboy - Stereo / Mono (yes I know they are two separate records but I usually listen to them as one)


3. Mirah - Advisory Committee


4. Puffy AmiYumi - An Illustrated History of ...


5. Badly Drawn Boy - About a Boy (soundtrack)


6. Elvis Costello - When I Was Cruel


7. Departure Lounge - Too Late to Die Young


8. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow


9. Ben Kweller - Sha Sha


10. The Mooney Suzuki - Electric Sweat

Also in heavy rotation (many left over from last year): records by the White Stripes (all three of 'em), Pink, Le Tigre, the Hives, the Avalanches, Damien Jurado, Jay Bennett & Edward Burch, Scout Niblett and Ed Harcourt. Still warming up to: the Flaming Lips, Rilo Kelly, DJ Shadow, Sonic Youth and Aimee Mann

I just signed up with Blogsnob. See that first link in the right hand column (you know, just to the right of this. By signing up w/ Blogsnob I agree to put a link on my page. It's a really cool thing. Every time my page is refreshed, the link - which highlights random Blogsnob blogs - refreshes as well. The idea is to direct you to another blog and hopefully someone will come to my site through a Blogsnob link on another page.
OK, go hit that link now and make the Blogsnob people happy...please?

so I talked to Ted Nugent today. We were talking about his new book "Kill it & Grill it"- Ted's an avid hunter, you know and only eats meat that he's killed himself.
So anyway, as he railed on hippies and liberals and vegetarians I just had to ask him:..."Ted, I'm a vegetarian - what would you fix me if I came over for dinner? Or would you even invite me over for dinner?"
"Of course I'd have you over for dinner," he said, explaining that some of his bandmates are vegans. Only he pronounced it VEG-uns - in a way that rhymes with EGG-uns. "I make delicious VEG-un bullshit."
Mmmm...something to look forward to...
By the way, did anyone else see Eminem on Saturday Night Live and think he looked utterly ridiculous reading the teleprompter and lip syncing throughout the entire SONG?
Just wondering.

tonight is the last-ever, truly final Magnolia Thunderfinger show.
It's happening at Old I and starts at 10 p.m.. Come kick out the jams with Jones, GB, T-Bone and Chico..
If ever there was a night to get drunk and be obnoxious...this is it...

never mind about the pictures. They're up again...for now.

p.s. ...recent Googles include:

• Kelly Osbournes hair quiz journal



• katie+couric+face+lift



• "My keys, My car, My vagina, My business"



• sideshow + eating

um, yeah...so the photos are down for now...due to technical snafus ... hopefully back up by Sunday.
Not that you're missing anything. I mean - I still look the same - only a little more wilted and heat-frazzled...

excuse me while I wilt...
109 degrees yesterday, expected high of 110 today...temperatures cooling off to 106 tomorrow.
Speaking of which, right now it is 106 degrees. Ick.
When I drove to work this morning there was a towering, smoky brown cloud hovering over parts of Sacramento. A fire burning somewhere – the air is thick and hot and it smells as if the entire city is being barbecued.

If you don't see me for a while it's because I'm now living in my tiny half-cubicle at work - land of the free air-conditioning. This kind of heat and I do not agree…indeed, we are rarely on good terms….


That said, I would have gladly withstood five more degrees of heat just to sit and watch Alejandro Escovedo last night at the the Palms last night.
As usual - and despite the hot, humid environment of the Palms - Escovedo was great. He's such a charasmatic performer - a great storyteller both in his songs and in the explanations leading up to his songs.
He opened the set with “Waves” – which is both part of his “By the Hand of the Father” play and his last album “A Man Under the Influence” – and prefaced it with the history of the song, giving it new lyrical and emotional depth. He did this with many of the songs throughout the night, creating a sort of story strung along the notes of the songs.
This might be Escovedo’s last time at the Palms (it’s set to move to a new location sometime in the fall) and, in honor of that, he dedicated Mott the Hoople’s “I Wish I Was Your Mother” to all the people who work at the venue.
This song has to be one of the saddest, most beautiful songs ever written – and to hear Alejandro sing it, particularly the moments when he sings it a capella, makes for a truly transcendental moment.

Ladyfest is coming up…July 24-28. For those of you not familiar with Ladyfest this is a great tradition that originated (and was founded by Allison of Bratmobile) in August 2000 in Olympia. Since then it’s evolved and decentralized via grassroots efforts in cities such as Chicago, Indiana and even Scotland. (Upcoming Ladyfest sites include Paris, LA and Philadelphia).

Dont' be too scared - it's not just all bald girls in clompy boots or cute, skinny Hello Kitty punk chicks..wait, don't get mad at me just yet..I found out long ago that I'm already too old to be cool in the whole riot grrrl scene... not that the original riot grrrls aren't as old or older than me. I've definitely noticed some ageism when it comes to that particular crowd. When my friend Laura and I went to a riot grrrl convention in Portland a few years back we were among the oldest there - at the ripe old age of 26! Wow. Wait...that wasn't a FEW years ago...that was SIX years ago.

Damn I am getting old.

Anyway, my point is, this particular Ladyfest is different because it's being organized by women in both their 20s AND 30s and anyone interested in progressive change, the advancement of feminism and socially-conscious art should check it out.

Riot grrrl, post-riot grrrl, feminist, neo-feminist, lipstick feminist ...whatever...it doesn't matter.

In addition to a ton of live bands (the Donnas, the Bangs, Mirah, Bonfire Madigan, the Gossip and much more), there’ll be DIY workshops, seminars, art shows and a film festival. I’d like to make it down for the Knitting for Beginners workshop on Thursday, July 25th and I’m definitely coming down for the seminars on indie publishing and the “Arts and Organizing: Using Creative Tools for Expression, Empowerment, Community Building, Social Change & Survival” – both scheduled for Sat. July 28.

Now back to sucking on ice chips and pretending I’m Elizabeth Taylor in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"…

I feel much better about life now that Julia Roberts is married (again)
After all, if she can find happiness in life, it means there's hope for the rest of us.

So, I scored an 8 out of 11 on the U.S. citizenship test. I wish my score had been higher but I don't feel too bad about not knowing if it was Alaska or Hawaii that was the 49th state.

More celebrity sightings!: Wednesday night Cory and I went to Old Ironsides to enjoy a few pre-holiday drinks. While we were there we spotted Jordan from MTV's latest "reality show" "Sorority Life" - which as you may or may not know, was taped in nearby Davis, CA.
Jordan's the one with the long, curly blonde hair and big pouty lips. She's also the reason a lot of people think MTV "planted" potential pledges in an attempt to make sure there were no ugly people on TV.

Anyway, we all tried not to stare at her and giggle too much...and yes she is pretty in 'real life' -in that heavy make-up, I-shop-exclusively-at-Bebe-and-Nordie's- sort of way. AND, she was very polite when she approached the bar where we were sitting. Honestly seemed down-to-earth and sincere...at least so much as I could tell in about the 5 seconds she was in my vicinity.

See, look at that, I can be nice...

um...i'm finally getting Googles on this site:

• "compulsive biting of the inside of the cheek"

and

• "Christina Aguilera and Mike Bibby"
  

hmmm.....

i keep meaning to come here and write something brilliant...but alas there are no brilliant thoughts to be had....
yeah ...big surprise right?
Right.
The LA trip was a lot of fun. In addition to the eBay convention, Cory and I had the chance to interview the super-cool artist Shag in his home. This meant we had the chance to salivate all over his cool retro furniture, gawk at the paintings-in-progress and play with his adorable three-and-a-half-year old Zoey.
All I have to say about that is:
"Baxter smells your mint gum."
I guess you had to be there....
Let's see...we also did a lot of window shopping (and got the rude once-over from the shopclerk freaks at Fred Segal), visited the Free Winona t-shirt store (and got to talk to the guy who created them. $10,000 shirts at $15 a pop. You do the math) and popped into the Dresden - the cheesy lounge made famous by "Swingers".
The highlight of the trip, hands down, was the show at Largo featuring Jon Brion.
It amazes me that the best show I've seen all year happens once a week at this club. Not only is Brion a great songwriter but he's a charming and witty host - and his guests are, apparantly, always amazing. Our visit turned up Matt Chamberlain (famous drummer guy, or so Cory tells me) and Fiona Apple (with whom I waited in line for the bathroom...tiny little thing...eat something dear...please).
If you haven't already - and if you have the chance - you have to check out this show. It's only a $10 cover and if you make dinner reservations in advance (the prices and food are both decent) you'll be guaranteed a spot.
Back to the real world..kind of....we went to go see the PowerPuff Girls movie.
Unfortunately, aside from the usual great art / animation, the film was rather disappointing. Whereas the TV series is snappy, witty and subversive - replete with cool, sometimes subtle pop culture references, the film is pretty straightforward, dry - and boring.
At least the Dexter cartoon that preceeded the film was pretty funny.

Tonight, MTV's "Sorority Life"....wicked fun!

NP: Puffy AmiYumi "An Illustrated History" (looking forward to the Amoeba instore on July 7th!)