Goodbye Terry Schiavo.

May your death be more peaceful than the turmoil that surrounded your life in recent months.

I won't even begin to try and say what I think are the rights and wrongs of this issue.

Legally? Cut and dry -- just the way it should be.

Emotionally? I can't begin to imagine what either her husband nor her parents have gone through since her life took this turn 15 years ago.

But a big screw you to the KCRA reporter who accosted me at McKinley Park this morning with a microphone and a quick, breathless and dishearteningly insincere-sounding "Did you hear about Terry Schiavo? Isn't it sad? Do you want to talk ---"

I, of all people, understand the difficulties of approaching strangers for their "thoughts" on various subjects, but I'll be damned if there isn't a more professional --and tactful -- way to do it.

Still here...just really busy and listening to a lot of Keren Ann and Low - although I was a lame-o and didn't go to Monday's show.

But I was a lame-o with a purpose. Things have been very hectic in Writegrrrl-land lately and hopefully I'll be able to explain more later. In the meantime, wish me lots of luck -- and send coffee. Or chocolate. Or both.

Stand-up comic hottie Sarah Silverman has a new concert film coming out. Gotta see it...she makes me squirm and at least 50 percent of the time it's in a good way.

Huh...that sounded dirty....but, I guess with Sarah Silverman, that's sort of the whole point.

I'm blogging from the train - Amtrak's Capitol Corridor route - on the way from Oakland to Sacramento - and it's pretty cool to be able to ride along and see the ride and enjoy wireless access. Although the wireless connection is kind of slow. Still, I came of age in an era when cell phones were as big as a grown man's shoe and it took an hour to bring up a Web site via dial-up.

But, of course I'm supposed to be working, so enough of this for now...

p.s. I was going to try and be super-high tech girl and post a cell phone photo but Flickr keeps freezing up on me, so yeah, back to work it is.

Edited to add: OK, the photo's now up...did I mention how slow the train WiFi connection was? Very, very slow. It also took me nearly 30 minutes to get out of the Amtrak parking lot. Not very good logistics going over there at the downtown station...

I just have to get that stupid ANTM gif off the top of my page. It's kind of worn out its welcome.

Not that I have much to say right now. Work is super-busy and I have to get up super-early tomorrow morning and my head kind of hurts right now and it's raining and I'm just pining for a good ol' fashioned day of sitting on my ass, curled up in a blanket.

Actually, I'd like a good day of writing. I've been craving a good writing day lately and weather like this is perfect for it. Some of my favorite memories of grad school (eesh, it still seems weird to talk about it in the past tense) are of sitting in Cafe Melange on a gray and gloomy, rainy Saturday or Sunday, working on a short story while sipping on hot coffee and listening to Death Cab for Cutie on repeat through my headphones.

I've been writing at home mostly and that's just not the same -I never seem to get quite as focused. I really need to get back to a cafe to be productive but this weekend and the next are out of the question....probably by the time I do make it out it'll be full-on spring - sunny and hot. Cafe Melange is always hot in the spring and summer - even with the A.C. because those giant windows in the loft just magnify the warmth.

Anyway.

Alright, I think I've succeeded in moving Ms. Rebecca's rolling eyes down a few inches. It's still early but I think I'm off to bed - well after a beer and a run through today's paper and maybe the Daily Show - because I have to be up before six a.m., which frankly is just inhuman but I don't have a choice in the matter.

Oh, and in case you missed last night's bitch-tastic episiode of America's Next Top Model in which something SHOCKING happened (and then was kind of glossed over and mostly forgotten about), well then you're in luck because I stole this nifty animated gif from Stereogum.

What's funny (at least to me) is that at first I thought that snitty Rebecca was actually rolling her eyes at the criticism she was hearing about her modeling shoot. But, well, no.... In any case, Stereogum says it was Janice doing the bitchy dishing but I thought the "tips" were actually via the guest judge whose name, face and occupation I have now forgotten. Whatever the case, we're talking must-see primetime. OK, last post of the day... I swear.

Erstwhile Sacramento graphic novelist Adrian Tomine is interviewed by US News & World Reports.

Although I've met Tomine and don't recall him to be quite as "glowering" as this writer reports, I think the piece is nonetheless quite nice. A bit to peruse now:

Although Optic Nerve is most often compared with Ghost World , it probably owes more to the elliptical structures of a Raymond Carver story. A man and a woman try voyeurism and see something they shouldn't. A blind man is snubbed on the streets by his grocery store helper. A man buying a cake is beaten and forced to bite the curb. A lonely woman finds someone who doesn't mind her nocturnal teeth grinding. Small tales become large when unspooled cinematically across Tomine's pages. Underneath it all is the sincerity and sweet sadness of Schulz's work. One imagines that if the Peanuts gang ever grew into their heads, the more neurotic of the bunch (Linus? Peppermint Patty?) might move to the city and continue their struggle to find meaning in the pages of something like Optic Nerve.

If you've yet to read any of the Optic Nerve editions or Summer Blonde...you really, really should. It's a light and breezy read that somehow leaves behind a lot of emotional weight in its wake.

the knitty gritty

Things that are bugging me today:

*Feeling sick - I suspect it's just pyschological, corresponding to the return of the gray, chilly weather.
* The building of a KFC on the corner of Alhambra and Folsom boulevards - I mean forget that I'm vegetarian and obviously not fond of the Colonel - does midtown really need an ugly, smelly fast-food joint? I think not. Such a waste of imagination, of prime real estate. So stupid, so sad. So wrong.



But here is something good -- all you crafty knitters take note:


Bust magazine editor Debbie Stoller -- author of Stitch'n'Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook -- is launching the Capitol Corridor Stitch 'n Ride in association with Amtrak. Every week you can ride three special knitting along the Capitol Corridor route.

Here's the whys-and-hows of it (from the Amtrak site):

The Stitch 'N Ride program is designed to bring knitters of all skills and ages together to sit and knit while riding the train. Learn new techniques from experienced knitters, get great patterns free from Debbie Stoller's books Stitch'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook and Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, and meet people that share your passion for knitting from all over the Bay Area and
Sacramento.

Every two weeks, riders can pick up a new pattern card (six in all) featuring a hip design from the Stitch 'N Bitch books ... Grab your knitting, leave the car behind and hop aboard to Stitch 'N Ride with your fellow passengers.

And here are the wheres-and-whens:

Train # 527, Sacramento to Oakland, departing 7:40am

Train # 538, Oakland to Auburn, departing 3:30pm

Train #542, Oakland to Sacramento, departing 5:30pm



It's the first such train route in the country - I find it pretty amazing that they're launching it here since Stoller's an East Coaster. In any case, Stoller will be in the area next week promoting "Stitch'n'Ride":

Tuesday, March 22 @ 8:30pm
Rumplestilskins
1021 R Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-442-9225

Amtrak Events:
Tuesday, March 22
Aboard Capital Corridor # 542
Oakland to Sacramento
Departing @ 5:30pm
The Stitch 'n Ride Car

Wednesday, March 23
Aboard Capital Corridor
The Stitch 'n Ride Car # 547
Sacramento to Oakland
Departing @ 7:40am


You should all check it out; I barely knit (and by barely I mean, oh my god, what am I doing with these needles, I'm going to poke an eye out) but I'll be there nonetheless ... maybe Stoller is a miracle worker and can cure me of my crafty clumsiness once and for all...

One of the many reasons I love Google. Because it's little things like this that make my life so much easier.

Sort of an up and down weekend. On the upside: Friday's nail-biter of a King's game and then a show at Luna's to check out some out-of-town friends' band. Then, Saturday: a couple of art shows and then Sellout-Buyout. I didn't really buy much this time, just a cheery t-shirt that has flowers and says "Kiss of Death." We got there kind of late and I was pretty tired - almost too tired to browse. Also, the handbag vendor I liked so much last time - the one with the pretty bird bags - wasn't there. Should've bought one of her bags last time. That'll teach me.

Still, even though I didn't get a total shopper's high, it was nice to be out. We ran into a lot of people and I met some cool new people including Liz, the woman who runs the Fools Foundation gallery that hosted the event this time out. I hope that the Fools Foundation becomes the permanent Sellout-Buyout home - it was bright and roomy (and this despite being in the basement), I didn't get banged up trying to navigate my way through the all the goods.

After Sellout-Buyout Cory and Kim & I went to try out the new Andy Nguyen's. (Can somebody please tell me the correct pronuciation of "Nguyen"? I had good intentions to ask our waiter but ended up being too hungry to really think clearly). It was such a treat - the interior is fresh, bright and comfy and the food is quite tasty. It's so great being in an all-vegetarian restaurant, I can't tell you the giddy joy I felt looking at the menu and feeling overwhelmed by all the choices. I think I would still be sitting there trying to decide between the Enlightened This and Dreams of That if Allyson Seconds hadn't wandered by. It was her seventh trip since the restaurant's re-opening and she quickly pointed me in the direction of a dish that featured a "chicken" drumstick and "chicken" strips with curried vegetables. OK, can I just say how freaking cute the chicken drumstick was? It was soy meat placed delicately around a smooth bamboo stick. Come on people - all food should be this cute! Oh yeah, and it tasted really good too. Cory got a lemongrass "beef" dish and Kim ordered a fried rice dish.

We also got a veggie spring roll that had a sort of fake grilled beef in it. All of it quite yummy and fairly cheap and we pretty much devoured every last bit of it. The service was a bit slow - as I'd heard it might be - but I'm more than willing to overlook that and go back again. And again. And again. Especially as I don't think there are any other all-vegetarian places in Sac. (Not sure about the Sunflower Drive-in, but in any case that's kind of a trek). Ever since the closing of Mum's - which was pretty hit-or-miss in its final months anyway - we've had to travel far and wide to find a place with those kind of all-veggie options.

OK, back to the upside-downsides. Saturday morning, following a pretty expensive trip to the vet (my cat Trixie has conjunctivitis. Actually, Sophie has it as well, but amazingly neither cat transmitted it to the other - long story), Cory and I both crashed out for a super-long nap. Normally super-long naps are refreshing but this one was allergy-induced and we both still felt relatively yucky upon waking. That allergy-induced blah-ness carried over into Sunday and was not helped by the total bleakness that was the Kings-Rockets game.

Today the downside has sort of continued. Even though I had a lovely lunch with Anna at Dragonfly, my allergies have been in full effect. For some reason I thought it'd be a good idea to walk to lunch and the wind quickly laughed in my face (literally, I believe...I'm sure I heard an evil chortle) as it blew pollen up my nose. Right now I'm so hopped up on allergy medicine that I feel as if my insides have been vacuumed out. And on that lovely note, I'll wrap this up for now ...

Man, how crappy is this? Brad Miller breaks fibula - out for at least the rest of the regular season.

Miller's been one of my favorite players this season with an average of 15 points and 9 rebound per game. Even more than his numbers though, I love his spark - his temper. Sure he's racked up quite a few technicals but I'd rather see someone play the game hard and take it seriously - take it to heart - even if that does mean that things get occasionally nasty. It's basketball, it's supposed to get nasty.

Brian Skinner has certainly stepped up during his short tenure with the Kings but now Greg Ostertag's going to need to really find his game or....

or....gah, the Kings are down by 16 right now in their game against the Rockets.

How much more can this team take before everything implodes? I believe they can take much, much more - but they all need to summon that Miller spark, become focused and become much more consistent. Cuttino and Peja? Yeah, I'm looking at you two. Especially you Peja.

Found via Blogcritics.org - NPR arts reporter David D'Arcy is fired after the MOMA complains about his coverage of the controversy surrounding ownership of Egon Schiele's "Portrait of Wally" painting.


But did he really do anything wrong or, in the words of NPR, "overlook the basical standards of journalism"? Artnet.com asks the questions and shows how art critics, historians and even CBS's Morley Safer are coming to the defense of the freelance writer who'd been with NPR for nearly 20 years.

Jesus...From the Sacramento Business Journal:

The median price of a home in Sacramento was $346,950 in January, actually $880 less than in December. But the median price was $262,210 in January 2004 -- a difference of $84,740.

Still, Sacramento remained the second-most affordable region in the state behind the High Desert region, where 39 percent of households could afford a median-priced home. The Santa Barbara region was the least affordable in January, at 7 percent.

The minimum household income needed to purchase a median-priced home in California -- at $485,700 -- was $113,340, based on an average effective mortgage rate of 5.78 percent and assuming a 20 percent down payment.

Excuse me while I go cry ... and dream of imaginary rich relatives who might leave me a ton of cash after they quietly pass away after living a long, happy and fulfilled life.

Please note, this is not a plea for how-to-buy-a-house-in-an-overpriced-market-when-you're-not-lucky-enough-to-have-relatives-to-help-you-out advice...I'm just venting...that's all.

Tonight's my man Dan's last night doing the news for CBS.

Here are some links that give an overview of his career - the highs and lows. (Sorry, but many of the sites require free registration ... ).

Who Killed Dan Rather?

CBS 'voice of God' goes with a whimper

Dan Rather, Leaving By the High Road

Dan Rather: a pioneer and a lightning rod

Rather Bows Out Tonight

Say what they will Mr. Rather, I'll miss you.

Here's that 10 Things I've Done That Maybe You Haven't Done meme that's been floating around the last week or so...

(not necessarily in order of whatever)

1. Posed as an 18-year-old high school student (for my job). When I was 26.


2. Traveled cross-country by myself. Twice.


3. Taken the train from Chicago to Sacramento.


4. Been in bed with Paul Westerberg


5. Been physically threatened by Courtney Love. In front of thousands of people.


6. Joined the Junior League. For a year. A very long year.


7. Been in a parade


8. Almost drowned in a river.


9. Ran away from home and stayed overnight in a teen shelter/halfway house (age 15).


10. Crashed a backstage LA after-show music party -- bypassing the likes of Elvis Costello, Beck and all the other well-knowns for a chance to meet Mary Margaret O'Hara

OK, so I did miss Duran Duran's first song of the set but judging by conflicting reports of the badass-ness (or lack thereof) of said song, I think I did OK by making it by the time they struck up "Hungry Like the Wolf."

Also of note: If you're going to Memorial Auditorium you should know this: you can sneak in a fake leopard-skin flask filled with rum...but not a compact, non-pointy-tipped umbrella.

I'm really bummed that I had to sacrifice my ultra-compact, non-obnoxious Nautica umbrella for the sake of the show...but so it goes, another rock'n'roll casualty.

I think I have a Duran Duran hangover. OK, not quite....but I did go to the show last night and I was sick today - a sore throat and an ass-kicking headache. I stayed home from work and slept a lot ... now I'm sitting here on the couch thinking about how I should get up and take an Airborne tablet but watching America's Next Top Model instead. That tough-ass gangster girl from last season's first episode just made the first cut....she looks really pretty this time out.

The show last night was pretty good. Cory & I were both feeling pretty crappy but we made it out despite the aches and the rain and found our seats during what I think was the first number, Hungry Like the Wolf (Sandra?)...We were down on the floor and had a great view....From that point on the night was fun -- in spite of a mid-set lull that featured several new songs that aren't quite up to Duran Duran snuff. But I won't complain about that because it gave me time to go lounge around in the beer line and listen to the guy behind me complain about how pissed he would be if he missed "Save a Prayer." Hey, me too buddy, me too...Luckily we all made it back for the Bic moment....at the end of that song I turned to Cory and said, OK ... let me put it this way. In junior high? I had, like, every poster? I used to, you know, dream of meeting Simon LeBon?

.... And there I was, 20 years later and it was like being a teenager again -- except without all the drama and hormones and pimples and persistant baby fat.

Overall, the guys still sounded great and they looked even better - well not so much during the camera close-ups when the deep wrinkles came into deep focus and you could see that Nick Rhodes has a comb-over that starts at the crown of his head (but damn,his face is exactly as the same as it was in 1984 - as smooth as a baby's ass...I need to find what skin care products he uses)....but, that's what 20 years will do to you and they still rocked. Favorite songs of the night: Is There Something I Should Know?, Girls on Film, Planet Earth, Come Undone, Save a Prayer and Hungry Like the Wolf.....

Oh good, the tough-ass gangster girl made the final cut. But what's with the couple of super-bland girls? Maybe they clean up real nice. And damn, I can't help it but I do love Tyra in all of her completely unironic glory. Although the orange hair? Not so good.

.... Speaking of shows, I keep meaning to mention the Paul Westerberg show from last week. Pretty damn fun despite - or perhaps because of - how it sort of fell apart in the middle. Paul saved the whole debacle-in-the-making beaufitully by smashing his guitar at one point. I always like a good guitar smashing -- it always helps to balance out all those flubbed lyrics and mangled notes. And by the night's third or fourth encore, Paul's voice and guitar-playing were shot through with such an intensity, I left there feeling both drained and energized.

Oh look, it's the finale for that Missy Elliot reality show... I kept forgetting this was on and haven't seen a single episode...not even the one with Madonna. But that's OK because Madonna bugs the hell out of me these days. And this from the girl who used to act out the "Burning Up" video in her bedroom. I did hear "Borderline" in a store the other day (oh, and yes, I do have all of her records. Even the really crappy ones) and that took me back in kind of a bittersweet way. Again with the drama and hormones and pimples and persistant baby fat.

OK, like on that note, I really do need to take some Airborne because I have to suck it up and go to work tomorrow. Fun, fun ...

A meme taken from her....Bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.

I have become that person - the one reliving the glory days of her youth by going to see the band she obsessed about as a young girl.

Back in the day I worshipped Duran Duran. By ninth grade the love affair was pretty much over as I moved on to the Smiths and the Cure and so forth, but those two previous years? Nothing came between me and my one true love Simon LeBon.

And now, and now....so many years later I'm going to go to a show where there will probably be a gazillion thirtysomethings like myself awkwardly bopping around to "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf."

It would make me feel old but since I still go to shows all the time - shows that are not of the nostalgia trip variety -- it just leaves me amused. Particularly funny: a married mom friend of mine asking where she could buy "cool" tops because these days she only has "mom clothes" and she doesn't want to look like the aging mom Durannie.

I'm dragging Cory to the show with me - he's such a good sport, in fact he's the one who got me the tickets. Maybe I'll sneak in my flask ...ooh, I just found out the show is seated -- this means we can skip the opening band (because I am old and tire easily on a school night) and just plop our thirtysomething asses into our seats right before Nick Rhodes strikes the first note on his keyboard.

Ah, if only I could bring a lighter for when they play "Save a Prayer."

Jeez, I'm such a geek. But I'm warning all y'all bitches...keep your eyes off Simon. Tonight he's mine once again.