Month: January 2010

Music, Photography

January’s Gone

Shelly

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Nothing much else to say, except that I found a bunch of live Joanna Newsom recordings. Haven’t had a chance to listen to them yet, but will soon. I’ve sort of been tackling her songs one at a time, trying to unravel their meanings. Right now I’m working on Cosmiaand >Only Skin.


Cosmia by Joanna Newsom

Cosmia is pretty straightforward, I think. She said in an interview that it’s about her dealing with the death of a good friend. Only Skin is a little harder to parse. It’s sort of a meta-song, covering themes from all the other songs on the Ys album. It’s vast and sprawling (just under 17 minutes), so there’s a lot to unpack.


Only Skin by Joanna Newsom

Crankypantsing

It’s Always Something

Shelly

First, it was the furnace. Then it was the oven. Then it was the oven again. Then it was the dishwasher. Then it was the oven again. Then it was the bathroom ceiling leaking. And then it was the oven again. And then it was the furnace again. And now, it’s the refrigerator’s turn. The fridge temperature is hovering around 45F, and the freezer is around 20F. Way too warm for comfort.

So now I have to figure out when to call maintenance. Can’t do it on Monday, because I have to work and can’t be here to supervise maintenance-guys-and-dog interactions. Tuesday, I’m off work for my root canal, but that’s in the middle of the day, which is not convenient for scheduling home repair stuff. If I call when the office opens at 8am, they’re apt to show up 10 minutes before I have to leave. If I call later, it’ll take them 2-3 days to get to it.

In the meantime, the groceries I bought this week are quickly becoming inedible.

Uncategorized

Want

Shelly

I am suddenly ridiculously covetous of a KitchenAid stand mixer. As in, I have been dreaming about the damned thing. In seafoam aqua blue-green. Of course, I don’t exactly have an extra $400 sitting around, but that’s just a minor detail.

I’ve also been dreaming of all the homemade bread I could make, if I had a stand mixer. Yeah, I could buy good bread, but I want to make it myself and bake it in my very own oven. I just don’t want to do all the kneading, cuz I’m lazy that way.

Crankypantsing

Worst Movie EVAR

Shelly

Twilight is running on Showtime. I have pretty much nothing but contempt for the entire franchise[1], but I thought I’d watch the movie to see if it was really as bad as I’d heard, and you know what? It’s worse. Worse, I say! The story itself is awful enough (Bella is supposed to be some sort of social misfit, except that on her first day of school, she’s got kids falling over themselves to befriend her?), but it’s the dialogue and the acting that made me want to throw things at the TV. Truly atrocious. I managed to watch about 15 minutes of it before I had to change the channel. And I actually like cheesy vampire stories! It’s truly that bad.

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1. Emo vampires?! Give me a break! Anne Rice managed to pull it off fairly well with Louis in Interview with the Vampire, but even he became unconvincing as that series wore on.

Pets, Photography

Henry’s Revenge

Shelly

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Usually it’s Polly who sleeps on top of Henry, but occasionally, it’s the other way around. I don’t think either one of them are the least bit bothered by being squashed by the other.

I’m also really glad that I bought the cheap PVC-and-nylon kitty jungle gym that sits behind the couch. They spend a lot of time hanging out there. It gives them a good perch to keep an eye on things, without lying on the couch itself, which is Harriet’s territory.

Crankypantsing

Dear Neighbors

Shelly

Leaving cigarette ash and butts in the stairwells is kind of gross. If you’re going to smoke indoors, at least use an ashtray. Were you raised by wolves?

Leaving a washing machine full of your sequined underwear for someone else to remove is likewise pretty gross. Especially when you washed them on cold.

Letting your dog shriek frantically all day, nonstop, is not only annoying to the people who live around you, but it’s not very nice for the dog, either. Poor thing.

Tossing your empty beer bottles in the bushes is awfully lazy, but it’s preferable to you leaving them in the parking lot. If you’re going to sit in your car and drink, put the empties in the trash, please.

To whomever put the rocking chair in the laundry room, I worry about you. I really do. Why on earth are you hanging around in the basement? It’s dark and a little creepy down there. Surely you can find a more pleasant place to sit?

And all you people who are leaving your new phone books sitting on your front doorsteps, please don’t. Believe me, I know it’s annoying to get junk you didn’t ask for, but at least take them to the recycling, instead of leaving them out in the rain.

Likewise, leaving your junk mail on top of the mailboxes is uncalled for. I know you’re probably annoyed at receiving it, but you don’t have to share the annoyance with all your neighbors. Chances are, we got the exact same junk mail, so now we’re doubly annoyed. Thanks a lot!

That is all. As you were, comrades!

Crankypantsing, Music

The Good and the Bad

Shelly

I had a dental appointment today, for a regular cleaning, but we also talked about the broken-and-filled molar that’s still bothering me. The verdict: root canal. Ugh! Aside from all kinds of No Fun, it’s going to be expensive. Even more so because a root canal also means getting a crown on that tooth.

But I don’t care, because I have Joanna Newsom tickets! That’s all that matters.


Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie by Joanna Newsom


Interview with Joanna Newsom