Thursday, December 1, 2005: Wisdom or Prudence?

Today's an occasion of some moment.  For me at least.  After an exceptionally unfortunate bout of extended gum infection on my lower left wisdom tooth last year, and an inordinately long wait to get the damn thing extracted, I resolved to finally get the lot of them out.  I wouldn't bother, but the delay was just torture.  I'd rather go through it all at once, than take my chances on the rest being ok.  And today was the day.  We were up at 7am for an 8:15 appointment.  I was to be put under for the first time in my life, and couldn't have my customary coffee.  When the doctor got me in the chair, he asked me to show how wide I could open my mouth, then joked I wouldn't remember the question.  Obviously, he was wrong.  But that's about all I remember.  I woke up about an hour & a half later, Carrie waiting by the table.  I think the nurses were getting a bit impatient with me.  Apparently I slept rather longer than expected.  Guess I've been going without.  My mouth was packed with bloody gauze, which I had to change quite a few times.  But strangely, it didn't really hurt that much.  We made a quick trip to the store to get some yoghurt drinks and movies, and then went home.  I fell asleep shortly after we returned home.  Carrie hung out 'till she had to go to work, and snapped this picture when I woke up.  I tried to work a bit, with limited success.  But all told, felt pretty good.  Later that night it started to snow, and I decided to take a walk and get some air.  Here you can see a video clip
of the snowflakes swirling about me.

Monday, November 28, 2005: Right Through the Looking Glass

After I finished work, Carrie and I met Rob and Ryan at Last Word Books, and we all went to Indian food in Lacey.  Carrie had her trademark "peas & cheese" again.  I had something with okra.  For some reason I can never pass up okra when I see it on a menu.  Nothing to do with the taste - I like it ok, but it's not a particular favorite.  I think its more the unusual shape of the vegetable.  And the peculiarity of its name.  Anyway, after dinner, we swung by our respective homes to pick up coats, and walked down to the Brotherhood for a drink.  Here you see Rob (on the left) and his friend Ryan, a professional glassblower who just got back from Fairbanks, Alaska.  I peppered him with questions about the town and what it's like to live there.  He was very forthcoming.  Interesting guy, told me about making a series of glass hammers for a UAF art student.  Apparently, he's off to Murano next, to study with the old-school masters of the art.

Carrie and Ryan kept up their own conversation on the other side of the table.  Somewhat later, Jacob Sunday dropped in to say hello.  We filled in Ryan on interesting events of a few nights previous, in which Jacob acted the Sir Galahad to a sorely overinebriated young lady, spooking a creepy lecher intent on seeing her home.  Turned out Ryan was familiar with the creep in question, and heartily approved of Jacob's intervention.

On the way out, I found myself compelled to document a lovely readymade in the bathroom.  I know, it's a bit uncouth to be snapping pictures in the john.  But I was all alone in there.  I swear it.

Sunday, November 27, 2005: Mystery Meat Morning

Mom showed up at about noon, and we went for lunch to a very authentic-seeming Mexican place in Berkeley.  I had a bowl of menudo, a traditional Mexican tripe stew I've always wanted to try.  I'm quite a fan of tripe, which I first encountered in Campbell's Pepper Pot soup.  Unfortunately, cans of Pepper Pot are now hard to come by.  So I was quite pleased to discover them at the Safeway on 4th Ave. in Olympia.  Anyway, on the way out, Mom spotted the Mundells.  Here's Ellen Mundell, with her little grandkid.

And here's Mike.  Leah and her husband were also there, but I didn't get a decent picture.

However, they kindly took a snapshot of us.  I was still pretty tired, as I'd stayed up late "working" the night before.  Hence the extra coffee.

My mother dropped me off at the airport, saving me the BART trip and shuttle.  Thanks, Ma!  I had a 6:30 flight, but volunteered to get bumped, in exchange for a roundtrip ticket.  For a bit it seemed I'd have to spend the night in Oakland.  But luckily a seat came available on the 9pm flight.  And it was in first class.  Not bad, even if it amounts to little more than real glasses, free drinks, and... warmed nuts, instead of in a bag.  Whatever.  Anyway, I got into SeaTac pretty late, and had to wait around for the last shuttle back to Olympia.  Which took just about forever.  Here you see the far end of the terminal, where the shuttle buses do their pickups.

I took this picture of myself while waiting.  The shuttle eventually turned up.  Unfortunately, the trip was just interminable, dropping people off to all ends of nowhere.  And it surely didn't help that neither the driver nor his erstwhile assistant had any clue where they were headed.

I have no idea what this is a picture of or where I might have taken it.  But it certainly looks interesting.

Saturday, November 26, 2005: Return of the Argonaut

On Friday evening, Carrie drove me to SeaTac, where I flew Alaska Air to Oakland.  The reason for the visit?  On Saturday, Susan & Leland Faust were holding a post-wedding party for their son Aaron & his wife Blye.  I caught the BART up to El Cerrito Plaza, where my brother picked my up in his $350 rattletrap of a car.  Amazing!  I could have sworn there was a percussion section under the chassis. But it seems to run fine.  And you certainly can't beat the price.  According to Mikey, he's only really bothered by the fact that none of the interior lights - including those on the gauges - work.  Meaning that at night he's "flying blind," as it were.  Still, as it can't get much over 55 anyway it hardly matters...  Spent the night in the spare room in the house in front of the cottage Mikey lives in.  Our mother turned up late morning, and Mikey gave us a tour of his cottage (on the left).

Here's Mikey inside his cottage.  Which is mostly full of CDs.  One of the perks of the music business.  We drove into San Francisco, Mom was staying in the Hilton Hotel on Market Street (the one with glass elevators overlooking the lobby).  While Mikey took a nap and our mother got ready to go, I walked over to the new Ferry Terminal market for a coffee.

So here you see me in "formalwear" in preparation for the party.  Or at least as formal as I got, in an '80s styled tie Carrie nicked from Christopher Brown and a shiny-striped shirt.  What you're not seeing is the Levis cords and the Clarks I was also wearing.  Unfortunately, I missed the dress code instructions.  Whoops.

The party was in the Concordia-Argonaut Club on Van Ness, the seal of which you see here.  It's an exceptionally old, historically Jewish club, in a beautiful old building.  And their bartender mixes an excellent, very traditional old fashioned, wisely refraining from muddling the cherry and orange.  An odd coincidence: my mother asked what I was drinking, and when I told her, she told me that my grandfather Oscar Strauss (or Opu, as I called him) used to drink old fashioneds, eventually switching to martinis.

Here you see Jeremy Faust, the brother of the groom, on the left.  Jeremy's just moved to New York, literally days after I left.  An accomplished musician and composer, he's thinking about medical school, and is doing graduate work in biological science-type business in the City.  Living on the (way) Upper East Side.  Not so far from where my first NYC apartment was, at 79th Street and York Avenue.  And Mikey's the "Man in Black" on his right.  He sure likes getting his picture taken, my brother.

Here's Peter Kanas and his girlfriend Kristin.  The Kanas's are old friends of my family's, from when my father was a resident (I think...) at SF General.  Anyway, Peter's just started working as an EMT in Larkspur.  Kristin's from Seattle or thereabouts, and graduated from Seattle University, like so many of my co-clerks at the Temple of Justice.

Here's Carolyn and Nick Kanas, Peter's parents.  Their other son, Andrew, couldn't make it, as he's starting a new job in Minneapolis.  Nick's a doctor at the SF VA hospital, but lately he's been doing a lot of work for NASA.  I'd elaborate, but whatever he's doing is way over my head.

I didn't get much of a chance to talk to the bride and groom.  They seemed pretty busy, what with all the meeting and greeting.  Did manage to say a quick hello, however.

Here's my mother, all dressed up for the party.  After it wrapped up, Susan Faust gave my mother one of the flower arrangements to take home...

...which Mikey uses as camouflage here.

Mikey was still pretty worn out from touring, and fell asleep shortly after we got back to his place.  So I ended up hanging out with his roommate Nick.  Who I somehow failed to recognize from high school.  And he was actually in my class!  Anyway, he's currently studying for his pilot's license.  Something I'd like to do myself at some point.  Though I'm not sure I trust myself piloting a plane.  Hell, Carrie's a little sceptical of me even behind the wheel of a car!

Nick also has an... unusual cat.  Which is obsessed with cold drinks.  Especially alcoholic ones.  As soon as it sees one on a table, it sneaks over, and starts batting it from the side, until it knocks it onto the floor.  I lost myself a nice glass of gin that way.  My suspicion?  It likes the ice cubes, which it chases about the floor.  But Mikey assures me that it laps up a bit of the liquor, too...

Life Imitates Franju...

The newswires are reporting that French doctors have just completed the first face transplant.  Well, partial face transplant anyway.  And of course, I immediately pictured Edith Scob in Georges Franju's Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face), one of my favorite films ever.  Of course, the poetry fades when translated into prose.  I don't imagine that the woman in question wore a white mask, or floated through the purgatory that Franju created for Scob.  And it doesn't sound like any co-eds were kidnapped for the purposes of this operation.  But for her sake, and that of others in her shoes, I sure hope it works.

“A Young Whig” More Popular Than Goldman Sachs!

Well, almost.  And kinda.  Anyway, the Wall Street Journal (&c.) reports that the independent research New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer arm-twisted Wall Street investment banks to provide in 2003 is less popular with investors than Spitzer predicted.  A lot less popular.  Apparently, Goldman Sachs has spent $8 million presenting independent research on the web.  And has attracted 408-722 "unique visitors" a month!  I sure hope that's some crackerjack independent research.  Because it cost about $500 per visitor.  Now, I'm maybe averaging a bit less than that.  But still, at that rate A Young Whig would be worth at least $412,000.  Not bad for 3 months work.  What sayeth Mr. Spitzer?  "No comment."  But hey, it's the thought that counts.

Greetings from Yorba Linda!

Tricky Dick says Happy Holidays!  The Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace has enabled you to send your choice of four Richard Nixon e-postcards for the holidays.  Or any other occasion.  Who can resist the Commander-in-Chief and the King?

Look Around You!

Ok, so, I haven't owned a television set in about 5 years now.  Only because I've been spending my money on other things.  And I'm kinda too busy for TV anyway.  Usually, I don't miss it.  But every once in awhile, I realize that there's some good - no, fantastic - stuff on the tube.  And I do believe that the BBC's Look Around You is among the greatest television shows.  Ever.  Essentially, each episode is a mock-A/V film, starting with an echt-vintage PC getting programmed: "10 Print "Look Around You / 20 Goto 10."  Then proceeding to an banal yet enigmatic intro in which the announcer assumes you've identified a totally unpredictable subject.  The "science" is ludicrously erroneous, and the "experimental method" of the please, please, please don't try this at home variety.  If they were to make this states-side, it'd be a lawsuit, for sure.  Somehow, I suspect that "Dimwit should have learnt that wasn't so in 2nd grade" wouldn't qualify for summary judgment...  Anyway, if you like Thad Povey or Craig Baldwin, you're bound to love this series...

Thursday, November 24, 2005: Thanksgiving in Japan

So, Carrie and I had Thanksgiving at her friend Talitha's house, where she used to live.  Talitha owns the crystal booth at the farmer's market, where Carrie works on occasion.  It had to be an early meal, because Carrie was scheduled to work at the Mark.  We picked up salad-supplies as promised, and a few videos.  I'd bought a couple bottles of wine Wednesday, too.  Here you see me pointing at the (offscreen) turkey, Talitha stirring the gravy (full of giblets!), and her son Dylan, looking sly.  At 15, Dylan is the drummer in a remarkably successful heavy metal band.

And here's the turkey.  Which was excellent, very moist.  And I'm often disappointed by turkey.

Talitha has a large house, and takes in lots of exchange students studying English at Evergreen.  Right now, two Japanese students are staying with her.  One quite young...

...and the other a 27 year old economics graduate. Unfortunately, I can't recall either of their names.  They told us that (unsurprisingly) no one celebrates Thanksgiving in Japan.  But that Christmas is a very popular, if entirely secular holiday.  And they both cheerfully admitted to using plastic trees.  Now, I keep thinking about Japanese Christmas.  And wanting to attend one.

Don't remember what Carrie was laughing at.  But it must have been good.  We had to leave about 4, because Carrie was scheduled to work. 

Talitha said goodbye, Carrie went to work, and I went home.  And got to work on my home movies from China.  Found a few good cuts.  But my gut tells me I'll have to pull apart much of what I've done so far.  Still can't gin up an outline of the completed film in my head.  And that's a bad sign.

Tuesday, November 20, 2005: Buddy Won't You Roll Down the Line?

When I got home from work, we decided to go see the new Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line.  Both Carrie and I were looking forward to it, and weren't disappointed.  Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were excellent.  I was rather wary of their decision to remake the songs, but was impressed by the results.  Both performed excellent renditions.  And more, it tied them to the song in a way that lip-syncing to the distinctive voice of the original couldn't have.  Phoenix, for example, has a fine voice.  But he sounds nothing like Cash.  Although he did capture an astonishing likeness of his appearance at times.  And more vitally, he captured something of the intensity of Cash's performance.  Carrie snapped this picture of me before we left.

And here's one of her, fixing her hair.