Halloween

10/23/05 I always thought that the girl’s bathroom in the bottom of the music building in our high school was haunted. For some odd reason I believed that one day I would go in there and there would be a person hanging from the rafters. Perhaps it was the dank, cloying odor of must and mildrew that had accumulated over the many years the building had stood through hard rains and the pathetic ventilation that the bottom level received. It just always gave me the creeps going down there to change into our choral outfits for a nighttime performance or to quickly use the bathroom (since choir was right after lunch). That's really all of the scary thoughts I have, no wonder I gooble up books by Dean Koontz and Stephen King so much. No, my first book would NOT be part of the horror genre.

I'm thinking that for next years Halloween costume I am going to be either an Iron Chef (preferrably Chef Masaharu Morimoto since he's the only chef that has been in both the Japanese and the American versions of the show). It would be fun to just run around wearing silver and carrying around a fake butcher knife and rubber chicken. It's either that or I'm dressing up as Diana (played by Jane Badler) from the 80s show "V". I could put a little scrape in my "skin" and put on some fake snakeskin to make it look like I'm a lizard underneath. Plus who wouldn't look fabulous in a bright red jumpsuit with a gigantic black vinyl "V" in a standup collar around their neck extending to their crotch rather suggestively.


I was uber-lazy this year and didn't even bother with a costume...of course, since I wasn't going anywhere for the holiday, it didn't really matter.

Yep, that's right, I opted out of celebrating the one holiday that you can pretty much get away with anything that you want...weather it be looking or acting unlike yourself. Sadly, ever since those rosy days of old when my mother spent hours on Saturday sewing my costume and my siblings costumes have I felt that magically transformed.

Music Review

10/27 Danger Doom: The Mask and the Mouse

For those of you who know me, this will come as no surprise; I am a rampant fan of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block of cartoons. My favorite shows feature old Hanna Barbara cartoons that have been revamped with new shots, characters, and voices to create animated entertainment that is absurd in nature and inappropriate for children. There are many different shows on during this time period, usually only asking 9 -15 minutes attention from their audience of adolescents that have fulltime jobs, mortgaqges, car payments, and kids fast asleep. The best three series in my opinion feature old Hanna Barbera cartoon characters revamped and thrust into new and exciting adventures. The fact that these adventures usually consist of very unsavory situations that frequently make no sense at all is beside the point. Even their titles suggest absurdism; Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Aqua Team Hunger Force, and Sealab 2027. Not exactly your Penelope Pitstop or Snaglepuss kinda show.

But enough about my adoration of FCC challenging cartoons, this new release uniting MF Doom and Dangermouse is a not to be missed collaboration. It is equally nutty and non-senseical as the shows that it integrates into the dozen plus tracks. I cannot chose which is my favorite, since each song is so different , but I admit that the one that sticks in my head the most (maybe more due to the lyrics then the actualy music)is Sofa King.

Below is a list of the song title, for your enjoyment of their tongue-in-cheek humor.

01 El Chupa libre
02 Sofa King
03 The Mask (feat. Ghostface)
04 Perfect Hair
05 Bizzy Box (feat. Cee-Lo)
06 Old School (feat. Talib Kweli)
07 A.T.H.F.
08 Basket Case
09 No Names (Black Debbi)
10 Crosshairs
11 Mince Meat
12 Vats of Urine
13 Space Ho's
14 Bada Bing

A Tale of Charles Dickens – A Radio Play by The Antaeus Company (L.A.s Classical Theater Ensemble)

The Los Angeles theater scene never fails to amaze and excite me. Especially in a genere that has sadly faltered since the advent of television, the radio play. My friend, the Brown One, invited me to accompany her to the Skirball Cultural Center to see A Tale of Charles Dickens presented by the award winning Antaeus Company. Let me steal from the program to tell you what this evening’s performance entailed, “16 actors portraying more than 50 characters. London in the 1830’s—the most colorful and chaotic city in the world—and young journalist Charles Dickens is uncovering a dark conspiracy of arson and murder. A fanciful look at the man before he became the iconic author we know today.”

What a treat this was! Murder most foul, burgeoning romance, a courtroom drama, bawdy drinking songs, and a cast of talented actors capable of populating all of England. So, basically, I am saying that I enjoyed the show immensely. It was a creative take on the early life of Charles Dickens with foreshadowing of how he would become the acclaimed writer that everyone knows today. Apparently this show is based on a script that runs 6 hours. I would be most intrigued to find out the other components of his writings that are alluded to in that missing 4 hours.

While out in the lobby at intermission I purchased several of the company’s previously performed plays that were available on CD and cassette. I bought Neil Simon’s great story, The Prisoner of Second Avenue which won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Comedy Album in 2000. Agnes of G-d was another casette I picked up, since I did scenes from it back in college (that very short time when I was a theater major), but never actually read the entire piece. I’m looking forward to listening to all of them in my car since I do a lot of driving and the stories keep me from getting irritated at traffic. In fact, last nights performance was recorded and can be heard this weekend on public radio and satellite.

May I take this opportunity to again speak to you, my dear readers about being a good audience? One of my friends, we’ll call him Mr. Know-it-all (I chose this name with affection of course, for those of you who are horrified that I would call a friend this-afterall, it is a fact, he simply knows everything) actually left because the person behind him was laughing uproariously whenever the players said anything remotely amusing. Now I don’t blame Mr. Know-it-all since I was also sitting in front of said rude person. I’m certainly not suggesting that it is not okay to enjoy the show with laugther and tears where appropriate, but this was out of proportions to what was actually going on onstage. It was distracting and what-more you could not hear the actor’s lines over these gigantic guffaws. In the future, if we were all just a little more aware of those around us…you get the point.

Great Party and Musings on Parenthood

This weekend I attended a tea and dress-up birthday party for 2 sets of 3-year-old twins. Both sets of twins are little girls, one fraternal, and one identical (well mostly). What a blast this party was, cute kids, great food, cool clothing to dress in, and an incredible homemade cake that tasted good and looked fantastic. The children were the biggest joy to me. Their delight in wearing play jewelry, oversized hats, feather boas, and fancy high heels was magical to experience.

Plus, they were all so helpful to eachother, it was like a happy mini-utopian soceity. No sex or violence to complicate things. I’m certain that I am simplifying here, since I am wont to do that, especially when writing. I’m certain I over-romanticize parenthood since I want children very much. The older I get the more I appreciate the many sacrfices my parents made to give me a good childhood and the choices the continue to make so I have a good life.

When you are young I think you have this idea that everyones family is just like yours. At some point you realize that other kids have more or less then you do. Whether it is money, family, or standard of living, it is a difficult realization to assimilate. Some of my friends lived in apartments, some kids I knew lived in the “projects” of our town. We all wore hand-me-downs at some point. Me, I just loved “borrowing” my brother’s clothes because I wanted to look like a “skater” chick. Other kids had tvs, videogames, and phones in their room. I never did, I guess I felt that with the cordless phone I could get as much privacy as I needed in my own bedroom.

There always seemed to be more then enough in our house. Food and beds were in ample supply to any kids from the neighborhood who needed to crash at our house. My father cooked enough food for an army and with my brother’s quickly growing teenage friends, it was necessary. My parents never minded the extra kids hanging around. I guess they must have figured it was better we were all close by then getting in trouble roaming the town. It was a cool house to grow up in, one where you never felt alone.

Underratted

Free or cheap things that are severely underrated:

The Public Library: I adore the library. It’s a surefire good time for me whenever I go there because I know that not only do they trust me with books, audio books (both CD and cassette), DVDs, and VHS tapes of a wide variety, but they are filled with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Since I work in customer service, it is a pet peeve of mine to encounter people who are surly, crass, or unhelpful in their interactions with people who use their services. The library branch that I frequent is staffed by kind, patient, generous people who look like they really enjoy what they are doing. My mom used to work for the public library in our home town and her co-workers were intelligent, articulate people who really loved their jobs and the beneficial effects that their place of work had on their community was heartening.

So many people come together at the library. Young, old, rich, poor, there is no criteria that you have to meet to be a member. That’s my kinda club. Plus they let you take home all sorts of movies and books that would cost you precious money at Blockbuster or Barnes and Noble. That’s right, there is still is a place that people can go to get something for nothing (as long as you return it on time, of course). In my opinion that sort of thing is a mini-miracle that I appreciate every time I walk through the doors of that magical place called the library.


Thrift Shops:
Wow, are these terrific stores to browse in and find all sorts of hidden treasures. Thrift Stores combine the random kitsch of garage sales with the excitement of products from eras past all at discount prices. About a month ago I purchased 2 books (almost brand new condition, popular titles) and a cool T-shirt at my local Good Will for less the $4. It’s not just the shopping that is so neat about these stores, but the premise behind them. The idea that when you are finished using something, it can still be useful to others.

They provide a central location to donate household goods, furniture, clothing, books, and various other articles of daily life that are in good condition. Tzedakah or the concept of Jewish giving is a large part of my affection for Thrift Stores since they are convenient locations for me to take items that are in good condition for donation. Many times I have found myself no longer fitting in skirts or tops that are still in fine condition, but I do not have a sister or friend to hand them down to, so giving them to an organization that provides them to people in need or sells them to raise money is a solution that satisfies the commandement to give perfectly.

Crash, A film by Paul Haggis

If you have not seen the groundbreaking film, I urge you to add it to your Netflicks account or pick it up some night at Blockbuster. Better yet, go out and buy it since after seeing it once you will want to see it again to glean some new aspect of its multi-layered, complex story. Many reviews have already been written, most, by author’s much more adept at film analysis then I am, especially with such a difficult topic as a film that covers racial stereotypes and interconnecting character arcs.

Many aspects of the film both horrified and fascinated me since seeing human nature in varying shades of grey is not all that common for US Cinema. It was shockingly ordinary how the verbal slurs and stereotypical assumptions were used so offhandedly. I have to say, it made me question my own use of language and my behaviors around people in every circumstance, be it in a brief interaction at the gas station to the times I am with friends who are different colors, religions, and gender preferences then mine. I remain convinced that morality and ethics are far more important then any of the differences that can be seen or acted on. Being a compassionate person has so little to do with others, yet can have a far reaching impact on them.

Take the recent disasters that have happened the world over, from tsunamis, to hurricaines, to earthquakes, people and nations have put aside diversity to lend a helping hand. I know that this has not always happened in a timely manner and I am not going to defend or dispute it, but so much good has been seen from those near the devastated areas and those who live half a world away. My company has matched donations with their employees, they are having clothes, food, and various hygeine product drives, they are sending children books and movies to help them cope with losing so much. It is an honor to be a part of so much good.

The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth – Audio Book

Since I did not enjoy my first time reading Phillip Roth's The Human Stain, I can honestly say that I had no expectations whatsoever for my second outing with this author. That is why The Plot Against America proved to be such a delightful surprise. In this novel, Roth imagines an alternate history for America during World War II. In this frightening imagining, Republican, Isolationist candidate Charles A. Lindbergh defeats Franklin Roosevelt in the bid for the presidency. Under Lindbergh's administration, America is kept out of WWII and anti-semitism flourishes from coast to coast with Roth's family caught in the middle. Phillip Roth the author write about Phillip Roth the young boy which makes me wonder how many of the occurrences and characters are based on Roth's real life. This is an effective plot device that really involves the reader in the very dire circumstances that the main character is put in.

Ron Silver reads this audio book and although his differentiation between character voices is fair, he excels at the many soliloquies and political speeches Roth writes with such panache. This is one of the many reasons why I am such a rampant fan of audio books. They remind me of my parents reading to me at bedtime or my 6th grade teacher reading out loud to us such masterpieces as The Phantom Tollbooth and The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. There is a connection made during the reading that conveys what the author’s meaning is for the book. I urge you to read out loud and see for yourself how it changes your reading experience. In my life I have had the pleasure of co-reading books with several friends where we take turns reading to each other. It broadens the experience of the book. I believe this is also the reason that book clubs are so popular.