Thanks to all the good vibes from you all I was able to get to the doctor tuesday for liberation from my peebag, was given good news from the pathologist and got the go-ahead to travel home. I'm currently comfy with Humphy and V. is fixing corned beef for our St. Pat's suppper.

It will be a few days before I feel like tackling my email, but I just want to say thank you to everyone. I really can't wait for everything to be back to normal.

Don't forget to get those pap smears.

*smooch*

Hey kids.

As much as I'd like you to believe that this break was so I could run off to Aruba and spend my nights drinking tequilia out of V.'s navel, that's not the case.

I'm not back yet, but I want to tell you what's going on, and also tell you why I'm telling you.

Anyone that knows how much I hate the dentist can pretty much extrapolate that that feeling extends, and even doubles for doctors. It's true. But after some consideration and inspiration/motivation from a friend I admire very much, I decided to make a long overdue appointment at the gyno for a checkup last December. Long story short, after an abnormal pap smear result and a series of really icky tests, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the end of January. The course of treatment was a radical hysterectomy. Yeah, the word 'radical' is completely ruined for me now, dammit. On the other hand, I now have my very own belly scar.

So, two weeks ago, I was checked into Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla for surgery. I was completely terrified. I haven't spent the night in the hospital since I was born. The surgery went well, I'm now a uterus, cervix, appendix and a couple of lymph nodes lighter. The recovery was (is) the worst. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink for days, but they made me get up and walk as soon as I could. Oh god, that sucked. More pain than I've ever imagined, but they assured me it was for my own good, of course. Anyway, I spent 5 days in the hospital and had a horrible time except for the very lovely pain drugs. V. was there with me nearly the whole time, sleeping in a chair beside me instead of leaving at night. I really couldn't ask for anyone better to watch over me. I'm very lucky. And very in love.

I've now spent a week at my sister's place, still recovering. I can eat regular food now, and I can walk around the house. The pain gets better every day as I get stronger. The biggest drag is the fact that I have to have a catheter for two weeks, so I get to accessorize my recovery outfit with a charming bag of my own urine. Fun, no?

I'll be in California a little longer for follow-up and then I'll be going home as soon as they say it's okay for me to make the drive.

Alright, enough of me whining.

I'm telling this here because I want the women who read this site to know that everything I've been through could have been avoided if I'd taken better care of myself, and gone to the doctor regularly. I want you to know that if you haven't had a check-up and a pap smear in a couple years that I'm begging you to make that appointment today. Please.

I'm trying to have a sense of humor about it all, but believe me, this whole thing has completely sucked.

And I really don't want anyone else ever to have to go through this.

Please take care of yourselves. Make that appointment.

I'm going back to the couch to watch the cable teevee and moan until V. brings me ice cream.

I'd much rather be doing something else.

I'm not nearly sufficiently recovered from "krix and V.'s extended weekend of fun" but I'm going to go grab some red bull and get caught up.

I can't believe it's Wednesday already.

Where does the time go?

Happy Bodhi Day!

Bodhi Day celebrates the day of Buddha's enlightenment and is generally celebrated on December 8th. The tradition of Bodhi Day is mostly practiced in Northern India and Nepal. The traditional Buddhist greeting "Budu Saranai!" means (loosely translated) "May the serenity of the Buddha's be yours!"

The Four Noble Truths

1. Suffering is universal. No one escapes.

2. The cause of suffering is ignorance. Ignorance of self is the greatest ignorance.

3. Ignorance can be overcome.

4. The way to overcome ignorance is the Eightfold Path

The Eighfold Path

1. Harmonious Views

2. Harmonious Thoughts

3. Harmonious Conduct

4. Harmonious Speech

5. Harmonious Livelihood

6. Harmonious Effort

7. Harmonious Mindfulness

8. Harmonious Meditation

-via the enigmatic op cit, with a shout-out to bea_herenow

I'll be out of the loop for a few due to VM gigs tonight and tomorrow. I got the amp just in time, though and it's luscious. I can't wait to give it a go onstage.

Rock on.

I'm still recovering from having a crazy busy weekend with not one, but two Vibemerchant shows. The best part was that Nudel braved scary cab rides and smoke-filled dive bars to see us! It was so awesome to have her there and we had a great time. She even got to see me nail the solo in Oblivious on Friday night. Of course, she and Wanda (thanks for coming!) also got to see me completely fuck it up on Saturday after the bar owner told us to turn down and harshed the band's whole groove. Bah. We're going to start covering Vanishing instead. I can't take the pressure.

Nudel also got to see my debut singing a little backup on our new song, Knock Me Down . Yeesh, I was nervous. I ordered a double-shot of straight vodka before we hit the stage and set it on my amp for right before that song. I'm not sure if it helped or not, I couldn't really hear. Nothing was thrown at us, so I guess it was OK. I don't really want to sing, but it serves that particular song well.

I was less nervous on Saturday, but that was because NO ONE was in the place. Nudel and Wanda were the crowd and kept us going that night. The whole band thanks both of you for being there, seriously. We made a mistake of not flyering the area or promoting the show aside from on the website. Also, I pushed to go on by 11:30 because I thought that was plenty late, but the place must be a swing-shift watering hole because it was finally filling up at 1am with customers. Live and learn. We play there again on the 13th of Nov.

Anyway, I had a great time with Nudel here and can't wait for her to come back :)

Rawk!

We have a gig tonight.

Everyone have a great weekend.

I had a dream last night that there was some sort of event at my neighborhood school that Keanu was at and I had to give a speech for him. Some people I know (including Keanuette!) were leading me to a room that was set aside for the speech. I only saw Dream!Keanu in passing. He was wearing what he wore to that fashion show in Austin. Suprisingly, I pretty much knew what I was going to say, although I never actually spoke in the dream.

I don't remember much else. I really need to start writing stuff down.

I also dreamed about painting my bass teacher's jeans while he was wearing them. The paint was magenta and there was some weirdness when I got to the crotch.

This is why I prefer to sleep with the teevee on.

Vibemerchant gig tomorrow night. I have to practice. We've got one brand new song and added a frustratingly easy-to-fuck-up bass part to another. While Reeves may be able to maintain a goofy grin while facing a less-than-satisfied crowd (I doubt ALL of those pieces of paper had phone numbers), I'm not nearly as evolved.

Rawk amongst yourselves.

A couple things that I bet becky's bassplayer hardly ever does before a gig.

• overpluck right eyebrow
  
• cut knee shaving
  
• match nail polish to bass
  
• freak out over a relatively simple cover song
  

OMF. I'm in a band.

Zoiks.

There's a bomb scare thing going down right now here in Vegas.
Part of the strip is closed and it's all over the teevee.

Very exciting.

It was nothing.

I'm feeling relieved and gypped at the same time.

My japanese name is Kawazoe (riverside) Kumiko (eternal beautiful child).

Aww, that's pretty.

Keanu's japanese name is Saruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge) Kenta (healthy and plump).

Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.
-via kat

Why did the monkey cross the bridge? To get to the riverside.
So what happens next? Well, according to the "You and Keanu" quizzy thing over at Club-Keanu...

We'll meet at a concert. (check)
His first thought will be that he didn't notice me too much. (I knew I should have had him sign my boobs!)
Our first date will consist of me tackling him and dragging him into the bedroom. (Oh, come on. I'll totally buy him dinner first)
After he gets to know me he will think "there's the door" (What? I think 'plumpmonkey' is a great pet name! Quit throwing stuff!)
How it will all end up? We'll live happily ever after. (Natch)

And while I'm posting silly quizzy things, via damn near everyone , here are the results of my 20 questions personality test:

You are an SEDF--Sober Emotional Destructive Follower. This makes you an evil genius. You are extremely focused and difficult to distract from your tasks. With luck, you have learned to channel your energies into improving your intellect, rather than destroying the weak and unsuspecting.

Your friends may find you remote and a hard nut to crack. Few of your peers know you very well--even those you have known a long time--because you have expert control of the face you put forth to the world. You prefer to observe, calculate, discern and decide. Your decisions are final, and your desire to be right is impenetrable.

You are not to be messed with. You may explode.

I would never presume to take that test on Keanu's behalf, but I like to think he may be a fellow evil genius.

If not, I have a plan.......bwuhahahaha!

I wonder if Keanu ever completely changes the way he plays a song the night before a gig?

Ack.

Rawk.
The Vibemerchants got the gig confirmed for tomorrow night so we won't have to crack any skulls. We'll be playing with two other bands, Lazarus Rise (local) and The Symptoms (who also have a girl bassist). We're all much less nervous this time around so I'm looking forward to a fun night.

Also, I have about 25 Vibemerchants stickers to give away. They're pretty plain but if you want one send an email to stuck@vibemerchants.com with your name and address and I'll pop one in an envelope for you.

So, in my inbox today was THIS google news alert, which makes no freaking sense.

Here is the page it links to, with the obviously corrected text and here is the story that is almost as mind-boggling as the typo itself.

Of course, I can't believe that's a typo.

That's the subtle subterfuge of a Keanuist.

A couple of years ago, as I was setting up false accounts on some business software for training purposes, I used Keanu movie characters for the names. Of course, no one ever really saw them but me. Some Fight Club fan slipped this in when no one was looking, which is so awesome and appropriate I can hardly stand it.

Anyone else out there? Have you either accidentally or purposefully injected some Keanu content where none should be? Could you? Would you?

Tonight I'm going to see The Doors (of the 21st Century) in concert at the Sunset Station. The lineup consists of original Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. Ian Astbury, formerly of The Cult I believe, is singing. I had hoped that Stu Copeland would be playing drums, but that's not the case. Ty Dennis is.

Anyway, I googled the bass player, Angelo Barbera.

Now, along with playing bass in an incarnation of one of the greatest bands in rock history, Angelo plays in an LA rock band called I-94. I-94 was formed by British mates Mark Arnell (lead vocal) and Danny Martin* (drums/ background vocals). These guys? Formerly a band called Bottlefly....who opened for Dogstar the very first time I saw them.

At the Sunset Station.

Sometimes I think the universe just likes to mess with me.

*I had the chance to hang out after a Bottlefly show once and Danny said I was "a funny one then, aren't you?" I think I still have one of his drumsticks somewhere.

A Scanner Darkly director Richard Linklater has a new film - Before Sunset - poised for release. Here's an interview with him about the film, which is the sequel to Before Sunrise, a film he made 9 years ago.

No mention of Scanner in the interview, but it's a good look at a fascinating filmmaker. I'll bet he was great to work with.

-via POTD

Also, for those of you that have Netflix, they now have several of Linklater's movies, including Before Sunrise and Waking Life. You should rent that if you haven't already.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I never did find any of the cheap-yet-tasty wine. Vodka Sunday was bumped to Saturday this week, so as to be merely hungover for brunch with daddy, as opposed to completely lit.

For anyone that's interested, there's a new track at the Vibemerchants site, Ultra Mellow.

I have to go get some coffee.

This morning? I don't ever want to do it again.
But I'm sure that will change by Sunday night's practice.

We thought we would be going on first, at 10pm, but the pecking order at The Cooler on weeknights is that the first 2 timeslots are the desirable ones (because people have to leave earlier). So we went on much later than we thought we would and most of the people that showed up to see us ended up having to leave. That sucked. (Brittany must have invited 25+ people, at 10:00 the place was jammed with her friends and co-workers) We finally went on around midnight, most of our friends had left and there were some more delays and problems setting up and when we finally started playing we probably weren't at our best.

I'm actually not sure how we sounded because all I could hear was bass. I wasn't perfect but didn't mess up royally any time and I was more annoyed at the way the whole night played out than nervous. I'm hoping next time will be less stressful and more fun.

To quote a member of one of the other bands, it was "good for a first gig." The folks that did stick it out and stay to hear us seemed to like it (though they could have just been drunk).

The new and improved vibemerchants.com is ready for the public scrutiny.

Vibemerchant news below, click if you're interested.

You can't tell yet, but I've been working on the Vibemerchants site and hopefully we will get some more music mixed down and uploaded soon, along with the cheesy band bios and stuff. I want to get the site ready for public consumption by next week.

Why?

We've got a gig.

Thursday, June 10 - 10 pm @ The Cooler Lounge. No cover.

We'll be the first of three bands so the set will probably be about 6 or 7 songs, although we can play for an hour if need be. An hour and a half if we do our 25 minute version of Zombie.

Eric was in town over the weekend and came to see us rehearse. We had a great time Sunday night and he actually ended up "producing" on one of our newest songs. He liked us enough to talk about us coming up to Seattle to do a gig in September. How exciting is that?

Dave says that we're at the top of the hill and the parking brake has just been released. Damn his scary analogies.

Yeah, I'm a little nervous but that's slowly being turned into excitement. Every practice we get a little better and the feedback we've gotten from friends and family so far is good. Everyone says we're ready so all I can do is make sure I know the songs backwards and forwards and try not to freak out.

All I have to do is play bass.

I can do that.

...I'm a little hung over.

I see that my post-Last Call audblog didn't come through so, in a nutshell:

Juliette Lewis really likes to arch her back. They weren't nearly as good as becky. While I don't share Roi's compulsion to punch Carson D. in the face, I still found him pretty much a tool. Jason Bateman, on the other hand, is just dreamy. I didn't get any camera time, but Roi may have thrown the goat behind Carson's head during the intro to the band. The show will air June 11.

After we left the Hard Rock, we decided that it would be a good idea to go check out The Cooler Lounge, since the Vibemerchants might be playing our debut gig there in a few weeks. We missed the first band but there were four more sceduled for the night.

In order, and with increasing inebriation we rocked out to:

• Redfield, good band but there were horrible P.A. issues. So bad that they finished out their set standing in the crowd. "If you wannna hear, stand close to me."
  
• Chinatown, yummy canadian boys. They rocked even with the bad sound, and gave us their beer.
  
• Spit, not my style but VERY good at what they do. They had really nice gear. High energy, smoking bass, scary outfits.
  
• the Asphalt, my favorite of the night and not just because John let me hold his sexy bass (which at that point I was way too drunk to play). I may go see them again on the 3rd.
  

We schmoozed and networked (even though none of the bands were local) and I'm glad we checked out the place and the scene. We don't sound like any of the bands that played last night, I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I do know that up until now I've been a little freaked out about the whole gig thing, but now I'm starting to get psyched. They'd better get that P.A. fixed though.

Oh, and I smoked a cigarette last night. Don't tell anyone.

Heee!

Andy Kaufman is "back".

He's blogging.

And apparently while he was away faking his own death, he watched The Matrix.

By the way, The Matrix Online is signing up beta-testers.

The Many Wines
...Rumi

God has given us a dark wine so potent that,

drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power

to deliver the taster from self-consciousness.

God has made sleep so that

it erases every thought.

God made Majnun love Layla so much that

just her dog would cause confusion in him.

There are thousands of wines

that can take over our minds.

Don't think all ecstasies

are the same!

Jesus was lost in his love for God.

His donkey was drunk with barley.

Drink from the presence of saints,

not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,

is a jar full of delight.

Be a connoisseur,

and taste with caution.

Any wine will get you high.

Judge like a king, and choose the purest,

the ones unadulterated with fear,

or some urgency about "what's needed."

Drink the wine that moves you

as a camel moves when it's been untied,

and is just ambling about.

(From "RUMI: One-Handed Basket Weaving," versions of Rumi by Coleman Barks (Maypop, 1991), p. 75. The original is from Rumi's Mathnawi, Book IV, 2683-2696.)

--It's "Post a Poem to your Blog" day. Via Batgrl

I have been so into working on vibemerchant music this week I haven't even worked on everything I'm supposed to learn for my lesson.

Minor Scale....check
Minor Blues....check

Righteous Brothers - (You're My) Soul and Inspiration.....an anthem to co-dependency if I ever heard one.

...NOT checked.

Bleh....

Dear Mr. krix's bass teacher,

Please excuse krix from playing The Pink Panther this week.

Apparently, ever since Friday night, all she wants to play is becky songs.

Mr. Mancini will have to wait.
Blame Reeves.

I full-on-robot support Erin's campaign to become NBC's Average Jane.

Vibemerchant news, click below if you're interested...

So, last night I played with a drummer for the very first time. It was fun!
He actually showed up, which is a big plus. He's very powerful, and fast. Very metal-influenced, which is great for some stuff, but he's going to have to turn it down a notch for a lot of the rest. He's from Seattle and generally a good guy, really enthusiastic which is also good. He seems really anxious to start gigging, which makes me nervous.

We're going to keep looking for "the one" (note the lowercase) though.

Oh, my fuck.

I'm in a band.

My newfound love for all things Ashton inspired me to do a wallpaper from some images found at AKN's Ashton-ished gallery.

Have a colorful, Kutcherful night everyone!!!!

*smoooch*

We still have to wait until July to see Ashton on DVD in The Butterfly Effect, but thankfully Steve Martin remade his classic Parenthood so he could give Ashton a part!!

Cheaper by the Dozen comes out on DVD April 6th, the same day that part 3 of that one movie comes out.

OMG! if he only played drums too......

I wanna be Demi Moore when I grow up!

Christopher Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7th, 1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His twin brother, Michael, followed about five minutes later. Ashton also has an older sister, Tausha. His parents, Larry and Diane, divorced when Ashton was thirteen years old. It was around this same time that his brother had to undergo heart transplant surgery, which went smoothly. Still, the medical emergency impacted Ashton’s life, and he later enrolled in the University of Iowa, where he studied biochemical engineering in hopes of finding some way to help people with cardiomyopathy, the disorder his brother suffered from.
When Ashton was fifteen, his mother moved her family, along with her soon to be second-husband, to Homestead, Iowa - a relatively small farming community. While in high school, Ashton excelled at sports, but also developed a keen interest in theatre - making his debut in a 7th grade production of "The Crying Princess and the Golden Goose."

However, for the time being acting was only a hobby, and he was focused enough on his studies to gain entry into the University of Iowa’s biochemical engineering program. It was while studying at that institution that an agent discovered him in 1997. He was spotted at a restaurant and the agent suggested he enter a modeling contest called Fresh Faces of Iowa. Ashton ended up winning the competition, and earned himself a trip to New York to compete in an International Model and Talent Agency competition. He was quickly signed to an exclusive agency, and ended up traveling the world doing photo shoots and runway shows. Ashton landed some very good gigs, including Versace, and Calvin Klein.

In 1998, he decided to spread his wings some more and went on the audition circuit. One of the first shows he tried out for was That 70's Show , and he was lucky enough to get a very big early break.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ashton took steps to make the jump to the big screen. He quickly landed roles in the teen romantic comedy, Down to You , the Ben Affleck action flick Reindeer Games and the modern western Texas Rangers , starring James Van Der Beek. Still young, Ashton has already managed to make an impact in the mediums of print, television and film. Clearly, he is one to watch.

Fun Ashton Facts:

• Ashton has two webbed toes on his left foot, the second and third toe ["OMG! Me too!"--krix]
  
• Won a trip to New York in a modeling competition; subsequently signed by the Next modeling agency (1997)
  
• P. Diddy has been given a lot of credit for hooking up Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, because they really have been inseparable since his L.A. party that summer. But they actually met in April on Saturday Night Live.
  
• Ashton had to perform CPR on Colin Hanks in March 2003 when flying back from Mardi Gras and their plane suddenly lost cabin pressure.
  
• Ashton loves to make things and is quite the craftsman. He is currently remodeling his home in LA and has built such things as a deck and the mantle in his living room.
  
• Ashton is not only an actor, but wrote ("master-minded") and produces "Punk'd". He was actually a co-producer for "My Boss's Daughter" and is an executive producer in the thriller, "The Butterfly Effect", as well as, a producer for the comedy, "The Dinner Party", also starring Bernie Mac.

Source--Ashton-Kutcher.net

...if a prospective drummer calls and says that his phone might cut in and out because he's at a salon for a trim, I'm totally allowed to call him "haircut boy" throughout the audition, right?

It's a lovely rock and roll world.

Real life kicking my ass. Stop.
No time to blog. Stop.

Please check out Once. Stop.

Signed,

Dances with Fax Machines

Off topic. Click below if you're interested.

We've been putting off polishing the few more recordings we've done until a) my playing improves and b) we get a real live drummer.

Well, Roi just called and he got a response to the ad he placed in a free weekly.
Yay! \m/

Best part? Girl Drummer. And she hasn't been playing that long either, which is perfect in my opinion.

I actually did call Roi back to say "Neither of you can sleep with her!"

Hee.

So, I'm loving the camphone and my buzznet account. I was afraid that the SprintPCS format of photo sending was going to be a problem, but it's not.

It is taking all the restraint I have to not shoot and send pictures of every little thing, though. Thankfully my desk is way too messy and what I had for lunch just wasn't that interesting.

Marc is one of the awesome creators of buzznet.
Tony's got buzz.
So does Jozjozjoz, and Lomara.
And Wil Wheaton, too.

Emmanuelle posted Oscar Buzz and got hassled for it. Then again, she's been hassled by Frank Black as well. That rocks.

Besides personal moblogs, Buzznet has all kinds of community/group blogs.

Some are location specific. Vegas anyone?

One could spend an afternoon browsing the Vanity Plate and Bumper Sticker ones.

Food.
Eyeballs.
Hot Girls. (and Guys)
There's even Celebs, in case you bump into a member of the Fab Five at a party or Jay Leno happens to pass you on the freeway.

So far, my only new camphone pics are from the studio last weekend, but I hope to have some interesting and fun things to moblog this weekend.

Last June, when becky played the Viper Room, one of the other bands on the marquee was New Zealand's Steriogram. You may remember me screaming in the club, trying to leave a voicemonkey message about how much they rocked.

Well, Tyson (who said "hi" on the voicemonkey that night), Brad (great kisser)and the rest of the band (swell fellas as well) are getting ready to hit it big time with a new Michel Gondry directed video for their song Walkie Talkie Man and their debut CD, Schmack! (great title) due to release on April 20. You can watch the video and check out the song at the Capitol Records' site and of course you'll want to go to Steriogram.com (flash required) for even more rockin' kiwi-boy goodness, including their gig guide for upcoming american tour dates (Vegas, baby! March 19) so you can catch them live.

\m/

Now I know why Reeves uses a pick.
The entire tip of my right index finger is a blister.

Bass playing is cool.

Permanent Record on DVD is released today and you know what else comes out?

H.R. freaking PUFNSTUF!!, the whole series.

Dude! You know, if David would have had a magical talking flute, he might not have taken that swan dive.

Keanu's horoscope this week is sort of creepy, yet boring so I'm posting mine instead.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): For many male athletes, having sex before a big game is taboo. They believe it saps their energy and hurts their chances of winning. The coach of the Chinese Olympic ping-pong team has gone even further, banning his players from falling in love. In my opinion, this approach is crazy and wrong. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the best way for you to prime yourself for your upcoming moment of truth is by enjoying as much sweet affection and erotic delight as you dare.

Cripes.
Even Brezsny knows I need to get laid.

Is this not the cutest thing ever?

It's a Fender mini-amp and it actually works. It has a headphone jack and was about half the price of a Rockman, so I figure I can toss it in a satchel with a tuner and a cord and be fairly portable for practicing at the office and such. And did I mention it was cute? I'm such a girl.

Yes, I can practice bass in my office. Sometimes I don't hate my job.

So, my baby arrives tomorrow (FedEx tracks it in Phoenix today), and I can hardly contain myself. I'm going shopping tonight for some accessories (strap, a gig bag, etc) so I'm ready to rock when it arrives. Aieee. I can't wait.

I'm sure I'm going to have to invest in a real bass amp very soon. I was planning on just using the Yamaha guitar amp I already have, but have been warned about blowing out the cone.

Boom boom boom.

Yep, I can see that happening.

So, you want to hear my bassplaying debut?

Always On.mp3

Now remember, I've only been playing bass for 2 days.

Dave fucking rawks.

I just bought a bass.

Long story short, I played bass on one of Dave's songs tonight and really had fun.

Sam Ash has instant online credit.

And free shipping.

I'm gonna need some lessons.

It freaking SNOWED in VEGAS last night !

Humphrey is freaking out.

I am too.

Snow!

If you type

how many square feet in an acre

BUT....

if you type

"how many square feet in an acre?"

you get...........p o r n.

[note: DO NOT click on any of the google search results on that second one. Trust Me.]

I just got off the phone with Julie! in Amsterdam, who has been MIA due to being ill, but hopefully will be bouncing back shortly.
She's currently all hopped up on antibiotics and some apparently lovely pain meds.

Get well soon, girly!

Go here, read this.

Contemplate committing your own random act of kindness. Whether it's giving a coat away to someone who needs it, donating one (or some blankets) to the local homeless shelter or picking up an extra toy for your local toy drive.

Hold the door for someone with an armload of packages.

Be nice to your retail clerk.

Make sure no one you know is alone for the holidays.

Have a falling out with a friend this year? Make the first move to bury the hatchet.

Say "I love you" out loud.

Hey from Seattle!

I have a minute so I thought I would say 'Hi' and I'm having a great time. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant but it wasn't so bad, no waiting - no dishes. Eric had to DJ last night so I was recruited to run the camera for his club's "Show us your Stuff" stripping contest. Nothing beats pumpkin pie like drunk men dropping trou to Missy Elliott. Wee Neo got to do a little pole dancing but totally blew his chance to have his picture taken with the glorious Diva Delish. Maybe next time ;)

Well, I'm going to head across the street for a soy latte, my new drink of choice.

Something's very wrong. I am sure I've packed everything I need....yet I still have room in both bags.

Hmmmm.

I've decided to leave eddieshirt home. Too irreplacable, and it would just be my luck to have my luggage lost or damaged.

Apparently, dressing for Seattle is all about the layers, so I've decided to make use of part of the T-shirt collection as my base layers. It will be my little secret knowing Neo or Johnny or Ted is close to my skin under a pile of fleece.

Ooooh! A book, I must pack a book. Also must remember to pack the phone charger, camera and little Neo.

Oi, I know I'm forgetting something.

I just woke up and the blog is back.

Perhaps I should consider offering my services as a Keanusultant.

From my inbox...

"because you're an expert i wanted YOUR advice...

people are always hounding me with, "whoa you resemble keanue reeves!"

and i wanted YOU to tell me what YOU think, so i can close the book on that subject.

a million pics of me here:
antidisestablishmentarian.blogspot.com

thank you in advance."

I probably should have corrected his spelling, huh?

My reply:

So far my opinion is that your blog takes forfuckingever to load on dialup.
From what I can tell from the pics from the top banner (which is the only thing loading), you may have a bit of a Thomas Anderson thing goin' on.

Oh wait, it's finally loaded.

*scrutinizes*

OK.
You're hella fucking cute and I can see where someone (who was not a Keannoisseur) would say that you resembled him. You do scruffy well, very well......
In my "expert" opinion, you come from the same part of the factory, but a different conveyor belt. Probably not enough to get a gig as a look-alike unless you studied his mannerisms, etc. And even then, you could probably only wow the audience at a kid's party, not a bachelorette's.

Of course, I'm only judging by the few pictures on your front page, I'd have to sleep with you to give a full assessment.

So, if you'd just like an answer for those who are hounding you, you can say:
"Well I asked a girl who runs a Keanu website and spends way too much time editing the hundreds of pictures she has on her hard drive and she said 'Close, but no Keanu' but she'd totally do me if she had the chance."

Hope this helps,

krix

Was that too slutty?

And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire

Little did I know that last night - as Roi was teaching me to play 'Ring of Fire' over at Dave's - Batty and Jon, along with several other SoCal bloggers and many others were watching a firestorm right outside their windows, some packing their most important stuff and leaving their homes because of the worst wildfires in many years.

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burn, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire

It looks like Batty and Jon's place was unharmed. I'm seeing and reading on the news that so many others were not so lucky. I always get especially sad for the animals in these disasters.

The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
I fell for you like a child
Oh, but the fire ran wild

300,000 acres. That's a lot of land.
Looking at the maps of the affected areas, I know that these are the places that Tess and I drove through on our way to and from Solana Beach last month.
I hope that this gets under control soon.

Little cat toeclaws and a little cat tongue brought me out of my sleep this morning so quickly I can't remember if I dreamed or not. I think I may have been roughed up a little by the sandman, it feels like I have a new phantom bruise on my eyebrow. Tender.

Your mind makes it real, they say.

No coffee yet today, there's only decaf brewed. Not my doing, it's bitter swill with no real purpose, in my opinion. The ficus gets it when it cools.

I have some new books to read so I have something to occupy me on my self-imposed cyber hermitage.
Is that a word? I know it's a wine.
I think maybe I should start drinking heavily again. It's fall, after all.
'Tanked off your ass' is the new black, I hear.

Dashing young Funk came to the comments to check on me.
So sweet.
If only all the nice boys weren't interstates or oceans or tax brackets away.

My stream of consciousness is puddling.
I expect to descend into full-on madness by Wednesday.

UPDATE:click here for a pop-up image of the second piece. I hate it.

The nice part about saving myself for Keanu Reeves is that I'll most likely never get married and end up wearing anything that could be found on this site, uglyweddingdress.com.

Go read, it's hysterical.

time-wasting update:
Let's play a game.
You're marrying Keanu.
Find your dream dress online and post the link in these comments.

Less than two weeks until the new season of 24 begins and I'm nearly as excited about that as I am about Revolutions.

I loves me some Kiefer.

Joe Pantoliano aka Joey Pants aka Cypher has a new show debuting tonight on CBS, The Handler.

. From underground prostitution rings and drug traffickers to the worlds of high tech and high finance, it's a behind-the-scenes look at how Joe's well-schooled operatives infiltrate and tackle them all. Joe is the ultimate "puppet master" who also interfaces with government and local law enforcement agencies that come to him for help with both long-term and quick sting operations. He knows from personal experience that going undercover is an all-or-nothing job. Any lapse in "character" can mean the difference between life and death for his operatives, and Joe goes to great lengths to make sure his people are properly prepared, mentally and physically.

There's still another month before the new season of 24 and the rest of the new crop of shows seem to be a big assortment of suck with a few shows actually worth watching.

By the way, Las Vegas? Not one of them.

But I have heard good things about The Handler and plan on continuing to ignore the ever-ringing phone and keeping my Friday nights free in order to watch.

I have a couple cats to cuddle and a lot of dust to shower off or I'd tell you how I just narrowly escaped having to stay up on the mountain for the rest of the week in order to cook for the menfolk, about screaming and sliding down a gravel hill riding the brake on the ATV and the yellowjackets who have no regard for one's personal space.

This would be Aaron's ass.

Mmmmm...Aaron. We love Aaron.

I spent most of the set on my knees on the side of the stage.

TAKING PICTURES, you pervs.

I'm still a wee bit tipsy, but I have thrown all the pics in a photoshop album HERE.

Go buy a Suburban Legends CD.

OR Go download their music at MP3.com.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Purrrrrrrrrr

Coming in at #4 on this list, would probably be anything by R.E.M. up to and including the album Out Of Time.

I only mention this after the fact and off topic because...

I GET TO GO SEE R.E.M. Tonight!

Yay. Dave just called with a spare ticket from the radio station he works at.

I might be audblogging for my own amusement.

If I could only listen to two albums for the rest of my life, they would be XTC's Skylarking and The Pixies' Doolittle.

If you made me choose between the two, I'd have to kill you.

(Happy Ending would be runner up at third.)

XTC stopped touring in 19eighty-freaking-two, and who knows what the hell is going on with Dogstar...

So this, from pitchfork media (via Warren Ellis) is very good news.

Pixies To Reunite For Tour In April 2004; New Album Possible

John L. Ferrer and Will Bryant report:
There's that rare time when a sarcastic, jaded music news site has to report without any sarcasm or irony. Short of the Velvet Underground, there's no band more beloved, more important, more cited as an influence in indie rock than the Pixies. Whether you're strictly a Doolittle man (surely one of the finest damn rock albums ever) or an obsessive who can name every Trompe le Monde b-side, the Pixies' contributions to the alternative rock canon are sacred texts, the alpha cell of a paisley-flecked v23 flowchart that, down various impeccably typeset branches, might lead to Nirvana, to the Breeders, to Throwing Muses, Guided By Voices, Modest Mouse, Trail of Dead, or Enon.

Sadly, most of these revelations weren't made until after the band's prime. Since their reportedly messy and bloody demise in 1993, fans have signed on by the dozens-- based partially on the recommendation of Kurt Cobain, and partially by their desire to find something truly exuberant, legitimate, funny and weird in their music. Anyone born in the '80s might surely have at some point sighed and abandoned all hope of seeing the Pixies on stage at all. In a sense, the idea of a Pixies reunion has almost become a joke, the indie-kid version of "Yeah, when pigs fly." So when the report came in July that all four original members (that's Black Francis, Kim Deal, David Lovering, and Joey Santiago) have been secretly practicing together every couple of blue moons since the breakup, there was the first glimmer of hope.

Now that the heavyhandedness is past, here comes the point. The glimmer is now a full-blown supernova. It's happening. In April. No dates yet, not even any quotes from the group's principals-- just a band spokesperson's promise to MTV, who broke the story. The source, who remains unnamed in MTV's story, also claims that if all goes well a studio album will follow.
The Pixies. Are back. Together. Music is saved. Lovers of rock, unite and cheer. This is going to truly own.

Someone alert Reeves to this, I think he's a fan as well.

Yay! Suburban Legends, a great ska band that many of us fell in love with when they played with becky at last June's Musician's Institute show, will be playing here in Vegas this Sunday night.

Jillian's - Support the Scene
Suburban Legends, Melee, Solemite
Sunday, September 14, 2003
6pm - 9:00pm
Location: Jillian's, 450 Fremont Street
Las Vegas, NV

I'm so there.

AND for those of you that are going to see becky in Solana Beach on the 27th, the Legends will be playing at the Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding event in Oceanside on the 28th.

The Pier
Oceanside, CA
Van's Triple Crown of Skateboarding
www.vans.com

That's like right next door to Solana Beach so if you're making a weekend of it you might want to check them out. Plus, there will be a bunch of hot little sk8er bois running around if you're into that sort of thing.