Category Archives: Media is the Medium

House cleaning

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This is a post about cleaning house. Not like, you know, vaccuuming and mopping and dusting, although that is where it starts; more like cleaning out all the random thoughts and stuff lingering around in my head that I’ve been wanting to share. Stuff that just didn’t warrant a blog post of its own.

One of the things that sold me on my house was the wood floors throughout nearly the entire thing. They’re so easy to clean, right? I mean, with carpet, you never know what can be lurking beneath the surface of those little fibers. They remind me of cilia. Or, you know, the ocean floor. And we all know what sort of beasties can hide under there, right?

Ok ok maybe I’m exaggerating a touch. I don’t hate carpet. I quite like it in fact. But I digress. (I do that a lot, though. Oh look shiny! Anyway…)

So when I bought my house, I also bought myself a fancy shmancy vaccuum cleaner that claimed to do wonders with wood floors. I used it religiously for the first couple years. And then I quit. I don’t know what it is, but one time I just didn’t want to drag the whole thing out, deal with the cord leapfrog game, yell at my dog for attacking it, which 1. she’d been getting much better at, having figured out how to attack the switch that kept the bagless dust collector compartment attached and flipping it – I’m telling you, my dog’s a Freaking Genius, and 2. loudly, since of course the vaccuum is running, etc. I just whipped out the broom and swept. And discovered something interesting: sweeping is kinda cathartic. I find that my floors feel cleaner, since I know the broom didn’t spray crap out the back vent. I also start thinking about stuff while I sweep. Anyway. I swept my floors tonight, and starting thinking of all those little things I’d like to mention, such as…

What? It’s a new year?

Whoa, where did the year go? It’s been a year of lessons for me, emotional ones. A lot of growth, which is never bad. I may go into more detail at a later date on that. And I found out I’m going to get my very own nephew, complete with a Baby Decoder Ring and Binky accessories! How awesome is that? I’ve made some career decisions that may or may not have been good for me, but that remains to be seen. My dog somehow found herself on the news, Live @ 7 with Steph Stricklen, but then she is pretty damn cute. I bought an iPhone, restarted my blog after a 2 year or so hiatus, and met oodles and gobs of cool Portland tech and blog folk. Not a bad year. I wouldn’t put it on the top 10, but certainly the top….err..30. Ok ok 20.

Happy birthday to my adorable little pup!

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Ahhh!! The cuteness! It burns!

Yes, the jessinator turned 3 this week. Happy birthday to this fuzzy little creature, my little life saver / loyal companion / partner in crime / exercise slave driver. You are one in a million! For her birthday, I took her to our doggy daycare, Dogs Dig It, and she got to pick out a free toy of her very own when I came to get her. She picked out a duck, which she’s been carrying around ever since. Well, as much as she carries around toys. It’s not quite like a ball, I guess. But she did carry it all the way out to the car before she forgot about it, and carried it all the way into the house before depositing it on the kitchen floor. It’s love, I tell you.

I had my mad skillz affirmededed

After much convincing from @djtv, (ok really not *that* much convincing), I signed up for a class on DJ Mixing at SPUN Academy. Taught by the one and only @MrBallistic, that veritable icon of old skool DJness and a fellow Twitterer along with @djtv, the class had us on turntables the first night. At first I was all, you know, thumbs. Or well, jerky. As in not smooth, and clueless. But by the end of the class I was mixin up some killer tunes and had the pitch control nearly figured out. Mad skillz, I tell ya. Mad. Skillz. Crap. Now I need a catchy DJ name. And Nita, if you read this, for the last time NO. Suggest that one more time and no mic for you!

And finally…

I enter this new year full of hope for the future, fearful of being disappointed once again, but determined to not let that stop me now, as ever. I leave you with a few words from those lovely English boys, the Chameleons, ever the thoughtful blokes:

It’s just coincidence / Well you can talk that way / But I have to say / I don’t believe in it / And with the chill of chance / I decided to dance / The days away… / But I wasn’t worried at all / Dreams are what you live for /

Here’s hoping dreams come true in spades this year.

eTown PDX, or How I Nearly Got Ejected From the Schnitz.

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If you know me, you know that my personal muse is Sarah McLachlan.  I regularly abase myself at her feet and quiver with inspiration and yes, lust.  Figuratively speaking, of course.  Oh if only…  Seriously, to my knowledge I have been to her show every time she has graced our beloved P-Town in the past 6-8 years or so.  I never miss a chance. 

So imagine my amazement and excitement, listening to NPR in late October/early November, when I hear that she’s going to be in town at some radio show taping PRACTICALLY ON MY BIRTHDAY.  omgomgomgomgomg!!!! 

After I peeled myself off the ceiling (you have to understand, I haven’t seen her in quite a while, I’ve been overdue!) I looked into the details.  She was going to be one of the guest performers on eTown, a radio show syndicated on NPR (I wake up to NPR these days, although I’m thinking of switching back to 94.7.  Gotta switch it up, right?).  Whatever, I thought.  eTown shmeTown.  It’s Sarah, and I’m goin.

So a friend and I got tickets, and showed up at the appointed hour, for a live taping of this eTown show.  Turns out it’s normally taped in Boulder, Colorado, but they occasionally go on the road and do live tapings in other cities.   Their mission statement is as follows: “etown’s mission is to educate, entertain and inspire a diverse audience, through music and conversation, to create a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable world.” Ok, cool. Nifty.  Very Portlandy, in fact.

I had no idea just how Portlandy.  Apparently they give out an award called an e-chievement award during each show.  Listeners from all over the country send in tales of individuals making a difference in their communites, and from these inspirational people they select one each show to win this award.  At this particular taping, they invited all the prior Portland winners of this national award to attend, and stand up as they were named.  I swear, half the audience were winners.  The hosts, Nick and Helen Forster, informed us that there are more e-cheivement award winners in the greater PDX area than ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY.  Yeah.  Portland Rocks.  I knew I loved it here for a reason!  The winner during that particular broadcast was Ed Kerns, who started the Lents Springwater Habitat Restoration Project.  The man is wheelchair bound, and he has single-handedly organized and fostered this fabulous effort, and one which impacts not just my city, but my neighborhood, in a truly meaningful way.  I love the Springwater Corrider Trail, and I bike it often during the summertime.

But back to Sarah and me nearly getting kicked from the Shnitz.  I mean…hello, iPhone right?  You expect me to sit in the presence of my muse, one of the elite few who musically inspire me, and not take pictures?  Me, amateur photog girl?  Shyeah.  Not gonna happen.  I gotta try.  A few fruits of my labor:

Sarah rockin' out!

Sarah rockin' out!

I've seen her so many times, I am familiar with her expressions. This is my favorite. No I am not a stalker.

I've seen her so many times, I am familiar with her expressions. This is my favorite. No I am not a stalker.

The whole cast. Sarah's on the far right, tickling those ivories.

The whole cast. Sarah's on the far right, tickling those ivories.

So, here I am taking these amazing shots, from the very farthest back row no less.  Along comes Ms. Usher, who informs me in no uncertain terms that if I do not cease and desist immediately, I will be ‘asked to leave’.  Ah, the dreaded asked to leave line.  So I wrapped up the iPhone and my friends camera.  Sorry Sarah.  Sorry eTown.  Sorry Schnitz.  But you know what?  The pictures I took that night will mean way more to me than any professional swag I could ever hope to purchase.
The show is going to be broadcast during the week of Jan 21-Jan 27.  Listen for it.  I was there.
Coming up next: Hebrew 101, or How to Survive Hanging Out with Crazy Israelis.

How I Spent My Winter Internme…err Vacation

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Hiro in NYC

Hiro in NYC

One bonus to the last week and a half or so of SNOWPOCALYPSE 2008!!! is that I’ve finally had the time to grind through the entire first, second and nearly third season of Heroes.   Here are a couple thoughts I have on the show:

  1. The first season was awesome.  Totally sucked me in.  The sucking noises could be heard halfway down the street, I’m sure.
  2. My favorite hero?  Hiro.  Except seriously, he needs to learn to block that nose punch to the face!  How many times has he gotten hit, 5 times? 6? 
  3. Season three was starting to lose me, until the main characters really started to polarize as good/bad (or misguided).   It was just starting to feel like the storyline was starting to fracture and lose focus, so the clear polarization really helped. 
  4. Quit messing with my head about Sylar!  Bad guy?   Good guy?   Bad guy?   Bad guy with reform potential?   Misled good guy?  Bad guy again?  Or just really really really really confused guy with waaaaay too much power and a hunger he can’t control?  Keeps me guessing, I suppose. 
  5. If I Were a Hero – If I had to pick an ability, I’d probably go with Daphne’s speedster abilities.  Straightforward and useful.  I’d never have to be stuck in traffic again, could go anywhere in the world in moments…think of the gas savings alone!  And the moral dilemmas of an ability like that would be minimal and straightforward as well.  Unlike unraveling time and space – too complicated.  And being able to absorb other abilities…how confusing and overwhelming would that get after a while?  Yikes.  The whole not-dying ala Claire thing though, that would be very cool too.
  6. One thing I want to ask @greggrunberg:  omg did you really have to wake up with a live scorpion on your head?  Dude!  That would have me in a state of panic unsurmountable. 

I’m hoping my streaming allotment from Netflix is enough to get me through the rest of season 3.  Then it’s off to catch up on the last season of Battlestar Galactica just in time for the final episodes… <insert crazed speculation re: last Cylon here>

You come to watch, yes?

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Went to see Borat this weekend, and I just have one thing to say:

Ouch.

This movie takes you places you never, ever, ever, EVER EVER EVER wanted to go, and then goes one step further.  And then another.  And ANOTHER.  It’s like watching a 10 car pileup on the freeway…you really don’t want to see anything, but you keep watching because you can’t stop yourself.

Words that pop to mind when I think back on that psyche-burning experience:

motel room

stop stop oh no they didn’t

they’re gonna kill him

what did he say??

omg he didn’t just say that

but he’s jewish!!

I would’ve killed him!

I think the fact that the way they filmed it, you’re not sure if the people he’s talking to are actors or not.  I’m leaning towards not.  I think they actually are filming people who have no idea that they’re being filmed for a movie.  And that’s what makes those scary impending death scenes that much more scary…because I really think they would’ve ganged up and killed him if he’d taken another step.  The dinner at the magnolia house was priceless though.

By the way…I laughed so hard it hurt.  I just watched the trailer (I’d never seen it) and it made me laugh so hard I cried.  But then I know what they DON’T show.

I’d have to say that you need to see this movie, but be prepared for anything.  ANYTHING.  Be warned.

V is for Vendetta

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If I had to pick my most favorite books of all time, The Count of Monte Cristo would be up near the top. Granted, Alexandre Dumas was equivelent to a rennaisance-era Grisham. Good writing, great story but not a lot of depth, compared to the authors that would share the top of my list – Hermann Hesse, Ayn Rand, James Joyce. But the emotional impact of the book when I first read it in my teens was just as powerful.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see that a proper retelling of the story was done in the new movie V for Vendetta. The parallels are fairly obvious to someone who has read the book, but for those that haven’t, the black and white version of the movie gets a plug. However, it is a new retelling of the story; the same emotions, the same rage and agony are perfectly presented, and yet in an entirely new context. The fact that I found the movie disturbingly relevant to events happening today made this all the more compelling. I give this movie a big thumbs up.

Folding

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Who came lurking in the nighttime to wake up grumbling don’t look at me? Folding scolding it came building folding up inside of me. I wake up bleary body weary slowly cruising sunless streets. Broken, tired uninspired folding up inside of me. Aching shoulders holding demons angels nowhere to be seen. Whispers nearer, closer dearer folding up inside of me.

Transition – Part Two

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Read Part One First If You Haven’t Yet Or This Probably Won’t Make Much Sense

Transition – Part Two

As she stepped into the dim living room, another memory passed before her eyes. She and her mother sat in front of the TV, watching a movie. It was about a family that had a rough life. One of the kids left home, and after years of struggling, she became successful. She returned home victorious, and brought her family from the brink of ruin. She felt safe then, sitting on her mother’s lap and letting her gently brush her hair as they watched the show. She remembered the feel of it, as if she could feel all the love of a mother for her child coming through those bristles. “You see? That’ll be you, my little Kip. You’ll make it out of here someday, and we’ll be so happy, just you and me.” She smiled up at her mom then, knowing that if her mom thought she could do it, then that’s what would happen. Later her mother had drunk herself to sleep. She was five then.

She felt something wet against her cheek and touched it in wonder. One tear coursed down her face. She nodded to herself. That is as it should be, she thought. Just one. She pulled the ear of corn that she had brought back with her from inside her leather jacket. With a purposeful stride, she walked towards the kitchen, stepped over the wet broken glass, and looked down at her mother. She was pale, and the glazed eyes stared up at the nicotine-stained ceiling. She had been pretty once. She placed the corn on her mother’s breast. It was complete now, like a full circle come round. Now for the last of it, she thought once more. Quickly she packed some clothes and necessities, her mother’s small savings, and anything of value she could easily carry. With a last quick glance at her mother’s body, she left the only home she’d ever known. She drove away, stopping only at a pay phone near the entrance of the mobile park. Nine. One. One. “Hello? Yes, my mother has had a heart attack. Please hurry! I think she’s already dead….I’ve…no, I’ve…I was gone. She was like that when I came home. Hurry, ok?” She gave the address, then slowly hung up. As she drove away, she could see the red lights grow brighter behind her as she headed for the highway.