Friday night's pay night, fresh outta work, talking 'bout the weekend, scrubbin' off the dirt. . . .
Some headed home to their families, some are lookin' to get hurt.
Well, if there was ever a clear-cut dichotomy between ways to spend one's weekend night, that would be it ------there's a lot of room on both sides for differences, but the line is clear ----- you're either embracing and enhancing what you've got, or you're on the prowl and looking for something to start.
It's clear what side of the line most of us are on these days, and it will be even clearer when I explain what we did last night.
Kristin and I made raspberry tarts. For like four hours. From scratch.
This is not necessarily as lame as it sounds. Yes, the ingredients are things like flour, raspberries, butter, and it involves a rolling pin and foil and pie weights.
But, dear reader, think of the possibilities ----- add Band of Horses, and Guiness, and the fact that flour-enhanced handprints are incredibly visible on dark clothing, and you've got yourself a fun bit of revelry. There would be pictures but, since the incident of "Kristin rolling around on kitchen floor with chilis burning her eyes while Colin mocks her," I am no longer allowed to photograph any kitchen escapades.
Toss in watching five Aidan episodes of Sex and the City, and I dare any hot nightclub teeming with desire to top a night in baking miniature pies.
The new Bruce is growing on me a bit ---- still ain't great, but on balance it's good. He'll knock some socks off tomorrow night I'm sure.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Whelmed
*On my second listen of Bruce's new album, and it's, well. . . . . it's just not very good. Like I just don't want to listen to half of it again, already.
I say this as someone who will defend Magic to the knife, who wouldn't change a note on it, and it came out only 15 months ago, so it's not like I have any old Bruce/new Bruce issues.
It's more like Bruce and the boys decided to expand on some pop-production ideas, to record on the fly with brand-new material, and Bruce didn't take enough time to write lyrics. And then made some really, really bad choices in terms of strings, and keys, and lyrics again. I guess the downside of exciting, risky choices is that you sometimes end up making the wrong exciting, risky choices.
But hell, Bruce has my heart. If this had been a six-song EP, I would be singing its praises.
My Lucky Day, the title track, Tomorrow Never Knows, Life Itself, The Last Carnival, and The Wrestler are pretty fantastic.
And they're playing Chicago May 12, so what the hell do I have to complain about.
*Speaking of music ----- Miles Raymer of the Reader has a pretty great review of Andrew Bird, managing to piss off a load of fans, even though its pretty even-handed. Comments are so, so worth reading. There's nothing better than reading complaints from people who seem to live for the chance to be offended.
*Finally picked up that last Band of Horses, which is just so comforting of a record, and the new Carl Newman, which is so far enjoyable. It's easier when there's no huge expectations, as there is for new Springsteen.
And I'm now off to eat the Cheesecake Factory ----- so, new Springsteen EP (yep, we're going with that bit of self-deception) and big chain restaurant in one day. Taylor Street FTW.
I say this as someone who will defend Magic to the knife, who wouldn't change a note on it, and it came out only 15 months ago, so it's not like I have any old Bruce/new Bruce issues.
It's more like Bruce and the boys decided to expand on some pop-production ideas, to record on the fly with brand-new material, and Bruce didn't take enough time to write lyrics. And then made some really, really bad choices in terms of strings, and keys, and lyrics again. I guess the downside of exciting, risky choices is that you sometimes end up making the wrong exciting, risky choices.
But hell, Bruce has my heart. If this had been a six-song EP, I would be singing its praises.
My Lucky Day, the title track, Tomorrow Never Knows, Life Itself, The Last Carnival, and The Wrestler are pretty fantastic.
And they're playing Chicago May 12, so what the hell do I have to complain about.
*Speaking of music ----- Miles Raymer of the Reader has a pretty great review of Andrew Bird, managing to piss off a load of fans, even though its pretty even-handed. Comments are so, so worth reading. There's nothing better than reading complaints from people who seem to live for the chance to be offended.
*Finally picked up that last Band of Horses, which is just so comforting of a record, and the new Carl Newman, which is so far enjoyable. It's easier when there's no huge expectations, as there is for new Springsteen.
And I'm now off to eat the Cheesecake Factory ----- so, new Springsteen EP (yep, we're going with that bit of self-deception) and big chain restaurant in one day. Taylor Street FTW.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
hot sauce
Kristin and I eschewed our usual big-dollar brunch today for a visit to Johnny's Grill, on the square. It kind of looks like Hopper's Nighthawks. We (she) paid fourteen bucks for two incredibly filling meals, and I got to drink some chocolate milk with my corned beef hash and eggs and toast and hash browns. Yummmmmmm.
I'm currently pondering whether we should see Gran Torino or Benjamin Button tonight. . . . this year's crop of Oscars movies don't look too great ---- it seems like a bunch of pseudo-highbrow junk by very on-the-nose directors (how how HOW does Stephen Daldry stay employed? He's like Ron Howard but somehow more boring, which wasn't thought to be possible.)
There is a showing of Che, but I'm not sure that Kristin will put up with a 4.5 hour feature about a bloodthirsty revolutionary who may as well be the reason for the phrase Epic Fail.
And hey, that inauguration thing was pretty great, but not as great as the things that happened in the few days afterward ----- shut down Gitmo, stop torturing, rescind the Mexico City ban, and, during stimulus negotiations, politely remind Eric Cantor and Jon Kyl that they lost and you won, and that's why tax cuts will go to low-income people.
Come on up for the rising.
I'm currently pondering whether we should see Gran Torino or Benjamin Button tonight. . . . this year's crop of Oscars movies don't look too great ---- it seems like a bunch of pseudo-highbrow junk by very on-the-nose directors (how how HOW does Stephen Daldry stay employed? He's like Ron Howard but somehow more boring, which wasn't thought to be possible.)
There is a showing of Che, but I'm not sure that Kristin will put up with a 4.5 hour feature about a bloodthirsty revolutionary who may as well be the reason for the phrase Epic Fail.
And hey, that inauguration thing was pretty great, but not as great as the things that happened in the few days afterward ----- shut down Gitmo, stop torturing, rescind the Mexico City ban, and, during stimulus negotiations, politely remind Eric Cantor and Jon Kyl that they lost and you won, and that's why tax cuts will go to low-income people.
Come on up for the rising.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Crying "Uncle!"
*You may have heard that Osama bin Laden is becoming the President of America tomorrow. I guess he won the GWOT (Global War On Terrorism) that George Bush challenged him to.
I, for one, welcome our new theofascist overlord. I look forward to being forced into a gay marriage, having my rifles taken away, and being told to call Christmas "Wahabbi Day."
*Kristin and I had a big fancy dinner out last week, courtesy of Grandma Barb's Christmas present to me. It was during the huge blizzard snowfall, and we ate loads of fancy sushi and chuckled at everyone else who wasn't eating loads of fancy sushi. Probably the best meal I've had in a long, long time.
Thanks Grandma!
*I've become, in the past 8 days, a fan of the Arizona Cardinals, mostly because my friend Eric is a big Kurt Warner fan, and because I think they have the best jerseys of any of the teams in the playoffs.
Due to my recent fandom, they are going to the Super Bowl, which, in case you were unaware, will feature a halftime performance by Bruce. They've asked him to perform for 25 years, and he's never said yes until this year. I'm guessing I have Barack to thank for Bruce's decision to accept ---- the new album seems pretty heavily political, the flip-side of the Bushy-angst Magic album.
Go Cardinals!
*Also, Kristin sorta/kinda watched an hour of football yesterday with us. That was nice of her. She does not like football. But she did bet me a dinner that the Steelers would take the Ravens, because she finds the name "Steelers" to be "confident sounding."
*There was that part, too, where it was -5 degrees all day. That was pretty rad, since it was like a special snow-day where I worked sooooo hard on grants at home and then Simone quarterbacked a special Chili night, which was delicious: she produced (paid for everything), Jay made the chili, and I made three loaves of Cornbread Taylor, of which one was amazing and two were acceptable.
Chili is great.
*Nate, Jay, and myself had a long, long meal at Dunlay's on Friday night, where we discussed how we are no longer as hardcore as we used to be, mostly because we no longer stay out until 5am howling at the moon. We came to this realization as the three of us grown men were taking large scoops of skillet cookie and ice cream, three bros sharing some dessert.
The manager of the restaurant later got us a round of drinks, so we were almost hearkening back to our days of wine and roses, but then Kristin ordered a chocolate martini, Jay an appletini, and we had to accept that we are now fully domesticated.
I'm okay with being domesticated.
With love,
CHT.
I, for one, welcome our new theofascist overlord. I look forward to being forced into a gay marriage, having my rifles taken away, and being told to call Christmas "Wahabbi Day."
*Kristin and I had a big fancy dinner out last week, courtesy of Grandma Barb's Christmas present to me. It was during the huge blizzard snowfall, and we ate loads of fancy sushi and chuckled at everyone else who wasn't eating loads of fancy sushi. Probably the best meal I've had in a long, long time.
Thanks Grandma!
*I've become, in the past 8 days, a fan of the Arizona Cardinals, mostly because my friend Eric is a big Kurt Warner fan, and because I think they have the best jerseys of any of the teams in the playoffs.
Due to my recent fandom, they are going to the Super Bowl, which, in case you were unaware, will feature a halftime performance by Bruce. They've asked him to perform for 25 years, and he's never said yes until this year. I'm guessing I have Barack to thank for Bruce's decision to accept ---- the new album seems pretty heavily political, the flip-side of the Bushy-angst Magic album.
Go Cardinals!
*Also, Kristin sorta/kinda watched an hour of football yesterday with us. That was nice of her. She does not like football. But she did bet me a dinner that the Steelers would take the Ravens, because she finds the name "Steelers" to be "confident sounding."
*There was that part, too, where it was -5 degrees all day. That was pretty rad, since it was like a special snow-day where I worked sooooo hard on grants at home and then Simone quarterbacked a special Chili night, which was delicious: she produced (paid for everything), Jay made the chili, and I made three loaves of Cornbread Taylor, of which one was amazing and two were acceptable.
Chili is great.
*Nate, Jay, and myself had a long, long meal at Dunlay's on Friday night, where we discussed how we are no longer as hardcore as we used to be, mostly because we no longer stay out until 5am howling at the moon. We came to this realization as the three of us grown men were taking large scoops of skillet cookie and ice cream, three bros sharing some dessert.
The manager of the restaurant later got us a round of drinks, so we were almost hearkening back to our days of wine and roses, but then Kristin ordered a chocolate martini, Jay an appletini, and we had to accept that we are now fully domesticated.
I'm okay with being domesticated.
With love,
CHT.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Christmas Break pt. 2
New Year's Eve at Kate and Nate's, then some Jan. 1 five-hour bowling marathon, followed by rocking out at Nate and Kate's house on Jan. 2.
Phew, it was tiring. And fun. Very fun.
Phew, it was tiring. And fun. Very fun.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
every problem looks like a nail
*I wrote a bunch of drafts regarding Gaza, but there's no love in that war.
As usual, my heart is on the side of those that practice secular democracy, and with the children of those who practice theocratic thuggery. I wish Israel would think more strategically, and focus more on what will work than on what they have an argument for doing ---- sure, you have the right to defend against rocket attacks, but do it in a smart way, not in a way that seems the equivalent of pounding your fist on the table.
At least they seemed to have learned a little, little bit from the Lebanon fiasco of '06 ---- a war being "just" doesn't necessarily make it smart (Iraq '03, anyone?).
I'm not really comfortable with childish terms like "pro-Israel" or "pro-Palestinian" ----- I'm pro-Israel in the sense that their overall view of government and human rights is far closer to mine than that of Hamas, but I of course oppose the occupation and can't stand the Likudniks. I'm anti-Hamas in that I oppose everything they stand for, except for the fact that Palestinians deserve a state. The idea of Hamas actually governing an independent state is a joke.
As for the idea of marginalizing Hamas ----- we did that with Arafat's faction of Fatah in the early aughts, resulting in Hamas beating Abbas in the election, giving us the pleasure of now dealing with Hamas. The definition of insanity is. . . .
Lindsey Funke: "Does it ever work?"
Tobias Funke: "Oh no. People somehow convince themselves that it will, but it never does. . . .but maybe it could work for us!"
Like the man said, you make peace with your enemies, not your friends. Take it to heart.
It's going to be really disheartening when the eventual treaty/peace accord that gets signed someday looks identical to what Ehud Barack and Clinton tried to get Arafat to sign in 2000 ----- all this death just to circle back around.
Makes you wish for the wildly mild African National Congress taking on the Boers, huh?
I really do prefer nationalists to Islamists.
*On the lighter side, there's a hilarious battle going on for RNC chair, with a load of old men attempting to show their Web 2.0 prowess. Please read the whole thing. It's beautiful.
If only John McCain had twittered more. . . . .
*I have succeeded in convincing Kristin to watch her home-state Oklahoma Sooners take on the hated Florida Gators in the college football championship game tonight. Max will be on hand too, so we'll have two native Sooners in the house.
I will be drinking from one of my OU cups that Clare got me for Christmas, as I am now an adopted Sooner fan ----- it's a safe bet to have a backup team to cheer for, since it's very unlikely that the Illini will have to take on OU anytime in the near future.
As usual, my heart is on the side of those that practice secular democracy, and with the children of those who practice theocratic thuggery. I wish Israel would think more strategically, and focus more on what will work than on what they have an argument for doing ---- sure, you have the right to defend against rocket attacks, but do it in a smart way, not in a way that seems the equivalent of pounding your fist on the table.
At least they seemed to have learned a little, little bit from the Lebanon fiasco of '06 ---- a war being "just" doesn't necessarily make it smart (Iraq '03, anyone?).
I'm not really comfortable with childish terms like "pro-Israel" or "pro-Palestinian" ----- I'm pro-Israel in the sense that their overall view of government and human rights is far closer to mine than that of Hamas, but I of course oppose the occupation and can't stand the Likudniks. I'm anti-Hamas in that I oppose everything they stand for, except for the fact that Palestinians deserve a state. The idea of Hamas actually governing an independent state is a joke.
As for the idea of marginalizing Hamas ----- we did that with Arafat's faction of Fatah in the early aughts, resulting in Hamas beating Abbas in the election, giving us the pleasure of now dealing with Hamas. The definition of insanity is. . . .
Lindsey Funke: "Does it ever work?"
Tobias Funke: "Oh no. People somehow convince themselves that it will, but it never does. . . .but maybe it could work for us!"
Like the man said, you make peace with your enemies, not your friends. Take it to heart.
It's going to be really disheartening when the eventual treaty/peace accord that gets signed someday looks identical to what Ehud Barack and Clinton tried to get Arafat to sign in 2000 ----- all this death just to circle back around.
Makes you wish for the wildly mild African National Congress taking on the Boers, huh?
I really do prefer nationalists to Islamists.
*On the lighter side, there's a hilarious battle going on for RNC chair, with a load of old men attempting to show their Web 2.0 prowess. Please read the whole thing. It's beautiful.
If only John McCain had twittered more. . . . .
*I have succeeded in convincing Kristin to watch her home-state Oklahoma Sooners take on the hated Florida Gators in the college football championship game tonight. Max will be on hand too, so we'll have two native Sooners in the house.
I will be drinking from one of my OU cups that Clare got me for Christmas, as I am now an adopted Sooner fan ----- it's a safe bet to have a backup team to cheer for, since it's very unlikely that the Illini will have to take on OU anytime in the near future.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
keep your silver shined (Christmas break pt. 1)
Bethany and I drove down home during a really fun ice storm on the 23rd, and were home for a few hours before a night-long blackout, which ended up being kind of fun. Mom read us some stories from Holidays On Ice in front of the fireplace, much like the pioneers used to read satirical essays during their nights.
I didn't have my camera with me for Christmas, so you'll have to just imagine:
We had our annual Christmas Eve dinner at the chinese restaurant, though we ordered a moderate amount of food, denying me my much-loved chinese food leftovers.
The Christmas Eve service at church was tolerable, with our pastor dressing up in Arab garb and playing the role of the innkeeper, explaining why he didn't have room for Mary and Joseph. Not as bad as it sounds, much like when Michael Scott does something that turns out to be relatively entertaining.
The Gorski's came over for Christmas day dinner, which was great, and then Grandma showed up, which made it all perfect --- it just ain't Christmas without my grandma. Haven't had one without her yet, and I don't intend to.
Mom and dad, Beth and Abs, they are the best family a boy could have.
It's always good to be home for Christmas.
Then followed my big Tulsa Freeman adventure, where I drove it in 9 hours flat, with a total of two stops, eating my McNuggets in ten minutes at the Joplin, Missouri McDonalds. It's one of the best Macs I've been to.
To spare a load of narrative, I'll just bullet-point my Tulsa adventures:
-directly went to a party upon arrival, full of Kristin's hometown pals, who were all very kind and fun to talk to.
-met Kristin's dad the next morning, as I was groggy and unshowered. Luckily he didn't seem to mind, and made me feel very welcome immediately.
Kristin's mom made us a very tasty breakfast of cheesy eggs and biscuits, then we exchanged gifts. She got me a very cozy pullover fleece which I've been wearing most of the time since then.
And Kristin got me a fire pit!! For the front porch! For fire! Oh it shall be a fun late winter/early spring with some toasty porch times.
-I received the official Freeman tour of Tulsa, complete with visits to Oral Roberts University campus (lots of shimmery gold buildings) and all sorts of Tulsa sites.
-The best barbecue ribs I've had maybe ever from Billy Ray's, suggested and encouraged to eat by Kristin's dad, who hasn't eaten meat in 30 years. This meant a lot to me. And they bought me a bottle of hot bbq sauce too. Incredibly kind.
-The next day we went out to the wooded property they own in the rural, rural area about 75 miles outside of Tulsa. It was mindblowingly beautiful. I want to camp there for a week and run around and hike all day. It's so peaceful.
Mama Freeman, Papa Freeman, and Lil' Pumpkin Freeman.
-If you haven't taken a 12 and 5 year old to a huge Chucky Cheese-esque place before, I'd suggest it, especially if they have a pizza buffet, complete with unlimited desserts, which Lil' Brandon (on the right) ate two plates of cookies.
Chase, on the left, had never bowled before, and for a little fellow did a great job, chucking that ball as hard as he could down the lanes. Brandon's method was to toss the ball high up in the air, and hope that the wooden lane didn't crack.
They were hilarious, and fun, and exceedingly mature and polite. We had a blast.
Tulsa was just like going to another home, and Kristin's folks, and her sister and sister's kids, were so welcoming I didn't feel any nervousness that's supposed to come with the whole "Meet the Parents" situation. They're the kind of folks I'd want to spend time with even if they weren't my girlfriend's family (which reminds me that Ken and I need to finish watching that Tom Petty documentary some day).
Christmas break part 1 was a tremendous time, one for the books.
(next up: New Year's Eve, featuring almost nothing monumental, but lots of pictures!)
I didn't have my camera with me for Christmas, so you'll have to just imagine:
We had our annual Christmas Eve dinner at the chinese restaurant, though we ordered a moderate amount of food, denying me my much-loved chinese food leftovers.
The Christmas Eve service at church was tolerable, with our pastor dressing up in Arab garb and playing the role of the innkeeper, explaining why he didn't have room for Mary and Joseph. Not as bad as it sounds, much like when Michael Scott does something that turns out to be relatively entertaining.
The Gorski's came over for Christmas day dinner, which was great, and then Grandma showed up, which made it all perfect --- it just ain't Christmas without my grandma. Haven't had one without her yet, and I don't intend to.
Mom and dad, Beth and Abs, they are the best family a boy could have.
It's always good to be home for Christmas.
Then followed my big Tulsa Freeman adventure, where I drove it in 9 hours flat, with a total of two stops, eating my McNuggets in ten minutes at the Joplin, Missouri McDonalds. It's one of the best Macs I've been to.
To spare a load of narrative, I'll just bullet-point my Tulsa adventures:
-directly went to a party upon arrival, full of Kristin's hometown pals, who were all very kind and fun to talk to.
-met Kristin's dad the next morning, as I was groggy and unshowered. Luckily he didn't seem to mind, and made me feel very welcome immediately.
Kristin's mom made us a very tasty breakfast of cheesy eggs and biscuits, then we exchanged gifts. She got me a very cozy pullover fleece which I've been wearing most of the time since then.
And Kristin got me a fire pit!! For the front porch! For fire! Oh it shall be a fun late winter/early spring with some toasty porch times.
-I received the official Freeman tour of Tulsa, complete with visits to Oral Roberts University campus (lots of shimmery gold buildings) and all sorts of Tulsa sites.
-The best barbecue ribs I've had maybe ever from Billy Ray's, suggested and encouraged to eat by Kristin's dad, who hasn't eaten meat in 30 years. This meant a lot to me. And they bought me a bottle of hot bbq sauce too. Incredibly kind.
-The next day we went out to the wooded property they own in the rural, rural area about 75 miles outside of Tulsa. It was mindblowingly beautiful. I want to camp there for a week and run around and hike all day. It's so peaceful.
Mama Freeman, Papa Freeman, and Lil' Pumpkin Freeman.
-If you haven't taken a 12 and 5 year old to a huge Chucky Cheese-esque place before, I'd suggest it, especially if they have a pizza buffet, complete with unlimited desserts, which Lil' Brandon (on the right) ate two plates of cookies.
Chase, on the left, had never bowled before, and for a little fellow did a great job, chucking that ball as hard as he could down the lanes. Brandon's method was to toss the ball high up in the air, and hope that the wooden lane didn't crack.They were hilarious, and fun, and exceedingly mature and polite. We had a blast.
Tulsa was just like going to another home, and Kristin's folks, and her sister and sister's kids, were so welcoming I didn't feel any nervousness that's supposed to come with the whole "Meet the Parents" situation. They're the kind of folks I'd want to spend time with even if they weren't my girlfriend's family (which reminds me that Ken and I need to finish watching that Tom Petty documentary some day).
Christmas break part 1 was a tremendous time, one for the books.
(next up: New Year's Eve, featuring almost nothing monumental, but lots of pictures!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)