Missy | March 31, 2003

Remember how I said I shouldn’t worry about missing Ted Leo last week? He’ll be back at the end of May with the broken up Dismemberment Plan (DC only; sorry other-city-livin’-people). Speaking of which, Travis continues to write about Iraq on his own site, where there are also two mp3s to grab.

Did you watch Michelle Kwan win Worlds? She skated with the kind of assurance I haven’t seen in her in a couple of years. She’s still the best.

Now playing: Happy Mondays, “Step On”. Considering I had trouble sleeping last night and am hella tired, I’m having a rather happy Monday.

UPDATE: An email message this morning informed me that the new Radiohead album has leaked, and you can downloads tracks here. (Haven’t yet tried it myself to verify because I’m at work).

UPDATE#2: It’s documentary day here at Listen Missy. After work I went to see the beautiful documentary Rivers and Tides, about sculptor (whose medium is nature) Andy Goldsworthy. He does commissioned pieces, but much of his work is extremely temporary, allowing the course of nature and its flow (not necessarily to be called its destructiveness) affect the work. Tides, wind, the movement of rivers, the bleaching power and melting power of the sun, etc. Not only did I find his work (or I should say, his creative vision) extraordinary–to the point where, even in an urban environment, I became acutely aware of shape and sound and movement–but also his equally extraordinary ability to talk about his work. Whether he realizes it or not, Goldsworthy is a teacher, and that aspect of the movie was just as rewarding (to me) as the visuals.

Then when I got home, in my mailbox I found a copy of Six, a documentary written & produced by Glenn’s wife, and I’m excited to watch it. (Many thanks, Glenn!)

[Edited to add] D’oh! Forgot that Beyond Silence, the feature debut by Caroline Link, she of the Oscar-winning foreign film Nowhere in Africa (currently playing in Bethesda), was being shown tonight only at the Goethe Institute. Thank goodness for DVDs and Netflix.

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Missy | March 29, 2003

Tattoos!

Melody (”she’s fancy!”) on the left was acquired last summer, while Felicity (”she’s sassy!”) was acquired today. (Those are Gay Jeff’s arms, not mine.) The work in progress. Here’s mine, with my leg looking really strange. Can’t tell what it is? Here’s another shot, and then the back (it curves around; note extra ink smudging that’ll eventually be washed off). Still not sure? Try this.

(Bullfight on the ankle, huh? Remember I was covering up an old tattoo, so something dark and solid was key and I didn’t want to go the tribal route. Luckily my vague recollections from Art History came to the rescue. I like how a simple crude painting can elicit such a sense of action–one of the two is about to die, which one? Not that I’m so much into bullfighting or anything, even though I find the idea of it exhilarating. Yeah, so that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Also, you know how women cut their hair when they’re feeling a shift in their lives? I just get inked. And sometimes chop off my hair.)

UPDATE: I forgot to add, for those curious folk: achilles tendon - ow; ankle bone - ow; shin bone - ow. The rest? Not so bad.

Also, always funny stuff going on at Jinx Proof. (Last time was the story of the guy convinced God talks to him and who gets tattoos in an attempt to tell God to shut up.) Today a woman & her husband and their 20-something daughter came in, only it was the mother who was getting a tattoo, in honor of her 50th birthday. You guys, she was such a normal-looking mom, and they a normal looking family. Then again, my dad got a tattoo around the time he turned 50….)

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Missy | March 29, 2003

Went out with my old pal Gay Jeff (haven’t heard about him in awhile, have you) and his boyfriend Greg tonight. We hit the cool bar du jour, Cafe Saint-Ex, and it was cool, albeit loud because it is Friday, which is some sort of dance night or something. Ended up at the Cat, but Red Room was crowded and the back room was some kind of ladies DJ night, which is to say, lesbian night. Not so interesting. Tomorrow: tattoo day. Yay! This time I’ll be covering up one of my old (in fact my oldest) tattoos, which is good, let me tell you. More later.

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Missy | March 27, 2003

This morning on the subway I saw a woman who, by all appearances, was about my age and dressed as if on her way to work. And she had a mohawk. It wasn’t all spiked out with Elmer’s or egg whites or anything, but the cut was clearly there. I was really impressed.

Don’t forget that this weekend are the World Figure Skating Championships, which are taking place here in DC at the MCI Center. I believe television coverage begins tonight, at least for the women. You’ll note that I’m almost fully out of the closet with my love of figure skating.

Have you seen the video for “Hurt”, the NIN cover by Johnny Cash? (Hint: watch VH1 in the morning when getting ready for work and you’re certain to catch it.) Does it not depress the hell out of you? Geez.

Today I heard a pretty awesome cover of David Bowie’s “Sound and Vision” by Sea and Cake. That reminds me of the 808 State remix of the same song that was, a staggering 10 years ago (I just realized), one of my favorite songs.

Cursive tonight? I’ve been an ass and skipped their show the last several times they’ve played here. It’s time.

UPDATE:
The legend of Zelda lives on.

An Ari Fleischer shrine. And fan club. (Um, just so you know, I wasn’t looking for it. There was a bit in yesterday’s Reliable Source–WaPo’s version of celebrity gossip, which is to say Inside the Beltway-type celebrity gossip, which is to say dorkified celebrity gossip–about Ari Fleischer fandom.)

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Missy | March 25, 2003

I forgot to set my VCR to tape Buffy tonight, and I won’t be home until after 10. Also, I got in “late” today, at 8:45, since I found that some stuff that was pending late yesterday has already been resolved this morning by some teammates.

I need some sugar.

That is all.

UPDATE: I have to write in pencil. Writing in ink doesn’t feel right to me. The give of the lead in a mechanical pencil feels so nice in my hand and the ease in which the lead marks the paper and moves across it makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something. Or maybe it’s just an old habit, since the bulk of my educational career required writing in pencil, given the sheer volume of mathematical mistakes made and graphs drawn (I am no artist). I’m loyal to my pencils, too, usually holding on to one for years until the day it mysteriously disappears. Today is one of those days, and I am bummed. I found a replacement pencil in an empty cubicle, but it’s not the same. This pencil is too lightweight. The plastic of the barrel feels too sturdy and cool, as if my hand hasn’t yet been able to mold it. Plus it’s one of those cheapo pencils that people tend to leave behind, instead of one that I lovingly selected for myself.

Also, I still lack a white board.

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Missy | March 24, 2003

No time for love, Dr. Jones. I’m super busy, and these days increasingly disinterested in this site besides, but I wanted to shoot off a few things:

Oscars: some surprising, and not altogether displeasing upsets. I was happy that the Academy didn’t completely bite it this year, since this is the one day of the year my blood pressure rises to unhealthy levels. I was happy for Adrien Brody. I muted Michael Moore but not before I satisfactorily heard a chorus of boos. I switched off the tv as Nicole Kidman fumbled her regurgitated Golden Globes speech. Beyond that, it’s all already forgotten….
UPDATE: Ha!

Mihow & I went to Bikram yoga this weekend. The heat thing wasn’t as bad as I anticipated, and I felt light-headed only a few times, but it wasn’t entirely pleasant either. I’m hoping to work this into my regular schedule of things, like as an early-morning Friday class, but I’m worried it’ll take more ambition than I can muster to get myself there by 6:15 am. It’s different from my regular Ashtanga practice (which is good for my hips, hamstrings, and shoulders) in that it seems to work my back more, not to mention its (perceived or actual) cleansing effects. I’ve never sweated that much in such a short span of time.

Saw Gesel Mason & City Dance Ensemble Friday. I could watch her dance for hours, she so inhabits the music & chroeography, even when the music & choreography deosn’t work. Apparently she’s conducting a workshop at Dance Place starting in April. I may fit that into my schedule as well.

Saw Pinback Saturday. The frontman is an actual dork, as opposed to the nerdy-cool notion of dork, which was amusing. They were different live than recorded….more aggressive, and surprisingly so. Had an Ex sighting. Never fun. That situation goes far deeper than I’ll ever really let on here. Also, that ridiculous trend of mesh trucker-style baseball caps has found its way south from NYC to DC. I counted at least 5 of them Saturday. Tonight: Ted Leo. Maybe.
UPDATE: I forgot about the Maurice B

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Missy | March 21, 2003

I knew there was a reason why I like (read: love) Travis Morrison. Good for him for being outspoken in the face of a fanbase/music community overwhelmingly comprised of The Opposite Viewpoint.

An interview with Steven Soderbergh. This part amused me:

What is it about you and Cockney rhyming slang? Terence Stamp in The Limey, Don Cheadle in Ocean’s Eleven…

Ha! I wanted Don in Ocean’s Eleven one way or another. Part of the enticement was, this role was written for a Brit, do you wanna take a run at it? I know he took a lot of heat for his accent but it was just worth it to me to have him in the movie. We’ve been thinking that, for Ocean’s Twelve, he’ll have a completely different accent. With no explanation. That nobody will acknowledge. Or even talk about. I’m thinking… I don’t know - German? Polish?

I’m not doing so well in my basketball pool. I think I predicted exactly wrong all of yesterday’s upsets.

I’m sure there’s more to post, (like my Oscar “Will Win”/”Should Win” picks) but I’ve been seriously distracted.

UPDATE: Listening to WOXY (which I can miraculously do now that XP has been installed. Not sure what happened, but I’ll take whatever music outlets I can get.) What I love about this station is not just that it rocks in its true alternative variety, that you can listen to it in various formats, or that you can see the playlists to find out what song you’re hearing, but that they throw in weird stuff that I hadn’t heard since listening to WOXY back when I actually was in college. Case in point: Meryn Cadell, “The Sweater”. It all makes working late on a Friday worthwhile.

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Missy | March 17, 2003

I walked in this morning with a feeling of dread, for one because my cold has moved into my chest, and two, because I was on the verge of falling terribly behind at work, especially since I’ll be in class tomorrow & the next day (not by choice; but my research baby is finally coming to development light). And lo, I miraculously caught myself up this morning. You know what this means, don’t you? I’ll actually have a bit of time to research my picks for our basketball tournament pool. Last year I finished fairly high out of around 60 people which, while not bringing me any extra dough, was impressive considering I don’t know jack about college basketball.

UPDATE:
Fuck American Idol. I got your reality television, and it’s on PBS. Tomorrow & Wednesday (check listings, though) the American public-at-large will get a rare opportunity to see a work of documentarian Frederick Wiseman, whose renowned documentaries are otherwise difficult to come by. I’ve actually only seen the first portion (that which is airing Tuesday) of Domestic Violence , which had a small theatrical release last year. The second portion, airing on Wednesday, was not part of the original film. Don’t be scared off by the length or the subject matter. You can do it.

I think I’m going to see Gesel Mason and City Dance Ensemble this Friday at Dance Place, each for the first time. I know Paul Taylor is back around these parts in a few weeks with the Houston Ballet, as is Alvin Ailey. I’ve already got tickets for the Washington Ballet’s spring program. I’ll be broke, but happy.

UPDATE#2: Site find of the day: greg.org. (Found via Gawker, which noted that Greg sat through the entire Cremaster cycle in one day.) That led me to the Cremaster site, which is, in a word, awesome. (Watch the trailer if you get a chance, but probably not at work.) Don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about? Read a little bit more about it here. I’ve never seen any of them, by the way.

UPDATE#3: Scenes from DC twelve years ago.

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Missy | March 15, 2003

Despite feeling like an old gym sock for the past few days, this weekend has turned out pretty awesomely. Here’s why:

1. When I wasn’t sleeping during my “day off”, I happened upon Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and it was as if I had just watched it over and over again yesterday (er, the day before that) because I was singing along and anticipating every scene & the dialogue. I may be a movie snob, but I have my weaknesses. (That reminds me, Scott T., there is not ever anything wrong with rating Sleepaway Camp as an upper-case PRO in my opinion.)

2. At last minute, I decided to not waste my ticket for Jos

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Missy | March 14, 2003

So my fatigue and irritability gave way to illness–cold or flu, I’m not sure yet. I waver in & out of 100-101 degree fever, my neck is sore & swollen and it hurts to swallow. My joints are unforgiving. I can’t stay awake for more than an hour at a time. I feel depressed. Being sick twice in about, what, six weeks? is depressing. Good thing my Kennedy Center ticket for tonight was only $25, because I’m not sure I’ll make it.

That’s about all I’m capable of writing for now. I think it’s naptime.

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Missy | March 12, 2003

I feel another no good very bad day coming on, and not even sugar has helped me turn my frown upside-down.

I think I need to get out of this town, truthfully. Which reminds me of one of my New Years resolutions, which was to travel more. In 2003, I think the furthest I’ve traveled outside of DC proper is Bethesda. Sad.

And if I had a job lined up, I’d seriously consider taking up Catherine on her offer. That my funk is so big I’d consider moving to another city (it IS New York, though) means I need to snap out of this, and fast.

Crooked Fingers this Saturday at the Cat, though. That’s the best excuse to break out of my routine as I’ve ever heard.

UPDATE: Thanks to Noel Murray, I’ll undoubtedly be losing my job soon because of this. Took me three tries (and meditation to calm my trigger finger) to get to “Cinemascholar” status, and I’m presently shooting for “Cinemagenius”. (Oh and Noel? Just why, exactly, were you poking around the Lifetime, aka “Television for Women”, website?) So if you’re bored this fine spring afternoon, you’re welcome.

UPDATE #2: Feeling a little better now. Bought myself a ticket to see the Jos

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Missy | March 11, 2003

The latest Film Comment has the results online from the 2002 readers’ poll, with three pages of comments.

In other film stuff, I finally watched 8 Women, which I loved. Isabelle Huppert makes a startling contrast here to her role in The Piano Teacher, and Emmanuelle B

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Missy | March 10, 2003

Here we are pre-performance striking a pose backstage (actually, in another studio). That’s me front right.

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Missy | March 9, 2003

Julian is audio-blogging!

Today my dance workshop had an informal performance, and Mihow & TobyJoe were kind enough to come sit through it. (Seriously, thank you guys so very much.) I think it went pretty well. Minor mess-ups, little recollection of the performance itself (I don’t know what happens to my mind when performing; it simply disappears and my body acts on autopilot. This is why rehearsal is important: one’s body should be able to perform instinctually in the event of anxiety and brain freezes.) I don’t have any pictures right now, but I might later if any people who took them email them on.

That’s it. No energy. Need food.

UPDATE: Watching Renee Zellweger on Inside the Actors Studio, and they’re up to Chicago. I remembered how much fun I had watching it the first time, and I’ve decided I need to see it again on the big screen. This week.

UPDATE #2: Channel Surfing: Dangerous Liasons dubbed in Spanish (on one of the Spanish channels, of course). Pat Sajak interviewing James Lipton on Fox News. I don’t know what they’re saying because I can’t get past Lipton’s black turtleneck/navy jacket combo. Part of me wants to give the guy some benefit of the doubt; it’s like they pulled it out of the back and made him wear it. Did he spill something on his shirt? Like fine restaurants, are Fox News guests required to wear a jacket? On one of the shopping networks, an amethyst & topaz ring that is so huge & gaudy that it is actually cool-looking. And it is $600. I did not buy it because I do not have $600 to throw away on a ring I would wear a few times a year, if ever. This is why I plan to marry rich. (I’m kidding!) I can’t seem to focus on Six Feet Under, L&O:CI, or Alias. I’m going to bed.

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Missy | March 8, 2003

Check it: Travis Morrison (of Dismemberment Plan fame) has a solo mp3 available for download. (Thanks Catherine.)

Also, I am the proud owner of a slightly used 5GB (at this point, that’s more than enough) Ipod that I got for a low price from my ex Jason. Now if only I could get around to ripping CDs so I can start filling the thing.

Today is one of those refreshing new spring days that I want to spend on my roof reading, but alas: rehearsal.

UPDATE: I get over to slatch.com maybe once a week, and when I do I always enjoy my stay. Plus they remind of songs like this that I had forgotten existed. (Actually, I think I used to own it, but like tens–maybe hundreds–of CDs I used own, it disappeared. Or maybe a roommate owned it. I can’t remember anymore.)

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