Sammiches

U F O, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

I've been remiss in posting this week. With sleeplessness, stress, a strained rhomboid muscle, medical emergencies, and a flurry of incomplete personal projects looming, it seems appropriate, but mostly it could be attributed to me being one year older and another year less than wiser.

So what is there to look forward to this fall?

* More rain to turn to snow
* Completing my first story for the Stanford fiction contest.
* Raking in my free time and turning it into drawing time.
* Blasting through several incomplete video games.
* Re-connecting with old friends
* Getting a flying house off the ground

Anyhow, here's to fall!

A Red Cross

I just donated blood for the first time in ten years.  Being a bit apprehensive about the whole ordeal, since the last person who took my blood made it feel like they had chopped my arm in half, it wasn't that bad.  I was in and out of there within 30 minutes and even got some Nutter Butter cookies to boot!  

If you can even donate, I would suggest doing so right now since the Southern California blood banks are at some spectacularly low levels.  I would try and donate more, myself, but I tend to feel a little under the weather every time the blood van rolls around.

What can I say though, as I was lying on that table, feeling a bit strange about the whole thing to begin with, "Suavecito" began playing over the blood-mobile radio...

And all was right with the world...

The '07-'08 Fall TiVo Season

My madness can only take me so far, thanks to TV.com and The Futon Critic for keeping my sanity in line.  I now present our fall TiVo schedule with following commentary.

Monday
8pm
Chuck - NBC
Prison Break - Fox

9pm
Heroes - NBC

10pm
Journeyman - NBC


Tuesday
8pm
New Amsterdam - Fox

9pm
House - Fox
The Unit - CBS

10pm
Cane - CBS


Wednesday
8pm
Pushing Daisies - ABC

9pm
Private Practice - ABC
Bionic Woman - NBC

10pm
Dirty Sexy Money - ABC


Thursday
8pm
Ugly Betty - ABC
My Name is Earl - NBC

8:30pm
30 Rock - NBC

9pm
Grey's Anatomy - ABC
The Office - NBC

9:30pm
SCRUBS!!! - NBC

10pm
Big Shots - ABC
ER - NBC


Friday
9pm
Las Vegas - NBC


Sunday
9pm
Desperate Housewives - ABC

10pm
Brothers & Sisters - ABC

First of all, this schedule does not include basic cable shows such as Doctor Who or Nip/Tuck.  It also only reflects Prime Time shows, not including late night and early morning talk shows.  Now you can imagine how stacked each TiVo is throughout the fall season. 

Counting it all up, the breakdown is as follows:

ABC - 8 shows
CBS - 2 shows
CW - 0 shows
Fox - 3 shows
NBC - 10 shows

Of those 10 NBC shows, four of them are half-hour comedies.  I don't believe any other network can answer to that. 

Anyway, there are some glaring shows missing.  We've decided not to record Smallville anymore, 24 and Lost don't premiere until next year, and Bones is not on the schedule anymore.  I've still included Desparate Housewives even though we probably won't watch it and for some strange reason, we're still recording Brothers & Sisters.  I think Grace likes that show more than I do.  Anyhow, as you can see, it will be a full Fall Season.  Let's pray that I don't go brain dead with all this television.

What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?

Avenue Q, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

There is no shortage of fun in the downtown Arts district these days. The last time we went to the Music Center (including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion amongst other theaters) was to see, once again, Culture Clash performing "Water and Power." Last night was unique, however, in that we were taking in a musical, which I don't think we'd seen since Grace took me to see "The Lion King" at the Pantages last year. Wholly a family affair, the Disney produced musical can not compare with the completely adult and absolutely mature "Avenue Q."

Created by a former Sesame Street puppeteer with music by the Scrubs-hired Lopez brothers, "Avenue Q" is an irreverent puppet comedy, clothed in the overalls of the Children's Television Workshop. Every program, poster, pamphlet, advertisement, and soundtrack is labeled "for mature audiences only" with good reason, as the CTW would surely cringe at the un-muppet-like themes central to the musical's plot. Yes, there are segments presented like education, but such is the tongue-in-cheek nature of the animations that it's all one enormous dirty joke.

The shows performers are gamely adept performing the act of puppetry. Comparing it to "Lion King," "Avenue Q" succeeds in getting the viewer lost in the character of their puppet cast-members, but perhaps is more striking since the format is less hide-and-seek since the human puppeteers make no efforts to hide their presence other than to wear dull clothing. Most impressive for myself was how each puppeteer lost themselves in the character enough that their physical performance matched the traits of whichever puppet they would be performing at the time. As an obsessive-compulsive monster, the performer would be gregarious. As a blonde bombshell vamp, the performer would strut around the stage in earnest. While not as grand in scope, it was almost more effective.

Musically, it is easy to see how the Lopez brothers were hired on to write for the musical episode of Scrubs. Each tune was catchy, full of energy, and whip-smart lyrically. I can't imagine that any other musical could get away with a song titled "Schadenfreude," but for that matter, there is no other musical that could include another one titled, "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist." Even the overarching theme, "It Sucks to be Me" had a jumping little beat reminiscent of the Henson tradition. Thanks to the music, I found myself not even noticing how much time had passed between the beginning of the first act and the second since I was enjoying the humor and the spectacle of each set-piece.

I would also be remiss not to mention a former high school classmate of mine who had a few supporting parts in the musical. Playing the part of one half of the Bad Idea Bears Duo and also the grumpy kindergarten teacher Mrs. T, she really impressed me with how far she's come since the days of portraying Peter Pan in our own high school musicals. Looking up at her perform on-stage while I was in the orchestra pit back then is a far cry from being an audience member in the balcony looking down at her, and I'm not surprised that I considered it just as remarkable (if not more so) now as it was back then.

This show comes with a high recommendation from myself. If you are a fan of the medium and looking for something fun to watch and unique from the blockbuster Broadway musical, score some tickets for yourself. You won't regret spending some time down on "Avenue Q."

The September Music Post

This has been sitting in my brain for quite some time.

The past month or so, has been pretty vacuous, music-wise.  We'll say that I haven't really done a very good job keeping up with the tunes, but essentially, I've been listening to a lot of Mariah Carey.

Aside from that, I've been lucky enough to keep up with some current discs and behold, I have thoughts on them!

Smashing Pumpkins - "Zeitgeist"
Billy corgan returns with the original moniker prior his solo attempts.  Essentially Zwan with a new guitarist and bassist, this new incarnations of the Pumpkins is lacking Melissa Auf de Maur and James Iha, which probably would never happen in the first place.  These Pumpkins do howl and snarl heavily, escaping from the ethereal vapors that Mr. Corgan favored with Zwan and churn out some pumping, angry tracks.  Essentially displaying their guitar-flavored melodies, the lyrics do tend towards the grand and dramatic, which isn't unexpected, but never get lost in the obligatory hook.  I'm impressed, but am hard pressed to find a single song that's memorable aside from the radio single, "Tarantula." 

The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
Blues rock turned up to 11, the White Stripes combine again for a thunderous album combining fewer eclectic elements than "Get Behind Me Satan."  Jack White, post-Raconteurs exodus has no doubt re-energized his musicality, as the melodies arrive in bundles.  The title track crackles with a progressive flavor favored by the late 90's garage bands, but the synthesized guitar solo pushes it into territory unknown to all pretenders.  One always gets the sense that Mr. White makes up lyrics as he goes along, but the improvisational nature keeps the reality in place as diverse tracks including, "Conquest," "Little Cream Soda," and "Rag and Bone" deliver bales of promises over the fence.  Meg White's rote drumming seems less routine, but still plays a decent skin on the record.

Air - "Pocket Symphony"
The French duo best known for their ambient soundtrack composition on "The Virgin Suicides" slumps into place with a disc I have the misfortune of labeling as "lounge music."  I'd have to say the peak of "Moon Safari" isn't present on their latest, and while it is decent to listen to for long stretches, it meanders about into resultant nap-inducing beats.  It would be perfect for music at the latest hipster coffee bar or even while touring an indoor Japanese Garden, it just doesn't seethe with the provocative energy I've heard on their other releases.  Even so, I look for them to redeem themselves on the next effort.

Interpol - "Our Love to Admire"
Some may say that if it weren't for the Joy Division, we would have no modern rock.  Taking this literally, there are many bands in the vein of Ian Curtis and company, but Interpol still delivers the best re-interpretation and re-discovering of the post-punk melodrama.  She Wants Revenge dabbles in gothic lyrics, the Editors have mired themselves in electronic effects, yet Interpol chugs along with amusing lyrics and a drive to grow.  Their third major album contains the familiar single, "The Heinrich Maneuver" as an appetizer reminiscent of "Slow Hands," but with each track, you find the group developing something more complex.  While some dismiss the glaring guitar rhythms as repetitive, I continue to find something compelling about the narrow stare of their music.  There's something to be said of the strange wink of the eye in "No I in Threesome" that exudes an uncomfortable sheen across each track. 

Upcoming: A compendium of older releases, the like of which I have not had a chance to listen to... 

The Play's the Thing

There's a tremendous backlog of posts regarding all sorts of things that I've been neglecting covering the last couple of months or so.  Even so, I highly doubt there will be any recovery of any sort since my memory of certain events is worse for the wear.  Suffice it to say, I can try and dredge it up, but I can't promise wondrousness.

About a month and a half ago, my mom had asked me if we wanted to see yet another play written and performed by the Latin art collective, Culture Clash.  If you remember, we had previously seen them in "Water and Power," a parable about the differing sides of Chicano sociology.  This new play, first performed up north in Berkeley, was titled "Zorro in Hell."  Right off the bat, I will say that it was a much different beast than our first experience of their at-large theater performance.

Summarizing "Zorro in Hell" isn't easy.  In the tradition of many early Chicano plays, it tends towards activist and mystic themes.  When one of the main characters is a talking therapist grizzly, you are in for an interesting tale.  Instantly, we could tell that it was much less linear than what we'd seen before.  Unfortunately, this led to a disjointed narrative that, while entertaining, was not as effective as "Water and Power."

What I did like is that the humor was still present through every act.  The biting social commentary spread itself across the differing interpretations of the legend of Zorro.  From his conception by a white man as a pulp hero in the vein of the Scarlet Pimpernel to his glossy big-screen depiction by a Spaniard, Culture Clash tells a compelling story of disingenuous co-opting of Chicano identity via commercialization.  Our main character's mission was to peek through the veil and re-discover his lost Chicano identity by becoming a sort of "Zorro" himself.  This is where the play sort of lost direction.

The invectives themselves are admirable, it's the delivery of each one that tends to wear on you.  Often, a play is known for the snappiness of its dialogue, but "Zorro" tended towards overblown and overlong in a few monologues.  The spirit remains intact, but I did find myself exhausted by listening.  This coupled with the over-the-top narrative caused some confusion, but not enough for us to hate it.  We didn't dislike it, actually, but found it to be much harder to follow than it should have been.

Even so, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  We did discuss it more over dinner and concluded that it wasn't quite the play that "Water and Power" was.  Still, Culture Clash does remain one of the few higher profile Chicano presences in the theater and I will support them however I can. 

Honeymoon from Heaven

Relaxation, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

After the run-and-gun style of wedding we favored, our honeymoon trip to Hawaii was the best vacation we could have asked for. Long-anticipated, it was relaxing and exciting, but what I didn't expect is that it would be educational too.

Since it was a first-time visit for the both of us, G and I did the usual business and packed in many activities sandwiched between some bouts of nothing. We were primed for the latter, especially after spending 6 hours on an early and sleepless flight filled with screaming children.

Day 1: G and I take a short tour and lunch at our hotel and then take the shuttle to Lahaina for dinner at Cheeseburgers in Paradise. The meal is tasty and is washed down by their vicious version of the Planter's Punch.

Day 2: We hit the beach at Ka'anapali (after a lunch plate breakfast from McDonald's) for a few good hours and take turns hitting the bluest Pacific Ocean I've ever seen. The crystal clear water doesn't keep me from getting a slight sunburn. We hit Black Rock for a snorkeling intro and I drag an exhausted G to shore. There's more to see in Lahaina, like the giant Banyan tree and a cheap dinner at Kahuna Kabob's. I crash at around 10:00 dreaming about pineapple fried rice.

Day 3: Our morning snorkeling tour of Molokini is filled with a brief history of the crater, many people losing their breakfast and lunch, and a large number of tropical fish. We stagger back on land and fill ourselves to the brim with food before returning home. After a short stint of opulence and awe at the Grand Wailea, we experience dinner at Mama's Fish House. My Mahi Mahi is bursting with two crustaceans and topped with a giant prawn and asparagus. Grace's Ono is... well - ono.

Day 4: Another early wake up call sends us on the road to Haleakala and an off-road ATV adventure. We learn more about the extinct volcano and the surrounding townships at 5000 feet. My first trip out, I get stuck in a ditch, G is almost crushed by her bike, and our arms get worn out from the lack of power steering. I fall in love with the scenery there and the amazing foliage of the island on our way to the Tedeschi Winery. We eat lunch across the way at an old general store where I sample some elk before sampling the tropical wines of Ulupalakua. We finish the day out on a hammock and a mixed plate dinner.

Day 5: Standing in a rainy line at the Gazebo restaurant, we see our first Hawaiian rainbow. We spend the morning at the Napili Beach passed out on an omelet and banana, macadamia nut, and pineapple pancakes. It's peaceful enough to wander around the corner to a cove filled with sea turtles. It's the perfect morning before we spend an evening at the Old Lahaina Luau, learning about the Hawaiian traditions and cultural experience. The food is amazing enough to devour in less than 10 minutes. I limp home engorged on things roasted, grilled, mashed, pounded, and shredded, happy.

Day 6: We pack it up and head home on another sleepless flight.

I love Maui.

Oh What a Night!

My Sweetheart, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Grace and I finally did the deed a week and a half ago in the rolling hills of Fullerton and got married. We spent the rehearsal dinner together, basking in the last night of our single lives with our friends and family, anticipating the whirlwind of our wedding that was to take place the next day. I spent the rest of the night waiting for morning, extremely nervous for the day we had planned.

My Friday morning was pretty laid-back, thankfully. My best man came over in the morning and we headed out to my sister's place for breakfast with my brother-in-law. What better choice for breakfast on that day than the sweet promise of greasy, authentic Mexican food. The giant football-sized carne asada burrito did me right that morning, not to mention the superb salsa, counteracting the queasy morning belly I had from the previous night. Our afternoon was spent with me practicing up for the ceremony and with a little Playstation 3 action to relax.

As things do not always go as planned during weddings. The guys and I waited an extra long time for the limousine to show up, I packed up my saxophone with little time to spare and we headed out to the venue. Since a little crowd was already there, I didn't have time to run-through a quick rehearsal of my music, but did manage to tune up a bit. From then on, it was the stereotypical wedding whirlwind. We ran through the ceremony without a hitch, the look on Grace's face while I performed for her made all my sleepless nights worth it, and just like that, we were married.

The reception itself was nonstop fun for the both of us and hopefully for most of our guests. We were lucky to get a few bites of our food before heading out for host-worthy meet and greets, dancing, and drinking, and the food was lip-smackingly delicious (one of our prime requirements). As the cliche goes, the time flew and as all married couples can attest, the reception was a blur. As we drove back to our hotel, we kept talking about how everything came together so well, how easy it was for us to get lost in everything, and how happy we were with every single detail.

The next morning, we relaxed before having lunch with Grace's family and friends from out of town and steeled ourselves for a Honeymoon packing marathon. Myself, I figured I'm very lucky to have been able to spend such a night surrounded by family and friends while we begin this next major step in our lives. I also consider myself incredibly fortunate that I get to spend it with my best friend and love of my life.

Thanks to everyone involved. Honeymoon report soon to follow!