School is out for Summer! Which is awesome, because that means no 5:30 AM phone calls "to come in for work today." It wasn't really as big of a deal as you might think, but I do prefer knowing when I am working, so that I can plan accordingly. The person who did the calling for KO was always always always super cool. And so was the person from WT.

Now... the trick is finding work for the summer, and then work for the fall in Boston. Summer work will be far easier, especially since I don't have to do distance searching or online searching. In the meantime, I'll be catching up on some necessary summer reading: THe Piano Player, The Crucible, Streetcar Named Desire, just to name a few plays, let alone books. Anyone seen Gem of the Ocean yet? I hope to catch that sometime soon...

I want this post to go the way of the dodo bird, with all of the accompanying fanfare of birthday whistles and party favors. Ya know when you party on those days when you don't care what people are doing, as long as they have fun. So... I've heard from a few troubled birds that they need to see an update.

No, I won't promise that I'll write more often.

I've trashed the Canadians, and rightfully so if you 've seen a Hip show. the Hip play the Arts Festival here in rainy pgh june 16. Pray for few Canadians. No doubt,I know some cool Canucks, and yeah, those guys are awfully polite, but wait until you see some of them go CrAZy for Gordon Downie and the Hip . . . I dig Gordon Downie's solo work a lot. I mean I admire his craft and his mood and his goals and shortcomings and every inch of everyday humanity he dares to sink into a song lyric. "Don't tell me what the poets are saying." but when do people trash the place that Rufus Wainwright is playing? ... Right....

The concept is as foreign to me as imagining living life as the Elephant Man. I can think of no band that so stirs up a crowd, and given such lyrical content that's about peace and brotherhood... you may as well figure the thing out for yourself... Crazy Canucks. Go try and figure out 'what the girls call murder.' Puzzled? ask Liz Phair...

Sequitur Non gratis: I am moving to Boston. The situation seems obvious from all of the signs and indications that it's time to go. you've reached the circus finale, and time to try on the top hat in a different ring. Now it's time to find some work up there. I may need a kick here and there, to search out the sweet euphoria, and leave the lost days of yon ... What really matters is holding on to those people who make you shine. I know, I know, it sounds like so many lines from those leaden heroes who are tired of this and that... but they don't forget the other. I ask you to look on, to look all the way thru all of the flame, through the stone chords and the sad songs, and hold on to that which makes us shine: Love.

This past week has been a week of significant change for me and many significant people in my life. My Mom has sold her home and is moving to Texas. It's kind of odd to think that folks I don't know are now living in the house I grew up in. I am taking care of Bailey (the family cat) while she's away shopping for a new domicile, i.e. house, so that's pretty cool.

I started rehearsals for 'Pygmalion' this past weekend. I play the very important role of 'Bystander,' whose Cockney lines should prove quite fun. Show opens the first weekend of June, so come see it!

My friend Kurt Kumler successfully defended his PhD dissertation Friday, and thus has completed his PhD at Duquesne. Be sure not to ask him for empirical evidence proving that music is transformational, however, as that may earn you a swift kick in the shin.

My buddy Ted (remember Ted?) has finished his student teaching for the PY program at Pitt. He's where I was exactly one year ago, thinking, "I really need to find some work now: four or five months with no income sucks."

Last but not least, my girl has decided to attend Emerson University in Boston next fall. And because she's pretty cool, and Pittsburgh's English teacher job market is super-saturated, it's quite likely that I will be looking for an amazing school to hire me in the Boston area. My leaving would mean that my sister would be he only one of my family left in Pittsburgh, or more likely, she'll move to Texas,too, and I'll be the last one out. Rotten egg prospects are looking good.

I will be keeping you posted on the news there, don't worry.

Beautiful accidents lay all around us, waiting to be discovered. It was not by design that my last post was about Josh Seybert, and this one leads with my catching up with him and Jessie. In response to my most recent post, I finally got to catch up with Josh and Jessie this past weekend, and much merriment was to be had. Josh, the lizard I mentioned sits atop my monitor awaiting the day it will accompany the other toys in Jacob's ... store of toys.

In other news, I am compelled to share some musings on a long awaited viewing of the movie Bob Roberts, written by and starring Tim Robbins. This movie holds a unique place in my memory as it came out the year that I graduated from high school. It also has numerous clips that were shot in and around my high school while I attended classes at Mt. Lebanon. I distinctly remember walking by the auditorium and hearing music being played within on several occasions (the doors shut and locked, of course) as scenes were being shot. Students were not allowed access to the auditorium during filming. It was an honor of course, to have a Hollywood movie filmed at our school, but also kind of boring, because it was about politics, a Senatrial candidate. After 14 or so years, I finally took it upon myself to watch said movie and was delighted to see a few cameo appearances of some familiar faces, all of which surround the now famous Jack Black. Black played the bit part of a right-wing fanatic of sorts, but is unmistakable with his distinctive crazy-eyed look... clearly why he was cast in the role he played. Honorable mentions go out to Aimee Kane and Brian Gerich (I assume this is the correct identical twin brother) who appear in an auditorium crowd shot with Jack Black behind them, and to Andy Szsefi, who as a Penn State protester is shoved by Jack Black, accusing Szefi "You're all communists" or something of the like. I remember hearing about both scenes shortly after they were filmed, and though pleased with being in a movie, to their credit I suppose, none of the above mentioned people seemed exceptionally impressed with cameo-appearance-fame. Hex, it took me more than ten years to even watch the movie. By association, I am once again separated by one or two degrees from celebrity. Other 6-degree notables in my realm include Kim Zelonis, Jill Sobule and Leon Redbone. But instead of dwelling on flukish, superfluous fame associations, I think it is worth noting to the patient reader that Bob Roberts is worth checking out. It certainly holds relevance to those of us who remember the first U.S. engagement in Iraq, as certain significant dates (Jan 15, 1991) are echoed, and it raises consciousness to those issues we can point out in the current Iraq situation. These you should already be familiar with, gentle reader. But isn't it interesting to see these concerns raised, however marginal they may have been at the time of filming some 14 or 15 years ago, and think of how they are relevant today? Likewise, this week I watched a documentary about T.E. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia as we know him, and found that these issues again surface. In apology, these items were disconnected in tehir interest to me, but connections are present nonetheless.

Thus the compulsion to write. As I will tell any one of my friends or students, there appear a great number of beautiful accidents to assist us in life. Knowing no more of the parallels or connections, prior to seeing them, between these two films (Bob Roberts and the PBS Special on Lawrence of Arabia) than the connections between
questions 4 and 9 (one directly beneath the other)in a 5th grade Math text book explaingin how to convert fractions to decimals and vice versa, there are beautiful accidents (?) awaiting discovery right in our midst. In parting, I leave you with two challenges:

1.) I challenge you to look for and to share these beautiful accidents with others.

2.) Consider the repetition of messages thorughout history, consider the infinite memory of God, how he keeps inventory of our every hair and every hair of our thought at each moment, and the incredible catalog of lists that must go with that task. If you beleive in an afterlife, let's hope it's not a bureacratic one, eh?

I haven't heard from Josh Seybert for a while, and I need to get in touch with that man. Especially when I see stuff like this Of Montreal show that airs on KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic today. These guys had some really cool stuff in their early albums, Cherry Peel being my favorite, and then some still cool but kookier things happening on Coquelicot.

This weekend I went up to Seven Springs with Barb, Dennis, and Marty and taught Meredith how to snowboard... more or less. She did alright, but in retrospect, I should've taught her to ski FIRST and then taught her to snowboard, because she would've been more comfortable on the slopes. I forgot about my initial adjustment period to downhill winter sports. Oh, and it would've been easier, too if we had both gotten a good night's rest the night before instead of staying up late and stuff. Plus, there would've been more people for her to get tips from as well.

Next time, next time ...

Part of the Boston trip included a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. One of the first exhibits we saw was the Egyptian and Nubian Hall, which was of particular interest to me becaue I had just covered a history class at Winchester Thurston where the 6th graders reviewed and then tested on Egypt and Nubia. The answer to the extra credit question, "What did the Egyptians and Nubians store mummified organs in?" was Canpopic Jars.

I have visited the MFA a couple of times before, and each time, look forward to seeing this girl I have a crush on: Jean-Baptiste Greuze's Young Woman in a White Hat

Something about her that's just sizzling hot.

Other cool stuff included some pieces in the "Degas to Picasso" Exhibit by Egon Shiele, Bertold Loeffler, Stuart Davis and Ditha Moser. Maybe someday I'll have tons of money, will retire early, and can do a few studies in art history.

Detroit AIrport

For any of you lucky enough to be heading to Detroit this weekend, be sure to go from concourse A to C, or verse-vice-a. It's so worth it, because... there's a huge curve-roofed corridor, the length of a football field, with ambient music and trippy lights on the walls. It may be the most exciting thing in thier airport. Even more so than the red tram that runs the length of the airport. Oh yeah, there's Super Bowl XL stuff EVERYWHERE. Go Steelers!

The trip to Boston (with layovers in Detroit) was good. This included my first Billy Joel concert, a visit to Grendel's Den in Cambridge for lunch and a cold Cambridge Amber (one of the best in North America).
One thing that struck me, is a physical similarity between Billy Joel (here pictured with Bill Clinton) and Anders (here pictured with Jill Sobule (who has a Kevin Bacon number of 2).





All you need to do is buzz your hair really short, and trim the beard to a goatee, Anders, and you got a strong resemblance. More so than the Anthony Hopkins playing Col. William Ludlow in Legends of the Fall.

Things I'm looking forward to seeing in the next week to ten days:

1. Blog entry from Shawn Kirk describing his status as a super enthusiastic Steelers fan living in Seattle Sea Hawk territory (that's still Seattle proper, right Shawn?). I know Shawn has gone to great lengths to ensure seeing the Steelers play. He came to mind as soon as I learned Seattle is meeting us at the Super Bowl.

2. Blog entry from Curt Connolly about the Steelers, perhaps including a description of an upcoming trip to Las Vegas to watch the Super Bowl with his folks? maybe a rant about Myron Cope?

3. A trip this weekend to Boston, MA, to visit a couple of schools where the little woman is interested in taking Masters programs.

4. Going skiing or snow boarding for the first time this winter, next weekend, weather provided. Winter has been such a slacker around here so far this year (which is OK if you're not a skier), what with several January days with temps in the '50s and even '60s. You'd think it was March or April.

5. Working on and finshing at leeast the initial recording of a handful of songs I've been sitting on a while. I want to help my buddy Marty get some of his stuff down too, we do a sort of a symbiotic musical suppport on each other's songs.

It's so important to have things that you look forward to doing or seeing or enjoying. What are you looking forward to?

Occasionally you get a nudge from the world, asking you to do something. Say, feed your neighbors fish. Occasionally, there is an accompanying insistence or urgency that comes with it. Say, go feed your neighbors fish now, because the fish hasn't eaten since yesterday, and those other things you're thinking about doing now, you can do later. Sometimes you follow these nudges, and sometimes you ignore them. Today, I followed the nudge...
I fed Mr. Mish (the fish), as I have done earlier, and waited to go see the man about the horse. Feed the fish, if it gets overwhelming, use the neighbors plumbing; and that's what happened. After wasihng my hands, I peaked in the stack of travel, fitness and such magazines, and saw a book: Ellen Langer's The Power of MINDFUL Learning. As a teacher, I am interested in discovering ideas about learning, education and approaches to understanding the learning process. I like finding new ways to think, especially those that engage the imagination. Because the back cover praise for the book suggests that Langer's ideas apply to realms outside of education as well, I borrowed the book. It wasn't until after I finished the introduction (and of course, fed Mr. Mish), that I noticed the cover picture resembled a Magritte painting. This discovery just doubled my interest. Author's typically have some say, if not the authoritative say about their cover art, so if Langer is a fan of Magritte or Surrealism, she should prove interesting to read. I have had an ongoing fascination with Surrealism, and a growing fondness for Magritte and you can expect to find something here in the future relating Rene Magritte and Stanley Kubrick... have a beer with me if you can't wait for the details. But the artist was somebody unknown to me: Rafal Olbinski (pronounce ol-BEEN-skeeh, common misspellings: rafel olbinski, rafal olbniski, rafel olbniski).

I haven't read enough of Langer to offer my opinion yet, although there is a link here to a brief summary. but I can recommend that you check out the artwork of Rafal Olbinski. Unwittingly, you probably have already, as his works have appeared on the covers of several major magazines like Time, Newsweek, and others. Magritte's influence on his work is clear.

Several years ago I was visiting my friend Delia who, at the time, lived in Wisconsin. I like Mustard, so it made sense to visit the museum dedicated to my favorite condiment, the Mustard Museum in Mt Horeb... which is know as the Troll Capitol of the world. There are trolls all along the Trollway, or the main road through town. On the way back there were several odd bird- looking sculptures along the road, and I asked what they were.

"There's some guy who does industrial-sized art with scrap metal from construction stuff," said Delia. "Too bad there's not more time today, or we could go see it."

She was talking about Dr. Evermore's Sculpture Park
along US Hwy 12 in Wisconsin. Check out his site, and his documentary video at the Carnegie library, and if you're in Wisconsin, go see his place!

Unintentionally Revealable, Prohibition, and Crisis Car:

As a phrase, a pairing of two words, what do you think of?

What is 'unintentionally revealable'? What does it mean for someone or soemthing to be 'unintentionally revealable'?

What kinds of thoughts, actions, or whatever, are revealed without intending to do so, and what then is not revealed? How does that work in contrast to that which is directly revealed and intentionally revealable? Which in either case, harkens the question of truth: that which is revealed, is it undeniably reliable?

Of course this questioning process calls to mind a variety of motivations, messages, intentions and what not... and includes written, verbal, and non-verbal (or neuro-linguistic as some like to call it) communication, but look, and see if you don't notice it... the unintentionally revealed.

Right, and on a more concrete and less abstract note, this is the anniversary of Prohibition being repealed:
December 5, 1933. Props and thanks to Cliff and Co. this past weekend, for celebrating the Volstead Act (1919) being repealed. During those 14 years, post WWI Era, the 1920s and early '30s, consider what life must've been like, if only for a moment: You can't legally obtain a case of beer or even a bottle of wine to keep in your home, even to enjoy with your dinner. After a night on the town, you can't have a social drink with your friends. Of course in time speak-easies sprang up, but what was that like for our soldiers returning from the most horrific War in Europe? What was this like for the folks who saw the stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression? Ok, ok, that's enough sobering history stuff...

And now for something completely different.

I found myself checking out an album by Crisis Car, who are apparently playing a gig at the Club Cafe at the end of this month. These cats played many gigs begininning locally about five to seven years ago. Jere Bucek, Frank Spadafora, Mike Sperenza, and Korel Tunador went on to do other things, other musical endeavors but are now playing together again. I recently listened to 'Shoes,' a song from their first album, The Justice, and found it absolutely worth mentioning these guys. I'm gonna try to make their show... if you get a chance, go check 'em out.

And one final note, to Matt Smith: keep writing ... keep writing those plays and all that good stuff ...

Isn't it odd that this article from the Washington Post is the only thing the major newspapers have to say about today being the Anniversary of Kennedy's Assassinatio? Nothing in the Post Gazette, Tribune Review, NYTimes, or the Chicago Sun-Times even. Props to the Washington Post, if only for it's link to a blog ...

Andrew Bird I had never heard before this morning
It sounds absurd but in a word he's warming
Some place in my play list
Oh yes I can say this
With some confidence
Without diffidence
With an audience
"He sounds different."
So give the man a listen...

Do check him out Becky ... you'll dig his violin stuff. Which is prolific.

Andrew Bird has an album out on Righteous Babe Records called The Mysterious Production of Eggs. He does some cool songs, multi-layered, plays the violin perhaps like Tracy Bonham, but not. Her new album is definitely cool, too. You can stream the whole album on the website. For those of you who like Sondre Lerche and his ilk, he's a must listen... Enjoy!

OOOooooooooo-keh . . . this is wierd, funny and scary all at the same time. As if there weren't enough drugs already, this is the leading (leading? are there others?) anti-effeminate. Yes, that does say, anti-effeminate. Folks, apparently it's all about pushing down it into pill-form. The list of questions you should ask yourself before consulting a doctor are funny and then they get scary, and get scary fast. The web page suggests psychotherapy and ECT (electro-shock therapy) as a 'cure' for the 'gayness'?

When will they have a cure for assholes? Ask your doctor if Sphinct-be-gone is right for you.

Brilliance, Brilliance, some stupidity and some more Brilliance.

This all in reference to some recent shows I've seen:

Mike Doughty (front man of the former Soul Coughing) at Mr. Smalls, and Doughty was brilliant.

G. Love and Special Sauce at Mr. Smalls, and G.Love, JimiJazz and the Houseman (yeah, Special Sauce) were brilliant.

Both were good performances, however, there was a difference in crowds. Perhaps it's the difference between a Wednesday night (Doughty) and Sunday night show (GL&SS), the difference between no Steelers games at all and Steelers victory, but Doughty's crowd was pretty chill, and G Love's crowd, initially was a bit edgy.

Edgy crowd for G.Love? Mostly because it was supercrowded. The G. Love show sold out. Steelers had won. It was Sunday. I dunno, I would think people woudl be excited and at ease. But they were edgy, or maybe dodgy is a better word. It was still the opener when some sloppy guy had yakked on himself and his buddies took him outside. Didn't see him again. About 2/3 through the G.Love show, back in the bar-area, these two idiots started swinging their fists and doing the lay-down mandance on the floor. Both idiots were tossed by security, who were pretty good at not busting up bystanders or the two idiots. One might think they were at a Dave Matthews Band concert or seeing the Tragically Hip in Buffalo. Anyways, after idiots 1 & 2 were ejected, the crowd ecame peaceful, chilled out, and just in time for Cold Beverage... they went on to play till after 12, just about two hours solid. Doughty did a long set as well.

G. Love, JimiJazzman, Houseman, great show! Mike Doughty, Rock on, love the tat.

The final bit of brilliance came from Meredith, whose play was just produced at the Future 10 space downtown. It was way cool. Max Fischer would be proud!

Here is a link to some wierd, funny, dumb cartoons . . . Smile, eh is freaky.

http://www.lioninzion.com/

Congratulations to Marty Connolly and Emma Keenan! They wed this past weekend in Somerset county, and it was beautiful.

And now, this busiest of wedding seasons (like the hurricane season) has drawn to a close. This has been a record for me, with four weddings this past fall, five for the whole year. All fo the weddings were special in some way for me, and one cool thing is that I had a hand in starting two of the five couples: I'm 40% responsible for this busy wedding season, sheesh. Mike and Kate (married in March) met at my NYE party three years ago, where I re-introduced them; Mike and Autumn (married in October) met becuase I thought they, as two cool friends of mine, would get along well ... Admittedly, both couples have done all the hard work on thier own; I got them started is all. Oh and for the record, I didn't deliberately try to "fix them up" ... either couple. That never has worked when I'm involved, so if you're looking, ask elsewhere.

The Metrosexuals Obituary it was only a matter of time, men. But why the "ubersexual" now? Apparently "uber", like Hansel "is so hot right now." But is any one else thinking that the word may mean something else entirely?

Did anyone see Thumbsucker? What did you think? I liked Keanu, even if he was typecast, and how Elliot Smith worked out in the soundtrack. Vincent D'Onofrio and Vince Vaughn, aside from having the same first name, kinda look alike. "Bendy" is playing Orson Welles again, did you kow?

It's time to brush up on your Isaac Asimov, your Philip K. Dick, and your basic humanities, Ladies and Gentlemen.
You're gonna need them, although not, thankfully, for a few more years. Or so it seems. Visitors at the 2005 World Expo in Japan were dazzled by Repliee Q1, who looks and acts remarkably human. Although they do not mention if she is "fully functional," I imagine it's not long before Hiroshi Ishiguru begins collaborative work with the guys from RealDolls. How wierd is it to order a personalized, ie custom built and designed woman? Well, try it for yourself. Add in personality traits, and it may become de riguer in a short time (And ladies, don't think that robot men won't be available as well). Think about it... marriage may become a rarer and rarer phenomenon. You can have a non-aging, update-able, housecleaning, home-security, baby-sitter, super-high performing (in and out of the bedroom) mate, partner, whatever... android robot of your very own.

In the meantime, how about you programmers working with some psychologists and educational researchers to develop that Voight-Kampf test?

A Poetry for You (and for me)

I went to see a pretty cool show last night at Mr. Smalls with Dan Brown, and at some point, our conversation turned to what we make of life. Dan is one of those good friends who turns things around for you so that they make sense, and funny how now that they make sense, you find yourself on your feet again. I'm lucky to have such friends. In light of said conversation, Dan shared this poem with me, that I now share with you:

A BAG OF TOOLS

Isn't it strange that princes and kings,
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common folks like you and me
Are builders of Eternity.

Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass and a book of rules,
And each must make, e'er life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.

- Unknown

A few weeks ago in mid-September, the NY Times ran an article about artists who are on the edges of the art world; some of those people we may call "outsider artists." The American Folk Art Museum opened an "emerging art" exhibit, and the first artist, Eugene Andolsek, is perhaps my favorite. I quote:

"One of the five artists being introduced, Eugene Andolsek, is 83. A former railroad employee, he lives in a senior citizens' home in Crabtree, Pa., and stopped painting two years ago because of failing eyesight. He has never shown before. He doesn't even consider his sumptuously patterned, labor-intensive colored-ink drawings to be art, and seems to disapprove of anyone who does. The thing is, the work is really good, rich and solid, but also trippy and full of little elegancies, which makes it look very now."

He's a guy who did what he did and could care less what you think. Really and truly.

Then there's the artist Josh Seybert mentioned late this summer out on Ro and Jim patio: The old janitor guy who drew armies of little girls. That's a wierd story, both the text of his 18,000 page novel, the accompanying pictures he did himself, and well... his life. He may or may not have been a real spooky nut. Decide for yourself.

Something Funny, courtesy of Longhorn blog . . .

"Dang, we're gonna be so flippin' late! Didn't you invent something faster like hover boots or something?"

Napoleon Dynamite vs. Bill Gates

In other news, still trying to figure out the work thing, but i may have some really good news in a couple weeks. Cross your fingers for me!