Monthly Archive for February, 2008
In my growing fascination in outer space I’ve decided I want to visit a lot of observatories and planetariums in 2008. I’m not sure how many I will actually get to go to, but it’s happening. The idea came to me when I learned that Dr. Bronner donated 1,000 acres of land at the base of Mount Palomar to the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego. I realized I have never been to the Palomar Observatory. I’ve lived in San Diego since I was 5 and never have gone. It’s a crying shame. I would have gone there first, but their tours don’t happen until April.
Last week we went to Griffith Observatory because the Total Lunar Eclipse was happening and because Julie and Johanna gave me passes for my birthday, which was a profoundly thoughtful gift (thank you so much). It was amazing and beautiful and moving, but first, a little history on the observatory.
Griffith Observatory is named after a man named Griffith Griffith. Griffith Griffith gave the land to the city of Los Angeles for the creation an observatory and park because he believed all great cities need a great park. “[Griffith Griffith] believed that an individual gained an enlightened perspective when looking at the skies.” I really dig this outlook. That somehow we will all be better more whole people if we look at the sky. Whoa. This guy is rad! Listen to what he said: “If all [humankind] could look through that telescope, it would change the world!”1
Although it was cold and windy and rainy the sky was clear enough for us to see the Total Lunar Eclipse. It was red and darkened. I kept thinking about how it was happening and that space exists. I didn’t get any good photos with my tiny camera though. And they had telescopes setup on the lawn that we didn’t use because it was packed out. Star party!
The planetarium show was particularly moving. It’s called “Centered in the Universe.” It is really hopeful and inspiring and I think I cried. Sort of the “we are all in this together” vibe. We sat directly next to the star projector and when it rose up it sort of blew me away, the device itself, not just the star projections. It’s so great and massive and accurate. I sight to see. Also, as a side note, the Griffith Observatory has a Tesla Coil, which is worth the trip in itself.
Next Up: Palomar Observatory
Yesterday I got a coupon in the mail for REI reminding me I had dividend to spend. Today I took that coupon and dividend spending spirit to REI, and bought the 40 oz. Klean Kanteen with Loop-Top Cap. I’ve been dreaming of getting a Klean Kanteen since I found out my Nalgene was killing me. I am very excited about my new water bottle. It taste cleaner. It probably doesn’t really, but I thought and stressed out about it so much. I mean Nalgene is probably not killing me. (They are killing baby bunnies.) But I’ve thought about this damn water bottle situation for many hours. I like Klean Kanteen because it doesn’t have a coating inside like Sigg and the cap is even metal. No more leaching for me. Or less leaching I guess. Also, another plus for Klean Kanteen over Sigg is that Sigg says no hot liquid. I guess that’s a plus. I don’t think I would put a hot beverage in a steel bottle thought. It’s 8 oz. more than my bunny killing Nalgene though.
On a side note, as I was writing this post, this came up on my feeds: #76 Bottles of Water. (Also, if you haven’t heard of Stuff White People Like, there was a good interview with the blogger on Talk on the Nation.)
I told Patrick I would write about this before Pitchfork, but I didn’t get to it in time. Thinking about High Places makes me feel very sentimental. I first heard High Places when they played with Lucky Dragons, Bobby Birdman, and YACHT at il corral. I went with Jon and we got there too early and met Jennifer Fodor of G-RAD (this was before G-RAD beat us) and went to an arcade. I really like High Places. They had already run out of CDRs when we saw them so I subsisted on downloads from their myspace. (Later I bought this seven inch on Ancient Almanac.) But my point is that they needed to put out a legit album and the rad cuties at eMusic just did, 03/07 - 09/07 on eMusic Selects. Ok, here is the scoop. eMusic Selects is “a brand-new monthly program featuring exclusive music from handpicked, unsigned new artists.” Whoa! To me this sounds heartfelt. They really want to help out new artists. It benefits the artist and it benefits eMusic. So far I think it has worked. And guess what? February’s releases? Not only High Places, but also Breathe Owl Breathe. I’ve been really digging both albums a lot and I’m going to tell you why. Or why you should buy them right now to support these rad artists.
Now the music. High Places consists of Rob’s sweet beats and Mary’s ethereal singing. Rob only uses tiny drums and shakers, but the sound is so full you would think there was more. There is no more! Well, there is. There is Mary’s singing. You can’t have one without the other. They sort of just move in your mind to be one solid noise and you forget that shakers can’t sing. Or I do. Mary’s voice is always echoed in this perfect way. You can imagine it. When they play she moves and dances around singing with bells around her wrist. When I say ethereal I don’t mean ethereal like Lavender Diamond, the pace and the attitude is different. Lavender Diamond ethereal feels delicate and light. High Places ethereal feels light, but full. Full in a lofi way or in a low treble way. The best way to understand is to hear:
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03 Banana Slugs/Cosmonaut
(Plus High Places always favorites my photos of the Margot and Travis.)
Breathe Owl Breathe is not an artist I was terribly familiar with before I got Ghost Glacier EP. I knew those Michigan folks were deep into it, but otherwise no. Ok. Immediate reaction: familiarity. Not familiarity like “I think I’ve heard this before”, but familiarity in the way “I think I’ve ALWAYS heard this.” It feels like a distant memory. A fond distant memory. Probably from your childhood. But like a positive experience. Not like when you were chubby and were bad at sports. More like a sunset or a Sunday afternoon. I suppose also sentimental. Their music feels like a fond memory. That’s the best I can say it.
Breathe Owl Breathe would be filed under “folk” I suppose because they play folky instruments. Their voices are comforting and make me weepy. Such mellow vibes!
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04 Ghost In The Morning Moon
Laura and I were flipping through channels last night and came across the Big Bang. It was that or Puppy Bowl IV so we decided to watch it. I really enjoyed the movie. It was bizarre at times and it clearly was made in 1990. The little synopsis provided by Cox said: “Filmmaker James Toback conducts radical interviews with various people on subjects like sex, death, God.” Basically the movie is the director James Toback interviewing people, asking all sorts of people the same questions. There is the Girl, the Mother, the Boy, the Basketball Star, the Violinist, the Artiste, the Humorist, the Jazz Man, the Astronomer, the Restauranteuse, the Model, the Philosopher, the Painter, the Medical Student, the Writer, the Filmmaker, the Gangster, the Boxer, and the Survivor.
James Toback asked them how they thought the Universe began, what they believed about God, about sex. It was great. It was amusing at times and it was really intense at other times. I was mesmerized by Fred Hess, the Astronomer, because the way he spoke about the big bang, about the conception of the universe, about our star, the sun, was very much like a Baptist preacher. It seemed wrong. The content of what he was saying vs. the way he was saying it. It was moving and confusing. Apparently, that’s his thing. He is often called the Evangelist for Astronomy. Barbara Traub, the Survivor, Holocaust survivor, Auschwitz survivor, was quite intense. She talked about losing her sense of identity. HEAVY. The Little Girl, Emma Astner, says about the conception of the universe, “First there was dust, then there was a squirrel, then there was a dog, then there was a cat.” It is inspired and bizarre, but it holds up just as soundly as the other responses. The Basketball Star talked about having sex with so many women. The Mother talked about almost losing her mind when her daughter was killed. Don Simpson, producer of Top Gun, talked about his conservative upbringing in Alaska and how he became a humanist.
The Big Bang was an unexpected gem. It was the random outcome of a night of channel surfing. I’m a sucker for interviews. It was exactly what I needed.
The New York Times hated it. “What kind of people want to reveal their most profound thoughts and fears on screen? As it turns out, people who ultimately say very little, who are at best amusing, occasionally affecting and more often simply bland.” Well then.
Each person had their own environment that matched their context. The Evangelist for Astronomy was in a large dark room with a single light focused on him. The children were sitting on the carpet in a living room. The Mother seemed to be in a dark closet with only half of her face lit. The Artist was in a loft. The Philosopher is sitting a table next to a bright open window. The problem with the environments was that they lacked an overall cohesion. They almost seemed overly intentional and somewhat annoying.
I’m in a good mood. A stupid good mood. A good mood that I’m afraid will end with this cup of coffee. I finally started reading A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY . That helped my good mood. Also I made a really spicy dinner. Let me describe to you my space right now. I’m at my parents house in my room. I have sketches of the ZINE website I’m working on for the PF, Kurt V. book, ash from the incense, cables, boxes, little papers, check lists. It’s a weird in between time. Not long enough to fully unpack. But disorganized. I keep thinking about this song from This American Life by Mark Robinson . My eyes get moist when it comes on. Every time. Right now I’m listening to the Sun Song , which is also a good song.
I’m in a pretty good mood, but my coffee is getting cold so I need to hurry. I wanted to write a post because a) I haven’t, and b) I’m in the mood. Apparently it’s February and tomorrow’s the Super Bowl. Will someone hire me? I will work hard. I like to. Maybe I should work on my portfolio website. The problem is I don’t want to design things straightforward right now. The worst part about graduating from college is not being constantly busy. I like doing different projects. The other worst part is I have no where to go. I like to ride my bike to places, but I have no destination. I’m not required to be anywhere. Oh well. Maybe that will be my part. THE DANCE . I’m really nervous about doing this and it’s soon and there’s that.
I LOVE THE INTERNET:
I hate Mondays, but I love lasagna.
OH, YEAAHH!
FABULON
my new eyeglasses
BFFs
Groundhog Day
