The Not-So-Full Flower of the Evening
Posted on September 16, 2004 at 9:33 pm | No Comments
Stuck at work on a Thursday evening, wishing I was elsewhere, killing a bit of time with a quick post …
Mp3 of the Week
As you may have noticed, a new performance of an R.E.M. oldie is this week’s mp3, from the recent internet-broadcast of their ongoing tour rehearsals. So strange to know that the man who drummed for Ministry & Pigface is behind the kit on this version of “Maps & Legends” (originally on 1985’s “Fables of the Reconstruction”).
As I sit here at work, I’m missing the Kirsten Malone memorial show over at TT the Bears. If you haven’t yet read my post about her, or followed the list of links about her tragic passing, take some time to do so.
On Monday evening, September 20th, Allston city counciler Jerry McDermott will be presenting a request for a memorial to her near the site of her bike accident, at the corner of Franklin and Lincoln Streets in my Allston neighborhood. Supposedly there will also be a discussion of bike safety and improving that intersection at the meeting, so if you live in the area, you should attend. 5:30pm at the Honan-Allston Branch Library.
Another sad loss is being remembered this weekend, so on the chance that anyone reading this lives in the Charlotte, NC area, I wanted to mention the memorial gathering for Dede Davis, who died last April. An email from her friend Art Jipson refelected just how much she is missed by those who knew her, and just how devoted a music fan she was, especially when it came to the Connells. She was front and center at over 120 Connells shows, if you can believe that. “Every show we play from now on is for Dede,” said Doug MacMillan, the Connells lead singer.
The Connells will be playing at her memorial, along with a solo set from guitarist George Hutley, and another of Dede’s favorites, Green Street. It’s on Saturday night, Sept. 18th, at the Visulite Theatre. Details can be found here.
So last night this severely-lapsed Catholic attended my first-ever dinner celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, at the very same place I did my first Passover last spring. Not much to offer up in the way of observations, really… there was good food, some super-fast incomprehensible prayers, some quick candle lighting. But mostly just good food.
One pre-dinner snack gave me a private laugh, though… a platter with some kind of spread on it, molded into the shape of a fish. “What is that?!”, I asked. “It’s the Salmon Mousse!” was the reply. My very first encounter with actual salmon mousse! Yes, I tried it, and lived to tell the tale.
Monty Python fans will know why this amused me. Everyone else, well, go rent The Meaning of Life.
My First Day Off Junk
Posted on September 16, 2004 at 7:01 pm | No Comments
No, don’t worry, folks. Not that kind of junk. I’m talkin’ about the caffeinated, nutrasweeted, diet cola variety. I’ve tried before, unsuccessfully natch, to kick my three-can-a-day Diet Coke habit cold turkey. Got myself worked up into mild paranoia after I googled all the supposed Aspartame side effects.
I mean, it’d be tough to name a Aspartame symptom not listed here: headaches, migraines, dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, memory loss, depression, irritability, aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia, trouble with contact lenses, phobias, tinnitus, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, itching without a rash, hives, menstrual changes, gradual weight gain, severe PMS, excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, bloating, increased susceptibility to infection, death, irreversible brain damage, birth defects/mental retardation, peptic ulcers, aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets, hyperactivity in children, suicidal tendencies, and…. death. Just plain old death.
Um, yikes? Me, I don’t really buy all that. And neither do the fine folks over at Snopes.
Still, every once in awhile I get in the mood to take a break from the stuff, stop the daily diet coke addiction, cleanse the system a bit. Lasted about a week last time, and now I’m trying something even more difficult: No caffeine whatsoever. Yes, I’m foresaking my morning Dunkin Donuts large coffee (cream & sugar, please), struggling through withdrawal headaches. That’s one of the reasons I’m quitting for awhile, actually. I don’t like the idea of being hooked on something so much that it hurts when I don’t have it.
So I’m supressing the urges, walking by the Dunkies, avoiding the soda machine in the room next door, drinking lots of ice water. There’s a dull pounding behind my eyes, my body trying to persuade my brain to give up the fight. One day at a time, right? At least, that’s what the bumper stickers say.