Notes taken out of context.

In the process of cleaning my room (the room I spent more than half of my childhood in, the room I just moved back into after not living in for four years a.k.a. there was a lot of stuff just stashed in random places room), I have discovered lots of little pieces of papers, post-its, business cards, what-have-yous with notes on them, either that I noted to myself or received. Sometimes I remember what they mean or what they come from, frequently I don't. I am going to share a few. Feel free to claim you're the one who said any of them. This may become a new series (if I ever resume regular posting), semi-inspired by Erica's affinity for my (is "to" actually the correct word here?) letter series.

"Looks like a 502, he's really weaving." "Give him a ball of yarn; he could make us both a sweater."

"Call him on it, be like, 'that dog just ain't gonna hunt.' Yeah, maybe the idiom is too much, but my point remains." (okay, honestly, I now remember exactly who said this and what/who it was about, but I didn't when I found it and it's kinda too much to get into for a blog post but makes me chuckle and thus I deem it post-worthy).

Perhaps a good way to remember the order of the streets downtown: "Wouldn't it be grand to hope to pick flowers on Figueroa?"

"1848 was charming only through an excess of the ridiculous"

"It is not theft to steal from thieves; it is merely irony."

OK, this last one I wrote down sometime during 2006. I know this because other stuff on the paper happened that year. I also know gkla told/IMed/somethinged this to me, but I have no idea what it is referencing: "Laura, you may now proudly say of yourself, "Today I was riding dirty." So fantastically dated, right?!

Trouble is My Business

If you don't actually know me, you may not know that I am obsessed with all things Raymond Chandler. And, as such, I have started a blog that I actually update with quotations by Chandler and pictures by me. It's basically a photo blog with captions, or a quotation blog with illustrations. Either way, you should check it out.

Also, on this blog, see the incredibly growing sidebar list of books I read this year--go me!--and how Chandleriffic it is.

The real inspiration for this announcement is ErGo's "Metaphorplay" post. Chandler is nothing if not a craftsman of metaphor and analogy. One of my favorites from The Little Sister:

At 3 a.m. I was walking the floor and listening to Katchaturian working in a tractor factory. He called it a violin concerto. I called it a loose fan belt and the hell with it.

Finally, if I do know you and you like movies, please join me on my more recent quest to watch every movie based on/written by Raymond Chandler. Unfortunately, about half of them are not on Netflix, so this might be a challenge.

Lesson #2.

Lesson #1
Lesson #2: Check spam filter! Or you miss winning free concert tickets!


Also, this is my 150th post. Carazy.

Husky men of war.

L-R, T-B:
1)Various Artists: Gigi
2)Various Artists: The Gospel at Colonus
3)Various Artists: The Guns of Navarone
4)Various Artists: Hogan's Heroes
5)Various Artists: Honky Tonk Rag Pickers
6)Original Soundtrack Recording: Lawrence of Arabia

Ok, so it's 4:38 AM when I have class at 11. I obviously fail at being sensible today. I also have some heartburn right now. Records are currently stacked on my desk backwards, so I'm going to work my way from #6 to #1.

6) Many things of note with this album. A: ORANGE. B: Classic classic movie. C: way cool painting of the main face. D: Winston Churchill quote (yes!).

5) I have to say, most of the best lookin' albums in my collection have at least something to do with honky tonk. I mean, seriously, so cool. This one's from Rhino.

4) This record is actually very aptly titled, as it includes only Hogan's Heroes, not Hogan himself. This is where Erica would chime in with "Hogggan!" Anyways, they "Sing the Best of World War II." Come on, the best of World War II has to be great. And it is. There's, perhaps not surprisingly, a lot of Hogan's Heroes representin' going on in my collection as it is my favorite classic TV show. The title of this post comes from the words of the "Hogan's Heroes March" which are not sung in the show but are on this record. The record also includes such greats as Irving Berlin's "This is the Army Mister Jones." I got this record as a gift! From Matt Cohen in high school. Really good gift. Kudos. Update: TV Land is now playing Hogan's Heroes again! Hallelujah. Weird, though, that they don't play the end credits with the theme song and end title sequence.

3) Unfortunately, I haven't seen this movie. Disgraceful, I know, but it is in my queue. I do love Gregory Peck and David Niven; I am not sure if I could even choose a favorite amongst those two. Dimitri Tiomkin is a fab film scorer. On a side note, I highly recommend the Maritime song "Guns of Navarone." OH, I finally 'got back' to David Niven. It's been a while, eh?

2) This movie I have seen--several times, starting in 10th grade is Ms. St. Clair's English class. What a silly class. The Gospel at Colonus is Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy in gospel Black Pentecostal Church form. And it is INSANE. With the Soul Stirrers! The Blind Boys of Alabama! Morgan Freeman! Robert Earl Jones! This one was 49 cents at Rhino.

1) This record symbolizes three things. One, whenever I travel, I like to go to record shops. This record was purchased at Angelo's in Denver, Colorado. Two, I like to buy people records as gifts. I bought this record for my mom 'cause she loves the movie. Three, my mom never listens to records I buy her because she never listens to music outside of her car. Hence, this record is now in my collection. This record is also an example of the fact that I frequently forget that I own some records that I rarely listen to. I have another version of this record that doesn't have the singers from the movie. And, really, I love Maurice Chevalier, so I am not gonna listen to no "TV stars including Michael Stewart, The Gay Blades, something Winter (white text on white background isn't really smart folks), Jack Brown, ..." Perhaps the next time the radio station has a record swap, I'll be able to get something for the non-Chevalier version. This past swap I didn't have any records I didn't want. Really, I am glad I don't have more than one record I don't actually want to have. That would be foolish.

Title

Look at me, actually posting more than once a week again! wooo. Anyways, I took this video in early 2006. But it is now 2008, and flickr has video hosting. woooo (again). Erica, pay close attention. Oh yeah, the details = LA Chinatown Chinese New Year celebration in early 2006.

Anddddd, Jon Brion!

Also, I just love the way Jon Brion comes up in things randomly. Like everyone is just saying whatever and the only fitting conclusion to everything is Jon Brion-related. Even the FollowThatOstrich-approved Robyn Hitchock did so (in an answer to question on a blog post I found through hypemachine in a completely unrelated search--woo internet!):

the gig in this pub in East London. And I think we did ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ there…possibly with Jon Brion; I know he was in town. I love digging that one up at parties.

By the way, I was going to acronym Follow That Ostrich into FTO, like Erica acronyms Read Dance Bliss into RDB, but then I googled FTO and saw it was Foreign Terrorist Organization and decided that might not be the best idea.

I thought you were famous, but actually you are just incredibly attractive.

I kinda agree with this, but also think Zev needs to stop making excuses. On the subject of newspapers, I am going to take this opportunity to provide you with a few more sentences from The Long Goodbye which made me think a lot about Sam Zell--not that he would be saying these sentences at all, except maybe the first one.

I own newspapers, but I don't like them. I regard them as a constant menace to whatever privacy we have left. Their constant yelping about a free press means, with a few honourable exceptions, freedom to peddle scandal, crime, sex, sensationalism, hate, innuendo, and the political and financial uses of propaganda. A newspaper is a business out to make money through advertising revenue. That is predicated on its circulation and you know what the circulation depends on.

Now, as promised, here's the Royce Celebrity Update (TM). Daryl Hannah, lookin' mighty Botoxed and Cocaineoxed, Tom Morello, and the guy who hosts Survivor were in attendance at the Steve Earle show on the 25th. There was also a man which inspired a fellow usher to state the sentence which has become this post's title. Tonight--er, yesterday--Amy Brenneman and Maria Bello showed up to see Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert (the author of a book Erica and Oprah like). This show was almost unbelievably sold out, but a lot of people didn't show up after buying tickets. Also, the majority of this crowd, a supermajority even, were middle-aged women; perhaps, 40% were bottle blondes. yeech.

Even though this picture was taken in Colorado in December, I am oh so sure these women would have flown in to see the "conversation" tonight. By the way, please do notice that the four women are all wearing THE EXACT SAME THING.

procrastination comes in many forms

Dear movies,

Congrats on being oh so modern and using instant message conversations in your plots. It, however, drives me CARAZY that your characters always read aloud their conversations. It doesn't work that way, though. And in your worst offenders (Thanks, Erica), the reading of each sentence comes after the line has already been typed and entered.

Please change your ways,
Laura

A few small items of note.

1. Can someone please explain to me the cast of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. I have seen probably a hundred episodes of this fine show, and yet I always get confused when there are any other detectives than Goren and Eames. Please illuminate!

2. Only Erica might care about this, and she probably no longer reads this blog, but... Yesterday, whilst driving home from Santa Cruz on the 101, we chanced upon some weird public radio station just west of the Central Valley that was playing 'sounds of the Middle East.' My co-passengers really weren't digging it, but the song really caught my attention. After a couple minutes, I am positive it was some version of Tarbuka (or whatever is the real name of the song which accompanies that dance). Too bad the DJ was talking in thick accented Arabic and I really couldn't confirm.

3. James Franco might be guest DJing Automatic Stapler this Wednesday at 4. But since he was lame and canceled (I always want to put two Ls in that word) last time so last minute, I am not going to really advertise. You should tune in, though, because we are awesome whether or not Mr. Franco participates, and there are only a few more shows this quarter.

scallops

In response to Erica's most recent post, I must say I am a pretty excellent cook. I, however, almost never cook just because I am SO lazy when it comes to feeding myself. I did, however, on July 21st, according to the secretagentskills of Flickr, cook some pretty mean scallops. As evidenced (is that word?) by this picture:Anyways, those aren't just delicious scallops but delicious scallops with delicious balsamic mushrooms with reduced (!) lettuce something or other. Yeah. You want to be invited to one of my dinner parties, which will be starting once I move into my apartment, which will happen once my building's elevator isn't broken, which better happen before I leave for Seattle!