Here’s why this is interesting:
1. Pontiac is, of course, a make of vehicle produced by General Motors.
2. GM is, of course, based in Detroit.
3. I happened upon this article by searching for “Detroit Pontiac” because that’s the kind of thing I do for a paycheck.
On Saturday I called Geoff to ask for Geli’s phone number, which I wrote down on an Equal Exchange Espresso business card. I was going to a party at her house and realized that I’d left home without jotting down her address. It turned out i didn’t need to call her, because I ended up remembering how to get to her place.
Later that evening, we were all sitting around the campfire in Geli’s backyard and I was wishing I had something to burn when I remembered the card in my shirt pocket. That was not a very good sentence, I guess. I took the card with Geli’s number on it out of my pocket and held it in my hands for a few moments during which time, coincidentally, Geli mentioned that she’d forgotten her cell phone at home on a recent roadtrip to the Peninsula.
“I thought you were just avoiding me!” I said to Geli.
“You didn’t try to call me. You don’t even have my phone number.”
“Is it (555) 555-5555?”
“…OK now I’m really creeped out.”
Anyway, that’s not all that funny, but I like Geli.
I’ve always been a kind of nervous and insecure kid, though I don’t know how often it shows externally. To help me deal with this, I always have some kind of movie playing in the background of my mind that comes to the forefront when I get agitated or scared or nervous. I’ve done this at least as far back as junior high. Back then, if I found myself in an awkward social situation, or remembered something dumb I’d said, or thought about how I’d never have a girlfriend, a movie of me playing the song “Katie”, which I wrote with my band at the time, would play in my head and I’d feel better.
The movie has changed a few times, but that’s all that’s changed. As I aged and joined other bands, the song would change. Then I discovered Spider-Man, and the movie changed to me jumping off of a building and swinging from a web. Then Batman Begins came out, and the movie changed to me jumping off of a building and hang gliding on my cape.
This morning I realized that it’s changed again. Now when I find myself in an awkward social situation, or remember something dumb I’ve said, or think about how I’ll never have a girlfriend, I imagine myself playing a monome:
Feel free to speculate. Speculation is healthy.
—
I was playing a show with Daedelus. The venue was attached to a shopping mall. It had an odd and distinctive name, but I don’t remember it. Everything that could have gone wrong with this show went wrong, at least three times each.
When I arrived at the venue, Daedelus told me that the club owner wanted us both to use the same equipment, so he hooked up his monome to my laptop. We were going to just start the show like that, even though I’d never used a monome, but I insisted on trying it out first. Nothing worked right. My samples didn’t end up where they were supposed to, and there were tons of sounds that I’d never heard before and couldn’t do anything with. It was a disaster. Reluctantly, the club owner decided I could use my own equipment.
While I was setting up my gear, my laptop slid off of the music stand, off the stage, and onto the floor. It was busted up, but still working. Some kind of liquid was seeping out the hinge, and the plastic was cracked and separating at the edges, exposing the guts. Luckily, this mall had an Apple Store. Unluckily, it was on the opposite side of the mall, and I was on in 15 minutes. I ran as fast as I could, and when I got there I realized that I’d forgotten to actually bring my laptop. I asked Mathias, who’d suddenly materialized, if he’d go back and get it for me while I talked to the lone Apple Store employee (ASE). I described the damage to the ASE, who told me that my computer might suddenly die on me during my performance, or it might wait until the next day to die. I just had to hope for the best.
I arrived back at the venue, and Daedelus was playing, but a few minutes into his set, the club owner stopped him so that she could sing some karaoke jazz standards or something. Daedelus took this all in stride.
—
And that’s what happened. In my dream. Actually, it’s not even my dream, it’s a friend of mine’s dream.
As you all know, one of the things I’m into is bad reviews. Limpets are another thing I’m into. I woke up from a nap around 8:30pm one night last week with a craving for Filipino food. I needed to find a restaurant that stays open past 9. Sadly, I didn’t find any, but I did find some horrible reviews.
Here’s one for Manila Cafe:
I’ve only been once and it was really disappointing, but I hate giving a bad rating after only one meal. That said, I don’t know if I really care to go back.
Had a beef dish that was basically super salty beef and some dry rice. I’m inclined to give just one star based on how bad this dish was, but based on some other reviews I think I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and try giving it another chance sometime. [Source]
You hate giving a bad review after only one meal, but you will anyway. Is it some sort of contractual obligation? OH BUT WAIT YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE IT ANOTHER CHANCE! How many people are you?
Here’s one for Kusina Filipina that really chaps my ass:
As always I was very excited coming here. I’ve eaten here so many times but not since I’ve started writing reviews in Yelp. Finally was given a chance today. I had no reason to not expect a good review to come out, since from past experience this place has always over satisfied. Unfortunately today, its not going to happen. Sadly, I hate having to review this so poorly. Such a place that has brought me so much wonderful tastes deserves better. But I will not let my past experience dictate how I write this. Lets begin. [Source]
!!?
Restaurants have off days. This is a fact of life, and it can happen to any restaurant. If you’ve eaten here a million times and loved it, but THIS time it wasn’t good, and you admittedly know that the restaurant deserves better, HELLO DOUCHEBAG! You are under no obligation to write a review! Go again and make sure it was a one-off thing before diminishing the reputation of a place you claim to love!
And finally, one for Inay’s:
Ick. I am Filipina, have grown up on good Filipino food. Good Filipino food Inay’s ain’t. I walked in there at around 4:30pm, and saw the food swimming in grease. So, I asked the guy how long the food had been sitting there. He said, “Uh, I dunno, a couple of hours?” Uggh! Gross! He didn’t even know how long since it had been cooked? Yay for e.coli, I guess. I practically ran outta there. [Source]
So here’s a review from someone who didn’t even eat there. You don’t need me to point out how useless this is. Actually, there is one good thing in this review, if you’re a fan of quotemines:
Ick. I am Filipina…
It’s possible that Answer in Genesis might not always be as honest as they possibly could be. Check out the headling for item 3 of their latest edition of News to Note:
Scientists have found [indirect evidence of liquid water, which can be spun through evolutionary interpretations as indirect evidence of] life on one of Saturn’s moons!
Well hell. Dem saahntiss sho is dum! The clear implication here is that scientists are claiming to have find life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus based solely on the presence of water. Naturally, I had serious doubts that the article they linked to said anything like that. Here’s the actual headline:
‘Misty caverns’ on Enceladus moon: Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft has obtained strong evidence that Saturn’s tiny moon Enceladus retains liquid water.
Well, nothing about life there. Perhaps if I read on, I’ll see where the article says that this find means we’ve found life on Enceladus.
It means the Saturnian satellite may be one of the most promising places in the Solar System to search for signs of extraterrestrial life.
Oh, well, that’s not really the same thing…no, not even close. Maybe some foolhardy scientist is quoted as saying that this find means we’ve found life on Enceladus?
“We need three ingredients for life, as far as we know - liquid water, energy and the basic chemical building blocks - and we seem to have all three at Enceladus, including some fairly complex organic molecules,” commented John Spencer, a Cassini scientist from the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado.
“That’s not to say there is life on Enceladus but certainly the ‘feedstock’ is there for life to use if it does exist,” he told BBC News.
Well, hmmm…no…this person goes out of his way to point out that we haven’t found life on Enceladus. I guess that leaves one option, really.
ANSWERS IN GENESIS MAKES SHIT UP.
Here come two recent live performances at The Skylark, a place I wholeheartedly endorse with all my might.
This one is from June 10 at The Skylark’s open mic. It’s my first time rapping by myself.
Three Ninjas @ The Skylark 06-10-09 from Jason J Brunet on Vimeo.
This one here is from June 14, when Geoff and I opened for Castor and Pollution and Stepkid. It’s about 50 minutes long, and our best show to date.
Three Ninjas - Live @ The Skylark 06-14-09 from Jason J Brunet on Vimeo.
I guess I’m famous. A few weeks ago, PZ Myers agreed to be on the cover of my new EP, Make Sleepstophers. They arrived today and are ready to be distributed! In a daring act of kindness, PZ actually linked to the order page from his blog. HOPEFULLY I’LL BE ABLE TO FEED MY KIDS THIS MONTH.
Also, I mean, if you wanna like, go and buy it or whatever, that’d help me out a lot too.
HOORAY.
This comes from Ken Ham’s blog:
One of our Creation Museum guest services staff passed this along to me this past weekend:
This past Saturday I was working close to the 3 C’s room when a guest came up to me to express how much she liked the museum. I told her that I was very thankful for all the scientists and artists who have expended their time, knowledge, and skill to make the museum what it is.
Her reply was, “If I didn’t know better, I would have thought God Himself made it.”
So wait. She admits that something that looks for all the world like God Himself made it can actually have a natural explanation. Perhaps she didn’t think this through.
