Show this Saturday



So my debut as Baby Grand's bass player will be this Saturday at Fox and Goose. It should be fun. I've had a blast practicing with them so far, despite some of my shortcomings as a wannabe bass player (this is the first band since HS that I've played bass in...besides the 2 Frenchmen songs where Amy plays her 12 string guitar). Tim White (who was in the pre-Frenchmen Talulah Gosh cover band) will now be hittin' the skins (nice and gentle, as usual).

See ya there! (maybe)

Roots



I think it's important to know where you come from. After getting all the family treasures that I scored from my Utonain grandparents and learning so much (just the tip of the iceberg actually), I decided to ask my dad about his side of the family... again... and I get a different story every time. He couldn't get past naming my great grandparents. Actually, he didn't even know the name of either of his grandmothers (both died young)! It's almost like my family was ashamed of where they came from and who they were (dirt poor, not very well educated, eastern European Jews). For some reason, the belief wasn't to preserve any kind of cultural identity, but to integrate with new cultures and go as unnoticed as possible (which was also done for protection against persecution). Sad. I wish I knew more. I pressed him pretty hard for as much information as possible and got a decent amount of names and counties of origin (Russia, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Clair, Frida, Morris, Jaccob, Eli). Good stuff. I'll have to press my uncle and cousins back east for more details. I can see why so many descendants of Jewish immigrants try to identify with one another, since I doubt my family's experience is unique (and also why being Jewish is often considered being part of a culture rather than a religion).

When I went to clean out my grandma's place a couple weekends ago (on my mom's side of the fam), I found all sorts of documents, pictures, books and and other great stuff carried over from generation to generation from Germany, Hungary and England. It was amazing.

GEETAR LOVIN'



Today at lunch was the monthly HP Musicians club meeting. An older, retired HP dude was there to show us all how to set up guitars. There are still some intimidating procedures I'll stay clear of attempting on my own (like filing my nut and adjusting my rod) but I think I finally understand how to adjust my intonation (if you know what I mean...*wink* *wink*).



On another, unrelated note: I can't get over how great the new B&S album is...Just when I think they are getting played out, they blow me away with some new shit...again!

There was a lot of family history that would have been thrown into the trash-heap if we didn't go the my Grandma's house this weekend.

I think I need to invest in a new scanner, preferably one that can scan slides. I got piles and piles of pictures, slides, letters, postcards, articles, etc... I want to digitize.

I feel the urge to get more stuff like this from my Dad's side of the family while I don't have to scramble to get it all.

Obligatory post


Too busy to post right now (except this post), but stay tuned for some posts about my crazy weekend later on!

Post to ya later!

Kind Regards,
Posty McPostalot

0011 0001



So lets see how well I remember 10 years ago

It was my 21st birthday and my mom took me out for Margaritas at Chevy's (off Garden Highway)
I got a pair of black Chuck Taylors as one of my gifts
I just got laid off from my job as an office jerk at an insurance company
I decided to go back to school full time
I was super into indie-pop
I lived in Del Paso Heights with my friend Josh (who still lives in DPH)
I was teaching myself how to play guitar
I had never been to the east coast or out of the country
I didn't have a car
My favorite place for breakfast was cornerstone and the fox and goose (same as today!)
I was in a wannabe punk band with my friends Josh and Anh and we did a Softies cover.

That's all I can remember.

Time for a nap



I saw the headline for this article on one of my sources of information the other day (can't remember if it was fark.com or boingboing.net), but passed it up. It came up again on another website where I frequently waste my time, so I decided to check it out and I'm glad I did. I gotta try taking a caffeine nap before one of my weeknight excursions (where I always seem to be tired).

Happy Muthafuckin' Valentines DAY!!!

Frantic Romantic



Suresh sent me a link to a video of The Scientists playing "Frantic Romantic" live.

AND

a link to a video of Dolly Mixture playing live.

Thanks dude!

Meal #3!?!?!



Holy crap. I'm getting another meal cooked by the traveling chef this week! So much for my transition to a healthy lifestyle. Anyone want any left-over cheese-cake?

This is very sad




Jay Dee Dead at 32

James Yancey, the man known to the hip-hop world as Jay Dee and J Dilla, passed away Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 32 years old.

His label, Stones Throw, said in a statement, "He had been suffering for over three years with a rare and incurable blood disease. A year ago he was also diagnosed with lupus. He was in and out of the hospital this past year but managed to work right up until this past week. He was with his mother Maureen Yancey and a brother when he passed."

"A public viewing (closed casket) will take place Monday, February 13, 2006, 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm, at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, 1712 South Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA 91205. A private funeral will follow."

J Dilla's latest album, Donuts, released on Tuesday, was partially recorded in the hospital using a portable studio.

Jay Dee began his career as a member of the Ummah, A Tribe Called Quest's production team. He would go on to make beats for Common, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Pharcyde, and many others. He was a member of Slum Village, collaborated with Madlib as Jaylib, and put out several acclaimed solo albums, mixes, and singles. Pharrell Williams once called Jay Dee his favorite hip-hop producer.

For more on Jay Dee's musical legacy, see today's Track Reviews.

Peter Adarkwah, the founder of BBE Records, which released Jay Dee's 2001 solo album Welcome 2 Detroit, said in a statement: "Jay was one of my favorite Hip-Hop producers of all time. His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry. His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come."

According to Stones Throw, 2006 should bring two more Jay Dee albums, The Shining, due out on BBE, and Jay Love Japan, expected on Operation Unknown. He also recently completed production work for Madlib, Ghostface Killah, Busta Rhymes, MF Doom, Truth Hurts, and others.

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong

1. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.



2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.



3. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.



4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.



5. Straight marriage would be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage, Woody Allen's "I'm with my own daughter" marriage, and Anna Nicole Smith's "Just for the money" marriage would be destroyed.



6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.
   
   
7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.



8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.



9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.



10. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

(one of the saddest parts about our society is that, these arguments, before the humorous common sense, are the real reasons why people can't accept gay marriages.)

Reason number 4,080



Bulgarian border cops seize 20-year-old beef

Working from home today



After my DR appointment today (to see if I'm dying or not) I went to Cafe Milazzo for lunch. Holly crap that place makes great sammiches. Mine was pesto, fresh basil, tomato and fresh mozzarella on freshly baked focaccia, washed down with blood orange ice tea.

After that, I decided to drive to SF Supermarket and wound up buying a bunch of (not so) weird crap:

pocky (black sesame flavored)
pretz (honey mustard)
reverse choco (inside-out pocky)
Vietnamese cashew nut cookies
black bean and garlic sauce
some weird/healthy-looking instant cereal
long beans
fake chicken (the same kind they use at long-life veggie)
sweet soy drink
sweet soy drink with tapioca eye-balls
red bean buns
mochi ryoka

A lot of people shopping there were buying shit-loads of veggies, enough to fill an army. Some of the stuff they were buying I'd never seen or would know what to do with. Whatever they are cooking up looks like it will be hella good!

Speaking of smelly things...




Has anyone seen the new TVPs video yet?

I'm still gonna get the new album the second it comes out.

*Gag*



Someone in a nearby "cube" is wearing "old-lady" perfume and it's killing me.