call me blue, call me blue again...

the backyard, 9:15 am

Good Morning, Mr. Crow!

Peak Foliage

pics from the backyard...

In and Around The Lake...

Golden Hour


Front Yard


Red and Gold

Tags: fall, ohio, leaves, trees, tofu666

First Hummingbird of the Season

Another sure sign that the earth has tilted correctly.



yes, I need to mow the lawn...

Tags: hummingbird, spring, ohio, bird, tofu666

Hurt

Oh, revisiting the pain that was 1997... a NIN vs. Cleveland Indians mash-up.

A sure sign of spring...

There's this robin who hasn't learned from last year that the other robin that he thinks he sees in both the front and back windows is just a reflection -- and is not trying to horn in on his food supply or woman...

Tags: robin, spring, window, obsessive compulsive

Eau du pew

The next food magazine that come with an perfume insert goes right in the trash -- I'm looking at you Ruth Reichl of Gourmet...

Congratulations to two of the best instructors I had at cooking school on their 2007 James Beard Foundation Book Awards nomination...

Category: Entertaining

The Big Book of Appetizers
Authors: Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Editor: Bill LeBlond
Price: $19.95

As heard on Dr. Demento, funny five fave Power Salad's video for "My Cat Is Afraid Of The Vacuum Cleaner" is now up on YouTube.

Tags: power salad, vacuum, cats, cat, youtube

moving towards the sunlight...

long time, no post I know, but...

within this story about the possible planned merger of New Times and Village Voice Media (VVM) comes this little nugget...

As of late May there were clearly still some issues to be resolved: The documents include a memo from VVM CEO David Schneiderman complaining that New Times wants to "renegotiate the terms of our deal" and arguing that some New Times papers, including the SF Weekly and the East Bay Express, are losing a lot of money.

"In the 2004 Calendar year, SF Weekly, East Bay Express and the Cleveland Scene racked up losses of $4 million," the memo states. SF Weekly, it says, "is locked in a brutal struggle in SF with no sign of success and the same is true in Cleveland."

The memo concludes: "In short, they have some real losers and we don't.... given these facts, I don't believe a renegotiation is warranted."

heh.

Maximilian Riedel and Robert Morson (from Riverside Wine and Imports) chat before the tasting

Maximilian Riedel

I just returned from a fantastic wine tasting with Maximilian Riedel, held in Strongsville, Ohio. He led the almost 100-person strong crowd through a classic progression of four wines (Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon), that highlighted the profound effect that his wine glasses have upon wine. The difference between what his stems do to "amplify the wine" and the type of glass that is typically used to serve wine in restaurants is the difference between night and day

Full disclosure -- I have been a huge fan of Riedel's glasses over the last five years, owning about 30 different pieces, including sake, scotch and champagne sets as well as the vinum extreme set and the new-ish "O" series, designed by Maximilian himself.

If you ever get the chance to attend -- go -- you won't be disappointed...

I agree with what Chris Butler said -- Kent was kind of quiet this year...

Well, since Ruth was nice enough to point out this blog, the least I can do is link back to beer and clothing in lakewood and say "go visit her!" ;)

Oh, and I should probably update the blog while I'm at it ;)

USF4 (Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter) was a success. Success here is defined by the fact that many, many people showed up, ate popcorn and had fun time watching a Mexican wrestling movie. Viva El Santo!

Next up: The UnSilent "Drive-In" Film will probably be in July, movie/date TBA

my time flies when you don't update your blog ;)

anyway -- played a couple of shows (KSU and UnSilent Film), catered a wine tasting for Tony Coturri (menu below) and attended the Cleveland Indie Club film group at Talkies yesterday (saw some really interesting films -- more on those below)

I've been out of the house more in the last two weeks than all winter combined!

First up -- KSU: in the article linked above somewhere around paragraph 16, I get a mention -- and despite the bad sentence structure -- I did not provide the appetizers AND the music -- although I could have ;)

I had a good time, played some Elliptical and Tofu tracks for pre-show entertainment, and played some mash-ups afterwards (typical comment -- "what is that? -- that's not how the song goes...")

Bonus -- I'll even toss in the playlist (beware possible vertigo from stylistic whiplash)...

The Killers - Somebody Told Me
DJ Matt Hite - Kraftwerk vs. ETBG "Model Goes Missing"
DJ Matt Hite - Shakedown vs. Taylor Dane - "Shakedown My Heart"
Geyster - "It's About You"
The Gothsicles - "Daisy Chain For Satan"
Nice Cream - Song 2
Evers B. - Get Ready
New Order - Blue Monday (Original 12")
gordyBoy - Cure vs. Bjork - "A Hidden Forest"
Police - Walking On The Moon (drum and bass phat remix)
DJ Pantshead vs. B-52's - "Love Shag"
DJ Earworm - Scissor Sisters/Beatles/George Michaels/Aretha Franklin - "No One Takes Your Freedom"
Flesh For Lulu - "Postcards From Paradise" 12"
Killing Joke - Eighties
Dead Kennedy's - Holiday In Cambodia
Sex Pistols - No Feelings

Next: UnSilent Film 3: "The Passion of Joan of Arc". The recording turned out really well, that's what I'm working on finishing this week. I'll try to post some excerpts very soon (it's a 80min recording)... The turnout was fantastic, our best one yet -- and the truffle oil popcorn will become a staple of future films (next USF looks to be Wednesday May 4 -- movie details soon, something different is all I'll say at this time.


Then: Tony Coturri Wine Tasting @ Riverside Wine and Imports in Kent 3/15/05

Another spectacular series of wines from Tony... I'm always knocked out by the quality and this time was no exception...

Here's the list of food we prepared -- as you can see from the pic there were other non-vegan foods, but we had nothing to do with that ;)

Inside Out Sushi Rolls
(avocado, scallion, carrots, daikon and wasabi)

Phyllo Cups with Curried Tofu
(apple juice, curry, currants, tofu, vegenaise, salt and pepper)

Stuffed Grape Leaves
(basmati rice, paprika, allspice, salt and pepper)

Marinated Endive Leaves Stuffed with White Bean Cassoulet
(endive: white wine and mustard vinaigrette; cassoulet: cannellini beans, soyrizo, onion, garlic, herbs de provence)

Polenta topped with Caponata
(eggplant, red bell pepper, onion, tomato, vinegar and sugar)

Truffle Oil Popcorn

Double Chocolate Stout Brownies


Lastly, yesterday's trip to Talkies to check out the Cleveland Indie Club: it was my first visit, and I came away impressed - the films shown and the level of discussion was really focused and relevant. I went to drop some copies of my film music demo reel (want a copy? e-mail me) and network a little and succeeded at both.

The trailers and movies were really well done -- it's nice to see the intersection of lower entry costs to DV and people with good film ideas coming together. "Turkey Day" (by Louie Cowan), "Vader: The Wonder Years" (if you ever see this -- watch for the "cost of the pizza" joke), and the trailer for Bigfoot that guest Bob Gray talked about. The "sizzler" trailer succeeded in whetting interest to see this when it's finished. His discussion of the nuts and bolts of getting his film to a distributor were punctuated with a copy of the "standard" contract that the unnamed distibutor wanted him to sign (hint: it's good to have lawyers who are also investors in the film).

This month's group was hosted by Bill Johns of CineVid Productions (who also showed the film "The Last Straw" he made at the Robin Hood in Kent last year), and kept things moving despite having to run into the basement to switch DVD's ;) -- I'm looking forward to next month's meeting...

Cartoon Genocide?

(INT: Disney corporate offices)

Bob: (VP of licensing) "hmm... we've been having thousands of these licensing meetings -- yet no one during this time thought to say -- maybe this one in particular wasn't such a good idea?"

Larry (Disney corporate lawyer): "yes, but we're getting a shitload of money"

Bob: "oh... I guess it's OK then"

Frank (Sales Account Rep): Well, it looks like a good thing we turned down the "Nemo Nuggets" account after all...

posted (thanks to Craig for the link)

...currently residing in the "where are they now file"...

no, not me -- Johan... (courtesy of a Google Alert set for "cleveland" and "music"). He was
the guy who booked stuff for the Agora and used to co-host the show "Inner Sanctum" on WENZ back in the mid-90's.

(wait for the M-105 reference...

An eclectic night of electronic music

Friday, October 22nd
At the Hi-Fi Club (http://www.hificlub.info)
11729 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood, Ohio

With performances by:

Lushwell (http://www.lushwell.com)
"Independent artists, lushwell combine break-through technology and
more traditional instruments to create an infusion of electronica and
genre's spanning from rock, r&b and pop. All three members combine
their musical talents, thoughts, and philosophies to create an emotional
journey for the listener. "

Subliminal Self (http://www.subliminalself.com)
"Dark synth-pop punctuated by dance beats with influences ranging
from Depeche Mode and Gary Numan to Clan of Xymox and Attrition"

20goto10 (http://www.20goto10.us)
"20goto10 cultivate[s] its kinetic synth pop sound through trial and
error, emerging with something at once startlingly fresh and fluent in
the aural syntax of classic synth music."

Along with:
Ethereal Transmission (http://www.etherealtransmission.com)
and
DJ Leandro

The show starts @ 8.00
Admission is $5.00 for 21+, $8.00 for 18-20
Proper ID is required

Weather Channel's Greatest Hits

I'm not sure which is weirder -- that I like some of the music on the Weather Channel's "local on the 8's" or that they have a playlist with all the tracks for the month.

The promo version of the upcoming Subliminal Self CD "Chapter and Verse" is out now, hit Patrick up for a copy before they're all gone! For a sneak peek check out "Chaos Of Emotion" (radio mix).

A new film is out featuring some of my soundtrack work -- "Gloom" is a nifty DIY horror film -- available now on DVD from First Cut Studios.

A remix for Canadian poet Wayne Mercier is now out for "This Poem". It's sort of a homage to the style of Ken Nordine.

An original track for a compilation idea that never seemed to take off -- :30 or :60 pieces for TV shows that don't exist -- called "Imaginary Themes": Quinn Martin was the result.

shhh... I don't know who this is singing, but it's a cool track...

Local News

Two entries today on the failings of local news both hit the nail squarely upon the head...

The first piece is an open letter to a local station from someone in the "18-34 year-old female demographic." NSFW if repetative swearing makes you laugh out loud and attracts the boss.

The second is a top ten pet peeves list from the St. Louis Dispatch.

I suppose these could apply to any of my local newscasts as well -- if I actually watched any of them.

The crack of the bat...

What the hell is going on at SportsCenter these days? They've taken to muting the background sound of the announcers during baseball highlights and adding sound effects.

The one that bugged me today was highlight of the Houston/Pittsburgh game which was doubly weird as it was an ESPN2 game. Pop-ups sounded like gunshots, curveballs smacking into the mitt -- apparently the guy fell asleep for one clip as there was no crack of the bat on a Jeff Kent double. It reminded me of the old M*A*S*H episode where they faked the '54 pennant drive.

While we're on the ESPN audio tip, what was up with the sound during the NBA draft tonight? Lost in feedback and weird reverb was the general nonsense of Steven A. Smith (wait, that's not a bad thing). I understand they're piping it out to the house PA, but man, get that intern away from the console. Either put them in a booth, or move the monitors!

And as you can tell by the nature of this post, I have officially run out of things to write about on this blog...

5 Random Links (Holiday Edition)

1. Zork vs. Hamlet -- Text based adventure with the tortured Dane...

2. sonic scope quarterly .pdf magazine

3. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (and others) by a Japanese beatboxer

4. Rodeohead (mp3) -- a c&w medley of Radiohead (also check out the Tron Rock Opera.

5. bizarre record collection

St. John's Wort

Liz rented "St. John's Wort" (a.k.a. Otogiriso) this week and after all the storms yesterday, we finally had a chance to watch it... similar to "Ringu" (The Ring), it shared stylistic DNA (TV's tuned to dead channels, color manipulation) and a sense of forboding mixed with a "twist" ending (that could be seen coming from a mile away).

I liked it, Liz... not so much.

5 Random Links

1. Hey Hey 16k (flash)

2. CRT track (mp3)

3. Alton Brown

4. Zube Tube (mp3)

5. Smartelectronix Competition

5 Random Links (all music related issue)

1. Adrian Belew Commericals (Windows Media)

2. Yamaha Pulls Out Of Pro Synth Market

3. Microtonal Wikipedia

4. Computer Music at Bell Labs

5. A cover of Joe Jackson's "Sunday Papers"

Swimming Pool

Liz rented this the other day (mostly because it starred Charlotte Rampling). Brief Synopsis: English mystery writer (Rampling) takes a much needed summer vacation to her publisher's house in the south of France to get her mojo back. Tension and jealousy ensue when the publisher's daughter Julie -- the tarty Ludivine Sagnier -- shows up unexpectely and begins bedding half the countryside. You begin to get the sense that something isn't quite right at this point -- and it isn't.

As in "Adaptation" once the murder is committed, things go downhill quickly -- Rampling's character gets almost giddy as she helps Julie dispose of the body and burn all the evidence. I'll skip the spoilers in case you want to watch it... and as someone pointed out elsewhere, there are worse things in the world than sitting in the dark watching Ludivine Sagnier naked for almost two hours.

Smell-O-Rama

While out on my daily walks I've had the chance to sample the many and varied aromas of my neighborhood: laundry, cinnamon(?!), barbecue, freshly mown grass and it's evil twin ChemLawn. That shit makes the back of my throat seize up like a mofo.

In my tiny little hamlet, there's been talk that the three lakes of the village have been getting damaged by the Canadian Geese that like to hang out. We have some in our smaller lake in the back yard as well. There been an increase in algae that they think is coming from the goose crap, so they either want to shoot the geese, or put out feed that causes the goose eggs to die. Like the geese one day said -- "hey, I know, lets start going to those lakes!" They've been here longer than the village, dumbass. I think some folks just don't like all the noise they make this time of year because it's egg laying time and they get very territorial when other geese try to come around their nests.

Then, somebody pointed out that, because the lakes are all fed by the runoff drains and storm sewers from the rest of the village that perhaps the lakes were getting filled up with lawn chemicals. Hmmm... you think? Every time I walk by these run-off after a rain, I can see and smell the shit in the water.

Since then, things have been quiet from the "kill the geese" camp, although I know they'll make a comeback soon enough...

5 Random Links

1. July/August 1977 Synapse Magazine

2. Dead Man Eating

3. Typoholism

4. CyberPanHandling For Tuition

5. BurgerPerfect

5 Random Links:

1. Strong Bad Atrai 2600 Game

2. D & D Turns 30

3. Playstation 2 -> PC Case Mod

4. Garmin ForeRunner With Satellite Maps

5. YamEdit

5 Random Links

1. Word HTML Cleanser

2. DigiPen Institute of Technology

3. Internet Radio 1 | 2 | 3

4. Circuit Bending Video

5. FoodExpert-ID Array

Kitchen Confidential

Despite some of the back room kitchen drama on Saturday, I should point out that the front of the house had no idea (unless they read this) of the equipment failure -- they just liked the food. While it was hardly a tragedy, it was just enough to throw me off for two courses. But, if that's the worst thing that happens while doing these tastings, then we're doing OK ;)

The good news was that we sold the second most amount of wine in two years of tastings -- almost 17 cases...

Random Links

1. Star Wars Kid vs. Kill Bill Trailer

2. Northside vs. Southside

3. Foam

4. London Booted

5. Afraid Of Swords!