Guardian of the Non Sequitur

I bought some new shorts – summer is here you know. Lots of pockets. Nice fit. Brown denim. They look nice now, but I’ll be wearing them all summer.

There was a pocket with a big cardboard label on it that said “Cellphone Pocket”. I guess owners of cell phones are so stupid they can’t figure out what to do with them. That would explain why they’re ALWAYS talking on them.

Anyway this “cellphone” pocket is the ideal size for 3×5 index cards and a pen. And the battery never fails on that.

In other news, I canceled the Call Notesâ„¢ on my phone. About 6 years after I should have. (It used to be a business expense.) At $8 a month, here are the pluses and minuses of Call Notesâ„¢. Continue reading

They want to make my head explode, don’t they?!

Friday night was the Continental Club’s first prom with Molly & the Ringwalds and the Disco Expressions putting on a great time. The $10 cover was waived if you were dressed in your prom-finest. Lots of fun. Saturday I took it easy, perhaps because I felt a bit of the cold that was obvious by Sunday afternoon.

Sunday went to the Houston Roller Derby. Funtastic time, as always. Despite not feeling too great, I had to make it to the afterparty. Adam Fisher was serving up the bbq there; Roller Derby Phil from Austin was loving the bbq – two sandwiches worth.

But I was most super-happy to see Matt at the bout and after party. He has not been seen in a few weeks; his life was in Supersuckville. I hope he’s getting back into life. It was good to see him.

Monday I laid low, camping out in bed with nasty cold, until the Heroes finale. Which marked the official end of TV season – time for summer.

Just watched this movie.

In college I used to meet weekly with some new friends to play bridge. Before we got into the card playing, we watched Twin Peaks as it was first coming out, giving backstory to those who were new to it.

It was bizarre and intriguing like nothing else before or since on TV. We would have interesting conversation over cards on the symbolology of various aspects of it. Most of those involved were Plan II majors and thus too smart for their own good – my kinda people.

It struck me as I was watching this prequel that David Lynch as Gordon Cole reminded me of Greg Henkle.

Washed my truck, did some yard work, did a podcast (#13, without the Colonel), cleaned some house, cooked some pork chops. I wasn’t really in the mood for going out, but it was Peter & James and Grenadine convinced me (didn’t take much really).

Ran into all kinds of people I hadn’t seen in a while: Kerry Whitehead, Stig Daniels + Cameraman Dave (?). Also those I had seen in a while but wasn’t expecting: Ramiro (his mother is improving (in the hospital)), Christy Kern, Pasadena Stevey (just back from recording in Austin), Mitch Pauls, and Dr. Trombone Bill. There were of course the regulars: Trey, Janet, Jack, & Nick.

I had forgotten that Governor’s Chair – James Noles (guitar and lead singer), Chuck Chavira (lead guitar and vocals), Charlie Earthman (bass guitar), and Joe Earthman (drums) – was playing last night. We caught a few songs there.

Some nice music from the Light Rock Light, and a bit of a late evening.

Here’s an article against corporate infringement into the art car scene. It’s more invective because of it’s harsh title – which is just typical “journalism”. I heard a few discussions on this topic at the many events I was at. Mostly, the corporate cars don’t show for the quirky events and thus don’t effect the “counterculture vibe”. The parade is a media event, and I fully expect corporateness to show up for a 250,000 person crowd.

I heard one major complaint about the McDonald’s shoe visiting schools on Friday. It’s a reasonable complaint, though one not shared by all artists. The complaints about the Shoe’s stereo being too loud are much more common.

What humors me the most is the social elitism of the comments to the article on the Chron’s web site. (“It’s not art because I don’t like it.”)

Is commercialism driving off fun of the Art Car Parade?

A few say sponsors detract from the event’s counterculture vibes

By SARAH VIREN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
May 13, 2007, 9:57PM

Patrick Stanley exhausted his supply of souvenir hard hats an hour before Houston’s Art Car Parade started Saturday. Each bore the name of the construction company he works for, SpawMaxwell, just like his art car, a 1958 Edsel Pacer.

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