Started reading: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I read Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell years ago and enjoyed it, so am really excited for this one. 📚

Finished reading: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Nihilistic, weird, brutal, and well observed. I really liked it. 📚

Started reading: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. One of those books I never read. This is one of those books I probably wouldn’t have appreciated when they were required reading, but am loving now. 📚

Finished reading: Sourcery: A Discworld Novel. As with any Discworld novel, its total escapist fun, with the problems of the real world layered in. Some of the probably-progressive-seeming-at-the-time characterizations of Conina could be left back in 1988, but overall really enjoyable. 📚

Started reading: Sourcery: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett.

Finished reading: Bea Wolf, by Zach Weinersmith and illustrated by Boulet. An adaptation of Beowulf for children, and absolutely delightful.

Sometimes, all I really want is to flip everyone off and disappear to rock music.

I have a problem with perfectionism. One effect of that is I don’t post here as much as I’d like. To address, I’m changing my posting strategy. I’m going from, “Is this good enough?” to “Is this not harmful?”

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’” —Issac Asimov

In my notes, I found some fairly sparse thoughts on listening to Lita Ford’s solo career for the first time. I don’t know why I was listening to it, or what I had in mind when I was taking down notes. Perhaps we can all figure it out together.

I went track for track, jotted down a tiny observation, and gave up after less than two albums. Here’s my essential thoughts in full.

Out for Blood (1983)

1. Out for blood Rocker. Pretty standard hair metal fair.
2. Stay with me baby A little slower, but still upbeat. Has a fun intro bass line if I remember right.
3. Just a feeling Down the middle power ballad.
4. Ready, willing, and able Mean, heavy riff. Stomper.
5. Die for me only Screeching metal riff. Galloping.
6. Rock n roll made me what I am today Hard rocker, more in line with later Runaways runes. Shout-along-style chorus.
7. If you can’t live with it Another dark, similar to “Ready, willing, and able”, but more melodic and less mean.
8. On the run Rolling fast number. Production seems worse than the rest of the record, hard to hear her voice. Maybe it’s the copy?

Dancin’ on the Edge (1984)

Bigger more pop production than the first album.

1. Gotta Let Go Mid-tempo Motley Crue-type rocker, but with more melody.
2. Dancin’ on the Edge A little more expansive, more like a driving metal song.
3. Dressed to Kill Slower, but not quite a ballad. That 80s heavy metal slow-ish attempt at epic.
4. Hit ’n Run Hornier riff, more swing.
5. Lady Killer Talk opening. Another big riff. Not much to distinguish. Gang vocal chorus.
6. Still Waitin’ Driving riff, more pop-oriented. Like a pale version of I Hate Myself for Loving You.
7. Fire in My Heart No comment.
8. Don’t Let Me Down Tonight No comment.
9. Run with the $ Heartbreakingly, no comment.

The trick is, how do I bring how I’m naturally funny and myself to an unusual situation, aka on stage. —Heavily paraphrased from Conan O’Brian

I have a note from years ago reminding me that a stylized illustrated collage I saw in an art gallery was very cool. The piece was called Kabuki fox and the night mice…, it seems to have won the Harriet Tannin Award, and I can’t find it anywhere online.

Finished reading: But now am found, by Patricia Horvath. Beautiful short story collection, each a compact gut punch.

I got to perform the rare Cat’s Cradle improvisation form in front of a sold-out audience Friday night. It was a thrill to play with such an extremely talented ensemble, and the crowed loved it. Can’t wait to do it again.

I limited all my blog’s RSS/JSON feeds to 50 items, after realizing Hugo defaults to no limit. Hopefully that will be kinder to parsers.

I haven’t worn dress shoes in a while. Inside the pair I was about to put on, I found a packet of Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard. Truly deranged.

I did a little analysis of my Letterboxd watch list, to see if there were any interesting patterns. Since the data export only includes the date I added it to the list, the title of the movie, and the … Read more

Started reading: But Now Am Found by Patricia Horvath 📚.

Finished reading: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Breezy fun for people who like to think 📚.

Started reading: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi.

Finished reading: A Subversive’s Guide to Improvisation by David Razowsky. It took me about a month. I found the biography section pretentious and long winded, but found the improv philosophy and practices inspiring 📚.

I spent the day alone walking around New York City. I got a burger at a diner, bought a bunch of books at the The Strand, and saw Scream VI. Everything was glorious.

I just learned that I’ve seen 17 Cate Blanchett movies, which is 18% of the amount of films she’s made. I don’t know what to do with that, but there it is. 🍿

I saw Cocaine Bear last week in theaters, and it was joyous, grind-house, B-movie fun. I see so many reviews miss the point: it’s not Citizen Kane, it’s Citizen Toxie. 🍿

As an exorcise, I’ve been trying to curse less. This morning, out of nowhere, our cat Rocco sunk his nails into my ass. There goes that exorcise.