AliThinks

I Love It So Much I Want To Marry It

One day back in October my boss asked me if I was interested in tickets to see The Decemberists (that night!) at UK's Singletary Center. Allan and I had a previous engagement, so I said no. I regret this. I especially regretted it when I found out after the fact that they were front-row seats.

The Decemberist's latest album, The Hazards Of Love, is my latest thing. At least as far as music goes. Some of you reading this may be thinking I'm so two-thousand-and-late (apologies to The Black-Eyed Peas and Rich Copley), but cut me some slack. I'm old. 

Here's the thing. I know some of the Decemberists' music from hearing it on Radio Paradise, and I like it. I started listening to The Hazards of Love after they played their Lexington show, first on the work iPod, then I bought the thing. This is the kind of album you have to sit down and listen to, kind of like Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon, Terrapin Station (shut up), or Grace. Or Summerteeth.

The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. It got me back into listening to an entire album. For years I've been listening to streaming radio, and I'd forgotten what a well-crafted album can sound like when you listen to it in its entirety. It makes me wonder what else I've been missing.

Is it weird that I just made myself a little salad of spinach, a roasted beet, and a few walnuts? At, like, midnight?

Do Re Mi

Beer... I need to drink some beer
Ray... the guy who sells me beer
Me... the one that drinks the beer
Fa... a long long way for beer
So.... I think I'll have a beer
La.... and then another beer
Tea... no thanks, I'm having beer

and that brings us back to beer, beer, beer, beer, BEER.

Stolen from ClevelandK8.

So, Yeah.

We ran into a friend tonight, and he ribbed me about the fact that I haven't blogged since the end of November. (Hi, Doug!)

It's true. Once NaBloPoMo was over, I dropped this blog like the hot potato it is. Oh, WHATEVER! That was a really crappy metaphor.

The truth is, I was relieved that I didn't have to write something in this space here every day. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy blogging again. I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going to draw the line, and it's easier to curl up with a book [or the Internet. -ed.] than think about what's fair game for posting here and what's not. 

It's been a rough week. I'll return in a few days.

On A Lighter Note

I went to the dentist today, because I have some issues with grinding, and I have a very sensitive spot in the gums above one molar. When I got home, I told Allan what the dentist had said, and he said "It sounds like you have the same problem I have."

We compared notes. I'll spare you the details; suffice it to say we do the exact same thing.

Allan said "I wonder if the cats have given us some disease?"

I replied, "What, like Feline Something Syndrome?"

He said, "Feline Frustration Syndrome!"

Then he said, "Otherwise known as," and in unison we yelled "For Fuck's Sake!"

Then we laughed. Maybe you had to be there.

I've Come This Far

I really don't feel like writing (but it is NaBloPoMo), so I'm just going to make this quick. Before yesterday's sad news, I had plans to go see Ben Sollee in concert here in town. My friend Rebecca and I still went, and it was wonderful. And while I can't seem to make any words leave my brain, someone I know did. Maybe it's a cop-out on my part, but here's what Tom Eblen had to say about the show. He got some great photos in the very low light. Oh wait, I do have something to say: Sollee has an exquisite voice.

To finish, I'll post one of Ben Sollee's videos. Because you need to see and hear him.

Sorrow

Our dear friend Beth lost her daughter, Kiersten, quite suddenly last night. While I never met Kiersten, I know she was a constant source of light and delight to her parents.

My heart broke today on reading the news. And I really have no other words.

Edit: Here are some words:

About Kiersten

I Love A Parade

Late this afternoon the city of Lexington held its annual Christmas parade and lighting of the tree. The marching band I'm in participated in the parade, and I wanted to share our routine with those readers who might be interested.

This video was filmed at our last practice, and it mostly shows the hoop girls so that they could watch the video and get the routine down pat. Our bell glockenspiel player had to leave practice early, so you can't hear his essential part in the beginning. Here's the medley: Carol Of The Bells ➞ Hazy Shade Of Winter ➞ Snow Miser ➞ Ice Ice Baby ➞ Here Comes The Sun ➞ Let The Sunshine In. If our videographer posts tonight's performance on YouTube, I'll post it here. It's really much better when we're in costume!

So Yesterday...

...I dyed my hair red. Well, I didn't do it; my stylist did. And it's red. Not only is it red, it's "WOO-HOO" red. It's so red, it apparently makes my green eyes look blue. (I don't get it either, but that's what two people on Facebook said.)

Yeah, I posted a photo of my hair (and face) on Facebook. I don't know if I want to post it here.

In other news, the duck was delicious, as was all the other food. We still have pie to eat, blueberry pie, which we bought from Moveable Feast. But while I'm not stuffed, I don't really want to eat any more.

I'm definitely thinking pie for breakfast.

UPDATE, 22:25: I ate a sliver of pie. With a smidgen of vanilla ice cream. It. Was. Good. I still want to eat some for breakfast, though!

Prep

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Allan's brother Mike will be here, and the three of us will nosh on a duck and several side dishes, which I still haven't quite decided on. (I did see this recipe on Clotilde's blog and made it. Of course, I probably shouldn't cook the green beans with bacon now.)

Tonight I started preparing the stuffing, although I really should call it dressing, since I probably won't stuff the bread mixture into the duck. Damn food safety guidelines! I made the spaghetti squash casserole I linked to above, and will probably roast the assload bunch of CSA beets I have languishing in green bags in the fridge. Allan doesn't like beets, and I have no idea if Mike does, but I plan on eating some. If I have to eat them the entire weekend, so be it.

Tomorrow I'll clean what needs to be cleaned (read: everything), and stick the duck in the oven. Allan remembered that his blog friend Jo of Amuse Bouche had live-blogged the slow roasting of a duck, so we decided to follow her lead and...roast a duck. I'll use some of the duck fat to roast a few fingerling potatoes. We'll eat, and it will be good.

It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all. I'm giving thanks, though, for things too numerous to list.

Lurve

Lurve, originally uploaded by Alison.

On Self-Confidence

I thought I had a subject for this blog entry, which had nothing to do with self-confidence and everything to do with the upcoming American holiday. Then I got to thinking about some of the great writing I've read recently, whether it be in books, on the web, or in the local paper(s).

And I wished I could write like that again. Please note, I am not fishing for compliments, so don't think this is a cry for ego-stroking. It's just an observation: I'm not as habile with the written word as I once was, if I even ever was.

That fact got me thinking about self-confidence, and what a shaky, fragile thing that can be. One day I'll look in the mirror and like what I see. The next, I'll be horrified at some flaw. Some of my flaws I have control over, and some I don't. I can't change the crease in between my eyebrows or the size of my ribcage. I can protect my skin and my smile and my body by taking certain measures.

I can become a better writer by reading good writing, and by practicing writing, which means not suddenly thinking "Oh shit, I have to write a blog entry!" at 8 o'clock in the evening. 

What part of you are you self-conscious about? What do you need to "work on"?

The Block

I never wrote much about it, probably because it was hard to parse my feelings. Here's one blog entry I wrote on the subject (some of the links within are now dead). Life went on in Lexington. The Dame re-opened, then closed less than a year later. Buster's just re-opened in September. Longue vie à Buster's.

This past Friday evening, a local photographer presented an exhibit of photos and paraphernalia from the block that used to be the heart of Lexington. Richie Wireman was given access to the site by the demolition company, and he found an incredible number of artifacts, easily disproving the mayor's claim that "nothing of consequence ever happened on that block." Here are a couple of articles about Wireman's show, and they will give you the information that you might need. First, from Ace Weekly. Click on "11.18.09 - Visual Block" — it's a PDF, but it's worth the read. And our friend Schankula wrote it. Next, a piece from the Lexington Herald-Leader. If you're local, pick up the latest issue of North of Center (their only online presence is a Facebook fan page); there's a good article in there, too.

The highlight of the exhibition was a 10- or 15-minute slideshow comprised of comprising [thanks, bhd] hundreds of photos Richie Wireman took on the block throughout the years. It was set to live music, and it was a very moving piece of work. By the end, I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I said to Allan, "The weird thing is, I've only lived here for three and a half years!"

This is a very condensed version of the slideshow. Perhaps it will give those of you not in Lexington a sense of the loss the city suffered when those buildings came down.

Comments

Longtime readers of this blog know that I usually answer comments with a personal response. Lately, I haven't been doing so, and I blame it on Typepad and Gmail. It should be easy* to answer your comments, but Gmail is crapping out on me in this regard. I thought Typepad made it easy* to answer your comments within the blog entry (and that it would be all threaded and all that, and you know what I mean), but no.

This means that for the time being, I'm not going to answer you personally, or maybe even at all. Please know that I do read and appreciate every comment. I hope this information doesn't deter you from commenting. One of these days, I will overcome the ghost in the machine. 

*Mmm, yeah, easy. Pardon me for wanting some things, including responding to blog comments, to be easy. It doesn't mean I love you any less. Really. The Gmail blog-responding works for Allan; it's not working for me. :\

It's Late And I'm Tired

Untitled, originally uploaded by Alison.

...so here's a photo. It's a couple of months old. For a little more info, click on the pic.

Working The Retail

I work part-time in a book store. It's a very cool job, and most of the time I love it. Today, however, I dealt with some difficult customers.

One woman stuck her head in the door, said "I'm going to make this quick," then proceeded to suck my brain dry for the next fifteen minutes. She was looking for a particular book, and when I showed it to her (and she discovered it was a series), she began to hem and haw over the price, and which ones to get for her grandchildren, and could they share.

[Note to lady: not only can your grandchildren share, they SHOULD share.]

Then she pointed to one of the books in her hand and said to me "How do you know that's the second book in the series?" I pointed to the number on the spine, and said "The number is on the spine." This kind of thing went on for a while, meaning I repeated information to her about 80 billion times, and then she asked why the latest book in the series didn't have a "#1 New York Times Bestseller" teaser on the cover. I had to explain that it had been released fairly recently, and wouldn't automagically appear on the bestseller list. Except I was much nicer about it, and didn't use the word "automagically."

  *****

On Writing

NaBloPoMo has forced me to put something in this space every day, but I don't really consider what I'm doing here writing. I'm out of practice, I can't think of anything to say half the time, and it's just filler. To be honest, I'm pretty embarrassed at how crappy some of these blog posts are.

One of my goals and hopes in participating in NaBloPoMo was to find the spark again. So far I haven't felt it, but I do feel the need to write. I have things to say (but perhaps not here) and stories within me. Somehow I've got to coax them out.

Unidentified

Unidentified, originally uploaded by Alison.

Been a while since I've posted a photo. I took this last Friday night at the Green Lantern.

One Of Those Days

Usually time passes far too quickly for my taste (um, 2009? Where did you go?), but this has been the longest day I've experienced in a while. It's not been a bad day by any means. It's just been long. Maybe it's a case of the Novembers; it's barely 7 pm and I want to go to bed. We're still having very mild weather, so perhaps a walk around the block is in order instead.

Should We Talk About The Weather?

It's been gorgeous here in Kentucky this past week. The temperatures have been warm, the sky blue, and the breezes gentle. It makes it hard to believe it's the middle of November.

Over on Facebook there's a meme going around; you're supposed to post something you're grateful for as a status message, and this, every day until Thanksgiving. I haven't done it at all, but if I did, I'd post about the weather. I'm so grateful for this beautiful, mild fall weather. 

The weekend has caught up with me. It's time for bed. I'll answer the piled-up emails tomorrow.

What I'm Talking About

In my last post, I mentioned being out of my comfort level, and how a lot of that feeling had to do with the number of women with über-straight blonde hair.

I've thought about it some, and I realized a couple of things. OK, realized isn't the right word. Remembered. I remembered a couple of things about myself. One, I'm intimidated by certain women. Two, I am constantly — CONSTANTLY — comparing myself (usually unfavorably) to other women.

Put me in a room with a hundred tall, thin, blonde women in designer jeans, and it's a double whammy.

There's a lot more to this, but that's as deep as I'm going to go right now. I haven't been this personal in this space in a long time, and I don't want to go too far. Not yet.

Late, Later, Latest

They say it's best to write a blog entry early in the day. That never worked for me all that well; I had things to say after my day was done. And so here I am, at 2 am on Saturday morning, writing my Friday the 13th blog entry.

I'm tired yet wired, so I hope writing this will help me wind down. We attended a fundraiser tonight, and it pushed me way outside my comfort zone. And that's a good thing. It's not good to get too cozy; a little danger helps ward off complacency.

Anyway. Fundraiser. Comfort zone. I'm hesitant to even mention why I felt out of my element, but I will say that there was a LOT of flat-ironed blonde hair.

That probably makes absolutely no sense to anyone but me. My apologies. Maybe tomorrow I'll explain further. Or not.

Moar* Music

I know I've talked quite a bit about music here recently, but that's because it's going on. Tuesday night we saw the Wailers; tonight we're seeing the Asylum Street Spankers (a band I'd never heard of until a month ago). Last night we could have seen the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, but we stayed in.

There's so much live music in Lexington, it's just amazing. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to see so many great bands. And the local music scene is just as incredible.

And that's my little quickie post for today. Time to eat dinner and get ready to go. W00t!

*apologies to I Can Has Cheezburger.

One Drawback

...to NaBloPoMo is that you have to write a blog entry every day.

"Duh, Alison," you're saying. "That's the point."

It is the point, and there have been a couple of slacker days where I've ruined posted three lines. And here it is, 9 pm, and I haven't written today's blog entry yet. It's Veterans' Day, and I haven't mentioned that fact anywhere, although many have. A Facebook friend wrote this, and I couldn't agree more:

a sincere thank you to all the veterans of our military as well as the currently active. however, in my heart of hearts, i wish "we" could evolve far enough to never need your service in the first place.

Here's to the those men and women who've fought for our country. Thank you.

And today Lexington lost a landmark, "Shoeshine." He was a downtown fixture, and he died of a heart attack this afternoon. Here's to Shoeshine. Rest In Peace.

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da and all that. Our flawed, cracked, beautiful lives go on. Here's to them.

Score!

Allan won two tickets to see the Wailers tonight. A perfect ending to a pretty darn good day.

White Trash Nation

The other day we were driving behind a huge pickup truck, a Ford F-350 —I think— in any case, it was so large it needed a double set of back tires. A pair of shiny silver testicles dangled from the hitch.

And I just sighed and thought it was an example of the worst and the best in this country. It's the worst because, just, eww. Nobody wants to see that, not even a shiny metal caricature of it. It's the best because some guy (it had to be a guy) had an idea and was able to see it through to actual sales. GO, AMERICA!

Allan (who gets props for the title of this post) could see the driver from his vantage point. He had a mullet.

So, you wanna see the photo or not? Because you know I took one.

Edit: The yeas have it. All three four of them. Photos after the jump.

Angry

So last night history was made when the House of Representatives passed a Health Care Reform bill, 220-215.

Not to get all über-feminist on you, but it is truly HIStory. In this health care bill, women get the shaft. Pun intended. Let's all bend over, ladies.

I'd be elated that we are on the way to health care reform in this country if it weren't for a little thing called the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which will make it illegal for even private insurers to cover abortion costs. Planned Parenthood has a great explanation:

The Stupak/Pitts amendment violates the spirit of health care reform, which is meant to guarantee quality, affordable health care coverage for all. In fact, this amendment would create a two-tiered system that would punish women, particularly those with low and middle incomes, the very people this bill is intended to assist. The majority of private health insurance plans currently offer abortion coverage, and the Stupak/Pitts amendment would result in the elimination of private abortion coverage in the ‘exchange,’ the new insurance market created under health care reform, as well as in the public option, if one is created.

I'm angry, because although I'm lucky enough to be able to afford birth control (and an abortion, if I ever needed one), this amendment means that so many other women will not have access to such care.

Abortion is a legal procedure that has helped millions of women stay on course with the lives they want to lead. Nobody wants to have an abortion. But sometimes the condom breaks. Your antibiotic interferes with your Pill. Or, worse, you're the victim of rape and you get pregnant. 

It's unconscionable that health care coverage for a legal procedure is being tampered with, especially on the private level. (There's been no public funding for abortions, except in certain cases, since 1977.) 

This post is not meant to spark a moral debate on abortion. I am firmly pro-choice; I always have been and I always will be. If you think abortion is wrong, that's your prerogative. But as it's a legal (yes, I said it again. LEGAL.) medical procedure in this country, the debate needs to lie with whether the government has any right to legislate the private insurers' coverage of it.

I know, how ironic. I'm rooting for the private insurers on this one, but only because I'm rooting for women and their rights. And the Stupak-Pitt amendment relegates us to second-class citizen status.

Trippy

Another thing we have in Lexington is a most excellent music blogger whose name is Matt. His blog, You Ain't No Picasso, is full of info, videos, mp3s, and the like. Today he posted this video for Grizzly Bear's song "Ready, Able," stating

...this video is a really draining ordeal. Why? Well, there’s something emotionally taxing about watching a lot of scary acid-nightmare monsters slowly melt and reform, soundtracked by Grizzly Bear’s already-dramatic song.

Well, I kind of like the scary acid-nightmare monsters. But then I'm a sucker for claymation and stop-motion. I like the song, too. In a related note, just two days ago I read in a forum that the Grizzly Bears' album was the best of 2009. (Me? I thought it was The Decemberists' Hazards of Love.) I'd never even heard of The Grizzly Bears, and here are two references in three days. 

Check out the video and tell me if you think it's scary or way cool.

I Need To Invest In A Good Set Of Earplugs

There's no shortage of live music in Lexington. Local, regional, national, and even international (I'm looking at you, Os Mutantes) acts have their place here.

We just got back from seeing Ekoostik Hookah, and WOW. One of my big brothers is a huge fan, and I can see why. Fun stuff. For a jam band, they rock out. (Because, um, when I think "jam band," I think "Grateful Dead," and WE MISS YOU, JERRY!)

My point is that I am so glad there's a lively music scene here. It feeds my soul.

There's more I could write, but my ears are ringing and I just need to sit. And yeah, I'm totally backdating this entry. It's 2 am on Saturday.

Could It Be?

...that things are changing round here?

Lexington is getting another roundabout. There are two I know of, a dinky, stupid one on Reynolds Road, and a new one out at the Horse Park. I've long said that this city needs more roundabouts. And if you live in Lexington, you know how STUPID the traffic is here. Putting a roundabout at certain intersections would help the flow of traffic.

It's true that a roundabout takes some getting used to, but really, the concept is quite simple: Yield to those in the roundabout. If you are turning right or going straight, stay in the outside lane. If you are turning left, get in the inside lane of the roundabout. USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL.

It's true that I became adept at navigating roundabouts in France. This past spring I heard that my département, la Charente-Maritime, was a pilot département for roundabouts, so we have more than the rest of the country. I haven't verified this. In any case, I love them. LOVE. 

So it's good news to me that we are getting another roundabout. I may have to head over to that part of town, just to drive on it.

How do you feel about roundabouts?

More info:

Roundabout Safety and the Modern Roundabout

Alaska's Roundabout Website (chock full of information!)

Photos of Roundabouts

Edit: Mama really needs to edit before she hits Publish.

On Health Care

Several weeks ago, in a comment to a ranty post about SUVs, a reader (Salut, Jean!) challenged me to write about the health care issue from the point of view of someone who's experienced a different system. 

Here, then, is How I See It:

• Health care should not be a privilege that only some can afford.
• Barack Obama is not a Marxist, or even a Socialist.
• I'm willing to pay taxes for roads, schools, police and fire protection, and libraries. I'm also willing to pay taxes for health insurance.
• My French example for Americans: I gave birth to two children over there. They were normal births, yet I stayed in the maternity ward for five days each time. The only charge was for the telephone line (I didn't have a cell phone at the time). Why such a long stay? To make sure both the babies and I were healthy. Preventive care, it's sometimes called.
• I had 200 € ($295) withheld from my last French paycheck for health care costs. 150 went into the national pool, 50 went to my mutuelle, or complementary insurance. That's a lot of money, but I never worried about what would happen to me financially if I had an accident or got really ill. Oh, and that was a monthly paycheck.
• We're all in this together.
• Healthy citizens make for a healthy country.
• If there is no public option in this health care reform, then it's not reform.
• Medicare and the VA system are socialist ideas that (mostly) work for different sections of the population. We need a system for everybody.

There's more, of course, but that's just a short list of top-of-my-head thoughts. I read a great blog entry by comic strip author Dan Piraro yesterday, and I encourage you to read it too. Here's a select quote: 

People opposing health care are afraid the government will control their lives. Right now, huge corporations control our lives by controlling our health care and virtually every other aspect of our lives. At least I can vote against a government. I have no recourse against CEOs.

I encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. I'd love for some of my American bloggers in France to pipe up. If you disagree with me, pipe up. Oh, and I will answer comments with comments, rather than a personal email.

Testing

A few commenters said they'd love to see the marching band in action, and I'm going to try something which may not work. Most of the videos folks take of us end up on Facecrackbook, so here's a link to some of them. Let me know if you are able to view them (and if you have an FB account or not).

My theory is you won't be able to view them, but I want to be sure. And as I don't want to exclude those who don't have a Facebook account, I'll find videos of us on other websites like YouTube and Vimeo.

Quiet Night

The house is quiet tonight. We're sitting silently, companionably. There's not much to say tonight; the house is quiet.

Here I Go

OK. I'm going to try NaBloPoMo again. If anything, it will be a good exercise in writing and self-discipline, right?

I've been rather silent here about personal things, but if we are friends on Facebook, you'll know that Allan and I have a pretty rich social life. I suppose one could blame Facebook on what seems to be an across-the-board lassitude with blogging. I'm not the only blogger who's cut way down on posting. To some degree I suppose it's true: Facebook has a more immediate feel to it, plus, you can really control who sees what you post there. 

In any case, let me write a bit about an activity (and a big part of that rich social life I mentioned) that's held me captive (in a good way) for the past 8 months. I'm in a marching band. I play the flute.

This is not just fanfares and John Philip Sousa. This is funked up music performed by some of the most creative people I've ever met. We play music written by Quincy Jones, James Brown, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Edgar Winter, among others. We have a troupe of dancers called hoop girls, who accompany us with joy, grace, and beauty.

We've been noticed, too. We were asked to play at Louisville's Forecastle Festival this past summer, and last night we held the attention of 1000 people who were at Buster's to see Man Man.

But this isn't just about patting the collective group on the back. (Although, seriously, people? We. Are. Awesome.) It's about how much pleasure I get from playing music again, performing for people, seeing their reactions to the marching band (which really ought to have air quotes around the "marching" part; we strut and mosey and dance), and feeling the creativity and love pouring out of my fellow band mates. 

It's hard to find the words to express all my feelings about the March Madness Marching Band. I'm out of practice with writing, and feel I'll fail if I even try to explain. And while it might sound hyperbolic, I'm pretty sure this is one of the best things that's ever happened to me.

I'm Thinkin' About It

Nablopomo. That's National Blog Posting Month, in case you're not a blogger, or you're a blogger who lives under a rock.

It's a great concept. Post a blog entry every day. I used to do that, almost. These days? Not so much, obviously.

I'm not sure I'm ready to commit. On the other hand, it's great to complete a project. And my writing muscle could use a little exercise. 

Anyway, I'm just throwing that out there.

An Open Letter

Dear Lady In The SUV Trying To Pull In The Parking Lot Which I Was Leaving,

Perhaps if you had had both hands on your steering wheel, instead of one on the wheel and the other on your cell phone, you would have been able to make your turn without waiting for me to pull out. Really, I wasn't in the middle of the parking lot entrance. I wasn't blocking you in my little Honda Civic. And I took a risk leaving the parking lot when I did, because it was hard for me to see around your large vehicle.

Next time, SUV Lady, hang up your damn phone and just drive. 

Sincerely,

Alison

EDIT: I don't have anything against SUVs per se. I realize they can be useful automobiles. I just can't see around or through them!

I Want To Be A Part Of It

Sometimes I write little blurbs in my head, things I think I should post here, but either the moment passes or I forget the phrasing I'd come up with.

Such is the case now. We just got home from a week in New York City, and I'd come up with a clever way to mention it here. Except I forgot. I know it had something to do with food. And walking. And [insert gushing words about New York City here].

I keep a little notebook with me, not that I remember to use it. Because I really need to write this stuff down.

Anyway, um, hi. *blows away the cobwebs*