Tawdry Talk

take the which one of the trading spaces cast are you? quiz!

http://www.bearfinder.com/ is a new site I’m running. It’s a personal/classified ads site with soon to exist picture galleries and some other fun stuff.

I hope y’all visit it and maybe even sign up and place an ad. Who knows, you may find the bear of your dreams.

and the server support staff can’t physically locate the server. it’s been down since someone accidently remotely rebooted it, but apparently something else happened.

this is why i almost always hate this kind of work.

One of my best friends, Ned, was a coach for Skip Music’s Stairway to Stardom, an award-winning music education program located here in Sacramento. For the past six weeks or so, he’s been mentoring a group of novice musicians into the semblance of a band. The program is sort of like little-league for musicians. You sign up and pay the fee, and based upon experience level and area of interest, an aspiring musician get matched with a group of other musicians and a coach. The coach then meets with the group once a week to discuss aspects of songwriting, arranging, and performing with a group - all with the goal of forging them into a band. This year, there were twenty such bands, ranging in size from three to five members, mostly four, though.

My friend’s group, who had named themselves “The Flaming Muffin,” were a four-piece group of two boys and girls, all of whom were between 13 and 16 years old. One of the girls had to drop out at the last minute, but Ned was able to convince them that they would be strong enough as a three-piece, and that the show would be fine.

At the end of the coaching and rehearsal period, Skip’s puts on a big show for the groups. Mostly, the audience is comprised of parents, siblings, and teeny-booper fans, who fill up the conference room of the Holiday Inn dressed up with stage, lights, sound equipment, and a sea of folding chairs. The parents, laden with camcorders, signs, and strollers, wait semi-patiently for their young star to take the stage.

Of course, if one is not a parent, sibling, or teeny-bopper fan, the wait for your friend’s wunderkinds is a rather noisy one, interrupted by potential genius. There were a few of these groupings that had someone with true talent. A young girl singer with a real sense of melody and already very good phrasing; the bass-playing boy prodigy; those two speed-demon guitarists who traded off tasty licks; and in my friend’s group, the thirteen-year-old drummer, who drove their music with passion and control. These and a couple of others amazed the audience with their native talent and obvious dedication.

It was a strange day, one which left my ears a bit tinny, but one I was glad to have witnessed. That the arts are alive in this place, is a notion that gladdens my heart, and makes me hopeful for the future.

x. name = My full name is Paul Porter Vincent Brown
x. birthday = February 11, 1966
x. piercings = None anymore.
x. tattoos = None yet.
x. height = 6′5″
x. shoe size = 16
x. hair color = Black-Auburn
x. length = short
x. siblings = 2 sisters, 1 older, 1 younger
x. pets = none

Last…
x. movie you rented = Don’t remember, it’s been that long.
x. movie you bought = “LOTR- Fellowship of the Rings”
x. song you listened to = “Stuff Like That There” by Kelli on American Idol
x. song that was stuck in your head = “Ame Ame” - Japanese Folk Song
x. song you’ve downloaded = I don’t download - that’s stealing.
x. CD you bought = “The Producers - Original Broadway Cast”
x. CD you listened to = “Older” - George Michael
x. person you’ve called = My partner Rick
x. person that’s called you = My carpool partner Glenn
x. TV show you’ve watched = “American Idol”
x. person you were thinking of = Rick

Do…
x. you have a bf or gf = Yeppers
x. you have a crush on someone = No
x. you wish you could live somewhere else = Sometimes, yes
x. you think about suicide = Not in many years
x. you believe in online dating = Yessiree http://www.bearfinder.com/
x. others find you attractive = I suppose
x. you want more piercings = Eventually, I may get pierced again.
x. you want more tattoos = That would imply having tattoos to begin with.
x. you drink = Yes, barely.
x. you do drugs = Occassionally, I’ll eat a brownie.
x. you smoke = Not since before Thanksgiving 2001.
x. you like cleaning = Sometimes.
x. you like roller coasters = They are fun.
x. you write in cursive or print = A little of both
x. you carry a donor card = Yes

For or against
x. long distance relationships = Doesn’t matter to me.
x. using someone = What does this mean?
x. suicide = I can’t imagine being in favor of ending life by your own hand.
x. killing people = Everyone has a right to live.
x. teenage smoking = Against
x. doing drugs = Adults should have the right to do whatever they will, as long as it doesn’t infringe upon another.
x. premarital sex = Always sample the goodies in advance! hehehe…
x. driving drunk = Dumb question. Against.
x. gay/lesbian relationships = Duh.
x. soap operas = Neutral.

Favorite…

x. food[s] = Japanese, Chinese, Thai, French.
x. song = “Begin the Beguine”
x. thing to do = Spend quality time with friends and loved ones
x. thing to talk about = Anything and everything. Nothing’s off-limits
x. sports = basketball, tennis, swimming
x. drinks = water, gin and tonic
x. clothes = shorts and a t-shirt
x. movies = Too many
x. band = Too many
x. holiday = Halloween
x. cars = Chrysler 300m

Have you…

x. ever cried over a girl = no
x. ever lied to someone = Yes
x. ever been in a fist fight = yes
x. ever been arrested = yes

What…
x. shampoo do you use = Clairol Herbal Essence
x. perfume do you use = None
x. shoes do you wear = Kenneth Cole sandals, Teva sandals, Nike slip-ons.
x. are you scared of = swimming at night and running into a fish or a corpse.

Number…
x. of times I have been in love? = 2
x. of times I have had my heart broken? 3
x. of hearts I have broken? = 2
x. of boys I have kissed? = check with my accountant
x. of girls I have kissed? = a dozen or so
x. of men I’ve slept with? = don’t know
x. of girls I’ve slept with? = Seven
x. of continents I have lived in? = One
x. of drugs taken illegally? = at once? two or three
x. of people I would classify as true, could trust with my life type friends? = 8 non-relative friends
x. of people I consider my enemies? = None
x. of people from high school that I stayed in contact with? = 4 or 5
x. of CD’s that I own? = a few hundred
x. of times my name has appeared in the newspaper? = 3 or 4
x. of scars on my body? = ten or so
x. of things in my past that I regret? = just one.

moist, moist, moist, moist, moist - yee-ha! ok, so i’m still moist about getting my car back - i’m sure it will wear off soon, but not too soon, i hope.

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this past saturday marked the final installment of the Trash Film Orgy, and it was a big success! We had the director show up for an interview segment before the show and during intermission, and he surprised us by bring two of the stars of the film, Rat Pfink and Boo-Boo, Carolyn Brandt and the other guy, whose name escapes me at the moment. We also had internet darling Ouchy the Clown, a Clown Dom, show up with his brand of comic S/M, along with TFO’s regular helping of zany antics.

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Yesterday was devoted to installing the “seaside ledgestone” facade onto our fireplace in the family room, a task best devoted to a mason, or at least that’s what I would have thought, but Rick had other ideas. My tasks involved washing off the mud that had accumulated on the pallet of stone that we had delivered earlier in the week, mixing the pigment into the mortar to make it match the color of the stone, carry the stone to the jobsite, and providing aesthetic commentary to Rick, whose job it was to actually lay the stone. If you have never done this sort of work before, believe me, you don’t want to. I moved well over a ton of stone, washed it, examined it for pattern and placement, and convinced Rick that a particular stone belonged in a particular place. Mixing the mortar wasn’t so bad - place a sixty pound bag of mortar in the mixer, stir in a pound of pigment, add water, and push the mixing cylinder around the patio until well combined.

We got about halfway done with the job yesterday, and decided to stop to allow the mortar to set before continuing. If you move too quickly, the stone can collapse under its own weight.

I must admit, I didn’t want to take on this particular project without talking about it more, but Rick has done this sort of stuff before, and urged me to trust him. I didn’t particularly care for the stone he chose (I was at work) but after cleaning it carefully, I can see the subtle pattern in the stone.

Just as soon as it’s done, I’ll post up a link to some pics of the process.

oh…my…gawd…i…got…my…car…back!

These past two weeks have been the most unbearable of the bunch. I have been dreaming about sitting in my car; imagining myself behind its leather bound wheel, feeling those 250 horses flexing. It’s been too much to deal with.

So when yesterday afternoon around 1600 the body shop called me and said, “Mr. Brown, your car is ready,” I just about fell out. I send a quick email to my boss, and boogied out the door. 30 minutes later, I was picking up Rick and heading to the shop to get my beautifully restored car. I am truly amazed at the skill of the shop in making the car look like new.

Man, I’m moist.