I just got news last night that one of my favorite online record shops is shutting down at the end of October. Fake Science is a small enterprise that sells a limited selection of downloadable ambient electronic albums for a mere $5 (USD) each. That's nearly free to those of you in Europe and a bargain even if you're in Canada nowadays.
Unfortunately, I guess what was good for us wasn't so great for the founder of Fake Science, and so they're shutting down at the end of this month. Go now — and hurry! — if you'd like to get your hands on some of Ultimae's "Fahrenheit Project" compilation series for a good price, or Rena Jones' "Transmigration," or Adham Shaikh's releases, or a few other goodies. And thank you to Fake Science for being such a great service these past few years.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
These are a few of my favorite things...
I didn't really know what to post after writing last week about my friend Marjorie's untimely death. Nothing seemed worth saying. But I started thinking about positive things, and some of the little things in life that make me feel good, and I thought I'd share a few here.
1. Shoes that fit. Yes, that's right. I love to walk, so it's important that shoes feel good even after I've been walking for a long time. Even better: going shoe shopping and trying on a brand-new pair that feel so fabulous that you know they're the right choice.
2. La Taqueria (25th and Mission Streets, San Francisco)
These are truly the best tacos and burritos I've ever had, in part because their salsa is so good. Years ago—when I first went to La Taqueria—I ate cilantro for the very first time in my life. Their formula hasn't changed, and I've been hooked ever since.
3. Train travel. I'm not talking about transit systems like the SF Bay Area's BART— I mean real train travel, with comfy seats, great views, beverages, and bathrooms. Like the Eurostar, or the train systems in many parts of Europe, or the Amtrak routes on the east coast of the USA. And...well, Caltrain is pretty good, too.
4. Salads as a meal. I just love a big salad that's full of good stuff and lots of variety...you should be able to get all the food groups into a salad and top it with a delicious vinaigrette, and that's all you need.
5. Music. Of course. But not just the downtempo and world fusion and trip hop and other good stuff that people associate with me, but also flamenco, and fado, and classical music like Bach's cello suites (because the more melancholy it gets, the more beautiful it sounds).
6. Bookstores. Even though I get many of my books via Bookmooch these days, I love going to a real bookstore that's jammed full of books and magazines on every topic and thumbing through books and yes, even buying them.
7. Hardware stores. This might surprise you, but I find hardware stores fascinating. I've always been clueless about construction, but I'm a sponge for information about it. I love to just browse in hardware stores and find little things that I didn't know existed, but which solve a problem I've been dealing with for a long time. I like the tools, too.
8. Red wine. Strong varieties, like Malbec and Shiraz and Merlot and Médoc, to name a few. But I got a taste for white wine spritzers while I was in Switzerland, too.
9. Solving problems. This kind of goes with the hardware store. I like solving problems, but I'm not keen on process. I'm the type who likes to throw a solution at something and see if it works. If it doesn't, then I try something else.
10. A comfortable sofa. Isn't it great when you sink into an insanely comfortable sofa? The kind that makes you want to lean back, relax, take a nap, read a book, or hang out and chat with your friends? Where your legs are the perfect distance to the floor and your back feels like someone just gave you a massage?
These are a few of my (many!) favorite things.
1. Shoes that fit. Yes, that's right. I love to walk, so it's important that shoes feel good even after I've been walking for a long time. Even better: going shoe shopping and trying on a brand-new pair that feel so fabulous that you know they're the right choice.
2. La Taqueria (25th and Mission Streets, San Francisco)
These are truly the best tacos and burritos I've ever had, in part because their salsa is so good. Years ago—when I first went to La Taqueria—I ate cilantro for the very first time in my life. Their formula hasn't changed, and I've been hooked ever since.
3. Train travel. I'm not talking about transit systems like the SF Bay Area's BART— I mean real train travel, with comfy seats, great views, beverages, and bathrooms. Like the Eurostar, or the train systems in many parts of Europe, or the Amtrak routes on the east coast of the USA. And...well, Caltrain is pretty good, too.
4. Salads as a meal. I just love a big salad that's full of good stuff and lots of variety...you should be able to get all the food groups into a salad and top it with a delicious vinaigrette, and that's all you need.
5. Music. Of course. But not just the downtempo and world fusion and trip hop and other good stuff that people associate with me, but also flamenco, and fado, and classical music like Bach's cello suites (because the more melancholy it gets, the more beautiful it sounds).
6. Bookstores. Even though I get many of my books via Bookmooch these days, I love going to a real bookstore that's jammed full of books and magazines on every topic and thumbing through books and yes, even buying them.
7. Hardware stores. This might surprise you, but I find hardware stores fascinating. I've always been clueless about construction, but I'm a sponge for information about it. I love to just browse in hardware stores and find little things that I didn't know existed, but which solve a problem I've been dealing with for a long time. I like the tools, too.
8. Red wine. Strong varieties, like Malbec and Shiraz and Merlot and Médoc, to name a few. But I got a taste for white wine spritzers while I was in Switzerland, too.
9. Solving problems. This kind of goes with the hardware store. I like solving problems, but I'm not keen on process. I'm the type who likes to throw a solution at something and see if it works. If it doesn't, then I try something else.
10. A comfortable sofa. Isn't it great when you sink into an insanely comfortable sofa? The kind that makes you want to lean back, relax, take a nap, read a book, or hang out and chat with your friends? Where your legs are the perfect distance to the floor and your back feels like someone just gave you a massage?
These are a few of my (many!) favorite things.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
R.I.P., MEB
Today I received news that a longtime colleague of mine passed away after a battle with brain cancer.
I knew she was ill and I was in contact with her through the spring. In the past couple of months, her condition worsened. She was lucky to have two caring brothers and a core group of friends to give her round-the-clock support until the very end and they even set up a Yahoo Groups site to communicate with each other and with us.
She knew what she was up against. I spoke with her not long after her diagnosis last summer. Her cancer was a really invasive one: glia, I believe it's called. The prognosis was horrible and there was no reason to believe she would beat the odds. She was very clear about it and quickly set about with organizing her papers and her affairs while she was still able. She was pragmatic above all else.
Even if she had survived, the affected area of her brain was the part that processes language. She lost the ability to communicate: both what she said, and what was said to her. I can't think of what could be worse for someone who valued words, language, and clarity more than anything else. At first, it was just a few words here and there, but when I saw her a few months ago, she had trouble remembering the name of her cat.
I worked with her for 10 years. In fact, we used to live on the same street and commuted together to work until we both moved elsewhere in the late '90s. For seven years, our cubicles were next to each other. I think the biggest shock for me was when she was diagnosed: knowing that she would never -- and could never -- be again the person I used to know, the natural-born mentor of editors.
The news today was less of a shock, at least so far. Her condition had worsened to the degree that there was nowhere left to go but death. That doesn't make it any easier. So tonight I am thinking of Marjorie: the most passionately erudite editor I've ever known. Rest in peace.
I knew she was ill and I was in contact with her through the spring. In the past couple of months, her condition worsened. She was lucky to have two caring brothers and a core group of friends to give her round-the-clock support until the very end and they even set up a Yahoo Groups site to communicate with each other and with us.
She knew what she was up against. I spoke with her not long after her diagnosis last summer. Her cancer was a really invasive one: glia, I believe it's called. The prognosis was horrible and there was no reason to believe she would beat the odds. She was very clear about it and quickly set about with organizing her papers and her affairs while she was still able. She was pragmatic above all else.
Even if she had survived, the affected area of her brain was the part that processes language. She lost the ability to communicate: both what she said, and what was said to her. I can't think of what could be worse for someone who valued words, language, and clarity more than anything else. At first, it was just a few words here and there, but when I saw her a few months ago, she had trouble remembering the name of her cat.
I worked with her for 10 years. In fact, we used to live on the same street and commuted together to work until we both moved elsewhere in the late '90s. For seven years, our cubicles were next to each other. I think the biggest shock for me was when she was diagnosed: knowing that she would never -- and could never -- be again the person I used to know, the natural-born mentor of editors.
The news today was less of a shock, at least so far. Her condition had worsened to the degree that there was nowhere left to go but death. That doesn't make it any easier. So tonight I am thinking of Marjorie: the most passionately erudite editor I've ever known. Rest in peace.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Blue Angels blues
For the past few days, the Blue Angels have been shrieking across the sky overhead San Francisco with their death-defying antics. I know the board of supervisors tried to stop the war games over my city, but they were unsuccessful...I'm not sure why. Anyway, this dangerous air ballet is totally nerve-wracking...my cats are hiding, and I can't stand looking overhead. Why is it that I'm not allowed to drive over 50 mph on the Bay Bridge, but a 21-year-old kid who's jacked up on adrenaline is allowed to fly dangerously -- at high speeds and very low to the ground -- over a densely populated area?
Thursday, October 4, 2007
"It's the most wonderful time of the year"...already
For the past three weeks, I've been getting Christmas catalogs in the mail. Already. It's the usual suspects: LL Bean, LL Bean Home, LL Bean Travel, LL Bean Women, LL Bean Kids, LL Bean in Second Life (joking!), Crate and Barrel, West Elm, and more clothing catalogs from lesser-known sellers. I might have gotten Pottery Barn, too, but recycled it immediately because I can't stand Pottery Barn and I've already got one just five blocks from my flat, which I scurry past without looking every day.
So...this doesn't excite me, this four months of Christmas. Rather, it depresses me. It used to be that online or catalog shopping was my salvation from the crowds -- I could avoid the horrible holiday jingles in the stores and that awful feeling you get when you're in a department store with too many mirrors and too many shoppers.
But not now. I'm hunted by the catalogs....there they are in my mailbox every day, appearing again even as I recycle the previous ones, sometimes growing more bloated in size as the number of weeks to Christmas -- still in the double digits, right? -- draws nearer. I'm getting more catalogs than I am pre-election drivel this year.
Look, I understand what a big deal the holiday season is for retailers. But with the US dollar sinking below the Canadian dollar in value...and almost $1.42 to the euro as I write this -- I can't help but feel that the catalogs are clawing at my arms as I drop them into my recycling bin. I'm sorry, catalog retailers, I know you're counting on us to save the USA...but we have big troubles ahead, and I just don't feel like shopping right now.
So...this doesn't excite me, this four months of Christmas. Rather, it depresses me. It used to be that online or catalog shopping was my salvation from the crowds -- I could avoid the horrible holiday jingles in the stores and that awful feeling you get when you're in a department store with too many mirrors and too many shoppers.
But not now. I'm hunted by the catalogs....there they are in my mailbox every day, appearing again even as I recycle the previous ones, sometimes growing more bloated in size as the number of weeks to Christmas -- still in the double digits, right? -- draws nearer. I'm getting more catalogs than I am pre-election drivel this year.
Look, I understand what a big deal the holiday season is for retailers. But with the US dollar sinking below the Canadian dollar in value...and almost $1.42 to the euro as I write this -- I can't help but feel that the catalogs are clawing at my arms as I drop them into my recycling bin. I'm sorry, catalog retailers, I know you're counting on us to save the USA...but we have big troubles ahead, and I just don't feel like shopping right now.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
operaspotting
It's not the first time that I've seen them, but it's always a delightful surprise. These two opera singers sometimes appear at the train station during my morning commute. They have incredible voices and it's a shame that everyone passing through there is usually too much in a hurry to stop and listen.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
I think it's gonna work out fine...
Feeling lazy today. I have plenty of things I should do... but I'm not doing them yet. Instead I did useful things this morning like yanking unwanted cookies off my computer, and yesterday I uploaded a new downtempo podcast and only had to redo my xml code three times before it actually appeared in iTunes.
Meanwhile, the cats are starting to figure out how to live together. Since it's only been a week and the older cat has pretty much stopped hissing, I'm hopeful that they'll be respectful companions when I'm not at home. Judging by this photo, I think that's possible.
Meanwhile, the cats are starting to figure out how to live together. Since it's only been a week and the older cat has pretty much stopped hissing, I'm hopeful that they'll be respectful companions when I'm not at home. Judging by this photo, I think that's possible.
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