Any of you who live in South Brooklyn or the Carroll Gardens area need to be aware of a big thing going down in our neighborhood. An established battered asian women's aid group is trying to open a sanctuary/shelter in our neighborhood and has met knee-jerk, frequently xenophobic opposition from some neighborhood residents. Though the facts are too much to into here, opponents gone as far as publishing the address of the shelter and planning to stage a rally in front of the building, which is just absurd considering it's a place where women and childern are supposed to hide from abusive husbands and partners. Now residents who are opposed to this kind of behavior and supportive of opportunities for battered women to escape and start a fresh life are getting organized and have started successfully getting local politicans and citizens together to show that these people do not speak for the rest of us.

For more information and ways you can help if you live in the area, please visit the blog of a group coordinating awareness and outreach.
posted by Robotpolisher 7:43 PM :: (0) comments

Like I needed to tell you this, but it is entering the week of Bling Kong Insanity. Next Thursday, provided you're around New York somewhere, you owe it to yourself to be at pianos. Yes you do.
posted by Robotpolisher 7:33 PM :: (0) comments

Best comment so far about my impending citizenship:

Me to officemates: Whooo hooo! I got my swearing in date! I'm gonna be one of you guys!

Officemate: Martin, I don't care what the paperwork says, you'll never be one of us.
posted by Robotpolisher 1:56 PM :: (0) comments

Alright, so who's going to buy me tickets to the new Eddie Izzard show? Hmm... I thought so. Damn.
posted by Robotpolisher 12:53 PM :: (0) comments

Wow.

The GF just called. "Hey! You got a letter form the INS, you want me to open it?" I've been getting a lot of these lately since those people apparently think it's a good idea to send you 12 different letters notifying you that yes, you did change your address with them within the 10 day deadline for furriners.

But not this one, this one says that my citizenship swearing in date is October 9th, 8am at a courthouse on Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn.

After years of paperwork, stress and dealing with inhuman beurocracys wondering if anything was ever going to come of the whole thing (and okay, to be fair about 16 years of figuring out whether or not I wanted to actually do it), I'm actually gonna become a U.S. citizen. In two weeks. I'm honestly so shocked that I don't know what to say.

So there you have it: Wow.
posted by Robotpolisher 3:35 PM :: (0) comments

'God had other plans for me. I guess there's something more he's got for me to do, and who am I to argue?' His voice trailed off and he stared ahead, quietly for a while. Until I asked him if he was angry with God for being left to do it on his own. He sat upright in his wheelchair. 'Never. Never!' His dark eyes blazed. Then he smiled. ' My arms', he said 'are too short to box with God.'

Johnny Cash's Last Interview. Go read it.
posted by Robotpolisher 3:21 PM :: (0) comments

These people should be fucking ashamed of themselves.
posted by Robotpolisher 3:02 PM :: (0) comments

Oh and as a last installment in tonight's orgy of blogging: If you're in New York and looking for an appropriate way to toast the memory of The Man in Black, you should come down to the Johnny Cash Open Mic night at Sparky's Ale House in Brooklyn. Starts at 8. Basically just pick a song and get up and play it. Or hang in my second living room and drink a beer and sing along. Sure there's going to be 30 different versions of Folsom Prison Blues, but hey, that's almost the point isn't it? Spread the word.
posted by Robotpolisher 9:21 PM :: (0) comments

And in a move that does my heart some SERIOUS SERIOUS good, Swedish police have apparently nabbed the rat bastard suspected of killing Anna Lindh. They caught the guy at a pub across the street from Sweden's national soccer stadium where he was watching the game. What truly creeps me out is that Anna Lindh's widowed husband and their two sons were at the game across the street. Which could of course just be a ghastly coincidence, but god only knows. Sigh.

Either way, it's been kind of uplifting to see how much international coverage the thing's gotten, and how sympathetic most of it's been. There's been a number of right wing bloggers and other assorted assholes who have taken this moment to make snide remarks about how Sweden should wake up and join the 21st century by hiding all of their politicians away in bunkers, and how they're amazed that they hadn't gotten around to banning knives yet. But for the most part coverage has depicted what a tradgedy it actually is, especially personally for her family and for the people who admired her. And these two articles in particular I think kicked an astounding amount of ass.
posted by Robotpolisher 9:03 PM :: (0) comments

So things are pretty good in the grand scheme of things. Spent the weekend watching Lost in Translation with Mr. Scowl (go see it), having an impromptu beer fueled Young Ones marathon with Eric ("Up Scumbag! Up Scumbag!" I'm very proud of us for making it through both seasons in one sitting...) and playing a last minute show with On the Sun on sunday. Realistically the show could have gone a hell of a lot better. We'd had two practices in 3 months before the show, played everything about twice as fast as it should have been and apparently the sound out in the audience was absolutely painfully abysmal. But all the same it was good to be playing and I'm deeply appreciative to the folks who made it out at the last minute. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to get our acts together and turn it into something slightly more of a real band soon, which would be really, really nice since for some reason of late I've been feeling like my time for getting another CD releasing, touring, not-my-friends fan having band together again is passing me by daily.

The new place is coming along pretty fantastically as well, though largely thanks to the GF and less due to me. I'm a little worried about this whole approaching storm of the century action though, since I have no idea if everything in our basement's suddenly going to be floating up the stairs when (if!) it floods.
posted by Robotpolisher 9:03 PM :: (0) comments

Fussbudget already pointed this out and I think any NYU alum had a feeling it'd happen sooner or later but it looks like someone has actually leapt to his death inside NYU's Bobst Library's cavernous atrium. Lord knows I spent enough late nights there in something of a super dismal mood, but ack! The GF claims a couple of years ago someone tried to but apparently got caught on the holy railing and was pulled to safety. Jesus that's creepy. But as fussbudget said, what IS it about NYU and people committing suicide. Happened a couple of times while I was there, though usually it centered around the Hayden dorm and various hangings or jumpings out back windows.

HOOkay, enough of that, look! Cute Baby Zebra! Phew, that's better.

[update the next day after a good night's sleep: I'm a jackass, of course that's not a Zebra, it's a ferret. A deformed ferret, I'll grant you that. So severely deformed in fact that it looks a little bit like a zebra. In fact just as John Hurt is known as the elephant man, Bacon Sandwich here is known as the Zebra Ferret. Okay the Young Ones references need to stop.]
posted by Robotpolisher 4:39 PM :: (0) comments

Chuckle.
posted by Robotpolisher 10:46 AM :: (0) comments

Little did I know, but apparently Brooklyn Brewey gets all it's electricity from wind farms upstate. I knew I liked them for some reason other than their good beer and fantastic block parties.
posted by Robotpolisher 8:32 PM :: (0) comments

Hey what are you doing on Sunday? Oh that's right, you're going to see one of my bands play, sorry my bad.

On The Sun (you know, your favorite rock and/or roll band with members of Killowatthours, The Barbarianz and the mighty Bling Kong) have got a last minute show at Pianos this Sunday 9/14. We're playing with Matches FC and the fantastically named Gay For Johnny Depp. It's 6 bucks and we go on at 9:30, and really let's face it, you should go.
posted by Robotpolisher 8:12 PM :: (0) comments

I get the feeling that this is kind of what it looked like from the grim reaper's perspective:


Sigh. What makes it even odder is that the GF, Zeke and I were sitting last night on our new back deck, the tribute in lights popping out over some neighboring buildings playing, among other things, Johnny Cash songs and commenting on how since June died, it's almost just a matter of time. Well either way, he'll be missed.

And as much as he's not generally credited with being as much of an American icon as Cash, the death of John Ritter strikes a weird chord with me since, as more than a few of you probably know, I largely learned english by watching Threes Company reruns. It's a long story, but make of it what you will.

Strange days, I tell ya.

posted by Robotpolisher 3:36 PM :: (0) comments

Could say a bunch of things about 9/11 but it's passed as a relatively normal day, or at least one that was weird in ways I hadn't actually counted on. But maybe it's this persistent cough I can't seem to get rid of that makes me feel especially like this guy's got it pretty dead on about how angry any of us who lived near this whole thing (or worked at or near ground zero in the next few days) should be about being lied to about our health.

Signed up for the study they're doing, too, just for the hell of it. Be nice to know something. But what I can't get over at the end of the day is how all this research is geared towards people just in Manhattan, like the river was ten miles wide and the wind was blowing north that day or in any of the days following. Our neighborhood got fucked up by the whole thing, far worse than many others in the "study area" and it's being steadfastly ignored. That newsday article's from a year ago, but nothing's changed. And looking back, I guess I was worrying about it even 6 months after the fact.

So two years later, I think I'm kinda more frustrated than anything else. Not sad, maybe, just kind of aggravated by how incredibly fucked up the world has turned out since and because of the events of that day. And there you have it.
posted by Robotpolisher 7:37 PM :: (0) comments

From the Smith/9th subway platform this morning.

posted by Robotpolisher 3:05 PM :: (0) comments

Truly sad, but after 10 hours of surgery Anna Lindh has died.

I moved to America when I was real young and I still remember watching the TV news in New Jersey with my family in 1986 when Prime Minister Olof Palme had been shot and feeling very far away. Living in New York City, these days, the last few days around 9/11 have been thick with so many sad memories that it's an amazing shock to hear of Lindh's death. And once again to feel like I'm on the other side of the ocean with concerned emails going to the relatives at home just as they came from them two years ago. My mormor (grandma) is apparently "crushed but collected" and with some other relatives so she doesn't have to be alone for this. Pictures from home show people just in shock and memorials springing up everywhere.

What's amazing is how much everyone keeps repeating how well respected and loved she was, even by people who oposed her politics entirely. Based on everything I'd read from over here, including her vocal opposition to Bush's "lone ranger" unilateralism I was definitelly a fan and considering that she was widely thought to be next in line for the premiership, it's depressing to imagine what could have been.
posted by Robotpolisher 10:58 AM :: (0) comments

Yes folks, it's almost here again: September 19, International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
posted by Robotpolisher 6:23 PM :: (0) comments

Gotta admit, I'm glad Fussbudget and Angsthase moved out of Athens.
posted by Robotpolisher 6:10 PM :: (0) comments

Kind of unbelievable actually: Swedish Foreign Minister Stabbed in Store. I've always kind of been a fan of the fact that Swedish politicians don't need or at least don't want the kind of entourages and big mansions with high metal fences that American politicians seem to require to keep them seperated from the unwashed masses. I mean imagine Colin Powel getting stabbed while shopping at Macy's with a friend. Your first question might well be "what the hell was he doing without bodyguards around" rather than "shit, why would someone do that?" But I guess together with PM Olof Palme's assasination back in the 80's (gunned down walking home from a movie theater), maybe this proves that that kind of lifestyle for politicians is a little naive? I dunno, it's just really saddening either way, especially since she's always seemed pretty admirable for a politician...
posted by Robotpolisher 3:37 PM :: (0) comments

Power Mac G5: drooool.
posted by Robotpolisher 11:24 AM :: (0) comments

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don't understand.


How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

posted by Robotpolisher 11:08 AM :: (0) comments

So Fussbudget did a quite thorough job of describing a lot of the insanity that went on this weekend, and some part of me wonders how worth it it is to go into all the details and everything, especially since 90% of what happened are so inside joke related (see hand-fan post below) that it's debatable whether they merit writing about.

What I can tell you (the possibly un-initiated) is that it was a great weekend, and I've realized that one of the best things in the world must surely be to find yourself somewhere you've never really been before surrounded by friends you only know by from other contexts. Like JT and D looking basically perfect standing in front of hills of grapevines, the sun low and one solitary wispy cloud hanging in the sky, getting "oh hell yeah" married. And Achren, Fussbudget and Angsthase's faces as the San Fran Muni bus's door slammed in their faces with me and the GF on the other side, accidentally carrying us off to another part of town without them. Getting to swing the GF around a wedding dance floor, me all monkey suited up in my communion suit (good call mike) and the GF looking jaw-droppingly amazing, sneaking cigarettes on the deck and watching the sun setting over the hills together. A bunch of us getting stupid drunk by the motel hot-tub, me slicing my hands open trying to open a cider. Sassy pointing out that on the jetblue flight we had personality TV going on: GF watching anmal planet. Me watching the History channel. She watching A&E (but do they show gay porn on A&E? Hmm...) A milllion stupid jokes and laughs at various deserving peoples' expenses. And maybe most of all, seeing Aphid, basically my oldest friend on the planet, driving me around the beautiful area he now calls home and describing all the quirks and ups and downs of North Californains, who we both mutually agreed are just kind of weird. We drove all over the place and saw a ton of things in the time we managed to squeeze in between wedding obligations, but what I only realized in retrospect is that whatever we were doing, we were just talking and catching up, like we didn't live on seperate sides of a continent. And that, ya see, rocks...

So yeah. All the congratulations in the world to JT and D, and here's hoping they're staying safe from the Jaguars.
posted by Robotpolisher 10:47 AM :: (0) comments

People in S.F. are funny.


A ton to say about this weekend, the wedding, the hanging out with friends long-since-last-seen and otherwise... Right now, I'm still suffering from the red-eye back and trying to just focus. Focus.
posted by Robotpolisher 2:50 PM :: (0) comments

Hand Fan.
posted by Robotpolisher 2:26 PM :: (0) comments

Oh and, Bling Kong's home page is now actually up and kicking w/ something resembling actual content. Comically enough, Mobius who put the site together put a link to this here page on the links page so now (if the referrer logs are correct), a whole bunch of people who never knew this thing existed now know. Faaantastic. Welcome. : )
posted by Robotpolisher 1:36 PM :: (0) comments

Howdy. Sorry it's been forever since I wrote anything but it's been an insane week. In no particular order: Got the whole old place packed up (mostly). Moved over to the new fabulous place (with help from a bunch of amazing and much appreciated friends). Got sick as a dog, which really didn't help w/ moving. Made many trips to the 24 hour Home Despot in Red Hook. Stood around marvelling at how fucking amazing our new place is going to be once its all set up. Fretted about how exactly that was going to happen. Had a photo shoot for Bling Kong (at which I got pantsed. Whoo hoo 7th grade!). Ended up barbacking a massive ass birthday party at Sparky's that left my back pretty much about ready to snap in half, but actually kind of enjoyed. Drank a lot of Nyquil and cheap beer (not simultaneously). Was told by Eric repeatedly, "Man, you STILL look like shit." Realized how happy I am to be out of our old place.

So yeah, finally back at work. Not much of a labor day weekend to speak of (except for all the laboring going on...). And now the weather's turned fantastically cold and dreary, as if just to remind me that I somehow managed to miss the whole month of August. But things are lookin' pretty good so who am I to complain...
posted by Robotpolisher 1:35 PM :: (0) comments