Here comes sickness

So it seems that my aching wasn't from the snowboarding wipe-out after all; it's from being ill! Last night I was hit with a sore throat, runny nose, fever, headaches, etc. It's not the end of the world since I have a pretty high pain threshold and hardly ever get sick. In fact, I think I could have powered through it with business as usual, but I've been farting a lot. Big, stinky farts that I don't want to take to the GR office. Wendy doesn't think that has anything to do with being ill and it's true that flatulance is not listed among symptoms on a Theraflu box, but I swear it's related. Maybe it's from swallowing phlegm or something?

So I spent the day at home and never even put on my contacts or shaved. Look at how burly yet intellectual I am.

Head on the couch and face toward the TV.

Around 10:00, I got a phone call this morning from GR store manager Michelle. She asked if I was going to be on Sawtelle. When I told her I was actually at home, sick, she was stoked. It turns out that she received my text message saying I'd be out, but didn't know who it was from. She thought it was from a store worker, and was hoping I might be able to fill in. When she realized it was me that was sick, she was so excited and happy.

I don't know if I'm happy to be sick, but it's nice to have time to dig into the stack of DVDs tI have to catch up on...

The screener of Taste of Tea arrived days after I bought an expensive import.

In the clear cases on the left are a bunch of Japanese movies that Viz is going to release: Linda Linda Linda, Train Man, Funky Forest. Viz is already dominating the world of manga, and now they're showing good taste in live-action flicks. I didn't tap them today, but I did watch the other three.

Clockwise from the top: You probably already know about The Host, the Korean blockbuster monster movie. What can I say, but it's awesome. Director Bong definitely knows his monster movie conventions, but it's the family dynamics that make it interesting. Next one down is the director's cut of Fearless. There's at least one more fight scene and the parts with Michelle Yeoh have been restored. (No, they're not the same.) It's definitely worth seeing, especially since it's how Ronny Yu intended it to be seen. Finally, there's Still Life. This is the newest movie of the bunch. My friend Prodip recommended it because of the UFO footage, but that's really not what the movie is about at all. It actually address the Three Gorges Dam and how it affects people.

Time for one more movie...

Divergence

Just got a preview copy of Benny Chan's Divergence from Tartan. The movie is about a hitman, a crooked lawyer, and cop. Our friend Daniel Wu plays the hitman, and the American packaging is cool becuase it's got pictures of him all over it--almost nothing of (actual) Heavenly King Aaron Kwok and no sign at all of Ekin (Nike spelled backwards) Cheng.





More evidence of Dan kicking ass in HK. He's doing press for his new movie soon... look out pics in the gossip rags!

Everybody needs a bosom

Last night we brought some food from GR2 to the new parents, Angelyn and Carlos. They don't sleep or get out as much these days, but they're definitely stoked on the whole process. I made sure that they went out earlier in the day and wouldn't be getting out of their pajamas just for us.

We clocked in some time with little Lucia, too. You can't really tell in this photo, but at this moment, she was groping around and trying to suckle my teat!

Mountains (not the Prince song, although that's cool, too)

Got back from Mammoth last night and I'm sore all over. I don't mean to brag, but this is fairly uncommon. Usually, I can take intense runs for two or three days, count the number of falls/slips on one hand, and not ache at all afterward.

Yesterday, I was defeated. With the unexpected gift of powder, I spent even more time than usual screwing on the sides, ridges, and banks of runs before I got rocked--literally. Rice-bag-sized boulders just under the snow surface brought me to a stop and pulled me down face-first toward a tree. Somehow, I landed on my chest to avoid busting my teeth or scuffing up my new helmet. Wendy saw it all, and said it was the worst fall she's ever seen. After I unwedged my board from between two trees and twisted myself off the rocks, she gave me a long hug.




I reopened my knee and now I'm hobbling around like an old man, but I'm tuning up the boards and will see you back on the slopes soon. Look for the bark marks on the Malolo...

-----------

Cassettes listened to in the van with no CD player or MP3 hookup:
New York Dolls - Lipstick Killers
Seaweed - Go Your Own Way EP/Four/Despised
Rocksteady Explosion (mixtape)
Best-of Parliament/George Clinton - The Cinderella Theory
Queen - Greatest Hits

DVDs watched in the cabin:
Tears of the Black Tiger (Thailand, 2000)
Little Miss Sunshine (USA, 2006)

Food eaten:
Dinner 1 - Vons minestrone soup with veggie meatballs
salad
Dinner 2 - Frozen veggie lasagna from Costco
Lunches - Veggie turkey sandwiches in dinner rolls for lunch (with relish from the lodge) and Caprisun
Breakfast - Yogurt with banana slices and Paul Newman's cereal mixed in

Other stuff:
Wearing a helmet isn't such a big deal. I don't know why I was so hesitant to do it.

Mr. Ed

Last night, one of my favorite bands played L.A. for the first time in years... No one mixes hardcore, punk, rock, and a maybe a little country like them--all with proletariat power and a positive vibe. Here are some pics of Avail's set at the Knitting Factory on Hollywood Boulevard.


Tim is the singer. I don't know him, but he's the antithesis of the hardcore tough guy--so humble and amiable in between songs. He said something like, "We all have jobs, and tour is like our vacation. That's why we're drunk!"


Beau Beau is the band's dancer. I interviewed him ages ago for Robot Power, but he probably doesn't remember. He used to be thin as a rail. I wonder if there's a Curry House or Beard Papa in Richmond now, because he's a little thicker now. Still energetic as hell. After the show, girls were lining up to have prom-type pictures taken with him!


That's my friend Ed in the red shirt with the sticks--a super-nice guy, kick-ass drummer, and excellent artist, too. Years ago, I interviewed him about his painting for an online piece. After seeing the band play in Cambridge last year, I started corresponding with him again. I hung out with him and his pal/driver/merch dude/photographer/Will Travel zinemaker Travis for a couple hours in the afternoon. Too bad the art show we wanted to see was closed!

The band has two more shows on the tour: The Casbah tonight in San Diego and somewhere in Arizona after that...

GR46 Proofs

No thanks to FedEx, we finally got the mag proofs yesterday afternoon. Better late than never, but we had to keep them overnight so everyone could see them. (We usually send them back on the same day.)


This morning, it was Kiyoshi and Momoko's turn to take a stab at the pages. Our ad man/self-defense expert was confident that the mag will turn out well, but little Momo seemed to have reservations...

Black Tiger Power

I don't like to talk too much about upcoming issues of GR, but the one at the printer has an interview with Thai director Wisit Sasanatieng. If you live in New York City, you can see his super-saturated, arty, and fun cowboy movie, Tears Of The Black Tiger, now through February 1. Go see the movie because it's eye candy that begs to be seen on a big screen.



Check out the Film Forum site here.

Hosers

While helping GRNY gear up for James Kochalka's Little Paintings art show, I came across this clip... Wash your ass!


The show is on February 17, and will include 150 paintings as well as a musical performance!
More details to come.

Shitty kung-fu movie film festival

Do you (1) reminisce about afternoons watching Martial Arts Theater, (2) dream of setting up one of those $5.00 DVD stands that you see at discount stores, or (3) have too many brain cells and need to do something about it? Your prayers have been answered.

Polysics or die

Whoa, I almost forgot: Polysics are on tour, too! If you like Devo, Krautrock, or sugary cereal, this band from Japan should be on your iPod.



*Fri-Jan-26/Vancouver
*Plaza Club
www.plazaclub.net/

*Sat-Jan-27/Seattle
*El Corazon
www.elcorazonseattle.com/index.html

*Sun-Jan-28/Portland
*Dante's
www.danteslive.com

*Tue-Jan-30/San Francisco
*Bottom of The Hill
www.bottomofthehill.com/

*Wed-Jan-31/Los Angeles
*Knitting Factory
www.knittingfactory.com/

*Fri-Feb-02/San Diego
*Casbah
www.casbahmusic.com/

*Sat-Feb-03/Phoenix
*Clubhouse Music Venue
www.clubhousemusicvenue.com/

*Sun-Feb-04/Tuscon
*Solar Culture
www.solarculture.org/venue/

Want to see visors, jumpsuits, and spastic dancing live on January 30 at the Bottom of the Hill in S.F. or on the 31st at the Knitting Factory in L.A.? Send an email to info@giantrobot.com listing your favorite Devo song and we'll try to hook you up! I'm serious!

Not over the James

Avail is in the midst of a west coast tour. No new album, documentary, or re-issues to promote--just the need to rock out in a unique, VA-centric, hardcore-meets-southern-rock style. Sometimes I listen to indie bands, stuff from England, or old Jamaican music, but there's nothing like a raging pit and a band of sweaty dudes who sing about politics, oppression, and the scene.



The group puts on a legendary show, they haven't been out here for ages, and are playing pretty small places. (Plus, drummer Ed Trask is a nice guy and an awesome artist.) Don't blow it and miss them!

T O U R

AVAIL and The Draft West Coast Tour 2007

1/19/2007 @ Hell's Kitchen - Tacoma, Washington
1/20/2007 @ Hawthorne theatre - Portland, Oregon
1/22/2007 @ Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
1/23/2007 @ Catalyst Atrium - Santa Cruz, CA
1/24/2007 @ Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
1/25/2007 @ Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
1/26/2007 @ The Casbah (21+) - San Diego, CA
1/27/2007 @ The Clubhouse Music Venue - Tempe, AZ

Guitar Hero

Play Metallica, Dragon Force, Iron Maiden, Journey, and Yngwie on Guitar Hero. Read about the hacks here.


Link from Mario.

Pea in a pod

Born on Jupiter, controlled by gamma light.

Not SGV

This weekend I visited Chinatown to run some errands with my Uncle. We met at Philippe's French Dip... It's a super-old place with sawdust on the floor, and it's where Eric interviewed Versus years ago.



My uncle chose to meet me there because it's one of the few places in the area that has free parking. It was also dirt cheap. Coffee is the same price as when the doors opened--9 cents! I have a great aunt who used to come here to hang out here with her buddies every morning after doing tai chi. The staff eventually told them that it wasn't okay to come in, have 9-cent coffee, and take up two tables for an hour.

After taking care of business, we dropped by Won Kok--another place with free parking that happens to be dirt cheap. See a pattern? Actually, it was pretty good. When we waited, I had a great view of the kitchen--maybe not so good.



The best part was when workers would come out with steaming trays of dim sum every now and then. The egg tarts are a pretty good size. Not as huge as that place in the alley (you know the one I'm talking about) but bigger than something you'd get off a cart. The line continually shrank and grew like a sea anemone. Check out that Chinatown girl's steez.




Hey, where'd the last one go? I won't say, but it was pretty good. This is going on forever, so I'll end it with a non-food pic. I don't know if you can tell, but there's a golden altar behind the barbed-wire fence. What are they doing, keeping out ninjas?

Not cattle decapitation

Footage of a cow being taken by a UFO!


Link sent by Prodip.

Doghouse

What are Hal & Bons doing right now?

You can spy on Hal & Bons room 24-7. More info to come in GR46...

Luuuuuc

I know a hockey blog isn't going to the be most popular, but bear with me. This one's on Luc Robitaille, whose jersey number is being retired at Staples Center tomorrow night.

Lucky spent 14 of his 19 seasons in the NHL as a Los Angeles King. Picked 171th in the ninth round of the draft, he was a long shot to make the squad but became a rookie of the year--like hockey's equivalent of Mike Piazza who was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round. In today's books, he has scored the more goals (668) and points (1,394) than any other left-winger in NHL history. He's also the only King to have skated in purple and gold, silver and black, and black and purple.

Rookie of the Year

The Gretzky Era

Modern

It was nice when he came back to play at Staples--twice--but my fondest memories of Luc took place at the Fabulous Forum. He played scrappy and seemed personable (I wish I could find an audio file of his old Ice-O-Plex radio commercials....), and he dug deep when Coach Barry "The Mullet" Melrose challenged his heart during the Kings' run at the Stanley Cup in 1993. The squad came so close to winning it all, but couldn't figure out the Habs' Hall-of-Fame goaltender Patrick Roy when it counted.

The crafty goal scorer went on to win the Cup with the Wings during his time away from Los Angeles, but when he goes to the Hall of Fame it will be as a King.

These are the people in your neighborhood

The new mag went to press yesterday afternoon. This morning I slept for an extra half hour, went for a run around the lake, and did a load laundry before taking the scenic route to Sawtelle.



Stop 1: Jeana Sohn's street. Before leaving home, I called Jeana to see if she might be walking her dog. I've picked stuff up and dropped stuff of with her before, and we always meet when the aritst is out with her pooch. It's like a dope deal or something. This time, I dropped off some Ivana Wong CDs that Prodip sent from Hong Kong. Jeana was impressed by the packaging, which has her art all over it. At the moment, she's preparing some work for Art L.A. as well as another group show coming up in NYC.


Stop 2: Eungie Joo's driveway. Driving down a Los Feliz sidestreet, I recognized someone stepping out of her house. Crap, it was our friend who curates the gallery at REDCAT! I cranked a U-turn and stopped to say hi. She gave me the lowdown on her recent travels to Vietnam (no photos but lots of food and drink) as well as upcoming shows at the space below the Disney Hall. Sounds like there's some interesting Thai and half-Chinese American stuff coming up...


Stop 3: Wendy's parents house. Tomorrow night, we've got the Pho-dobo-rrito show at GR2. The artists include John Pham (pho), Martin Cendreda (adobo), and Albert Reyes (burrito). Wendys' mom gathered a bunch of Girly Fries purses that Wendy made in conjunction with Martin, and they will be available at the show.

Now I'm back at the mag office, surveying the aftermath of GR46. There's scratch paper, review stuff, and crap everywhere. It's a mess and it needs to be cleaned. Hey, is that leftover chocolate?

Lockdown

Sorry I haven't been posting. We've been in lockdown for GR46. But believe you me: the mag will far outweigh whatever crap I post here.

Not junk mail

I don't talk about it much, but besides GR the main gig on my resume is 10 years spent editing textbooks. It wasn't the most glamorous job, but I liked it. I met and worked with some great people, and making textbooks better is a good thing. (I am also able to appreciate shows like The Office...)


Maybe that's why I got this email. I don't like to get on soapboxes much, but I think this one is worth reading. It's super long, but even if you just skim the beginning, you'll get the idea.


Dear Martin,

Monday, January 8, marked the fifth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act and the beginning of the reauthorization process. It's been five years, and the controversial legislation is still underfunded by billions of dollars, still heavily focused on one-size-fits-all testing, and still unfairly punishing too many schools and students. We hope you will take this opportunity to editorialize in favor of practical reforms to the law that will assist schools in closing achievement gaps and meet the needs of those actually in the classroom.

The National Education Association's 3.2 million members have said loud and clear what reforms are most needed. The key elements of NEA's positive agenda for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act include accountability systems that reward success, smaller class sizes, adequate resources, quality educators in every classroom, and engaged parents, families, and communities.

*NCLB should focus less on tests and more on multiple measures of success

Rather than focusing almost exclusively on two standardized tests, educators say student achievement should be measured over time through multiple indicators. NCLB takes a snapshot of student performance on two tests on one day, rather than delivering a complete portrait of student needs and achievement or of school quality. NCLB fails to recognize that, while all students can learn, not all students learn at the same rate.
Placing so much emphasis on reading and math tests has prompted thousands of schools to reduce, and even eliminate, time spent on other subjects, according to the Center on Education Policy. Since 2002, when the law was passed, 71 percent of the nation's 15,000 school districts have reduced time spent on subjects like art, social studies, and history. Schools that don't deliver high enough test scores face stiff penalties.
*Educators are willing to be held accountable, but they need the basic tools to do their jobs

An increasing number of schools fear stiff penalties in part because NCLB is woefully underfunded. The law has never been funded at the authorized levels, and schools face a cumulative 6-year shortfall likely to exceed $56 billion. After a reasonable increase in funding in the first year, and smaller increases in the succeeding three years, funding was cut by over $1 billion dollars last year. To add insult to injury, there are more mandates this year that schools must comply with, yet they are receiving less money than they were three years ago.

About 80 percent of school districts said they have costs associated with NCLB not covered by federal funding. Indeed, in this current school year 62 percent of all school districts had their Title I funds cut. According to the Education Department, 27 percent of schools failed to meet "adequate yearly progress” under the law for 2004–2005, a one percentage point increase from 2003–2004. NEA's positive agenda calls on lawmakers to provide adequate tools and resources to comply with the law.

*Educators, parents, and the general public all want positive changes to the law that will help students succeed

About 70 percent of NEA members said they disapprove of NCLB and 57 percent said they want major reforms, according to a recent survey. Most people share their concerns—nearly six in 10 Americans believe NCLB has had no effect on schools, or has had a negative effect, according to a Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll.

NEA has been collecting eyewitness accounts of educators' experiences with the law and compiled them into ESEA/NCLB: It's Time for a Change! Voices from America's Classrooms, a publication that will be released next week. The stories are from every state, from all sizes of school districts, and from all types of educators, but they raise strikingly similar concerns.

Karol Nyberg, a high school teacher in Grand Forks, North Dakota, said:

"It's a professional slap in the face—someone telling you, after you've been working so hard at your craft for 30 years, that all of a sudden you are not qualified to do it. But the piece that did surprise me was the number of young teachers who told me they were getting out because they said that 'if they do this to us now, what else are they going to decide to pull when we get further into our careers and don't have any options?' They felt that now they have the option to go and do something else, to be treated with more respect, and to make more money at the same time.”

Not only do NEA and educators throughout the country have serious concerns about this law, but so do a wide variety of other organizations and policymakers. A coalition of 99 national organizations representing education, civil rights, religious, children, disability rights and other interests have joined together and called for changes to NCLB (http://www.nea.org/presscenter/nclbjointstatement.html). The National Conference of State Legislatures last year issued a report criticizing the law and calling for specific changes. And in the previous Congress, 41 bills supported by NEA to amend NCLB were introduced, including several sponsored by Republicans.

Please editorialize in favor of lawmakers working across party lines to ensure NCLB reflects the best interests of students and prepares them to compete in a global economy.

Sincerely,

Will Potter

If it's too loud you're too old

Mini headphones for newborns!

New skate spot

Somewhere in La Cañada...

Happy hunting, and watch out for the fuzz!

New GR reader

Welcome little Lucia, born last night at 1:31 a.m. Pics taken this afternoon, when she was less than 12 hours old!





Nice job, Angelyn and Carlos!

Package from HK

My friend Prodip sent me the new Ivana Wong CD from Hong Kong. I'm not a huge Cantopop fan, but Ivana's cool because she writes her own songs and has a nice style. She also had the good taste to have Prodip design the release. He happened to be visiting GRSF when Jeana Sohn's art show was up, and thought it would be a nice fit for the project. Now it's finally out.


I think CDs from HK have the best packaging around--probably to encourage fans to buy the real thing and not bootlegs. This one comes shrink-wrapped in a fancy cardboard box.


When you unwrap it, you can hang the box on your wall like art! The CD has the same art on its cover.


The CD itself has Jeana's art and so does the booklet, which is bound into the holder. Lyrics are printed in China, but there are nice Polaroids on every spread.



Here's what the pop star looks like. Hopefully pretty enough to divert your attention from my dirty, chapped fingers! Skateboarding around on a cold, windy day will do. Nothing some hot coffee and new and interesting warm pop music can't fix. Look for a music review in GR46.

One missed call

So it turns out that when I wiped out on my skateboard last week, I killed my new(ish) phone. It still takes calls, the screen is dead. I'm actually not devastated. The fancy Nokia looked pretty and had tons of features, but it was far from perfect. Namely, because it couldn't talk to Macs I couldn't really load it with MP3s, download photos, etc. Did I mention that it plays all the games in the world, but doesn't have Tetris? Oh yeah, it's not shock proof, either.



So now I'm back to the cheapo Motorola--the one that promped a T-mobile guy to tell me, "I can by the phone you carry that you are a simple man." Yeah, a simple man who kills phones. I've drowned one in the washing machine and rubbed another one out on the sidewalk. I've managed to hang onto the same pair of sunglasses from Target for years but have turned out to be the black widow of cell phones.

News from Wisconsin

Hmong hunter murdered!

More beef

By popular demand (one response, that's a lot for me), here's an updated pic of the banged-up knee. It's a nice 80-degree day here in L.A., so I can wear shorts and let it breathe.

It took me a few shots to realize that there's no good way to take a picture of a knee. It's just a weird-looking body part. Speaking of which, I need a haircut.

Tank Girl

Took a break from mag deadlines to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on Saturday... It's not as big as Monterey's or as classy as La Jolla's, but I think it's pretty nice. The human habitrails are a nice touch and there are tanks that have features like tides. Another good thing about the aquarium is that there are a lot of non-fish. Otters and birds, for example.



For some reason, I don't worry about the exhibits being tortured like I do at certain zoos. Maybe it's because fish usually look chill. It's a relaxing place to be. The only thing I didn't like was the huge tank in the foyer where a guy in scuba gear is talking about sea life nonstop. Who wants to hear some guy's breathing?

Beef of the week

Rainy night + windy morning = trees dropping crap all over the sidewalk

Trees dropping crap all over the sidewalk + me hauling ass on a skateboard trying to catch a bus = pain


The even more embarrassing thing is that after I got up from falling, I skated about 10 feet further and got rocked a second time! It turned out to be the wrong bus.


These photos were taken at the bus stop as I waited for the correct line. The lady sitting across from me tried not to stare at the glistening wound peeking from beyond my torn pant leg. Somehow, I made it from my stop to the GR office intact...

I'm seriously in pain... My left knee hurts more than my bloody right one, which merely stings. Not kidding at all.

Internment camp

After a busy and cool holiday break from mag work, we're plowing into GR46. Eric and I have been preparing text, and the next steps will be Wendy coming into to fix the rough layouts that I've started and Pryor cleaning up the images. Hopefully, readers will start coming in soon.


Back in town between quarters at a certain UC campus, our trusty intern Janet has put in a few days of toiling. After seeing scandalous photos of her online, we thought she became a chola gangbanger! But she's actually the same sweet, hard-working person. Whew.

Rocking out

For the New Year's weekend, a bunch of us went snowboarding in Mammoth. To get there, you don't fly, take a train, or ride a bus. You drive from the 5 to the 14 to the 395. We sat in a Chevy Astro van for roughly five hours each way. No MP3 player and not even a CD changer, but the radio takes cassettes.

So I dug into the drawer and came out with the following:
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me/Don't Tell A Soul. The band's second, maybe third transition period from polished rock to proto alt-country. Still holds up. I put b-sides (the "I'll Be You" flip with Tom Waits vocals and the "Cruella D. Ville" cover) and weird covers by Minutemen, Husker Du, and Celebrity Skin on the ends. You don't get that on burned CDs or MP3s. A great album, but maybe not for a long drive.
X - Mixtape. 90 minutes of songs from Wild Gift through More Fun in the New World. Sounds great on lo-fi cassette. These days, I'd add "4th of July" and "See How We Are" to the mix.
Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary / The Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good. The former is perfect music for driving through the landscape. The latter just makes you feel restless.
John Trubee - Calls to Idiots. I had to stop this one prank call into the Side 1 because Wendy's younger cousin was with us.

Brought, but not played: Seaweed mix tape, Clash mix tape, Sonic Youth - Goo/Dirty, Johnny Cash mix tape. Crap, how could I forget that last one?

The Office and The Spiders from Mars

Bowie vs. Gervais, round one.

Thanks for the link, 'jim.

The Filth and The Fury

Think your New Year's Eve was good? Check out this video of Lance from J Church with Jake and a bunch of dudes from Austin playing a song by Filth!

Happy 2007, everyone.