Greg and Ang

Top of Lincoln Mountain (Chair 22) at Mammoth. On the left is my twin brother Greg and in the center is our little sister Angelyn. I'm pretty lucky to have a family that's not only tight but also capable of shredding all over the mountain.

End of the year, edge of the world

Wendy about to head down Dave's Run...

Mammoth vs. mochi

Just got up to the condo at Mammoth. We're right outside the parking lot of Canyon Lodge (a.k.a. Warming Hut II). I'm sure a big chunk of Southern California is up here for the holidays, so let me know if you're here. We can meet at the top of Dave's for a top-to-bottom run or just hook up at McCoy for a hot drink (Wendy and I like 1/2 coffee and 1/2 hot chocolate). I'm serious!

Besides Wendy and me, my brother, sister, brother-in-law, and dad will be snowboarding... No, Eloise won't be on the slopes. But here she is with me at the gas station in Lone Pine. She's totally going to rip it up one of these days.

Saturday chores

Made sure I got home in time for enough sunlight to take care of some housework. First, take down and fold the laundry. (Below: KXLU and Know1edge, together at last.)


Second, tune up snowboards for the upcoming Mammoth trip. If you can't handle your own P-texing, edging, and waxing, you are a poseur.


Tomorrow, time to pack and break out/test tire chains on the car...

LBC in the AM

Drove down to Long Beach with Wendy and Eloise this morning on a mission. We ordered some coffee at Polly's...


And got Thorns of Life tickets next door at Fingerprints.


Coffee and Cometbus--a timeless and excellent combo.

Free the GR57

Giant Robot 57 is now featured on Free The Robots' page... Also listed are upcoming show dates in Denver, San Francisco, and Santa Ana (with another friend of GR, Daedalus). Check out the songs while you're there; I'm a big fan.

Drop mail not bombs

I've never had a problem working the day after Christmas. There's never any traffic on the streets, the office is always super mellow, and you can get a lot done. Or that's what I thought until some mail arrived to distract me. Remember Kaia Wong from New York? I interviewed her last year about her band (Mixel Pixel) and her indie lip balm company (Lips by Wong). Out of nowhere, she sent a sampler bag full of her homemade, organic, vegan balms. I tried the Pink Lemonade. Interesting flavor, because if you had really chapped lips, you'd think lemons would sting! But the aroma is quite nice and the feel is much juicier than typical ChapStick. Wait, there's glitter in it? Well, there's no one else here and I don't think anyone can tell anyway. Happy new year to you, too, Kaia.


From Japan, I received yet another new CD from Boris. This one was recorded with guitar god Michio Kurihara in 2006 but has just now been released by Pedal Records. The two long collaborative tracks, "Cloud Chambers Pt. 1" and "Cloud Chamber Pt. 2," are fuzzy instrumentals. The first part is extremely atmospheric, and almost reminds me of Tuvan throat singing. The second starts off more the rock end of the spectrum before mellowing out into something that is very pensive, and sort of thoughtful. Of course, the packaging is quite tasteful. Do you dare break the seal? Enju, are you still coming out to L.A. in 2009?


Finally, a box from the 8five2 shop in Hong Kong. After seening Daniel Wu's line all over blogs, ads, and catalogs, I finally get to see check out some of the gear in person. I'll totally wear the dress shirt, which has a lot of subtle touches that aren't obvious in pictures, and the denim is nice looking but sturdy. I know the bomber jacket is super warm because I just took it for a test ride out to Sawtelle. Way to go, Dan, and thanks for hooking me up!

So much good stuff coming in, I'll probably get home and find a mailbox full of bills to balance it out.

A Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Happy Boxing Day to Canadian friends!

White vinyl and Christmas

When I was in fourth grade, my brother and I stopped going to Fletcher School and started getting bused to Taft. There, we became friends with Brian Brown. Where he is now, we'll never know because his name is so common but he changed our lives in two ways. First, his family had a cabin in Big Bear at the base of Snow Summit and got us hooked on skiing. (In 1990 we transitioned into snowboarding with him, as well.) Second, he was neighbors with Billy Club, who was in The Dickies. When Brian played the band's 10-inch major-label debut for us, it was the first punk record we ever heard--on white vinyl, no less.

Okay, the following tune isn't actually on that EP but I wanted to say something more than Merry Kwaanzakah and that The Dickies' version of the popular Christmas carol kicks ass. (And Happy New Year to Brian, wherever you are.)



The actual 7" single: "Silent Night" b/w "Sounds of Silence" (A&M, 1978)

Choegals, friends at GR2

Dropped by GR2 on the way home to congratulate Dave Choe on his amazing "Choegal" figure to find a huge line for the signing. I said a quick hi and Merry Christmas to the hardcore friend, contributor, and supporter of GR for just a second and let him do his thing.


When I turned around, I saw that Eric got in on the signing, too.


I got asked to wield the Sharpie as well. After working so hard on the mag for so long, it's cool to have readers that really appreciate what you do.


So many friends inside: GR contributor and softball player Brian, GR photographer Amy, and Dirty Hands crew Jean and Harry.


Senior GR shopkeeper Tru and longtime friend of GR Karin Anna Cheung.


The cool people were outside, including Bobby Hundreds in his Hundreds x Avail hoody...


Behind-the-scenes GR crew Emilio and Cate...


Old School GR adperson and Girl With Glasses cartoonist Lisa Mouse...


And as I was about to drive away, GR cover artist and true friend Saelee Oh walked by.


So awesome to see so many friends around the holidays... Expect way more pics and a video from Eric pretty soon.

Home cookin'

My weekly meeting with the contractor and architect got pushed up to this morning. No, not because of any crisis (Michelle just has the sniffles.) It's because Christmas falls on our usual meeting day, Thursday.


Every time I visit, there is a ton of visible progress. From this angle you can see both bathrooms. The tile is going up in the left one. The right one is painted Tiffany blue. Not it's not. That's just sheetrock.


The guys figuring out the automatic window opener and shade better make sure Kong doesn't roll any barrels at them.


Frames within frames and lights. Eventually, all this will look clean and simple... It's the back sliding door.


There's a lot of action going on at the side today. Florescent lamps + plastic covering + metal siding = a lot of work.


More rain is coming but the house is waterproof... Before the project started, everyone came out with horror stories about renovation. So far, this limited-edition collabo between CalAsia x Formation has been nothing but great.

Chad Tim Tim, GR57, the power, the planet

The new issue of GR has an interview with pro skater Chad Tim Tim (left). As is often the case, he's a friend of a friend: Element shoe designer Paul, who I met through another longtime friend of mine/supporter of GR, Ray Barbee (not the dude in the center, who is my new friend Charlie). Confusing? Doesn't matter. The point is that Chad is a kick-ass skater and a super nice guy who happens to be Asian.


After the interview, the guys broke out Chad's new signature shoe, which drops in the new year. It's totally smooth, functional, and versatile--kind of like Chad's skating. Paul must have noticed me ogling them because I got a package from Element on Friday... Nice!


Included in the box were some brand new Tim Tims, which I believe are samples since (1) the colorways aren't in the 2009 catalog and (2) it says "sample" on the label under the tongue. The benefits of wearing a size 9--and having friends that do cool things.


The first pair has a nice herringbone pattern. A little classy, but still totally solid, quite light, and very skateable. It's kind of like the opposite of a mullet: skate party in the front (rugged suede) and business in the back (the patterned flannel). I screwed around in them for just a moment over the weekend, and they broke in shockingly fast.


Also in teal, which is a little more bold. I noticed Charlie had a Ducks calendar at his desk--and that Element skater Mike Vallely is even collaborating with the Anaheim skaters--but he might consider sending a pair of these up to Devin Setoguchi at the San Jose Shark Tank (aka The Toaster)...


Paul and I also talked about was Element's Power To The Planet initiative as well as the Earth initiative, brand-wise efforts to make more sustainable gear for skateboarding. Because the sport is so rough it's impossible to make footwear out of hemp and flower sap, but Paul says they can use organic materials and less toxic processes to make a difference.


If it weren't for the labeling, you wouldn't even be able to tell that this is a pair of "green" kicks. They seem like solid, nice looking shoes, right?


But if you look at details like the insoles, you can see that the materials are visibly reconstituted with more emphasis on simplicity than tech.


The soles use trimmings but have the exact same grip, feel, and functionality. The cold cure process used for all of Element's shoes is much less impactful on the environment than vulcanized rubber.


These blue ones are interesting. They are the only pair I got with sewn-in tags. Maybe it's an experiment, an aberration, or just a denim thing, but it says volumes that it's as simple as can be without unnecessary stitching, materials, etc. By far these are the lightest pair of shoes in the box--way lighter than Vans authentics--so I don't know if you'd want to wear them to a serious sesh or park visit. Great for chilling afterward, though.


The black version is probably my favorite. How the exterior materials are sustainable, I have no idea because they're super, super nice. (The stitching looks great with the exposed stitching on a sweater, too.)


Here's a better view of the dimpled leather and suede. Yes, the shoes feel great, too. Nice, light, and skateable without trying to a Dunk in any way. It's perfect for a grown-up skater (not to be confused with grown out of skating) like me. What is this shoe called? I'd have to revisit the box because it's not in in the 2009 online catalog. Maybe it didn't make the cut or maybe it's 2010. But enough product talk: back to skating, which is what it's all about. Below, I present to you Chad Tim Tim. Read about him in GR57, on newsstands now.

Sweetheart and egg tarts

Two things I'm digging at the GR shops... Above, Lucia is wearing the GR x Kumquat shirt for kids 3-24 months. It just arrived on Sawtelle this afternoon and should be tagged and ready to go soon.


The plush dan tats (top right) are recent arrivals at GR1, but don't be disappointed if you don't see them because I bought all 7 or 8 that were on display! More will arrive eventually, but try the other shops.

Presentable

I'm Wendy's +1 at a bunch of holiday engagements this weekend, so I finally got around to cutting my hair. Actually, this was a perfect time to do it.

I'll be honest. Well, I'm always honest in my blogging, but this is actually embarrassing. I was letting my hair go because I thought I was going to interview Kirk Hammett this week. I know Metallica cut their hair, but if I was going to get to see the legendary monsters of rock up close--I haven't seen them since the ...And Justice For All tour--putting up the goat horns without long hair is like drinking coffee without condensed milk.

Kirk is a dream article that I've been working on for years. Usually I'd bug Metallica's PR person every now and then, but I was doing it every day as this week's dates at the Forum dates drew nearer. I should have known it wasn't going to happen from the one-line responses I was receiving via email, but I wish my contact at Warner Bros would have just told me that it wasn't going to happen. It's lame to be led on, and I wonder if the guitarist was even told that we wanted to interview him? I understand if someone doesn't have time or isn't into it. That's cool. But I'd hope the person actually gets to decide for himself, and not be at the mercy of the PR person's opinions, tastes, or whims. But that's how it often goes with major labels, big PR companies, etc.

Back to the original subject--no Metallica article and show, no need for all that hair getting in my food, blocking my vision when I drive, looking like a comb over more often than not. Dumb but true. So I was lucky that Thy would squeeze me in this morning a little after 9 a.m. before she had a full schedule of 10 other people who wanted to look decent for the holidays. Check out the online gushing she has received... She's not only awesome awesome with the scissors but also a longtime GR reader and a rad friend. Thanks!

X Films pt. 1

X Films by Alex Cox

Repo Man might be my favorite non-Asian film of all time. I'm probably biased because it came out when I was in junior high, a highly impressionable time, but I remain convinced it has everything--art film aesthetics; leftist politics; high, low, and dry humor; an amazing cast; a very quotable script; and genuine punk rock. I made an effort to see Alex Cox's next four movies (Sid & Nancy, Straight To Hell, Walker, El Patrullero) on the big screen, and they were successful, entertaining, and inspiring on various levels with various degrees of success but always unique and true to his vision. How many directors can you say that about? Then I lost track of his work.

Emilio Estevez and Sy Richardson in Repo Man (1984)

So I was stoked to find out that the filmmaker has written a memoir. Titled X Films to reflect the number of movies covered as well as the letter that occurs in his first and last name, the book is broken down by projects, starting with his student film at UCLA which reveals the origin of his Edge City production company's name as well as details his indie filmmaking roots. The Repo Man section comes next, and it's loaded with anecdotes about filming, turning points in his development as a director, and no-holds-barred thoughts about the movie industry. For example: Chris Penn was almost foisted on the cast not only to play Otto but also his sidekick Kevin, the Fox bigwigs also wanted to remove the character of Miller, the ending was made up on the fly after the real ending involving a neutron bomb didn't pan out, and Hollywood isn't based on making money but people trying to cover their asses and protect their jobs. You also find out how difficult Harry Dean Stanton was to work with, how Iggy wound up doing the soundtrack, and that a lot of the dialogue came from Cox's friends who were real repo men. Cox reveals that the movie was doomed because it was caught between studio regime changes, but his guerrilla tactics (stenciling crummy billboards, pushing the L.A. punk soundtrack) allowed it to not only survive but become a cult classic.

Chloe Webb and Gary Oldman in Sid and Nancy (1986)

I actually saw Sid and Nancy at a preview screening when I was a student UCLA. I asked Cox a question, but don't remember what it was. This section talks about how difficult it was to make a movie about people who had only died recently. A lot of the people involved in the plot (John Lydon, Malcolm McClaren, Nancy's mom, etc.) were still alive, so lawyers were highly involved in the process. Interesting passages include how much fun it was to film in London and how depressing it was to finish the movie in New York City. Perhaps the filmmaking process followed the arc of the Sex Pistols' themselves. Inf act, Cox writes that at first he took a dim view of McLaren's letting such a great band fall implode but after working with a film version of them for a while, he was ready to let them go as well! There's also insight into the early acting career of Gary Oldman, Courtney Love before she became a diva, and Joe Strummer entering Cox's filmmaking camp post-Clash and pre-solo career.

Joe Strummer in Straight To Hell (1987)

Of course, I'm just touching on bits and pieces of Cox's essays. The tidbits I recount are separated by recollections about the horrors of pre-production, pains of casting, and hustling for investors. If you like his movies, you'll be intrigued; if not, you'll probably be bored. But he always has an opinion and it's interesting to see him to channel the work of Jarmusch and Kurosawa by building up the cast that would appear in his next few movies. Characters from Repo Man showed up in the U.S. portion of Sid and Nancy, and I look forward to reading about Straight To Hell and Walker, which not only featured many regulars but included growing contributions for Strummer, appearances by The Pogues and Elvis Costello, and more obvious revolutionary politics.

Ed Harris in Walker (1987)

To be continued if anyone shows interest...

Dude, where's my stuff?

I drove out to San Fernando to visit the storage facility where I have three containers full of stuff. My mission was to retrieve snowboarding gear for next week's trip to Mammoth.


When I got there, the container I asked for was parked right by the dock. For a moment I thought I forgot the padlock key, but realized it with with my car keys. Whew.


The facilities are pretty impressive. A waterproof, climate-controlled maze of storage bins that recalls the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. They must hear jokes about that every time a customer visits.


In addition to snowboard gear, I grabbed an extra pair of shoes to wear when it rains. It was hard to leave the rest behind...


Mission accomplished. If you have to stash your goods, I highly recommend SMARTBOX. After much research, I found their prices to be among the best. After visiting, I know that my stuff is in a good place, too.

Renovation update

Went back to the house site today and saw that insulation has been added and drywall is being installed. It's been cold and rainy down here in SoCal, but the folks at CalAsia have been plugging along in the face of it. Everything looks great.


The large windows have been installed in the family room. It's not going to be huge--nothing in the house is--but it's going to have a great open, airy feel.


This is where the collapsing sliding door goes. You can see the lighting which will be hidden under plexiglass. The framing above is incredible. I think that corner might be left exposed to reveal the geometry.


Looks like we're going with the dark bathroom tile, which will go well with the eggshell and white paint and show off the the custom cabinetry (cardboard color).


Everything looks so good, I ordered a bunch of pizzas for the crew. Merry Christmas, guys. You're doing a kick-ass job! (You, too, Formation folks.)

Menehune?

The morning after the rain... tiny footprints found outside Wendy's parents backdoor.

Game review - Rubik's World

I got a copy of Rubik's World. You'd think it might be aimed at hardcore fans of the '80s puzzle, but I don't see it holding any appeal for speedcubers. Seriously, how fast can you manipulate the onscreen cube with a Wii controller? The fact that there is a guide to solving the cube shows that it's actually more for beginners. Variations of the classic puzzle include making a solved cube match a mixed one and handling a 4x4x4 cube.

Those elements in themselves would be pretty lame--like playing Monopoly on a videogame instead of on a board--so a load of extra games are added. Their relationship to the actual cube is tenuous and limited to the inclusion of colored cubes, but a couple of them are actually pretty good. I like the one where you have three views of a cubic figure and you have to construct it in 3-D, kind of like an isometric drafting. There's also a nice puzzle game that fans of Tetris, Gems, or Bust-a-Move might like.

It's not a terrible collection of time killers, but in the end that's all they are. Not a great fit for the Wii--which is more of a social, interactive platform--but I am thinking that it would be a decent addition to any DS user's library.

The return of Ray Barbee and the Mattson 2

My friend Paul over at Element just shot over an email to let me know that Ray Barbee and the Mattson 2 are playing in Costa Mesa on Thursday night. Sweet. Admission is free, just bring canned food. The hot indie jazz trio is playing two sets in Del Mar the night after that, and I don't think you cheapskates even need to donate anything to get in. Get the scoop here.

A good day

The rainclouds have passed and the ground is drying, so I took Eloise out for a walk in the crisp, clean air. The trees look greener and snow is visible on the foothills. Some familiar faces, too. I spotted Sammy Harkham and Souther Salazar at Intelligentsia Coffee on Sunset. I was surprised to see them up and out at 9:00 a.m. but it turns out they are coming off a the big--and I mean big--Kramer's Ergot book tour and are still on Chicago time. I don't get out to as many art shows, concerts, movies, or parties as you might think, so it's cool to bump into friends.

Getting back home, I shot some extra pictures of Eloise in the new GR/Kumquat gear. Not as good as Carlos's pics, but it's better than using product pics on our webstore. I think she was pretty cute...

On the way to work, I had to stop by the Pump Station to get some sippy-cup lids for Eloise. She only has two bottom teeth (see above), but that's enough to tear up the ones we have. Although shop was closed for inventory, the proprietors lifted the gates just for me so Eloise wouldn't starve--or at least make less of a mess. Talk about customer service.

My second stop was to pick up mail from the GR Post Office Boxes, which I do every day. This time I also had some packages to send, including one to Wendy's cousin Jimmy who is stationed in Iraq. We're sending him the new GR, some back issues, and a bunch of food from Trader Joe's. The box I brought would have cost $24 to send, but the clerk pointed out a special Priority Mail box that goes to military bases for $10.50 no matter how heavy it is. Bonus! I never expect that sort of help at the post office, especially when there's a huge line.

If the day keeps going like this, I'm going to write the best mag/book article ever.

Eloise the owl

November 1, 2008 at Lucia's private playground (Photo: Carlos de la Garza)

Eight Words Project

To promote the second-best way to support Giant Robot--the optimal way is buying the mag in person at a GR shop--our new promotion allows new subscribers to submit eight words that we will publish in the next issue. This applies to renewing subscribers and gift subscriptions, too. All you have to do is submit your eight words in the "comments" section when you check out.

Wouldn't that be a great holiday gift for friends, family, or yourself? Check out the details in the jpeg above; subscribe, renew, or give the gift of GR; and be immortalized in the pages of GR58. Here's the link.

What will people do with eight words? We provided a brief list of ideas, but I look forward to seeing how readers use this opportunity.

GR57 on Sawtelle

No thanks to customs or FedEx, we finally received copies of GR57 on Sawtelle this afternoon. (They arrived at GRNY and GRSF last week.) Yes, they're worth a drive in the rain.

What's in it?

- Cover story on street art and the Obama campaign
- Exclusive interview with the first-sister-elect Maya Soetoro-Ng
- Slumdog Millionaire actors Dev Patel and Freida Pinto
- Daniel Wu vs. frequent costar and friend Zhou Xun (Hollywood Hong Kong, Perhaps Love, The Banquet)
- David Choe on the loose in Hawaii, Alaska, New York City, and Los Angeles
- Thao Nguyen of the Get Down Stay Down on touring
- Feature on Aaron Yoo (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, Rocket Science, 21, Disturbia)
- Streetwear from the sands of Honolulu, In4mation
- Pro skater and foot model Chad Tim Tim
- Post-DJ, pro-pizza music from Free The Robots
- Charm city art rockers Ponytail
- Korean filmmaker Kim Ji-Woon (The Good, The Bad, and The Weird, A Bittersweet Life, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Quiet Family)
- Paper cut creator and indie rock icon Nikki McClure
- My Perfect Day by Deerhoof's Satomi Matsuzaki
- Homeless in Tokyo Pt. 2
- Giant Robot's year in review
- Also: two pages of awesome publications; a load of music, anime, and movie reviews; knickknacks you need; more design tweaks; and possibly some typos

Boris + Kurihara = Cloud Chambers

You can cut back on driving and make your own coffee, but can you resist the latest release from Boris? The supreme metal band from Japan and axe master Kurihara are back with a two-song CD on Pedal Records, limited to 1,500 copies. I'm guessing "Cloud Chambers Pt. 1" and "Cloud Chambers Pt. 2" are not exactly short songs--more likely dreamy, psychedelic, and epic. Get it from your Boris supplier Enju at Inoxia.

Sneak preview

Giant Robot vs. Kumquat. Babies win. Coming soon to the GR shops and online store.

San Diego chargers

Went down to San Diego this weekend and took Eloise on a walk through that neighborhood in Clairemont that puts up a load of Christmas lights. It's right between my brother's house and Sipz restaurant...


No Clydesdales this year might be a sign of difficult economic times, but I'd say the area is still running at about 70 percent of the usual Yuletide spirit.


This particular cul-de-sac had not one but local kids selling hot chocolate, cider, cookies, etc. I bought some hot drinks from one, then got cookies from the less impressive stand out of pity.


Even the most religious person has to admit that the one above is a little creepy.


Giant snow globes are so two-years-ago, but Charlie Brown and Snoopy never get old.


My favorite display depicted an army of Santas being dispatched by St. Nick--kind of like the ruler of Latveria sending out his Doombots. Ho ho ho!

ChthoniC news

Remember the pro-independence Taiwanese death metal band I interviewed for GR50? It turns out they've been in L.A. recording with Rob Caggiano (Anthrax) and have a new album ready to drop next year. Their mix of Cookie Monster vocals with traditional Chinese instruments and current politics is interesting, so check them out. In other news, their bass player Doris signed an endorsement with ESP basses and is on the cover of FHM Taiwan. More details at the band's blog.

House of Hane

Eloise, Mr. Carrot, and I had coffee with GR contributor and copy editor Hane this morning. Afterward, we walked to her pad. I'd never been there, but it's right across Sunset from where we're living--a stone's throw from El Conquistador. As you might expect from a music junkie, the place is full of LPs and musical instruments. What I didn't expect were her collections, including "big cat" artifacts and a wall of Nagels!


Hane said her place was a mess, but it wasn't bad at all. Maybe because of her floor-cleaning slippers?

No smoke

Went by the renovation site today and saw that our new family room has been tagged by the "No Smoke" crew. Don't make them come back and put an "anti" circle around the cigarette drawing. Actually, I like seeing math, figures, and directions on the walls. I feel like we're saving paper.


Tons of new stuff going up every day. This morning I saw the pocket door get installed between the master bedroom and the master bath. Hey, are there two dudes in there? What is Michelle taking a picture of?


The deep tub in the guest bath looks interesting with the exposed beams and insulation. It feels like it should be inside of an igloo or something.


Here's the first window to be installed. It will run over the length of the kitchen counter and below cabinetry and LED lights. The doorway on the right leads to the cantilevered steps and carport.


Recessed lighting in the new family room. The mechanical window and rolling shade are going up in the slot soon.


This huge row of switches will control the lighting, window, and window shade. I have a feeling it will take a while to figure out what affects what.


Other stuff coming up soon include phone, TV, and alarm wiring; drywall; tile; more carpentry; and roofing, just before the next storm hits. Our latest estimation for completion is late January/early February, and, until then, the crew keeps plugging away...

Rufus Leaking vs. King Buzzo

Between Yo Gabba Gabba and Pancake Mountain, little kids are stoked these days. A couple weeks ago, The Melvins played the latter's first dance party in L.A. Eloise isn't quite old enough to attend yet--gotta get her a fake ID that says she's 5--but at least she can check it out via the magic of YouTube.


I'll try my best to refrain from doing back-to-back kid posts for a week or so...

Perfect 10 months

Eloise made it to double-digit months today. Here she is on Gung Gung and Po Po's shower curtain/blanket crawling onto my lap and trying to convince me not to go to work this morning...

Weekend Update

On Friday morning, I got a call from my friend Chi, who informed me that he got some Kings tickets from his work and asked me if I'd like to go. Hell yes. I think hockey is an awesome sport, and even better, we got to sit in a luxury box and rock on someone else's dime. See those escalators in the background? That's how I usually get to my nosebleed seats. To get to the fancy seats, you have to use a separate entrance with its own set of escalators.


Perhaps the best part of sitting in a corporate suite is when the dessert cart comes by. I didn't see the Butterfinger cake that I had the first time I got to sit with the fat cats, but there was a mighty 7-layer carrot cake and some pretty nice slices of cheesecake. I had the caramel apple--sliced, of course.


Oh yeah, the game. Edmonton jumped to a 3-0 lead, forcing young starting goaltender Ernsberg to take a seat. But backstopped by LaBarbara, the Kings erased it and got the lead in an inspired second period. Edmonton outshot the L.A. skaters by a wide margin to tie the game, eventually winning it in a shootout. This is what Staples looks like as dejected fans leave the arena.


On Saturday, I had the privilege of attending Happy and Bret's annual holiday cookie party. It's always fun to see friends from all over the place pigging out on sweets, but this time was a little different. I don' tknow if you can tell, but one of the bowls of snacks has Cheerios in it. Happy split the party in two, and we attended the earlier, baby-friendly one.


Here's GR photographer Ben, his wife Kim, and their daughter Isabella. Great to see them getting out. I think little Bella was passed out the whole time we were there.


Clockwise from Wendy: Pro skater, rad musician, and friend Ray Barbee, his older son Nolan, Eloise, Kim, and Ray's wife Steph. Ray has a Japanese tour with the Mattson 2 coming up, so keep an eye out for that.


After the cookie party, we hustled over to Margot's one-year banquet in Koreatown. Check out the fresh fruit spread! It's like Small World, a game show, and Thai fruit carving all mixed together. I especially like the melons fashioned into mouse heads. Unfortunately, we did not get to partake of the fruit salad--kind of like how we were handed birthday cake as we headed out the door.


The drama came after lunch, when Margot was presented with number of items that would predict her future. Kind of like when the baby was forced to choose between a toy and a sword in Lone Wolf & Cub or New Legend of Shaolin. After much tension, Margot chose to hug her mommy (Jenny, second from left). What does it all mean?


Girls, girls, girls: the birthday girl with her dad, cartoonist and GR contributor Martin Cendreda; Eloise and me; my niece Lucia with my twin brother/her uncle Greg.


Today, Eric and I gave a talk at the Vintage Toyota Museum in Torrance. It was a pretty interesting spot and the high school students were cool and attentive.


Afterward, we went out for Chinese food with the organizers and some of the students. We got hooked up with mango pudding afterwards--or was it jello? Either way, it was a nice way to end a good weekend.

Who give a fuck about a god damn Grammy?

That's what Chuck D said 20 years ago, and it's still true today. But drive down any street in L.A. and you'll see banners for the Grammy Museum, which opens tonight. How could it be anything but lame? I can only imagine vacationing parents trying to appease their iPod-wearing kids by taking them there, only to be force-fed a menu of overly produced, saturation marketed, and mostly shitty music.

Okay, there is probably a shred of decent stuff in there. Bob Dylan gets a showcase, but didn't he get his first Grammy in 1979 for one of his Christian albums? No offense, isn't that kind of late? (No free pass for "Hall-of-Fame" awards.)

The "Songs of Conscience, Songs of Freedom" exhibit could be good. The juxtaposition of Woody Guthrie's guitar, Grandmaster Flash's turntables, and J. Edgar Hoover's FBI summary on the MC5 is actually interesting, but when did they get Grammy awards? Despite the second half of the exhibit's title, Bob Marley wasn't even mentioned in the press release. Neither was The Clash.

Jethro Tull beating Metallica, who were playing out of their minds in 1988, for "Best Metal Performance" says it all.

In the end, I realize my tastes are merely my own and admit that I'd probably enjoy some of the artifacts and moments caught on tape at the Grammy Museum. A lot of people will really dig it. But it's understood that the actual Grammy awards and shows are more of like industry acknowledgments than measures of artistic accomplishment. To have a museum dedicated to that is like having a big trade show exhibit. How can you even charge for something like that?

Cleveland rocks

Last night's return to the mound was fun but tough. I pitched decently enough to help us maintain a small lead for a few innings, but momentum eventually shifted in one of the middle frames when our opponents unloaded 14 runs. High scores are expected in softball, but a number like that really hurts. We closed the gap with a shutout inning and some smart hitting and base-running, but fell short by 3. It was fun to play with the guys on the GR team and contribute to a competitive game yet frustrating to get roughed up like that. Just one more game and the season ends. Not sure if I'll get to play in it.

I got home and found a package from Portland waiting for me. When I met Jeff during the English 10 series at UCLA, he already had a sizable collection of bootlegs, demos, and hard-to-find music in general. Back then, of course, it was all on cassette. Now he has overstuffed binders full of CD-Rs, and this time he hooked me up with a vintage 1979 set from one of my two favorite bands of all time, The Clash (23 songs in 70 minutes), and a more recent show by the re-formed original lineup of Killing Joke (who we saw a couple months ago during a rare U.S. show). Thanks, Jeff. I'm listening to Mick Jones' solo in "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" right now!

Wood on the set

Went back to the site this morning. The plumbing is almost done, electricity is being wired, and forced air ducts are being added. That's Michelle sticking her head out of a future vent.


Scaffolding has also gone up around the structure so the walls can be finished. Eventually, the addition will be covered with painted corrogated metal--walls and roof.


John inspects the roof. The roofline is really interesting. Did I mention that it's somewhat inspired by Getter Dragon's head? I'm serious.


From the roof, you can see construction taking place at the new Silver Lake Library across the way. Who will finish first?

Boris - Smile Live at Wolf Creek

I got a package from Enju at Enoxia last week. It included the new double-live CD by Boris on Diwphalanx Records, recorded during the band's last headlining tour of America. (More recently, they've been opening for NIN.) I went on tour with the noise/drone/psychedelic/metal band from Japan with Damon & Naomi last year, so I've become accustomed to their amazing live show. This recording does not disappoint.


The songs are taken from the groups's latest album along with "Rainbow," "Floor Shaker," and "Pink." In the lineup is axe master Michio Kurihara, who has been collaborating with them on their last few albums and been accompanying them on their last few tours.


The show is split up into a mostly rocking 30-minute section followed by the more dreamy, noisy hour-long disc that includes a 25-minute dronefest at the end. Having two discs adds to the epic feel of the show and makes for some damn cool packaging (a counterpart to the yellow, spongy, Japanese version of Smile). Throwing down 30 bucks for two CDs instead of one doesn't seem so bad, either.


By now, you Boris fans are already drooling. I'll save you the search and give you the link to Inoxia. FYI, the matching shirt is nice and soft, too...

Too many calories on the ice

Tonight I went with a bunch of dudes to the all-you-can-eat seats at Staples to see the L.A. Kings face off against the only NHL team with a grammatically incorrect name: The Toronto Maple Leafs.


The newest addition to the Staples court is a statue of The Golden Boy. The likeness seems smaller than the version of Buck across the way.


But since we were there for a hockey game, we met in front of The Great One.


Inside, I immediately saw my friends and old-time GR contributors Ted and Trang. This is Ted with their younger daughter, Genevieve, who plays for the Pasadena pee-wee team, and skated between the first and second period. She skated well without the puck, but ended up with a +/- of -1.


As for the other hockey game, the L.A. team jumped to a 1-0 lead early in the first on a nice breakaway goal, but you probably don't care too much about the score.


This is the all-you-can-eat area, where you can grab four items at a time. Mario, Gabe, and Martin each had two hot dogs and various amounts of nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and soda. Mario's dad had three weiners.


Jack and Ken had three hot dogs each, along with the various other foodstuffs. No hot dogs for me because I don't eat meat, but I downed two orders of nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and two Pepsis. Yikes.


In the end, we all felt sick--and not just because the Kings gave up two goals in a two-man advantage during the opening moments of the third period (in addition to an empty-netter). But it was good to get out after deadline, and the ice, the lights, the overeating, and the hanging out with friends I don't see often enough made it feel like the holidays.

Thanksgiven

We uploaded and approved GR57 just in time for four days of family stuff. That's what you're supposed to do over the holidays, right? I didn't have a camera for the Lau gatherings--trust me, it was huge--but above you can see El meets Em during Thanksgiving dinner in Lake Forest. (Code for Eloise and Emily.) Supposedly, my cousin and aunt's new place is in the same tract as Real Wives of the OC reality TV show. Among the Wongs and (mostly) Lews were my cousin and his fiance who recently lost their home in the Yorba Linda fire. Everything was reduced to ash except for her engagement ring and his wedding band. That means: (1) their marriage is meant to be and (2) their jewelry was good stuff.


My brother and sister actually came together in Anaheim Hills on Friday, and there were a bunch of cousins and an Aunt from Hawaii there as well. Cool. Amazingly, my nieces Lucia and Saoirse wore clothes from the same Kumquat line as Eloise, making a perfect chance to shoot a Christmas card photo for my mom. "Cousins connection," said my brother. (I think Wendy was a little worried that there would be no more turkey jook when we got back to her parents, but there was plenty.)


On Saturday, we went to Margot's first birthday at Micheltorena Park in Silver Lake. I walk Eloise to the swings every day, and had never ventured beyond there until the party. We saw a bunch of friends including our architect John and Banta's main man Bret. Oh yeah, their babies, too. Check out the limited-edition cookie/party favor made by Margot's dad, indie comic artist Martin Cendreda.


Yesterday, we visited my friend Ben, a professional photographer who has a little kid. My pics can't measure to his, so I'll just like to them. I didn't take pictures of food, but it was there at every step. Good thing I got the Wii Fit. You can see my BMI go up after Turkey (Tofu) Day. It only went up a couple tenths, but the chart makes it look like I'm about to have a heart attack!