• Felotalk: February 2006

    Friday, February 24, 2006

    Pisces Shout Out

    Friendster just e-mailed me a notification reminding me of all the birthdays of friends that are coming up. This made made me realize and remember that I am blessed (or cursed?) with a lot of people born under the Pisces sun (or is it moon?) in my life. Some of my best friends are Pisces, and almost all have enriched my life, made me laugh, supported me, and/or given me plenty of reasons to punch walls... Anyway, in no paritcular order here is a shout-out to all of the Pisces I know:

    Happy birthday!!!
    Wendy, Kathy, Natalie, Kindred, Sal, Gabby, Miguel, Leandro, Max, David...

    Wednesday, February 22, 2006

    Another Random List

    Latest C.D.s I've Added to My Collection:
    I went to Ameoba Records this weekend with Serene and Miguel, and I bought the newest Belle and Sebastian and Stereo Total releases. I also got a Caetano Veloso collection of his best songs and a collection called "Soul of Brazil," which features soul and funky Brazilian songs from '65-'77. I decided to get a used copy of Tricky's 1995 release "Maxinquaye." I used to own this C.D. but I had it stolen from me some years ago, along with some 50 or so other C.D.s. The last disc I got was Lady Sovereign's "Vertically Challanged." As we were lined up, my friend Miguel said to Serene and I, "Lady Sovereign is this year's M.I.A." So we all bought a copy. I like this record, but I have to say I was disappointed when I discovered Lady Sovereign was white and looked like a Spice Girl. She's a good rapper though...

    Last D.V.D. I watched:
    Suddenly Last Summer, w/Montgomery Cliff, Elizabeth Taylor and Katherine Hepburn

    Last Film I Saw in the Theaters:
    Transamerica.

    Number of Friends' Homes I Went to for Dinner this Past Weekend:
    Three! I had Vodka pasta, steak and green beans at Joe and Dominique's on Saturday night. I had homemade pizza, salad and sausage frittatta at a Sunday brunch at Oscar and Jerry's. And Serene barbecued red snappers, steak and an assortment of veggies at her new place on Monday night.

    Latest High Tech Acquisitions (remember, I'm a pretty low-tech guy!):
    I am now a proud owner of a digital camara and I replaced my old cell phone with a Motorola RAZR.

    Favorite Olympic Moments of the Last Few Days:
    In ice dancing, I loved watching the Italian pair (I forget their names) redeem themselves with a flawless performance after a disappointing turn in the short program. There was much drama surrounding their first performance, after the couple did not exchange a single word and only glared at one another with much contempt, both silently blaming the other for an embarrasing fall. After successfully completing the long program, the audience got up on their feet and gave the pair the most incredible applause. The Italian pair then kissed and made up, shared a long embrace with tears in their eyes. They finished in fifth place, but were definately the most memorable pair in that competition.
    My other favorite moment was last night in Speedskating. There were two American teammmates feuding (Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick) and getting all the attention for last night's 1,500 meter race. I love that they were both upset by another racer from another country, Italy's Enrico Fabris.

    Friday, February 17, 2006

    Random Selections & Housecleaning

    Every once in a while, when I decide to do a little house cleaning, I like to pick out C.D.s from my shelves that I normally ignore, to listen to while I work. I usually tend to forget older C.D.s as I add newer ones to my collection. I also tend to forget about C.D.s which are not at eye level. Since I am a Virgo, I like to alphabetize my C.D.s. This means that I am more likely to play a disc by Air or Bjork in the higher shelves than a discs by Stevie Wonder or XTC in the lower shelves. Recently I did some chores around the house, and with my eyes closed, I chose random discs from every shelf. I picked the following discs out:
    "Happy End of the World" Pizzicato Five (1997)
    "Gideon Gaye" The High Llamas (1994)
    "O Corpo Sutil" Arto Lindsay (1996)
    "Encendedor" The Dambuilders (1994)
    "Turn On" Turn On (1997)

    With the exception of Arto Lindsay's record, I can honestly say that I had not listened to the other selections in at least 5 years.

    I started by listening to Pizzicato Five. I swept and mopped my floors to this one. "Happy End of the World" is not as fun as the Japanese duo's first effort, but it does have some memorable, danceable tracks such as "Arigato We Love You" and "Happy Ending."

    While I did laundry and Windexed my windows, I listened to The High Llamas and Turn On. The High Llamas are a Chicago-based indie band whose sound often reminded me of The Beach Boys. Their music is very dreamy and soothing. Lead singer, Sean O'Hagan was an original player with Stereolab and you will always find guest appearances by different members of this band on any High Llamas record. It was such a coincidence that I also randomly picked the Turn On disc. In 1997, Tim Gane, lead member of Stereolab, and Sean O'Hagan collaborated on a record called Turn On. It was a very atmospheric record, almost entirely instrumental. My favorite tracks in it, actually, are the ones with guest vocals by Laetitia Sadier, Stereolab's lead singer.

    While doing dishes and going through stacks of newspapers that I needed to read and recycle, I listened to Arto Lindsay's "O Corpo Sutil." I love this guy! Lindsay has been part of the New York music scene for more than 2 decades. An original member of DNA ("Tom's Diner" remix) and The Lounge Lizards, Lindsay started working with Latin artists, particularly Brazilian musicians, in the last few years. "O Corpo Sutil" has bossa nova-inspired songs in English and Portuguese, featuring featuring impressive guest artists such as Caetano Veloso and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

    The last disc I listened to was by The Dambuilders. I don't believe this band is still around but I was really into this Boston-based quartet in the earlier part of the '90s. To be honest, I didn't really get a chance to pay much attention to their disc when I got around to playing it. The phone rang, and I had to set the volume down...

    Wednesday, February 15, 2006

    Winter Games

    Not a whole lot has been going on around me these last few weeks. I hate it when folks ask me what's new. I often feel as if I have to share or boast about something exciting or some new ambitious project. For me, sometimes, nothing new means everything is going fine and dandy in my life. My routines are going well and keeping me happy.
    I had a rather busy weekend recently. Cleaning house. Reading. Barbecues here and there (Thanks Serene). Dinners with friends (Oscar/Jerry & Glenfeliz peeps). Shopping (Serene, Robert B). A friend's birthday (Steve M). And I've been trying to watch the Olympics on t.v. almost every night.
    I've always loved watching the Olympics on television. My earliest memories are of the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, I had started my first year of high school and I was at Belmont, which was and I believe still is a year-round school. I recall coming home from school and being excited at catching in the competitions. Now even though most of the sports played in the Winter Games are not everyday things most Southern Californians would participate in, they are still fun to watch. I especially love watching the downhill skiing, speedskating and ice skating competitions. I like the idea of athletes gathering from around the globe. And there's something great about seeing the gold medal winners parading with their countries' flags. It's a more deserving demostration of national pride. Not as offensive as when people do this during war or invasions.

    Tuesday, February 07, 2006

    Short Post

    What I am reading right now: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a novel by Mark Haddon

    The last D.V.D. I watched: Hustle & Flow

    The last C.D. I bought: Come on Feel the Illiniose by Sufjian Stevens, the latest Cat Power,and latest Saint Etienne

    T.V. shows I'm watching: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Skating With Celebrities (FOX), Lost (ABC)

    Last place where I ate out: The Brite Spot

    Most recent visitors to my house: Yolanda and Lindha

    What I made for dinner last night: Scallops with vegetables over brown rice.

    Last phone conversation: with Robert B.

    Favorite place to get good wine, lately: The House of Spirits on Echo Park and Sunset

    What I am wearing right now: a faded grey American Apparel polo, jeans, Adidas sneakers.

    Next time I will write something more significant: soon, I promise...