2004 Blog: March

Weekly updates are too tedious to keep up with so I've changed the format for 2004...

Week One

This week's theme was a peak of spring. It was quite sunny for most of the week and even warm at times. Of course the arctic wind was never far behind to remind me that winter's grip still has some force, but it was nice to get a taste of spring no matter how fleeting.

"The earth produces crops on its own. First a blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed and finally the grain ripens."

~Mark 4:28

EVENT = TALL SHIPS PULL IN
I'm still settling into the new day job so I don't know if it happens a lot, but it was still great to see a couple of 'tall ships' pull in to South Beach Harbor this week. They breezed in like a romantic echo of an idealized past. Apparently one of them was used in last year's big Hollywood movie, "Pirates of the Caribean". Obviously they do a lot of community outreach stuff, because they had a ton of school kids touring the ships. They set sail twice a day and sure looked graceful in motion.

EVENT = EMMY FOR AARON?
My ex-flatmate Aaron was nominated for an emmy this week. He's been working on Martha Stewart's show for a couple of years now and with all of the scandal and uncertainty swirling around her and the company, I really hope Aaron can pull it off. Of course he modestly claims 'it's great enough just to be nominated'. My fingers are crossed for him anyway.

EVENT = DAVID & KARLAN IN TOWN
David & Karlan, my friends from LA were in town this weekend and we got to hang out for a while. They had to work for most of Saturday, but that night we went bar hopping and I was surprised by how empty most of the bars looked. Sunday was a different story as it was a warm day and we went out to the Eagle. Apparently hundreds of other people had the same idea and the place was packed.

NEWS = MARTHA STEWART GUILTY ON ALL FOUR COUNTS!
Her lawyers took a gamble and lost big. Now that the cloud hanging over her has lifted, the shareholders are sure to be in for quite a ride as people try to figure out how much value is left in the products, magazines and brand name.
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NEWS = 12 REASONS HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE SHOULD NOT BE LEGAL
I found this list online and thought I would share it with you.
1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control. Hippies aren't the only ones obsessed with nature.

2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people can’t legally get married because the world needs more children.

3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.

5. Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed or evolved at all; women are still the property of their husbands, blacks can’t marry whites, and divorce is illegal.

6. Gay marriage should be decided by people not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of the minorities.

7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of the one true religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why America is a Jesus worshipping country.

8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

10. Children can never suceed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why single parents are forbidden to raise children.

11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for such a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven’t fully adapted to cars or longer lifespans yet.

12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a “seperate but equal” institution is always constitutional. Seperate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as seperate marriages for gays and lesbians will.

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Week Two

This week's theme was "HOT". It was so hot that I wore short pants to work everyday this week. Jackets, jeans, and sweatshirts were long forgotten and I was really glad to be working in such a casual office in such a beautiful environment.

"Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described taking place, you can be sure that the Kingdom of God is near."

~Luke 21:29-31

EVENT = FUNDRAISING FOR MY PAL ANDIE
A bunch of her friends got together on Sunday to help raise money for our pal Andie. I arrived a little bit late, but just in time to see her head for home. I still got to hang out with a bunch of old friends and we watched my pal Martin's new documentary.

EVENT = DADDY GARRY TURNS 40
This was the best birthday party I've been to in a long time. The theme was "tropical" and everyone dressed appropriately. Garry's partner Eric built a tiki bar in the front room and they had the whole event catered. The food looked great, but I ate before I arrived as vegans are well advised to do. There was a great mix of people and a few familiar faces that I haven't seen since the fourth of July party a couple of years ago.

NEWS = GAY MARRIAGES PUT ON HOLD IN SF
Daddy Garry and Eric had one of the last appointments of the day and were next in line at City Hall when the Supreme Court put same-sex marriages on hold.

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Week Three

This week's theme was Music because there was so much of it built into my activities...

"Long absent from her lovers, she will take a harp, walk the streets, and sing her songs, so that she will again be remembered."

~Isaiah 23:16

EVENT = BERLIN & THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS
My pal Josh rang up on Tuesday afternoon with extra tickets to see Berlin and the Psychedelic Furs at the Great American Music Hall later that night. It was free admission and back stage "after the show" passes so I readily agreed. I even got him to kick down some tickets for my pal Ggreg Taylor. I met up with Josh and some of his friends and waited out front for Ggreg. It was such a warm night that the venue was sweltering. When Berlin took the stage, I was a little dissapointed to see a touring band with Terry Nunn so the jubulation was genuine when later in the show she brought out Dave Diamond, from the original lineup. Apparently he lives in San Francisco and Ggreg and I were sure we've seen him around town. The band was just on VH1's "Bands Reunited" so that could be clouding my memory as well. The show was good, a bit too rock-and-roll-ish for my current tastes but they still seemed to be in top form. I saw the original group back in the 80s and I was glad to hear them go from their song, "Sex" into a cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". I've heard DJs do that in the clubs with their records for years and it's nice to know the band pays attention to such things and has a sense of humour about how their music is interpreted.

Next up was the Psychedlic Furs. The last time I saw them was at Irvine Medows Ampetheatre with a few thousand people. To see them in a venue that holds about 600 was amazing. Richard Butler's voice sounded a bit more growly then it did back then, but that only added to the music's haunting qualities. "Ghost In You" sounded brilliant as did "Heaven" though their biggest hit, the melodic, radio-friendly MTV fave, "Love My Way" sounded a bit pat and uninspired. I always appreciated the biting cynicism which pokes fun at the "cattle-mart" type nightclubs and without the snide edge it sounded flat to me. I'm sure they're sick to death of singing that song as it's probably the only one that all of their fans can agree on. The surprising point in their show was when they played, "President Gas" it was written during their more punkish early days as the Regan era began. Word for word, it could have been written about the Bush regime of today... the band can still shock me after all these years, so they must be doing something right. Brilliant.

EVENT = SAINT PATRICK'S DAY
Saint Patrick, known as the Apostle of Ireland used the shamrock as an illustration of the Trinity to convert the native Irish to his religion in the 5th century. To celebrate the spiritual subjugation, Ireland made the shamrock their national symbol.

March 17, is the traditional feast day of Ireland's patron saint. In the United States, Saint Patrick's Day has evolved into a celebration of Irish-American heritage and shows how important and powerful they have become. Many Irish-American communities hold parades, with celebrants dressed in green to symbolize the lush Irish landscape. Some people take it a bit further and dye their hair and food green, and some communities (such as Chicago) go so far as to pour green dye into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.

This year, I did nothing to celebrate the "holiday" I was too knackered after the concert to bother with anything more than reading this Reuter's article about guiness bubbles sinking.

EVENT = SLOT MACHINE'S FIRST PUBLIC GIG
They played a benefit for my pal Andie last weekend. I arrived too late to see them play so I was really excited to make up for it this week. The band is made up of my friend's kids. It was exciting to see them play their first real performance in such a great venue as the Great American Music Hall. They were the opening band for my pal Dani (See item below). The lead singer of Slot Machine will be seven in a couple of months. You might remember I attended his fourth birthday party a few years ago. Apparently they wrote all of their own material and all of it was quite good. I know punk is probably the easiest style to master for a begining musician. The oldest member is about 11 or 12 and I couldn't help but think about how great their third album will sound. Well done lads!

EVENT = DANI IS BACK IN TOWN
I haven't seen her for about four years and hadn't hear her solo CD, but nothing could have kept me from supporting my pal Dani. I was glad for the chance to talk to her before she took to the stage. She cut our reunion short, saying she had to take care of a bunch of stuff before going on. During the show I could see why she had so many preparations to look after. She played three different instruments, four if you count the vocal processor she had rigged up to one mic. I didn't know what to expect as her backing band began to play but as soon as she took the stage the intensity went up another notch. I'm sure the fact that this was a 'hometown' gig and the last appearance on her American tour helped energize the evening and everything came together to create a wonderful show.

Dani Sicilliano was a jazz vocalist in Washington DC before moving to San Francisco in the early 90's where she transformed herself into a house DJ. The music was exuberant and moody at times, upbeat and down tempo in alternating turns. It was obvious to me that she was experimenting with a lot of her ecclectic influences and somethings worked well while others didn't. She has a great stage pressence and obviously feels comfortable as a performer. I think it may take another album or two for her to settle on a distinctive sound in style that is uniquely her own. When she does, watch out TOTP!

EVENT = MY 'HOOD'S ON FIRE!
Imagine my surprise to turn a corner on my walk home from work and find a bunch of fire trucks and a corded off area of the sidewalk ablaze with what looked like flames shooting four to five feet up from a grate in the street. It looked like the fireman were waiting for it to burn itself out, but to me it seemed like the telephone poll nearby was in danger of catching alight as well. I snapped the picture with my camera phone and continued walking home, so I never found out what really happened.

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Week Four

This week's theme was work

"Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till HE comes and rains righteousness upon you."

~Hosea 10:12

Too busy to do anything all that interesting

Just work and home stuff at night... making food, laundry and of course looking for a better job...

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