It was a long weekend.

this egg was hatched. Not really, but it sure looks like it, doesn’t it? I assure you, it tastes better than it looks. And this is the most accurate picture out there. This here, my friends, is the often feared and misunderstood Thousand-Year-Old Egg.

It’s a duck egg packed in clay, ash, salt, and lime for up to a few months. I think Italian mobsters do the same to people who cross them.

Growing up, I always ate Congee with Pork and Thousand-Year-Old Eggs on cold, wintry days.  So good, and so comforting.  The egg “white” no longer has a taste, rather, a firm, gelatinous texture.  The yolk is where it’s at.  It smells like death and may make your eyelashes curl, but the creamy consistency followed by a sharpness reminds me of some of the finest cheeses I’ve ever tasted.

Coming from a traditional Chinese family, I’ve eaten many things that would make me a winner on Fear Factor: pig intestines, cow intestines, cow stomachs, fish stomachs, snake hearts, fermented tofu, fermented beans, cow tongue, frogs, rabbits, alligators, pig’s feet, chicken feet, duck feet, fish eyes, fish heads, duck heads, chicken heads…I stop at cow heads. That’s just gross.

Want to taste the millenium for yourself? Head over to A&J Restaurant in Rockville, where they serve it Taiwanese-style, in a fluffy cloud of minced tofu, drizzled with sesame oil. Mmm.

By Independent Consultant, Michelle Glasshappy

Some of us hate spending too much of our precious time following all the rules of everyday dating.  Some of us just want to date as quickly and efficiently as possible.  For those of you who have the same sentiment, here are some of my patented high efficiency dating tips.

I alluded to the exotic eats last post, here is what transpired. I went out for hot pot one night which was pretty good, including the sketchy looking fish, or at least by Western standards. Looked just fine to me, shiny halved heads notwithstanding.

Us ethnic Chinese remind the rest of the world that the whole critter in front of you on the table is proof you’re actually getting pig, chicken, or, you know, whatever you ordered. Not beef, because that’ll be a darned big table.

So thinking I escaped Korea and China without eating anything that would make most Americans vomit, Air China did not let me down. See Exhibit B, or their breakfast porridge. It was so disgusting looking I just had to try some. It tasted like sandy cardboard and had the texture of, um, well, crappy porridge you get on an airline.

Well I’m halfway through an episode of Mad Men, but I stopped to write this blog because I care very deeply about each & every one of you.

Today was my first day of 1. eating locally, my fifth day of Week 8, & my fourth day of being lived by Allyson.  She’s a masterful architect!  Her children are lucky.

As you can see, I 2. posted a list of the foods I normally eat, before noon very early this morning, along with a frantic plea for understudies for Week 9.  It looks as if Week 9 will be taken care of, thank goodness.  So now I can focus on the food.

Week 9 also promises to be very challenging & bizarre.  So those of you who have been boycotting this week (& the past few, from the looks of the blog stats) because it is pleasant & relaxing will be relieved to see me undergoing a series of radical psychological experiments in the week(s) to come.

The Chancellor is glad to have me to himself

TD left early this morning, so I was grateful for today’s directives: they gave me something to do besides weeping into my pillow & plucking petals one by one from the wilted flowers in my vase.  Maybe we’ll see him again sometime.  His elbows, anyway.

For now, all that’s left is a filthy kitchen with a  sink full of oyster shells & a lot of crumpled Kleenex littering my apartment.

After a somewhat hazy early morning goodbye, I re-rose around 10 & had a breakfast of 3. local blueberries left over from Galiano.

Then, luxuriating in my lack of a rigid schedule, I busied myself doing nothing until around 1:00.

But by then I was getting hungry.  I knew if I didn’t feed myself, no one would!  I headed to Granville Island in search of some 4. local groceries. I was supposed to 5. find as many foods from my list as possible.

It was lovely going around Granville Island with this mission.  I’m developing a real affection for this place.  This isn’t the first week that has taken me there, & it won’t be the last.  But it’s very interesting to experience it from so many different perspectives.  The last working day I was there, I was in a wheelchair!  This time, I was keeping my eye out for LOCAL! & BC-GROWN flags.  So each visit I seem to have a different guardian angel.

It took some searching, but I got a real bounty of food.  From my list:

• some kind of fish (trout, as a nod to Ptolemway)
• organic, locally-baked bread (a delicious Fantain from Terra Breads)
• fruit, especially berries, especially blueberries (peaches, blueberries)
• greens (romaine lettuce)
• zucchini
• cheese (basil goat cheese from Salt Spring Island)

I also got an abundance of non-listed things!

• venison salami
• rabbit terrine
• large jar of salmon roe
• green beans
• new potatoes
• carrots
• cucumber
• brown mushrooms

Just look at (some of) the spoils!

Beautiful, British Columbia!

There was plenty of locally-made pasta but none of it was organic.  I was also surprised to find NO local onions & only one stall with local garlic ($2 per shriveled head)– I didn’t buy any.

After my shopping (it takes longer when you can only buy local things), I sat down by the docks for an impromptu sandwich.  Wow it was one of the most satisfying sandwiches ever.

It was only fantain bread, goat cheese, venison salami, & lettuce, but it tasted like absolute heaven.  I’m supposed to 6. post one reason why people should eat local foods each night.  Well, I’ve come up with many over the day.  But here’s the most selfish & unexpected one: eating locally is difficult, but it makes it that much more rewarding.  Eating my sandwich, I had a feeling akin to the one you feel when you are eating a fish you have caught yourself or a tomato grown from your own garden.  A sense of accomplishment enhances flavor remarkably well!  I strongly encourage each of you to try your own local eating day (or week, or month, or year).  It’s enormously satisfying.

I took the water taxi back.

Scenic enough for you?

We nearly capsized, because some foolish man decided it would be a good idea to let his girlfriend drive his boat.  She careened in front of us & the force of their wake nearly resulted in tragedy– or, at the very least, inconvenience.  Crazy woman drivers.  I’m very glad my groceries & iPhone, not to mention the gaggle of senior citizens also aboard, did not end up in the filthy water.

On my way back home I picked up a couple bottles of 7. local wine.

Then, I headed off to meet Shannon & Kyla on Kyla’s patio.  Where I drank the better part of one of the aforementioned bottles (a white).  To my own dismay, I drank it with some delicious local ice cubes.  As the wine was unrefrigerated & ice was, in this case, preferable to warmth.

Eventually we went inside.

Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Kyla was enjoying a raw foods dessert involving a mango & raspberries on a complicated crust.  Sadly, I could not partake.

After leaving her place (we are both, after all, working artists), I stopped by the store where I purchased some 8. local tomatoes & butter & what may or may not have been a non-local onion.  Grown in Canada, but it didn’t say where.  It was the most local onion I’d seen all day & I caved, if only a little, knowing my trout wouldn’t be much without it.

I looked, but did not find local vinegar or olive oil.  That’s not too surprising.  I’ve decided however, that basic condiments & spices which I already have in my cupboard are acceptable for use.  It’s only three days of eating, after all, & I’m already somewhat over budget (thanks to vacation).  I think it would be frivolous to purchase new salt, pepper, olive oil, herbs, etc. when I have perfectly good bottles in my pantry.  Though I’m sure the search would be interesting.  Does this violate the spirit of the week?  Tell me, Allyson. I’m under the impression that it doesn’t, but if it does I will eat my food unseasoned. Not sure how pleased Wednesday’s dinner party guests will be, however!  Ha.

Went home to cook my dinner.  Onion, salt, & pepper were the only non-local ingredients.   I had whole trout pan-fried in butter with onions & tomatoes.  Deglazed the pan with some of the white wine (I very tackily took the bottle home with me) & enjoyed the whole mess with some Fantain bread.

Taste the rainbow (trout).

The Chancellor nibbled a few scraps before growing bored.  When I was done, I laid my plate down for Bella, curious about what parts she would eat.  Well, she ate the leftovers, head, bones, fins, & all & left me a very clean plate (shall I just return it to the cupboard?).  She seems very happy & has suffered no choking &/or vomiting fits thus far.

So now Day 5 is behind me.   Here we come, September!

February 28, 2009

All Pictures

Jeongdongjin

How to get there:

From Seoul — There is no direct way to get the Jeongdongjin from Seoul. You have to go to Gangeung or Donghae by long distance bus or train then take a local bus or cab to Jeongdongjin. The train to Gangeung takes about 6.5 hours. By bus it only takes 3 hours.

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Unification Park

How to get there:

From Gangeung take bus #109 or #112 (2,300KRW). Go to tourist information to get directions to the bus stop.

Or

Take a cab. Cost = 8,000KRW

Cost of Admission: 2,000KRW

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Haslla

How to get there:

From Gangeung – The directions are the same for Unification Park.

From Unification Park – There is a bus stop right outside the park. Stand on the south bound side of the road. Stop any bus or taxi heading south and tell the driver to take you to Haslla.

From the beach – There is a free shuttle, if you can find it.

Cost of admission: 4,000KRW

From Haslla you might be able to get a ride into town by asking about the free shuttle.

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After staring at North Korea for a few minutes at the DMZ and watching tons of videos about North Koreans and their spies, I wanted to see the DPRK spy sub that was captured in 1996. It’s on display at Unification Park in Jeongdongjin on the east coast of Korea (that’s South Korea… the good one).

We went to Express Bus Terminal (lines 3, 7, and now 9) at 10:00am and bought tickets on the next bus out to Gangeung. If you want to make sure that you get the most inexpensive bus tickets available you should check out the bus schedule at the Long Distance Bus website ahead of time and purchase your ticket in advanced. Our tickets cost less then 20,000KRW per ticket.

Once we got to Gangeung we were told to take bus #109 or #112 (2,300KRW), but first we needed to take a taxi to bus #112’s bus stop. We should have just taken the taxi all the way to Unification Park since it was very cold. It would have cost 8,000KRW, but we were hungry and thought that we would buy some burgers and eat them while we waited for the bus. We ate our burgers in the freezing cold while the local ajimas (old ladies) gathered round us to gawk at us and talk about us in Korean.

By the way, you can use your Seoul T-money card on the buses in this town.

It costs 2,000KRW to enter Unification Park. There are no tour guides, just arrows on the floor and explanations on the walls. There are English translations for most of the information.

What happened to the sub?

Back in 1996 the DPRK sent some spies to South Korea in a submarine. A few spies left the sub and headed for land. When it was time to go back the spies couldn’t swim out far enough because the sea was too rough. They asked that the sub come in further to get them. This is when submarine got stuck on some rocks and was damaged.

At this point going back to the DPRK in their little sub was impossible. They would have to walk back home. Besides the soldiers, there were 11 crew members on board. Before the commander left the sub he shot and killed the crew, so they wouldn’t be tempted to defect, and got his soldiers on land. A taxi driver passing by saw the sub and called the authorities.

In the end, 1 man was captured; He lives in Seoul today. One is still missing; Check under your desks! The rest were killed.

The boat is not as interesting to read about as the sub is, but the ship was more fun to play in. It’s like a playground for adults. Mark and I started to climb on things to take more interesting pictures and in regular human fashion, once people saw us climb on stuff they started to climb on stuff too.

In the ship’s gift shop there was a map of the little town we were in and it showed all the cool stuff to do in the area. Most of the cool stuff involved the beach, but there was an art park call Haslla. I may not like art museums, but I LOVE Korean park art!

We left Unification Park and stood at the bus stop.

Since buses pass by at a rate of about 1 bus per hour and it was really cold, we decided to take the first bus, taxi, elephant, or sedan chair that passed by. It costs 4,000KRW each to get into the art park.

After wandering around and frolicking amongst various artistic stuff, we wanted to see the huge sandglass downtown. We asked the guard at Haslla to call us a taxi or to at least tell us where to stand to get the bus. He called some guy from the art park and the Haslla shuttle drove us to town free of charge.

We then saw the one year sandglass and walked near the beach. We ate spicy fish soup at a restaurant by the beach. This is where I ate a fish eyeball for the first time. It was squishy and flavorless, but not terribly gross; just a tiny bit gross.

The people at the restaurant spoke no English and we spoke no Korean. I can go into just about any restaurant in Seoul and order food from a Korean restaurant because I know the names of several dishes that I like. But I’m helpless in a restaurant that serves only fish because I barely know the names of fish in English much less in Korean.

Cham-Chee = Tuna is all I know. As for English I know: tuna, salmon, sardine, big colorful fish, yucky stinky fish…

We did manage to place an order after Mark whipped out his cell phone’s English to Korean translator. The waitress responded by taking out her cell phone’s Korean to English translator. We had a little conversation going that resulted in a big pot of spicy fish soup with many heads.

We took the train back to Gangeung, but not before doing some Korean style drinking outside the GS25 (Korean 7/11). Mark had a beer. I get drunk very easily so I just had some chocolate and iced tea.

I know… how can I live with the people if I can’t drink with the people?

Once again we didn’t take a taxi and I have no good explanation for that because with 2 people the taxi is cheaper than the train. It just seemed like the most fun option at the time.

We took a bus back to Seoul. This involved missing our first bus, Mark yelling at the poor counter girl, the girl calling Mark a liar, and me saving the day with my mad Korean speaking skills.

Ok. It didn’t actually happen that way. We bought our bus tickets back to Seoul on the 9:00pm bus. We had about 10 minutes to kill. We went downstairs where the buses were parked, figured out where the departing buses park and where the bus to Seoul should be parked, saw that the spot was empty, and waiting for the bus to show up. We did use the bathroom, play with blood pressure machine, and complain about how cold it was outside. But every minute we peeked through the glass doors to see if our bus was there.

It never showed up. 9:00pm came and went. No bus.

No big deal… we just went up stairs to exchange our tickets for tickets on next bus. We asked for new tickets, since no bus showed up and the woman started to yell, in Korean, at Mark. Mark yelled back at her, in English. I stood there wondering what the hell was going on. Why so much yelling?

There was lady downstairs we were talking to earlier. She spoke English, so I ran downstairs to get her and ask her if she would help us. By the time I got back upstairs Mark had the new tickets in his hand, but he and the counter girl were still yelling at each other. The English speaking Korean told us that the girl said that we were lying and we better not miss the next bus.

The 9:30 bus left at 9:25. So if you ever need to catch a long distance bus out in the country side of Korea, make sure to get there way ahead of schedule.

All Pictures

I did everything I said I would & it wasn’t even that hard.  Went to Granville Island & bought three times as much trout as I needed.  Told them to give me the heads too.  Got a series of funny MacBook photos with Bella & heads of trout.

I did realize that food that would taste great when camping at the side of the river tastes less great when you are serving it at a small dinner party made up of one friend & two strangers.  The dinner of trout (cooked in bacon fat) rolled in corn meal & seasoned only with salt & pepper failed to impress.  So did the “vegetable” side of mushrooms & bacon.  Raspberries & blackberries for dessert were a bigger hit (didn’t get around to making buckwheat cakes).  Cider & whiskey always good.  Whiskey & raspberries… good.  Ginger ale was fine.

Couldn’t find condensed milk anywhere.  I was so looking forward to condensed milk & tea!  For some reason.

Got all my sentences out but it was hard.  While I have often been guilty of dominating the conversation, I have never been the sort to listen with an agenda as other people talk.  It’s an uncomfortable feeling, & I don’t know how so many of you unpleasant people manage it.  I felt a little sleazy trying to steer the conversation towards lonely & morbid topics so I could ask my guests “How lonesome have you ever been?” & implore them not to “talk morbid.”  “He’s a no good son of a bitch” was the hardest to fit in.

I’ve probably spent equal parts of the day thinking of Ptolemy & Hemingway, neither of whom I’ve ever known in person.  It’s like being religious I suppose.  I’ll save all this for my essay at the end of the week (a whopping 200 WORDS?!)

I liked to pretend that I was Nick Adams & Bella Littless.  I staged the trout photos so that it looks like she’s staring at the trout heads, but if you look closely you can see she’s gazing imploringly at my head.  The poor thing.

It's a good thing Littless likes trout...

Here are my plans for tomorrow, based on J.D. Salinger’s “De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period”

I must say:

• “I think it’s the sweetest, most complimentary thing I ever heard in my life”
• “I thought you were going to Rhode Island with me”
• “Oh it sounds very exciting.”

I must eat:

• hot dog(s)
• fish
• coffee

(Salinger’s certainly no foodie, as I’ve noted before.)

& as for activities, I will

• write a letter to a nun
• drink two cups of coffee in a row
• make 10 or 12 pencil sketches

The coffee will probably be the hardest part as I don’t drink coffee.  Even one cup sends me into crazy jitters!

Drinking is allowed: in fact, “The whole affair seem[s] to call out for my getting drunk.”  (Citation upon request).

Now to lick whiskey off my hand as I read excerpts from Wuthering Heights online!

All day the song “All of Me” has been running through my head, but with Ptolemy replacing the first All of me in the lyrics.  Funny, right?  If I had a camera crew, I’d make a little music video.

we’re approaching the end of my blog posts, only this one and part 7 left to go.  on saturday, we went to tsukiji fish market.  i was definitely looking forward to this cuz i love fish.  grant and i ate some sushi at the fish market, and we were not disappointed at all.  i would love to go there every week to eat fish.  man, i’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

when we first got to the area, there was this huge poster of a chef welcoming you to tsukiji.  i’m sorry, but he had the craziest cocked eye i’d ever seen.  kinda funny, kinda sad.

cock eyed chef

we made it into the fish market and it was kinda crazy.  fish heads lying all over the place, just seafood everywhere.

a look into the fish market

these were totally just chillin on the floor

then we went to eat.  SOOOOOO good.

looks delicious right?

after the fish market, grant and i hit the world trade center building.  it’s the top floor of a building with lots of windows.  it’s great to look at all of tokyo.

city view from world trade center tower

grant thinks he's godzilla or something

and i thought a tokyo tower hat would be very stylish

tokyo tower in the background

later, we hit up shibuya and went to another book off.  also, grant got to look at a bunch of girls with short skirts and shorts.  after that, we hit harajuku’s shrine and did a little shopping on the back streets.

this one is for mickie

grant waited 5 minutes to get this picture cuz a girl was standing there

cary takes some funny ass pictures. grant took this creepy one.

this is me earning the name geoffropuff

grant playing taiko at harajuku's shrine

an awesome picture of me after i took an awesome picture of cary. i seriously LOL everytime i look at this

later, we met up with atsushi (the guy who stayed at grant’s house during our high school exchange) and emiko for some yakiniku.  after dinner, we hit the hub for drinks.  mango beer was strangely good.

grant and atsushi. they look like brothers, don't they?

the group at yakiniku

mango beer

after the hub, we were pretty drunk.  grant was trying to pee in the street so, of course, i had to record it.  don’t worry, i didn’t get his weewee.  it was just funny.  here are some more of our video blogs.

Humpy Head fish food, Rest stop, Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia

Humpy Head fish food: Increase Head-Growth and Shape!

“I’m so jealous! How did you get yours fish’s head so humpy, Louise?”

“Well, Margaret, let me tell you my secret…”

(Or perhaps email is the best way to market this product. Can’t you just see the spam subjects now?)

Arthur: Old woman!

Dennis: Man!

Arthur: Man. Sorry. What knight lives in that castle over there?

Dennis: I’m thirty-seven.

Arthur: I—what?

Dennis: I’m thirty-seven. I’m not old.

Arthur: Well, I can’t just call you “man.”

Dennis: Well, you could say “Dennis.”

Arthur: Well, I didn’t know you were called “Dennis”.

Dennis: Well, you didn’t bother to find out, did you?

 I don’t know what it is about Sindorei females that make us targets for lonely folks. Is it the long, slender legs? The glittering, wispy hair? The invitingly pursed lips? Or do the ears have something to do with it? Maybe there are just a bunch of dudes sitting around with elf fetishes. I really don’t know. But in two hours of running around Eversong Woods, I had three male blood elves come on to me in ways that I wish they hadn’t.

 The first was a warlock. He was nice enough. Elsinne (my rogue) was running around carving up wild cats when out of the blue this guy starts asking questions. I’m new here … are you? Where are you from? Even though I sort of knew where this conversation would end up, I decided to be polite.

 Then, the inevitable. Can I put you on my friend list? You seem nice to talk to. Your mother sure raised a nice girl.

 Some time later, a paladin just started following me around. I was still laying waste to cats, but for a diferent quest this time. He didn’t speak, he just followed. Paladins are creepy that way, so I tried to ignore him. After about five minutes of watching Elsinne bend over to loot cats, he says: Will you be my girlfriend?

 The final lonely elf was another warlock. By this time, I had moved up in the world of blood elf assassins and I was beheading murlocs down on the beach, partly for a quest I was working on and partly for my amusement. The warlock kept trying to duel me, which I refused. After I refused three or four times, he asked me if I would be his b****. He went immediately to the ignore list, without passing Go and without collecting 200 gold coins.

 In my mind, though, I always imagine these sexually frustrated blood elves as twelve-year-old boys who are using the computer while Mommy is making brownies in the kitchen or smoking on the patio or something. Is it possible that some of these folks are forty-two year old software developers or taxi cab drivers? Further, has this ever gotten them anything in the past? Do one out of one hundred blood elf females respond favorably to them and they go off into the inn to have cyber sex?

 Note: the opening italicized text was taken from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If you haven’t seen it, do it now!

Well, this weekend was, umm, interesting. Mostly because of Fucking Cunt (I’m giving her a promotion from Annoying Bitch!) Housemate.

First of all, I got home Friday evening, opened the refrigerator to put away groceries, and was greeted by this:

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT THE HELL IS THAT IT’S TERRIFYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111

FCH is not, by the way, Asian, nor any other ethnicity that, to my knowledge, consumes fish heads (or tails). Plus, I’m pretty sure that even like, FOB North Koreans* have heard of a little invention called PLASTIC WRAP.

Fuck’s sake, I lived with Taiwanese who ate VERY traditional cooking for 6 months, and I managed not to see fish heads in the ‘fridge.

Then, yesterday, when I came out of cleaning the bathroom, I found a NOTE on my BED that said “I cleaned the bathroom this week”. Yeah, I was home when she “cleaned” the bathroom. She was in there for about 5 minutes and, as usual, didn’t touch the toilet.

Plus, and this is really the more important part, I HATE being communicated to by notes. It’s such a wussy, passive-aggressive ploy.

I wrote “The toilet is part of the bathroom” on the other side of the note, crumpled it up, and threw it at her bedroom door. Then I told Bonnie that I didn’t appreciate being lectured at through notes, especially when I’m IN THE FUCKING HOUSE, and that I wasn’t going to adjust my cleaning schedule to someone else’s when she doesn’t stick to a schedule and does a really half-assed job when she does. I cleaned the kitchen last week, therefore this week I cleaned the bathroom, and I really don’t give a fuck what FCH may have cleaned or sort-of cleaned or not cleaned.

In the course of this conversation it came up that FCH has gotten back together with Creepy Stalker Boyfriend. Way to reinforce the idea that being an inappropriate jerk will get you what you want! I suppose the next logical step is for him to start smacking her around.

*Not that I think North Koreans are like, especially ignorant or crass. Just that, due to the nature of the secretive dictatorship they live under and the impoverishment of their country, they don’t have a lot of familiarity with non-essential goods.

I den spännande science fiction-serien Babylon 5 förekommer en minbari (fråga inte) vid namn Lennier. Denna Lennier spelas av f.d. barnskådespelaren Bill Mumy, som också enligt uppgift är “a very talented, well-known” musiker. Han har spelat in flera skivor och hade på 1970-talet ett samarbete med en musiker vid namn Robert Haimer. De kallade sig båda för Art Barnes och spelade in konstig musik, bland annat en sång som hette “Fish Heads”.

För kanske femton år sen spelade min bror den lustiga låten Fish Heads, som han hittat på Internet, för mig. Jag tänkte att det var några tonårspojkar som skojat till det lite grann med pitchen. Det var inte en så bra låt men irriterande lätt att komma ihåg. Den har funnits mer eller mindre latent i mitt huvud sen dess: “fish heads fish heads loli poli fish heads…” (med en fånig röst).

Idag, när jag hade tråkigt, skrev jag in Fish Heads på youtube och fick upp en skum video av den, enligt utsago, legendariska duon Barnes&Barnes. Det tog inte många sekunder innan jag förstod att det var Art Barnes=Bill Mumy=Lennier som varit i farten.

/Anna Hedenrud

If you’ve never seen the glory that is “Fish Heads,” you should probably watch it now. This delightful little music video was made by Bill Paxton (who directed, produced, and starred in it) and the oddball band Barnes and Barnes. Barnes and Barnes consists of Bill Mumy (of Lost in Space and Babylon 5 fame) and his childhood friend Robert Haimer, also known as Art and Artie Barnes respectively.

This strange duo produced two albums on Rhino Records (back when it was a novelty label) for fellow oddball Larry “Wild Man” Fischer. Fischer, who suffers from schizophrenia, was discovered by Frank Zappa, who put out his first album in 1968. He later launched Rhino Records’ recording arm (previously they had just been a retail shop) when they recorded and released his song “Go to Rhino Records.” He also sang a duet with Rosemary Clooney.

Wild Man, first sponsored by Zappa, then by Rhino Records and Barnes and Barnes, helped pave the way for other outsider musicians such as Wesley Willis and Daniel Johnston. He is the focus of the documentary dErailRoaDed.

 Frank Zappa (The King of Weird)

By the end of the 1950s, music began to change.  There was this wave of new artists, who by no means, were like Pat Boone, Teresa Brewer or The Platters.  These new musicians were different, eccentric and plain weird.   Chuck Berry and Elvis may have introduced rock and roll, but it was The Coasters, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Louis who introduced FREAKY, CRAZY rock.  Freaky, crazy rock is obviously a term I’ve just made up, however, it perfectly differentiates the difference between Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis’s music.  For instance, Elvis sang very melodic and harmonic songs, while Jerry Lee Lewis always improvised the rhythm of his songs, which in the latter sounded different compared to other artists and musicians at that time.

By the 1960’s, there was a bigger wave of crazy, freaky artists, who not only performed in a freaky style, but produced and created music that was so weird people literally thought that these artists came from another planet.

By the 1970s, freakiness and weirdness became quite popular in the music industry. However their freakiness was not accepted by all, especially adults.  

Soon, freaky musicians were accepted by all in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and  today (2000s).

For my last blog, I am paying tribute to musicians who are a little “coo-coo ka choo.”

MGMT, “Kids.”

I’m not sure about this band.  Apparently, their rise of fame is a big joke, because they have stated that they did not have any intentions of becoming famous or mainstream.  From what I’ve read about this band, it sounds like they’re just a gimmick and that marketers from their record label are just capitalizing on their freaky and weird antics.  If you notice in the video that I’m posting, the band is not playing their instruments, and it almost seems like the singers are lip synching to their song.  Despite the fact that this band may not even be a real band, the members in the band are weird, and so is their music.

Beck, “New Pollution.”

Beck has always been known to be a little eccentric.  Despite his freakiness, I enjoy his freaky tunes.

Bjork, “Human Behaviour.”

Bjork, everyone knows she’s weird.  That’s all I have to say.

Devo, “Joko Homo.”

There are no words to describe Devo’s weirdness.  The only suggestion that I’ll make is watch the video.

Barnes and Barnes, “Fish Heads.”

Barnes and Barnes is a band that creates novelty rock.  Meaning, its not suppose to be taken seriously.  Most of their songs are annoying and lame, but their song “Fish Heads” is truly a cult classic that will always stay dear to my freaky heart. 

Bonde do Role, “Office Boy.”

This Brazilian band is well known for their freakiness.  The leader singer for Bonde do Role is notorious for dressing up in the oddest costumes when she is performing live.  For instance, I saw a picture of her dressed up as a crab while performing at some music festival.  Anyway, Bonde do Role’s video “Office Boy” really shows how freaky this band is.

Well, Happy Holidays Everyone!  I’ll leave you with a Jingle Cats video, enjoy!

I really dont know why this song poped into my head this morning!?! Here’s the video to the Barnes and Barnes 80’s classic! There are really no words to describe the song and or video for the matter. Just watch!

Update: The guy in the video is none other then screen legend Bill Paxton.

After all the bailout talk and last night’s debate, I think we needed something a little light hearted.

I had forgotten how long the intro is on this video.

Your patience will be rewarded.

For more FGF, visit Ginger, Newscoma, Scout, Cluttered Brain, Sista Smiff, Left Wing Cracker, Sharon Cobb, GoldnI, MonsterMash40, LeBlanc, Hollywood Ron, Nashville Is Talking, Russ McBee, Beziat and Jag.

There may be more out there, but I ran out of time to look for them.

Happy Friday to all.

Last entry before the holiday starts, and then the computer shuts down till Wednesday night. It’s late to be showing the last of the simanim, but just to show you what we’re having…

Simple carrot salad: just grated carrots, fresh tangerine juice, and a smidge of sugar.

Fish heads gross Daughter out; I waited till she left to visit her Granny to photograph them. We put a paper napkin over them to spare her feelings when we set out the simanim.

The dates are stuffed with toasted pecans. Many folks won’t eat nuts on Rosh HaShanah because the gematria of nut – egoz - is the same as chet - sin. In fact many folks feel pretty strongly about that.  We don’t.

We’re together with all of Am Israel in wishing to grow in mitzvot – may our merits become as numerous as the seeds of the pomegranate!

And may we all be granted a good year.

in a successful – i mean super duper successful – attempt to out do his own nastiness, wăan brought a gift home.

what delicate thing is he carrying so gingerly in his mouth??

******warning – the following image is nasty – warning*******

and this is yet another reason why we had children. because they have to clean things like that up. and take them far, far away.

]]> http://shawp.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/a-dull-update-i-bet-you-missed-this/ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:23:12 +0000 shawp http://shawp.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/a-dull-update-i-bet-you-missed-this/

Japan was a nice vacation from reality. My family is extremely nice. I am proud to stem off from that gene pool and especially proud to be able to show them off to my girlfriend.

Tokyo Tower, shopping and eating were the main activities. I am not sure if Japan is just a food obsessed culture, or if it is my family. I believe it is a combination of both. Every television channel is like a part-time Food Network.

I write for the school newspaper now. It is fairly prestigious (I think). I strangely find it enjoyable. I was this close to leaving the journalism program until certain things fell into place. I still wonder if it’s right for me. If my grade had not been fixed in one class, I would have definitely been gone.

Yes, I finally got my grade fixed for the most part. The old warhorse of a professor would not give me the “B” I deserved, but at least I do not have to take the class again. I guess the middle road “C” was just a jab in the ribs for all the headache I caused him this summer.

I am going back home to babysit my autistic brother very soon. He is coming to live there forever, I guess. That part of my family is a long and complicated story involving curdling orange juice in milk, turning on televisions with screw drivers and eating fish heads served my money-grubbing caretakers.

It is sad that the “year” is ending and the roommates will soon part their ways. One is off to South America to visit his heritage using money from some weird, well-known site where people sponsor individuals for loans. Another is graduating and going off to become a twitchy rich man or something. Some of the other roommates are mysteries as to where they will end up in the fall. I will be living with one roommate and his rock climbing friend on the other side of campus.

I think I need a better bicycle.

Internet es un sitio maravilloso donde se pueden combinar varias cosas dentro de nuestra computadora, un ejemplo, un video, uno que nos guste demasiado no muy conocido con seguridad de hace bastantes años y por logica dificil (por no decir imposible) de conseguir, en mi caso, este estupendo video de Barnes & Barnes, Fish Heads.

Aqui es donde entra YouTube, sitio donde se puede encontrar esta genialidad de lo absurdo, me refiero a mi bizarro video favorito, y eso gracias no tanto al mismo YouTube sino a los miles de usuarios registrados en él, que se encargan de subir nostalgicos videos musicales de los que las mismas tiendas de discos se han olvidado al igual que las compañias discograficas que originalmente los produjeron, además de subir todo tipo de cosas imaginables e incluso no imaginables.

Ahora, otro elemento que nos produce una enorme dicha es un buen software que nos permita descargar de YouTube eso, lo dificil de obtener, luego un buen reproductor de medios como el Windows Media, el Winamp o el iTunes, en este último caso, descargando los videos en formato mp4 para poder guardarlos en un iPod…

Regresando al asunto de con que descargar los videos, una excelente opción es el aTube Catcher, copiar y pegar la URL, elegir el formato entre AVI, FLV, GIF, MPG, WMV, MP4, M4A, PSP, 3GP, 3G2, MOV, MP3, MP2, VOB, WMA, WAV, OGG o FLAC, descargar y en muy poco tiempo disfrutar del resultado.

Facil de usar y permite convertir los videos ya descargados a otro formato siempre y cuando hayan sido descargados en FLV (aunque confieso que no he tenido la necesidad de usar esta aplicación), no tendra una apariencia llamativa, es más bien sencilla, se instala rapidamente y no ocupa mucho espacio. En la opción Guardar en: se recominda remplazar la palabra desktop y agregar el nombre de un archivo creado previamente para que los videos no aparescan en el escritorio cada uno en acceso directo.

La cuestión de las descargas es algo delicado, pero definitivamente si el gran mercado del consumo dejo fuera joyas que sólo se pueden conseguir por este medio, pues me parece que es valido, es decir, si no puedo conseguir un DVD que incluya Fish Heads siempre estará YouTube, probablemente porque las transnacionales piensan que no es lo suficientemente comercial, ellos se lo pierden.

Ingredientes para ser superficialmente feliz:

• 1 video (el que más te guste)
• YouTube (copy&paste la URL)
• aTube Catcher (ingrediente recomendado)
• iTunes (copiar video en MP4)
• iPod (sincronizar al reproductor…)

¡Y listo!.