Friday, September 28, 2007

Radio Silence Turned Down

The media black out/radio silence has lessened. No doubt Sabrina will see this as victory in her personal bet on how long I could last. Funny enough, I didn't find that I missed MySpace and FaceBook that much, but keeping from instant messaging the world was like losing a limb. So dramatic!

So I'm back. I'll get around to getting caught up with everyone's blogs/bulletins eventually.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Twitterings at Artist Share

Saturday's Artist Share session on creative writing/poetry as a nice experience. While not as many people brought writings to share, there was a good discussion about what inspires us to write and authors who impacted us as writers.

I shared that Carolyn Keene played a big role in my development as a writer. I think it's funny that I had to name a pseudonym, since there were so many writers for the Nancy Drew series. The story I told was about the time we had to write ghost stories for a reading class in sixth grade. I used the word "sobered" to describe the mood of one of my characters at some point.

My reading teacher asked, "That's a great word. Where did you come up with that?"

I answered simply, "Nancy Drew."

The piece I chose to read to everyone was "Twitterings". It was well-received and it was suggested that I stamp a copyright on that word. I joked that I was a step behind since there was a new service called Twitter.

Next month's theme for Artist Share is visual art. I encourage anyone who may dabble in any kind of visual arts to attend. It's a very gentle atmosphere where you don't have to be afraid of being torn down. That alone is a reason to go aside from being able to see all the neat things people can create.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Media Black Out

I'm planning to go on a media blackout of a sorts for the next week. This equates to no instant messaging, no FaceBook, no MySpace, no text messaging, etc.

A big however will be that a few blog entries that have been rumbling in my brain might get posted.

If you really need to get in touch with me, please email me at muzenews(at)gmail(dot)com or call me if you know my cell number. Please, NO text messages.

I'll update you on my experiment sometime next week.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Artist Share: Creative Writing/Poetry this Saturday

The monthly "Artists Share" takes place tomorrow at the Reg Studio Theatre. I plan to go and read something I had posted earlier this year.

If you've written something lately that you'd like to share, and get other people's opinion on then I encourage you stop by tomorrow between 2 and 4pm. It's a free event!
Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Arts Council for Chautauqua County are partnering in the encouragement and support of local artists. Please join us once a month in sharing and supporting the local art community by meeting at the Reg Studio Theater - 108 East Third Street, Jamestown.

Artists Shares will provide those interested an opportunity to share ideas and projects, to show off their work and to enjoy interaction and conversation with fellow artists. No Door Charge. Meeting time: 2 to 4pm. Themes for upcoming Saturday Share Meetings are as follows:

September 22: Creative writing/poetry
October 20: Visual Art
November 10: Creative Art Workshop
December 15: Acoustic Music Share

Please contact Tara Eastman at eastman_tara@yahoo.com for more details

Monday, September 17, 2007

An Ear Tearer

Sometimes I like to inflict pain on my friends. My latest torture device has been a "music" video by Lil' Mama for the so-called tune "Lip Gloss." I don't know why I feel so compelled to keep sending this video around. Perhaps it's because I find it hysterically absurd. It's poppin'!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Whoosh!

Earlier, I meant to dedicate several posts to last weekend. At least I got up one with the video from the Local Music Awards. Last weekend was amazing with the Local Music Showcase and a great Warren Riverside Chamber Orchestra concert. I started this week feeling exhausted and happy.

Life is moving fast. People have been asking me how my summer was and I keep giving them blank looks as I try to remember everything I've been up to for the past several months. I know there was a wedding, several groups of out-of-town guests, time with family, and many nights at Forte with friends. A lot of good things.

Fall will continue at a breakneck pace. Every few months, I have an almost optimistic feeling that the next season won't be quite as busy. That our weekends will free up and we'll be able to get stuff done around the house. That we won't have obligations more nights of the week than not. And that, for once, we'll be able to sit down with an unhurried feel and appreciate everything we've accomplished because we've been able to reclaim "our" time.

But one must be realistic.

The reality is that our life is full of stuff that we choose to do for the most part. I choose to play violin in several ensembles, be the secretary for an alumni chapter, do the news for a local radio station, be involved with a leadership network group, spend time with our friends, and make time for Matt. Matt, in turn, devotes a lot of time to work-related activities, a class he's taking through JCC, a personal project that involves a lot of computer time, spending time with friends, and making time for me.

It's no wonder we haven't finished painting the different rooms in our house in the 2 years we've lived there. I think I've come to a point where that doesn't upset me when I look at the grand scheme of things. Would it be nice to have stuff done? Sure. But I think I'll take the time we've made to be with friends and family over a fully painted wall.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Knowing The Issues

I listened to both Mayor Sam Teresi and Republican-Endorsed Candidate (Democrat) Shirley Sanfilippo on WJTN's The Hall Closet this week. Even if you're aligned with a certain political party, I believe that you should get to know where the candidates stand on the issues. The big issue locally is the BPU Power Plant's proposed Clean-Coal Project (The other side here).

The latest Jamestoon in the WORD gets at what's ticking me off about one of the candidates best.

Click to embiggin:
If you're going to run for office, you better know the issues and have a stance on the big ones.

Monday, September 10, 2007

What You Missed at the CCMAs

I have a whole post brewing about the Chautauqua Region WORD's Local Music Showcase but just to give you a taste of the awesomeness in Jamestown last night, here's the Desecrator Mash-Up performance from the Chautauqua County Music Awards. If you stayed home to watch the MTV VMAs, your loss:
2007 Jamestown Music Awards & Hall of Fame Induction

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

A Little Scrape and Dig

I had the pleasure of a teeth cleaning yesterday at the dentist. I don't really mind going to the dentist, or the doctor, even when it's for that exam. I figure I'd rather know that I was in good health and have one less thing to worry about.

Going to the dentist locally is like taking a trip back to the 1970s. The time warp begins as soon as you enter the office. Wood paneling covers the walls along with an assorted collection of cutesy wood carvings. The furniture echoes the time period and it's almost shocking to see the latest edition of Martha Stewart's Living on the coffee table.

When the hygienist calls me into the office, I'm unsurprised to see a cheesy, ocean landscape painting adorning the wall. It's the kind of painting you'd expect to see at one of those "Starving Artist" sales where you can pick up paintings for $29.

While the hygienist gets me settled in and starts sorting out her instruments, "Islands In The Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton waft over the sound system. As my teeth and gum are gouged away at, I hear Karen Carpenter's voice trying to ease any pain I might be feeling. That's soon followed by Richard Marx. The hygienist hums happily along, pausing to tell me to rinse and spit.

I receive a clean bill of health and some Listerine for a final mouth rinse. Looking at my watch, I'm surprised that less than a half-hour as passed and I'm back to 2007 as some Kylie Minogue blares over my car stereo.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Love Child of the Violin & Turntables


via videosift.com

Jamestown: Vote With Your Feet

2007 Official Guide
Mike Salamone posted some good thoughts about the upcoming Chautauqua Region WORD's Local Music Showcase. Here it is re-copied for your benefit:
Jamestown: Vote With Your Feet

My friend Todd Thomas said something recently about the WORD's upcoming Local Music Showcase which really got me thinking. He said the event was an excellent way for people to vote with their feet and their wallets on what type of Jamestown they would like to see.

It wasn't long ago that artists and musicians came out in numbers to a City Council Public Safety Committee Meeting to show their overwhelming support for downtown events, after a few naysayers began trying to shut such events down. Though this is the fourth annual CR WORD Local Music Showcase, it is only the second year in Jamestown. Frankly, last year only the Friday and Saturday night events and Sunday awards show were well attended. The free concerts were not.

I tend to think of the event primarily as a way to market the area's immense music scene in one package. That was the goal of the event when I started working on it. It then also became a fundraiser for some deserving kids. Last year we finally added the recognition piece to the weekend with the Chautauqua County Music Awards and Hall of Fame, which was something I'd wanted to do since the beginning. (We had moved up the first LMS a full year to try and help Infinity and I decided not to bite too much off in that first year.)

--But Todd got me thinking about the event in a bigger picture. It's not the marketing of the music scene I hoped for, or even the fundraiser for Infinity it became, as much as it is a gathering of people to support live music. Think about it. If the demand is shown by people coming to the free concerts on the streets Friday and Saturday, a clear message will be shown that live music in the streets is supported. Of course, if there is excellent attendance at the evening shows again this year, this hopefully encourages downtown businesses to book musicians on a regular basis.

The Chautauqua Region WORD's Local Music Showcase is indeed an excellent way for people to transform their setting. By attending as many of the events as possible, you can help voice the type of music enhanced community you want to belong to. Besides, it's rather inexpensive. Even if you went to only the paid events and none of the many free events, the most you'd spend on admission is $20 for the entire weekend.

I hope to see those of you who can make it at our fourth annual LMS. Full details are available at http://www.3thick.com/LMS.

Monday, September 03, 2007

Who Wants To Mash Up A Song?

Someone else gets the credit for noticing that "LoveStoned" and "This Is Radio Clash" can be mashed up. A much better JT mash-up idea than the Queen-"Another Bites The Dust" and JT="Rock Your Body" idea that came to mind at one point. Listen to both songs below, feel the pain, and smile.

(Note: Push play on both videos, then pause so they can load up, and then hit play again. It's possible to get them in sync - no pun intended)


Clogging Arteries on Labor Day

My body really wants to cry from what I did to it at dinner time tonight. But it's Labor Day, and that means the prerequisite American dinner of grilled hot dogs (Sahlen's), macaroni & cheese (out of the box), baked beans (doctored up naturally), and a carbonated drink (generic cola). The only healthy part of this entire meal was the whole wheat bun.

We enjoyed our feast from the peaceful tranquility of our front porch, while watching our neighbor slave over painting his house. The more healthy eating lifestyle resumes tomorrow.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

A Journalist for a Journalist by a Journalist

To employ a new favorite phrase, the "FUN" was in full effect last night in downtown Jamestown. Matt and I took in a pre-season Erie Otters hockey game at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena (JSBIA). I was admittedly pretty rusty in my hockey-watching skills since I purposefully blocked any knowledge of hockey out of my brain after a certain final game of the season on May 19th. Ahem. But as I said to the wife of Matt's boss, "Well, I feel like I can enjoy the impending Sabres' season because I don't have any expectations. God. I guess I really am a Western New Yorker!" The game ended in a tie with no overtime or shoot-out.

SBIA is doing some cool things to enhance the facility to make spectator sports a little more comfortable. We got a peek at what will be a club lounge. Before the Rusty Nail was torn down, Arena staff bought/took out part of the bar with plans to install it in one corner of the lounge. The walls are painted a deep red with modern, wrought iron sconces. We were told by management that flat screens will adorn the walls eventually. Comfy chairs from Crawford Furniture and round coffee tables are scattered throughout the room. There's some other things planned for the Veranda Room off the club area that sound good as well. I'm not sure about the final timeline for completion of everything, but this will be great stuff for the Jamestown Vikings' season.

After the game, we headed on over to The Cherry for a bite to eat. Can I put a plea out there to Jamestown-area restaurants to extend your dining hours until 10 or 10:30 (coughs Forte)?

After some stomach buffering, we made our way to Forte to mildly harass the WORD's "Bartender of the Week".












Nick made me a gin-based drink called "The Journalist." It was quite good and I enjoyed it with caution.

A good night out before Matt's free time becomes non-existent over the next few weeks and, then, months.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Like You Imagined

A year later, this song still rocks everything. The video is kind of ehnnn, but the official version on YouTube was un-imbeddable and the other was out of sync. Excuse me while I go hook up my iPod to my speakers downstairs and blast out the windows in our house.

Cutting to the Scene with the Pixie

Ten years ago, I decided to do one of the most drastic things I had ever done to my hair. I went from a long style (below collarbone) to a p...