art is the new religion

Moving Blog: Update #6

It's the sixth and perhaps final update in my moving vlog, because all my stuff is here inside my apartment now.

Moving vlog #6 from http://krissy.vox.com/

Here's a bonus video of the ReloCubeTM being delivered:

Forklifting the ReloCubeTM from http://krissy.vox.com/

Here's a photo of the damage:

This might be the final installment of my moving videos.  Should I keep doing video updates?  If so, what should I talk about?  Let me know!

The hoop, the hoop, the hoop is on fire!

Last Tuesday night, my dear friend - we'll call her "Plenty" in this context - took me out to the park in the dark and showed me something astounding.

Around 9:30pm, we loaded up the trunk of her car with fuel and props and drove out to a very specific location in Golden Gate Park.  We loaded up our arms with gear and towels and buckets and she led me into a thicket of trees.  It was so dark I could hardly see my own feet on the uneven steps down the sloping hill.  Follwing the sound of two drummers and a smattering of voices, we arrived at a clearing where I could make out shapes of a few other people in the darkness.  Then people started lighting up:

Fire dancers from http://krissy.vox.com/

Fire dancers meet here every week to practice and perform.  There were people spinning poi, hooping, dancing with fans and lances, and generally playing with fire.  There is something primal and mesmerizing about this kind of dancing.

Spinning from http://krissy.vox.com/

Plenty took her first poi class only around a year ago.  I'm astounded by how much she's learned so quickly.  Here she is spinning poi - she's the one in the red tank top.

Plenty spins poi from http://krissy.vox.com/

This past January, Plenty took up hooping.  You're probably familiar with the hula hoop, but you may never have seen it used like this:

Plenty and the hoop from http://krissy.vox.com/

Plenty's now teaching hoop classes, and I've been to two classes in a month-long series.  The hoops we learn with are heavier and sturdier than the one I had as a kid, so I have various bruises on my legs and hands.  But the class is so fun that it's worth the pain!  So far I've learned these moves: lasso, grab, flirt, bump. 

I have no intention to ever fire dance myself, but I do like to watch.

Guitar Hero Roadies

This is why we won't delay for your birthday

Today is my birfday!

I started the morning off right with Cut Copy:

I arrived to work to find cards and a treat on my desk.  I had a delicious lunch with some of my coworkers, and have eaten two desserts already today.  I got many nice birthday wishes via Twitter, and was spontaneously serenaded in English and in French.  Tonight, libations will be consumed.  I love my friends and coworkers.

Check out the frosting-to-cupcake ratio here:

The waiting is the hardest part

I had some videos to show you, but they're on my other laptop which refuses to accept the ethernet cable from my Comcast hookup.  So those videos will have to wait.

Speaking of waiting, I've been waiting all afternoon for the ReloCubeTM to show up.  They gave me a delivery window of 12noon to 4pm.  When it finally got here at 3:18pm, I wanted to hug the driver.  (I did not hug the driver.)

Note that the NO PARKING signs worked! 

Now I'm waiting for the movers to get here so they can unpack it.  The movers are one hour and twenty minutes late.

I've been thinking about songs with the word "wait" in them.  So many good ones:

• "Wait" White Lion
• "Waiting For A Girl Like You" Foreigner
• "Waiting For My Man" Velvet Underground

Here's an excellent one from Tom.  I think the simple style of this video has stood the test of time.

Leave your favorite waiting songs in the comments.

• Buy Tom Petty's phenomenal album Hard Promises (mp3) from Amazon. 
  

Moving Blog: Update #5

I taped this at my friend's house where I'm staying in San Francisco.  I hope my ghostly pallor does not frighten you - I balanced my digital camera on a window sill.

CIMG1259_xvid from http://krissy.vox.com/

Jet is not my dog, unfortunately.

Speaking of dogs, my friends Andy (I mentioned him in my post about KGSR) and Kris got a new rescue dog, Maybelline.  They brought her along to brunch in Austin this past Saturday.  She is so sweet and cute that I almost stole her.  Maybelline has one good eye, and she does just fine, thankyouverymuch.

A partial list of things that I packed in boxes, that I wish I had brought with me in my suitcases:

• sweaters
• fingernail clippers (I like to keep my fingernails as short as possible)
  
• gloves
• more pairs of knee socks
• a scarf
• a hammer

I ain't no pleasure hound

Every time I hear the phrase "Cinco De Mayo", I hear this song in my head. 

• If you want to own "Cinco De Mayo", you'll have to buy the album Whip-Smart, but if you only own one Liz Phair record, please do yourself a favor and buy the excellent Exile in Guyville.

Moving Blog: Update #4 - I sold my car!

I. Sold. My. Car.

CIMG1252_xvid from http://krissy.vox.com/

For some reason the audio gets off kilter with the video toward the end.  Sorry about that, of course I have no idea what's causing it or how I could fix it!

Catch up with prior moving vlog installments:

• Update #1
• Update #2
• Update #3

The ReloCubeTM:

In Richard's convertible:

I mentioned Chad's band, but I forgot the part about how I saw peacocks today:

Happy No Pants Day, everyone!