Last night at the Echo.

First of all, there is no sign or marquee indicating that you have arrived at the Echo. Doesn't that make you feel like you've discovered something really underground and special?! (The abundance of free parking doesn't hurt, though.)

Second, The Section Quartet is really, really cool. They're from L.A., they're classically-trained, but they use their powers for evil, like for Radiohead and Led Zeppelin covers.

Third, as I was standing in line, I started a conversation with the guy in front of me, who was attending the concert alone. (He might have thought I was flying solo too.) We made friendly banter about music and concerts. He was pleasant and I enjoyed talking to him. After the show, he came up to me and talked about the concert, offered nice insights about the music, asked me what kind of music I liked, and so on. "Oh, how nice!" I thought. "He's flirting! Well, I like talking to him, but I'd better say something before he asks for my number." So when he asked me if I'd be buying some merchandise, I said, "Yeah, my husband's waiting in line for a CD." To which he immediately replied, "Well, it was nice talking to you!" and scurried away.

WTF, man? I understand that the possibility of scoring is a good motivator for flirtation, but it's also okay for people to engage in conversation for the sake of sharing ideas, being social, and even flirting a little just because it's fun...! *grumble grumble* Oh well, at least I know I still have a presence in the 35+ demographic (he was 39). Sigh!

Fourth, Rufus is playing at the Wiltern on 2/12. And I've decided not to go! I saw Rufus 4 times last year, and I'm a little Rufus-ed out. I never thought it would happen -- what's happening to me?!

Strings and snow days.

Hi! One great thing about this rainy weather is that it translates to fresh snow in the local mountains! John and I have been skiing at Mt. High, which is great in the powder. When the powder turns to ice, not so much. But, we've been having fun. I'm pretty much ski-ed out for the month of January. :)

Where I've been:

Yu Hongmei, erhu recital @ REDCAT. (Love.)

New Hollywood String Quartet @ local public library. (Dvorak and Debussy. I'm excited by the "modern" sound, even if it's 100 years old.)

Where I'm going:
Section Quartet @ The Echo. (Billed as "the loudest string quartet on earth." We'll see...)

Look at all the lonely people.

I know craigslist is a haven for the deprived and the depraved, but the ones that frighten me the most are the ones that seem to be looking me right in the eye.

Remember this guy? Over a year later, and he's still waiting for me to answer his ad:

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I'm dreaming of you in this new year; a creative type woman, small breasted who knows how to dress funky in tattered /torn blue jeans & funky Converse Chuck sneakers. You love to laugh, have fun, dig the arts, breathe beach air, bike ride. Enjoy browsing book stores & travel with my top down.
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Oh, look. He's added "small-breasted" to his list of desirable qualities. *rolls eyes* I'd be intrigued, mysterious craigslist man, except I hate you.

Here is a female singer seeking instrumentalists (including possible accordionist?) for her musical project. Her influences include Tom Waits, The Wet Spots, Queen, burlesque, and puppets. Scary.

One day, I swear I'm gonna see an ad that ends with "Filipina a plus, pink hair a must." Oh, didn't I tell you? I have pink hair! That's right, I'm bringing elegance, sophistication, and nuance to "Fuschia Flash." :)

Happy New Year!

Cool, I just found my New Year's Resolutions from last year. How did I do?

-Marry John.
Check!
-Live in one place for more than 1 month at a time.
Hey, I haven't been to Hawaii in 3 months! That counts!
-Take music classes.
D'oh! However, the accordion -is- my new best friend...
-Cry less.
Definitely accomplished this one. Damn you, The Pill!
-Exercise seriously and regularly.
Hmmm... well, I joined the gym, fixed up my bike, did a few good hikes in Cali and Hawaii, snorkeled a few times, and went skiing. And I still gained weight! Oh well. Yay for better health!
-Learn to cook.
Bwahahahaha!

Not bad, not bad. Overall 2007 was a pretty good year for me. Here's to making 2008 even better!

Road Trip of Insanity!

Hello sweeties! I'm back from the road trip of insanity! Why was it so insane, you ask? Well, John, William, and I, hungering for our first ski fix of the season, decided we would go skiing somewhere after the New Year. Our options were:

Mammoth/Tahoe area (~6 hour drive)
Cottonwood Canyons, Utah (~10 hour drive)
Southwest corner of Colorado (~13 hour drive)

We wanted a place with good snow and short lines -- a difficult thing to find during the holidays! So, we packed our bags and galloped away to Colorado! On the way, we saw a lot of Arizona, and I remembered what a beautiful state it is! We passed through the red desert, Flagstaff, Navajo land (where I ate fry bread for the first time -- yum!), and finally, the mountains!

The skiing was wonderful! No crowds, soft snow, and sunny skies! Until...

You know that Monster Storm that brought copious amounts of rain to L.A.? It was about to dump -feet- of snow on us in Colorado and probably cause road closures on the way back. So we left one day early. :(

But it was still worth it! I love road-tripping!

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In other news, this week's Savage Love is priceless. Deconstruct that patriarchal heteronormative discourse!