This Side of Lost

Because you run into something like this and can't resist sharing it. So, so true.

Now that we've been back for over a month and a half, I suppose I should fill you in on what's been going on since then. Mostly it's been the same old same old. I'm still working, Samantha's still working, we sing, she fences, I do church stuff, etc. etc. But here's some highlights since we've been back:

• We got a couch. Through the magic of craigslist, it was free. Well, except for the $50 emergency room fee for removing the gigantic splinter it gave me while we were moving it. A shout out to Serena for her invaluable vehicular assistance in this matter.
• Serena also enlightened us to the wonders of a place called BevMo!. A location recently opened not far from where we live and it is indeed a wondrous place. Besides their impressive array of wines and liquors, they have quite a variety of root beers. It gave me the idea for a root beer tasting party. Anyone interested?
• As members of the Angeles Chorale, Samantha and I were part of a choir that recorded some movie trailer music. You know, the Carmina Burana-esque stuff you hear in movie trailers? Yup, that'll be us. Take a listen... IF YOU DARE
• In our quest for ever increasing choir elitism, we both auditioned for the Los Angeles Master Chorale. It was hard and neither of us came away with high hopes, but I have been called back and we both have been recruited to join the Chorale as auxiliary singers for the LA Philharmonic's upcoming Tristan Project. So we must have impressed someone.
• To make this a choir-related trio, our next concert with the Angeles Chorale is on March 24. We are performing Rachmaninoff's Vespers. Come.
• We have turned on our TV three times now -- for the Super Bowl, the Grammys and the Oscars. Honestly, I didn't even know if it would work. But we plugged in the rabbit ears and there it was. I haven't really looked at it since. I did flip around looking for Saturday morning cartoons, but they all sucked, so that didn't last long.
• We visited our friends Andy and Lauren in Redlands a few weekends ago to see a play that they were both involved with. It was kind of a whirlwind visit, but we got to go to a cool British pub and meet their cats. What else could you ask for, really?
• My sister visited last weekend! She is cool. Now she is enjoying her spring break in the Bay Area with her boyfriend.
• It feels like I was just posting about baseball being over, but baseball is back. Spring training has started. Players are already getting injured. And my fantasy baseball league is already fired up. Woo-hoo! (Sorry, Ramy, it filled up faster than I thought it would. You didn't have time anyway, did you?)
• We are planning a summer trip. It is entirely out of necessity. Two friends are getting married and the national ALA conference is happening in between. If you live in New England, New York, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana or Illinois and are interested in housing wanderers sometime in late June, drop me a line.

Did I miss anything?

I'm not a big video gamer, but I scuttle on the periphery of their world by virtue of the fact that I read a video game web comic. So occasionally I run across something that is borne of video games but crosses lines into something broader and more widely applicable -- perhaps, into art. That's exactly what this video of 1000 cars racing at the same time is. There's a liquidity to the flow of vehicles that is something rather wonderful to behold.

Speaking of flow, here's another post out of my predicted flow of updates. Alas. I'll get to my AFI reviews soon.

Spring seems to spring early here in southern California. I had to put on my coat today and yesterday for the first time in weeks. But a couple weekends ago we took advantage of a beautiful Saturday by packing up a picnic and heading to a local park. We worked up an appetite with some rollerblading and enjoyed some sandwiches, tabbouleh and fruit from Whole Foods whilst making use of the very cool picnic backpack kit we received from Samantha's mom for Christmas. A very enjoyable afternoon, I must say -- and probably not something we would have been able to do in March in the Midwest.

Last weekend was less exciting -- although we did make a trip to a thift store where I purchased an iron (!!! finally) and a Hawaiian shirt. Whoo! Also, I bought some new tux pants. Yeah, the pair I bought ten years ago just don't seem to fit as well as they used to...

Otherwise things are as normal. Samantha and I are both skipping town soon, me for a librarian conference (will you be there?) and her to visit ye olde Bloomington and help her fencers out with the national collegiate tournament.

Netflixed recently:

• Krull, an 80s sci-fi "classic," featuring Ken Marshall, a dude who goes to my church. Yeeah.
• The Thin Man, a hilarious murder mystery. Myrna Loy rules.
• Desk Set, another librarian classic (the previously viewed Party Girl also falls into this category) with Katharine Hepburn. Entertaining, if not gut-busting.
• Dr. No, the first James Bond film. We're going to be watching the rest of them in order, too -- kind of as an antithesis to our AFI project. We need some good popcorn flicks interspered with some of the heavier movies on the list -- and what could be better than Bond for this purpose?

The end. OR IS IT???