Curious Notions and Things of Random Nature

The Lucky One

2010-02-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Be lucky - it's an easy skill to learn - Telegraph

A very interesting study on how lucky people get that way and what unlucky people are missing. The short version - Luck is all in how you look at things, and in seeing what you're not looking for!

Two of my favorite subjects: Music + Leadership!

2010-02-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

I loved the shirtless dancing guy video when I first saw it, I love it even more now with Derek Sivers' comments on how it portrays leaders, followers, and the making of a movement. Get out there and dance!

It's been quite a day, hasn't it?

2009-01-21T00:00:00.001-08:00

I still can't quite believe it, but there it is - President Barack Obama.

I've been glued to the tv most of the day - I think I've watched more tv today than I have in the last two years all put together! The four mile long stretch of Americans that braved the cold and filled the mall as far as the eye could see was incredible, almost one and a half million people strong. Even though I'm glad I wasn't in that frozen, packed crowd, there's still a twinge of envy for those that got to see it in person.

Some of my favorite moments from the ceremony were the beautiful music that accompanied the very moment the presidency transferred from old to new, Obama's humanity and humor during the somewhat fumbled oath, and his ambitious, forthright vision for the future in his inaugural speech. Reverend Lowery's benediction was great, almost making up for Rick Warren's blandly irritating invocation. I liked Elizabeth Alexander's poem in print, but her delivery was unfortunately stilted. And Aretha was, well, Aretha.

One moment that caught me off guard was the huge weight that lifted as we watched George Bush finally, FINALLY leaving Washington. I literally gasped, as if surfacing from too long underwater. If I never see him or Dick "Mr. Potter" Cheney again, it will be too soon.

But for now it's time to turn off the tv, go to sleep and in the morning go back to the real world. Tomorrow is a new day. A brand new day.

Beware the ninja cat!

2008-10-19T14:34:00.001-07:00

This video cracked me up and I just wanted to share. Enjoy!

Ninja cat comes closer while not moving!

Where do songs come from?

2008-09-23T00:52:00.001-07:00

You never can tell where a new song is going to come from. For me, they occasionally come when I mishear or misunderstand someone else’s song, which sends my brain down a whole new path completely unrelated to the song that created the original spark. Case in point: At the Luke Doucet show tonight I misheard Luke talking about one of his songs - he said it was about "falling asleep in the desert" and I thought he said "falling sick in the desert." Well, then my mind just took off with the idea of what it would be like to be incredibly sick and out in the desert in the middle of nowhere.

On the way home from the show I mentioned it to Bobbo and was rolling it around in my head when the phrase "High Desert Fever" popped up and it seemed like a pretty cool title and chorus. As we pulled into the driveway I remembered this amazing instrumental melody in 3/4 time that Bobbo’s been playing for a few years now. It has a real hypnotic, kind of psychedelic quality that really captured the feeling I was going for, so he pulled out the guitar and we started playing through it and moving some parts around to make it work with a lyrical structure.

Once we had the parts mapped out and the "high desert fever" chorus pretty solid, I walked around for a while humming the verse melody in my head, then disappeared into my office and started writing. I knew the story I wanted it to tell and the meter that I wanted to fit the syllables to, so it was just a matter of getting the right words to fit in the right places to make the whole thing flow. About half an hour later and a few more runs through on the guitar to make sure it all worked, voila! A brand new song!

So there you have it, a peek into our songwriting process and a preview of our newest song, High Desert Fever. Oh, and the Luke Doucet show was great too!

This man MUST be our next president!

2008-08-28T22:20:00.001-07:00

Alright, so I was wrong about the Springsteen at the convention rumor. But you know what? I'm ok with that. Because I just got to see the most amazing and inspiring and pitch perfect frickin' speech ever delivered.

Barack Obama just raised politics to an art form, one filled with beauty, grace, intelligence and truth. And at the same time, laid out point by point why John McCain is so wrong for this country, why Democrats should and can and will win the White House in November AND exactly what they, and he, will do once they get there.

He reached out to Americans and invited them to listen to their best selves and join together to work towards a future where affordable quality health care, energy independence, and a thriving economy is the norm for all, not just the lucky few.

He predicted, addressed and neutralized every concern: foreign policy, domestic policy, social issues, character issues - every argument the Republicans have and will throw at him. He...

Aww heck, just watch it yourselves!

Democratic Convention so far - Reader's Digest version

2008-08-26T21:43:00.001-07:00

I know not everyone is as obsessed with this years election as I am, so here's a quick and dirty list of the best speeches from the first two days of the convention. Enjoy!

Day 1:

Ted Kennedy overcomes brain surgery and kidney stones to give his support for Barack Obama.

Michelle Obama shares her story of love, family, and faith in the American Dream, with an adorable surprise ending.

Day 2:

Dennis Kucinich gives an energetic wake up call to America.

Brian Schweitzer riles up the crowd with his down-home truth-telling.

Hillary Clinton heals the rift between her supporters and Obama's and calls for a unified party and a united victory in November in spectacular fashion.

If you have a chance, check out the video intros for Kennedy, Michelle and Hillary as well, they were also excellent. Can't wait to see what the next two days brings!

Springsteen for VP!

2008-08-22T12:35:00.001-07:00

One can only dream. But rumor has it that Bruce will be playing at Invesco Field in Denver when Obama makes his acceptance speech. Woo hoo!

I don't need another doorstop

2008-08-20T13:36:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but I really don't need a new telephone directory every month, especially since I use the internet for 99.9% of my telephone-number-finding needs. And yet, these books just keep coming, sometimes even two or three at a time!

While they can make for good pranks on your neighbors, it would be much better for the environment (and the neighbors) if we didn't get them at all.

Enter YellowPagesGoesGreen.Org

This service allows you to put your name on a national "Do Not Deliver" list, saving trees, energy, and landfill space. And your neighbor's goodwill.

The Viper Room Rocks!

2008-08-19T22:59:00.001-07:00

Had a great time playing the Viper Room this past weekend. It was our first time there and everyone was super nice and easy to work with. Thanks to all our friends that came out to see us, we had a great crowd and met a bunch of cool new people too. Hopefully we'll be back there again soon. Pretty damn awesome!

On the campaign trail... pt 2

2008-07-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

I really wasn't intending to post another one of these, but I just can't resist. So here you go, another compare and contrast of what our candidates are up to today!

This is the middle section of the speech. Here are the beginning and end if you want to see the whole thing. And on a side note, the story behind the Berlin Airlift that he refers to is really fascinating, I had never heard of it before this!

On the campaign trail...

2008-07-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

A little compare and contrast of what our presidential nominees are up to this week:

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-15T16:49:00.001-07:00

If you like Neil Patrick Harris, goofy musicals, or super- (or not-so-super)villains, you've got to check out Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog! It's an internet-only musical in three acts and it's free to watch online until July 20th, so if you want to catch it, you better be quick!

Oh my aching feet!

2008-07-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Went to the podiatrist yesterday and he confirmed that I have plantar fasciitis. Got my feet all taped up funny and he gave me a splint to wear at night - comfy!

Hmm, perhaps I should have gotten a pedicure beforehand!

My new virtual kitty cat

2008-07-12T20:25:00.001-07:00

It took me all week, but I finally got my mage a kitty cat to ride! I think she looks great on it and it's soooo much faster than running! Yay!

Unity - Not just another campaign slogan

2008-07-11T22:38:00.001-07:00

RJ Eskow: Have We Missed the Key to Obama's Leadership Style?

An interesting take on what makes Obama's leadership style unique, and why he's not really "moving to the right" at all.

His political architecture isn't built on the old foundation of Right vs. Left - or on Right vs. Wrong, for that matter. It isn't even binary. When it comes to policy he inclines toward the progressive position, but he's not thinking in terms of "winning" or "losing." His goal is group unity around the best possible realistic outcome. That means assess the situation, get what you can, then move to bring the parties together around a new consensus.

Dancing with the world

2008-07-09T18:26:00.001-07:00

I have no idea why it feels so good to watch this, it just does. Enjoy!

The real world of warcraft

2008-07-08T18:41:00.001-07:00

Most of you know that I play World of Warcraft. It's a fun diversion that I picked up when Bobbo was working nights and I had lots of free time to kill. One of the things I like most about the game is the social aspect - meeting other players, working together to accomplish goals, helping others when I can. Last night was one of those times that really reinforced why I enjoy the game.

(Hang on, it's gonna get geeky for a bit here, but stick with me!) For the past few days I've been working on improving my level 40 mage's reputation among the Night Elves so I can qualify to purchase one of their big cat mounts. The easiest way to do this is to complete a ton of lower level quests in the Night Elf starting areas. It's pretty easy, just time consuming. Often I'll run into a lower level elf working in the same area as me and I'll offer to team up with them and help them out, since I can blast through things much faster than they could by themselves.

This is exactly what happened yesterday when I teamed up with a level 14 druid. We worked through a number of quests and I also answered some questions for him, as he seemed to be fairly new to the game. As we chatted, he told me he was 18 years old and he seemed like a sweet kid. As we continued to work together he thanked me numerous times, expressing his gratitude for all my help. I told him it was my pleasure, and that all I asked in return was that he passed the same kindness on to others.

As we were finishing up, I remarked on the lateness of the hour and that I had to be going. He replied that it was morning for him, as he was serving in Iraq. Eighteen years old. In Iraq. As I let that sink in, I realized how paltry my kindness had been in comparison. Here I am feeling all good about myself for helping him kill virtual beasties, while he's over there in a "world of warcraft" of the truest sense, putting himself in harm's way for us. It was my turn to express my sincerest gratitude and as we said goodbye for the evening I thanked him for his service and hoped that he would stay safe until the next time we met.

So to Tyler, somewhere in Iraq, again I say thank you and be safe. I hope to see you in Azeroth for a long time to come.

OCTA and Me

2008-07-02T20:04:00.001-07:00

As some of you may remember, Bobbo was hit by an OCTA bus while riding his bicycle two years ago tomorrow. With the settlement from that accident, the two of us were able to spend three fantastic weeks traveling through Europe. During the trip we visited six countries and relied almost exclusively on public transportation to get around, which is pretty easy considering how great the rail, bus and subway systems are over there. So when we returned to California after living car-free for almost a month to find gas prices had jumped up to $4.70/gallon in our absence, it was a bit of a shock to the system.

So today I tried something that I hadn't done in the eight years we've lived in California - I took the bus! Yep, I left the car in the driveway this morning and walked to the bus stop to see what commuting on the OCTA was like. And frankly, it was as easy as pie! Using the online OCTA trip planner I found a bus route that runs straight between our apartment and my office in Irvine, with only a ten minute walk on either end. It's a 45 minute ride, which is a little longer than it usually takes in the car, but I get to spend it listening to my iPod and reading a book instead of fuming at the guy that just cut me off on the highway, so it all balances out. Plus it saves me about $1.20 a day in gas, is better for the environment, AND I get a total of about 40 minutes of exercise walking to and from the stops.

So I guess after all this I've made my peace with OCTA. Now if we could only get Bobbo on one of those busses!

Still recovering!

2008-06-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

We've been back from Europe for about two weeks now, and I swear, we're still recovering! I just posted the photos from Germany, Austria and Italy on Flickr, you can see go see them here. More will be coming! In the meantime, I noticed that my last post ended in Paris. Let me see if I can sum up that last week for you here...

(Five minutes later) Ok, I can't seem to find my travel journal at the moment, so I'll have to get back to you on the details of the last week. Here, I'll give you some quick random impressions though:

Paris - Famous monuments, Napoleon everywhere, art museums, Bobbo falls in love with Monet, train strike, amazing food
Brugges - Pretty town, delicious chocolates, hanging out with a nice guy from NY
London - Feet hurt, Petra, Natalie and Martin visit, Rami and the Foo Fighters, Churchill's bunker

Ok, that should hold you over until I find that journal. In the meantime, go browse through some pictures!

Updates from Europe!

2008-06-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for your birthday wishes! Bobbo and I are having an amazing time in Europe! I apologize for not keeping up with the blog, internet access has been harder to come by than expected. I have been taking tons of pictures though, so I'll be sharing them all when we get home, don't you worry about that!

I'll give you a very quick update since my last post was from Germany. After we left there we headed south to the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. These are nestled right at the foot of the Alps and it looks just like a scene out of Heidi or the Sound of Music.

Then we headed to Vienna, Austria where we meet Roman, a musician Bobbo had met over the internet. He and his girlfriend Nicole spent three days showing us all the sites of Vienna, as well as taking us to the home of his parents in the countryside, a tiny village in the Wachau valley where we hiked up to the ruins of a 12th century castle where King Richard the Lion-hearted was once held for ransom! I think that day was one of my favorites so far, just an amazing experience that you can't get out of any tour book!

After Vienna, we boarded an overnight train to Venice, Italy. By an unexpected turn of luck, we had a sleeping cabin for six all to ourselves. Thank goodness too, it was almost too small just for the two of us! Venice was absolutely lovely, we walked all through the city and had dinner at sunset right on the canals. A very pretty city, though a little too touristy I think.

The next day we were off again, this time to a tiny little Italian town called Pesina, on the shore of Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. After a somewhat stressful bus ride through Verona, we finally arrived at the home of Donato and Marina, a wonderful couple who are friends of our friend Rami. They welcomed us into their home, an incredible 14th century castle where over the years they have hosted performances by an impressive roster of musicians, including our friends Rami and Phil Cody, along with many others. (Bobbo almost fell over when Donato mentioned that Townes Van Zandt had stayed in our room!) That evening we were invited to join Donato and Marina, along with their daughter and her boyfriend, for dinner at the home of his friend Armando and his wife and two daughters. Armando's home was gorgeous, with a view of Lake Garda that took my breath away. And the food was amazing, wave after wave of fantastic courses, prepared by Armando's wife Chiara, but most of all, the company was wonderful. After dinner, they produced a guitar, and we gladly played and sang in repayment for such a lovely evening. This, as you may be able to tell, was my other favorite day of the trip so far. Though I would have loved to stay longer, we had to leave for Paris the next day, with promises to return for longer on our next trip.

And now I'd better get going, the morning is getting late and we're off for more sightseeing in Paris. The Musee D'Orsay and a return to the Louvre I think is on the schedule for today. I'll post more soon!

Greetings from Germany!

2008-05-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Frankfurt bright and early Monday morning and were greeted by Bobbo's uncle Marty and cousin Natalie at the airport. So nice to see familiar faces when arriving in a new place! We've spent the last two days with Marty, his wife Petra, Natalie, and her brother Martin, and it's been wonderful. I wish we'd done this years ago!

Yesterday we toured the old city of Bamburg and today we're headed to Wurzburg for some sightseeing. We'll be picking up the rental car today for our road trip tomorrow as well as getting Bobbo's guitar from the post office - which means we'll be having a little hootenanny tonight! (Hopefully we'll be able to stay awake for it, we've been falling asleep around 10 pm the last two nights due to jet lag, which is why I'm up at 6:30 in the morning now!)

Europe, here we come!

2008-05-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

We're off to tour the continent in just a few short hours! We're headed to Southern Germany, Vienna, Venice, Verona, (all the V's!) Paris, Belgium and London. Whew, just typing it all makes me exhausted! Stay tuned for pictures and updates!

The beauty of the brain

2008-05-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

A fascinating and moving account of what one scientist discovered about her brain and herself as she underwent a massive stroke. Simply amazing.

The new album is out!

2008-04-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just wanted to let you know that yesterday we put the last finishing touches on our new album, Where the Road Bends!It went to print today and we’ll have it in our hands by Saturday 5/10 for the cd release party. Woo hoo!!!

If you’d like to purchase one, you can pre-order them on our website for $10 between now and 5/10 - after that, we’ll be selling them for $15, so it pays to order early!