Is That The Thanks I Get?

Who remembers this?


So, I love going to live shows. We have been taking a little break from performances because of the musical overdose that happened at Sasquatch. Recently getting the itch to go see some live music again...
We have this place called the WOW Hall 4 blocks from home sweet home. Billed as "Eugene's Finest Venue" I have to say, it's a bit more like a mini high school gymnasium / sauna....

And actually, I am just going to stop a minute here to discuss something that has been really bothering me lately. Are there not any laws regarding how many bathrooms there need to be related to the number of individuals in a building? Because TWO toilets seems woefully inadequate if any more than 10 ladies are in attendance. Every show I end up fifteen minutes (per time) in a turtle speed line. Same goes for bars. What is the deal? Seriously, is this an issue that the fire marshall should be dealing with? To whom should I address my complaints to about this? Anybody?

So anyway, bathroom grievances aside, it's an ok place to see a band. Lots of little bands go through here. Corey Feldman's band played there recently. But we chose to go see Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, which I always kind of thought were the same band, but apparently not. Same singer though. That man must have been exhausted by 1:30am when they were finished.

Maybe due to the 'intimate' nature of the venue there was a lot of what I'll call here 'interaction' between the crowd and the band. Normally, I like when the band members talk a little in between songs, but I get a little nervous when they start reacting and conversing with the members of the audience. I have seen it turn bad... Jeff Tweedy prime example.


The best Jeff Tweedy heckle I ever heard "JEFF! I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR VOLKSWAGON!" Even he admitted it was a good one.

So anyway, there was lots of discussion, where did you come from type of stuff. One guy came from a place that was a unintelligible mumble that the singer tried to figure out for a minute. Then the guy said it's 100 miles away so you better be good! Then "requested" a song. To this the singer says "I am in the band and I traveled thousands of miles so I get to pick the songs." The heckler promptly turned around, walking by me on his way out and yelled over his shoulder in a totally (totes) genuine way "That's FAIR."

Cracker made me ponder the nature of the universe. I was thinking: Man. When is the last time I heard this song (Low, the big hit)? Probably sitting in my bedroom playing a mix tape on Signal Mountain in Tennessee, like 16 years old. Wonder what my teenage self would think if I told her: In 15 years (which is basically the entire span of your life again), you will be hearing this song live. In Eugene, Oregon. Where you live because you are enrolled in a PhD program. Two weeks before you marry your artist musician husband. And you're so happy.

I'd probably be like, whatever lady.

When a pigeon comes to greet you...

So things have been busy here. Since our last meeting, my class has ended. I thought it went really well, but it is weird for teachers I think just me? because everyone seems on this good and positive note at the end of the last teaching day just thankful it's over? and then we have the sadness of students that comes along with the final exam and in particular the grading of the oral presentations. So, as I like to say ever semester/quarter:

it's all over but the cryin'. 

The county fair, not to be confused with the countRy fair, was this past week, just a few blocks from our place.

We had to squeeze it in, because had a lot of stuff going on... and no, we weren't there that long. We went twice in one day. We had to go in the morning, because my man had to go to work in the afternoon and since we didn't have a chance to ride the ferris wheel, we had to run back for a quick ride at night before our radio show.

Some of the 'fun' of the fair is no longer available to us. We were so happy to see our favorite veggie hot dog guy there. When I told him so, he answered, "Yeah, you and a half dozen other people. " Apparently it's hard to compete with the funnel cakes and FRIED BACON SNICKERS.

 But other parts of the fair are alive and well...
Craftiness:

please note the second place finishing on this "flower arrangement"

Rides:

animal sightings:

I now want a horse. 

Or a baby goat.

Actually, I want a MINI horse

Not this guy though.

I had my first traumatic animal encounter of the day in the bird area (not surprising, right?). Just for some pertinent background: the other day at the farmers' market there was a dude with a bird on his shoulder walking towards me. I almost knocked two different people over trying to GET AWAY.

But at the fair, the birds are in cages, right? Safe, right? Someone who is fixated and petrified of birds simultaneously might really be looking forward to the bird area, right? And it was FULL of PIGEONS. 

There were lots of varieties, but this one area had the prize winning pigeon that had whatever variety of pigeon has feathers on its FEET. So I need to get a picture of this pigeon for my faithful readers. 

However, after running back and forth sporadically in its tiny cage (and please keep in mind that my lens was literally against the bars, and that my face was literally right behind said camera, and I was squatting uncomfortably to get a good shot, and that I am not too brave about birds), 

This pigeon tried to fly. 

I screamed and I fell down.

But then I got myself together.

We heard that the night before had been much more crowded due to an Uncle Kracker (?) performance. Which I thought was funny because actually went to see the band Cracker (yes, of eurotrash girl fame) the next night. (see my forthcoming post in a day or two about that good time). Unfortunately, we missed Joan Jett's performance at the fair due to a trip to Seattle this weekend for a wedding reception (probably also see the next post). Can you imagine playing country fairs on your way down? That must be a sad time. I mean, we just saw the Runaways, Joan Jett used to be kind of badass. Then last weekend she played at the Lane County Fair. And I am willing to bet we weren't the only town.  

The nighttime Ferris Wheel ride was great. Have any of you been on a Ferris wheel lately? My observations:

1) I forgot about the episode of Carnivale I just watched where the Ferris wheel broke down and the resulting fatalities until we were on the ride.

2) It also reminded me of the time my family and I were in Six Flags in New Jersey and when we were at the tiptop of the Ferris Wheel, we noticed that everyone seemed to start running on the ground below in one direction. When we got off we were promptly told the park was "closing early tonight" and to leave immediately. The next day we found out that there was a shooting. I think that the reason it was so disturbing to me was because we had to leave in such a rush that we couldn't stop to buy this bottle filled with different colored sand (which was decorated with feathers and googly eyes to look like a bird) that I was PROMISED. At least that's what I remember (see below comments because I am sure that momma bird might have two cents about this one).

3) The Ferris Wheel "loader" seemed to have an unnecessarily complicated and stressful job. There was constant counting of people in the parties and reshuffling and "stand here, NO, HERE." I wouldn't want that job. Dude is going to drive himself to an early grave. Never have I seen such a high involvement from a carnie.

And one last thing about the fair.

Where was the freak show? I mean, Geek Love had my expectations running high. 

So after the ride, we ran over to the station for our coda show. Tuesday we had subbed and had a great time with the food theme show. Since we were on air much earlier than normal, we had a lot of callers and it was fun. My favorite call-in yet:

Fanatic: "Are you playing WEEN right now?!?!"

Me: "YES!"

Fanatic: "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I JUST UNPLUGGED MY IPOD AND I WAS LISTENING TO WEEN AND I HAVE FIVE WEEN POSTERS IN MY ROOM AND I HAVE A WEEN SHIRT ON RIGHT NOW!"

Me: "Rock on my ween brother!"

He is going to deliver me a couple gigs of rare and live WEEN to the station next week.

So after the fair, we did the beverage version with all kinds of fun stuff. 

After midnight shows, my man and I always go out and have a dirty martini, then we have to walk Fdog.  

Wherein, for my second animal incident of the evening, we were attacked by a rabid(?) raccoon. I am not sure if it was rabid, but what raccoon in its right mind attacks a 70 pound dog that is barking its head off? Scary. 

Not the actual raccoon.

This Dog's Life (8/12/10) - The Camping

Dear Readers, I don't like camping. 

The trip started off well because those people left me in the car with all the food... idiots! 

That bag of cookies was so delicious, but they came back to haunt me. All night long. 

The next morning I had my quiet contemplation, which I normally do in my cage.

Hiking is hot and boring.

I was so glad to be home.

Love, Floyd

On My Block

"On my block, to hangout was the thang back then"

So, speaking of anticipation, we have been waiting for the Whiteaker Block Party for almost a year, since before we even realized we lived in a neighborhood called Whiteaker. When we first moved to Eugene and were strolling around our new digs, we often mentioned we were new. Almost everyone asked us “Where you here for the Block Party?” Mind you this event had been over a month before we got here, sometimes asked up to six months after it happened. We figured it must have been quite a party.

Whiteaker is the oldest neighborhood in Eugene and often described as “funky” – with both the good and the bad connotations. I have never really lived in a true neighborhood that had its own personality and vibe that was really distinct. I mean, we have our own logo.

I really love this neighborhood, although it can be a little rough around the edges (see aforementioned bimonthly car break-ins and occasional domestic "spats"). Even though giving my address to people is often met with a weird, snobby expression, I love me some Whit. Back in Missoula, my man and I contemplated renting a place for a few months to get the feel for the different neighborhoods before we settled on a place but instead dove headfirst into our little slice of home. 

Really, it's just a happy accident that our awesome realtor got a good feel for us in showing us like 50 houses in a 48 hour spree and found this place for us after we were back in cowboy country. Yeah, you may have heard that we bought our house sight unseen. I can now very confidently say: I know we would have picked Whiteaker. Apparently a lot of the other residents feel the same way about their hood and its never been more obvious than at the block party on Saturday. It makes me feel cheesy, but it makes you feel like a part of a real, vibrant and accepting community. Even if some of the residents just want "anything green helps." Cheers to everyone who organized this event and all the characters that make this place so french toast cool.

 Since my man had to work, it was just me and my trusty sidekick trying to find the Whiteaker parade in the morning. Sidenote: He got a flat on his bike on the way to work. The coworker who dropped him off after work said, and I quote, "Oh, you live in the transient neighborhood!" Nice. I hope that when we have to sell our house, the new buyers don't find this blog. Unless they are cool like us. Just in case they do, I swear, the Emerald Guard JUST called us "up and coming," who cares if the gist of the article was hoping that the revelers would refrain from the open containers in the streets this year. 

We didn't find the parade, I think that it might not have happened. But we had an Eddo burger and it was cool to see the people setting up. I wonder how one gets on the Whiteaker Cocktail Society, I need to become a member of this group. I saw two (1,2) men with hooks instead of hands. And I don't mean those functional useful hooks, these were just for badassness. One of the guys I see around a lot. He wears a Whiteaker leather jacket and his name is Lucky. 
*EDIT - his name is Lefty. 

The real fun didn't start until the evening when my man joined us.... 

The place where we are having our wedding reception is a big sponsor of the Block Party. Along with other favorite neighborhood businesses like Boozeweek and Ninkasi. 

Just us and our neighbors, closing down the street, milling around. 

Upon closer inspection, I think this dude's hair is real.

Probably just had his hair did. 

This place not decorated special for the block party. 

People in Eugene love stilts.

Lots of fun music, not even sure who these guys were, but the costumes were great. 

Major highlight of the night, Unkle Nancy performance with members of the Family Jewels. This guy was so into it. His big hit, ok the only one I had heard before, is a little brainwashing number called "I'm Not Crazy, You Are." He looked so overheated but he was so great. My other favorite was "If You Don't Drink Ninkasi..." he'll tell you all the bad things that will be happening to you soon, such as "No boys or girls will like you!" and "I'll get a knife and cut you!" Also, please note the flute player brandishing his instrument like a rifle. 

In the audience of that show I saw a girl in a bikini that HAD A RAT IN THE BRA TOP. I am not kidding. I didn't get a pic, but I saw one on Facebook today. 

wares for sale

I got me one, hot off the press!

My man accidently went into this house.... It's called the G Spot. But apparently it is also someone's normal residence. We learned the hard way. I mean, G Spot for a business would be weird enough.

Damn, why does this picture have to be blurry? And, who remembers Echo from Missoula? This guy totally reminded me of him. 

Medical emergency or easy way to get up and down the block?

In Eugene, people also like to build cool stuff and organize these huge parties to show off said cool stuff. 

Back to Territorial, what were you looking for?

Not these guys... I wish I could say I knew them, don't they look like they're having fun?

And the last thing, the fire show! It was amazing. I have never seen anything like it. 

They even had a little Charles Manson looking dude. 

"Oh my block, I wouldn't trade it for the world..."

EDIT: I should have waited until dusk to post. After his nightly dog walk, my man reported some suspicious behavior outside, described to me as "some guy trying on clothes that were in a shopping cart and then strewing them about the yard." Suffice to say, it was not the actual neighbor that lives in that house. Unfortunately, the model decided to start a fire, which led to resisting arrest, which led to his being taken away. Oh, all in a day's work.

Sometimes I can't believe it...

So, the new Arcade Fire album came out, ya heard?

The album is great. This is just the first song.... I do have to wonder how my darling music nerd superstar Win got so sweaty, I need to know what they played before this one. I love when the camera pulls back and you can see the home video-esque movie in the background. Nerdy facts - my stepbrother went to see Arcade Fire long ago in Portland and after the show the whole band came out on the street and busted out a whole nother set right there on the sidewalk. I wonder if this was a regular occurrence.
I really love this song, this album, this band.
I really love music.
So we did an anticipation show last night, picking songs from albums that my man or I had been breathlessly awaiting on their respective arrival dates. It was really fun thinking back to those special deliveries, back in the days before the mp3... the preorders, the going to the CD store and listening to it on the way home in the car. Some of the remembrances: Use Your Illusion (that was DJPJ), Kid A and then Amnesiac (both of us), just about every Ween album that was released after Chocolate and Cheese... Icky Thump (all pigeon). And the newer stuff: Sky Blue Sky, Infinite Arms, Attack & Release. Also, momma bird requested a sweet old Beatles song and I LOVED thinking about her as a young girl counting down the days to the release of the 45s....

Ok, so neither of us were thinking about Radiohead or the Beatles at these ages, but you get the idea...

And, really, isn't the anticipation at least half the fun?
And I am not talking just about album releases of course.

Sometimes it hardly seems worth it....

But, man, that soup is good.

I have occasionally considered my tendency to live in anticipation, and lack of ability to "live in the moment" as they say, as a bit of a personality flaw. Then I realize how delicious it can be to look forward to those events that are always coming up on the horizon.

The Well Deserved Nap (coming right up).

The Epic Whiteaker Block Party (tomorrow).

The End of My Summer School Class.

Reception for a friend's recent elopement ? eloping ? sweet marriage.   

Trip to Crater Lake.

The Arrival of the Friends & Families... which leads to:

The WEDDING.

The HONEYMOON.

And, then what?

All the rest of it. 

I am so excited.