Neil Gaiman just posted his New Year's message:

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you,and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art,or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

I want to add/respond to that by saying that sometimes the biggest mistake is NOT to do something that you need to do. Don't make those mistakes.

This is partially for my own future reference, and partially in case someone having a similar problem needs to Google it up:

There is some kind of battle going on between Apple and Java, and all I really know about it is that whenever there is a OS X Software Update involving Java, I lose functionality in my Java-based imposition and platemaking app at work.

I thought it had completely uninstalled the older versions of Java this time, but I did some digging and found they had gone to:

System\Library\Frameworks\JavaVM.framework\Versions\disabled

So I dragged them back into System\Library\Frameworks\JavaVM.framework\Versions

and then went to Java Preferences and dragged the compatible versions back to the top (I've heard there are better ways to manage what Java modules are used on an applicatino-specific basis, but this works for me so far).

And my app worked again, yay! (Now I need to do this on the other computers that use this app).

Slutwalk Minneapolis is coming soon - it is next Saturday, October 1st! Come walk with us!
http://www.slutwalkminneapolis.org

Though we are close to our goal, we are still trying to raise money for permits and various things. Donations are tax-deductible, through a PayPal Donate button on our website. There is also some merchandise available on our website, some of which I designed the art for.

This Wednesday, there is an open mic night at the Minnehaha Free Space. I am trying to write a song to sing at this. I've been trying to write it for a long time now, we'll see how much I can get it together. Heh, now I've posted about it so I guess I'd better at least get all the lyrics written and a vocal melody sorted out.

And the real fun thing - this Thursday, I have organized a benefit concert for Slutwalk at the Acadia Cafe! Candles Enough, Beth Kinderman and the Player Charcters, and the Broken Bicycles will be performing. It would be a great time for you to come hear some of these awesome local bands you hear me talking about, and support an important cause.

EDIT: Volunteer Meeting Moved, no longer @ Wilde Roast!

For those of you who don't follow my Facebook, I want to say that I'm involved in planning Slutwalk Minneapolis. It will take place in the afternoon of Saturday October 1st.
http://www.slutwalkminneapolis.org
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=149784915098195

If you want to walk with us, please register to walk so we can have a semi-accurate count:
http://www.slutwalkminneapolis.org/register-to-walk.html

If you want to help with the event, please volunteer:
http://www.slutwalkminneapolis.org/volunteer-sign-up.html
Slutwalk could use more volunteers for various things! If you're willing to help, please sign up on our website or come to our volunteer meeting, Sunday, September 11th at 2 pm at Brooklyn Park Library. I know many of my awesome friends have awesome skills that would be useful to Slutwalk! And thank you to everyone who is already helping!

"It's a good thing that I'm not a star / you don't know how lucky you are / my record may say it / but no one will play it / 'cause sad songs and waltzes aren't selling this year"

Interesting choice for an opening song, "Sad Songs & Waltzes". Also, if it was an actual breakup song, its become highly ironic and better revenge than he thought, in large packed theatres.

(Kind of makes me think of hearing Andrew Bird sing "they don't play me on the radio, and that's the way I like it" on the Current.)

"Been a Long Time" - What I'd thought was intricate backing vocals at the start of the song turned out to be synthesizer. Also I always want to change the Pontiac line to Laundromat, which would be a better rhyme.

This is I believe the third time I've seen them live. The previous times were at First Ave. At the State, the sound is good and we have a reasonably clear view from the balcony, but it took me a few songs to really get into the show in the same way, lacking the immediacy.

Hmm, other thoughts - I really liked a song I hadn't heard before, off the new album, (I think its called "Away") but it made me too sad to go "Whooo!" at the end.

Some guy was idiot enough to yell loudly a request for a song we'd just heard a little while ago, starting their second set.

There was some great directed audience participation with halves of the audience doing different parts, sometimes in harmony.

Posted via LjBeetle

My neighborhood shoe store is so awesome! I had been looking at a pair of shoes on the Internet, and I thought, I should go down to Nokomis Shoes and see what they have, I probably won't find the shoes from the internet, but I know they have good shoes there.

I walked in there and found the shoes I wanted (Naot Matai), in the color I wanted (Green Shimmer), and cheaper than I'd seen them on the internet. They had a size that fit me, and I got them. I was so excited.


phoenixredux is still amazed at how much I spent on a pair of shoes, but they're special shoes. Last fall I wore out my previous pair of Naots, which had been a hand-me-down from my mom, and I'd worn them basically every day for I don't know how long. They're pretty and they're comfortable on my feet and for standing around in and walking in. The old ones were black, but the new ones are shiny green with a swirly design, very me!

Now I can stop wearing boots or uncomfortable/worn out shoes.

Posted via LjBeetle

We are listening to a jug band @ the Acadia, and they have a washboard. I was talking about how an app I use at work has an icon that looks just like a washboard, though I know it is supposed to represent a tray full of paper. So I always think of it as a washboard. Then it occurred to us there probably is a washboard app for our smartphones. phoenixredux and I simultaneously hunted down and downloaded the "Favorite instruments" app and showed each other the washboards on our phone screens. I love living in the future!

Posted via LjBeetle

The Feng Shui Ninjas have requested that people who have their latest album review it on their blogs. And maybe some of you are wondering about this band I keep going to see. So here goes:

I will attempt to describe the indescribable: the Feng Shui Ninjas, in particular, their album Home Shuriken Kit (in case of emergency, throw this disc).

The Feng Shui Ninjas (Dave Stagner, John Kentner, Justin Hartley and Tami Murck) play an unusual assortment of songs in an unusual assortment of genres on an unusual assortment of instruments (no bass guitar, sparse on drums, but including accordion, banjo, assorted noisemakers and Oh My God What Is That Thing). You might expect this to sound gimmicky or forced, but it does not. It all comes together wonderfully. Their originals are at worst amusing and at best brilliant, and their cover tunes are always musically very true to the originals while still doing something new with them.

Brief descriptions of the songs on this album, though you should really just go listen to them:
( descriptions below this cut )

Particular favorites of mine on this album are:
originals: Ruins, Three Suitors No Refunds, Killing Time
covers/traditional: Video Killed the Radio Star, Mad Tom of Bedlam, Echoes

The rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

"Axiomatic" by Greg Egan
"Reservation Blues" by Sherman Alexie
"Drawing Blood" by Poppy Z. Brite
"Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo
"Time Enough for Love" by Robert Heinlein
"Blood Music" by Greg Bear
"Nadya" by Pat Murphy
"Motherless Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem
"Espedair Street" by Iain Banks
"High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby
"The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon
"Summers at Castle Auburn" by Sharon Shinn
"The Pleasure of My Company" by Steve Martin
"A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss
"Ciphers" by Paul DiFilippo

my note: There probably could be a lot more books on this list, its kind of a random grab. To simplify, I skipped series where it was hard to pick a book, and limited myself to 1 per author. Also skipped graphic novels and nonfiction, both of which have worthy candidates.

( Under the cut I will write a little bit about each book )