Halfway Hip

Flu Music

So, I have the flu. No wonder I was so cranky for my last post. I started with cold symptoms Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, I progressively felt worse and worse throughout the day. I knew that a student of mine came down with the flu the week before, and she and I had handed off a few things to each other, so I suspected it right away when I felt feverish. After taking Advil, my temp was still 101, so I went to urgent care that afternoon and got the diagnosis. Now that it's two days later, I feel somewhat better, but definitely not back to normal. Fever goes up and down, and I'm having a really hard time sleeping at night. Last night, I gave up trying and came out to the living room, where I happily discovered the VHI Classic was playing 120 Minutes! Even in my sickened misery, I felt giddy joy at watching some of these gems again: First up, Sinead O'Connor with MC Lyte: "Going Underground" by The Jam. Check out how fresh this would be now!! What goes around comes around! Elvis Costello's "What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding" played, too, but I can't share that with you b/c it was ganked from youtube. Boo. So, weird coincidence. I was just reading in Hillary's blog last night about her favorite album. Mere hours later, I'm watching this video, and I haven't thought about Lemonheads in years. "It's a Shame About Ray." So, not all 90s music was horrible. There was also the Pixies, whose "Monkey Gone to Heaven" was also played, much to my fevered delight. There was also "Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins. I have a love/hate relationship with this band, and still feel that they were waaaayyy overplayed, but this video is gorgeous. They were doing steampunk 10 years before the rest of the world was: Then, they had to go ahead and play one of the main reasons 90s music got so bad. Sony BMG disalbed embedding on this one, but you can follow the link. Actually, it's really not a bad song. Just way overplayed and then it started a huge downturn in "progressive" music that lasted til about the year 2001, when Interpol and The Strokes came along. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCgFYz7VX74 Though, to be fair, my access to true indie, underground music at that time was very limited. No more 120 minutes. No more true college alt. radio. Enid, OK didn't have a quirky little record shop. I should have paid more attention to the reviews in Entertainment Weekly, and then I would have discovered Pavement and Pulp when they were timely. Okay, 90s music ramble over. I don't think this song by The Fixx would have EVER been on the real 120 minutes. It's probably just as well that I can't embed this one, either. It's like being Rik Rolled. Really. Hearing this one, I know I've been unfair to 90s music. Oh, how I loved James!!! I don't think I ever saw this one back then, which is so hard to believe!!!! "Girlfriend in a Coma" by The Smiths. The only video I remember seeing from them was "Stop Me If You Think..." and then of course Morrissey vids. What would 120 Minutes be without a New Order video? This is the one they played last night. Mom, I swear this song isn't about drugs! Why would anyone think that?! If you're still with me, hope you enjoyed this little stroll down memory lane. Kristen's probably the only one still with me. :)

Candy

Even with my undying obsession with all things nostalgic, there are songs that have fallen through the cracks. "Candy" by Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson (of the B-52s) is one of them. By "falling through the cracks" I mean that the song hasn't ever been on a nauseating loop of 80s/90s "hits" or that I haven't played it to death myself. Last night, in a rare move, Matt and I ventured up I-35 to see what we could find in OKC. We went out to a low-key Greek restaurant and then on to Electro Lounge, where an local old DJ I used to love spins every Friday night. The club was gritty and casual, but the place was kind of dead. After a while, when you find yourself at a place like that, you start to think that you could just be at home, listening to the same music on your own I-pod and drinking Guinness from your own fridge, all without having to pay $10 an hour to a babysitter. Or are we just getting old? For about an hour and a half, though, Matt and I just sat and soaked in the beer and the music, which did not disappoint. We had a great time with each other, too, and that's what really counts. I'll leave you with the cheese-flavored Candy video, which is quite fab. I want Iggy Pop's desert chair.

Datarock & Ladytron Live in Dallas

Last Thursday, Kristen and I went to see Datarock and Ladytron live at The Palladium Ballroom in Dallas. That venue is just awesome. Very clean and not a bad place to stand in the joint, sound-wise. My only complaint about this and other concert venues is the lack of beer selection. Makes it easier in a way, though. I drink less and save $$$. We were there so early, we actually stood in line for a while in the broad daylight, which I found highly amusing for some reason. I wish we had really hustled to get our way up to the front, though. We were in the 3rd "row" back from stage, but I really would have liked to have been on the rail, in retrospect. Still, Datarock put on an awesome show. It seemed that people didn't know them very well, and the crowd was pretty thin at that point, but I think the band worked hard to win them over. They interacted with us a lot and tried to get us to do various hand motions, dances, and sing-alongs. During "Computer Camp Love," the lead singer asked if anyone knew the words. In a Monica Gellar moment, I shouted "I do!" and raised my hand. He said something like, "Well, will you sing with us then?" For a split second, I thought he was going to invite me onstage, but, alas, it was not meant to be. I am their biggest fan, after all. At least in Norman. What surprised me most about the band was how much they can rock live. Their recorded songs are very electronic, but they can really shred. They almost sounded punk at some points. The downside to that is that I couldn't hear some of the synth parts I really like from the recorded music. I couldn't find any uploaded video from this particular show, but here they are on Jimmy Kimmel. After Datarock, we were a little worn out. People were starting to really push their way in to get to the front for Ladytron, so we bailed on our great center-stage position. TONS of people starting streaming in. I had no idea that they were this big in Dallas. To be honest, I had never even heard of them til I saw that they were headlining the Datarock show. I like them okay, but really it's just background dance music to me. They do it very well, though. Kristen pointed out that they remind her of Book of Love, which I thought was dead-on. We were so tired by a few songs in, we found a place to sit and people-watched a bit. We called it a night by 11.

The Cure live in Dallas

I went to The Cure last Friday with Kristen and her new friend Stephanie. They played the "hunormous" (an Aidan word) American Airlines Center. I was a bit worried that I had gotten pretty spoiled with going to standing-room-only shows at small venues. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the sound quality at AAC, especially given that we were way up in the nosebleed seats. Plus, that place is just plain NICE. It's like walking around a hotel. The floors were so clean, I thought nothing of taking off my shoes for some pain-free dancing. Oh, the dancing. They played so many great songs, we just couldn't help ourselves. We kept moving around the empty sections to get the best dancing. Most of the people there looked our age or older, but we spotted a few young-uns. They played almost all of the favorites plus some deep cuts. One of the highlights of the night was "Pictures of You" (see above for video) during which I got extremely emotional. The song was just so beautiful, and I felt just a huge wave of nostalgia and a sinking feeling that I'm just getting old too fast. Luckily, that feeling went away with some of the more peppy songs, and I felt young again, which is one of the main reasons why I keep putting time, money, and effort into experiencing new and old bands. Plus, it was just so much FUN to see the old farts get down. People were just going nuts! White people were dancing! At a show! Overall, it was a great show, but they did seem a little, uh, tired toward the end. They were just a four-piece, so we couldn't hear a lot of the synth tracks that sometimes comprise a good part of the recorded songs we remember so well. For example, "Love Cats" sounded pretty hollow without that cabaret-like piano. I was disappointed that they didn't play "Hot Hot Hot," but, then again, I wouldn't want to hear it without a horn section. Oh, and as the night wore on, Robert Smith started unintentionally forgetting and rearranging lyrics, and his playing became a little erratic. I guess that's the joy and mystery of a live show. They're not robots, after all. Afterward, I finally got to go see Fever at Fallout Lounge for myself, after reading the blog for a few months. It was in a TINY, too-well-lit, sweaty bar, but it was fun. In a pretty stark contrast to the concert, this place was filled with young-uns. For the second time in the same evening, I just felt OLD. These kids were hungry for some cheesy 80s music, too. Some of the cuts weren't deep enough for our taste, but we did some fun dancing to Los Campesinos! and Pulp. I'd go there again. The DJ seems so sweet, and he truly seemed over the moon at how much fun people were having. If it continues like that, they'll have to move to a bigger location. One with an actual dancefloor.

Me! Dancing!

First of all, I'm now obsessed with Los Campesinos! At the moment, I can't stop hearing this song in my head. I know, it's long. Stick with it, though. Well worth it to feel so happy.

At long last, I have found the song that got EVERYONE all frothed up at Mondo in New York. I remember screaming to Kristen in the midst of our (slightly) drunken festivities, "What IS this? I LOVE this!"

Okay, so why am I all frothed up now, in midst of baskets of laundry, dirty floors, and a toddler who requires a 2 hour bedtime routine? I got a job today! Apparently, the "bad" interview I was beating myself up over wasn't so bad after all! I'll be teaching 8th grade Language Arts at a middle school that's about a 5 minute drive away. Now all I have to do is figure out childcare arrangements for both of the kids. Oh, and also I have to figure out a way to deal with the (slight) guilt about leaving SAHMhood sooner than I had originally planned. I'm sure there will be much more on that later. For now, I can relax and enjoy my spring. There are lots of fun things coming my way. Let's list them, shall we?
1. Seeing Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner at OU on Wednesday while a very good friend's husband watches the kids.
2. Going out for brunch at La Baguette and a pedicure with my local friends on Saturday. A different very good friend's husband will watch the kids then.
3. Moms Night out at The Mont next week. Can expect chips and queso, Sangria swirl, a cute patio, and good conversation.
4. Book club next week, too. This time around, it's The Power of Place. MIL will be visiting, so yet another free babysitting hook-up.
5. Going to Miami in late May to join Matt for a different kind of hook-up. It will be our first trip alone since going to Kansas City for a wedding in Aug. 2005. I'm only there for three days, and Matt will probably have to work each of those days. The ILs seem to be really looking forward to having the boys come down. They're already making all kinds of plans for them.
6. Four concerts coming up: The Kills (possibly), Ladytron/Datarock, The Cure, and the True Colors show (I'm going for Girl in a Coma but the rest of the lineup should be fun, and it's a worthy cause to support.)

Video from Skate Party

Courtesy of Victoria.

80s chicks from Victoria Akselsen on Vimeo.

80s Skate Night from Victoria Akselsen on Vimeo.

Shuffleicious

I know it's overdone to add "icious" to the end of a word, but it's just fitting sometimes, ya know? My Ipod was just so good to me this morning. Here's what played on shuffle:

Jennifer's Body - Hole
City Baby Attacked by Rats (Live)- G.B.H.
Staring at the Sun - U2
He Could Be the One - Josie Cotton
Honeybear - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Pictures of Pandas Painting - They Might Be Giants
Ballerina Out of Control - The Ocean Blue
Last Post on the Bugle - The Libertines
Lost in Space - Fountains of Wayne
Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (Extended Version) - Flock of Seagulls
In the City - Xymox
Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
For You - Electronic
Ataraxia - Everclear
When You Were Young - The Killers
Denial - New Order
The Perfect Kiss - New Order
Senseless Fan - Dramarama
Serenade for Strings in E: Moderato - Dvorak (this reminds me of my teenage years, when I was just as likely to listen to classical as I was to listen to The Cure, Depeche, New Order, etc. I've really gotten away from it since then.)

Hotel Chelsea, room 219

Here's what I could dig up from a Google of "Hotel Chelsea, room 219." This entry at Wikipedia led me to find out about...

The band Fever Marlene recorded their latest album in the room we stayed in. They also are making a documentary about it. I was so stoked to see this footage from our room!

The #1 has footage of the lobby, stairwell, and hallway as you walk up to 219. The camera tries to film through the bullet hole in the doorway that separates the wing from stairwell. Awwwww....I'm already getting a little maudlin about it, and it's only been 2 weeks!

I had never heard of the band, but I do like what I've heard so far on Itunes. The album that was recorded in room 219, "White China," isn't available there yet.

I didn't write this before, but there was a documentary being shot while we were there. They were interviewing an older man (not sure who he was, but he was obviously someone important) during one afternoon while we were coming and going. So, we might be in the background if any of those shots make it into the movie. I think the movie is Chelsea on the Rocks.

I think I may have to have a little Chelsea Film Fest soon. I've seen all the movies mentioned, but it's been a long time. I think I saw "Sid and Nancy" in high school. I do remember thinking that "Chelsea Walls" really sucked, but I'd be willing to give it another go.

Better late than never: My New York trip

Outside the hotel, March 12, originally uploaded by Halfway Hip.

I'll again have to rely on ye olde bullet format to recall info that's gone a bit stale!

Air Travel Lots of factors came together in a perfect storm on Friday, which caused multiple delays all day long. Almost nothing about my travel day on the way there went smoothly. I left my house at 7am and arrived at Hotel Chelsea at 10:30pm, about 5 hours late. I wrote down a blow-by-blow account of the day in my paper journal, but I will spare you. Luckily, my flights back on Wednesday were the complete opposite.

Trade Show Basically, for me, this meant a lot of sitting and/or standing around and/or fetching things since it wasn't my line of work. By the last day, I felt like my brain had been turned off a little too long, and I was ready to return to my own planet. It was really interesting, though, to see what my best friend goes through in her working life. I'm really grateful, too, for the fact that I could come along on the company's dime. I would have easily traded that, though, for five days of freedom to roam the city.

The City Unfortunately, the trade show stuff kept us from seeing a lot. We got the experience, but there wasn't a lot of time for the serendipitous roaming around that I crave when I travel. We did slack off on Monday afternoon, and it was the best day, by far. We went to SoHo for lunch (the only bad meal we had there) and a little shopping. Most of the shops were way out of my league, but it was fun to dream. I've decided that I want to shop at DKNY when I grow up. I had a real New York Moment when I said, "I could go for a coffee and cookie right now," and found that we were across the street from a cool, TINY shop. I almost killed myself on a student's power cord in there, but the coffee was divine.

I was continually amazed at how friendly everyone was, everywhere we went. A friend of mine, who happened to be in NY at the same time we were, commented on her blog that she didn't want to pull out her camera and look like a tourist. I found that in the moments where I was obviously a tourist, people just got friendlier. People seemed to eat up the fact that we were there from Texas and Oklahoma.

Hotel Chelsea I knew a little about its history, but I wish I had read this blog before I went. However, if I had known all about the ghosts, I probably wouldn't have stayed in the room alone at all, though I don't technically believe in ghosts. I have to wonder, though, if the drag-queeny voice I heard for two hours early Weds. morning was actually the ghost of Nancy Spungen. He kept saying over and over, "God dammit FUCK. God dammit FUCK," like he was stuck on something. I kept wondering if he was stuck in the elevator or something, but I was in too much of a sleep-funk to think it through. I couldn't tell if it was coming from the floor below ours, where Sid Vicious is rumored to haunt, or from the room beside ours.

The hotel was extremely noisy in general, which I had remembered from an old episode of Globetrekker. There's a club in the basement, which didn't help, especially on Saturday night. There were lots of meathead guys on the street yelling and fighting in the wee hours. Friday night, in a room somewhere near ours, we could hear singing and tuba playing. That was the type of noise I fully expected and enjoyed. The radiator banging at 6am sharp every morning? Not so much! The jackhammers on the street at 8am Saturday morning? Not so much!

The Chelsea is covered with artwork. I really wish I had walked the entire stairwell and halls to see it all. I barely left enough time to take pictures. The photos in the Hotel Chelsea Flickr group are better than what I could have taken, anyway, so look through those.

Our little apartment was amazing. Lots of space in which to spread out and entertain guests. (Not that we had that many, but still.) You can check out pics on my Flickr by clicking on the photo above.

Food It was mostly great! It's not hard to eat vegetarian there. I did splurge on some sustainably-raised chicken at Cookshop, just because I could. Patsy's, which supposedly serves the best pizza in the city, was just down the block from our hotel. Now I'm sad that I didn't try the famed pizza, but I was really in the mood for salad and pasta. My God, it was the best salad I've ever had. Angelica Kitchen in the East Village was phenomenal. The staff there was so friendly. When I went up the hostess stand to remark on their choice of music (the entire Joy Division "Substance" album), we got into a nice chat about where were were from/what we were doing/the show "Dallas," which she happened to love (and few of us who actually had lived in Dallas had actually seen). I asked about where we should go next, based on the fact that we loved their music, and one of the servers went back to the kitchen and compiled a whole list for us.

Nightlife We had the best time on our first night there, even though by the time it was over, I had been up for 24 hours. We went to Mondo. I had pretty low expectations for being able to fit in to any club in the city, but this place felt like home as soon as we walked in. We heard songs we already love, including New Order's "Age of Consent," which I had never gotten to dance to at a club, "Fa Fa Fa" by Datarock, which the DJ played at my request, "Crash" by The Primitives, and loads of new stuff that we didn't really know but loved anyway. The crowd was age-mixed, and people were friendly and in no way too cool for the room, which we found a bit the next night we went out. I hope Kristen makes good on her promise to try to recreate something like this in the Dallas scene. It's desperately needed!

Saturday night, we stayed in due to exhaustion, the time change, and the fact that our dinner at Cookshop didn't end til 11pm. Sunday, we went to Sway Lounge, where it was Morrissey/Smiths night, on suggestion of the fine folks at Angelica Kitchen. The music was great, but there really wasn't a real dance floor, and the crowd was a bit too hip and fashionable for our taste. All of that would have been easily tolerated had it not gotten so damned crowded. When we could no longer move, we bailed. Made us appreciate our new friend Mondo even more. On Monday, after looking up some bar reviews, we chose to go to Hi-Fi to check out their famed jukebox. It was dead, but we had a good time watching Pop-Up Video minus the sound while we waited an hour or more for our songs to play. Next, we headed to Niagara, which was very cool, but a little dead, too. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, though, especially looking out at Tompkins Square Park, which played a prominent role in East Village Inky, a zine I still love.
While I was away, the kids and Matt seemed to fare just fine. The kids didn't really ask about me til the last day or so (when I was wanting to come home, too!) and Evan never asked to nurse. I don't want to be away from home too much, but I think it was great for all of us to realize that it could be done. Overall, I'd say that my trip was about one day too long, but I did have a great time. It was a little hard to come back to so many demands upon my personal space and time, but now that I've had a week to settle in, I'm used to it again. Being away also had an unexpected bonus. I got to see a bit what Matt goes through when he has to travel. I realize more how important phone conversations are to the person who is away from home. It's the only connection with the kids. There were days when I didn't make enough time for quality phone calls, and I regretted it. Also, I got to feel what it's like for him to come home and try to get back into the swing of homelife. It takes a while!

Go now.

God, I forgot how beautiful Elliot Smith's music is. Listening to XO at the moment. Go buy it now if you haven't already, please. It hurts that this genius was taken from us too soon.