Weekend Update

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It's been a pretty interesting weekend so far. It would probably take a long time to flesh out the whole weekend, even if I left all the interesting tid-bits in, so I'll try to do it in bullet form:

• Friday: left with Larry and Ryan for a day of gear shopping, margaritas and music.
• Arrived Chez-Bob's Studio and hung out for a while there. Played a guitar once owned by Lyle Workman, guitarist extraordinaire, and one of two players on the Spilt Milk album (one of my favourite albums of all time). In fact, this guitar was probably used on the actual Spilt Milk album. So I played it. And spilt my milk.
• When in town you have to make a trip to Mercedes Grill. Mercede makes good food, and good martaritas. Just smell that salty sea air. Life is good.
  
• Proceeded to TrueTone music, where we spent hours trying out gear. I've been conditioned to not spend too much time in a music store, so it took some adjustment, but I got there. Bob considered a late 60s Strat, Lar considered and purchased a '78 Les Paul Custom.
• Discussed the relative merits of high-cut vs. low-cut shoes in a boutique shoe store. Bob pulled the trigger on some fine high-tops (way to go, Bob!) The shoe salesperson was quirky, but cute.
• Had a few pints with Ryan, Bob, Lar and Glenn Pierce. I've followed Glenn's music career for some time, so it was interesting to catch tid-bits and stories from him.
• Popped into the House of Blues Foundation Room. People may have described this room to you, as I had it described to me. These people probably used a lot of adjectives and perhaps some hyperbole ("it was a trip! It was the craziest place in the world! I'm gay!"), but these descriptions are often flaccid. So, too, will my descriptions seem, because the House of Blues Foundation room, circa October 27, 2006, was pretty awesome. We were standing beside Tom Green for a while, which made me feel closer to both Canada and craziness... sniff. We watched a band called AM/FM rock the radio dial, circa 1970-1979, with great hits from Queen, Aerosmith, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and so on. They did a respectable job on hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody," and a great job on Boston, Manfred Mann, and many others. Ballsy, great players and a great taste in music. I highly recommend AM/FM. We also ate from an acclaimed restaurant (whose menu was reportedly assembled from a world-famous chef). I had the hanger steak, and I think I left my heart in that dining room. I fell in love with my steak. I had immoral thoughts about my steak. I... I should probably stop there. But the food was great. Then we hung out in a trippy room full of Hindu statues (Ganesh was prevalent). We were discussing the room when a younger version of Hugh Hefner walked in with two beautiful women on his arms. He was informing us about the room, and specifically the statues. He explained that he knew so much about the room because he designed it. By "it" he meant the whole damn place. And every House of Blues except the most recent two. His name is Nigel, but the man who designed HoB is named James Cafarelli, so I'm a bit confused there. But Nigel knew all about the place, the origins of the wood panels, the roof, the statues, every stitch of fabric... it was pretty cool. We stayed in the house-o-ganesh until closing and drove home at a very late 4:00 bed time.
• On Saturday, slept in, did some errands, then went out to a movie with Laird and Harrison. We were supposed to do a winery, but that required an early wake-up time, and I'm glad we didn't.
• The movie we saw was "Running with Scissors," a surreal biopic based on the memoirs of Augusten Burroughs, who was given away by his mother to her eccentric pychiatrist. He lives in squalor with the rest of Dr. Finch (played by the wonderful Brian Cox)'s family. Home becomes a giant, pink shanty/mansion which is in total dissaray. Entertainment is provided via an electro-shock therapy machine; Valium comes in a pez dispenser, and the rules have been forgotten along with the christmas tree which sits in a lonely corner. It's a bizarre movie which follows Augusten in his futile attempts to win the love of his mother, who is so busy pursuing her poetry career and valium addiction (not to mention her descent into madness) that her son becomes a footnote in one of her obscure poetry books. Although this is based on reality, a discussion forms in perforations along the edge of the film, and we begin to cut out a theme. The movie connects narcissism and therapy, ambition, family, love and the pity of unrequited love- how deseperate we become, and the many sins we are willing to overlook when we are still optimistic for love. The canvass was 1970s America, the soundtrack was summed up the day earlier at the AM/FM show, which means great 70s music. An interesting movie, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.
• Sunday means getting up early (forgetting about the time change), and driving Schmaty to the vet to have her innerds, and front digits removed. As sad as that makes me, I'm excited that she's coming back to be our cat. I'm not really a cat guy, but Dara and I have both fallen for this little pumpkin-coloured furball. So she's gone for two days and I already miss her. Now Dara's sleeping and I'm blogging. Not a bad weekend at all.