don't worry

Major league baseball is in a sorry state this week. Yesterday we watched Big Unit (not what they call him here) get taken for 70 pitches in 3 innings over about an hour and a half, for 3 earned runs and 12 hits. This is a guy making $16 million dollars this year. There was also a really weird thing that happened where the Umpire didn’t call a hit-by-pitch against Unit for like 30 seconds after the pitch and it appeared that they intentionally walked the batter on a 3-1 count; the catcher was still standing and there was no next pitch. Very strange. You look away from these kids for a second to admire yourself on the Jumbotron and next thing you know they’re taking a vote on a do-over because they weren’t ready yet.

The LAD pitcher called Wolf (stage name?) threw an even number of balls and strikes, which helped kept the Dbacks from hitting the ball, which they did with unbelievable infrequency. There was also the awkwardness of watching one of the 6 dbacks pitchers make a fielding error on a looping slow hit to allow two runs and then throw a borderline wild pitch/pass ball to allow another run on consecutive batters. You could sort of see it coming after the guy missed the looper and immediately threw two or three pitches in the dirt, he just couldn't pitch anymore, it was only a matter of time until something bad happened. And the Yankees and the Red Sox

Food City parking lot, cinco minutos! Bring money!

I will be spending about 10 days in a place called Kinki in August. I spent a night in a sushi place called kinki in Ottawa, and now I get it I think. Authentic.

My thoughts on wedding rings are notcomplete yet, but I think couples should wear matching rings after they are married. Scaled versions of the same design are okay if you married a child or person with deformedly outsized hands. An engagement diamond or other thing should be worn on another finger I think, or traded for essential apple products. You could get an iphone and a nano for that thing.

I lost my cellphone for about 8 hours yesterday, the first casualty inflicted by my new headphones. They sit inside your ears and restrict the rest of the noises around you, like a cellphone falling on the ground at a bus stop, while playing This American Life at perfectly whispering volumes. Look both ways before crossing the street while wearing these.

The cellphone was recovered from an ethnic neighborhood in west phoenix, where almost no one speaks English. Thanks to everyone who called it and talked to Juan and David, who drive an old mustang convertible as it turns out. Food City parking lot at 43rd Ave and Indian School (that is the name of a street, those two words) recommended for chicken or pork or something that is cooking slowly on a grill there.

Sting Sing

People are so into gong to rock concerts in even numbers that it drives the price of two tickets together above face value day of. However, a single ticket far away is cheap. I responded to about 10 craig’s list ads for single tickets at 3pm yesterday and one ebay auction. Everyone responded, but only one person sent me a ticket without even confirming the price or that I would ever pay them. Needless to say, that’s the seat I used. It was very far away but very cool nonetheless. this video captures the emotional impact of the three walking on to a darkened stage starting to play and the first light cue. It was amazing. I would easily pay the $200 to be up close later this year, just for the first two songs. Whoever designed the lights should get an award. They kept the video screens dark for just one song and did some really cool stuff in Synchronicity II that extended the impact of the top of the show for about 10 minutes as they slowly revealed all the tricks the simple set has to offer. For three old guys (well, one old guy, one highschool drummer and Sting) standing on tangential ovals of light, it was ridiculously engaging to watch.

On the rocking numbers, just as we’ve all come to expect, they sounded like they were getting faster and faster yet somehow together. Actually, now that I realize it, the above video is the show that SC thought was off, but I think it sounds better if he nearly misses the fourth bar. I’m not sure what he was talking about now that I hear it. Sting sang the hole night, only sounding old and silly on Don’t Stand and Every Little Thing. But what can we expect, it’s a long tour and the guy is pretty much playing a 25 year younger version of himself for 2 hours a show.

Stop! Police!

I've been estimating an appropriate budget for tonight's The Police concert at the soon to be historic US Airways arena. Ticketmaster has decent seats available for $225, which sounds fair given that Sting is a star of inconcievable proportions and there are two other guys to pay in the band. Seems like Stewart Copeland has the most loyal following of bloggers and YouTube commenters so far. Also, seeing them in Amsterdam has its appeal, though you have to factor in the airfare. There are so many people at the concerts, it seems average attendance would be well into the twenty thousands, that it reminds me of the old American Studies saw that a shared experience on a large scale through entertainment that we choose ourselves is a key factor by which Industrialization and democracy allow large groups of people to create an identity. This is what we are doing by ourselves by talking to each other through YouTube comments, as well. There are very few events on this scale that people can take part in, so it seems that a 100year budget might be in order, but I'm not that interested in the end. I've got the CD rips on the new hifi, after all.

Also, watching The Police on YouTube eventually brings you back to a John Mayer thread, which is a habit I simply can't kick. After watching about 10 versions of Message in a Bottle from Vancouver (but not the now infamous second gig where the 3 musos started in different places and nearly trainwrecked the first song of the night (and Stewart missed his gong cue...potentially I would guess losing his gong privileges for a while, as he is both principal and solo gongist on the job)), I was drawn to a segment of my man JM singing that song (not interesting) and then to a fabulous cache of performances of his hit Gravity, which is fantastic. The teenage girl in me is hearing SRV more and more in this skinny guitarist who I loved to hate for two albums of strumming. The best version of this song I found is one from March on The Late Show. I can imagine the guys being hustled out on the cold stage in mid afternoon, thinking about their parking meters expiring, and through 4.5minutes being part of the simple meditation of playing a slow song as quietly as they can before rejoining the public outside only minutes later. It came off pretty good, seems like the mix was right and whatnot.

It has routinely hit 108 degrees here, cute. I prefer the cold, but I'm going to be really tanned and will blend better in Tokyo.

Closets are for Jack johnson fans

I can't stop with the John Mayer youtube videos. They do this thing with a pretty cool sax solo in the middle with just drums and some rhythm hits on a song called Neon. They didn't do it at Jobing.com, which I understand, no I don't, I don't know why. I guess I could have followed them in my rental van up to Red Rocks and camped and stuff and sold necklaces in the parking lot, because they're gonna be awesome there because of the vibe.

I'm invincible, because he's invincible

An ipod hifi without wireless technology OF ANY SORT is like a stereo with no benefits at all.

So after paying a discreet 2x fee to stubhub, and sitting through a bit of banging by this fellow The Manufacturers have become John Mayer fans. Additionally, we like his blog thusly: tons. He purportedly purchased a Palm Pilot and a G3 powerbook for some elaborate time-travel joke, which I appreciate. They are pictured on a marble countertop, which may be in his home. There's this excerpt about keeping in shape:

"Here's some stuff I was thinking about on the treadmill today. I don't bring my iPod to the gym anymore. I can't really explain it except to say that there's something unsatisfying about it. The songs kind of drill into my ear when I'm working out and I can't concentrate on the parts of the music I want to. (I told you I couldn't really explain it.)" --john mayer

See, it’s too much for me, the little girl or Abercrombie t-shirted dandy is waiting to come out of me (not what it sounds like) with just a little push towards pop. Mr. Mayer and the Whiny Athletes (working title, unconfirmed) put on a good show, and that’s coming from someone who (as many of you may know) entertains nightly with only occasional (emergency) stops in mediocrityville. He didn't talk much at the concert but offered something about cats and kittens that he wished we all blog about, and in so doing, I hope he thinks of me if this fellow ever quits. Even the tags are funny on that linked video! touche , Mr. Mayer (not what it sounds like, couldn't find accent aigu on stupid US keyboard (?!))

today

I was, thankfully, bitten by just one ant at the bus stop this morning. I have read things about fire ants and now I can say I have seen and touched them. The saxophone repairer to whom I have now entrusted my high-heat solder job works very early hours, beginning at 3am some days. This would be convenient for dropping off a damaged horn after a particularly heavy handed rendering of Night and Day during the last set.

phoenix, az

There’s so much to do with a few days off. I’m having a hard time focusing on the laundry and stuff. The cat constantly needs to be let in or out, which is amusing enough for now. I made contact with a woman who repairs saxes in Phoenix who seems like she’ll be helpful with names of people to meet in order to see what’s happening around here. She also seems willing to solder the bell back on to my tenor, which conveniently came loose just 3 performances from the end of our 348 show run. Good thing that didn’t happen sooner.

I did have an opportunity to buy a used ipod hifi, which is a product I never would have considered but for the strong recommendation of a trusted advisor and applerapist. Also, the bose version doesn’t have an aux in, rendering it completely useless if you drop your ipod in the cup of white zinfandel you keep in the golf cart cupholder and your discover is maxed out. The ipod hifi has the aux in, so I can plug in an fm receiver or karaoke mic to amuse myself, and others. Also, things made by apple corp are guaranteed at this point to be completely cool.

Since falling off the porch (second floor, bushes), the cat appears not to want to sit on the ledge anymore, which is understandable. She does however, still watch the hummingbirds through the drain. Then she comes inside and deflates on the rug for about a half hour intermission before beginning a cute yet annoying round of meowing to be let out again into the heat.