Good music?

Swirly Patterns and I once had a conversation that spinning classes must be the same all over the world. Our reasoning was that since while Mr. S.P. was hiking through the bucolic moutainside surrounding Andora, he heard a jarring tempo and foreign shouting from inside one of the fitness centers in town. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was a spinning class at full volume (as all spinning classes are). Taking that and my own personal experiences spinning at various places, we concluded that spinning instructors pick the same music and speak a universal language. If you want to get an idea of what that is like, remember this?

I have found an exception, however. Austin spinning classes are much much better on one account. The music is super good. I guess I should have expected that. Still, it made for a nice surprise this morning when Ted Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever and over played one hit wonders were replaced by M.I.A., Spoon and the like.

PS Sorry this pic is so so terrible. I had to drive the point home somehow...

Day 4

It is the final day of the final "web institute" I have to attend for this here library science degree. Let me just say the good news first, I think I will actually be able to build a database during this semester. The course material is actually pretty neat. If anyone of you gets spontaneously interested in deciding authority control, building a classification scheme or working with any type of metadata, for that matter, then we should talk. It's a more approachable and thought provoking conversation than you may think.

Still, the charm of 8 hours a day, four days straight of power point lectures wears off before it even starts. That is not to say, however, that there has been a demise though along the way.

Day #1 Disoriented trying to find class. Walk in late. Seat selection not made wisely. End up sitting in between a snorting, coughing smoker and a girl taking copious amounts of notes on everything said. Get nervous that I should be taking more notes. Smoker smell ends up being overcome by some bad, bad cologne. Some guy up front keeps asking obscure questions - I only know who is talking because he moves his big head around like a muppet when he talks.

Day #2 Pretty tired. Arrived early enough for back row seat + moved away from cologne scent and smoker man. Lady who asks tons of questions comes in late and sets up camp in the back - using a garbage can as a desk for her computer and water bottle. Takes her nearly and hour to get situated. After the break, garbage can lady finds a spot in front row so that her questions can be answered.

Day #3 So so so bored. Leaving the lecture hall makes me squint from the light like a ninetendo gamer who has been playing for 3 days in a dark room with stale air. Room begins to smell faintly of burgers after lunch. Why don't these people leave the room to eat?! Lots of more questions from garbage can lady, muppet head and a bunch of soft talkers. Coughing, burping smoker sits behind me. Lady next to me comments "some of these people need their own bubble".

Day #4 Room smells like burgers before lunch. Garbage can lady gives up but muppet head just won't stop, without consideration to how he adds to the lecture. The stink of someone's hard boiled breakfast eggs waft through when people walk by or open the doors. About 1/3 of the class is reading novels from their kindles. One blatantly listens to her iPod with both headphones. Approaching dangerously close to wits end.

3 more hours....

First Austin Cake Dome Party!

It was marvelous! We went with a Dr. Seuss theme to assure success. There were just so many possibilities with a theme like that and it was great fun. Kudos to Christina and Julie for baking up such a thematically impressive cake that tasted terrific! In spite of set backs like the cake spilling in the oven and burning the edges, it turned out tasty and impressive, not to mention how it added so much to the Seuss cheer. Well done! I stood amazed. I just stuck with my trusty carrot cake recipe. The two complimented each other quite nicely though I think.

The spread was fun with multicolored "1 fish - 2 fish" Swedish fish, "Star Belly Sneetch" Snacks, "Big Hearted Moose" cookies, green deviled eggs, and the works.

It was a good time throughout but the party really got going when "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" arrived in full garb. Man! they were the life of the party. You wouldn't believe it!

Julie and Christina came up with a ingeniously Seussy game that was great fun. Sort of "a la" Balderdash, each person wrote down a couple of Dr. Seuss passages on a card then made up one of their own. It was surprisingly difficult to figure out which ones weren't Seuss. He was a prolific writer, afterall. Wanna play? See if you can figure out which one I wrote of the 3:

"But that nooth brush on my tooth brush...Him I could do without!"

"If you find yourself with a case of the Blue Freckle Face, then fear not good pal...for cure it we shall!"

"You will learn about Jake the Pillow Snake and all about Foo Foo the Snoo."

I think everyone learned a little something new about Dr. Seuss and I for one gained and almost Jackie Smaz-like admiration for him by the end. If there is one town that can fully appreciate Dr. Seuss and welcome a Cake Dome party as well as the ol' SLC, it turns out to be Austin. I am surprised it took me so long to get this Texas Town hooked on cake!

There goes Mr. Humbug...There goes Mr. Sneer!

So Matt and I recently made it through the 12 episode BBC series of Oliver Twist. It was an authentic experience shot on video - the pure BBC experience. Once I was able to get over the expectation of the characters bursting out with tunes such as "Food Glorious Food", "Consider Yourself", "Who Will Buy" etc., I was able to enjoy it lots. Although, every once and a while I would make Matt stop the episode so that I could go to youtube.com and get my fix for the fitting song before we moved on in the plot.

Since it was the Christmas season at the time when we were watching it, we started thinking about some of the songs from the musical rendition of another Charles Dickins musical adaption, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Naturally, our thoughts turned to what muppets could play what characters from Oliver Twist. This is what we came up with thus far....

Oliver - Kermit

Artful Dodger - Gonzo or Animal (if we dare go that route)

Mr. Bumble- Statler and Waltdorf (suppose we could just duplicate this character)

Nancy- Miss Piggy

Fagin- Fozzie Bear (Wocka Wocka Wocka!)

Mr. Brownlow- Sam the Eagle

Since all muppet movies get at least one human character, Matt and I decided that would need to be saved for Bill Sykes. I am just not sure if the muppets could pull off the dark and the deep of this character. Don't get me wrong, those muppets are good at what they do. They just have a different appeal in what they do well. Also, we could throw in the Swedish Chef as himself during the "Please Sir, I want some more" scene. Beeker could be a beggar on the street somewhere in London. Scooter could be the Dodger's sidekick, etc.... Well you get the idea.

What are your thoughts? Any suggestions? Corrections? This is an open forum here.

Welcome 2010!

2010 is awesome! Even small towns like Ada, Oklahoma know how to celebrate this new era with high tech movie options like 3D. No better way to usher in the new year than with a "Coraline" in 3D in your own living room. Check it out!