Day Thirteen

Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?

Mariah Carey, because she wrote and provided hit after hit throughout my childhood, adolescence, and into my adulthood; because she's got a way with words ("dem babies" were finally born today); because she has a strong sense of self (even if it's crazy--aren't we all crazy? oh we're not? oops); because she appreciates us lambs; because she's got the greatest voice ever in the history of pop music.

Today

As I noted earlier today, here's a log of today, inspired by Richard. Yesterday I watched two episodes of Nodame, read four pages of philosophy and graded zero exams. Today I repented.

7:27AM Wake up, reluctantly get out of bed.

7:45AM Leave with Mordecai; he goes to work, I order medium soy latte at a nearby Caribou. The foam of my latte tastes a little like tofu. I eat my croissant I brought from home in a Ziploc bag.

9:30AM I've graded two exams, set out a short stack of papers that I don't think will be difficult to grade (i.e., good students' papers) and started reading Axel Honneth. I've got about 25-30 more pages to go. It's an essay on reification and recognition, and there are moments that make me sad. Why is philosophy so caught up in knowing things, like the world and its people are the subject matter of a standardized test? I note in the margin "REQUIEM" of some page and draw clouds, a stick of lightening, rain, and wind. I have in my mind Mozart's Requiem Mass that he was singing to Salieri at the end of "Amadeus," but only the second movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony comes to mind. I don't know much Mozart, come to think of it.

10AM I check Twitter to see confirmations of Mariah Carey's pregnancy. I anticipated a good "article" on the matter on Dlisted, and whoever that genius is, delivered. I tweet that link, tweet again about how sad it is that Mimi had a miscarriage two years ago. 

By this point, I've also probably checked to see if Glenchester Kennels has updated (or "pupdated," as I almost accidentally typed) their website with a recent photo of six puppies, one of which will come home with us soon (more on this for another post)!

11:30AM Finish Honneth, skim the responses to his essay, get annoyed by them. I start to bother Mordecai with texts about lunch. Also, I've been at this Caribou for about 3 hours and wonder now and then whether anyone secretly notices cares, because no one apparently does. Wonder why I don't do this more often.

12PM I meet Mordecai in the car at the parking lot between Caribou and his office, and we go to some place called Jason's Deli, which is basically a variation of Panera. I think I prefer Panera. I have a BLT with potato soup; Mordecai has a "Chicago Club" and some red-colored soup. I see a bulldog running in the parking lot outside, people chasing after it. A young man was able to grab it by it's collar, and patted it while the owners caught up with the leash. The bulldog appears to appreciate the petting; it looks happy to have had its ephemeral moment of freedom.

12:45PM I get dropped off at the Roosevelt red line, take it to Fullerton, and take the Fullerton bus home. Someone on the bus is coughing up a storm. By the time we get to Clybourn, I start to think about Nodame. She asks, "What's so wrong about playing the piano freely, for fun?" I think this is a good question. What's wrong with her original ambition of being a preschool teacher? I love Nodame so much. I wonder if I'll grade that little stack I set out for myself earlier.

2PM I get home, watch the last episode of the Nodame drama series, cry, look for the Europe specials. I can't find them on DVD, which I know I have somewhere, but they seem to be on Mordecai's external hard drive (mine is almost full with HD version of Glee, Season 1). At some point I practice piano--working on a simplified version of the first movement of Beethoven's 7th. I've got it down, but can't play it through without slipping on the black keys.

3PM I blog, gchat with Emily, gossip about the Regenstein staff, clean the kitchen somewhat, prepare things for dinner. No more papers will be graded, but two is better than zero.

5PM Start cooking rice. Prepare potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, tofu in a light stew of soba tsuyu, miso, sake, sugar. The ginger is no good. 

6PM Mordecai comes home, helps with dinner, and we start watching World Series Game 2. Mordecai laments that Jeff Francoeur is not starting in right field, and Daniel Murphy is instead. I expect that Jorge Cantu will warm the bench. For dessert, we share an almond croissant and a plain croissant.

8PM Mordecai installs the blinds in our sunroom. I practice some more piano, this time a theme from "Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind." 

8:30PM I blog, watch Edgar Renteria hit a home run, the Rangers continue being unable to produce anything offensive, and C.J. Wilson get pulled for a blister on his finger. I note to myself that I should shower and get ready for bed--I want to watch the first Nodame Europe special and go to bed early to leave with Mordecai again tomorrow morning.

9:15PM PUPPY PICTURES OMG OMG OMG

Angels Advocate Tour @ Chicago Theater

Chicago Theater marquis; celestial rays emanating from the Aura of Mariah

This past weekend, Mariah Carey blessed Chicago with her regal presence and whistle notes. I've been to her other concerts but they were at larger venues, so I was curious to see what her show at the smaller Chicago Theater would be like. My original theory was that she can't sell like she used to, so they chose a more "intimate" venue over the United Center or the Allstate Arena and of course, jacked up the prices. But then they added a second show "due to popular demand," so maybe there were other incentives or explanations for the venue change. Anyway, I loved the theater; I've never been so close to her before. I think her personality is crystallizing into something like youthful (obviously) and playful, and she's not taking herself too seriously, so it's nice to see her seemingly comfortable and happy.

There were some awkward audience moments that I could've done without, though. The security was tight on cameras, so while Mimi was belting out "Touch My Body" or "Shake It Off," I also had to listen to a young woman behind us getting berated and asked to step outside (I think she was able to return). Another awkward moment was when a coconut-smelling, lonesome cougar was standing and dancing in the aisle, obstructing our view when we were seated. She was eventually asked to go back to her seat, but instead of doing that, she just stepped back a few feet and crowded up next to Mordecai, which is how we came to know that she reeked of coconuts. I couldn't tell if she deserved pity or praise for being such a hardcore lamb, so into everything but so alone also. I just know that I don't want to be like that when I'm 40 or so! I'm running out of people to go with, so...I feel sorry for my future child(ren)!

The crowd was pretty much the same as those of previous tours: groups of jubilant gay men, a variety of women, bored boyfriends and husbands, and some small children. But like the population of Japan, the audience is not getting any younger. Perhaps for this reason, she did a mashup of her own "Heartbreaker" and Diana Ross' "Love Hangover," a stone groove which seemed to please Mordecai. Her overall set included a lot of the classics, including "Emotions," "Always Be My Baby," "Honey," and "My All." She added a number of more recent singles: "Shake It Off," "We Belong Together," and "Fly Like a Bird." She only sang a few songs from the "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" album, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to hear "H.A.T.E.U." which I finally warmed up to, or "Candy Bling," though I know no one else in the world cares about that song except for me. I'm still puzzled over the encore choice, "Hero," because she's confessed that she finds the song a little cheesy, but sings it anyway because so many people have told her that the song has changed their lives for the better.

GQ Ryda!!!

I'm going to have to take a minute here to talk about the opening act, "RydazNrtist," a 3-man group signed to Nick Canon's record label. (I grant you permission to smirk here, but read on.) I thought they were artists who "ride," as in "ball" or "hustle" or something of that nature, but apparently, the name is supposed to sound like the phrase, "writers and artists." Their performance was professional, and I have to admit that their song "Sorry Ass Apology" is appealing. I mean, they confess to being "fornicating fools" and admit to the pathetic nature of their pointless apology. It was almost a little too real, but I appreciate and value honesty. When the concert got out, at the exit, I noticed three men handing out glossy flyers for something, and I realized that "GQ Ryda," the Left-Eye of the trio, was one of them, standing next to me. I asked him to take a picture with me, and he was more than happy to, so Mordecai snapped a photo with my iPhone. Mr. GQ Ryda noticed the New Era hat sticker on the back of my iPhone, which Mordecai was still holding, and said, "Oh, hat man! Let me take a picture with him!" Little does Mr. GQ Ryda know that I'm the "hat man," that I have the sticker on my phone to help me remember my hat size for my big skull for when I buy hats for the opposing team at Cubs games. Anyway, not that he's not worth taking a picture with, but it's a rare moment when a stranger asks to take a picture with Mordecai. I love RydazNrtist.

The Shephard has arrived!

When the concert got out, we walked by the alley right next to the theater and noticed a gathering crowd of lambs. A Queen Lamb was yelling about some Mimi promotion and singing (he was good!). It seemed to be the theater exit for performers, and indeed, after about half an hour, we saw band members, dancers, and backup singers (Trey Lorenz!) walk out towards SUVs and the tour bus. I was more or less willing to freeze my toes off, and Mordecai was supportive (was he even personally interested in seeing a fellow Long Island-expat in the flesh?), so we waited about an hour. Then we realized that Mordecai's car was in a parking structure next to right next to the alley, so we warmed up in the car and drove down a few floors to get a good view of the exit area, and then we waited for the screams of lambs.

When Mariah came out, the lambs indeed screamed, lunged on her car, jumped up and down, and I saw the Queen Lamb run away hysterically after getting what he wanted--maybe an autograph or a photo or a handshake. Security opened Mariah's car door immediately, but she stepped away from the door to sign photos, shake hands even though the bodyguards seemed very reluctant about this, and waved. I've heard that she is relatively generous when it comes to greeting her fans, so I was glad to see evidence of this in person. I'm not sure I could've handled the crowd of crazy lambs, so I was fine to be at a distance. If I ever get to meet her, I'd prefer a more manageable environment, though I'm not sure I could keep myself composed enough to do anything besides stare, cry, laugh, and possibly faint. Mariah Carey is my Michael Jackson.

Life is juicy juicy

• Recently visited Richard's beloved Metropolis Cafe. At least I think he's praised it before.

• I found this article via Alicia Keys' Twitter. It's interesting to hear the background story of her latest album, "The Element of Freedom." Here's a little snippet of an interview with recording engineer, album coordinator, and studio designer Ann Mincieli:
  

What do you think Alicia got out of expanding her palette with so many new and different synths? Was that inspiring for her as a songwriter?

Yes! It allowed her to paint a picture. We have class before every album. On this album, we decided that instead of trying to learn the synths while we’re on sessions, like we did on As I Am, we spent two months with the manuals, figuring out how everything worked — and by doing that, it unlocked all these sounds, and inspired her to write certain things she would have never come up with.

Two months in Alicia's custom studio "The Oven" just playing around with instruments that come with manuals! Sounds like heaven. Also, I like Alicia's hair here--it looks so fresh and clean. I think I might mimic it next Wednesday. My hair is long, but horribly damaged.

• Thanks to my "Legacy" status in Honey B. Fly, Mariah Carey's fanclub (I think it just means my membership has been renewed automatically for at least 3 consecutive years), I was able to acquire decent tickets at an indecent price to Mariah Carey's concert in February for the "Angels Advocate" tour. I almost hesitated, almost, but...I'M A LAMB FOR LIFE. And I'm making Mordecai escort me. I went to a Skinny Puppy concert once. He hasn't seen Mariah with me. Therefore, he must escort me before she starts a family. QED.
  

• The kotatsu is back, so I nest in the living room, nurturing a paper, my progress in Assassin's Creed 2, nailpolish, and some baseball cards. I got a couple of 2009 redemptions from Topps (not 2008 Stadium Club): Gordon Beckham and Andrew McCutchen red hot rookies. Finest redemptions are supposedly going to be shipped soon, so hopefully Dexter Fowler's autographed patch comes soon. No photo of the kotatsu right now; the nest is too much of a hot mess.
  

• On repeat in my head: Lea Michele's/Rachel Berry's rendition of "Don't Rain On My Parade" from the fall finale of Glee. I can't watch "Sectionals" without getting all choked up! I've been meaning to go over Kurt's wardrobe but...I have until the start of next season in April. I must see Lea Michele perform live once before I die.
  

I'm the press conference, you a conversation

I hear that these Yahoo! streams are counted towards songs' chart position in Billboard, so I feel it is my duty, as a member of her official fan club Honey B. Fly, to post this on my blog. "This" being the video for Mariah Carey's latest single, "Obsessed," from her upcoming album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" due at the end of August. I can never remember whose memoirs they are and I'd prefer that they were those of an imperfect angle, but whatever. She looks good and happy as her music continues to, let's just say, evolve. I would like to see her get her 19th #1 single and destroy the silly Beatles' record in her lifetime and in mine, so...CHECK OUT "OBSESSED" BELOW!