Tom Kim

Instrumental Analysis has a Friday Rant on the Sissification of Punk:

What is punk about “emo” bands? What is punk about singing song after song about girls that were mean to you and relationships that didn’t work out? What is punk about wearing eyeliner and please God tell me, what is punk about squeezing into women’s jeans? I swear I read something in Rolling Stone a year or so ago about prominent Warped Tour bands taking off together on tour stops on the hunt for women’s jeans. These are the bands that are being labeled punk? You have got to be kidding me.

Oh yeah — and he also has a bunch of punk-not-emo songs that he invites you to download and compare against your favorite emo artists.

Philadelphia Magazine has printed an endorsement of Michael Nutter, who I’m currently leaning toward in the mayoral election. People complain that he’s too smart and too (as Biden might say) “clean,” but I think that’s exactly the guy we need.

–though Obama, IMHO, went down a notch with the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Debate. No one can touch him when he’s delivering a written, rehearsed speech, but his perceived inexperience really comes to mind when he’s extempore.

Of course the one guy that really caught everyone’s attention is the curmudgeon from Alaska…

Go out right now, regardless of your political affiliation, and petition that Mike Gravel be represented in CNN’s Democratic Presidential debate. It’s nice to have an unadulterated firebrand kicking shit up among these laminated milquetoast candidates.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out this monologue by Craig Ferguson on his late night tv show. It’s refreshing to see someone show their honest decent humanity on screen.

More:
Official site for the Late Late Show
Craig Ferguson is also a writer, having written several screenplays and at least one novel, Between the Bridge and the River, which I saw in my school’s library.

My sister-in-law visited us last past weekend and left her Nintendo DS for me to play with. I’m hooked on Brain Age, a program that evaluates how “old” your brain is and then trains you with short puzzles and exercises to develop basic cognitive skills. It’s addictive. I was alarmed to find that I have a brain of a 50 year old, and now I feel guilty if I don’t do my “Daily Training.”

Leonard Lopate has a recent radio show that includes a segment on the deterioriation of the middle aged brain.

And here’s an interesting article on how the Nintendo DS is changing the gamer: Why Art Thou N00b?.

For those old-school hardcore gamers, you will wince as you witness the Hardest Mario Level Ever (with commentary).

As the hatchback reached the opening of the parking lot, Fish thought suddenly of changing his name. He had gone as Philip, his middle name, in grades five through six, tired of feeling like an accidental celebrity constantly making rounds on local morning talk shows, always having to deal with the same questions and reactions to his unusual first name. Now it occurred to Fish that he not only had to deal with that shit but also now the acute self-consciousness of the heavy-handed aptness of his situation. Fish in a new school. Wink wink. Hardy har har.

Fuck it. Even as Philip the other kids soon got to calling him Flipper. Not really much better on the scale of things. The car slowed to the curb; Fish pecked his mom, drew in his breath, arched his eyebrows, blew out his cheeks in a “here-goes” parachute-jumping mugging, and dragged his backpack out of the car. Most kids seemed to be crowding into the front door. No one was smoking out on the steps or playing hacky-sack on the lawn. Fish set his jaw and joined the crush.

Well, at least students were talking in the halls. Fish drew out his schedule from his pocket when a silver-haired figure in a short dress shirt and high pants planted himself in front of Fish and gave him a once over.

“Steinwick?”

Fish nodded. Math teacher. Or the headmaster. Had to be.

The silver-haired gentleman practically narrowed his eyes. He was tall, six and four inches maybe, and he took a step back to take Fish in. Fish was, technically, in dress code.

“Your first class is Calculus. With me. Room 232.”

Just my fancy luck… end of mid-tri which means, for me, grading thirty-six 20-page stories and bibliographies AND one of the most jam-packed Saturdays I’m ever anticipating. What to do? Knowing me, probably none of the above.

10:00 – Liberty Lands Work day

LOCATION: LIBERTY LANDS PARK – 3RD AND WILDEY

Nothin’ like a Nor’easter to make you think about gardening! But the weather will warm up by the end of the week — just in time for our workday on Saturday. We’ll be weeding and spreading woodchips in the areas outside the community garden, by the bakery wall, and in the garden paths. The community gardeners got a lot done at the March workday. . . let’s get more done Saturday! There will be drinks and donuts…please bring a friend or neighbor to pitch in!

Noon – Day 1 of the Philadelphia Book Festival

2:00 & 3:00 – Philadelphia WordPress and Bloggers Meetup at the Ten Spot

5:30 – OMG MF Patti Smith giving a free concert at the Free Library

8:00 – Orianna Hill Beef & Beer Benefit

LOCATION: The Ukranian Club @ 847 N. Franklin Street (between 7th & 8th Streets).

Don’t miss the second annual Friends of Orianna Hill Park Beef & Beer benefit fundraiser THIS Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 8-12pm at The Ukranian Club @ 847 N. Franklin Street (between 7th & 8th Streets).

There will be a live performance by the Northern Liberties Dance Band, as well as tunes by D.J. Captain Mike. Like last year, your $20 gets you a buffet (served at 8:30pm) featuring bottomless beef and vegetarian vittles, bottomless beer donated by YARDS, as well as a silent auction after the Band’s 9pm set. For Tickets: (1) call 215-370-9903 or email beefandbeer@mac.com, (2) buy tickets at the park, starting this Saturday during the workday, and every Sat. (10-12pm) and Sun. (12-2) between 3/31 and 4/15, or (3) ask any Park Board Member (http://www.oriannahill.org/board.html). Support our park!

All proceeds support the park. See you there. If you have any questions, please contact kdiffily@temple.edu or 215-370-9903.

What the hell…I might just wake up Saturday, put on goggles, take a deep breath, and do it all. Anyone willing to dive with me into the fray?

The Free Library is putting on an annual Philadelphia Book Festival this weekend at the Central branch on 19th and Vine.

Some anticipated highlights:

• Saturday
  • 12:00 – Francine Prose (Reading Like a Writer, author of Blue Angel)
  • 1:30 – Harry and the Potters
  • 5:30 – Patti Smith (WTF!!!!)
• Sunday
  • 12:30 – Black Identity Panel with the authors of The N Word and When She Was White

Free and worth coming to.

Tomorrow is a national Day of Silence to bring awareness to the fear adolescents face when questioning their sexual orientation. You can participate, as I plan to, by refusing to speak tomorrow and then discussing the issue the next day with whoever was curious about your behavior.

Regardless of your views on homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgenderism, I think we can all agree on providing a safe and open environment for young people to question, confess, and discuss whatever it is they are going through. Just because I am a conservative Christian does not mean that I am for repression. On the contrary, I am for compassion and empathy and truth. I had a rough, angst-ridden adolescence myself, and I saw first-hand how exponentially harder it was for friends who had ambivalent feelings about their sexuality on top of all that.

[Update: The students organizing the Day of Silence at my school has scheduled a last-minute postponement until next week. So next week.]

This weekend, much to Dana’s chagrin, I insisted on watching the first episode of Shear Genius. It’s clear that Bravo’s Project Runway clones have finally jumped the shark with this one. There were some troubling signs with Top Design. I realized when they dismissed Goil that it was clear TD was less about innovation and creativity and more about tasteful shopping.

It’s about time that I get a haircut. I can tell when my sideburns refuse to be squared off.

I usually go to a place in Chinatown (corner of 10th and Race, name escapes me now). They’re pretty inexpensive ($15 for a man’s wash and cut), quick, and competent. They know how to cut Asian hair. Sometimes they’ll even give me a vigorous shoulder massage. Very vigorous.

The best haircut I ever got was at a small place on Rt. 70 in South Jersey by the Han-Ah-Reum. Paul and Paula or something. They were a hairstyling couple that immigrated from Korea. When they were just getting set up they used to take clients inside the back of their apartment. They were good. Especially the guy.

But then they got their little shop and the prices got jacked up. So did the attitude. I always felt intimidated going into their store, being a total banana. Once I waited nearly an hour and for no good reason that I could tell. Maybe I was just bitter, but the quality seemed to drop at the same time. So I stopped going there. And found Chinatown.

A friend of mine works at American Mortals. Too pricey for my wallet, but I hear it’s really good. Maybe I’ll treat Dana to a ‘do there one day. She’s much more sunny when she likes her hair.

Managed to crawl out of bed on Saturday to meet Ink and her friend John at the Popped! festival being held on Hancock St. in my neighborhood.

Pretty cool. Looked like some Critical Mass bikers coasted by. Got our picture taken by a photographer from The Metro. Honeymoon Music gave away a free sampler CD…have yet to listen to it. Also got a free iPod condom from Philly Car Share that I’ll probably raffle away to my kids.

Public Record played and it was awesome; bought their EP.

Too cold to stay, though. Missed Matthews the Younger, as a result.