Kevin Bacon Speaks Spanish?

Somewhere along the line, I canceled cable.  And it stayed canceled.  Nothing really got me to change my mind — certainly not the cable TV of another country.  The faces were new, but the content was the same.

So when I realized we could watch the Academy Awards without cable, I ran into the living room.  The mysterious “EZTV Digital Converter” came out of the box, the housemate’s TV was rearranged, and the sofa became the place where you could watch as Tom Hanks killed the punchline.

And now, it was Round II of the TV Without Cable experiment.  So why was Kevin Bacon speaking Spanish?  With a flesh wound?  And a blonde lover with a knife?  Who also spoke Spanish?

Hegemony Girl, Found

I believe I have found the source.

It’s a little spooky when you put it like that, no?

Hegemony Girl

It was the kind of fundraiser where people sat on the floor. Not because it was a packed house, but because it was a casual house. And since the fundraiser was for things progressive, naturally there would be progressive people in attendance.

So when I turned to the woman on my right, I should have been ready.

Why? Because I was speaking to Hegemony Girl.

You know the type.  The kind of person who uses the word hegemony in her first sentence. As in, “We met through a group that focuses on Christian Hegemony.”

And. Then. She. Preceded. To. Tell. Me. How. Christianity. Shapes. How. We. Think.

A nice living room

Come on in.  Have a seat.  Donations are on a sliding scale, from $10 to $20.

There’s no TV or kitchen, just a nice young sarode player in the center of the room.  Tabla player too.  Oh, and don’t forget Gautam, who runs the show.

We spent our Friday night at the Sangati Center, located at 22nd and Shotwell in San Francisco’s Mission District.  We sat down, we listened to classical Indian music, and we let our minds wander.

Jai Slumdog

With thirteen and a half hours between us, it was 6:30 AM on a Mumbai Monday when my cousin Manav updated his Facebook profile:

“…up n awake for the Oscars. Rooting for Rahman, Final Inch n Smile Pinki…”

As my cousin’s morning rolled on, the updates continued:

“…Rahman N Gulzar win for best song.. Jaya Ho….”

When Slumdog Millionaire took best picture? “What an incredible Monday morning.”

Occupational bingo

First, there was the theater student turned TV station employee turned finance company administrator.

Then, the part-time English teacher who writes poetry.

Next, the investment bank escapee turned photographer.

And who will visit my apartment-in-need-of-a-tenant tomorrow?  The human rights nonprofiteer turned disaster-management employee.

The best reviews ever… (article)

The San Francisco Chronicle has the best approach to reviewing new albums and CDs:

CD: Guns N’ Roses, ‘Chinese Democracy’

Aidin Vaziri

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Axl Rose is an idiot. 

How to save a life

There’s a stretch of tunnel that you’ll pass through if you happen to be on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco.  It’s a part of Geary that crisscrosses below Masonic Street.  As you keep driving, you are suddenly in a world of multi-laned flourescent light.

I had once been given a speeding ticket for doing an irresponsible 50 mph on this stretch.  It felt fast.  Like many young male drivers, I probably considered the tunnel my personal speedway fantasy.  My car must have stood out to the police officer who helped me put the brakes on.

I didn’t quite realize that it was this same stretch of road my brother was referring to.  He was recounting the day’s events with speed and intensity.  It was a story that was pretty grim, and it didn’t seem to have a happy ending.

Blind date

As I pulled up to her home, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  We had only corresponded via email, but she sounded hip.  Her emails were signed “Sue.”  The “From” field had a longer name — “Suzala SF.”

I parked my car and ascended the four flights of stairs.  It was a grand old apartment building in a nice part of SF. I felt excited and sheepish all at the same time.  What the heck was I doing?  And why?

I scream for ice cream.

I’m pretty certain that I’m going back. The headache was a bummer, and the ice cream did just the trick. Well, actually, the ice cream didn’t really do anything. Why? Because when you have a migraine, nothing does anything.

Only time. You just sit and wait.

But if you are going to wait, you might as well spend some of the time eating a sugar cone packed with scoops of Balsamic Strawberry and Salted Caramel ice cream.