Month: August 2005

So I took this online quiz that purports to tell you your real age — the one you act most like. I took the quiz and it told me I’m 29. Get out of my head! Apparently, I act like I am the exact age that I actually am.

Eleven or twelve years ago I discovered through some friends the musical — or “rock opera” — Jesus Christ Superstar (“The Brown Album”). The music was so good and the performances so powerful, it’s still to this day one of my most favorite works of music. Last weekend I picked up the relatively new Special Edition DVD of the movie based on that musical. Back to that in a moment.

In high school, my friends and I had grandiose plans to record the music and film our version of the musical in local locations. I had every scene mapped out on two sides of a yellow piece of legal-sized, lined paper. Think, “Last Supper at McDonalds on Route 130.” Of course that never came to fruition. But one day we were wandering around a movie rental place, possibly pre-Blockbuster, and we came across a VHS version of the musical. Since we were all in love with the music (the Brown Album version, of course) at that time, and had been for maybe a year, we decided we had to rent it.

We had no idea what we were in for. Rather than a stage musical, it was an early-70s orgiastic hour-and-a-half-long rock video. Filmed completely on location in Israel, it bordered on biblical with a little bit of modern artillery, scaffolding, chrome helmets, ammunition, and pot. (And what was up with those random tanks?)

Well now I know. The DVD’s commentary with the director, Norman Jewison (who isn’t Jewish although one might think he is), and the fellow who played (and still to this day plays) Jesus, Ted Neeley, puts the movie in a completely new light. This DVD, with commentary, is required viewing for people who love the musical and were taken aback by the movie, like I was.

Come to think of it, I had one of the first unofficial websites dedicated to the musical, in which I had entered — or planned to enter — all of the lyrics, among some other random writing about the show. That was a long time ago, now…

I really need to write here more. Things have been very busy, as usual. Work is crazy and on top of that, I’ve been paying some more attention to my resume lately. After I returned from vacation, I was a bit behind in classwork and I’m still trying to set aside time for that. I’ve been doing well selling some old books I no longer need.

When does life slow down?

In any case — or casemod as the case — or casemod — may be, take a look at what my evil twin has been up to.

The agents of Improv Everywhere are my new heroes. The Anton Chekov mission is an old one, and I remember reading about their U2 mission a few months ago. I want to be part of a mission…

The Theory of Gravity, like the Theory of Evolution, has not been “proven.” Now there are some who, like those who counter evolution with “Intelligent Design,” counter gravity with the Theory of Intelligent Falling.

“Gravity–which is taught to our children as a law–is founded on great gaps in understanding. The laws predict the mutual force between all bodies of mass, but they cannot explain that force. Isaac Newton himself said, ‘I suspect that my theories may all depend upon a force for which philosophers have searched all of nature in vain.’ Of course, he is alluding to a higher power.”

The last quote of the article is priceless. Just keep in mind the source of the story.

A music teacher in Manhattan was calling in sick so she could take time off from school to conduct the New York Scandia Symphony, a symphony she founded, in public rehearsals and performances.

Amy and I returned from Williamsburg, Virginia last night. It was a great vacation, but certainly not long enough. The weekend was a bit hot for spending hours walking outdoors, but we survived and I’m not even that sunburnt.

There are so many things to do in Colonial Williamsburg, it took two days to do it all. There were even a few things we would have liked to do if there were more time, but I think we reached a reasonable limit.

Doobie mentioned the haunted houses in Williamsburg. The employees/characters I spoke to didn’t really seem interested in the haunts, but we did take the Legends, Mysteries and Myths tour in Colonial Williamsburg at night. It wasn’t quite a tour of the haunted houses; it was just a collection of ghost stories told by three characters in a few locations around town. It was still fun, though.

On the way down, we stopped to visit Becca for lunch and to wish her a happy birthday. The three of us walked around BrickFest (prior to its public opening) and saw just what dedicated people can do with Legos. Becca posted her photo of Lego Homer Simpson already, and I’ll have more photographs online eventually. (In my opinion, the most impressive was the Lego Indianapolis Speedway, complete with cars and spectators.

Aside from that, there seems to be a proportionally high number of Star Wars fans among Lego enthusiasts.

Now it’s time to plan the next vacation.

Tonight is perseid night! The meteor shower is again at its peak. Unfortunately the weather calls for clouds.

I find the concept of sleep unappealing… until it’s time to wake up.

When I woke up this morning, I had a feeling that staying in bed would have been the ebst option for the day. I should learn to trust my instincts.

Now, nothing necessarily “bad” happened today, I’ve just been a bit grumpy. And I hate being grumpy, so being grumpy just makes me grumpier. There’s probably a hint of self-fulfilling prophecy involved, too.