Beard Watch 2008

So I decided to try and grow a beard. It's been 12 days since I last shaved. Here's the status so far. It still itches like crazy. They say you should use skin lotion to cut down on the itchiness and to shampoo the beard. So I have been using Lubriderm on the beard. It works a little but not completely. I've always wanted to grow a beard but every time I tried, I shaved it once it started to get itchy. This time I am going to try and go without shaving for at least four weeks before I do anything, just to see what it looks like. It's still a little splochy and hasn't completely filled in. But I am sure it will fill in in a week or two.

Whatever and ever amen

Forgive the Ben Folds reference. I don't have a specific topic to discuss. But I have been neglecting this blog thing. So I thought I would type up something witty and interesting. Forgive me if I bore you to tears. If details of my life bore you, please go to www.ihasabucket.com instead.

So I went for a walk this afternoon over to the local coffee shop (not Starbucks) and did a little reading. It was very enjoyable. It's so easy in this city of Lost Angels to simply drive everywhere and forget the joys of a nice leisurely stroll.

I've been reading the new edition of Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Bible. He's a pretty good writer and all of his advice comes from years of experience as a sales person. It's good, practical advice coming from someone who knows what they are talking about. Not everything in his books are applicable to the film sales industry. But overall, it's pretty helpful.

I also went and saw a couple of movies: The Fall, which I unexpectedly enjoyed, and The Forbidden Kingdom, which I didn't enjoy as much. I felt that The Forbidden Kingdom seemed like a watered down version of the old Kung Fu movies made for a Western audience. It didn't seem to work for me. Mostly because I felt that the motivation for the main character was really lacking. However, The Fall I really enjoyed. I'm about 50/50 when it comes to what they call art films. Art for art's sake really bores me. But this film had a wonderful feel to it. Plus, I enjoyed that it had a sense of humor despite the dark subject matter of the film. It's certainly a lot better than his first film The Cell, which was visually stunning but severely lacking in plot development.

Okay, enough of my dimestore film reviews. Back to playing some 'City of Heroes'.

Coachella Pt 2

Well, it's been a week since I spent three days in the desert listening to music. It's an annual event for me. This was the fourth time I've gone. I will try and go every year from now on, as long as I am able.

Some quick thoughts on some of the bands:

1. Prince - This was pretty much a once in a lifetime thing for me. I like Prince enough, but would never actually pay to go to one of his concerts. But this was amazing. I knew we were in for a treat when Morris Day came out and did Jungle Love. Then he transitioned into Sheila E doing Glamorous Life. The rest of the set was amazing. I danced and screamed like crazy during the whole set. Of course, by now everyone has heard about the amazing cover of Creep he did.

2. Goldfrapp - Probably my favorite of the weekend, made all the more impressive considering all of the technical and sound problems they had. I really hope that Goldfrapp tours this year. I will definitely be there.

3. The National - I can't believe I missed them. But they were on the same time as Goldfrapp, and there was no way I was gonna miss Goldfrapp. I hope they do a tour on their own. They're opening for REM at the Hollywood Bowl, but I am not gonna shell out a ton of money just to see the opening band.

4. Dan le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip. This is the set everyone is gonna regret missing. the last time I asked about their album at Amoeba, all I got was a puzzled look. Apparently their album is coming out in the UK in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the American version will come out soon.

Overall, it was three days, 25 bands seen, and a ton of Gatorade. I had ablast and can't wait to see what they do for next year.

You can see the pics I took with my crappy digital camera on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7959466@N08/