Thou Shalt Not Fear Papercuts

You will not believe what this guy can do with just one sheet of paper.

In Which I Discover the Sky is Still Filled with Stars

I spent about 24 hours in Sedona, Ariz., with my family this past weekend. From where I live, the drive is about an hour and a half, or maybe two hours in more-than-mild traffic.

Too bad it had to be such a short trip, but it was wonderful to get out of the city and away from the smog for a while. I think Sedona's elevation is about 4,000 feet, so I had sincerely hoped it would be at least a little cooler than it is here in the Valley, but alas, the poor folks up there are suffering nearly just as bad as we are. I will say, however, that at least the temperature dropped significantly after the sun went down, which is totally unlike the nights here in the summer. Here, after nightfall, you can still step outside and feel your face melting off.

There wasn't much time for it, but I did get to explore a little; I saw some great landscapes and really interesting rock figures. Something particularly interesting, however, was the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which rises up from a mountain of red rock. I've included a picture of it here, as well as one of the winding walkway that leads up to it.

Another area my family visited was a very quaint village of shops. I forget the name of it, but the buildings' architecture had a Spanish flair, with balconies and several squares and lots of fountains. In several places, the desert trees' branches had grown around staircase banisters and through the balcony railings, which gave the whole place a kind of Secret Garden feel to it. I hadn't intended on buying anything or taking home any kind of souvenir, but there was an interesting music box shop that carried boxes from all over the world. My favorites were the wooden inlay ones, but as those were hundred of dollars, I settled instead on some smaller ones that play as long as you keep turning the handle on one end. The boxes are clear, too, so you can watch everything going on inside. I bought one for each person in my family, and each box plays a different tune.

There are so many scenic drives and hikes around Sedona that we didn't get to experience this time around. My whole family said, though, we'd really like to come back, preferably when we can make plans for a longer trip. I hope the scheduling works out. Who knows, maybe we'll be lucky enough to return in the fall, when it's much cooler.

Another thing that's interesting about Sedona ... Locals say that the area has "powers." More specifically, they say it has an energy to it, and that there are certain locations where this energy is concentrated. "Vortexes," they call them. If you're a person who believes that places are capable of having have different kinds of energy, then for you, a visit to Schnebly Hill or the Chapel of the Holy Cross or Cathedral Rock or Boynton Canyon may bring you feelings of acute self-awareness, or maybe even some level of emotional healing. I don't know if there's any science to it, but I certainly can't deny that seeing such beautiful panoramas didn't make me feel profoundly peaceful and content.




Photos by Sway Sovay

Death Cab for Cutie in Concert at Mesa Amphitheatre

I can finally cross another item off my must-do-before-I-die list: see Death Cab for Cutie in concert. They peformed Thursday night at the amphitheatre in Mesa, and they sounded GREAT. Here's a video (not mine) of the concert's finale:

I Wish This Were My Job

I share with you ... "The Great NERF Office War."


http://view.break.com/521743 - Watch more free videos

I'd Name My Band After the Weather: Hottt

Tonight I went to the Jimmy Eat World concert, and it was awesome! Correction: the band was awesome; the crowd was actually pretty lame. Which is a real shame, too, because Jimmy Eat World is from Mesa, Ariz., which is right here, in Phoenix! I wish they could have had a more spirited group of fans for their homecoming show.

Maybe you didn't know that Jimmy Eat World was from the Phoenix area? Well, just in case you're interested ... Tucson, Ariz., and the Phoenix metro area are also responsible for bringing the public a number of other acts with which you may already be familiar:

The Gin Blossoms. Began in Tempe, Ariz.

Linda Ronstadt. Native of Tucson, Ariz.

Alice Cooper (of the band Kiss). Currently lives in Phoenix.

Dierks Bentley. Native of Phoenix.

John Denver. Native of Tucson, Ariz.

Jordin Sparks. Native of Glendale, Ariz.

Michelle Branch. Native of Phoenix, Ariz., and attended high school in Sedona, Ariz.

Stevie Nicks (of the band Fleetwood Mac). Currently lives in Phoenix.

Wayne Newton. Native of Phoenix.

Sway Sovay. Currently lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Because, you know, someday I'm going to be discovered at the downtown karaoke bars.)

Oh Where Have All the Tomatoes Gone?

I really hope restaurants and grocery stores are able to start phasing them back in soon, because I miss them. And pizza just isn't the same.

Face the Music

I have two dance recitals this week, one tomorrow night and one on Saturday night. I've been taking a tap class for adults since August, and this week the end-of-the-year performances take place. Yesterday we had a tech rehearsal, and today was a dress rehearsal.

When I was a kid, events like this were beyond awesome. It was fun and exciting to wear a costume and perform in front of family and friends. But now that I'm an adult, I have a different perspective.

Oh they're still awesome, don't get me wrong. And for sure am I ready to proudly don my costume and perform my little heart out. But in my observations this week, I've noticed a disturbing component in all the hoopla ...

Now, there are moms who really get into the whole recital concept because they are proud of their kids and want to share in the excitement and joy of the festivities ... but then there are also moms who get super hyped up because they seem to be living vicariously through their adolescent daughters. These are usually women who danced once upon a time, when they, themselves, were in middle school or their teens. In an odd way, it's like these ladies can't let go of the past.

The situation is just a tad bit sad. I wish they wouldn't take themselves so seriously. We are a just a group of fun-loving, tap-dancing adults, and the recital should really be more about the kids, don't you think?

Name That Song

Sorry some of these are a little hard to read! Please view them on their original websites, because many more hilarious graphs await your perusing! (Not all of them are music-themed, either!)


[Above: "Marley" by Tomrollock, as posted on Crappygraphs.com]



























[Above: Graphs from Graphjam.com]

It's Not Over 'Til the Fat Lady Gay Cowboys Sing (?)

I'm still not really sure why, but the New York City Opera has decided to develop Annie Proulx's short story Brokeback Mountain (which was made into the film version, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) into an opera. Yes, an opera.

I imagine it will probably change the face of opera forever and end up looking something like this:

Computers Byte Sometimes

There was an article posted on Collegehumor.com on April 12, 2008, by Streeter Seidell, and it really sums up the relationship I've been having with my computer all week. Maybe it will strike a chord with you, too, who knows. Enjoy.

The article can be viewed here.

The Cat Came Back (and So Did I)

All right, all right, I know that I said I would be back at the weekend with something awesome, and I failed.

But let me tell you what was awesome about my weekend: working from 9 a.m. Friday morning straight through to noon on Saturday. What can I say, sometimes print nights are a little rough ... And then sometimes print nights are absolutely BRUTAL.

My point is: I spent the majority of my weekend sleeping after that, and I don't regret it; you can't make me, either.

And now I am back and (hopefully) fully functional once again. And, even better, I have something to share: a hilarious video pertaining to cats.

I am really not a cat person, but this video gets my goat. Enjoy.

(Oh, and you should consider watching this with the sound OFF, as the music gets old pretty quick.)