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Events

And Auburn
5.18.01

On this warm Friday night in May, Crystal and I journeyed to the quiet town of Pleasanton to hear some really loud music. My brother, Sean, plays guitar in a pop punk band, And Auburn, and this was their first show. The setting was the Masonic Community Center on Hopyard. Before we walked in, the median age of the audience must have been about 16, which we found very amusing. And Auburn was the third band to play. The crowd was nicely warmed up and when the lights dimmed, the excitement was palpable. As the drums started and the guitars roared, we were all enthralled. The band played a great set of five songs, four of which you can hear on their website, www.andauburn.com. My only complaint is that the vocals were hard to hear in comparison with the rest of the band, but I really enjoyed the show anyway. The rest of the audience was into it too, as evidenced by the furious mosh pit which sprung up during the first song and lasted through the whole set. 

BayCon
4.7.01

This annual Memorial Day Sci-Fi convention holds many treats for those geeks of the sci-fi persuasion. We didn't dress up this time (wore jeans and appropriate tshirts), but Crystal and I freely admit to our geekhood and had a jolly good time. Although, all we really did is shop and hang out with friends. The dealers' room was not huge, but big enough for a nice variety of collectibles, costumes, accessories, and kitsch. We saw representatives from several well known world (sci-fi and other), including jedi knights, starship troopers, rangers, barbarians, pussycats (as in Josey and the), kligons, belly dancers, and several Laura Crofts. Other convention goers were even more dedicated, creating new characters from the universes in their heads. Our friend Ed/Dieter (apologies for leaving out the the required honorifics, but I'm new) dressed to amazing effect as Snomane, a high-tech, bi-pedal feline of his own creation. And of course, all of the members of Clan McDude are commended for putting the adjectives neon, elizabethan, scottish, and tacky into a single costume description.

That's about all we saw, even though there was a lot more going on at the event. There were all kinds of panels and discussions as well as the inevitable costume contest and parties galore. I wasn't feeling well so our fun was limited. At least I got a new dagger, a Harley Quinn t-shirt, and a birthday present for a friend out of it.

Also, I would like to add a special thanks to the kind stranger who got us in for free. We did indeed pass on the badges since we couldn't stay and will do our best to pass on the karma to strangers as you did.

Getting Down with Beethoven 
5/25/01 
You know, sometimes the opportunities available in the place where I live make me giddy. One week I can go see a punk band play in Masonic lodge, the next week I can go to the symphony. Life Am Good. 

 Now, I have to admit, Karen and I picked Beethoven for our Symphony of the  year because he had name recognition. Neither one of us are exactly classical music experts, or even journeymen. Nope we're all novices here. 

And the San Francisco Symphony is a great place for the musical novice to go for a bit of culture. Michael Tilson Thomas, as the conductor, really gets into it. But before I get into the music, lets start at the beginning. Which as anyone who knows us knows means what did we wear. 

 Now personally, I regard all clothes as costumes. My costume for work is fairly bland. And when I go out, I want my clothes to express my inner feeling of the moment. Floaty dresses for floaty picnics. Evening dresses for evening dances. Different plumes for different moods. Happily Karen feels the same. 

So, it being a lovely evening in May, as Karen and I dressed up in sleek dress suits. Now these outfits are literally costumes. Karen wore her Harley Quinn goes out on the town red and black. I wore a double breasted 40sish gray suit with a jaunty 40s hat in with subtle Catwoman references. Okay so it's an attitude thing. It took less than 20 minutes and we felt great. 

And we must have looked great, because when we went to Opera Max's (just  down the street from the S.F. Symphony) several complete strangers complimented us on our dress and oddly enough on our manners. I felt gosh darn refined, I did. 

Anyway, Opera Max's is fun in and of itself. The waiters/waitresses are all aspiring singers and they perform over the course of the evening. We heard a mix of modern, opera, and jazz melodies as we ate an appetizer and a salad. 

 From there we strolled over to the Symphony building and took our nose bleed seats. 

 First we heard Desert Springs, this truly cool/bizarre modern orchestra piece. You could see the desert stretches of interior space as you listened. And if that statement doesn't make much sense, well then that was what the music was like. Full of moods and weird sounds. You listened and imagined abstract images. 

 Then we had intermission and onto Bethoven's Eroica. Given that he occasionally (Beethoven kept changing his mind) dedicated it to Napoleon, you really got a sense of energy and passion and forward mementum. Very cool piece. And again Michael Tilson Thomas was really into it. He conducted with passion and his orchestra responded. It's kind of hard to describe without handmotions. But for the final movement, he jumped in time to the music. It was classically cool. 

 
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