Chaos and Concert

My neighborhood has been quite the epicenter of late night activity these days.  Two nights ago I woke up at around three to the unmistakable sound of automatic weapon fire about a mile away, followed by sirens.  Last night it was the metal and glass crunch of a car crash right outside my window.  The whole neighborhood got together outside my apartment building to kibbitz, but I just watched through the blinds.  Some kid had managed to flip his car on its side.  Two other cars were partially wrecked, one of them up on the sidewalk.  The placement of the cars made no sense, nor did the flipping of the driver’s car.  Our street is barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other, and it’s a very curvy side street.  Luckily everyone was all right, but it kind of makes me wish I had better insurance for my car, just in case some other drunken asshat decides to try the same thing.

In happier news, Ted and I went to see ‘Unwigged and Unplugged’ last night at the Paramount in Oakland:

If you’ve seen A Mighty Wind, This is Spinal Tap, or any of the other films in the great oeuvre of Christopher Guest, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  These guys are comedy heroes to me, not to mention that A Mighty Wind holds a special place in my memory of my early days of dating Ted, so it was pretty awesome to see them in person.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, given that they’re not professional musicians, but they put on a great show, both musically speaking and entertainment-wise.  They played most of the Spinal Tap and Mighty Wind favorites, and even some of the ‘B-sides’ like ‘Cups and Cakes’ and ‘Corn Wine.’  

They used a screen to project various funny clips through the set, including Spinal Tap’s ‘first tv appearance’ from 1979, and something from the early 80’s about a cheese festival, which, in addition to Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean apparently starred a very young Jake Gyllenhaal.  The screen also came in handy during ‘Stonehenge,’ though I won’t say how… I’m sure it’s out there on the Internet somewhere.

The concert had me smiling from the first notes, and Michael McKean won my heart when, after they chose an audience member by seat number to experience one of the songs in a special way, some lady from the back shouted out an accusation of ‘class warfare.’  McKean shot back, ‘we must be near Berkeley,’ and Guest affirmed that they were indeed trying to keep her down.  I love these guys.

Sadness

  image found here.

I just found out that one of my favorite Bay Area movie theaters (a stone’s throw from my apartment) is closing this Sunday.  The Parkway Speakeasy Theater in Oakland will shut its doors after 12 years of serving up movies, food, beer and community programming, in its cozy, couch-filled, two-screen movie house.  I have a lot of fond memories of watching films there, among them seeing The Sniper with my husband on one of our very first dates, in the fall of 2003.  That movie had us using the word ‘dame’ for weeks afterward.  It was a great date spot, because you could eat dinner, have a drink and watch a movie all at once, then top off the evening with a walk by Lake Merritt.  I’m truly sad to see it go, and I hope the building gets bought by someone with similar values.

Progress

(Insert Obama quip here). I’m unofficially in my 4th week of 10k Training Light (TM). I ran three miles on Tuesday on a treadmill, at speeds which recently seemed punishing (6.8 on the treadmill, or about 8:50 miles). In my peak condition, I could run three miles at about a seven-minute mile pace, so this achievement on Tuesday isn’t a like a personal record or anything, but rather a sign that I’m slowly but surely becoming more like the fit version of myself.

More than the omnipresent Fear of Becoming Fat (FOBF – that great, terrifying motivator which somehow becomes more pervasive after getting married), I am motivated by becoming faster (that’s where the treadmill pedometer comes in handy) as well stronger. I think getting strong is a good goal for any woman, above becoming fast or losing weight. Getting stronger is a great feeling – my leg and arm muscles are noticeably more defined, and I reap the rewards of the work I’ve put into them as I stride up the hills and staircases in my neighborhood. In my fantasies, being strong also means I’m more ready to fight off any bad guys out there that might want to mess with me – and living in the crime capital of the Bay Area, this is a real possibility.

On a deeper level, kicking ass on a physical level helps other areas of my life – in particular my mental and emotional fortitude. I trained and completed a marathon at a very emotionally painful time in my life, and I think it was the running that helped me get through it. When you set out physical goals and allow yourself to achieve them, you begin to see how you can also kick ass in other areas of your life.