Thursday, February 13, 2003

JayceLand's Weekly Rochester Events #214: Georg's Resistance and Louis' Images

Ok, first thing. I did "away" with the old home page and made it so this comes up when you go to JayceLand.com. I also fixed some of the navigation links on the right and on the bottom of the page. Mostly I added a way to get back to the current page. Someday I'll make it all fancy so all the old pages will update too, but I just don't care enough.

Let me rant for a moment ... I guess we're on "orange" alert (at least we were yesterday when I was writing this.) I heard on the news that we should go buy tape and plastic sheeting for the possibility of chemical weapons attack. For anyone who's interested, you can just put a plastic bag over your head and tape it on real good. That'll work even better. Heck, you might as well get some 1950's school desks so when you see the flash, you'll have a place to duck and cover.

Yeesh.

On Friday I took the day off and (among other things) went to Captain Jim's Fish Market (2329 Main St. E.) for lunch. I got "Broiled Fish," as it said on the menu ... I think it was haddock and some fried shrimp on the side. The shrimp were fried in some of the best batter I've had and the fish was bone-free and pretty good. Overall not bad, but I think Pittsford Seafood (510 Monroe Ave.) is better. The grand excitememt for Friday, though was later.

I got to video tape a couple of the local comics at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) and argued with several of them about my uses for the tape (for a friend to see one guy's routine.)

Just kidding ...

Really, I got to see The BuddhaHood at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) Groovenutt opened for them and were a good groove rock band, but The BuddhaHood is still friggin' awsome. I got really wound up jumping around and stuff and ended up having sore legs for like 5 days.

Saturday afternoon I saw Adaptation which I thought was really good. I tend to like movies that do weird things that don't follow traditional moviemaking, so if you like that kind of stuff too, you'll probably like the movie. See, Charlie Kaufman is trying to write a screenplay based on the book The Orchid Thief which is (according to the character Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage) written about the flowers, so it really doesn't have a "plot" per se. He tries to capture this in the screenplay but it's really difficult to do so when you're dealing with a medium like film. This essentially drives him madder than a horny dog wearing one of those Elizabethean collars ... sort of. The best part is that neurotic disorder spread right into my head and I had a hard time dealing with reality for a day or so. More so than usual even.

That night I got a chance to check out Toasted Head (187 St. Paul St., formerly Café Dell'Arte) and get some food. I picked for myself then was validated by the bartenders suggestion to get the sirloin tips in brown sauce. I got a glass of decent wine and the appetizer version of the sirloin tips. Oh, and some salad with mandarin oranges, artichokes, and mushrooms. The salad was pretty good, but the sirloin tips were just okay. At $10.95 for the appetizer (throw in some more and pasta and it's $18 I think) it just wasn't up to par. The beef was okay but a little tough, the brown sauce was par with brown gravy from a can with some onions and mushrooms thrown in.

Not very impressive, I gotta say.

One last thing, since it's only two months left until tax time, I thought I'd put up the ads for the tax software from Amazon:

Intuit's TurboTax TurboTax 2002... Basic, Deluxe, or Premier for Windows or for Macintosh

H&R Block's TaxCut TaxCut 2002... Standard, Deluxe, or Platinum for Windows or Platinum for Macintosh

T H U R S D A Y

Tonight's Thursday Thinkers Program over at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is titled AIDS in the Third World: A Variety of Responses. The library writeup is: Dr. Sid Weinstein practiced family medicine in Rochester for thirty five years. Now he also lectures and conducts clinics in countries such as South Africa, Thailand, Viet Nam, and India. He will discuss how AIDS is treated (or not treated) In the third world and the devastation the epidemic has wrought. Presented by Dr. Sidney Weinstein, Ret. Assoc. Professor, University Of Rochester School of Medicine. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Corpus Callosum starting at 8. Michael Snow (the guy who did Wavelength in last months avant-garde film show) is back with this visual-effects laden digital production. Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight early at 8 is The Post featuring members of Lenore Syndrome. Both websites seem to be pretty out of date, so I'm not sure if I've got them right. Anyway, The Bug Jar says it'll be "pained, moody, electronic-dusted art rock." Oh yeah, and the modern rock band Veluxe is opening. Tonight, Adrenokrome will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30. Tonight it's Karaoke with the original Sugar Bear at Drinks by Mary Dawn (535 S. Clinton) starting around 10:30.

F R I D A Y

Valentine's Day Tonight at 7:30, Shipping Dock Theatre (151 St. Paul St.) will be performing Low Level Panic. It's apparently about how pornography and male violence permeate womens lives. Also on Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 2. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Rushmore starting at 8. Jan recommended this movie to me and it was really quite good. I think it's destined to be one of those films that is remembered as one of the good movies of the 1990's. About a kid in a boarding school who takes his extra-curricular activities to the point that there's not any time to do the curricular ones. Over at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) tonight is acoustic rock with Mary Simon and the awsome Miranda Stone and next door at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) is groove rock with Doc Norris, the new-to-me Stacy Smith Band, and acoustic rock with JoAnn Vaccaro starting around 10. Tonight's the ever cool 2nd Annual Valentine's Day Massacre over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) featuring Jay Kast (Runs) Kevin Kast (Runs, Dead Blue Hand) Jen Santoro, Dan Pickett (The Lucys) Gregory Paul, Freebasers, Todd Krasz (Bee Eater) Andy Schmitz (Low Ton) and maybe even some more all starting around 9 or so. For a bit of modern rock and covers, Better Days will be at The Centers at High Falls (60 Brown's Race) starting around 9:30. As an alternative, more modern rock and covers can be found at Slammer's Bar and Grill (4650 Dewey Ave.) with Perfect World starting around 9:30. Rumor has it, over at Mr. Fluff (703 South Ave.) is the power rock/punk-edged band Shackletons and 5 Watt Bulb starting around 11 or so. In case you're shut in tonight (or tomorrow), check out I'm going to make a drug with my mind on cable public access (channel 15 on Time Warner) at 11:30 p.m. featuring Pisspot the Bunny interviewing local and out-of-town bands.

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. The ever fun acoustic-rock band Burning Snella will be up with the modern rockers FMGreen at Curley's Saloon (511 E. Ridge Rd.) starting around 10. Bee Eater will show off their video for their song Lights Out and open for The Flour City Knuckleheads and Spacetrucker over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10. Over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) tonight is Stephane Wrembel Duo and Jupiter 4H Project starting around 10:30. Over at Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) is what looks like a good show with all all-girl bands Purrs, Whatever Mary, and The Witching . For a little Latin music, Cultura will be at Tapas One Seventy Seven (177 Saint Paul St.) starting around 9. Can't get enough modern rock and covers? Check out Perfect World ... this time at Slammer's Bar and Grill (4650 Dewey Ave.) staring around 9:30.

S U N D A Y

Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is an early show starting at 8 with the almost famous rock-and-roll band The Shipping News and cool singer/songwriter Nad Navillus. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Breakfast at Tiffany's starting at 1. Ok, maybe I'll give this another shot. I didn't like it the first time I saw it but who knows. Anyway, they'll be doing a Sunday Brunch beforehand starting at 11. Tickets for the brunch-and-movie are $25 and just the movie are $7. Open Jar Jam at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight and every Sunday.

M O N D A Y

President's Day Over at Auditorium Center (875 Main St E.) is An Intimate Evening Of Grand Illusion with David Copperfield at 6 and 9 p.m. Of course, no woman who ever slept with me needs to go because they've already seen a show just like it. Over at The War Memorial (Exchange Blvd and Broad St.) tonight is Harlem Globetrotters starting at 7 p.m. Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) is hosting Dave Rivello's 12-Piece Jazz Ensemble probably starting around 8 or so.

T U E S D A Y

Over at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is another of their Tuesday Topics series for those who can make it from 12:12 to 12:52. Today it's Reel Blacks vs. Real Blacks: Racial Representation in American Film and from the library's writeup: The cinematic representation of blacks, especially in early and silent film, was shaped by the sentimental racism of the culture and the popular literature that distorted black experience and restricted black characters to minor, stereotyped roles. By contrast, in the works of black writers and filmmakers from Oscar Micheaux to Toni Morrison, the black experience has been more fully, more accurately, and usually more sympathetically realized. "Reel Blacks vs. Real Blacks" will examine some of Hollywood's most disturbing racial stereotypes and demonstrate how black filmmakers, beginning with the innovative and prolific Micheaux, challenged and countered the racist portrayals. Presented by Barbara Tepa Lupack, Author of Literary Adaptations in Black American Cinema: From Michieux to Morrison. Tonight around 11 is Five Seconds Flat at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) Tonight from 8 to 10 is an Open-Mic Comedy Night at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) While once it was a workshop type of environment, it's now more-or-less a regular open mic ... by default it's still a place to try out new stuff.

W E D N E S D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Intervista starting at 8. Fellini's semi-autobiographical account of the films of the Cinecitta film studio. Tonight at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) starting around 8 is the "evocative singer/songwriter" Stacey Earle with her husband/bandmate Mark Stuart Weekly karaoke contest with someone from the Sugar Bear franchise at Comix Cafe (3450 Winton Pl.) Open Mic Night (for music) from 7 to 10 at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) The great acoustic cover soloist John Akers will be at Moonshine Barbeque (125 White Spruce Blvd., across from MCC) from 8 to midnight.