Weekly Rochester Events #414: Galileo's University Days

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Well, this week I didn't get out too much — mostly little things here and there but not really any shows. I made a pilgrimage to California Rollin' at Village Gate Square (274 N. Goodman St.) on Friday — I haven't been in a while because Ali doesn't like sushi (and she has tried all kinds) so I had a night apart from her and I took advantage of it for that. Later I went to Solera Wine Bar (647 South Ave) and had a great time — it's got a nice social atmosphere where if you just sit at the bar you can really just hang out and talk with people. On Saturday I tried the famous pastrami-on-rye sandwich at Java Joe's (N. Union St. at Trinidad St., #1 in the Public Market) which, although I'm no expert on pastrami, was really very good. I might have done something on Tuesday night but I was struck by the flu or something and took "the NyQuil train to tomorrow-town" ... it's still lingering but I'm desperately trying to get better fast because today (Wednesday the 13th, as I'm writing this) is Ali's birthday.

My friend Sondra and I have been talking about some meta-reality stuff, I guess. One of the things that came up recently was that of success and failure. We each have done reasonably big projects — mine, The Bike With 2 Brains and hers, Facing Our Fears — and have each had to face that success/failure construct.

For me, I just never got hit with anything. It just recently dawned on me that that was my frustration about the whole thing: that I never met with any success, nor did I meet with any failure, but everything that happened was just a process. Looking at it that way, I don't think there's a way for anyone to experience success or failure. They're just adjectives people apply to someone else's actions. So if nobody "gets" success or failure, how can one be afraid of failure (or afraid of success)? My theory is that there is fear related to starting something new, but just that it's not related to success or failure.

For her, she keeps getting approached by people who want to tell her what went wrong. We've talked about it and she knows quite well what happened, and why it happened, and what to do about it in the future — and by no means was it a failure: for instance, there are quite a few pictures on Flickr of people having a good time of it. Knowing some of the challenges we faced when making it, people still approach her with their opinions, presuming that because they did not participate and they never created a project similar to hers, that this gives them a unique perspective that offers valuable insight. When phrased that way, it's (hopefully) clear that this is severely flawed logic. The act of judging and making suggestions on "how to do it right the next time" is just a circuitous defensive mechanism to assure oneself that it's better to not act, or to maintain the status quo.

It comes down to this: we're all going to die but nobody wants to admit it. If you do things with your life — to try something new — then you are living, and through that, reminded that someday you won't have the option anymore. Living like that is change: death and birth all at once. Trying to keep things as much the same as possible is just pretending that change isn't happening ... that no change will ever happen ... that you'll never die.

So the thing is this: you can choose between living or simply existing. Neither one affords you eternal life. One's just more fun.

T H U R S D A Y

Today at 6 p.m. at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) is another Holiday Musicale featuring the String Ensemble from the The Lyric Academy of Music (237 Maple Ave., Victor). [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Flat Iron Café (561 State St.) will be hosting Deborah Branch, and Harold Pannell starting around 7 p.m. [source: Flat Iron Cafe webstie] This evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium at The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) is an Archaeology Lecture by Dr. Richard Henshaw titled The World's Earliest Recorded Thoughts: Origins of Sumerian Writing in Southern Iraq. [source: Memorial Art Gallery calendar] [all ages] Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) will be hosting great harmonizing duo Red Branch starting around 8 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Over at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. is Better Late Than Never. [source: Boulder Coffee website] [all ages] Thomas Lunch will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Drinking Liberally meets at 8 p.m. tonight at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) [source: RocWiki calendar] Tonight at 8 p.m. at Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge (274 Goodman St. N., in Village Gate) is an Open Mic. [source: the proverbial grapevine]

F R I D A Y

Today from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the The University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) (250 E. River Rd.) Coliseum is a lecture titled The Color of Motivation by Dr. Andrew J. Elliot. I thought it was amusingly footnoted in the calendar with "sandwiches will be provided." [source: University of Rochester Events Calendar] This afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Hutchison Hall, Room 316 at The University of Rochester (Elmwood Ave. at Intercampus Dr., details on River Campus Map) is another lecture titled Conservation biogeography and the downsizing of nature by Dr. Mark V. Lomolino. [source: University of Rochester Events Calendar] Aaron Maras will be at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Lonely Tuesday will be at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee website] [all ages] Tonight at Kilbourn Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs St.) is Alarm Will Sound starting around 8 p.m. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) starting at 8 p.m. In it, Michael Haneke is back to explore the "true story of a teenager who randomly murdered three people in a Viennese bank, then committed suicide." [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at 7 p.m. at The Montage Live Music Hall (50 Chestnut St., formerly the Montage Grille) is Hardcore for the Homeless to support The Francis Center Shelter of The Catholic Family Center (547 Joseph Ave.) featuring Mainline Adrenaline, The Year of Arson, Borrowed Time, SERIC, Dead to You, Gun It, and Swab. [source: band flyer] Tonight at A|V Art Sound Space (N. Union St. at Trinidad St., #8 in the Public Market, formerly the All-Purpose Room) is Crush the Junta, technical and elaborate rock with a good, full, powerful sound from Knife Crazy, and very tight modern rock band Veluxe starting around 9 p.m. [source: A|V Space website] Over at The Ritskeller (One Lomb Memorial Dr., on RIT campus) starting around 10 p.m. is Juliana Riccardi, and Chris Bomysoad. [source: RIT CAB calendar] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is great up-tempo indy-rock band Aloha, and The Homophones. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+]

S A T U R D A Y

Today at 12:00 p.m. at Bruegger's Bagel Bakery (548 Monroe Ave., at Goodman) is another Rochester Against War (RAW) meeting titled Bring the Troops Home Now. [source: Rochester Against War website] This evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Apollo Room at The Auditorium Center (875 Main St E.) is The 10th Annual Drumcliffe Hooley: Christmas in Killarney by The Drumcliffe School of Irish Dance (250 Cumberland St.) [source: Craigslist Rochester events] Tonight at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) is Ben Britton starting around 8 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Tonight at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is The Nomads starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee website] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Heartbreak Kid starting at 8 p.m. about a couple newlyweds who run into trouble when the guy is tempted by an attractive woman. From the description: "Director Elaine May is one of the sharpest satirists of our time, and woefully under-appreciated; The Heartbreak Kid is testament to her cinematic acuity." [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at The Dub Land Underground (315 Alexander St., formerly Whiskey) is high-energy hard rock from Bee Eater starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Dub Land Underground MySpace page] Spy Bar (139 State St.) will be hosting 40 Rod Lightning starting around 10 p.m. [source: Spy Bar website] [21+] Tonight at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is The Fifth Anniversary and Final Show of the female-fronted power-rock band The Earl Cram Revue, and The Cheetah Whores starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: band e-mail] [21+] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting 1960's-style rock-and-roll from The Hi-Risers, and awesome punk-rock from The QUiTTERS starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [21+] Tonight at the Ritter Ice Arena at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map) is Ice Disco starting at 11 p.m. — skate to disco favorites. [source: RIT CAB calendar] Tonight's another Betty's Sing-a-Long at Betty Meyer's Bullwinkle Café (622 Lake Ave., a.k.a. "Bullwinkle's") starting around 10.

S U N D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Dark Crystal starting at 2 p.m. in the afternoon with a second show at 7 p.m. This was the interesting but not-at-all-muppet-like-muppet-movie of the 1980's. I always wondered what that essence of Gelfling was like. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] This afternoon at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) at 3 p.m. is another Holiday Musicale featuring The Silver Tones Flute Choir. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight and every Sunday at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is a Comedy Open Mic with Matt Rohr at 7:30 p.m. [source: the proverbial grapevine] [all ages]

T U E S D A Y

This morning at 7:30 a.m. in the cafeteria overlooking the arboretum in Bausch and Lomb (140 Stone St.) is the Artists Breakfast Group meeting ... anyone interested in art or creativity is invited. The Respect Sextet will be at The Bop Shop (274 N. Goodman St., in Village Gate Square) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Bop Shop calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Shop Around the Corner starting at 8 p.m. in which a man and a woman unwittingly fall in love writing letters to one another. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is really good, dynamic acoustic soloist Jesse Sprinkle, and great experimental acoustic soloist Gregory Paul and more starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Tonight at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) is blues-charged rock-and-roll/groove-rock from Buford and the Smoking Section starting around 10 p.m. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que calendar] This evening around 9 p.m. at Café Underground Railroad (480 W. Main St.) is an Open Mic with Art Delgudico and friends. [source: the proverbial grapevine] Tonight at 7 p.m. at The Flat Iron Café (561 State St.) is the Hot as Fire Spoken Word / Open Mic. [source: Flat Iron Cafe webstie] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Mic featuring JoAnn Vaccaro from 8 to 10. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages]

W E D N E S D A Y

The Rochester Young Professionals (RYP) will be hosing Casual Conversations tonight at 7 p.m. at Solera Wine Bar (647 South Ave) [source: Rochester Young Professionals calendar] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Caché (Hidden) starting at 8 p.m. One of Michael Haneke's most recent films, Caché follows a family troubled by videos of their home, only to realize later that it is related to an event in the father's childhood. I reviewed the film after The High Falls Film Festival in 2005. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at Java's (16 Gibbs St.) is The Jeremy Siskind Trio starting around 9 p.m. [source: Java's calendar] [all ages] Over at A|V Art Sound Space (N. Union St. at Trinidad St., #8 in the Public Market, formerly the All-Purpose Room) starting around 9 p.m. is Semen Seagal, Emi Fox, I Made This Mistake, and Dan McCloskey. [source: A|V Space website] Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) will be hosting The Sauce Boss starting around 10 p.m. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que calendar] Poor People United meets tonight and every Wednesday at 7 at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality (402 South Ave.) [source: the proverbial grapevine] There's an Open Mic for Acoustic Music at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) tonight around 8. [source: the proverbial grapevine] Tonight at Milestones (170 East Ave.) is another The Comedy Block Party starting almost promptly at 8 p.m. Tonight at Café Underground Railroad (480 W. Main St.) is a Spoken Word/Poetry night starting around 9 p.m. [source: the proverbial grapevine]

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