Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

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Love Me Love Me Not – Arcati Crisis, Live @ Rehearsal

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The second song in our Live @ Rehearsal concert is my “Love Me Love Me Not.” LMLMN is infamous in that I spent several months actively writing it – like, daily – before it was finished. And then my amazing vocal instructor Dr. Emily Bridges turned it upside a bit, and then Gina turned it upside down a bit more, and then we arrived at this:

That’s the first-ever video of “Love Me Not”! If you love it, download a high fidelity Live @ Rehearsal recording of it, for free.

If you missed the first song, it was Fisher Price. Tomorrow I’ll have a brand new cover, and after the holiday another week of videos!

Monday Evening Remainders

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I really need to get better at discharging links more expediently. At the moment sifting for true gold is an all-evening prospect.

Kevin Smokler highlights eight awesome facts about Michelle Lynn Johnson, AKA Me’shell Ndegeocello.

Do you feel like your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Well, maybe your eyes and stomach are the same, and the food just got bigger.

Andre Torrez establishes seemingly unattainable resolutions, like not buying books for an entire year. For 2010 he is only listening to newly released music. I will gladly abet him in that quest.

James Franco, on Soap Opera as performance art:

I disrupted the audience’s suspension of disbelief, because no matter how far I got into the character, I was going to be perceived as something that doesn’t belong to the incredibly stylized world of soap operas. Everyone watching would see an actor they recognized, a real person in a made-up world.

Genius. I love anything that alters an audience’s perception of art based on peripheral factors. See also: Brecht, Dresden Dolls, Lady GaGa. (via Kottke)

Also via K: a couple paints what they want, then sells the painting for the price of what they want, then buys what they want. Ingenious, no?

Stumped for a gift for a precious or precocious kid on your list? Get them a pad and some crayons, and spend some time with them on Christmas drawing monsters. Then, have their favorite monster made for them.

Debbie Millman, one of my favorite bloggers and role models, is launching both a book and a television pilot. Both worth seeing.

Who Sampled lets you figure out where that sampled hook came from (or, if the song you want to sample has been oversampled already). (via Fresh Arrival)

Seth Godin’s blog is a goldmine of best-practice thinking and tools. Recently, a post chock full of personal to-do list web apps. Loves it.

Speed Tracer is a Google Chrome extension that can help you figure out what’s slowing your page load. Remember when every page had to be smaller than 20k? Good times (via Lifehacker).

PS: I have switched over to Chrome full-time for personal browsing. LOVE. And this is coming from a lifelong Mozilla devotee.

Time for bed; another AC video in the a.m.

What I Tweeted, 2009-12-20 Edition

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My best and most-interesting tweets of the last week.

Peter the RivetterQuotes of the week:

As soon as a song hits the radio it #isplayedout. Radio is where good songs go to die, not where they can be found. #

Almost 10yrs ago I had a close internet friend in a coma. I wrote a song for her that her friend played by her bed. She WOKE UP days later. #
Did she wake up because of my song? Probably not. But my positive energy was there to greet her when her eyes opened. #

Together we're so much more powerful than cancer. We can connect the experiences of all of the survivors, families, & lovers to crush cancer #

Withering take-down of the Table-Games bill in PA by @philebrity-award winning blog The Clog: http://bit.ly/6e8qJ8 #

I apparently used two days' worth of voice last night, because I sound like a cave troll this morning. But, in a healthy, non-raspy way. #
Soon I will be like Bono and need to travel everywhere wearing a humidifying mask. #

[Re: Breeding Dragons] @anniemal Not sure about the fire-breathing, but I say we start with crocodiles and eagles and see where it takes us. in reply to anniemal #

Dear Adam Levine: You sing like a duck. Yes, a very rangey duck, but still a duck. It takes more studio magic than anyone should need to fix #

Hoping our performance of Falling Slowly tonight will be as gorgeous as this: http://bit.ly/6KitbX (I'll be playing piano!) #

Ladies & awesome-haired gentlemen, I need advice: How do I keep my perfectly curly locks safe and plump for the show on my walk? A bonnet? #
I currently look a lot like Rosie the Riveter. #
I am only showing you this because I love @drew and he said, "pics or it didn't happen" http://twitpic.com/u8luj #

B T Dubs, my hair is AMAZING – beyond expectations. I am seeking a room lit well enough to capture its amazing texture and depth on camera. #

Safely home! Involved lifting a sheet of ice as big as my torso & pushing Gina's car 30ft down the street. You know, standard Arcati Crisis. #

Wow, and here's a quote about my life: RT @laermer One man's proofreading is another's glance! in reply to laermer #

I had to trade her a future 1am Wendy's run for this trip to Avatar. Hopefully worth it. #

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Highlighted topics/conversations:

  • Amanda Palmer & My Doomed Song
  • Getting ready for, trudging through snow to arrive at, and playing the Shubin Theatre Holiday Revue
  • Indie Band Vocal Critique

    You should follow me on Twitter so you can read my tweet action as it happens.

    [Read more…] about What I Tweeted, 2009-12-20 Edition

    • Backfilled

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    I’ve been crap about blogging live for the past few weeks. Too much life, not enough to say.

    Or so I thought.

    I kept jotting down thoughts as I lived, because stuff kept happening. It seemed pointless at the time – journaling that would never see the light of day. However, starting from the Philebrity party on Thursday I felt like a theme was beginning to emerge. I went back to straighten things out and edit a bit, and it turns out I had something to say that I want represented on CK after all.

    The result is that I’m backfilling all the non-blog blogging I’ve done since the first of this month. It’s blogging via hindsight, having seen the threads of my story woven neatly together over the weekend.

    In the future I have to post as life happens and trust that a story is being written.

    What I Tweeted, 2009-12-13 Edition

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    My best and most-interesting tweets of the last week.

    Quotes of the week:

    If you had to pay $1/yr to follow each person, how many would you follow? Think less about overall spend, more about who/what is worth it. #

    I'm like The String Whisperer – I always know when my set is about to start breaking. #

    This day was supposed to get progressively easier. It should not feel like I am being beat about the head with a communications shovel. #

    Oh: "She's kinda fat for the cover of Fitness." "Honey, it's a fitness magazine, not Emaciation Weekly." "I'd subscribe to that." #

    Random childhood memory: jungle boat ride at Disney, age 5. Fell in love with 6yr-old girl across from me. Relationship never consummated. #

    Um, #blamedrewscancer just won a phucking @philebrity award and I got on stage and said stuff extemporaneously AND HUGGED JOE SWEENEY. OMFG. #

    How does Philadelphia hold all of these amazing people? And, when you meet them you say, "You are awesome, why don't I know you already?" #

    Elise thinks that the American Red Cross should team up w/TwiHards across the country to throw special midnight vampire-themed blood drives. #

    Highlighted topics/conversations: PANMA Party / Phileb Awards, Filmstar in NYC

    You should follow me on Twitter so you can read my tweet action as it happens.

    [Read more…] about What I Tweeted, 2009-12-13 Edition