tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72750722011-12-13T22:57:52.869-05:00A perspective on pop culture from the middle agesLisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1146701901424221532006-05-03T20:16:00.000-04:002006-05-03T20:18:21.443-04:00

I've moved this blog to my own server.Come and visit me at my new home, Between Wisdom and Murder, and please update your bookmarks accordingly!

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1145826168194376462006-04-23T17:01:00.001-04:002006-04-24T09:18:22.863-04:00

We drove into New York yesterday because we had tickets to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at Irving Plaza. Jim has taken up the banjo in his middle years and really wanted to see Bela play. A combination of nasty weather (really heavy rain, made worse by an early spring chill) and unexpected traffic delays (two accidents, one in Connecticut and one in New York) meant that we got into the city

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1141243554219451442006-03-01T15:02:00.000-05:002006-03-01T15:05:54.236-05:00

I've taken over the responsibility of putting together the Editor's Picks every week for BC (and cross-posting them to Desicritics as well). There's some really good stuff here this week, so check it out (there's a lot of really good music writing this week for some reason).The work there is keeping me very busy, and it's been a real source of satisfaction to the entire (volunteer) editorial

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1139189484504988582006-02-05T20:24:00.000-05:002006-02-05T20:31:24.523-05:00

The Rolling Stones are clearly role models for my generation. Good grief, that was some kick-ass half-time show. Kinda makes me want to vow to go kicking and screaming into old age. Gnarly and energetic, and clearly loving what they do - much better than those golden seniors you see in the AARP ads, if you ask me. That's the way I wanna do it.

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1138817193186956912006-02-01T12:48:00.000-05:002006-02-01T17:34:45.763-05:00

So I think I finally figured out what to do with myself this year.This started out as a personal exercise related to my tai chi class - give yourself a goal for the year and follow through on attaining it. I talked with Stephe about it a little, and explained that I'm feeling mighty splintered these days. I have several areas of deep personal interest that I wish to pursue - some of which I have

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1138373103022135102006-01-27T09:38:00.000-05:002006-01-27T09:45:03.036-05:00

I realized with a bit of anxiety that February is approaching. It's not my favorite month of the year. For one thing, it's often one of the worst months for winter weather in these New England climes, although as far as winters go, this one has been milder than most thus far. For another, February is grey. The bare trees are grey, the skies are grey. My mood is grey.I shouldn't be too

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1137635496533482142006-01-18T20:45:00.000-05:002006-01-19T10:16:28.860-05:00

Willow is becoming quite the entertainer. She spent a good deal of time downstairs today, coming down for breakfast this morning, and then accompanying me down after I changed my clothes when I got home from work. She hung around and played for a while, and then ate dinner. After that, she ran Oscar around the dining room for a while (he looks put out, but I think he's secretly having fun),

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1137003402269458862006-01-11T13:12:00.000-05:002006-01-11T13:16:42.283-05:00

The lovely Miss Willow has been in the bathroom for a full week now, and has clearly grown bored in her glorified prison. Better still, she's becoming friendly and affectionate, and misses us when we're gone - I even managed to pick her up briefly yesterday and plant a kiss on her head. She's been heading for the door more and more frequently, and this morning, when I left the room after saying

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1136481920338263412006-01-05T12:18:00.000-05:002006-01-05T12:25:20.350-05:00

On Tuesday, we took the step we had been discussing for nearly a year now - we went to the animal shelter and adopted another cat. I wish we could have taken home three or four of them (animal shelters are sad places, in spite of this one being well-staffed and well-kept), but we came home with a small feral girl, approximately five or six months old, whom we have named Willow.She is a tiny and

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1134586334199241682005-12-14T13:41:00.000-05:002005-12-14T13:52:14.210-05:00

Life in academia is sweet this time of year (well, perhaps not for students, but I digress). Work is quieting down considerably - no one wants to start an ambitious project days before a major recess, so time is spent wrapping up loose ends. A lot of people (not me, but other people) get invited to a myriad of holiday parties, brunches and lunches right around now, too, so work is in short supply

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1133735810176808742005-12-04T17:31:00.000-05:002005-12-04T17:36:50.213-05:00

We woke to snow this morning. Not a lot (sadly for Jim, not quite enough to merit use of the snow blower), but it was stuck to the ground and to the trees, and it looks quite like winter. It's been bitingly cold for the last couple of days, too - we went to a late movie last night, and I nearly froze when we came out of the theater.I'm more in the mood for Christmas this year than I normally am,

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1131459936687350452005-11-08T09:11:00.000-05:002005-11-08T09:25:36.726-05:00

I had the unnerving experience of arriving at work yesterday morning to find a letter from Carole informing me that she had seen Kate's obituary. We hadn't known that Kate had died - my other email account contained a three-word message from Holly: "Please call me."Apparently gone for an entire month already. How does a human being fall out of life and not make a sound? On Saturday, we talked

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1131301808930841492005-11-06T13:22:00.000-05:002005-11-06T13:30:08.940-05:00

Had an absolutely wonderful study group experience yesterday, in spite of (or perhaps because of?) it being a small gathering (six of us instead of the customary ten or so). I schlepped myself out to Long Beach, which is an incredibly funky section of Long Island. I have fallen in love with the place, which is a very odd mixture of urbanity and seashore - the Atlantic side is lined with apartment

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1131044430754252922005-11-03T13:51:00.000-05:002005-11-03T15:15:49.626-05:00

That seems to be my motto these days. I have a few things to grapple with at the moment, but I'm persevering. The plantar fasciitis seems to come back with a vengeance every now and then - Tuesday night I was hurting a lot, but Stephe gave me something to do during my tai chi practice (not explaining the intention behind it, of course), and I've been doing it, so we'll see how it goes. I need to

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1129502094454673462005-10-16T18:29:00.000-04:002005-10-16T18:34:54.480-04:00

Very relieved not to have it raining today.I went and visited Maureen's studio late this afternoon, and I bought this piece. I'm going to hang it over our bed (as soon as I order a frame and some plexi for it). The photograph doesn't do it justice - the writing is a quote from a poem by Rilke, and I really love it. I'm hoping that it will serve as inspiration. We talked for a while about the

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1128974294755617362005-10-10T15:45:00.000-04:002005-10-10T15:58:14.763-04:00

Saturday night I started mucking out the stable that used to be my studio (most other people would call it 'the room that's supposed to be your formal living room', but we abandoned that idea almost as soon as we moved in). I'm feeling overwhelmed by my utter lack of organization and my need to be doing things. The things I need to be doing involve a very long list of 'have-to' and 'want-to'

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1128086202494479442005-09-30T09:07:00.000-04:002005-09-30T09:18:00.180-04:00

Well, I'm embarrassed by how infrequently I've been updating. Life has been pretty full of other things, and I find myself having little time or energy to write. So, a brief list of random thoughts and happenings:Autumn blew in the door this morning. The temperature was somewhere in the low 40s when we got ready for work, and promises to hover in the low 60s this afternoon. There might be frost

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1125794476968685292005-09-03T20:27:00.000-04:002005-09-04T03:23:16.496-04:00

Well, Katrina has certainly brought out the worst in many of us. A couple of weeks ago, I volunteered to be the assistant editor of the Politics section over at Blogcritics. The Politics section long ago ceased to be a place I want to be, but the editor was in the process of a house move, and I hopped in to fill the void. Unfortunately, it means I need to read all the posts in the section, and

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1125582344768708612005-09-01T09:45:00.000-04:002005-09-01T09:45:44.773-04:00

Most of us are still staring in disbelief at the images on our television screens. The toll Katrina has taken is high - we have virtually lost an entire city, and thousands upon thousands of people have lost everything they had. It is difficult for most of us to comprehend.Please take the time to make a donation, even a small one, to the American Red Cross. Blogcritics has set up a donation page

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1123180781492201882005-08-04T14:39:00.000-04:002005-08-04T14:39:41.516-04:00

Last night, a small group of the editors over at Blogcritics huddled around their respective monitors waiting for SiteMeter to tell us that the 10-millionth visitor to the site had arrived. As one of those editors, I have to say that it was a pretty nifty moment in time. Blogcritics publisher Eric Olsen commemorated the occasion here.Blogcritics encapsulates much of what is wondrous about living

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1122318622223828772005-07-25T15:08:00.000-04:002005-07-25T15:10:22.233-04:00

Last week, some peculiar and fortunate alignment of the planets brought both of my favorite musical artists to my home state of Connecticut within two days of each other. This same alignment also had some influence on the capricious Ticketmaster gods, as I was able to get really great seats for both shows. It was, simply put, quite a week. On Wednesday, June 20, Bruce Springsteen played the

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1119468152904897312005-06-22T15:15:00.000-04:002005-06-22T15:22:32.920-04:00

I'm happy to report here that Eric Olsen, publisher of Blogcritics (a site near and dear to my heart), has been named one of the Open Media 100 by AlwaysOn and Technorati. In the words of Tony Perkins of AlwaysOn, the Open Media 100 is "...the power list of bloggers, social networkers, tool smiths, and investors leading the Open Media Revolution." This is a well-deserved accolade, and if you

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1114728098778812162005-04-28T18:41:00.000-04:002005-04-28T18:50:31.590-04:00

Yeah, I know, I've been to the Beacon twice in less than a week. As our common sense seems to be inversely related to our age, Jim and I made the trek into Manhattan on a work night (well, for Jim at least, since I had the foresight to take the day off) to catch a show. Remarkably, we made good time getting into the city, parked in a cheap, well-situated garage on West End Avenue (I use Icon

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1114373428106779232005-04-24T16:10:00.000-04:002005-04-24T16:10:28.110-04:00

Elvis was in the building Friday night, and the sold-out crowd at the Beacon Theater was eager to see him. Costello, nattily attired in a three-piece suit and accompanied by the Imposters, was clearly just as happy to be there when he took the stage at 9:00 and opened his two-hour set with a rousing “Welcome To The Working Week”. The show was opened earlier by young Norwegian

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1112751230206336872005-04-05T21:33:00.000-04:002005-04-05T21:33:50.210-04:00

On May 22, 2004, Morrissey celebrated his 45th birthday onstage in his hometown of Manchester, England. Highlights of this concert, which took place shortly after the release of the sublime You Are The Quarry, are preserved for posterity in this DVD, which was released simultaneously with a live CD from the tour entitled Live At Earl’s Court. Morrissey’s lyrics, which can be almost

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1111545910928062562005-03-22T21:41:00.000-05:002005-03-22T21:46:25.916-05:00

If there is anything of practical value to be gained from the attention being paid to the sad circumstances of Terri Schiavo, it might be the impetus for many of us to give some consideration to the question of who will make decisions on our behalf should we become incapacitated. These are conversations that most of us don't really want to have. Confronting our own mortality, or that of a loved

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1110894452201909192005-03-15T08:44:00.000-05:002005-03-15T08:47:32.206-05:00

In the interest of giving myself a fresh start on all of this, and in the hope of keeping it up on a more regular and interesting basis... When I first started blogging (such as it is – I don’t write nearly often enough, a condition I hope to rectify), it seemed quite natural to take on a pseudonym. I christened my virtual self Distorted Angel, a reference designed to tell you just a tiny bit

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1099491626378078332004-11-03T09:18:00.000-05:002004-11-03T09:27:31.046-05:00

The stupidity of my fellow Americans overwhelms me. If this was a fair election (and frankly, I'm not all that sure there is such a thing any more), then we deserve whatever we get for the next four years. I can't even think straight enough to discuss this right now. Suffice to say that we've given the administration a blank check to continue waging this insane war, giving tax breaks to large

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1098925946361915252004-10-27T21:08:00.000-04:002004-10-27T21:12:26.360-04:00

It's a crisp, moonlit October night. Outside, a wind stirs the skeleton shapes of leafless trees and a black cat hurries home after the evening's hunt. Inside, you're curled up in your favorite chair by the hearth, a blanket on your lap and a cup of tea close at hand. What better time to open a book and scare yourself silly? I've been a fan of horror movies since I was a child. I love them all,

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1096667858865205862004-10-01T17:51:00.000-04:002004-10-01T17:57:38.866-04:00

I did so love watching last night's debate. John Kerry was downright -- dare I say it? -- Presidential. He came out swinging (polite and respectful, too) and never stopped hammering away at the idea that the President has gone about this terrorism thing all wrong. Bush kept repeating the same two or three mantras all night long, as long on style (if you could call it that) and short on substance

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1095016715278030922004-09-12T15:14:00.000-04:002004-09-12T15:18:35.280-04:00

...take a look here for some interesting and varied perspectives on the election. If you want to buy a book to further your education, click on over to Amazon right from the Blogcritics site. Regardless of your political leanings, I encourage everyone to read, read, read, and then read some more. Educate yourself on the issues that are important to you. If you accept the fact that all news

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1095008980343117972004-09-12T13:56:00.000-04:002004-09-12T13:09:40.343-04:00

At less than two months from Election Day, I am increasingly convinced of the certainty of George Bush's re-election. This is not something that makes me happy. The extent to which the Republican's have been able to spin John Kerry into something he is not, and the lack of success that the Democrats have had in fighting back, all point to the fact that those who are not already firmly in one camp

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1094671025899945022004-09-08T15:06:00.000-04:002004-09-08T15:18:07.790-04:00

The boy went off to college this past weekend. It's a little weird, this whole suddenly-I'm-not-really-a-mother-anymore deal. Oh, I know that technically it's a job for life -- but there are some aspects of the role that change forever once your kid leaves home, even in that semi-permanent way that college kids leave home. I'm finding my way slowly for now -- I'm not exactly crushed, but I am a

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1094224032500780582004-09-03T10:49:00.000-04:002004-09-03T22:32:15.606-04:00

September is one of my favorite months. There's something about the rhythm of the changing seasons that I find predictable and comforting. And since autumn is my favorite time of the year, September, that funny place between the end of summer and the real autumn (which in my mind translates to October and November), is the harbinger of many things that please me. To start with, it's hard to beat

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1093886861490560352004-08-30T13:00:00.000-04:002004-08-30T22:43:26.886-04:00

Last night we went to see Garden State, the new movie by Zach Braff of Scrubs fame. In spite of the fact that I'm not in the demographic to whom this movie is addressed, I was interested in seeing it for a number of reasons -- it came highly recommended by someone whose taste in films I occasionally trust, it's gotten some good buzz, and I really like Braff's work in Scrubs, an underappreciated

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1093448954329721402004-08-25T11:09:00.000-04:002004-08-26T09:35:01.130-04:00

Mr. Costello, that is, lest you confuse him with that other Elvis. Angry Young Man Elvis Costello (born Declan MacManus on August 25, 1954) turns 50 today. There is little evidence to suggest that he's turned into Mellow Middle-Aged Man, which puts him very high on my list of personal heroes. Costello continues to challenge his fans with detours from the expected. His last album, North, a

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1092609002410892532004-08-15T18:14:00.000-04:002004-08-17T12:12:36.830-04:00

I've been listening to Steve Van Zandt's radio program, Little Steven's Underground Garage, for quite some time now. I usually listen to it online because the local radio station that carries it broadcasts it at 8:00 AM on Sundays, so I'm glad that he archives the shows on his website. Little Steven is probably best known as a member of the E Street Band (and now as a cast member on The Sopranos)

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1092418493348334992004-08-13T12:55:00.000-04:002004-08-16T23:04:45.606-04:00

Julia Child died today in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 91. Serious foodies and those of us old enough to remember her first television appearances know that Julia revolutionized cooking in America. Her television career began in Boston in 1963, and for those of us who grew up back in the day, French cuisine was the height of culinary sophistication. Her book, The French Chef Cookbook,

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1092135933244059682004-08-10T06:59:00.000-04:002004-08-10T09:07:52.820-04:00

Wow, Springsteen's really been taking a trouncing in the comments over on Blogcritics, primarily due to his announcement about the concerts to unseat Bush. Don't art and politics go hand in hand? Isn't that one of the reasons why people make art? There are some artists whose work has always been political, even if not overtly so. Springsteen is one such artist. Anyway, all of this has made me

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7275072.post-1092072257100095942004-08-09T12:43:00.000-04:002004-08-12T14:20:35.076-04:00

I'm very energized by older artists who still rock. While some middle-aged musicians have turned into their own tribute bands, the ones that have remained relevant are good to see, and I've rediscovered a love for live music in my middle age. I still tend to listen to the same types of music I grew up on, and while my taste has evolved somewhat, there are still some things I've never grown to

Lisa McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12496619739647819314noreply@blogger.com0