It’s not lost on me at all that tonight, instead of working on some writing, I should be putting the last minute touches on my Harry Potter costume and seeing the Half-Blood Prince at midnight. Actually, I would have been in line at the iMax theater already (I waited in line for six hours or so for Star Wars Episode III). Instead, I’ll be seeing Twilight on Saturday, which is a movie I know nothing about except that it’s got its own nerdy following and stars the kid who plays Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.

I think Warner Brothers moving Half-Blood Prince means I’ll only have more time to either create my Harry Potter costume, or to rethink my promise to dress in full wizard wear. Nate promised to go full-costume too, while Mark promised to not look me in the eye or walk next to me so people won’t know we’re together. The idea of showing up full wiz is just so hilarious to me, though. I know people go their whole lives dressing up for movies and stuff–Mark and I bummed a light from two middle-aged Jedis while waiting for Star Wars–but it’s not my world. I just wanna visit. So I guess I’ll see We Are Wizards this weekend too.

R.I.P. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince November release date:
Download audio file (song_for_the_death_eaters.mp3)

• Silent Party #5 | Pitchfork - Eric Harvey sort of breathlessly goes through Kanye West, iTunes' Genius feature, privacy, and the British Journal of Psychiatry
• New York Times headlines that read like Zen koans. - By Jessica Winter - Slate Magazine -
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My new “Progress Report” column on Stereogum started last week. So far there’s Midlake and Andrew Bird, but there will be so, so many more.

I saw Drew Daniel read from his new 33 1/3 book and dance with a golden pillow penis between his legs at Housing Works. I was amazed. Then I wrote about it for Sound Of The City.

I also reviewed Danielson’s Trying Hartz and Nissenenmondai’s Neji/Tori for Pitchfork.

Then I reviewed Desolation Wilderness’ White Light Strobing for eMusic. That album’s really great, I hope it gets more attention.

Then I learned the choreography for about five seconds of “Single Ladies.”

…how much I love the Small Faces. I forgot that I was a teenage mod.

YouTube - Small Faces-Whatcha Gonna Do About It.

edit:

Here’s me and Feng Feng, and Dan. And his Vespa (I was 16, I think):

Let he who hath not dreamt of getting “my cat presenting” tattooed across his belly button cast the first stone. For surely he hath borne our griefs.

Oh, so the guy who started Muxtape is vintage indie cute, like a Pavement Ist Rad t-shirt.

hypebot: Video Interview: Muxtape Founder Jason Oulette.

No crap, guys. Sometime last year Amrit asked me if I watched Gossip Girl. He looked really sad when I said I did not, so I thought I’d get into it this season. I love this show, and I’m not sure why. I watched 90210 and Melrose Place when they were on but I’ve since moved on to better TV (Six Feet Under, Frasier, MSNBC, the Pick-Up Artist), not more soap operas. But I care, very deeply about what happens to Chuck Bass. Also, although I disliked Juno’s and Garden State’s alt-kid pandering, I really don’t mind when Gossip Girl is all like “GAWKER!” “RIZ-DEE!” “NEW YORK MAGAZINE DOESN’T USUALLY PUBLISH FICTION.” I’m usually like “This show gets me.” It’s like the aspirational-ness of 90210 found my Google Reader account. It’s like Chuck Bass is both Steve Sanders and Dylan McKay. Does “The Economy” has an effete badboy? Alan Greenspan doesn’t count.

Gossip Girl Now More Important Than the Economy - mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY

Phoenix grew considerably weak in recent weeks as the Martian weather deteriorated. It braved plunging surface temperatures and a swirling dust storm that drained its power. It last communicated with Earth on Nov. 2.

RIP Phoenix rover. You were so much cooler than the real Phoenix.

The Associated Press: NASA says Phoenix Mars mission has ended.

George Bush just appointed Lee Greenwood, the guy behind “God Bless the U.S.A.” to the National Council On The Arts, where he’ll help dole out arts grants for the next four years (so, all of Obama’s first term). He can’t be removed.

If you have bad memories of “God Bless the U.S.A.’”s sappy, “I’m proud to be an American” chorus, especially the halting “and I’ll stand….up…..next to you!” line, then you have no idea how bad it can be. I know that most of you did not grow up in a military household like I did. My dad was deployed during the first Gulf War, for nearly a year. During that time my mom went into military wife overload: she redecorated our house in all yellow (as in “Tie A Yellow Ribbon”), and tied yellow ribbons around every tree on our property, oak, pecan or not. I took piano lessons at the time, and my mom and piano teacher conspired to have me memorize “God Bless the U.S.A.” which I had to play, on command, like four times a day. Over the holidays my mom and I used lights and clothespins to make a giant outline of the United States on our front lawn, with (yes!) “God Bless The U.S.A.” written across the middle on plastic cups that had been painted with each letter and lit with Christmas lights from within.

I also had to wear a lot of yellow. The dog had a yellow bow around his neck. This is not a joke. You know what pale yellow does to an Asian girl’s complexion? Not much, because I was pretty tan back then, but still.

I rebelled two years later by becoming a card-carrying member of the socialist party. Well, the young socialists. Two years later I revolted by becoming an objectivist. The only thing more embarrassing than having to wear head-to-toe yellow is believing the Fountainhead is so true and so right.