Vacation Recap

I'm on vacation from work this week and I'm still a little sick, so I have been equally indulgent in going out and consuming ridiculous amounts of vodka and sleeping a lot. I don't know, I don't seem to be tired at 2, so it's been a lot of going to sleep at 4 or 5 am. I'll have to get back in the swing of things next week. Since I haven't posted as much as usual, I will go over things that have been keeping me entertained.

Movies:
Blood Diamond- This movie gave me the biggest headache because of the constant barrage of bullets and being on the verge of crying throughout the entire film. Still, I very highly recommend seeing it. Most people still don't understand the severity of slavery and crime that is the result of mostly America's desire for bling...ice...diamonds. Every rapper with a grill should be forced to watch this movie. DeBeers is thinly veiled as "Van Kaap" in the film and their witholding of diamonds to raise the cost is absolutely true. "The Vault" is a well known fact. I'll stick with my diamonoids, thank you very much.

Little Miss Sunshine- Out on DVD. If you haven't seen it, go out and buy the DVD. It's the kind of movie that can be watched over and over and you'll notice something new about it every time. Basically, a little girl gets the opportunity to compete in a beauty pageant. Her oddball family takes a roadtrip from Albuquerque to Long Beach and has a whole bunch of personally life changing events occur to all of them.

Everything Is Illuminated- On HBO On Demand- Elijah Wood is a collector of things and is given a picture of his grandfather circa WWII. He decides to find the woman in the picture, travelling to the Ukraine and hiring a driver and a translator. The translator guy is in Gogol Bordello. That alone makes the film worthwhile.

Restaurants:
La Scala- Italian cuisine in the Gaslamp. I would stick to Little Italy. My food was good but everyone else got something different than what they thought they were ordering.
Nami Sushi- Good times with friends but again, I've had better sushi. Use a coupon and go during happy hour to make this worth your while. Is it a rule that every restaurant in Hillcrest has to have club music on?

Bars:
Convenience trumps all else for me, so I've spent a ridiculous amount of time this week at the Ken Club. But I also checked out Livewire for the first time in ages, Whistle Stop for happy hour, and Triple Crown for playing games.

Last night was The Sess, The Vision of A Dying World, and Life on Mars @ The Ken Club. I missed Life on Mars. I really enjoyed The Vision of A Dying World, though they played as a three piece because one of the members was in Vegas or something. I liked the combination of an acoustic guitar with an electric one, though the electric one was a tad too loud and drowned out the vocals at times. Both guitarists alternated with the vocals and I liked their country tinged indie rock style. They are playing on January 26th at the Ché Café with Old Man Hands and Kite Flying Society. That is going to a great show and definitely worth the drive.

The Sess came on later and I don't know how many times I have to tell them to turn their shit down. People blame the Ken Club for sound, but their sound guys know what they're doing. If they turn your shit down and you go and turn up your amps onstage to counter, you're doing yourself a huge disservice. I couldn't be in the room for more than half a song, the vocals were completely undistinguishable, and the room was just full of loud noise.

Instead of sticking around, Meeks, Venti, and I went to a free screening of 2 student films at the Ken Cinema that also included and art show and 3 band performances. Everyone who played or displayed (except one band) is an employee at the theatre, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary next week. It was kinda cool just hanging out in the theatre (which at it's peak was about half full) after hours. Sorry I didn't know about this or it would've been listed in my "free shit" category.

So there it is...my week in review. Tonight I plan on seeing Mr Tube and Rafter at the Tower Bar, but plans can change, so we'll see what the evening brings.