Common People

I'm trying to apply what I've learned in life by cutting out the unnecessary bits and not make the same mistakes repeatedly.  There's not enough time for that inanity.  SO.  If the past has taught me anything, it's that winter can be a bummer, especially January-February.  This season, I made a vow to not be a victim or slave to the cold and darkness.  Some nights spent on the couch reading with cats is o.k., but not every night.  Be sure to eat properly (check), move (need to work on this one, as I'm supposed to be preparing for a half-marathon, and be sociable (check, please!).  In addition to all of those things, I had the foresight to plan a  get-away to have some fun.  Just in the nick of time, too! I hadn't succumbed to the winter terrors, but I was gettin' real close.

This Monday, ATM & I drove to Dallas, TX to go see Best Coast/Wavves aaaaand to get edified at the Modern Art Museum in Ft. Worth. 

Best Coast/Wavves played at the very beautiful Granada Theater.  This is strictly conjecture and not based on any fact or research: I don't know how the restoration of that theater got paid for, but they want their money back!  I will try to paint a picture here... They've got TONS of staff, outfitted in Kr0ger logo'ed tees, selling you tickets, accepting your will call, feeding you ($), beering you ($$$)...EFFICIENTLY.  The theater was packed, so someone cashed in big time.  The only thing that seemed normal were the long wait lines in the ladies restroom.  Moving on, whilst the band is getting ready and their gear set up on stage, there is a white video screen obscuring the view.  When the band starts, voila!  It is lifted and there they are!  To me, that's weird.  Might as well have Chuck E. Cheese's band there.  But, back to the waiting for the band to start part...there are two huge video screens flanking the stage where they have some kind of P0wer P0int thing going on where they promote future shows, which is fine.  There will be a photo of say...the Walkmen.  And it says, "You are now listening to the Walkmen."  And, yeah, you are, as they are piping it in over the speakers.   Reading further, it says something along the lines of, "If you like so-and-so band [they list a few], you'll like the Walkmen, playing here March 5!"  I like the Walkmen, but I didn't know the other bands that they were comparing them to, so I can't recall them now or even accuse them of being incorrect.

I don't know where I'm going with this. Band pairings.  I'm not a fan of this type of promotion.  You know how Am4zon suggests things to you based on what you've bought, but they don't have you pegged?  Like, at all?  It's like that.  So, it gave the show an air of "corporate".  And this was before the bands even started!

So, Wavves performed first.  ATM said it best, they are BRATTY.  I mean, it was good, but they are total baby brats!  Best Coast, too!  There was no between-song banter or crowd interaction, so, they just plowed through their set.  It was like they showed to work their shift, and then left.  They did a nice, neat job, musically, but didn't seem into PLAYING A SHOW.  I told ATM that I felt that if Jay Reatard were still around, he could RUIN them.  And then ATM pointed out that Jay's old bassist was on stage, so. 

Anyway, up next is Best Coast.  Their album is SO GOOD.  The sound guy at the Granada is SO BAD.  I actually considered Tweeting @granadatheater that they needed to turn up the guitars, since they had splayed their Tw1tter handle all over their P0wer P0int screens.  I kid!  But, really, BC sounded terrible.  You could hear Bethany Cosentino's most excellent voice and the kick drum and that's about it.  So, I was feelin' all sourpuss about the show.  And then Bethany thanked Dallas, the fans, and then 4MERICAN 4PPARAL!  It was such a disappointment, we left very shortly after that.  Throw Best Coast onto the pile of bands that I felt sad by seeing live.

The only photo I took of the damned affair:

This didn't ruin our trip by any means.  File under "you win some, you lose some".  We went back to our room and watched movies, read, and played games.

For lunch the next day, we went to Cosmic Cafe that came recommended to us by the lovely Laura (and confirmed by a ton of internet reviews).  Being vegetarian can be difficult, but only because others make it so.  I imagined that being vegetarian in Dallas would be the worst. thing. ever.  Not so!  Cosmic Cafe used to be owned by Kumar Pallana, the fella who played Pagoda in Royal Tenenbaums.  Not that it makes the food taste better, but it's a neat fact!  The food happened to taste sublime.  I am extremely envious that (N) Little Rock doesn't even have anything comparable.  Our gorgeous meal wasn't too expensive! We got soup apps, two entrees w/ sides, and a mango lassi for around $30.  Cosmic Cafe is a true destination.  The whole time we were there, I dreamed of the next time we'd be back.  I'd like to bring mum here, she'd love it!

Exterior:

 

 

 

Interior & the goods:

After stuffing ourselves beyond repair, we drove to Ft. Worth to go to the museum.  It was amazing!

 

I really loved this one:

The first time I encountered Roxy Paine's art was in Seattle.

I almost didn't post any Warhol (because you are all learned in his way), but one is o.k.

Of course my camera cannot be true to these amazing paintings, especially this Rothko:

 

This one made me chuckle for much too long.  "I wonder what he's like.":

 

I don't even know if that's art on the floor, but no one stepped on it.  Is that the art?

Funnily, they don't make you exit through the gift shop.  We went anyway.  ATM picked up some postcards and I got a 5 year diary (WHY? since I have a blog, right?  So, I can write down the mean things, heh.  And because it was on extreme sale!) and some Mexican wrestler beads.

I like it because you only have a few lines to write on, so make it count!  Too, it will make journaling a little easier unless you get caught up in the having to write so much on so few lines.  In the back, there are pages where you can log the books you've read:

 

We started towards home after that because we had work the next day (TODAY).  I had a really good time.  ATM is a great travel partner and we generally enjoy the same things.  Here's a new thing:  I'm rethinking my complete contempt for Texas.  There is a lot to be repulsed by, but there are a few charming little things, too.  O.K., I can't think of them right now.  Maybe it'll come to me later.  Every time we do venture into Texas, I comment on how Texans love these things:

This isn't even one of the biggest & convoluted, it was just the one I thought to get a snapshot of.

Anything else?  Oh, yes, one.  We saw miles and miles and miles and miles of migrating birds like this:

 This is a crap photo, but seriously, miles and miles.

We stopped in Greenville to utilize the facilities and I caught this image.

 Big sky!  Texas sunset: