Red Lenses

Right about now, I'd be hitting the ice in Concord (Mass.) for a good 90-minute skate, but I'm on the shelf tonight with a case of conjunctivitis in both eyes. I could have gone and played with my glasses on instead of my contacts, since I wear a full cage, but I figured it was probably smarter to just relax and get better. I went to the doctor today and gots me some drops, so it should all clear up in the next few days. Too bad, though, because the Wednesday night skates have been a blast so far.

Still managed to get a 5-mile run in this morning on the treadmill, just because I didn't want to get caught out in the rain. Normally, I'd be outside but I didn't want my glasses to get all wet.

And here's the rest of wha' hoppen:

• Got together last Saturday with the Webnoize crew--Ric, Dave, Lee, OJ and Amy--plus a couple of my Daily Grind email buddies, Bob and Justin, at River Gods in Cambridge. Cool little bar. Bob brought me copies of two short films he made in which I "acted": the DVD of "Ninja Zombie Explosion" and a VHS copy of "Men's Group Massacre." Bob's been making these little spoof horror movies for years; improvised, inexpensive, and usually pretty damn funny. We shot MGM last October in the woods behind his house in Worcester, but I was one of the first to leave and I never saw the finished product until now. Turned out really great. After we ate and drank for a while, Dave, OJ and I went to the Middle East to catch the Mudhoney show. The Konks, featuring Kurt Davis of Bullet Lavolta fame, opened up but didn't impress me. Mudhoney, however, sounded great. A little more detached than usual, but still rockin'. They played 80 minutes of mostly hits, since they don't have a new album out. I was so tired by the time the show ended at 12:40, I was just glad I managed to stay awake on the drive home.
• The new White Stripes single, "Blue Orchid," kicks major butt. You can find it here for the time being. Looking forward to their new album.
• We watched Manhunter over the weekend, which is the original movie version of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon, which was remade in 2002 with Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. The original featured CSI's William Petersen and Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor (as it is spelled in that movie). Directed by Michael Mann in 1986, Manhunter is definitely dated somewhat with the "Miami Vice" pastels (that show as also created by Mann) and cheesy Italian suits and skinny ties. But it's much more effective in getting inside the mind of the FBI agent and the serial killer he's chasing. Of course, Silence of the Lambs came along five years later and was amazing.
• We also rented The Passion of the Christ, which was about as violent a movie as I've ever seen. I'm not squeamish about violence, either; I like violent movies when they're done right. But this really was gratuitous to the point of overkill. The entire movie is essentially Jesus getting flayed to a bloody pulp by various soldiers and others. Definitely not for those with delicate constitutions.
• Hannah's 3rd birthday is Friday; the celebration has lasted a few weeks and I think when all is said and done, she'll have had four cakes. Of course, she only eats the frosting, but still, that's a lot of cake. My mom is going to be here for the weekend, so that will be good.