Weekly Rochester Events #275: With Catherines, The Sequel Was The Best

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Speaking of taxes, I got some of the rebates back from my purchase of TaxCut from H&R Block. Basically they sucker you in by offering rebates for the federal, state, and electronic filing instead of just offering cheaper prices. Now, when I say some, I missed out on one: the $5 rebate on the federal software. I bought the software back in February, got it in March, installed it, and did my taxes early—which naturally means that I was expecting an income tax refund. Well, after that painful process, I didn't want to think about taxes, so I put it aside for a while before sending in the rebate forms.

If I may put it kindly, H&R Block is so committed to following the rules to the letter and to saving money, that they will even reject their own rebate forms if you don't exactly follow the instructions. In my case, the rebate was postmarked 39 days after I bought the product, and the rebate form clearly states that I had to do it within 30 days after purchase. How kind of them to send a letter and all my paperwork letting me know that was the case (which I assume cost them less than $5 to do.) Anyway, I thought I should mention that as a service to anyone else trying to get a software rebate. I was going to go as far as buying "taxcutrebate.com" or "taxcut2004.com" to spread the word (neither of which are registered) but I figured that would be overkill ... plus that would cost even more money.

Among the things I was doing in those 39 days, I was gung-ho on cleaning things up—especially to go through old folders of paperwork and figure out what to scan and keep and what to throw out. Well, that has passed so I now have piles of half-finished sorting—but now I got on this new kick to build things. In the last couple weeks I made a cistern system, a furnace-blower fan, a trailer for my bicycle (made from an exercise machine and a baby stroller) and I'm working on a portable laser effects device, an automatic Venetian blind closer, an electric sidewalk ice chopper—and most of those things have been made from stuff I got out of the trash.

Now, the nightmare of all this is that next week is the Annual Spring Clean-up where you can put any bulk items between the sidewalk and the curb and the city will take them. That is, if the city sees it at all because I'm starting to want a junkyard full of stuff to take parts from.

We'll see if I have any restraint left.

Speaking of restraint [gosh, isn't this going along nicely?] I got done with excessive drinking last Wednesday at On the Rocks (1551 Mount Hope Ave., formerly Michael's and before that Trios) where I had a couple beers and a couple shots ... a lot—for me at least. By Thursday I just wasn't interested in drinking more even though I was permitting myself to do so. I got back to my six-drink weeks pretty comfortably and with it, a modestly uneventful week for a change.

I guess the most exciting night was Tuesday. I got to Village Gate Square (274 N. Goodman St.) a little earlier than the band, so I stopped in at California Rollin' "just for a couple pieces of sushi." I really wasn't up for a full meal and I wanted to live cheap. Well, I discovered a new treat: they have this "$8.50 bowl" which is basically a bed of rice with shirashi on top (shirashi, a new term to me, apparently translates as "scattered sushi" or something like that ... basically slices of fresh fish.) I suspect the chefs overdo it a bit, but regardless, it's a cheap way to get some sushi: with taxes and a $1.50 soda, a $1 Sapporo (a Tuesday special) or a 96¢ sake (a Thursday special) it still comes in under $11—tip your server well.

From there I went out to the The Bop Shop Atrium to see The Billy Bang Trio do some spectacularly innovative jazz with him on violin, Abbey Rader on drums, and Todd Nicholson on bass. I think I'm going to have to get the CD on that one (which reminds me that the RantMusic CD I got at their show last week, "Kamikaze Syllables" is incredible as well ... I'm betting it will be a benchmark for the "new" progressive rock sound in the next couple years.)

I also got out to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) to see Tim Kelly who did this mellow acoustic solo stuff. Next was The Wills Wilde who morphed again ... this time starting with Ken doing solo electric guitar work (and validating any bragging rights to great guitar work) then adding Ian on cello, Cara to sing, and finally Paul to add some electronica and effects. Last up was the out-of-town band The Slats who finished things off with this great punchy, power punk-rock with Devo and rap influences (my only complaint being that they seemed to ramble a bit too long—repeating parts of the songs too many times.)

Well, enough for this week, and as Freetime Magazine's Michelle Picardo puts it, BYE!

T H U R S D A Y

Tax Day Joey Ramone died, 2001 This evening at The Little (240 East Ave.), the writer and director of The Big Empty, Steve Anderson (a Rochester native) will be available after the 7 p.m. showing to discuss the film and answer questions. [source: Little Theatre e-mail] Tonight at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) is a Poetry Reading starting at 7 p.m. Bruce Sweet reads from his books This is a Good Thing, A Dream of Animals, and Archaeology. [source: Writers and Books calendar] Photographer Joel Meyerowitz—the first photographer granted access to "Ground Zero" on September 13, 2001—will be at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image) to speak. He'll be in the science building auditorium, building 8, room 1250 (gosh ... I remember 08-1250 ...) from 7 to 9 p.m. [source: RIT Events Calendar site] Also at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image), although in Webb Auditorium is author Howard Rheingold (who wrote Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution.) He'll speak on Mobil Communications, Pervasive Computing, and Collective Action starting at 7:30 p.m. [source: RIT Events Calendar site] The new play Blue, self-described as a "comedy-drama of hot passions and sweet jazz", begins tonight at Geva (75 Woodbury Blvd.) and runs Tuesday thru Saturday at 8 and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 until May 16. [source: Geva Theatre website] Carbonic, namelessnumberheadman, and the airy acoustic vocals and crafted lyrics of Kelli Hicks will be at Rochester Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince St.) starting around 8:30 p.m. [source: the proverbial grapevine] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Il fiore delle mille e una notte (Arabian Nights) starting at 8 p.m. Inspired by the mysteries and delights of the Middle East in the stories of the same name ... [source: Eastman House calendar] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is slightly eclectic rock-and-roll from My Penis, off-kilter rock from Nod, punchy drums-and-guitar punk-rock band Blue Spark and Flame, and Larry Feldman of Spyda Med starting around 8:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Tonight at Star Bar (123 Liberty Pole Way, formerly Tilt and Velocity) is great funk-rock from Mountain Mojo Authority (click here to skip their annoying flash intro), and pretty complex rock/groove-rock from The Niche starting around 10 p.m. [source: Freetime] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Keyboardist and singer Roz from Bullwinkles Café (622 Lake Ave.) will be at Starry Nites (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 8 or so. [source: the proverbial grapevine]

F R I D A Y

Tonight at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is Dana "Short Order" Cooke and His Band Joe starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Dazzle Theater (112 Webster Ave.) will be hosting Imani Theatre Ensemble's performance of Homeboys tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Today is the last day to see Hand Tools and Arms, an installation by Elizabeth Lyons and Who Needs Counseling?, recent work by Mark Sawrie at Rochester Contemporary Art Gallery (137 East Ave.) [source: Rochester Contemporary e-mail] Over at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) starting around 9:30 p.m. is Chesterfield Kings, and The Grinders. [source: Water Street calendar] Over at The University of Rochester (River Campus Map) is an In Between the Lines (Drama House, University of Rochester Campus) show titled The Moustache Show starting at 10:30 p.m. [source: In Between the Lines calendar] Over at Starry Nites (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 9 p.m. is Devon and Quinn [source: Freetime] Modern rock and covers from Uncle Plum will be at Alexander Street Pub (291 Alexander St.) starting around 10 p.m. [source: Freetime]

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Maltese Falcon starting at 8 p.m. In arguably the beginning of film noir, a detective gets tangled up in a complex plot surrounding the titular statuette. [source: Eastman House calendar] Tonight at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is good fast rock from The Franks, excellent tight rock/punk-rock from The Retreads, and Electric Frankenstein starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: the proverbial grapevine] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting power rock-and-roll from Bee Eater, more powerful rock-and-roll from Low Ton, and standard modern rock from Ibex starting around 10:45 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) will be hosting Anomaly Amped, Burning Daylight, and (according to her site) top-notch acoustic soloist, JoAnn Vaccaro starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Tonight at Alexander Street Pub (291 Alexander St.) is modern rock and covers from Uncle Plum starting around 10 p.m. [source: Freetime]

S U N D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Michael Jackson's Thriller starting at 5 p.m. then An American Werewolf in London and at 7:15, Innocent Blood ... all John Landis vampire films. [source: Eastman House calendar] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 8:30 p.m. is an apparently mismatched show (thereby being interesting) with Alison Pipitone, rapid-fire modern metalish rock from Gentlemen's Club, and otherwise competent bluegrass/country/honky-tonk band that sucks the soul out of all the songs they cover, Dang. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Eastman School of Music (26 Gibbs St.) students of Tony Caramia will be at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) starting around 3 p.m. playing classical piano in the Living Room. [source: Eastman House calendar] This afternoon at The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) from 3 to 5 p.m. will be a screening of Independent Media In A Time Of War, a documentary about, well, independent media in a time of war by Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center. [source: Carbon Records calendar] Dan Liberto (of the The Comedy Company) hosts Open Mic Comedy Night at Duels Café (17 E. Main St.) starting around 7:30 (theoretically.) [source: Duel's Café] Starry Nites (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) will be having Aura Readings today from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. then their own breed of Poetry Nite from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. [source: Freetime]

T U E S D A Y

It's another Books Sandwiched In today from 12:12 p.m. to 12:52 p.m. in the Gleason Auditorium at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.). Music Director of The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Christopher Seaman will be reviewing Russell Martin's book, Beethoven's Hair : An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved about the survival of a lock of Beethoven's hair and the DNA testing of it. [source: Rochester Public Library calendar] Once again, it's the 2,000 Word Club Open Mike at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) starting at 7 p.m. [source: Writers and Books calendar] New Model Army, Cure tribute band Disintegration, and good basic rock band Jim Lapetra will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Mic from 8 to 10. For this one, there's no microphones and it's pretty open ended. [source: Daily Perks calendar]

W E D N E S D A Y

Over at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) tonight is Rochester Poets Reading and Open Mike starting at 7. [source: Writers and Books calendar] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Animal House starting at 8 p.m. Still the standard for collegiate comedy. [source: Eastman House calendar] Tonight from 8 to 10 is an Open-Mic Comedy Night at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) While once it was a workshop type of environment, it's now more-or-less a regular open mic ... by default it's still a place to try out new stuff. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Poor People United meets tonight and every Wednesday at 7 at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality (402 South Ave.) [source: the proverbial grapevine]