My Dream Man

Ok, maybe I don't want to marry him. But I do want to dance with him...

Chromeo's Night by Night video

Smart/Stupid

Sometimes people say I'm smart. Sometimes I agree with them. Other times I buy all necessary ingredients to make great sandwiches, except bread. BREAD! Sandwiches...bread! I'm an idiot.

Best Tracks of 2009

I used to make 'Best of' lists for radio show playlists. My radio shows ended when I moved to LA last summer, but I couldn't keep myself from making a list this year. My lists are always in playlist form, and I burn CDs for family/friends who want them (if you want one, let me know). None of these are in any sort of order other than a slight attempt to have the songs flow together as much as they can. I also do not take 2 songs from the same artist/album, even though there might be a song or 2 I like better than others on the list. Fanfarlo's "I'm A Pilot" would have made the list if not for that rule. I did not take any song from February's Dark Was The Night compilation album. That album by itself could almost be a 'Best of' album, so it didn't seem fair to pull from it. If you haven't heard that album by now, you really should check it out. The entire album could possibly have made this list. Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp" was almost on this list, but it was just a single. The album comes out in February 2010. I decided to let it go in against the other 2010 releases instead, although I'm pretty sure you'll see it on my list this time next year.

So with that explanation, again, in no meaningful order:
1. Animal Collective - Lion in a Coma
2. Handsome Furs - Legal Tender
3. Passion Pit - Moth's Wings
4. Islands - No You Don't
5. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
6. Fanfarlo - The Walls are Coming Down
7. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
8. Local Natives - Airplanes
9. Florence + The Machine - You've Got the Love
10. The xx - Crystalised
11. Andrew Bird - Not A Robot, But A Ghost
12. Sea Wolf - Wicked Blood
13. Bowerbirds - Northern Lights
14. The Antlers - Bear
15. The Dodos - Fables
16. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric
17. Jenny Owen Youngs - What Beats Within
18. Regina Spektor - Eet
19. Imogen Heap - First Train Home
20. Great Northern - 33

Kelis

From the woman who taught us about milkshakes bringing boys to the yard, as well as owning her own bossyness (being the one we all love to hate), I'm honestly a little disappointed in Kelis's newest track Acapella.

I hope I don't get herpes...

I drank from a stranger's beer last night at a bar... I asked him what he ordered because it kind of looked like fruit juice. He answered, "Hoegaarden, try it" and handed me his glass. I looked at him and said, "I don't even know you!" To which, he replied, "just try it. You'll like it." So I did. Then I returned to the conversation I was having with my friend.

So if I end up with mono or some other disease communicable through spit, you know where it came from.

Yeasayer

I hope their forthcoming album doesn't disappoint me - because my expectations are high after this song.

Note: if you're at a computer where bosses, nosy co-workers, or children can see your screen, you might want to skip the video until later. It's not bad - there's just some naked people running toward the end of the video...

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp from Spy Films on Vimeo.

I'm a quick judge

Last night:

Ida: i think you will like holopaw

me: (download album)

Today:

me: you're right about holopaw

me: although i'm only 3 minutes into the album

Ida: haha

Ida: that's how far i got!

Ida: and i thought you would like it

Note: album referenced is Holopaw - Oh Glory. Oh Wilderness.

And yes, the first 3 minutes are quite good. The rest of the album is pretty good too.

Boombox Faith

This morning I saw a man going into the Faith Tabernacle on Olympic Blvd. in West Los Angeles with a boombox in one hand. I can only imagine what that service is gonna be like.

Crazy Cat Ladies

Maybe "Crazy Cat Lady" should be a diagnosis added to DSM-V?

Marriage

We never put interracial heterosexual marriage to popular vote. Hell, we never put same race heterosexual marriage to popular vote. We never put civil rights laws to popular vote. Can you imagine what the Mississippi vote on that would have been like?

So why this? Why is gay marriage subject to popular vote? Note: this is semi-rhetorical. Obviously there are legal reasons that it is subject to popular vote, but it just seems...ugh. What ever happened to democracy protecting minority rights from the tyranny of the majority?

I'm sad for Maine. And for the 30 other states that have already put gay marriage to popular vote and lost... I'm sorry there is so much hate in the world.

Music Video

I was in a music video. You can't tell though because I'm wearing a giant skeleton head in it. It's Red Arrow Messenger's video for their song "Murder Ballad."

Music

It's been a LONG time since I reviewed any music. I would say I've been busy with "real life" and that is sort of true. But I also have been wasting a lot of time on the internet. Just not here.

But here are some quick comments about some music I've been listening to:

• The Antlers - Hospice: I LOVE this album. Yes, the lyrics are depressing and about death and illness and whatnot, but the music has this sense of intensity that I find really beautiful. I saw them live last Thursday, as well, and I was not disappointed. Great small LA venue that I'll probably be frequenting since there are quite a few good upcoming shows there (the Bootleg on Beverly, for anyone in the LA area). There was just a ton of emotion in the music and the performance. The people I went with also enjoyed it, and one of them had never heard the music prior to the show.
• Circulatory System - Signal Morning: When I listened to this last week, I remember thinking, "oh, I like this." Now I can't remember why - or even what they sound like. I will need to listen again.
• Fool's Gold - S/T: Everyone seems to be raving about this band, but I just can't get into it. They're an LA band and have been playing around a lot lately, so perhaps I should see them live to see if I change my mind. They are also touring with a couple of really really great LA bands (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Local Natives) - the latter I will write about in this post.
• Headlights - Wildlife: I really liked their last album. A lot. It was fun, catchy pop music. This feels like too much. Like when something is just too sweet and sugary...
• Imogen Heap - Ellipse: I love her. I don't care if she's overplayed now or if her songs sound the same or whatever. If I'm in a bad mood, I can just listen to one of her albums, including this one, and I feel better. It's quite phenomenal, really. Works particularly well if I have headphones on and turn the volume up high.
• Jenny Owen Youngs - Transmitter Failure: I can't actually remember if I've already posted about this. I've been listening to it for quite a while, but just in case I missed it... I think this is pretty good. Not every song is great, but there are some definite stand-outs. I love "No More Words."
• Jupiter One - Sunshower: I liked this the one time I listened. They are touring with Regina Spektor, who I love. This is pretty typical indie pop/rock. Nothing too amazing, but pleasant and nice in a way that is, well, pleasant...and nice.
• Local Natives - Gorilla Manor: I first heard of this band when they played on the same line-up as my friend's band Red Arrow Messenger. They had tons of energy and were really great to see live. Makes sense that they are playing some shows with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, another LA band with tons of energy.
• Ramona Falls - Intuit: Yet another album I have only listened to once through, but so far I am really happy with it. It's a new band from Menomena's Brent Knopf. Justin Harris is my favorite Menomena member, but that's only because I think he's beautiful. Music-wise, I apparently really like Brent Knopf - if Ramona Falls is something to base that decision on. If you like Menomena, you will probably like this, too.
• The Rest - Everything All at Once: Ida made me get this album. I really really like it. It's exactly my kind of music, which is why Ida suggested it. There are 7 people in the band. This means there are harmonies and lots of instruments and layers and layers and layers.
• Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom: I've only listened once, but my response is "eh." I so wanted to like this album because I LOVED their last one and loved them in concert, etc etc. But honestly, I was a little bored by this album. Maybe it will grow on me. I'll keep listening and keep you posted. Update: with another listen, I realize that I DO like it, but I expect more from them. So compared to, say, Jupiter One that I just said I liked, this is just as good if not better, but I guess my expectations were too high...
• Tegan & Sara - Sainthood: Again. I wanted to like this album because I liked The Con so much. And I read reviews ahead of time saying it was great. But I was bored...
• Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Fast: First listen was "eh." Second listen I liked it. Maybe I was in a bad mood the first time? This is the problem with music reviews. They can be totally mood dependent. Now I think I might like it better than the last album...
• Volcano Choir - Unmap: If you like Bon Iver, then you will probably like Volcano Choir. I think that's all I have to say.
• Why? - Eskimo Snow: Typical Why? Not as good as Alopecia, in my opinion. But worth listening...
• The xx - xx: Sounds like another band - although I can't put my finger on it at this moment. This is why I will never be paid to write music reviews. It's good, but nothing spectacular.

Anger Management

One thing I love about living in a big city is the diversity. I love being around people who aren't exactly like me. But what comes with that? Well...bitchy women. I'm sure there are some asshole men, too, but I have a couple of stories that involve women, so that's the focus of this post...

The other day, I was picking up a prescription from the pharmacy after work. It was busy, as everyone else was making their after-work-errand-runs. So I was waiting, with blinker on, to turn left into the parking garage for Trader Joe's and Rite Aid. The line was backed up to get into the garage, and there were a number of cars waiting to make right hand turns in, as well. So I waited. As I waited, other cars were able to make left hand turns to exit the garage because I was following traffic flow rules, creating space for them to exit. The woman behind me, though, was not happy. She laid on her horn. My assumption initially was that she was probably upset because she wanted to go straight and didn't want to wait for me to be able to turn left. But I was wrong. Her blinker was on, as well. So she had to wait to get into the same garage that I was going to, yet for some reason felt the need to lay on her horn. Where was I supposed to go? Well, apparently I was supposed to block all traffic. At least that's what she did after I eventually was able to pull into the line for the garage. There was no space behind me in line, but she did not wait as I had. She pulled right behind me, blocking all traffic. People behind her could not go straight because she was still a bit in their lane. People going the opposite direction could not go because she was completely blocking their lane. People turning left out of the garage could not go either. All so that she would be sure to have her spot in line to get into the packed garage. What irritates me even more is that I am fairly certain that if she had been in any of the other cars that were blocked at that moment, she would have been laying on her horn at herself. I hate hypocrisy...

Another instance came on the elevator in the building where my office is. There is some relevant background for this story. These elevators suck. Flat out suck. I have waited almost 15 minutes for an elevator to come before. I have also been on one where, after someone pushed for the 1st floor, and the elevator hesitated slightly at floor 1 before just continuing up to higher floors. Those people had to ride all the way up before going back down to (hopefully) get off on the correct floor. The doors do not always have the safety feature where they stop closing if they sense motion. They will squash you if you let them.

So I'm on an elevator. It is mildly crowded, but not ridiculously so. There is still plenty of room. We stop to let some people out on a floor, and we hear a woman running to catch the elevator. She yells for us to hold the door, then sticks her arm in to try to get on before it closes. A few of us on the elevator frantically ask the woman standing near the buttons to push the "door open" button. She ignores us. After the woman's arm is in, we ask again for this other woman to push the button, as the door is not responding to the motion. It's still closing. The woman outside removes her arm, so that it is not squashed, and the woman inside remains still. After the door closes, she bitchally (yes, I made that word up, but it's apt) says, "She can catch the next one." Seriously? It was that hard to push a freaking button? It wasn't that she tried and couldn't find it. It wasn't that she tried and it didn't work. It wasn't that moved a muscle at all... She just sat there. I suppose in other buildings, waiting for the next elevator wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm telling you - 15 minutes! Elevators skip floors erratically. My friend won't get on the elevator without her cell phone because she simply doesn't trust them. And this woman can't push a simple little button that is right in front of her face!

I just wish everyone had some sense of empathy or at least thought for other people.

Gay Marriage

Anyone who knows me in "real life" knows that I am very passionate about gay rights. This video struck a chord with me. Apparently it's a few years old, but I missed it somehow.

Ava's Shoes

Remember when I bought Ava shoes to wear hiking? Well, after two hikes in LA where her paws were either cut or rubbed completely raw, I decided she needed to start wearing them again. Yesterday we hiked Solstice Canyon in Malibu. It's a relatively easy hike, so there were large groups of people and kids on the trail. Ava was the hit of the trail in her shoes. She made kids giggle uncontrollably. She had people taking pictures of her. Not a single person walked by us without commenting either to us or amongst themselves. One woman suggested I design a line of designer dog shoes since Ava's looked a bit boy-ish. I sort of doubt there is a big market for hiking dogs who want fancy shoes...

Applying

I just applied for a job. A faculty position. I haven't been applying to too many because I was not sure what sort of job I really wanted to have, and I'm feeling very geographically particular... Basically, I didn't want a job in Laramie, Wyoming. Or Ohio. Or a number of other places. So one day, a job popped up that seemed appealing, and I did it. I applied.

And I'm suddenly excited. I sort of want to apply to more places just to see what will happen. Of course, the whole point in not applying earlier was that there were no appealing locales... But maybe? Maybe something amazing will come up - and I will be able to apply for another position. People think applying for jobs is stressful. I think it's fun. Of course, we'll see how I feel come spring if I have no job lined up...

Brand New

I think I forgot I had a blog...

But I just had this thought. There is a band called Brand New. What happens when they've been around for 40 years? Or maybe they plan on breaking up before then...

Running

My dog can tell the difference between a sports bra and a regular bra. When I put on the latter, she shows no reaction. When I put on the former, she gets super excited and runs in circles, then to the front door. Oh, the strength of Pavlov's conditioning... A regular bra is not associated with anything, but a sports bra means we're going running.

Oh I do have one thing...

One quick story:

I went to the W Hotel in Westwood last weekend with a friend. We were hoping to go dancing, but were also trying to meet up with friends - which eventually led us to the W. They have a live DJ, so we figured this was a good compromise. Dancing plus friends. So we get a drink, hang out for a bit before dancing. But I note that no one is dancing near the DJ. The space is empty. So we sit down and watch a few drunk people near the bar start to get their groove on, only to be interrupted by 2 bouncers. Confused, my friend asked the bouncer why they stopped the dancing. My best bet was that they didn't want dancing near the bar for fear of drink spill/glass breaking. But no. There is actually no dancing allowed at the W. Apparently, you have to have a permit to allow dancing, and the W does not have such a permit. They have been busted in the past, so now the bouncers are regularly enforcing it. Yet they have a live DJ playing dancy music... It was so confusing. Felt like we were in Footloose or something in 2009.

Life is Crazy

Since I last wrote, my British friend Amy was in town, my dad, brother, and his mom were in town, and I am prepping for a visit from my friend Marc and my birthday party next weekend. I apologize for the lack of posts. It is not that random funny things have not occurred, but mostly because I have not had the time to sit down and write about anything. I suppose I could give 2 quick concert reviews, but then I may not write again for a few weeks...

Red Arrow Messenger - August 24th at Spaceland: They were great. Disclosure that I know these guys, but they were honestly great. My friends who came with me had never heard them and did not know the band and were asking me how they could get their album. Of course, the album isn't out yet, so you can't, but be on the lookout for when it does come out - cause they really are great. Lots of energy, which pretty much defines a good concert for me.

LA Philharmonic conducted by Placido Domingo with cello solo by Yo-Yo Ma - August 25th at the Hollywood Bowl: The large pieces were ok - pretty, but nothing that blew me away. The highlight of the show was the solo encore piece that Yo-Yo Ma did, followed by the duet between Yo-Yo Ma and Placido Domingo (Ma played cello, while Domingo sang). It was pretty amazing to hear. The other highlight was simply being at the Hollywood Bowl. It's a pretty amazing venue. It makes me excited to go to the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park in a few weeks to see how it compares.

My Life

This weekend, I hiked to the Hollywood sign, saw The Dodos play a free concert at The Getty Center, ate breakfast in Manhattan Beach, then spent the rest of the day on the beach in Malibu. This is not a vacation. It's just another random weekend.

In a couple weeks, I am going to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Philharmonic conducted by Placido Domingo with Yo-Yo Ma performance.

I sort of love LA...

Party Music

Last summer, I posted a dance party playlist that had been evolving for a number of years. It continues to evolve. But tomorrow night, I am having a non-dance party. Well, I can't really make any promises. If too many alcoholic beverages are consumed, you never know what could happen. BUT I'm not planning on it. This is more of a chill, happy hour sort of party. Just because it's not dance music, though, doesn't mean I want boring music. Sure most of it will go unnoticed, but song-picking is what I like to do... So I used this as a chance to make a 3+ hour playlist that is a mix between upbeat stuff I might play at the start of a dance party and my usual radio playlist. I miss my radio shows, so making this list was fulfilling in some ways.

I decided to post the playlist since I can't pass on my music choices via radio anymore.

1. Jenny Owen Youngs - If I Didn't Know

2. Regina Spektor - Eet

3. Andrew Bird - Ten-You-Us

4. Bowerbirds - Northern Lights

5. Eskimo And Sons - No Shit

6. Here We Go Magic - Fangela

7. Harlem Shakes - Winter Water

8. Palomar - Bury Me Closer

9. Beck - Walls

10. Blur - Coffee & TV

11. Talking Heads - (Nothing But) Flowers

12. Coconut Records - Wires

13. Boy Least Likely To - Faith (Cover)

14. Fol Chen - Please John, You're Killing Me

15. Metric - Sick Muse

16. Beirut - My Night with the Prostitute From Marseille

17. Ladyhawke - Magic

18. Ladytron - Burning Up

19. School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise

20. Jonathan Johansson - En Hand I Himlen

21. Self - Pattycake

22. Lykke Li - Little Bit

23. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Swimming Pools

24. Feist - 1234

25. Yeasayer - Tightrope

26. The Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)

27. Wilco - Heave Metal Drummer

28. James - Laid

29. Delta Spirit - People C'mon

30. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - 40 Day Dream

31. David Bowie - Queen Bitch

32. Wolf Parade - Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts

33. Handsome Furs - Legal Tender

34. Mates of State - For the Actor

35. A.C. Newman - Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer

36. Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls

37. Phoenix - 1901

38. MGMT - Kids

39. Hot Chip - Over and Over

40. Junior Boys - In the Morning

41. The Knife - Heartbeats

42. Gossip - Heavy Cross

43. Florence and The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)

44. TV On The Radio - Golden Age

45. Passion Pit - Cuddle Fuddle

46. The Bird & The Bee - My Love

47. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Is This Love?

48. Daedelus - Fair Weather Friends

49. The Ting Tings - Great DJ

50. Cansei de Ser Sexy - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above

51. Islands - Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone

52. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion

53. Of Montreal - Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse

54. Animal Collective - Lion in a Coma

55. Starfucker - Medicine

56. Architecture in Helsinki - Debbie

57. Justice - DANCE

58. Spank Rock - Bump

59. Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You

Music

Most recent musical obsession:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below: This is such an awesome album. I had never heard of them until a friend mentioned the band in passing and then invited me to see them live a few days later. Since then, whenever iTunes is on shuffle and one of these songs pops up, I am instantly reminded of how much I love this band. The energy is amazing. In concert, they have such a fun presence, as if it's just a big party on stage - one that I would have loved to be a part of. One that I sort of felt I was a part of because of the ease with which the crowd was involved in the live show. A capella moments felt so rich. When an instrument wasn't in use, the band member would just sing and dance and remain completely involved in the music. And the music itself is fabulous. I'm a sucker for full sounds - but even when the instrumentals cut out, the vocals still excite me. If these guys play near you at all, you must see them.

Fashion PSA

White pants should always be lined. Or at the very least worn with flesh-toned underwear. Especially if you're wearing a thong.

Music

I think I said at some point that I had more time to listen to music now. I think that was either a very brief moment or just a lie. Cause I haven't had time... Until tonight. I got new speakers (mine had no bass after a going away party in Oregon - probably fitting for a final dance party to blow out the speakers). And so I have had new music on shuffle for the last few hours. A few quick thoughts:

Bowerbirds - Upper Air: Northern Lights consistently puts me in a good mood. I don't have very strong opinions about the rest of the album, but I could probably listen to that one song for an album-worth of time. Does that count?

Fanfarlo - Resevoir: I hadn't really heard anything about this prior to my listen. So I had no expectations (good or bad) going into it. I had my new music on shuffle and found myself checking to see what band it was when these songs came on. I take that as a good thing.

Gossip - Music for Men: I do not know if this is really "music for men," as I have yet to hear any man's opinion. But a local radio station has been playing Heavy Cross fairly often, and I find myself liking it more and more. Also, it's a nice sort of "reminds me of home" kind of feeling to hear a Portland band on an LA radio station.

There may be more later, as I have a billion other new-to-me albums to get through.

Podcast

I am planning to start a Podcast soon to replace the lack of radio show in my life. I will host it online somewhere and will keep you posted on the location - but in the meantime, I need a name! Help me name my online radio show!!

Dictation

For the first time, I am working in a hospital. When I have written progress notes for therapy before, I just write them as a word document and print it out for the patient's chart. In my last clinic, I sometimes just hand wrote them. But at the hospital, I now get to dictate. I was nervous at first, thinking it would be incredibly complicated and that to make changes I would have to start the dictation over or edit more after the transcription came through. But no. I learned that since an actual human being transcribes our dictations, we can talk to them like a real person.

When I get good at this, I will hopefully just call in and run through a shpeal about a patient, and be done with it. I like to think that I will bore the transcribers when I get to that point. I mean, their job is to sit there and type what I say - so boring. So in the meantime, I hope I'm entertaining them when I make a complete fool of myself by saying, "um, yeah, I don't really know what I was saying right then. Maybe just cut out that last non-sentence sentence." or in a recent note when I mentioned a couple times that a patient was 15-years-old, and then remembered that her birthday was yesterday, so she was now 16. "Oh crap...that should actually be 16-years-old. I guess that should probably change in the first section, too...and anywhere else I said her age." And that doesn't even touch on the first dictation I did, where I got so lost in the middle of it that I said, "ummmm, hold on......[30 seconds of silence before finally just hanging up]" I have no idea what they'll do with that one, since the transcriptions haven't shown up for me to sign yet.

Until I get better at this, the people doing transcription will think I am either the most entertaining person doing dictation or the most annoying...

Thriller

My roommate and I went to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery tonight for their weekly summer movies - tonight's was Jaws in celebration of the 4th of July (when Jaws takes place). Before the movie started, they had DJs playing music, and just when it was finally dark out, right before movie-time, the DJ started playing Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough." People suddenly stood up and start dancing, prompted in part by an enthusiastic Ethan Embry who was in the crowd and started yelling for people to dance. That song was followed up, of course, by "Thriller." I can't possibly explain how surreal it was to be in the Hollywood Cemetery at night dancing to "Thriller" with hundreds of other people just over a week after MJ's death. And then there were fireworks...

Pictures didn't turn out very well because it was dark, but I posted some below anyway. Ethan Embry is in the blue baseball hat.

Michael Jackson

So far 12 people have attempted or committed suicide over Michael Jackson's death. I find it hard to believe that those suicides are actually due to MJ. I mean, someone's life has to be pretty miserable and their mental health can't be too stellar for them to use MJ's death as a reason to kill themselves. So add some of the crazy "I want to be with him" through death sorts of thoughts to already miserable lives.

There was also supposedly a crisis team at UCLA to help counsel mourning fans. If my internship had started a week earlier, who knows whether that would be one of my assignments...

Of Montreal

Have I mentioned that I love Of Montreal? I am currently listening to Hissing Fauna... It seriously makes me want to go to another concert. And, of course, they are playing this month in LA. But at the freaking Hollywood Bowl where I would need to spend a fortune to even be able to see them. Since I've already seen them twice in the last 12 months, this seems a bit unnecessary.

But seriously. "There's the girl that left me bitter. Want to pay some other girl to just walk up and hit her. But I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't!" Ok, maybe that lyric needs the music with it...

Music

I'm finally having time to listen to music again! Not that I had a bad last month or so - Sasquatch Music Festival, goodbye parties, vacation, unpacking all of my stuff into my new apartment... Ok, maybe that last one hasn't been the most fun - and it's not over - but I now have time to play catch up on music that I have still been accumulating despite being too busy to listen to it.

So without further ado:

Regina Spektor - Far: I am definitely biased on this one. I have loved her music for quite a while now - went to a concert 2 hours away by myself because it was a Wednesday night and no one would go with me. This album is definitely more smooth and mellow than Soviet Kitcsh, but more similar to Begin to Hope. Sometimes almost too similar - Machine off the new album sounds just like Apres Moi from the last album. I guess if you have a good thing going, you don't want to change too much. Honestly, I enjoyed the last one, so I guess it makes sense that I enjoy this one, too.

Southern Reminders

I lived in the south for 4 years during college. I knew that I had no desire to live there again, but sometimes I missed various aspects of it and thought, "oh, maybe..." But I was reminded as soon as I got off the plane last weekend in Savannah, Georgia of one of the biggest reasons for not living in the south. I was suddenly swimming through the air in 95 degree heat with 80+% humidity. I do not miss humidity.

One-by-one each of my college friends who had moved north since graduating, but who were returning together for this one-week vacation in Hilton Head lamented the same thing. "Oh gross...I forgot about humidity." And then the next day when walking outside of the pleasant air conditioning: "Gross...again...I'm already dripping wet in the '85, but feels like 97' degree weather." How do people live like this? Seriously...

Damned if you do... Damned if you don't.

I'm selling a lot of stuff tomorrow. I realize that I have so many things that I have never even touched in the 4 years I have lived in Oregon, so clearly they would be better off in someone else's hands. Plus the hand-me-down furniture from my mom, while super-cute, has never really been my taste. So I'm taking this as a good opportunity to lighten my load a bit before the move down I-5.

I have listed a few things on Craigslist in anticipation of the garage sale tomorrow, and I am stumped as to how I should be pricing things. I decided to price dirt-cheap because I need things to be gone and I didn't want to scare anyone away with too-high prices. I figure: people will see a really great deal and jump on it. Better scenario than: people think it costs too much do not bother following up on it. But what has happened? I have people wanting to haggle me down even lower. I want to say, "Dude, I'm selling this 9' x 6' wool rug that originally cost $150 for $25. You're ALREADY getting a deal..." So maybe I should have priced higher so that people can THINK they're getting a better deal when I drop it lower for them? That is why I hate car salesmen, though. I don't really want to be like that.

In other news, I went to get some shoes resoled only to find out that they are pretty much a loss (I should have gone in sooner, but I wore them down too much). BUT the shoe guy suggested this to me. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm excited to see if it works. Wow, my life is sad if I'm getting excited about a product called "Shoe Goo." Note to my sister: this seems like something George could be into...

Week in Review

I defended my dissertation last Thursday. The moment that had been sort of looming in the future for the past 4 years of grad school was over in about an hour and a half. It went well, I think, but was sort of anti-climatic when you think that it is supposedly the culmination of your graduate career. The place where you display your expertise in your area - well enough that they decide it's ok to call you "Doctor." But for some reason, after it was over, it was just sort of...a moment.

And then I went to Sasquatch.

There is much much more to write about Sasquatch. I wonder what this says about me that I have so many more things to say about a 3 day music festival than a dissertation defense. Maybe nothing. Maybe it just means that Sasquatch was 3 days long, and the dissertation defense was 1.5 hours.

Anyway, Sasquatch. It was great. Beautiful location - watching bands perform with this stunning backdrop of the Columbia River Gorge. Fun camping with friends. And a billion great bands. Ok, not a billion... I have a few random thoughts/stories from the weekend that I am just going to list because there is really no order or connection between them.

• When we returned to our campsite Saturday night, new people had set up camp next to us. They were blaring rap music and drinking, and when they saw us approach the campsite with our headlamps on, they started talking to us. Or maybe I should say at us, as we did not really partake in actual conversation. First question from the new campers: "Are you guys seriously wearing headlamps?" Reply: "um, yes...it's dark..." Second question: "Are you guys miners?" Reply: "um, no... We like seeing where we're going." Third question: "Are all you miners going to sleep in the same tent?" At this point, we stopped talking to them. The next morning we were awoken by one of them waking up the others with this fabulous line: "Dude. BEST. CONCERT. EVER. Man, being drunk is AWESOME..........but it also sucks SO MUCH..."
• Two girls made fun of my friend for drinking water. One girl to the other: "He's drinking WATER!" Same girl to Chuck, noticing his lack of a 'Drinking Age Verified' wristband: "You don't drink?!?"
• Speaking of drinking water. I drank over 72 ounces of water on Saturday and peed once. It was so freaking hot and sunny that I think my body utilized every ounce just keeping itself cool and hydrated.
• Speaking of peeing. Sasquatch had the best porta-potties ever. Honey Bucket. They have their shit together. Pun not intended... 3 days of music festival full of thousands and thousands of people and not a single one spelled bad.
• I realized that having great albums does not make a band a great band to see perform. Also, having not great albums does not make a band not a great band to see perform. St. Vincent has a great album out right now called Actor. Live, she is kinda boring. Deerhoof has yet to make an album that I can listen to, but they were incredibly entertaining to see live.
• Of Montreal does not get old for me. This was my third time seeing them, and it was just as much fun as the first. I think it was the highlight of the weekend for me.
• Last year, I saw Girl Talk and lost a shoe and a sweater. This time, I stayed toward the back, and kept all of my belongings. And it was a blast. I was with a friend who has never been very into his stuff, but even she was dancing the whole time. And...she was exhausted and hungover...
• Sound at the smallest of the 3 stages was terrible. I saw 3 shows there. The first (Horse Feathers) was too quiet. Fortunately, that fits their musical style, and it was a small enough crowd that it sounded fine. The second (School of Seven Bells) needed more vocal volume, and could have been a bit louder in general, particularly cause their sound is so intense, but I could at least watch/listen and be entertained. The sound for Beach House, though, was just terrible. There was feedback constantly. They started the first song about 3 times because things just sounded like shit. They were getting frustrated with the sound people, and I think that was affecting their performance, too. Disappointing because I was really looking forward to that show.
• Karen O has the skinniest little bird legs.
• Who wears black tights when it's 85+ degrees out and everyone else is dying from heat exhaustion? Oh, and you're at an outdoor music festival with no air conditioning or really much shade from the sun at all? I saw way more women in tights that I should have for those conditions. I was sort of worried they were going to pass out later.
• A rented RV drove right into the irrigation system on the farmland we camped at. Apparently, people were yelling for the RV to stop. RV stopped, couldn't figure out what people were yelling about, and proceeded to drive straight into it, busting the irrigation system and getting itself stuck underneath. Some farmers came on Sunday to at least the get the RV out from underneath. Did I mention it was a rental RV? I think maybe they need some kind of test before you can rent one to prove that you remember how tall it is.
• During The Decemberists, someone yelled, "Look at the hill!" So everyone nearby, turned and looked, then passed the message on. Suddenly the whole audience was watching a couple up on the hill (outside the fence of the amphitheater) making out, then taking off clothes, and then having sex on the hill. I suppose it's sort of ideal for some people. Good live music. Beautiful view of the Gorge. Sunset. Makes sense. Of course, they also had an audience-full of people watching and taking pictures. A few moments later security interrupted them, clothes were put back on, and then they left. Oh. The Decemberists were playing their new album. Aptly named, "The Hazards of Love."
• Shows that I saw:

1. Blind Pilot: beautiful as usual.
2. Passion Pit: much better on the EP and album than live, but still danceable, which is sort of my criteria for that kind of show.
3. Animal Collective: I shouldn't really say that I saw this, as I chose to lay in the grass while this was going on. It seemed a little boring, and reports from friends seemed to confirm.
4. The Decemberists: I mentioned this show already, but the standout of this was Becky Stark. Not because she has an amazing voice. Sure, it's nice. But she wore this flowy green dress and did ridiculously silly dances. It could have been entertaining, except I think she was serious about it. So...not ridiculous? But still ridiculous. So, just sort of uncomfortable and awkward...
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I love their new album so much that I was bound to enjoy this show. Other than the guy in front of me who kept leaning back and the drunk guy next to me who kept wanting to rub shoulders with me (I would move back to avoid contact. He would move back. I move up. He moves up....), it was great. Karen O is just really great to watch.
6. Kings of Leon: I do not like their music. I did not like the show. But others did. My camp neighbor called it the best concert ever, so I guess it was good for some people.
7. The Walkmen: I am not a huge fan of their music. I don't NOT like it. It just don't love it. I felt exactly the same about their show.
8. Calexico: I wasn't really paying attention during this - it was another lay-in-the-grass show...
9. St. Vincent: sort of boring...but ok.
10. TV on the Radio: Better than when I saw them last September. I think the combination of the better venue and more of their stuff off of Dear Science contributed to that fact. A friend decided that Kyp Malone, the vocalist with the beard, needed to come out of his shell a little, and that would improve their show. I really like Tunde Adebimpe, so maybe that makes up for anything lacking by other band members.
11. M83: I like their music on their albums, but I don't listen to it all that much. This show, though, was great. Everyone was dancing, and it had a really full, great sound. These two guys in their 50s were standing in front of me at one point talking about shows they had seen so far and which ones were their favorites. One of them said M83 was their favorite so far, and I do agree that they were pretty great.
12. Of Montreal: I already commented on this. Best show of the weekend for me...
13. Jane's Addiction: Oh man, Perry Farrell. He is one of the crudest people I have ever seen. He could not stop talking about cocks and sex and drugs and alcohol. I guess that fit with his personality, but shit... At one point he suggested that everyone go back to their tents after the show and go to their neighbor's tent and "get out your cocks and look at them." That was somehow his segway into a midget joke about fisting, which was equally disturbing. I just wanted to hear Been Caught Stealing, Jane Says, and Summertime Rolls. I heard the first one plus a bunch of crap.
14. Lock Lomond: Fun and quiet and cute and nice.
15. Deerhoof: I do not like their music. But at one point she put on a tiger head and jumped oddly up and down. And I was thoroughly entertained.
16. Grizzly Bear: Nice. Nothing that blew me away, but it was good. I think I would like them better at a smaller venue.
17. Horse Feathers: Quiet, but good.
18. School of Seven Bells: Pretty true to recorded version - sound quality was poor, but they were good. Also, they are beautiful people...
19. Gogol Bordello: I do not listen to their music ever, but this concert was tons of fun. Everyone in the crowd was dancing - and we were, too.
20. Fleet Foxes: Similar to Grizzly Bear, I enjoyed them, but would probably like them better in a small venue.
21. Beach House: Terrible sound made for not good show - completely not their fault, though.
22. Girl Talk: I already talked about this one...but it was a great way to end the weekend - with just tons of dancing.

Overheard at the Student Union

There was some sort of middle school field trip at the university yesterday, as evidenced by the hoards of smaller humans all over the food court at the student union. As I was getting cash from the ATM, I heard this from one of the small ones: "Dude, I got a water, a bag of chips, and a giant cookie for lunch. This place is awesome! It's like paradise!"

And we wonder why we have an obesity problem?

My Liberal Self

This is a quick "grr" moment. Apparently the House Republicans have introduced a bill to Congress called, "Keep Terrorists Out of America Act." It basically says that any detainee being held for terrorism could not be transported to a US state without the approval of the state's governor and legislature. I get it. I understand their point. But it also bothers me how selfish we are. Plus I have another nit-picky complaint about it.

I'll start with the nit-picker: America is more than just the United States. America could be all of North America. It could be North PLUS South America. It could mean Central America. So the name itself is a total misnomer... It should also say "terrorist detainees" rather than just "terrorists" because even if the bill passes, it would not ensure that terrorists would not enter "America."

Now for the selfish part. Why is it so wrong for terrorists to be held in our own country? Let's turn this around for a minute. Let's imagine that Cuba is fighting terrorism. They have a little spot of land in our country. They use it to keep those they decide are the worst of the worst. How would we feel to have (1) terrorists and (2) detainees not even captured by us held on land that is right by the rest of our country? Why is it ok for them to be there, but not here? Fear of escape? Maybe in Cuba, they aren't as likely to get into trouble, but if they escape in the US, they could kill people? It just seems highly unrealistic. The bottom line is that they have to stay somewhere, so why try to put them off on some other country? Why not develop a humane, but secure system to deal with terrorist detainees - and if it's truly secure, then why does it matter if it's in, like, rural Montana or something. How is that worse than keeping it on the island of Cuba? Sure worse for us versus worse for Cubans - but are we seriously that selfish?

Things I learned in Vegas

1. If you go to a show on a Wednesday night at 10:30pm, chances are good that it will be a low-selling show, making them close down the balcony (where the cheapest seats are), and thus upgrading everyone with cheap tickets to the most expensive seats. When you get a student discount on top of the cheap ticket with low-sell upgrade, you end up with seats that you paid less than half price for...

2. At clubs, groups of guys will pay $100s of dollars for a table reservation with bottle service, while groups of girls will get in for free. I know this is not really news to most people, but I had never witnessed it with my own eyes before. Also note that when the groups of girls are not attractive, they do not get the special treatment of quick lines and free cover, even when they have big boobs and wear low-cut dresses.

3. As classy as some casinos try to be, they are only as classy as their clientele, and seriously...there are some majorly unclassy people in Vegas. I saw more douche-bag looking guys walking down the strip than I have seen in, perhaps my whole life. It was sort of amazing.

4. If you aren't paying attention, you could end up with someone else's room key. Was someone trying to hit on my friend Matt by slipping him their key? How would he know which room to go to? Was this their only key and they spent the night drunkenly attempting to talk the front desk into issuing them a new one?

5. In less than 48 hours you can: see a show, go to the pool for 5 hours, see lions (not to be confused with sea lions), eat fancy dinner, go to a ridiculous club, walk the strip and see flashy casinos, ride on a roller coaster, see the water show at Bellagio, and probably more things that I cannot quite recall. Why would anyone need to stay there longer?

Flu

I kind of feel like the flu is becoming the boy who cried wolf. I mean, bird flu, swine flu, SARS... I read today that the regular old flu we get regularly kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. Hundreds of people per week in the US. It's transferred the same way as these fancy-named-flus (i.e., it's airborne), so what's the big deal?

Maybe swine flu is a bigger deal than I'm making it out to be in my head, but maybe that is my point. If swine flu IS a big deal, they've already blown it by making those other airborne illnesses into big scary things that never actually do much. So I just sort of assume this is everyone overreacting. If a "state of emergency" is the only way to ship medicine to people, fine. I also think making people more aware of symptoms and getting checked out by a doctor when it could be bad is a good thing. But do they really have to do it in such a way that people think it's the black plague that is going to result in human extinction? Cause my assumption based on the past few years worth of info about "flu outbreaks" suggests that it's not.

Disclaimer: I could possibly just be grumpy that my trip to Cancun was cancelled due to people's fears about swine flu...

Music

Maybe this is easier one at a time... Basically, I've been working with my iTunes on shuffle. Songs catch my attention for two reasons: I think, "oh wow, I love this" or of course, "oh wow, next song please..." So yesterday it was Starfucker with the former thought. Today it is The Thermals with the latter.

• The Thermals - Now We Can See: People seem to love this band. A friend of mine couldn't wait to get his hands on this new album. So when it showed up in the radio station, I figured I should give it a shot. Then I remembered the time this same friend talked me into seeing them live when they were in town. On both occasions I was sorely disappointed. I think my problem is this: Wikipedia's entry on the band calls them "indie/alternative/post-pop-punk rock band." I like indie. I like alternative. Whatever post-pop-punk is...I am pretty sure I hate. It sounds like whiny ska/punk, on the verge of Blink 182 for some reason. I'm sure people will disagree with that statement, especially since they have such a strong following, but man...I haven't made it through a single song yet.

Music

If your hands are on the wrong keys, "music" comes out like "nysuc." And after that random piece of information - this is going to be a short music entry. I have a bunch of stuff I've been listening to that I could talk about, but not a lot of time. This album, though, is too good to not mention.

• Starfucker - Jupiter: I loved their album from last year. I love that they are still small enough that they are playing my campus radio station's birthday party this year. This album has a cover of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" that just makes me smile. It's a perfect mix of electronic and good vocals and energy and the occasional hand-clap. I could give some standout tracks, but I really like all of them. It's in stores in May - but you can get it online now.

This made me cry

So maybe this just reveals that I am quick to get teary eyed, but I was seriously choked up watching this clip of Britain's Got Talent. This 47-year-old overweight woman with no make-up and an "old lady" haircut was expected to be laughed off the stage, but instead everyone was in awe. It probably didn't help my attempts to remain composed that she chose to sing one of the biggest tear-jerker songs from Les Miserables. But for me, the kicker is this - this woman that everyone in the audience wanted to ridicule purely based on her appearance is actually appreciating her talent for what it is - and not demanding the size 0 body to go with it. At least so far. I really hope they don't try to pile on the make-up and hair products to push her into whatever we have decided is an appropriate look for a performer. I hope we can really just appreciate someone's voice without attempts at making it fit our definition of beauty.

Kayak Across the Pacific Ocean

Apparently I can kayak from NW Washington to Honolulu in just over 14 days. Seriously. Google said so. Granted, I'm not sure that Google knows my physical capabilities or my skill level at kayaking on the open sea - or in any water, for that matter. Does that time estimate take into account navigation errors that will almost definitely occur when there are no points of reference to use for navigation purposes? Does my kayak come with GPS? And what if I would rather go via canoe? How does that change the time estimate?

This is all because we wanted to know how many miles it was to Honolulu from Eugene, and Google Maps told us. Via kayak. Also, you cannot kayak directly from Oregon. You must first drive to Washington. Out of curiosity, I checked the directions from LA. I mean, maybe I will want to go to Honolulu from LA... Still takes me through Washington.... So if I'm gonna do this, I should probably do it soon. Before I move. Otherwise, that's kind of a long drive.

I'm such a sucker...

I got a brochure in the mail today for the Bark in the Park 5K run benefiting the local Humane Society. I am not a runner. But my dog is. And I'm not NOT a runner. I play ultimate frisbee. I'm in shape. I dance. I occasionally do gym-related things. I hike. I walk a lot. I ride my bike. And 5K is really not that far.

And so after thinking it over for maybe 2 whole minutes. I logged online and signed us up. Ava and I will be running the 5K on May 17th. If you want to make a pledge to support us, you can: http://greenhill.dojiggy.com/cbohon

Here is one thing I noticed while registering, though. Why do these sorts of things never have shirts that fit women? There is the adult sizing - and you can get S, M, L, or XL. You could also get child sizes: S, M, or L. "Adults sizes" however always mean "Men's sizes" not really adult. So a size small in mens ends up awkwardly large for me. I end up sleeping in them or just giving them to Goodwill. So this time, I tried a child's size large. I would feel a bit safer if they had offered an XL, but of course, if they offered child XL, why wouldn't they just offer an adult XS? Either one would be superior to the current offerings. But no. According to all big organized events, people are just sized as adults (read: men). So much for equal opportunity between the sexes. I can't get a shirt that fits me properly...

Music

I'm at a weird stand-still with my dissertation, where I'm waiting for a response from my advisor who is currently in New Zealand, so I figured I would use this rare free time to update the blog.

So music I am currently listening to (bolded items I like more than the others - there are a lot of bolded items in this list - and not being bolded does not, in this case, mean I hated it, although I might...):

• Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free: I really like this album. Well, all except for the song "MBF." What the heck is that? I skip it every time, after first cringing in pain. The rest is great. I love the song "River."
• Azeda Booth - Tubtrek EP: This is a free EP available online. It's pretty good - sounds like usual Azeda Booth, so fans won't be disappointed.
• Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains: Pitchfork loved this. I have no idea why. I am close to deleting it cause if I have iTunes on shuffle it hurts my ears. Actually, I take that back. The songs actually trick me - and some start out beautiful and then take painful turns in the middle. It's a love/hate relationship, I suppose.
• Death Cab for Cutie - Open Doors EP: This is stuff that apparently didn't make the cut for their last full length album, Narrow Stairs. I was totally bored by that album, so I wasn't expecting much from this EP. Bottom line? They should have used this stuff instead. I like the EP much better than the full length.
• The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love: This is supposed to be a musical/play/opera sort of thing, with different vocalists playing different characters. Some parts are nice, but the refrain where they sing "The hazards of love" gets old after a while and just feels a little over-dramatic.
• Fever Ray - S/T: This is the woman from The Knife. Its pretty electronic and her voice has been manipulated a bit, but I still like it. If you like The Knife, you'll probably like it. If you only liked "Heartbeats" by The Knife, you may or may not like this.
• Fol Chen - Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made: I haven't heard this album enough to really have a full opinion, but I love the song, "Please, John, You're Killing Me."
• Jonathan Johansson - En Hand i Himlen: This guy is Swedish, which almost always means good things for me. He does a version of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" in Swedish. It is fabulous. The other music is nice, too. Pretty vocals over slightly 80s style synths.
• The Leisure Society - The Sleeper: Sometimes this bores me. Other times, I think it's great. Not sure what that means, except maybe I'm moody? I don't really feel moody, so it probably means that this is one of those bands who puts out decent stuff, but maybe doesn't have long-lasting stay-power. At least to stay in my most-listened-to-albums...
• Metric - Fantasies: I need to give this more listens, but there are a few standout, good songs on it so far, like "Help, I'm Alive" and "Sick Muse."
• Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: This is great, but I have liked Phoenix for a while now. This is nothing new or unusual, so if you like old Phoenix, you will probably like this, and vice versa.
• Psapp - The Camel's Back: Not as good as their last release, but it has been growing on me. Standout tracks: "The Monster Song" and "Fickle Ghost."
• Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years: Good mix of stuff on this album. "Inaugural Trams" comes complete with a German rap by one of the Franz Ferdinand guys.
• Venice is Sinking - Azar: Pretty dream pop. Which I'm usually a sucker for. I would probably put it in the same category as The Leisure Society, though, in that I'll probably listen for a while, then forget about them later on. Or perhaps they will surprise me. My favorite track is "Wetlands Dancehall."
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!: Old Yeah Yeah Yeahs was hit-or-miss for me. I loved "Gold Lion" and "Maps," but the other songs were only so-so. This album, though, is great. I've listened straight through quite a few times without need to skip, which is saying something for me, as I have little patience for annoying or boring songs.

Market Surveys

I just got a phone call from Victoria's Secret. They want me to test a new bra. I get to keep it, and they will call me in 2 weeks to get my opinion about it. Weird part: they knew my bra size before I told them. Why I'm ok with that: I get a free bra...

Quick Love/Hate List

Things to love about LA:

• Death Cab playing with the LA Philharmonic, with Tegan & Sara and The New Pornographers opening
• This. I realize it defies the "Sunny California" stereotype, but it's pretty dramatically stunning. The ominous cloud and the color of the ocean...
  
• This. The sky. The building. The grounds.

Things to hate about LA:

• This. This is a time-lapse video taken by my friend Ida from the back seat of my car. We were on I-5 in LA. (Note: the original version is much longer than 2 seconds - something happened to it when Ida sent it to me via email)

Things to love about Eugene:

• This. Cardboard signs plastered around someone's yard saying things like, "To Pay Day" "To Keeping it Weird" "To Being Spontaneous"
  
  

Things to hate about Eugene:

• This. Yes, this is the same photo. That was not an error. Sometimes the quirkiness is entertaining and creative. Sometimes it gets old. Is weird still weird when everyone does it?

BO

You know how when you are in a smoke-filled room, you smell like smoke when you leave? When you used to be able to smoke in bars, I remember waking up and the smoke had transferred from my hair to my pillow and then my pillow smelled like smoke. And I have never been a smoker...

Well, apparently this same phenomenon can occur with BO. I spent a few hours today in a local coffee shop. There are many hippies and homeless people in this coffee shop on a regular basis, so the stench of BO can sometimes be quite high. I have noticed this on a regular basis, but today, it was the worst it had been in a long time. And the worst part? When I left...I still had the BO smell on me. Just like the smokey bar smell that lingers after you leave.

Honestly? I prefer the smoke...

In a relationship - with Penske?

"You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Penske."

This was the first line of an email soliciting boxes to pack for my upcoming move. I rented a truck from Penske, and I suppose this suggests that Penske and I are in a relationship of sorts. Sure, the definition of "relationship" is quite broad, and so the email is, in fact, speaking the truth. However, it just sounds awkward. Perhaps in the days of Facebook, with daily reports of friends' and acquaintances' relationship changes, it is an automatic association to initially think "romantic relationship" when I hear about anyone being in a "relationship with..."

What is even more "Facebook-ish" about the email was that it asked me to confirm my interest in these emails, similar to Facebook's emails asking you to confirm a relationship status or friend request.

I didn't realize that reserving a truck to move to LA held so much meaning...

I'm bad at this

So last summer when I started this blog, it was because I had all of these random things to get out of my system and no one to tell them to. I'm not sure what changed - whether my friends are just being inundated with my random stories or whether I just don't have as many anymore. My life is taking a more "concrete" turn lately, with internship interviews last January, planning for my move in June, and finishing that one last major requirement for grad school called a dissertation. So perhaps that has squashed my randomness? Who knows. I would write more about music, but that seems like it is coming at me at such a fast past lately, that I barely have time to collect my thoughts on particular albums, much less write anything more than "like it" or "hate it." And I'm sure I'd get some random internet commenter hating me for not giving it a shot or not exploring it more in depth.

I also realize that the less often I write, the less people will actually come back and read this site. Regardless, I guess this intermittent writing may continue. Perhaps after I move to LA and have fewer friends to share my random tidbits with, I will have more need to write them here. Who knows.

And to end this post...my dog just farted. It is pretty gross.

Deodorant

Sometimes I can't remember if I put on deodorant in the morning.

Music

More new music. This time almost all of it is good. Some better than others, which I actually think hurt my opinion of things that I would have otherwise been excited about. As always, I might go back and edit this post as I listen to things more.

• The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not the Future: Pretty and nice. At times beautiful. That's about all the commentary that is needed.
• Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project: I saw some of this performed live at the Broken Social Scene concert last week. It's an interesting concept album where he recorded people talking and then created melody out of the cadence of their speech. Some of them turn out pretty nice.
• Coconut Records - Davy: I haven't listened enough yet to say much about this. Check back later for more - although I expect to like it since I have liked pretty much anything that Jason Schwartzman has ever done.
• Great Northern - Remind Me Where The Light Is: This album isn't released until April 21st, but it is fabulous. Full instrumental (mostly guitar-driven) backing sweeping female vocals (with some male vocals thrown in). I think this is much stronger than their past releases.
• Handsome Furs - Face Control: Nice follow-up to the last album. Still like the old one better, but this one may grow on me. I think the last one did.
• Loney, Dear - Dear John: This is another one where this release feels stronger than the last one. Harsh Words is probably my favorite on the album, although this is totally subject to change.
• Nickel Eye - The Time of the Assassins: This is the solo release from the Strokes bassist. I kind of feel like he should stick to his work in The Strokes. I was hopeful for the track where Regina Spektor guests, but her piano pieces was brief and not accompanied by vocals. I thought his Leonard Cohen cover (last track) was decent, but probably just because I love Leonard Cohen.
• Say Hi - Oohs and Aahs: Pretty good album. I would probably love it more if I hadn't heard it at the same time as all of this other wonderful music.

More Music

Since I was travelling during January, I did not get much music.  So I'm playing catch-up.  Here is the list so far:

• A.C. Newman - Get Guilty: reminds me a lot of The New Pornographers stuff, but that is a good thing to me.
• Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion: soooo good.  I totally agree with the high rating Pitchfork gave this.  Sure maybe that's because it's poppy and approachable - moreso than their old albums, but I still love it.
• Antony & the Johnsons - The Crying Light: Similar vein as the last EP with orchestral backgrounds.  I like it, but I think Antony is just one of those love/hate sorts of things.  You either like his music or you don't.
• Beirut - 2 EPs: great stuff, including a single I had heard from an issue of Believer
• Bishop Allen - Grrr...: Nothing stands out so far, but it's enjoyable.
• Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP: really good, as usual
• Chairlift - Does You Inspire You: I loved Bruises from the iPod commercial.  The rest of the album is mediocre.  Good.  Enjoyable.  But nothing that blows me away.
• Dark Was The Night: I just wrote a post about it, so I think you know where I stand
• Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care: Not quite as good on first listen as their last album, but still good.  And could definitely improve on further listens, as albums often do.
• Matt & Kim - Grand: eh....I'll probably delete it.  It's not bad.  Just boring.
• Now Now Little Children - Cars: Reminds me of Land of Talk.  Nice female vocals.

Things I will listen to soon and update on:

• Guilt By Association - Volume 2
• Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

Dark was the Night

Good cause

Good price ($13.99 on Amazon for a double-disc CD - 31 awesome songs for $13.99!)

Great music (31+ great great artists)

Red Hot Organization has been in my awareness since the Red Hot + Blue album came out in 1990.  That album was fabulous and the liner notes were extensive and a great read (one booklet about Cole Porter's life and one about AIDS).  Plus lyrics and all that great stuff.  I actually think I cited it for a report on AIDS when I was in high school.

Well, the most recent release, Dark was the Night, comes out on February 17th.  I've had the opportunity to hear an advance copy, and it is amazing.  So fabulous.  The advance copy was provided free of charge, but I want to know if this will come with great info in the liner notes, so I will likely pick up a copy of the CD as well.  Plus, it benefits the Red Hot Organization, providing awareness about HIV and AIDS.  

I feel like AIDS had its media peak in the 80s and 90s and then was sort of abandoned.  It's still out there, folks.  People still contract it on a daily basis.  Some of them are people you may know and love.  There is still a huge stigma associated with it, too, which makes it harder for people to be open and honest about their status.  This needs to change.

Theft

A number of things have been going through my mind since I learned yesterday that someone had broken into my home.  It started with the anger about how the thief will likely erase/ditch the digital photos on my laptop that she stole, yet I care more about those than the laptop itself.  In fact, most of my thoughts have been about the sentimental and personal loss rather than the money.  The most current one is pretty ridiculous in the grand scheme of things, but it's there.  I have had the same checking account since I was 16 years old.  The bank I bank with had been open not too long, so my bank account was this simple 6 digit number.  Six easy numbers to remember in a pattern that was so nice and just flowed well.  Today I had to close that account and open a new one because of the loss of checkbooks that contain account information.  The new account number is this ridiculously long number that is nearly impossible to memorize.  And that criminal stole that from me.  She probably never even realized that she was taking an easy to remember account number from me.

Note: I say "she" because the thief came through a very small window.  So unless we had child burglars, I feel fairly certain there was at least one female involved.  That and the fact that I have make-up missing (new in the box make-up, not used make-up).

Ugh, I'm exhausted.  More than physical loss of stuff, this has taken a toll on my ability to rest well.  Four hours last night.  I'm hoping for a bit more tonight.

At Last

I have been taking the last couple of days, away from the internet, to sort through my thoughts from last Tuesday.  I was going to narrate my experience of going to DC to witness Obama take the oath of office, and I will still do that, but I also feel the need to comment on the emotion that came with it.  Today, rejoining the internet world, I caught up on blogs I typically read daily.  Many of them had Obama-related posts from Tuesday and Wednesday.  And each one made me choke up with emotion yet again.  Each one filled with hope and excitement.  Each one, even the ones with a bit of reservation and nervousness for the size of the shoes we are expecting Obama to fill, maintained at least a piece of hope and joy.  I watched video of Barack and Michelle dancing to Beyonce sing "At Last" and found myself choked up yet again.  Something as simple as two people dancing to a song - and I was choked up.  That is why I have hope.  For this to create so much emotion in so many people means there is potential for change.  When Obama calls on the country to sacrifice and to work for each other and to support each other - when he points out that we are the ones who can make this change happen - when he directs attention to what we have already accomplished, electing a person of color into the highest office in our country (and some might say world) - it's that emotion that makes it possible.

And so then I go back to Tuesday morning...no, to Monday evening.  I was on a bus from Philadelphia to DC with 50-some odd people also making their way to our nation's capital to witness history.  Three women from Africa, two men from Eastern Europe, one man talking on the phone about the Kennedy's and whether Jeb Bush will run for Senate, an African-American woman and her granddaughter, and the woman sitting next to me: a woman wearing layers and layers of clothes to keep warm, but with her Obama t-shirt worn on top of all of them, and a hat that said, "I *heart* Jesus."  She told me that she wasn't sure what her plans were once she got to DC, but she was going on faith that she was meant to be there and see Barack Obama become our nation's president.  She also showed us the sequined gown she was bringing in case she went to a ball.  These people took time out of their work-week to go and be a part of the inauguration.  Just as Obama would talk the next day about a sort of call to action, they were already taking action of some sort in order to witness history.  They were ecstatic and the bus was filled with this excitement.

The excitement continued the next day.  My friend Ryan and I left the apartment at 6:30am in order to get through security checkpoints.  We walked to avoid the packed Metro stations, and then waited for 2 hours at 7th and E to go through security.  Everyone around us was jovial and laughing, despite being crammed with little space and no apparent movement.  I did not see anyone angry or upset.  These people woke up early and waited in the cold crowds for hours and could not be happier about it.  People were shivering, fingers and toes frozen, but everyone was smiling - some were singing.  After a couple of hours, we were told that a water main had broken, so we could not enter through that checkpoint and were redirected down the street.  Again, people were friendly and simply made their way through the crowds.  This diverse crowd of mixed race, age, SES - all waiting happily through discomfort was yet more evidence of what this day meant to people.  Obama talked about equality and unity in his inaugural address, and as cheesy as it sounds, I felt that in the crowd.

One difference between Obama and past presidents is the degree to which he has become a brand.  On one level it is disturbing, since I would like him to be notable for making great political change, but on another level, it is further evidence of what he signifies to people.  He gives people hope, and they want to cherish that....by buying crap with his name on it.  Ryan and I started giggling when we heard "Obama air fresheners" as we were walking down the street.  What do they smell like?  "Smells like change" so said a vendor.  We promptly bought two.  They actually smell like Jasmine.  Apparently someone was selling binoculars and calling them "Barackulars."  Obama was certainly stimulating the economy of the street vendors on Tuesday.

One t-shirt on the inauguration website store reads, "I *heart* my president."  That is what kept coming up for me during the inaugural address.  I actually like my president.  I look at him with his family and feel good.  During the address, I was motivated to actually do something to help change happen, to help the economy, to help make equality and unity happen.  And I don't think I was the only one.  Eyes were wet with tears throughout the room where I watched the address (within the security perimeter at 601 Pennsylvania Ave.).  The cheers in the room throughout and again when his car went down the street in front of the building just added to the excitement.  

I have spent the last three weeks in Chicago, NYC, San Diego, LA, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, DC, and as of today, Pittsburgh - a handful the biggest cities of our nation.  And somehow seeing the inauguration of our president was a great way to bridge all of this chaotic traveling.  No matter where I am or have been, this excitement is there.  This idea of unity and equality sort of bridges my travels.  People across the country are excited and hopeful, and excited and hopeful people are motivated.  If people believe their efforts will do something, they're more likely to do it.  I am hoping that Obama can capitalize on the feeling and emotion that was present among the millions of people in DC and watching from afar.  I'm not going to assume that huge changes are going to happen soon, but the potential is here.  The hope is definitely here.  At last.

Pacific Beach

Ever wondered how the shower turns on when you pull up the little thing on the tub faucet? I hadn't either, but I know now. Thursday morning, I woke up at 6am in order to shower and leave my hotel in Pacific Beach to get to an interview at the San Diego VA hospital. I turned on the water, and everything was fine. I went to pull up on the lever to turn on the shower, and apparently this just blocks the faucet to force the water backwards, up to the shower head. However, when the tub faucet is not securely connected to the wall, the forced water instead just shoots the faucet across the tub. This is what happened to me. I reattached the faucet again, and the same thing happened.

So I called the front desk, explained the situation. Remember that is is 6am. The front desk man informed me that maintenance comes at 8am, so could I just wait until then to shower. I think to myself, "who wakes up to shower at 6am, if they could really be sleeping until 8?" Um, no, actually, I can't wait until 8am to shower. I have to leave by 7am. So he ended up giving me the key to another (much nicer) room.

On the good side, I did wake up to ocean sounds and this view.

Best of 2008 - Music/Tracks

Some people do best album lists.  I do best track lists.  I think it's probably because the list ends up as a radio show and mix-CD, so I can't really do full albums.  And probably because there is always that boring song on an album that makes me feel weird about making it one of the "best" of the year.  But tracks - that is totally doable.  So here is my best tracks of 2008, in alphabetical order by artist.

Alias - Well Water Black (Featuring Why?)

Beach House - Heart of Chambers

Beck - Gamma Ray

Blind Pilot - Poor Boy

Bon Iver - Skinny Love

Department of Eagles - No One Does it Like You

Girl Talk - No Pause

Horse Feathers - Albina

Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone

M83 - You, Appearing

Margot & The Nuclear So-and-Sos - Broadripple is Burning

Mates of State - Get Better

MGMT - The Youth

of Montreal - Wicked Wisdom

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise

Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook

Thao With the Get Down Stay Down - Bag of Hammers

TV on the Radio - Family Tree

Why? - The Vowels Pt. 2