At this moment...
12.29.06:
12.27.06:
It rained all day yesterday, so I stayed in and read Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. It was a surprisingly quick read. I've always wanted to read something by Palahniuk, and since Fight Club wasn't available, Survivor looked to be a good read. It was good, but not great, maybe three out of five stars. It kept me reading all day, so that must account for something. In a way his style reminds me of Vonnegut. Not exactly the same, but similar. Vonnegut is a bit more pessimistic and cynical. I think Survivor lacked subtlety, which is a characteristic I tend to look for in satire. Over-the-top is good, but Survivor was a bit too over-the-top at times. I still want to check out Fight Club.
There's always been talk of the B&B being haunted. I don't really believe in ghosts, so I'm not inclined to think that one actually inhabits this old house. However, last night, before going to bed, I pulled down the three shades that overlook the ocean. This morning, when I awoke, the middle shade was open halfway. Not sure how that happened, but it's odd.
Boothbay at dusk...
12.25.06:
Merry Christmas! Just returned from a five and a half mile run. As I was returning the sun was setting and I could hear a fog horn in the distance. Spent Christmas Eve at church and then cooking soy glazed tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes and a carrort, ginger, shallots, and sake puree. It's nice to be home for Christmas.
Moped Man: Home for the Holidays
12.23.06:
It's raining today. Here are some photos from Thursday...
Listening to:
K1 - The Kingdom (I can't make heads or tails of this album, and that's what makes it so amazing. Clocking in at a mere 25 minutes, K1 is a concept album about something that I can't quite figure out. Equal parts Guided By Voices, The Fine Young Cannibals, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Highly recommended!!!)
Song:
Baby's Got New Plans - Alejandro Escovedo
12.19.06:
12.17.06:
Woke early and went for an eight mile run. Leaving for Maine next week and I want to be prepared for the hills of Camden. Before heading out for my run I added The Unforgettable Fire and Achtung Baby to my iPod. It's been years since I listened to either of those albums. Both are timeless pieces of art. I gave up on U2 a long time ago, but a few weeks back I heard All I Want is You and kind of got all nostalgic and sad (plus, it's a killer song). Last night, as I was flipping through my CDs I came across U2 and almost listened to The Unforgettable Fire, but waited until this morning. It really is a brilliant album. So many bands, like Bloc Party, are indebted to the sounds that U2 and Brian Eno made when they were creating The Unforgettable Fire. My favorite track would have to be Elvis Presley and America. Nothing sounded like that song in 1985 and nothing sounds like it today. It's a piece of rambling beauty, and probably captures the essence of America. Achtung Baby is quite good, but I could do without Even Better Than the Real Thing and Mysterious Ways, two of my least favorite songs by U2. I didn't like either of those songs when Achtung Baby was released. However, in the context of the album they make sense. Now if only they'd remix and remaster Joshua Tree...
12.16.06:
Yesterday kk gave me an absolutely awsome mix CD. Best cover art ever (A painting of Ted Nugent)! kk makes some of the best mix CDs. This one might become my all-time-favorite kk mix. I love the juxtaposition of Bette Middler's I Know You By Heart followed by the synthetic bleeps of Silver Apples of the Moon Part 1. Highlights include Cat Scratch Fever, Breaking the Law, Xanadu and (Don't Fear) the Reaper. Nugent's lyrics are poetry:
Well I make a pussy purr
With the stroke of my hand
They know they're gettin' it from me
And they know just where to go
When they need their lovin' man
They know I'm doin' it for free
I just about died of laughter when Greatest American Hero started playing. Thanks.
12.13.06:
I guess this would be more apropos if it was really Friday morning, but then again, maybe it's more wishful thinking...
It’s 1 o’clock on a Friday morning,
I’m trying to keep my back from the wall.
The prophets and their pawns have had another success
And I’m wondering why we bother at all.
And I think of you on cold winter mornings, darling
They remind me of when we were in school,
Nothing really mattered when you called out my name
In fact nothing really mattered at all
And I think about how long it will take them to blow us away
But I won’t get me down!
I’m just thankful to be facing the day.
Cause days don’t get you far when you’re young.
It’s 5 o’ clock on a Friday morning
One hundred telephones shake and ring
One of those was someone who knew you
And I’ll still think of you on cold winter mornings, darling
They’ll still remind me of when we were in school
When they could never have persuaded me,
That lives like yours, were in the hands of these erroneous fools
And to those of you who mourn your lives through one day to the next
Well let them take you next!
Can’t you live and be thankful you’re here?
See - it could be you, tomorrow, next year.
-- Trains to Brazil, The Guillemots
The thing that's so special about The Guillemots is their ability to capture joy. Very few bands are able to find joy and turn it into music. The Guillemots' debut album Through The Window Pane is one of the best releases of 2006 and well worth tracking down (available only as an import yet worth the price).
The new headlamp I wear while running seems to be helping. Not only are people paying more attention to me, they also seem to give me the right a way. Best $30 I've spent in months.
12.11.06:
From a recent Illinois Entertainer review:
Zerostars spike the power pop songs on The Good Can't Escape with silly tales and stream-of-consciousness lyrics. The catchy "Dad's Dress" is particularly notable for its Fountains Of Wayne-style offbeat humor and the band also excels on the guitar-driven "No Souvenir" and "Like Lovers Do." The acoustic "Smoking In Bed" presents Zerostars in a lighter, though no-less-warped, setting.
I haven't listened to Dad's Dress in a while, but it is catchy as hell.
12.10.06:
Woke early for a seven mile run. It was the perfect prescription to the lethargy of Saturday. I felt like I could have easily run 10 miles, but I'll wait a few weeks, or maybe even until after the 1st of the new year.
Thank you kk for the wonderful dinner on Friday night. We just need to get some additional instruments at your place, like an acoustic guitar. Good times.
Tonight I'm making calzones for dinner. I used to make them all the time, but then I stopped. They smell delicious.
12.07.06:
Another five mile run after work. Felt great, but it was kind of cold, or at least my toes were. Earlier in the day I bought a headlamp to wear when I run at night. Along with the bright yellow vest that I wear, bright yellwo reflector long sleeve shirt, and two red blinking lights, there's no excuse for drivers not to see me. If I could run on the sidewalk I would, but with all the snow and ice I'm forced to run in the street. Oh well, I'm pretty certain people could see me tonight.
Today, in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. It's a day we should never forget.
Listening to :
Set Yourself on Fire - Stars
12.06.06:
Went for a five mile run after work. I needed to run. Once again, I didn't want to stop running. Christmas lights were lit and the streets were all aglow and beautiful. I passed by one house with a nativity scene on the front lawn. It was a gentle reminder that Christmas means more than shopping malls and expensive gifts.
After my run I brewed a pot of chamomile tea. Yesterday I found some honey with star anise. Really amazing stuff, and a perfect compliment to the tea.
Listening to:
Songs for a Dead Pilot - Low
12.05.06:
I woke this morning to no heat. It was cold. The heat appears to kind of work, but something still isn't functioning correctly. Looks like a night with the down comforter and the space heater. I suppose I'm not ready for the Winter. Is anybody ever really ready for the Winter? Soon enough Spring will be upon us. And another year will pass. Another year always seems to pass.
Song(s):
Makes No Difference - The Band
Standing on the Standing Stone - Nick Castro & The Young Elders
The Greatest - Cat Power
12.04.06:
"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be." - J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
12.03.06:
First, the Scottish store in Summit, Illinois, doesn't sell Scottish wool blankets, so don't believe the guy on the telephone if he tells you they carry everything Scottish. However, if you're looking for a kilt, this is the place for you. Also, what's with stores in the southern suburbs being owned by cigarette smoking weirdoes? First the accordion store, now the Scottish store.
Second, thanks to all who came out to see Zerostars play Borders in LaGrange. Since we lack a drummer these acoustic shows seem to make sense.
Anyone else think The Ballad of El Goodo is one of the greatest songs ever written? Daisy Glaze is pretty damn amazing as well. It's a Big Star kind of day.
Went for a four mile run (maybe it was a bit more than four miles). It feels great to be back out running. I felt like I could have easily run a few more miles, but decided not to push myself. The last thing I want to do is re-injure my left achilles tendon.
Listening to:
Planet BAD Greatest Hits - Big Audio Dynamite
#1 Record / Radio City - Big Star
Third-Sister Lovers - Big Star (Holocaust is brutal and Blue Moon kills.)
12.01.06:
Update! -- I went for a 3 mile run. I love running in the snow, especially the first snow of the year. I was able to use my special snow/ice cleats that slip onto my shoes. The first quarter of a mile was tough as I was running in about twelve inches of snow. Eventually I moved to the street and from there on out things were okay. My lung capacity is crap, but it's been three weeks since I ran, but my left achilles felt pretty okay. It was really quite pretty outside...
Snow Day! Wow, who would have thought a snowstorm would shut down Allstate? Then again, maybe since I work for an insurance company they decided that fewer cars on the road was a good thing (safety first). Either way, it's 7:30 AM, and I don't have to drive into work. How can I waste the day? Maybe I'll go for a run, or a walk. At some point I need to get out and buy a parking sticker for my car. Maybe I'll practice for our acoustic show tomorrow. Which reminds me, Zerostars play at the LaGrange Borders at 8:00 PM on December 2, 2006 (tomorrow).
Have I mentioned how much I can't stand Starbucks? Time to throw the beans out. This stuff is just horrible, like drinking dirty and tasteless hot water. Why are people fooled into drinking this stuff?
Song(s):
Tomorrow (Live) - The Durutti Column
Her Voice Is Beyond Her Years - Mew (Stina Nordenstam is guest vocalist)
Ashes to Ashes - Grant Lee Phillips (A string quartet version of Bowie's classic covered by Grant Lee Phillips. Quite good.)
Return to Send Her - Camera Obscura