At this moment...
07.30.07:
Old man me fell asleep way too early last night.
I had something else written but decided it was best deleted.
For some unknown reason I really wanted to hear some old songs by The Holiday Costume (pre-Zerostars). Instead I found an old mix CD simply labeled "#3". It's probably from 2000, maybe 2001. Some Spiritulaized, Billy Bragg, Blur and Mojave Three. Very British. 99% of all the songs are quite sad. Some things are best left buried.
A card table in the library stands ready
To receive the puzzle which keeps never coming.
-- James Merrill, from Lost in Translation
Song:
Via Chicago - Wilco
07.29.07:
The 15 mile run this morning, coupled with the 7 mile run yesterday, has left me physically and strangely mentally exhausted.
The National's Boxer makes me want to crawl into my speakers.
This afternoon I watched Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows. Amazing soundtrack done by Miles Davis. And contrary to what I thought, it's not out of print!
07.28.08:
More recording. Today Jason tracked vocals for Driving to New Orleans and Foot Down. I can't wait to hear the final mixes once we're finished recording. Both songs sound fantastic. Photos are available here. In other Zerostars related news, International Pop Overthrow Volume 10, which features The Good Can't Escape, is now available for purchase ($18 for three CDs, 66 songs).
07.27.07:
Tonight I snuck out of work a bit earlier than normal and went to see The Simpson's Movie. Not too bad. Last night I went to the Mr. Skin Party. Good times. Earlier in the evening I watched La Jetée. Amazing study of time and memory through black and white still photography. Terry Gilliam based Twelve Monkeys off of La Jetée. Now I'm watching a peroxide blonde Bowie in Serious Moonlight (from 1983) . Bowie based his 1993 video for Jump They Say, from the highly underrated Black Tie White Noise LP, off of La Jetée. Bowie has the best backing bands. While there are some cheesy moments like the Hamlet inspired bit during during Cracked Actor when Bowie sings to a skull, it's a pretty entertaining set.
07.25.07:
Tonight was the last night of my photography course. I'm a bit sad. Even though I didn't learn a lot I really started to look forward to going to class each week. I'm even thinking about taking another photography course next semester. Or I might even take conversational French. Or I might join a death metal band and move to Sweden.
Booked a flight to Maine for the end of October. There's nothing quite like the east coast in the fall.
Song(s):
Hard Days 1.2.3.4 - Lonely, Dear
Wondering Boy Poet - Guided by Voices
07.24.07:
I was driving to work listening to The Cure when Cut Here came on over my car stereo. Something about that song always kills me and makes me nostalgic. Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars has the same effect on me. Thematically they're similar songs, although the outcome of Your Ex-Lover is Dead seems to be based more on cruelty than nostalgia.
This morning when my alarm clock went off I didn't know why I was supposed to get up. After about two minutes of confusion I remembered that I had to go for a run.
Song(s) -- I'm a sad sack of a dj tonight:
Cut Here - The Cure
The Wild Ones - London Suede
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
Honey - Doveman
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Neil Young
Alone, Jealous and Stoned - The Secret Machines
It's Getting Light Outside - Clearlake
Stay - Asobi Seksu
Broken Drum (Remix By Boards of Canada) - Beck
Slo Fuzz - Sol Seppy
Blue Moon - Rivulets
Dear Employee - Papercuts
Sleeping Beauty - Mark Eitzel
Standing on the Standing Stone - Nick Castro and the Young Elders
Isn't Life Strange - The Clientele
Not a Through Street - Anya Marina
Drive Me Home the Lonely - Serena Maneesh
07.23.07:
I keep pricing flights out to Maine. I’m thinking of going mid-October. I need a break, a mini-vacation I suppose. And I’m feeling homesick. Yesterday, after recording, we were sitting outside, enjoying the cool summer night, eating dinner, talking about Mikey’s recent trip to Maine and talking about my parent’s B&B.
What’s the big deal with this YouTube presidential debate? From what I understand people can post videos of themselves to YouTube asking potential presidential candidates questions. How is this groundbreaking, or any different from a person emailing the question in advance to some sort of moderator (back in the old days people wrote letters)? I don’t know, but this whole internet thing is just a bit too much. And the irony isn’t lost on me. YouTube isn’t breaking any new ground. Hey, I got an idea, let’s all just sit in front of computers all day and stop talking to people the old fashioned way, face-to-face. Computer screens are walls. YouTube is good for one thing, and one thing only, watching David Bowie videos from the 1970’s (oh, and also for watching that really kick ass Van Morrison performance of Warm Love -- I highly recommend watching).
Listening to:
Cornell 1964 - Charles Mingus with Eric Dolphy
07.22.07:
Even though I didn't get a seven mile in this morning I was still able to run three miles. I didn't think it all too wise to run seven after the fourteen that I ran yesterday. My guess is that I could have easily run all those miles, but I wanted to have some energy to get me through the day.
More recording at The Brill Basement Recording Studio. Thank you Corrine for feeding us another delicious Sunday night meal. You can view lots of photos here (may take a bit to load, so please be patient). I might post some additional photos tomorrow. Today we recorded bass, organ and guitars (no keytar). Everything is coming together really nicely.
07.21.07:
My purchase at the grocery store cracks me up:
- Six pack of Fat Tire (Finally they have 12 oz bottles. Not that the gigantic bottle was an issue, but...)
- Organic skim milk
- Wheat Thins
- Whole wheat frozen pizza
- Smoked swiss cheese
- Butter pecan ice cream (In honor of my dad I picked butter pecan. Growing up we rarely let him pick butter pecan, and when he did occasionally get to pick butter pecan we made it seem like we only ever had butter pecan ice cream.)
Pretty much everything with the exception of the beer, and Wheat Thins, contains milk. Odd.
This morning I went for a really enjoyable 14 mile run. Usually I run alone and with my iPod. Today I had a running partner for 12 of the 14 miles. It was nice to have someone to talk with during the run, so thank you Mrs. Jennifer Moody. Talking really makes the miles fly by. Plus, having a running partner forced me to run a bit slower than I would have normally run. When we finished I didn't feel tired or fatigued. I'm a little tired now, and my legs are slightly sore, but I should be able to get out for a seven mile run tomorrow morning.
After work yesterday I picked up some new running shoes. Usually I would break them in, but I decided to go ahead and run in them today. Asics are the best. I told the owner of the store how the saleswoman an Nordstrom tried to get me to buy a pair of Asics Gel Keyano when I was recently there to buy some new dress shoes. I told the sales woman that I only buy my running shoes at running stores. She probably thought I was a snob, but I need to support the little shop owners. Why? Because they know me by my name, say hello to me when they see me out and about in the neighborhood, and sometimes they even give me free things.
Such a gorgeous day. Why can't summer always be like this?
Listening to:
Outside - David Bowie (I really wish this album was better, especially since it paired Bowie up with Eno. But it's a pretty mediocre album. There are probably three songs that are good. The others are just kind of decent at best, but nothing memorable.)
Bach Cello Suites
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane Quartet
Marry Me - St. Vincent
(I'm addicted to this album.)
07.19.07:
This humidity belongs in Florida...
...And 12 hours have since gone by and the humidity has finally left. Hopefully this weekend will be as pleasant as it is right now.
The run this morning really kicked my ass. I'm quite exhausted and thankful that I don't have a run tomorrow.
07.18.07:
I am constantly hungry. My hunger isn't some sort of Kafka-esque metaphor. Ever since marathon training picked-up I can’t seem to eat enough. The other day I bought a super high-tech scale that provides me with my weight, percentage of body fat, percentage of water, and based on all those elements and my fitness level, the amount of calories I need to take in each day to maintain my weight. I’m a little suspicious of the calorie part of the equation as it’s telling me that I need to take in over 4000 calories a day. I can’t imagine eating that much food. Still, something tells me I need to eat more. However, I haven’t noticed any sluggish long run days, quite the opposite. My Sunday runs have all gone exceptionally well. Last week I maintained a nine minute mile over the course of nine miles. This morning I ran seven miles in 01:02:00, so slightly under a nine minute mile. Then again, nine and seven mile runs aren’t very long. After my run this morning, as well as after my run yesterday morning, I stopped off at Corner Bakery and got some oatmeal to go. That stuff is excellent, and by most standards fairly inexpensive at $2.98 (tax included). But, by 10 am or so I’m ravenous.
07.16.07:
Yesterday we tracked bass, drums, and acoustic guitars for two new songs. I've since decided that I need to start practicing bass. I used to be a pretty decent bassist, but yesterday I wasn't so great. Time to get my act together...
From Saturday...
Listening to:
Beauty & Crime - Suzanne Vega (Yeah, this album is pretty fantastic, and the production is so damn good!)
07.14.07:
Yesterday evening a bluegrass band descended upon Arlington Heights. I'm not really into bluegrass music, but it gave me an opportunity to take a few photos.
I woke at 5 am and promptly reset my alarm to go off at 6 am. I struggled to drag myself out of bed at 6 am, but I'm happy that I did. I went for a quick nine mile run (01:21:00). With the exception of the evil person who was dead-set on hitting me as I crossed the street at mile three, it was a phenomenal run. The weather was perfect and I managed to stay on a nine minute mile pace. I probably had a few more miles in me, but figured that nine would be enough.
Listening to:
Marry Me - St. Victor (Without a doubt the best album so far in 2007.)
The Salvation Blues - Mark Olson (Another album that will make my top 10 list at the end of the year. Songs that demonstrate joy is possible even after deep sorrow and sadness.)
07.12.07:
Lately it seems that by 9 pm I'm ready for bed. I'm also out of bed most mornings and out running by 5:30 am. I guess that explains a lot.
I picked up the new Mark Olson album, The Salvation Blues. It's stunning, and those that don't buy this album are missing out on something beautiful.
Pretty soon July will be over.
07.08.07:
This is Bruce. Either amazingly, or sadly, I actually know Bruce. He lived in the house next to the house I grew up in (teenage years). I literally ran in to Bruce the other morning after a run. It's a sad story. Currently Bruce is homeless.
Rick Springfield rocking out Frontier Days. People were loving his set. Can't say I was a fan of the 15 minute sing along version of Don't Talk to Strangers. Can't say I'm even a fan of Rick Springfield. Why am I posting photos of him on my website?
Kelly expressing confusion about us attending a Rick Springfield concert...
Continuing with my fascination with numbers...
My new camera, a 35mm fisheye. I have no idea how well this camera works, but I think it'll be fun to use from time-to-time. One of these days I'll pick up a Holga too.
07.06.07:
It’s a banner day for specbebop.com, a whole bunch of random tangents…
The Times has a funny little article on how the French view runners. Turns out that President Sarkozy is a runner, and in France running is viewed as un-French and right-wing. This quote from Alain Finkielkraut cracks me up:
“Western civilization, in its best sense, was born with the promenade. Walking is a sensitive, spiritual act. Jogging is management of the body. The jogger says I am in control. It has nothing to do with meditation.”
It’s obvious that Finkielkraut isn’t a runner, let alone a long distance runner. I completely disagree with his assumption that running has nothing to do with meditation, and that it’s not a spiritual act. I view my time spent pounding the pavement as something spiritual. Running keeps me in tune with my life and what’s going on around me. At some point during every run I find myself saying, “I love running.” It’s a strange sort of feeling that only other runners can understand.
One final quote from the article:
“Beyond the self-promotion, some commentators see something sinister in the media fascination with le jogging de Supersarko. The “hypnotic” daily images of presidential running are not innocent, said Daniel Schneidermann, a media critic. Mr Sarkozy uses the video images of his jogging as “a major weapon of media manipulation”, said Mr Schneidermann.”
Footage of the French President running is sinister, as a “major weapon of media manipulation”? Shouldn’t the French have other things to worry about?
In unrelated news, according to The Telegraph:
Researchers have found they can use drugs to wipe away single, specific memories while leaving other memories intact. By injecting an amnesia drug at the right time, when a subject was recalling a particular thought, neuro-scientists discovered they could disrupt the way the memory is stored and even make it disappear.
Last night I took the train down to Chicago to meet up with KK for a bit of food tasting at the Taste of Chicago. I “tasted” the following:
- Pulled pork sandwich (Tasty, sweet sauce, but the bun was kind of lacking)
- Samosa (Delicious, spicy, although KK disagreed about it being spicy.)
- Rainbow ice cream (Okay at best, kind of a disappointment)
- Fried dough (Just a taste portion, but delicious. I love deep fried dough with cinnamon and sugar, and it’s been forever since I had deep fried dough.)
- Cannoli (No pistachio notes, but still decent)
- Chocolate covered strawberry (Would have preferred if it had been dark chocolate.)
- Cheesecake (I had some tickets left so I got a small piece of Eli’s cheesecake. Pretty okay.)
All of the above was washed down afterwards with a Ciroc -- at least the French make good vodka when they’re not worrying runners -- on the rocks (not at the Taste, but at the Bennigan's on Michigan Ave).
I was instructed by KK to not put this photo on my website, but I like it.
I noticed quite a few people wearing towels as fashion accessories... Are towels the new hats?
The train ride home was slightly annoying. There were a couple of college kids sharing a bottle of Jack Daniels. They were really obnoxious.
The other day I was waiting in line to pick up some photos at Wolf Camera when some muscle meathead wearing a wife-beater t-shirt walked up behind me and asked, “Bro, which line are you in?” Who uses the term “bro” when addressing someone you’re not familiar with? Then again, who even uses the term “bro”? I guess meatheads.
I’m always amazed at what I hear when I’m standing in a line. A few days back I was picking up a package at the UPS shipping center when I overheard someone say that they were shipping equine semen. Fascinating.
I can’t stand the phrase “worst case scenario”. Early I was talking with a coworker about something and I said, “It’s best to have a contingency plan.” Huh? 10 years ago I would never have uttered the words contingecy plan.
Having a day off mid-week has kind of thrown me off. Even though yesterday was Thursday it felt like a Monday. Today doesn’t feel like a Friday.
Does anybody else think the organ solo in Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House to be the best organ solo ever? Seriously, it kills me every time I hear it. Plus, Don’t Dream It’s Over is one of my all-time favorite songs.
I’m wondering if I should run my 12 miles tomorrow. Sunday is supposed to be pretty warm.
07.03.07:
Okay, so this sign further proves to me that Arlington Heights doesn't support pedestrians...
Can someone please explain the point in having a crosswalk if cars don't have to stop when people are walking in it?