At this moment...
06.30.06:
Friday night. Billie Holiday sings Come Rain or Come Shine.
This morning I did a short two mile run.
I left work early to do laundry, and strangely, the laundromat is a popular place on a Friday afternoon. I figured nobody would be there but the place was pretty packed. Luckily I didn't have to wait for any washing machines.
I lead a fascinatingly mundane life.
06.29.06:
What a perfect morning for a run. When I woke I was still sleepy, but I got myself out of bed and was out the door by 5:30. Today I did speedwork. I ran a total of 7 miles but did 3 x 1800 at around 00:08:00. My first 1800 was @ 00:07:45, my second 1800 was @ 00:08:04, and my third 1800 was @ 00:08:06. I'm pleased.
06.28.06:
Dear Dear Catastrophe Waitress,
When you were released nearly three years ago I slighted you. I called you slick (I still think you're slick, but now in a surprisingly good and sophisticated way), and worse, I said you were a dour disappointment. At the time I must have felt betrayed by how much your creators, Belle and Sebastian, had grown up. However, this morning I decided to give you one final chance. If I recall correctly, I gave you a second chance last year, and still felt as I had initially felt when I originally reviewed you. Oh how time has healed my wounds. You've aged well. Maybe it's that you were ahead of me when I first slipped you into my CD player. Maybe I wasn't ready to embrace your new sound. Maybe you finally make sense to me because I've spent so much time with The Life Pursuit, and The Life Pursuit is such a natural outgrowth of your sounds. Maybe it's because you're such a damn good album.
Please accept my apology. I think your a fine one Dear Catastrophe Waitress, one that I'm willing to spend more time enjoying.
Zerostars received their first review of The Good Can't Escape EP. We received a 3 out of 5, so not bad, but room for improvement. Read the review here.
Today I booked a flight out to Maine. I'm excited and looking forward to seeing my family. Plus, I'll be able to run along the ocean. The other day I bought new running shoes. When I went to the running store I told the kid that I've been running in Asics Gel Keyanos for years and years, and that maybe I should try something else out. He brought me a few other brands, but at the end of the day the Asics were still the best. Yesterday I took the new pair out for a run, and they felt great.
Old roof + lots of rain = disastrous results for the ceiling in my apartment… This is what my apartment ceiling looked like only three days ago:
And this is what the apartment ceiling looks like today:
I've been assured that a new roof is coming soon, and that this gaping hole in my ceiling will be repaired. Let's hope.
06.25.06:
Could this weekend have been any better? Probably not. Yesterday, kk and I biked around the northside of Chicago. We saw Audrey Hepburn and Humphry Bogart in Sabrina. Then it was some Thai for lunch. After lunch we went over to the Lincoln Park zoo where we rented a paddle boat and went for a ride in the Lincoln Park lagoon. That was followed by cotton candy and me wondering what it would like to have cotton candy for hair. Answer, incredibly sticky. Then kk spied a carousel so she bought two tickets and we rode it, which was a lot of fun. At some point in the afternoon I saw some kid with a bird mask, so I had to buy one for myself. After the zoo we biked along the lakefront, and then went for some pizza and beer. We ended the night with some wonderful cannolis that kk bought.
This morning I woke to it raining out, but I didn't let that deter me from going for a 16 mile run. I don't mind the rain, but after a steady downpour between miles 6 and 10 I was half tempted to go home early. But I'm a runner, and I completed the run. After the run I went back to the city for lunch and giant bottles of Fat Tire and a rather large ice cream cone. It was such a great afternoon.
Listening to:
Puzzles Like You - Mojave 3
06.24.06:
Too sleepy to write, so I'll just post some photo (in no particular order. Details tomorrow)…
06.23.06:
Fourth season of Mr. Show on DVD. A giant bottle of Fat Tire. Fresh grilled tuna. Love is All. A bit of bike riding. Getting rid of some of the clutter. An ice cream sandwich. New tires on the Beetle. A day off from work.
06.21.06:
Songs:
Lion Song - Claire Holley
Let It Be Me - Robyn Hitchcock
I Meant to Call - Shout Out Louds
Courage Up - Joe Pernice
In the Process - Dntel
(I Want You) More Than Ever - The Clientele
Alone, Jealous and Stoned - Secret Machines
Nowhere Man - Low
06.20.06:
Germany? I love when I look at my web stats and I see that I have visitors from foreign countries. I don't know anyone in Germany, so I'm curious as to who this mysterious German visitor is, especially since they seemed quite familiar with the site.
I thought it was supposed to start raining.
We can build a better Dunkin Donuts store, but we can't end world hunger.
Multi-colored smoke bombs littered the sidewalk.
Driving home from work I saw some kid standing off the side of a road pointing a toy gun at cars as they passed by. I didn't think that too smart.
This morning I ran to The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sebastian. Such a great album to listen to while running. Honestly, I didn't want the run to end (the album ended before my six miles were complete, so I just hit repeat). It was so perfect outside at 5:30 AM. Then after work I decided to go for a three mile walk. Walking puts distance into perspective. When I run I can cover three miles in about 22 minutes. But when I walk I don't seem to be in as much of a hurry. As I walked I listened to Orchestra of Bubbles by Apparat & Ellen Allien. I walked the same route as my three mile running route. I thought I'd see more people out in their yards enjoying the last day of Spring, but I came across very few people doing yard type things. I'll have a good sleep tonight.
06.18.06:
I've concluded that people are color blind and illiterate. I've always thought that you are supposed to come to a complete stop when you come across a red octogan with the word 'STOP' printed in it. I railed against this earlier in the week, but it's still really bugging me quite a bit. As I was out running today nearly all the cars that I ran past coasted through all the stop signs on my running route.
Outside of being bugged by all the people who don't stop at stop signs , I had a great run. As I neared the end of my six miles a gentle rain started to fall and I started to sing Rain in the Summertime by The Alarm.
Tonight I'm feeling homesick. My parents sent me a photo of the B&B and I really wanted to be out there with them. Anybody want to go on a road trip soon?
06.17.06:
Even though I still have some lemon sorbet left I decided to make some chocolate sorbet. Holy crap is it amazing.
06.15.06:
Woke at 5 AM for a five mile run. Felt great.
I don't really remember much of my work day, which is a positive side effect of running. I worked and all, but I suppose I was too busy to remember what I accomplished.
After work I came home and feasted. For dinner I made a delicious grilled yellowfin tuna steak (rare, with just a bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil), a tomato, red onion and basil salad, arborio rice and homemade lemon sorbet (six lemons equals one cup of lemon juice -- this is hands down the best lemon sorbet I've ever had, seriously, it's that good, and it's so simple). The only thing that would have made it better would have been someone to share it all with.
Listening to:
Illumination - The Pastels
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins - Pavement
Trainspotting - V/A (Brilliant soundtrack.)
06.13.06:
Just signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon. I still need to find a bunch of shorter races for the Summer.
After work I went for a six mile run. At about mile two I was dead and almost decided to cut the run short. I experienced the same thing last week, but this week I pressed on and completed the run. I have difficulty running after work. I tend to get really exhausted, and almost dizzy, but I think it has something to do with not eating enough during the day. However, sometimes I eat too much and I feel to full to run. Yet I don't experience any of these problems when I run in the morning, which is weird since I don't eat food in my sleep, and usually when I wake I'm hungry. I'm not sure why I always run after work on Tuesdays. All my other week day runs are in the morning. I guess I just want a little extra sleep on Tuesday.
Listening to:
Sweet F.A - Love & Rockets
(Makes me miss Champaign-Urbana)
06.11.06:
Happy Birthday mom.
Just finished a 14 mile run. At mile four I had a major runner's high. It hit when Everyone Says "Hi" by David Bowie came on the iPod. I started smiling and all these endorphins kicked in, and I just felt so elated and well, high. I suppose that's why I'm a runner. The weather was perfect for a long run. I made to about 12.5 miles before I started to get a bit tired. I credit the meal that I ate last night with giving me the right balance of carbs and proteins to keep me going. I made this dish with whole wheat penne pasta, ground turkey, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, spinach, olives and mozzarella cheese. Quite good.
Lately I've been noticing, especially when I run, that people hardly ever stop at stop signs, nor do they follow the posted speed limit. I probably shouldn't care, but it really bugs me. Most mornings when I wake to go to work there is usually a news story on the radio about a hit and run accident, or a story about a car hitting a child. I mean, doesn't stop mean stop and doesn't a 25 mph speed limit mean you're not supposed to drive faster than 25 mph? It's just that I have this fear that someone is going to hit me when I'm either running or riding my bike. Maybe I'm more aware of it because I consider myself a pedestrian, but still, in the scheme of things, does not actually stopping at a stop sign really save that much time, or waste that much gas? Why are people always in such a hurry? Why must people rush around, and once they get to wherever they are going they're in a hurry to leave and rush off to the next place. As I was running I had this idea that someone needs to invent some sort of computer chip that limits the speed a car can travel based on the posted speed limit (my other recent idea for an invention is an edible car, which is really the stupidest idea that I've had in a long time). So, the speed limit sign would send out a radio signal that is picked up by the car and then the car can't drive more than say five mph over the posted speed limit. I'm sure some freedom loving person would have a problem with that, but I can't imagine any other way to actually get people to obey the law. All this rambling makes me sound like an old man. Oh well.
06.10.06:
And then there were three. Zerostars is once again operating without a drummer. Thanks Richard for sitting behind the kit for a few weeks, and all the best.
Eating dinner at 5:30 PM on a Friday evening was weird, but that was the only time we could get reservations at Bistro Campagne. The Poulet Rôti Forestière (roasted chicken, wild mushroom ragout, onion frites) was simple, delicious, and perfect. And that bottle of Côtes du Rhône was perfect accompaniment with the meal and conversation.
Dinner was followed by KK beating me at Ms. Pac Man and Qbert and drinks as Bad Dog with Jason and KK. Good times. Somehow I managed to wake up feeling pretty okay considering I didn't get home until late.
Blow - Swallow
Guerilla - Super Fury Animals
List Of Lights And Buoys - Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
The Name of This Band is Talking Heads - Talking Heads
06.08.06:
A good run can make all the difference in the world. Couple that with a perfect cup of coffee, a bit of More Parts Per Million by The Thermals, open windows, and shining sun, and I'm happy (must be the endorphins talking). The only thing that could make this morning better would be to have the day off of work.
More Parts Per Million - The Thermals
Troublegum - Therapy?
Old Friends (Discs 1
& 2) - Simon & Garfunkel
06.07.06:
Spanish tortilla and a little Urge Overkill. This week feels like it's dragging, like it should be Friday tomorrow, but it's only Thursday.
Listening to:
Exit the Dragon - Urge Overkill
Blood - This Mortal Coil ("Mr. Somewhere missing somewhere…")
06.06.06:
Tonight I wish someone else would be my dj so that I don't have to listen to these songs…
Song(s):
It's Yer Money - The Wonder Stuff ("I'm in love with myself and nobody else.")
Sleeping in the Devil's Bed - Daniel Lanois
Washing of the Water - Peter Gabriel
I'll Be Your Chauffeur - David J
Don't Wait That Long - James
Feel - The House of Love
Birdshead - Robyn Hitchcock
Western Sky - American Music Club
Birthday Girl - Tremblng Blue Stars
The Wild Ones - Suede
Dirty Old Town - The Pogues
The Ship Song - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Baby's Got Rabies - Six Finger Satellite
Absent Friends - The Divine Comedy
St. Swithen's Day - Dubstar
Circle - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
Caught By the Fuzz - Supergrass
Teenage Suicide - Unrest
Positive Bleeding - Urge Overkill
06.05.06:
I miss taking the train to work. I spent my morning in the city. Now I'm home for the remainder of the day. I thought of going for a bike ride, but I'm finally tired from twelve mile run yesterday. Maybe depressed too? Funny how 24 hours later I feel exhausted and all I want to do is sleep. Good to feel so tired I suppose, but not to feel slightly blue.
Yesterday I was listening to Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque and I was reminded of how glorious an album it is. It was released at around the same time as Nirvana's Nevermind and in my opinion Bandwagonesque is a much better album. Nevermind sounds dated, but not dated in a good way (is dated ever good?). I think Nevermind came along at the right time, but almost 15 years later I can't call it a classic. I almost never reach for Nirvana these days. Actually, I can't recall a time when I put an album by them in. Maybe it has something to do with the glut of copycat bands that have been mining the Nirvana sound ever since Nevermind.
06.04.06:
Ran twelve miles. I must have been dehydrated because when I finished the run I had a headache. I feel much better now. Outside of the headache the run went well. I see a lot of rabbits when I run early in the morning. I tried these new Cliff things that reminded me of Jello and jelly beans. They tasted much better than the usual gel crap that I take every five miles of so. I'll have to try them again next week on my 14 mile run.
06.03.06:
What a fun day. Condo shopping with kk. Brats and Apple Streusel at May fest in Lincoln Square. Accordion selling in Oak Lawn (I've never seen so many accordions in one location, and I'd kill to have a photo of the lady who owned the place). Stopping at an Irish butcher shop that had a giant cow on the roof. Cheese burger and giant bottle of Fat Tire at Jury's for dinner. Delicious ice cream by the brown line "El" stop on Damen. Thank you for such an enjoyable spring day Ms. Kyle.
Tomorrow it's a twelve mile run.
Listening to:
Citrus - Asobi Seksu
06.01.06:
Television is a funny thing. Television is a scary thing. I don't think I like it much. Maybe it's time to cancel cable.
Firecrackers and roman candles. Lightning bugs. Running around barefoot in overalls. Hanging out air drumming to Led Zeppelin. Swimming in plastic trash cans. Sending Lego men to the moon attached to bottle rockets. Listening to Eddie Murphy on a boom box. Painting tennis shoes silver. Digging holes with my brother. Melting crayons. Dreaming we were Indian Jones. Playing Zelda for hours. Delivering newspapers and getting lost. Pretending we were bartenders at the way too young age of 10. Thinking Invisible Touch to be the coolest album ever. Starting fires with a magnifying glass. Camping in Rainbow Falls, Canada. Drawing with white chalk on my grandparent's black top driveway. Rock River Trailer Park, although I'm sure my grandparents preferred to call it a mobile home. Homemade frozen chocolate covered bananas. Being too young to appreciate things, but now that I'm older, much older, missing those simple things.
This morning I woke at 4:58 AM, but when I got out of bed I couldn't figure out why I was waking so early. And then I remembered that I had to go for a run. I did a five mile tempo run. I warmed up with a ten minute mile, then did three miles at 09:03 per mile, and finished with a final ten minute mile. As I ran I thought about someone I hadn't thought about in what seems to be a long time. I was trying to remember that time I visited Champaign-Urbana, probably the summer of 1999. We went to that country bar in Urbana. I think we may have danced to an Eric Clapton song. It may have been the only time we danced. Record Swap had moved by then and only sold used CDs and LPs. I bought two used LPs, one that was no more than the sound of irregular heartbeats. It was probably the Summer that I wrote Your Heart. That was also the Summer when Chris and I drove up to Banff, Canada.
Song(s):
Regret - New Order
The Trapeze Swinger - Iron & Wine
Generals and Majors - XTC
Jenny Again - Tunng