At this moment...
03.30.05:
Watching the nightly news I looked out the window and saw the below, so I grabbed my camera and took a few photos.
According to a story on Reuters, the Darfur death toll may be 300,000. Read the complete story.
And this is even more depressing.
Listening to:
Compact Disc - Public Image Ltd
03.29.05:
Spring is finally here!
Listening to:
Waiting for the Sirens' Call - New Order
Song(s):
Tom's Diner - Suzanne Vega & DNA
White Line (Don't Do It) - The Sugarhill Gang
There She Goes - The La's
03.28.05:
I'm still hung up on the whole media circus around the Terri Schiavo case. Here are some things our Congress needs to start thinking about:
More Americans were killed by guns than by war in the 20th Century.
More Americans were killed with guns in the 18-year period between 1979 and 1997 (651,697), than were killed in battle in all wars since 1775 (650,858).
Every day 79 people are killed by firearms in America..
Medical costs from gun injuries and deaths cost $19 billion. The US taxpayer will pay half of that cost.
Direct medical costs for firearm injuries range from $2.3 billion to $4 billion, and additional indirect costs, such as lost potential earnings, are estimated at $19.0 billion.
More people die each year from cigarette smoking and related illnesses than die from AIDS, alcohol, traffic accidents, illicit drugs, murder and suicide combined.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Estimates are that 4 million people will die of tobacco-related illnesses worldwide this year; by the 2020’s, the death toll will increase to 10 million deaths per year.
About 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking. That means that for every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, there are 20 more people who suffer from at least one serious illness associated with smoking.
Tobacco advertising also plays an important role in encouraging young people to begin a lifelong addiction to smoking before they are old enough to fully understand its long-term health risk. Approximately 90 percent of smokers begin smoking before the age of 21.
03.26.05:
9AM and I'm already eating ice cream. I woke early to finish off the ice cream that started late last night. I made more ice cream than I could fit in the container, so I had to eat some of it for breakfast. Just classic vanilla, but oh is it outstandingly smooth and rich.
I spent yesterday organizing the CD collection. It's a day long process, and I'm startng to wonder if I should just digitize all the CDs and use my iMac and an external hard drive. I'm sure the whole process would take weeks, but it might be worth it. I would never get rid of my CDs, but it would be nice to just have everything loaded in iTunes and then stream it all to the stereo.
03.23.05:
I missed Spring. It arrived two days ago.
Today my daily caloric intake has been through the following foods:
Breakfast: Yogurt, orange juice. coffee
Snacks between breakfast and lunch: Granola bar & Pop Tart
Lunch: Yogurt. Cliff Bar, Cranberry Juice
Afternoon snacks: Twix and 3 Muskatereers
So I never eat this shitty, never. Quite pathetic really, especillay all the sugar that I've consumed. Thank god I'm running five miles tonight, maybe six.
Listening to:
B-Sides and Rarities - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (Three CDs worth of brilliant songwriting. The Bad Seeds have to be one of the greatest backing bands ever.)
The Needle Was Travelling - Tarwater
03.22.05:
I usually don't use this space for politics since I typically consider myself apolitical. However, I'm starting to wonder if I need to change my views on politics. I just find it amazing that Congress can find time to draft up a bill that moves the Terri Schiavo case from Florida state courts to the federal court system, but cannot seem to find the time to care about the plight of the Sudanese in Darfur. It just seems like we as a country have our priorities all misplaced. Have we learned nothing about the international community that we are part of? Oh wait, the rest of the world, primarily the third world, is poor and black. Hmmmmm, and we need our precious oil so we can drive our big SUVs around. Just makes you wonder.
Listening to:
Let Us Never Speak of it Again - Out Hud (Almost impossible to sit still while listening to this album. Has the potential to be a crossover hit with both the indie kids and the club kids. Really great stuff. Nice to hear some vocals entering the mix as well.)
Somebody Outside - Anna Ternheim (Released last year, yet discovered this year I might be willing to put this in the 2005 best of category. This actually shipped from Hong Kong. Wonderful album.)
Sincerely Hot - Moreno Veloso (Inventive Brazilian music. Incredible)
03.21.05:
Last night I saw Keren Ann perform at the Hothouse, and it was quite possibly the mosty wonderful concert that I've ever been to.
Keren was accompanied by piano and french horn. There were some strange techcical difficulties as Keren's guitar amp was picking up a local radio stations radio frequencies, but in a way it only added to the charm of her music. I'm pleased that she isn't well known in the states as the Hothouse was the most perfect venue for her beautifully quiet songs. The audience was silent for the entire hour and a half set. And I have a crush on her as well.
03.20.05:
I really shouldn't read cnn.com, but it's this weird guilty pleasure. So here are the current headlines for Sunday morning:
Pope Greets Palm Sunday Pilgrims
Rice Presses China On North Korea
Three Children Missing in Colorado Lodge Explosion
One Dead, Hundreds Injured in Japan Earthquake
At Least 40 Dead In Pakistan Blast
Suspect In Florida Child Killing Appears in Court
House To Hold Special Session on Schiavo
Shark attack tears man in half
Those are all some very pleasant stories, especially the one about the shark attack. I decided that the headlines were all I needed to read, so I buried my nose back in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Fiction is so much better than reality.
Listening to:
David Live - David Bowie
Stage - David Bowie
Fisherman's Woman - Emiliana Torrini (Emiliana used to sing in Gus Gus. A few years back she quit the band, put out a solo album that drew some comparissons to Bjork, Emiliana being from Iceland as well, and then disappeared. Her debut album was more electronic and beat focused. However, there are no electronics or drum machines to be found on Fisherman's Woman. Fisherman's Woman is a mostly quiet affair, filled with gently plucked acoustic guitars, and Emiliana's calm voice.)
Both David Live and Stage have been out of print for some time. Usually live albums are crap, but Bowie kicks ass, and so do these.
03.19.05:
The sun is out, or at least trying to introduce itself to the world. Me, I'm up quite early, as if it's a school day, drinking green tea and eating granola.
...2:34PM, and I'm having my first cup of coffee. I ran 10 miles instead of 12. My knee gave me some pain, so I ended two miles short. Still, I'm pleased.
03.18.05:
Oh how this work week went by like a bullet train loaded with Japanese business men on its way to Tokyo. I must admit, I'm useless on Friday nights. Not all Friday nights, just certain Friday nights, like this Friday night.
Listening to Andrew Bird's latest album The Mysterious Production of Eggs, and I'm wondering how I've paid so little attention to his music before. I believe I saw him open for some band in Champaign-Urbana, but I remember not being drawn to his music at that time. Damn that whole post-rock phase. But that's okay. Either way, The Mysterious Production of Eggs is going to make the top 10 of 2005. It's a timeless and traditional pop classic. And Bird's violin playing is amazing.
Thank you to the kind stranger who suggested The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay to me to read. It's one of those great American novels, the kind that so many people dream of writing. I usually stay away from most contemporary fiction, but maybe it's time for me to not be so quick to damn the literature of today. Too bad you seem to have disappeared.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to get in a 12 mile run. I'm planning on it, but my body might rebel. I haven't ran that long of a distance in forever, but I'm really looking forward to a nice long Saturday run. Sunday it's Keren Ann at the Hothouse. Should be a wonderful evening.
Listening to:
London Calling - The Clash (Still the only band that matters.)
The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew Bird
S/T - 50 Foot Wave (Jason played me a bit of Mrs. Hersh's live acoustic album the other night, which is quite good. Kristen Hersh has one of the best voices in contemporary music. Such a shame she's unknown by the masses. Throwing Muses kick ass. The albums productions, at least the early albums, sound just a bit dated. 50 Foot Wave is the latest band featuring Kirsten Hersh. They hearken back to the Throwing Muses, but 50 Foot Wave are way more punk.)
03.17.05:
Last night I read The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by Andy Miller. TKATVGPS is another book in the 33 1/3 series of books that discusses classic albums. The first 1/3 of this book discusses the history of the album, and the recording of it. The second 1/3 is an overview of each track found on the album. The final 1/3 takes a look at the songs recorded during the same two year period that TKATVGPS was recorded but didn't make the final album. The first two sections are quite good, but the final section seems like it was tacked on. Still, an informative and quick read. Recommended.
I was attending the University of Illinois when I was introduced to TKATVGPS. I used to frequent Periscope Records. I was talking with the owner about Britpop and he ran over to the CD section, grabbed TKATVGPS and told me I must own it.
Listening to:
The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks
Human After All - Daft Punk
03.16.05:
I love my car, I really do, but whenever it's in the shop for repairs I wonder if it's time to dump it and buy a new car. I detest the entire car buying process, and I find car salesman just a step above cockroaches on the scale of loathsome creatures. So we'll see if I buy a new car within the next three months. My Beetle turns six in a few weeks, or is it seven, so a trade-in isn't a bad idea. A car is not an investment. However, the Beetle Turbo sounds nice. I just wish I could exist without one. I guess I could, but I'd have to make a lot of changes to my current way of life.
Listening to:
Sleeping On Roads - Neil Halstead
03.15.05:
Driving home from work yesterday I came to the conclusion that I really only listen to two types of music, either extremely happy, or despondently depressing. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground. I'm not drawn to funny songs, although from time-to-time I do enjoy listening to The Might Be Giants, but more for nostalgic reasons than for other reasons. I'm not a big fan of angry music. Anger is probably the one emotion that I experience the least often.
Then again, I'm over simplifying things.
I'm having one of those days where nothing seems to make much sense. Not like it ever does. I wish I could slip on a pair of headphones and sink into my couch while listening to Wilco's A Ghost Is Born. 
03.14.05:
I've been trying to track down an album by a Swedish songwriter named Anna Ternheim, and it looks like I finally found it. There's just something about her voice. I've only been able to hear three tracks from the album, but there's this line in one of the songs, My Secret, that I find beautiful:
The best days are not planned by common sense.
I've decided that I need to learn the subtle art of the word "No."
Songs:
Fake Your Beauty - Bertine Zetlitz
Itch U Can't Skratch - Junior Senior
Felt Tip Hip Kids - Love is All
Pour Un Ancien Ami - Lismore
Be Mine - Robyn
Join Me In The Park - Nathalie Nordnes
Shoreline - Anna Ternheim
03.13.05:
Saw Clem Snide on Friday night. They were okay, but the crowd was slightly annoying. Thanks Kelly for the ticket and the birthday cupcakes, they were delicious.
I have new apartment neighbors, and they must be right out of college. Pretty obnoxious, always yelling and making a lot of racket.
Listening to:
The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks (Glorious album)
Bossanova - The Pixies
Murder Ballads - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Pink Moon - Nick Drake (I listen to Pink Moon almost every day, but rarely mention it.)
Untitled upcoming Zerostars EP
03.10.05:
Today I have reached a new low in oh so many ways:
1. I ate rice pudding with a fork
2. I took a picture of the rice pudding and fork
3. I'm posting this on my stupid little website for all the world to see...
Listening to:
Aldhils Arboretum - Of Montreal
The Tigers Have Spoken - Neko Case
03.09.05:
This morning, before leaving for work, I made me a mix CD called 'Sushi'. Here's the track listing:
1. Krafty - New Order (First single from their upcoming finds the band in top form. Reminds me slightly if Regret, but not as sad.)
2. Out of Zone - Marbles (Marbles is Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo. There's some crazy speaker/guitar shit going on in this track.)
3. Do the Whirlwind - Architecture in Helsinki (The handclaps and horn ending make this well worth the .99 cents that I paid for it.)
4. Queen of Verlaine - The High Water Marks (Indie pop. Quite catchy)
5. Gehttochip Malfunction (Hell Yes) - Beck (Electro rock blocking beats)
6. Be Still My Heart (Nobody Remix) - Postal Service (It's about time to stop putting Postal Service tracks on mix CDs...)
7. Lesser Panda - Vela (Quiet synthy stuff to follow the Postal Service)
8. Sacred Heart - Cass McCombs (This track sounds like a long lost Smiths classic.)
9. Everyone Says I'm Paranoid - Apartment (Everything old is new again, but I kinda like this track, even though it's utterly disposable 80's revivalism.)
10. Never Seen - The Immediate (I guess this track sounds just a bit like The Strokes.)
11. Love in a Trashcan - The Raveonettes (Less distortion, snappy chorus)
12. Good Old Owl - Niobe (Strange strange stuff)
13. Blue Moon - Rivulets (Lo-fi cover version of one of my most favorite Big Star songs.)
14. Ladyflash (Hot Chip Remix) - The Go! Team (Makes me wanna double dutch jump rope.)
15. Free Me - Emma Bunton (She was a Spice Girl. No good excuse to have this track on here except that I like this track.)
16.Corners of Your Mind - Ivy (From their latest LP.)
17. Fancy - Yo La Tengo (Cover of the Ray Davies classic.)
18. In My Head - Pssap (This band is great to run to.)
19. Look At Me - Villenevue & M83 (French electronics are always good.)
20. We Go Alone - Archer Prewitt (Nice way to close out the mix.)
Have you ever wondered how imitation crab meat is made, and what it is made out of? Me, I won't touch the stuff, but others eat it like it's the real thing.
03.08.05:
Earlier in the day I was in some really strange mood, hence the below image of the grim reaper that I did. Now, things are feeling more relaxed and less stressful. And it wasn't even stress that I was feeling. I think my mood had something to do with too much sugar. After work I did a quick run that as usual put everything in perspective. I almost didn't run, but I knew that I needed to get out and pound the pavement. Even though the world was chaotic around me I wasn't, and that's exactly what I needed.
So at this moment I'm listening to a Swedish collective of musicians called Nanook of the North. Wonderful music, reminiscent of the type of music Belle and Sebastian used to play. If I was a better songwriter this is exactly the type of music that I would write. Album description:
"Here are the recordings we made with an Eskimo boy named Nanook." So began the letter enclosed with a demo CD titled "The Täby Tapes" by Nanook Of The North. While hanging out at a party in the suburbs of Stockholm, friends Mattias Olsson and Olle Söderström heard Nanook playing songs about his travels from Alaska to Täby, Sweden. They convinced him to record the songs in Mattias' home studio, Roth Händle, providing an arsenal of gadgets and toys (guitars, organs, horns, Optigan, Omnichord, Stylophone, theremin, etc.) to flesh out the songs and luring some of Sweden's favorite female singers of the 80s to lend their voices to the project.
Additional songs I'm really digging tonight (I'm probably upsetting the neighbors with my loud music, but it's making me smiles, and that's all that matters.):
Out of Zone - Marbles
Do The Whirlwind - Architecture In Helsinki (Fantastic use of handclaps)
Krafty - New Order
Panthers - Wilco
Listening to:
iTune Party Shuffle (There really isn't much of a party going on)
Here's a list of the last random songs that have played today:
I'm Happy You Don't Like Me - Asobi Seksu
Banjo - Julie Doiron
The Book - Naomi
The Old Ones - The Bats
I'll Look Around - Madeleine Peyroux
Flying - Neulander
Sometimes - Kid 606
The Missing Message - Lansing-Dreiden
Waves Waltz - Archer Prewitt
Le toi du moi - Carla Bruni
Drunk - Slumber Party
Le plus beau du quartier - Carla Bruni
Find Your Own Fire - Emily Sparks
Tonight Is No Night - Julie Doiron
Hot Air Ballon - Apollo Sunshine
Give Me My Lighter Back - The Streets
I Saw Her In The Antiwar Demonstration
Gerroa - Archer Prewitt
Will The Night - Low
03.07.05:
Famous people I share a birthday with:
Willard Scott (Will this guy be remembered in 100 years?)
Tammy Faye Baker (Great, I share a birthday with her and her makeup)
This week is National Procrastination Week, no wonder I turned out the way I did.
Album:
Dont' Tell A Soul - The Replacements
Song:
Asking Me Lies - The Replacements ("Happy birthday / who's ever birthday / it is today.")
03.06.05:
My birthday present arrived a day early.
This morning I hit the 100 mile mark for running. I'm pretty pleased. I ran eight miles today, and I'm kicking myself for not running ten miles, but I guess I should be happy with eight. By the time the run was over it was almost 50 degrees. The sun at mile five felt fantastic on my face.
Yesterday I was a complete waste. Had not Jason stopped by for a brief moment I'm sure I would have stayed in the apartment hermit style all day. For the most part I did nothing more than read and sleep. Slightly depressed I guess, and getting home late Friday night didn't help my mood. This turning 31 thing on Monday is really getting to me. I was fine with 30, but 31... And I'm not complaining, it just seems weird.
Thank you Kelly for:
A) Bringing it to my attention that A Girl Called Eddy would be playing the Hothouse on Friday and wanting to go
B) Selecting that Guatemalan restaurant in Roscoe Village (Very good)
C) Introducing me to that fantastic record store that I'd never been to in Chicago
D) Coffee at Caribou because you thought that crazy street person was following us, and when he walked in the door behind us I thought he was as well
E) Drinks at the bar next to Hothouse (We need to go back there for greasy food)
F) More drinks at Hothouse
G) The hilarious facial expressions you were making as that awful and waifish opening act was playing
H) A really fun evening
It's always weird to get a birthday card from your insurance agent. Nice, but weird.
Fuck, I so don't want tomorrow to be Monday.
Listening to:
I am a bird Now - Antony and the Johnsons (Wow, wow, wow is this incredible.)
Berlinette - Ellen Allien
Wind In The Wires - Patrick Wolf
Set Yourself on Fire - Stars
Hate - The Degados
I Often Dream of Trains - Robyn Hitchcock
Some Best Friend You Turned Out To Be - Max Tundra
A Few Steps More - Monade
Misery Is A Butterfly - Blonde Redhead
Drinking:
Coffee and Water
Eating:
Cold risotto and chocolate, but not together
Reading:
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
03.04.05:
Looking forward to a time when the radiator in my apartment is no longer required. Every hour, on the hour, for the past week, the radiator has clanked and yelled and woken me from my slumber. I'm not the soundest sleeper, and since I've been increasing my mileage I tend to be wired before bed. I'm tired, but as soon as my head hits the pillow I can't seem to sleep.
Tonight I'm off to see A Girl Called Eddy. For some stupid reason I thought the show was on Saturday.
Songs:
Blue - Lucinda Williams
Good Old Owl - Niobe (Strange strange song)
Morning Coffee - Lullatone
Head Over Heals - Tears For Fears
03.03.05:
Yesterday I upgraded my in ear headphones for my iPod. I've been using the Shure E2Cs for about a year. They sound good, but lately they've sounded a little dull. So, I splurged and upgraded to the Shure EC3s. I bought them through Amazon as they had the best price, and the shipping was free. The EC3s are hands down the best set of in ear headphones that I've ever experienced, and well worth the price. They're a little smaller than the E2Cs, and actually feel more comfortable in my ear. I listened to some of
Greetings From Michigan by Sufjan Stevens and they really sounded incredible. Maybe as a birthday present to myself I'll have custom fit sleeves made by Sensaphonics as I still have the molds from when I had earplugs made last year.
I finally figured out how to link to iTunes, so please please please vote for the three iMixes that I've published (requires iTunes):
I'm sleepy... Oh Wait, Wake Up!
Goodbye October
Covers
Listening to:
Nouvelle Vague - V/A Compilation (Cover versions of various classic punk or new waves songs, but with a slight spin as all the songs are done as bossa nova tracks. Some tracks work brilliantly like I Melt With You and Love Will Tear Us Apart, while others, like To Drunk To Fuck, don't work as well. You'd think the novelty would wear thin after a few listens, but there's a certain charm to this album not found in most compilations of this nature.)
Nothing/Everything - Paula Kelley
03.02.05:
Last Saturday I dropped my bike off at the shop for a tune-up. The shop I originally bought my bike provided free lifetime tune-ups, however, they just went out of business, so no more free tune-ups. A tune-up, and two new tubes cost almost as much as a tune-up for a car. Amazing, but worth it.
Over the years I've switched out a lot of the original components on the bike. I used to beat the crap out of this thing cycling through Chicago, but for the past year it's been hanging in a garage. It's a tough cyclocross bike, and I'm excited that it's ready for the road again. Last year when training for the marathon I did zero cross training. This year I plan on doing two days of cross training along with my usual running. Just wish it didn't take up so much space in my apartment. Right now the bike is between the living room radiator and keyboards. I'm thinking that it might fit in my front closet, but that would mean I'd have to do a bit of closet cleaning, and that's highly unlikely.
Listening to:
Les chosen de la vie - Dorval
Bye Bye Beaute - Coralie Clement
Some Cities - Doves
Song:
Lysine - Max Tundra
03.01.05:
As I stepped out of my apartment I wondered what month we were in. The wind chill and snow reminded me that Winter is still smiling, some might say frowning, upon us. Really, I don't mind the cold, but it is starting to get old. But I have my photos from Hawaii to keep me warm.
Team Zerostars wrapped up recording. With the exception of a tambourine hit or two, of which Garret will supply while the rest of us sit in our cubes day dreaming our rock & roll fantasies, all parts have been recorded and rendered in wonderful stereophonic sound. Still need to mix things, but I think Garret will undertake that as well, and then present the mixes to the band for us to hear.
This weekend A Girl Called Eddy will be playing at Hothouse, an outstanding jazz club in Chicago. I highly encourage all those in the area to definitely check the show out.
Listening to:
Mastered By Guy At The Exchange - Max Tundra
In The Clear - Ivy
Not the Trembling Kind - Laura Cantrell
Song:
Fuck Up Everything You Can Before You Slow Down - Kid 606 (Digital mayhem for the cube dweller.)