At this moment...
05.31.06:
1. I should be off to sleep by now.
2. Congratulations to my parents on their opening of Timbercliffe Cottage B&B! Be sure to check out the latest photos of the room. Everything looks amazing.
3. Thank you kk.com for taking me to Hecky's Barbecue. A much better suggestion than mine, which was Blind Faith.
That was a tasty pulled pork sandwhich, and the peach cobbler was delicious. I really didn't need to eat all that food…
After Hecky's Barbecue I went along to watch KK play some tennis. It was cool because in this odd way I felt like a parent watching one of their kids taking lessons. I also took some photos, but I'm sure KK will put those on her site. Here are some photos I took as I was driving down the road on my way home.
05.29.06:
It's storming outside. I watched as the sunlight started to disappear and the clouds grew black. This is the second storm of the day. Soon the sun will be back out.
Song(s) (not in any particular order):
Woodcat (Viva Voce Remix) - Tunng
Tomorrow - Espers (I think this is a cover. It's such a gorgeous song)
Lion Song - Claire Holly
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
(I Want You) More Than Ever - The Clientele
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken - Camera Obscura
London, London (Featuring Devendra Banhart) - Cibelle
Waited for You - Rivulets
On the Radio - The Concretes
And a bunch more…
05.28.06:
My twelve mile run quickly turned into a six mile run at about mile four when I decided it was too humid (I don't mind when it's warm, but when the humidity is high I can't function, especially when it comes to running.) to run the full twelve miles. Plus, I didn't bring any money with me to pick up an additional bottle of Gatorade at mile 7. I'm a bit down about not being able to run the full twelve miles as planned. Maybe I'll wake up early tomorrow and go for a bike ride. The weather forecast for next week looks runner friendly.
I want to be lazy today, maybe do nothing but listen to music. Although, sitting outside with a pitcher of margaritas and some chips and salsa would be quite nice too.
I just made my new favorite quick meal, bow tie pasta with fried eggs and gruyere. Talk about quick, simple, and really delicious. It has carbs and protein, seems healthy, and from start to finish it took less than 20 or so minutes. Good stuff.
Listening to:
Heathen - David Bowie Heathen is becoming one of my favorite albums to listen to while I run.)
Heroes - David Bowie
S/T - Sarah Shannon
Endless Summer - Fennesz (A guitar approached from a whole new perspective.)
Pop Ambient 2004 - V/A
Reich: Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich
(I should try running to this album, but I bet I'd run too fast.)
La Mer, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Danse, Nocturnes - Debussy
A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness - Astrud Gilberto
Begegnungen - Eno - Moebius - Roedelius - Plank
Incunabula - Autechre
05.27.06:
The sun and my Scandinavian skin just aren't meant for each other. After condo shopping with kk.com (KK is buying a condo, not me) we went for a drink and a bit of lunch before taking the "El" to the Gene Siskel Film Center to see Roman Polanski's disturbing little movie called Repulsion starring Catherine Deneuve. We were only in the sun for maybe an hour or so, but that was enough time for both of us to get burned. When we left the movie I noticed that she was a bit red, and then eventually I noticed that my arms were red. Oh well.
Before heading down into the city I went for another 18 mile ride. It's a blast to ride through the streets on a Saturday morning when the world is still asleep. It's mornings such as these when I feel like the roads are mine. I wish I had brought my camera along to take some photos of the fog.
Listening to:
Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk ("Everybody needs someone to live by…")
And The Glass Handed Kites - Mew
Snow Borne Sorrow - Nine Horses
Brotherhood - New Order
Technique - New Order
Get Ready - New Order
Low Life - New Order
05.26.06:
Is there any better opening sequence to a movie more thrilling than the first 15 minutes of Indian Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark? Such a classic movie.
Listening to:
Grown Backwards - David Byrne
Perfect From Now On - Built to Spill
Heathen - David Bowie
05.25.06:
Reminder to self, don't do speed work less than 24 hours after going for an 18 mile bike ride. I woke up at 5 AM, and was out the door running by 5:30 AM. I did warm up mile, and then tore into my second mile. I was supposed to run it at 00:08:32, but I ended up running it at 00:07:45, way too fast. I jogged a half mile and then began my third mile, and by the 4 minute mark I was feeling fatigued, which is the purpose of speed work since it teaches your muscles how to properly use oxygen. Yet somehow I still managed to run it at 00:08:32. After that it was a mile and a half cool down. And it kicked my ass. Five miles is usually easy.
Listening to:
Heathen - David Bowie
Diamond Dogs - David Bowie
Young Americans - David Bowie
05.24.06:
From Auster's The New York Trilogy:
What happens when a thing no longer performs its function? Is it still the thing, or has it become something else? When you rip the cloth off the umbrella, is the umbrella still an umbrella? You open the spokes, put them over your head, walk out into the rain, and you get drenched. Is it still possible to call this object an umbrella?
Discuss…
Waiting for rain. I see lightening on the horizon. After work I managed to go for a nice bike ride. I contemplated bringing along my camera, but I wanted to time how long it took me to complete the 18 mile loop. I wanted to go out before work, but wasn't sure how long the ride would take to complete. The only downside to riding during rush hour is all the drivers who don't pay attention to cyclists. Plus, now that Summer is fast approaching people seem to be driving like careless fools.
And Mr. Bowie sings, "Down is spaces it's always 1982." I've really tried to listen to other bands, I have, but lately new music just sounds empty, sterile. There's heart, but the production is awful. The other day I previewed some new band on iTunes because I wanted to hear what the kids are listening to these days, and while sounding completely emotionally soul-less and vapid, it sounded all compressed too. It's as if producers and engineers no longer care about how things actually sound.
Listening to:
Station to Station - David Bowie
Low - David Bowie
Lodger - David Bowie
Scary Monsters - David Bowie
Heathen - David Bowie
05.23.06:
And even as Bowie plays a few lines from an American Music Club song pop into my head:
I’m sick of food \ So why am I so hungry \ I was sick of you \ But I don’t mind seeing your little face \ I was sick of love \ So I just stopped feeling \ But I couldn’t find anything to take it’s place…
Maybe I'm just tired. Waking up early to go run makes me pretty sleepy by the end of the day. When I arrived home from work I contemplated going for a bike ride, but figured I needed the rest since I ran five miles this morning.
Listening to:
Heathen - David Bowie
Reality - David Bowie
Station to Station - David Bowie
Low - David Bowie
Scary Monsters - David Bowie ("I'm happy, hope you're happy too.")
05.22.06:
Listening to:
Think Tank - Blur (Battery in Your Leg contains one of my favorite guitar solos ever.)
The Special Collectors Edition - Blur
The Best of Blur - Blur
05.21.06:
It's been such a relaxing weekend, so much so that I don't want it to end. Thankfully we have a three day weekend coming up next weekend.
Bowie's Lodger plays on the stereo, I'm drinking coffee, the windows are open, it's a gorgeous Spring morning, I've already gone for my 10 mile run (it felt so great to just run), and I have the rest of the day ahead of me. I'm really enjoying Auster's The New York Trilogy. Makes me wish I was back in school because I'd love to discuss it with others. I guess I could start a book club, or join an existing one. But that would take some effort, wouldn't it?
I've been listening to only Bowie for a week. I could easily just listen to Bowie day after day, but I wonder if it's time to listen to another artist or band. I'm contemplating cracking open the entire Blur catalog. The one thing I've really enjoyed about listening to Bowie is that he's forever changing things up and exploring new sounds and ideas. He wasn't afraid to experiment, nor was he afraid to fail. I just think he's an amazing artist.
Listening to:
Heathen - David Bowie
Heroes - David Bowie
Lodger - David Bowie
Reality - David Bowie
Leisure - blur (Try to sit still during There's No Other Way.)
Modern Life is Rubbish - blur (Makes me wish I lived in London during the early 90's and the start of Brit pop.)
Parklife - blur
The Great Escape - blur
s/t - blur (blur at their most Bowie? Probably my second favorite blur album, Think Tank being my favorite, and quite possibly their best album to date.)
13 - blur (No Distance Left to Run always tears me up inside. Coffee + TV is one of the best videos ever. Oh, and Battle just kills in a way that few very songs are capable of doing.)
05.20.06:
Finished Voltaire's Candide and started Auster's The New York Trilogy. I've been slacking with my reading, so it's a good feeling to be reading again. I go through phases where I read nothing for weeks on end, and then I devour a bunch of books, and repeat the whole process.
I woke early again, but not to run. This morning I pumped up the tires on my bicycle and went for a 20 mile ride. I told myself that I need to do more cross training this year since I did zero last year when I was training for the marathon. This training season I plan to cross train twice a week. I love getting out early to go for a bike ride. The streets and roads that are normally busy were quiet, so I didn't have to contend with too many cars. I even saw a deer as I was flying through Busse Woods.
Listening to:
Scary Monsters - David Bowie
Earthling - David Bowie
05.19.06:
Another evening of free entertainment provided by students from Niles West High School. Last night it was the fashion show and tonight it was a student film festival. Very entertaining.
I woke early to go for a five mile run. Today I managed to hold myself to pace, or at least close to pace. Next week I add speed training into my plan.
Listening to:
Low - David Bowie
Heroes - David Bowie
Lodger - David Bowie
Earthling - David Bowie
05.18.06:
No one rocks it like Dokken! There's nothing quite as cool as a heavy metal press photo, that's why I had to put one into photoshop and give it a nice pink background. They just don't make metal bands like they used to. I went through a brief heavy metal phase in sixth grade. Brief because it lasted less than a few months. I even owned a Dokken album, but I can't recall which one.
I'm sleepy. I woke early and went for a five mile tempo run. I was about 10 seconds ahead of pace, so evidently I really need to work on keeping myself on task. Then again, maybe I naturally run at the pace my body wants to run at. I really enjoy waking early to run. It was kind of cool this morning, but perfect running weather. I'm so much more alive when I run in the morning.
KK.com invited me to attend the fashion show at the high school she works at. Quite fascinating. The things the kids wear these days astound me, doesn't leave much to the imagination. At times I had to look away because I felt both awkward and embarrassed for the kids.
Listening to:
Space Oddity - David Bowie
The Man Who Sold the World - David Bowie
Hunky Dory - David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Young Americans - David Bowie
Station to Station - David Bowie
Heroes - David Bowie
05.17.06:
When I arrived home from getting my hair cut (I was starting to look like a damn hippie) I noticed that the little red light on my answering machine blinking. It's rare for me to get messages during the day, and when I do get a message it's usually a wrong number. I don't know how to work my answering machine, so I'm unable to change the robot voice message, so wrong numbers are prone to leave messages. When I hit play I knew I was in for a treat. Some little girl was calling her dad, here's what she said (I wish I had some way to make a sound file):
"Hi daddy, this is me Tianna, I just want to know ummm if I can talk to you. I love you. Bye."
Such a nice message, I kind of feel bad that this girl's father didn't get a chance to hear it.
Damn, I missed American Idol, now I have to search the internet to find out who got cut. Pathetic of me on so many levels:
1. I can't believe I watch this crap.
2. I can't believe that I admit to watching this crap.
3. I can't believe that I'm spending time writing about this awful show.
4. I can't believe I just scoured the American Idol message boards to find out who got cut (appears to be Elliot).
Enough on my shitty taste in TV. Honestly, with the exception of The Simpsons, it's the only show I watch. I find AI fascinating because it's just such a train wreck, plus it says a great deal about our culture. AI is what happens when art funding is cut from school budgets.
I spent about an hour on the phone with the owners of Timbercliffe Cottage B&B (my parents). I've been working on their web site and they sent me a bunch of photos of the B&B to post to their web site. I think it's coming along quite well. I'm amazed at how much progress they have made on the B&B since I last saw it near the end of December. Normally you hear parents telling their friends that they're proud of their kids, but I have to say I'm really proud of them. Quitting their corporate jobs to follow their own dream of owning and operating a B&B in Maine is a risky thing to do, but I know they'll succeed on every imaginable level (as long as they don't strangle each other first, but I know they won't). It would be nice if I could see them a bit more than I do.
Listening to:
Station to Station - David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (Live) - David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars (I love how after people in the crowd yell out "Me!" at the end of My Death, Bowie says, "Thank you," and then Mick Ronson tears into Cracked Actor.)
David Live - David Bowie
Stage (Live) - David Bowie
05.16.06:
Finally, after taking a week off from running (weather plus extra curricular activities kept my feet from hitting the pavement), I went for a six mile run. The weather was spectacular. I'm trying to slow my pace down just a bit, but it's difficult. Usually when I finish my run I can recall a few of the thoughts I had when I was out running, but now, as I type, I can't recall anything at all.
Listening to:
Reality - David Bowie
Heathen - David Bowie (5:15 is an amazing song...)
Bowie at the Beeb - David Bowie
Young Americans - David Bowie
Lets Dance - David Bowie
Hours - David Bowie
Earthling - David Bowie (This album gets panned, but it's quite good.)
05.15.06:
After months of procrastination I finally signed myself up for the Chicago Marathon. I'm not sure why I waited so long. Last year I signed up on the day registration opened. So, on October 22nd I'll be running through the streets of Chicago, so if you have nothing to do come cheer me, along with the other 39,999 runners, on. Now I just need to figure out which training plan to follow. Right now I'm contemplating three, one similar to the one I followed last year but with speed work, one that involves running 26.2 miles before the actual marathon, and another one that has me only running three days a week (one speed work run, one tempo run, and one long run). The three day a week one is tempting, but I'll probably go with the one similar to what I followed last year. We'll see…
Tonight it's band rehearsal with our new drummer, so at our next show, which is tentatively booked at Schubas for June 21st, stop by and say hello to Richard.
Still on my Bowie kick, and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. Before work I listened to Low, and while at work I listened to Lodger on repeat for the majority of the day. After work I stopped at Borders and picked up Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Session 68-72, a two disc set of Bowie at the BBC.
Listening to:
Low - David Bowie
Lodger - David Bowie
Bowie at the Beeb - David Bowie
Heathen - David Bowie
05.14.06:
I've said it before, and I'm sure to say it again, there's nothing quite as depressing as doing laundry on a Sunday morning. Quite pathetic of me to get up on a Sunday earlier than I do during the working week. Or maybe I just need to find a new laundromat. Today there was a father and son doing their laundry together, but not like a young father and son. It was really sad because it almost seemed like they were either homeless, or living out of their beaten up pick-up truck parked in front of the laundromat. Both were wildly obese and unkempt. The son was probably in his fifties, and he was wearing baggy shorts, sandals, and his feet were covered in dirt, as if they hadn't been washed in days. The father was even more obese than the son, with uncombed crazy and gray thinning hair and he had on a grimy outfit that consisted of pants that barely fit and a bass fishing shirt littered with food stains and dirt. I could hear the father wheezing and kind of gasping for breath as they were folding their laundry. The son kept saying, "Old man, take it easy." I thought the father was going to die.
"You're not alone... Give me your hand. You're wonderful"
Today, along with it being Mother's Day, is also David Bowie day (at least in my universe). I'm listening to nothing but Bowie all day and night, and I might even watch Ziggy Stardust later (yeah, nothing like a super skinny Bowie prancing around the stage in hilarious costumes. Trevor Boulder's (bassist for the Spiders from Mars) beard is so not glam. It's cheesy and cornball -- that whole mime sequence speaks volumes, and dated, but still amazing). I'm always quick to damn the 1970's for being a decade of really awful popular music. Bowie was at his artistic peak during the 70's, especially during the Berlin period, but I've never really lumped him in with that decade because he seems so outside of it.
<--- In college KH made me the David Bowie phone. I wish I had a wireless version of this phone. I suppose I could make one.
Since my parents are now based on the East coast I took my grandmother out for a late Mother's Day lunch. She cracks me up. I love how older people, she's 91, say what's on their minds. There was a guy at the restaurant and he was covered in tattoos. He had this one on his neck and my grandma commented on how it looked like he was covered in dirt. Then as we were leaving she made some comment about some other person who appeared to be 'gay' at one of the other tables. As we were eating our food she told me about this guy who shops at the grocery store and how this guy wears lipstick and earrings, and that she thinks the person wants to be a woman (I wonder what she would say about Bowie, and then I wonder how shocked she'd be in she knew he did a duet of Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby). She's really quite funny.
Is that the sun I see? I swear, the sun has been hiding since last Monday.
Listening to:
Heroes - David Bowie
The Man Who Sold the World - David Bowie
Serious Moonlight Live EP - David Bowie (Contains a great version of Space Oddity.)
Diamond Dogs - David Bowie
("This ain't Rock & Roll, this is genocide...")
Space Oddity - David Bowie
(Reminds me of my final semester at U of I in Champaign-Urbana and arriving at my tiny studio apartment one afternoon only to find KH blasting Space Oddity and singing along. There are times, although they seem to be becoming rarer and rarer, when I miss those days. Also, I'm amazed at how much The Polyphonic Spree borrowed from Wild Eyed Boy From Free Cloud. It's almost if that track was used as a template for the Polyphonic Spree sound, they do cover Five Years. No wonder Bowie likes them so much.)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie ("I never thought I'd need so many people..." Five Years just builds and builds until it explodes. And Rock & Roll Suicide is just classic.)
Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) - David Bowie
Hunky Dory - David Bowie
05.13.06:
So yesterday I went bowling with my coworkers. The concept of bowling fascinates me. However, I don't think I'll be spending lots of my time at the local bowling alley sharpening my bowling prowess. I'm not a very good bowler. In the first game I think I bowled a 78, or something close to 78. I came in third place, so thankfully I wasn't a complete loser. For the second game we played wacky bowling. An example would be to bowl one round with your eyes closed, or bowling while balancing on one foot. I came in last place for that round.
In general I find sports intriguing, at least sports like bowling, or shuffle board. Are they even sports? Who dreamt up bowling? I can understand how a sport like soccer came about, but knocking down 10 pins with a ball just seems foreign to me. I say bring back pin monkeys (one would think a Google image search would bring up some old timey photos of pin monkeys setting up bowling pins, but instead some band called Pinmokey shows up).
According to Wikipedia:
Historians have discovered forms of bowling as early as 3200 BC in Egypt, though some argue that it originated later in Germany in 300 A.D. The first written reference to bowling was in reference to King Edward III of England banning his troops from playing the game in the 14th century. European settlers brought forms of the game to the United States in the colonial era.
The first standardized rules were established in New York City, on September 9, 1895. In that year, the American Bowling Congress (ABC) was formed. The female equivalent, the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) was founded later, in 1917. Later, the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) became the sanctioning body for junior bowling.
Originally, pinspotters manually set up pins. However, in 1952, the first automatic pinsetters were commercially produced, greatly speeding up the game and allowing its popularity to blossom.
Here are a few additional photos from the event:
I thought about stealing my bowling shoes but then I saw the word RENTAL and got worried that I would be tracked down by the League of Bowling Shoe Police (I've heard stories about them, and decided I didn't want to end up as another statistic).
After my bowling excursion it was off to dinner and drinks with friends. First, a few of us went to dinner at Bistro Campagne on Lincoln Avenue. I had the steak frites and warm chocolate souffle, and we all shared a couple of bottles of a wonderful Cótes du Rhone. One of the things I really like about Bistro Campagne, aside from the simply prepared and tasty food, is the affordability. The wine list is small, but there are a number of inexpensive yet outstanding wines.
Once dinner was finished we walked over to Bad Dog and continued with our drinking. Good times, especially when half of Zerostars showed up. The dj played fantastic Brit-pop all night long, he even played Madonna of the Wasps by Robyn Hitchcock (never thought I'd hear Robyn played in a bar). I drank, but not too much. I guess I just like crawling into my own bed, so I've learned when to cut myself off from drinking more alcohol than needed.
I seem to be in one of my hermit moods today. I get this way when I've had a lot of social interaction, or when it's cold and rainy and I can't get out and run. I haven't gone for a run since Monday. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow.
Reading:
Candide, or Optimism - Voltaire (I've read Candide many times and it never ceases to make me laugh. Candide reminds me a lot of President Bush. Maybe I'll send a of the book to him.)
Listening to:
Terror Twilight - Pavement
Together We're Heavy - The Polyphonic Spree
(Is it possible to feel even a tinge of sadness when they're playing from the stereo? I think not.)
Atom Heart Mother - Pink Floyd
Low - David Bowie
Heroes - David Bowie
Lodger - David Bowie
05.12.06:
Glancing at the Zerostrars myspace site I noticed that Jason posted our latest song entitled Marian Catholic (I really like the artwork!). It's a short song, about 1:45 in length (that's in minutes). If you have a moment I highly encourage you to give it a listen, and if you like it how about posting a comment on the Zerostars myspace site as well. While it stll sounds like Zerostars it's departure from our usual upbeat pop styling's. Plus, I got to play organ on the track. I'm looking forward to us trying to play this live, but maybe this will only end up as an album track.
The leak in my ceiling has stopped. I didn't float away as I feared, but the weatherman is predicting six days of rain, a flood of epic proportions. A long time ago I wrote a short story about a boy who encounters a hurricane in his bedroom. It was a strange little story, a metaphor I suppose. I guess it's only fitting that I wound up working at an insurance company. There was a time when I was full of ideas for short stories. I still have a lot of stories buried inside of me, but I need some event to trigger them to come up to the surface.
05.11.06:
I'm sleepy. When I arrived home from work I noticed that the ceiling in my bedroom was leaking. Thankfully the leak wasn't over my bed. I called my landlord and was told someone would be out to inspect the roof tomorrow. Hopefully I don't wake with the ceiling falling down on me.
05.10.06:
Last night I saw Sigur Ros at the Civic Opera House. They were amazing. Might very well go down as my all-time favorite concert. Before the show KK asked if I'd know anyone at the show, and I said, "If anybody it would be Callie and Robert." So, as KK is out on the phone in the lobby area buying a condo, she runs into Callie and Robert, who it turns out are seated a few rows down from us. It was a nice surprise. Somehow they knew the people sitting behind us, and the people behind us knew people sitting where Callie and Robert were sitting, so they exchanged seats.
I didn't get home until late, so I'm sleepy. I'll probably be sleepy tomorrow too.
05.07.06:
Such a lazy, yet relaxing, Sunday afternoon. The windows are wide open, an occasional train passes by, children are playing in the park across the street, and Belle and Sebastian are on the stereo. Earlier I was listening to The Clientele, so it's like a bands influenced by Love kind of day. Although, The Clientele have a more hazy feel to them. When I woke I went for a seven mile run. I planned on eight, but I ran Friday and Saturday, so I cut it short by one mile.
Listening to:
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant - Belle and Sebastian
The Golden Band - American Analog Set
Ariadne EP & The Lost Weekend EP - The Clientele
Faux Mouvement - Autour De Lucie
Through Small Windows - Alsace Lorraine
The Acrobat - Doveman (The live version of Honey, although not on the album, segues into Only Love Can Break Your Heart. Honestly, I said it a few weeks back, but Honey kills me.)
05.06.06:
I had something funny to write, or at least I thought it funny, but I've since forgotten what I was going to write. Oh well…
After my morning run I came home and went to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients for dinner, which is ham, gruyére, and spinach bread pudding. Good stuff.
Watching:
Elephant
Listening to:
La Disparition - Keren Ann
Not Going Anywhere - Keren Ann
Silent Alarm (Remixed) - Bloc Party
Harvest - Neil Young ("Think I'll pack it in, and buy a pickup…")
Arrhythmia = Antipop Consortium
I Am a Bird Now - Antony & the Johnsons
From Gardens Where We Feel Secure - Virgina Astley
Hold On Love - Azure Ray
05.05.06:
I really wish I had the day off. It's only 7:30 AM, the windows are wide open, Brian Eno is on, the coffee tastes delicious, and I'm wondering why I have to go to work today. Every time that I listen to Eno's Another Day on Earth I'm reminded of its beauty; it's a masterpiece.
After work I stopped over at the bookstore and picked up Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales. I needed something different to read, so I think this may be what I'm looking for. Then, when I came home I went for a quick three mile run. I managed to run it in 00:23:47. Felt good to really push myself.
Oh, and I'm really tired of seeing cigarette butts everywhere. It's disgusting. I'm sick of smokers just flicking their disgusting cigarette butts wherever they see fit. Some guy was smoking as I was walking into my apartment after my run and he threw his half smoked cigarette into the street. Are these the same people who throw trash out of their cars as they're speeding down the highway? I'm amazed at the lack of concern that people show for our environment.
Listening to:
Another Day on Earth - Brian Eno
Harvest - Neil Young
Anniemal - Annie
05.04.06:
Last night I had a dream that involved a ghost and his ghost car (I never knew that ghosts had cars), having the ghost attend some strange high school reunion type party along with me and the members of my old band, The Holiday Costume, getting drunk at the party, and then going out with kk.com for key lime pie at Bakers Square afterwards. The only thing that makes sense is the key lime pie since I ate some key lime yogurt for dinner. All in all a pretty strange dream.
Listening to:
Matthew Shipp's New Orbit - Matthew Ship
05.02.06:
A stunning Spring day, although I was trapped inside for the majority of the day. After work I went for a five mile run that seems to have wiped me out, but in a good way. I love Spring, and when lilacs bloom.
Listening to:
The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves - Cibelle
Orchestra of Bubbles - Apparat & Ellen Allien (Amazing German electronic music. I don't know how they manage to make such joyful organic music with drums machines and keyboards.)
A Night at the Village Vanguard - Sonny Rollins (A blistering and raw set that opens with the bebop classic, A Night in Tunisia. What I love most about this set is that it's just tenor sax, bass, and drums.)
The Rite of Spring - Pulcinella Suite - Yoel Levi; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
05.01.06:
Listening to:
Piano Works - Satie (Daniel Varsano)
Song(s):
What a Difference a Day Makes - Dinah Washington (Plays at the end of Run Lola Run.)
Dear Mr Supercomputer & The Henney Buggy Band - Sufjan Stevens (The Stereolab influence is so obvious, at least from the arrangements. The rest is all Sufjan Stevens since no one else is writing songs this amazing.)
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Bert Jansch
Tomorrow - Espers
Waited for You - Rivulets
Futures - Zero 7 w/Jose Gonzalez (This track is okay, kind of reminds me of Steely Dan. I've always wanted to like Steely Dan, but I don't. I also tried to like Zero 7, but I don't really care for them either. But I do like Jose Gonzalez. But like I said, this song is okay.)