Favorite Music of 2009

No rankings for my favorite albums of 2009. Just a list and a few comments. Here's the list:

Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come - I'm liking this one more than the last two Goats albums. It's a good consistent effort from them with a couple of great high notes.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - I finally really gave in to Phoenix with this one.
Matt and Kim - Grand - Just a lot of fun. I need more fun albums.
Mewithoutyou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright - Danielson plus Mewithoutyou. What is there not to love?
The Antlers - Hospice -A really fragile sounding album. Sad but really enjoyable.
David Wilcox - Open Hand -I couldn't quit listening to this album this year. Wilcox's best in quite a while.
Freelance Whales - Weathervanes -Sort of folky. Sort of electronic. Not exactly a consistent album, but really great in places.
Mount Eerie - Wind Poems - Another great, brooding album from Mount Eerie.
True Widow - True Widow - Dark and doomy debut from a great local band.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware - Quirky and creepy but quite different for Oldham.
David Bazan - Curse Your Branches -Songwriting that still cuts deep. Hard to Be was probably my favorite song of the year.
Danny Balis - Too Much Living - Twangy country from the Afternoon Cloud.
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love - Straight out of the 80s. It's got that good 4AD sound, just 20 years later.
Andy Gullahorn - The Law of Gravity - I love the writing on this album.
Doug Burr - The Shawl - It isn't On Promenade, but he is putting out some great music.

I made it to a lot of shows this year. There weren't too many new bands, but I saw a lot of my live favorites again. Low, Morrissey, U2, TV on the Radio, David Bazan, Bob Dylan, mewithoutyou...the list goes on. I saw a lot of greats, but in the end, my favorites of the year are as follows:

1. Over the Rhine - Granada Theater - As close to a perfect night of music as I've ever been a part of. In all of the times, I have seen OTR, they have never quite delivered what they did that night. The music was beautiful. Karin's voice was perfect. Sitting there with my wife taking it all in made for my best night of live music of the year.

2. The Mountain Goats - Granada Theater - No Pollution was the best performance I saw all year. Darnielle was sick, but that didn't stop him from laying it all out on stage.

3. David Wilcox - Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse - This was the second of two times I saw David Wilcox this year. It hadn't been a good week leading up to it. Like they tend to do the songs made me laugh, made me think, and ultimately settled a rough week down.

4. Woven Hand - Club Dada - I like the fact that Woven Hand keeps adding a member every time I see them. So far, it has corresponded to a better show every time.

5. My Bloody Valentine - Palladium Ballroom - It was good to see the legendary noise of MBV. I had heard about what to expect, but still wasn't quite prepared for what took place. For someone who loves a wall of sound and texture, it was perfect. They certainly aren't showmen, and you don't go to hear vocals, but as a live experience, it was extremely unique and fun.

6. Roy Clark and Ray Price - Bass Hall - I've been to a lot of shows, but this was the first one I've ever gotten to take my Dad to. The music was great, and it was a blast getting to hang out with Dad. Roy Clark is an old school entertainer, and Ray Price's voice was still incredible.

My Favorites from 2008

A bunch of my favorite bands released albums this year, but all in all, it was a pretty disappointing year in new music for me. There were only a few albums that really came out of no where to hit heavy rotation.

1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science - Far and away my favorite new album of the year. I had always liked a song here any there on their previous albums, but they finally put one together that was great from start to finish.

2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight - I am a sucker for thick Scottish accents and walls of sound. This album does both of them quite well and will stay stuck in your head for quite a while.

3. Woven Hand - Ten Stones - Continues the trend of more instrumentation with Woven Hand albums. It doesn't have the stand out songs that some of the previous albums have had, but it stands up well as a whole.

4. Why? - Alopecia - Not as good as Elephant Eyelash, but I still enjoy a little white boy hip hop more than I figure I should.

5. R.E.M. - Accelerate - It turned out to be a really good R.E.M. album. The first R.E.M. album in a long time I have kept in constant rotation.

6. The New Year - The New Year - A little more upbeat than anything they have ever done. I don't think it will stick with me quite like The End is Near, but it is quite an enjoyable album.

7. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line - This is a fun one. I don't listen to enough music like this these days.

8. The Notwist - The Devil You + Me - My token electronicish album of the year. Germans with some good beats, but not forgetting that melody is important.

9. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride - It isn't their best, but it is still full of songs that sound fun until you listen to the lyrics...and then you are sad.....and then you laugh.

10. The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia - Brooding supergroup of sorts consisting of members of bands I never really cared about before. The album got a lot of spins when I wanted something really depressing.

I'd imagine if I rethink this list in a few months, things will change quite a bit. I have picked up quite a few 2o08 albums in the past month or so that I am liking. Maybe I'll even start liking the Fleet Foxes album that everyone else seems to think is the year's best.

Best Shows:
1. Bob Dylan at the House of Blues - This one had everything stacked against it. I was going by myself. I had to take my camera back to my car once I got to the door so I lost my place in line. I had heard that he was sometimes just plain awful live. I had to jump at the chance though, and I am glad I did. He wasn't much for talking, but he looked like he was having a lot of fun up there.

2. TV on the Radio at the Lakewood Theater - Glad my buddy was interested in seeing them. I would have skipped them again had he not wanted to go. I don't know that I'll be skipping them when they come back through.

3. Woven Hand at Lola's - The best Woven Hand show I have ever seen. So much intensity from such a small band.

4. Over the Rhine at the House of Blues - I had always wanted to see them in a smoky bar rather than a cornfield. I finally got my chance this year minus the smoke.

5. Danielson at the Granada - What more can I say....It was Danielson.

6. New York Dolls at the Granada - One of the few shows I have been to in a while that I have been the young guy at. They may only have two remaining members, but they tore it up. Many overweight former glam rockers, now accountants were enjoying this one, and so did I.

Danielson

My introduction to the music of Daniel Smith started with a song on an old Tooth and Nail sampler. In digging back, I figured out that the song must have been "What to Wear" off A Prayer for Every Hour. Even today, that is a weak track on that sampler. It was right after Punk Rawk Show and Coupleskate, so it didn't have much of a chance, especially for my 15 year old ears. The bands on that sampler were some of my favorites over the next few years...MxPx, Joe Christmas, Plankeye, Morella's Forest. I didn't make it back around to Danielson for another 5 or 6 years.

I saw a demo copy of Tri-Danielson Alpha for $.50 at the Christian General Store. I picked it up and gave it a chance. Slowly but surely, the songs started to sink in. It started with Potty Mouth. They were still a novelty band at this point, but it didn't take long before I got past the weird singing and noticed that the songs were great. I started picking up other albums. I made time in my schedule my first year at Cornerstone to see the Famile. I saw them as the Sonship the next year. I saw Daniel Smith perform as Brother Danielson in the tree at SXSW and Cornerstone 2003. I drove up to Denton to see them play as Danielson shortly after Ships had come out. I bought Danielson: A Family Movie as soon as it finally came out on DVD. If you look closely, I'm even in the clips from that Sonship show. Needless to say, I have become a big fan.

Last Thursday, they finally made it to me. I didn't have to drive to Illinois, Austin, or even Denton. They would be right down the road at the Granada Theater, so there was no way I would miss it. The show started with a very worthy opener. Mount Righteous was a very entertaining collective. Eight or so people with an accordian, a sousaphone, a trombone, and high school band percussion. There songs were very simple songs, but they had a lot of energy and fun. Cryptacize was a bit of a powerdown after the energy of the Mount Righteous set. Paired with some other bands, I might have liked it a bit better, especially after listening to Dig That Treasure a bit.

Danielson came out sporting their new tour uniforms complete with new Fluevog shoes. Daniel announced that due to the recent release of Trying Hartz, they would be playing some songs they hadn't played in a while. Aside from Chris Palladino, it was a little disappointing that the band didn't include more of the old faces. The three members of Cryptacize filled in nicely and everything still sounded great, but as far as I know, there were no other Smith's on stage.

The set was heavy on stuff from the two Tri-Danielson albums. It was great to hear those songs again as Daniel led the audience in the singalongs, clapalongs, and snapalongs. A little Rubbernecker. A little Body English. Some Idiot Boksen. The set hit a lot of his best. The only bad part was that he stopped after an hour. The encore of Did I Step on Your Trumpet and Sold! To The Nice Rich Man was incredible. I would have been nice to hear Cutest Little Dragon or Don't You Be the Judge, but I can't complain....Danielson was back in Dallas.

Daniel is one of my favorite performers not only because I have come to love his music, but also because of his demeanor from stage. Rockstar wouldn't suit the music at all. The music works because he is able to convey it without irony. There is humor to it. It is silly, fun music. He comes across as a genuine person who is having a lot of fun and is proud of his creation. He draws in all sorts of crowds, and handles them with a lot of humor and grace. No one does it quite like he does, and I was glad to get another chance to see it.

Last Place

When I got to Dallas, my only real remaining sports affiliation was anything Aggie, but mostly football. I quickly had to start watching Cowboys games again because it was always a part of the Monday conversation. After buying some cheap tickets to a game, I got really into following the Mavs. Over the past three seasons, I have gone to quite a few games, and spent a lot of time watching them. Last year, around playoff time, I even jumped on the Stars bandwagon. Aside from the Rangers, I was finally becoming a good Dallas sports fan.

So far, this season has been a tough time to be a fan of all of these teams. It was a bad season to have season tickets for the Aggies. We couldn't even give away tickets to most every game. The Cowboys haven't been fun to watch, and the losses end up just making my morning and afternoon radio time be boring. My first Mavs game attended of the season ended Friday with a really big choke (though the cat fight two rows in front of us certainly was worth the price of admission). I haven't even had the motivation to watch the Stars stink it up so far. All of my teams are currently in last place in their division. I feel like I can relate.

I'm not a very competitive person. I have never been that good at sports. I don't think I really spend much time trying to keep up with other people. I don't have a drive to be extremely wealthy. I just want to do a good job at things. I want to be a good follower and listener to Chirsts direction. I want to be a good husband. I want to be a good friend. I want to be a good enough handyman to be able to fix random crap around my house.

I have been dealing with a lot of self doubt again lately. I finished up a project at work that went well, but not as well as I would have hoped. I have been as loving as I would like to be to my wife and friends. I am way behind in getting an important piece of work done for a group I been in at church. I am sitting in my freaking garage again because I can't fix the washing machine drain and haven't called someone out to look at it. I end up feeling like I can't do anything to fix any of the situations I am in. I blame other people and am not fun to be around. It leads to laziness. It leads to anger. It all takes me further from those things that I just said I want to be. It is a cycle that I hate. It always seems to sneak up on me when things are going well, and I often lack the discipline to do anything about it. I am reminded Monday after Monday that I am not in control, but I still try to be.

Recent Playlist:
Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights -Hot Trottin'
Pedro the Lion - It's Hard to Find a Friend
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
16 Horsepower - Sackcloth 'n Ashes
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
The Evens - The Evens
Cryptacize - Dig That Treasure
Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs
David Crowder Band - Remedy
Creeper Lagoon - Take Back the Universe
Costa Music - Lighter Subjects
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
The Notwist - The Devil You + Me
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Hayden - Elk-Lake Serenade
Dosh - The Lost Take
Duvall - Volume & Density
Julie Miller - Broken Things
The Ladybug Transistor - The Albemarle Sound
John Vanderslice - Time Travel is Lonely

Fall Concert Recap

I haven't done a good job of keeping up with concert write ups lately. It hasn't been for lack of opportunities though. I have made it to all the ones I planned on going to in my post from August with one exception, the Punch Brothers, and I added one that I wasn't originally planning on, TV on the Radio. The shows were all good in their own way. If I had to rank them, I'd probably go as follows:
1.) TV on the Radio - This show far exceeded my expectations. I didn't know what to expect, but of the bands I saw, I had the least attachment to their music, and my expectations were low. They had incredible energy and really really great musicianship. The crowd was really into it all the way through and the Lakewood Theater is a great place to see a show. Additionally, the opening band, The Dirtbombs, were a sight to see on their own. Even if TVOTR would have been average, The Dirtbombs would have made the show worth seeing.

2.) Why? - Like TV on the Radio, they are another band I had no idea what to expect. I didn't think they would be able to reproduce much of their sound live, but I was pleasantly suprised. There wasn't much improvisation to the show, but they were able to pull off some amazing stuff with just three members. The crowd was a bit of a pain, but the show was a blast. Who knew they drew so much of the frat crowd?

3.) The Mountain Goats - If Kaki King's opening/co-headlining set not been about an hour too long, I might have enjoyed this show more. The Mountain Goats were everything I expected them to be. The people were everything I expected them to be. I love the music and was very pleased at how entertaining it was to see and hear John Darnielle talk about the songs. He had the crowd eating up every dark dry word he sang, and even tried to be Morrissey for a tune.

4.) R.E.M. - I was really tired the night of R.E.M. I don't know why I was so tired, but I was. That paired with seats that were a long way away knocked this show down a couple of notches. That isn't to say that the show wasn't worth every penny though. They are legends, and played tons of songs I never thought I would ever get to hear live. I left the show and remain very pleased that I finally got to see them. After realizing that the rest of the crowd brought cameras, I was really bummed I didn't bring mine.

5.) The New Year - The New Year is the kind of band that isn't the most exciting band in the world to see. Their slow, textured music doesn't necessarily draw huge crowds, and isn't for everyone. They don't say much from the stage. They are incredible musicians and songwriters though. I think about half of the members of every local opening band I have ever seen around here were at that show. They certainly have the respect of that crowd, and I was glad to be there.

All in all, if the New Year show was the worst show I saw over these past couple of months, I have had a stinking great run of shows. I'm glad to get the chance to make it out to see bands play. Every one of these shows was worth a few hours of lost sleep. It is nice to live somewhere that gets this much great stuff coming through. Sure we don't get everything I would like to see, but it certainly beats everywhere else I have lived.

There isn't too much else on the horizon that I am planning on. I'm definintely psyched to catch Danielson in a couple of weeks. Seeing Daniel Smith perform in any incarnation never gets old. The only other show on the schedule is the Polyphonic Spree Christmas Extravaganza. The last two have certainly made me ready for a third. Anybody want to join me for either one? Both bands are the kind that even if you don't like them on disc, you will have a ton of fun seeing them live. Come give them a shot.

Chicago - Part II

Sunday officially began with a second set at Second City. We are too old to stay out that late these days, so getting back to the hotel at 3:00 a.m. was a shock to the system. Even with that, an 11:30 departure for an architecture tour on the river didn’t sound too difficult when we went to bed, especially since the friendly lady at dinner on Saturday mentioned how nice and easy the train ride in was. We didn’t think much of missing our originally planned train because we still had plenty of time to get there. Our thoughts on that changed when two stops in, a voice came over the intercom saying that three stops between us and downtown were closed. We were going to have to get off the train and hop on shuttle bus to get to the next open station. That took our already tight schedule down to next to impossible. We made finally made it downtown at 11:25. We had about six blocks to get from the train stop to the dock for the tour. That left us running like fools to hopefully catch the boat. One minute later, and they would have left without us, but just as they were about to take the ramp up, we hopped on the boat and grabbed a spot at the front of the boat.

The tour wound us up and down the Chicago River looking at all of the different buildings that make up Chicago. I have always liked big buildings. The rain was looming, and due to our late arrival, we weren’t prepared, but after the run, it was very relaxing to sit in the boat with the cold breeze blowing to get some background information on the buildings. It wasn’t an action packed tour, but it was informative and quite pleasant. We had about three and a half hours to kill from the time we got off the boat until the time we were supposed to be at the Briar Street Theater for Blue Man Group. We decided that another attempt at Chicago deep dish pizza was in order. This time we decided to try Giordano’s.

Giordano’s is known for stuffed pizza. We put our name on the list and ordered our pizza. It was a long wait for a table, then an even longer wait for our pizza to arrive. It was raining anyway, so there were a lot of worse ideas of how to spend an afternoon. When the pizza came, it was certainly worth the wait. Lots of cheese and veggies and some sausage. Not too much tomato sauce. It wasn’t exactly what I expected out of deep dish pizza, but it was pretty much the best pizza I have ever had.

By the time we were done with pizza, it was just about done raining and time to head to the Briar Street Theater to see the Blue Man Group. Of the three of us, Swaffy was the only one who had previously seen them. We got to the theater early chatting about what to expect. A staff member came by wanting to know how tall Swaffy was. She asked him to stand up and eyed him over. She said she might come back. We watched her as she went all over the theater trying to find the perfect average height person. She finally chose someone other than Swaffy, and we were rather disappointed. He wouldn’t be part of the show. The show was pretty crazy and just as you would imagine. About two thirds through the Blue Men came back near our section of the theater and grabbed the guy who was very close to being Swaffy. We watched on the monitors as they suited him up in a jumpsuit, painted him blue, then proceeded to hang him by his feet and swing him into a giant poster. Eventually the guy appeared back on stage with his head in some jello like substance and was done. It was really disappointing that it wasn’t Swaffy.

At this point, it was time to part ways with Mr. Pennington. His flight was leaving a few hours after the show, so he hopped on the train and headed back towards the airport. Swaffy and I walked back towards Wrigley Field to catch one last Chicago thing before we left. We went to the Sunday night Harold Show at ImprovOlympics. The three groups that performed were not near as polished as Second City the night before, but it was still entertaining. It had been a long day, and it was going to be an early morning. We walked to the train and soon realized why it had taken Mike so long to get to the airport from the train station where we had parked that morning. Our travels had taken us far enough off track that the train station near us was the wrong line. We had to go all the way back downtown to catch the right train to get us back to our car. Getting back to the hotel at midnight and then getting up at 4:45 to get Swaffy across town to the airport wasn’t much fun.

Morning came quickly, and we made it all the way across town to Midway in plenty of time for the flight. I was back to my time alone in Chicago. I made the best of it by heading back to the hotel for a couple more hours of sleep. I had decided that my day would include a trip back downtown to see the Art Institute of Chicago along with the last major Chicago food group I was missing, the hot dog. I got to the Art Institute knowing that some of the museum was under construction. I figured it would still be worth the trip to see two of the most famous pieces at the museum, American Gothic and Nighthawks. After a class in college, my main art interest usually falls in the more modern, so it was disappointing when I found that in addition to the impressionist collection being mostly closed, the entire modern collection was closed. I did enjoy the 20th century American art collection, but I didn’t spend much time in the rest of the museum. I’ll save that for a return trip once everything is back open. My extra time left me with an unplanned afternoon. I walked back over to see Cloudgate one more time. Still stinking amazing. I walked around a little more to find something else I had skipped on my Chicago sights….places the Blues Brothers was filmed. I was pretty close to the Honorable Richard J Daley plaza where the movie ends. I never did quite find it unfortunately. I decided I’d hop back on the train and go find my hot dog.

I got in my car and went in search of Superdawg. I think I probably first saw it on some random Food Network show, and it sounded like an interesting place. At the very least, it had two giant hot dogs on the roof. My superdawg was much like the rest of the food I had in Chicago, quite good. It was a nice way to cap off the trip. I got back to O’Hare and it was time to get back to Dallas to see someone I missed terribly in my time away. The flights were on time and I got back to Dallas just in time to grab dinner with my awesome wife. All in all, it was a great trip. Things went far smoother than I could have ever imagined. It was great to spend time with my buddies. I loved getting to really experience another city. I can’t wait to go back. It will be so much fun to take A with me.

Chicago - The Extended Report - Part 1

So here I am a couple of thousand feet in the air and who knows how many miles away from Chicago. I saw the skyline one last time just about 5 minutes ago. It was a fun trip. We’d been talking about taking a random weekend some time and flying somewhere random for quite a while. Two weeks ago, we committed to that random location being Chicago. Schedules were hectic. Swaffy was coming from Houston to Midway Friday night and had to be at work by noon today. Mr. Pennington was coming from Dallas to O’Hare Friday night and had to head out yesterday night to be at work first thing this morning. Me on the other hand….I came into O’Hare Friday morning and am just now leaving. I don’t know if that makes me more of a work slacker or more of a hardcore traveler. I’ll go with the latter. Here are the important stats:

• Three guys.
• Two airports.
• Two Hertz rental cars.
• Four Hundred Twenty Five miles put on my rental car.
• One hotel room.
• Two double beds.
• One pallet on the floor.
• Thirty-five miles from our hotel in the burbs to Midway.
• Four and a half hours of sleep on Sunday night because of that fact.
• Five electronic devices necessary to find our way around.
• One and a half hours scheduled with something to do before we arrived in Chicago.
• Two, the number of times Funky got looked at funny for asking for Dr. Pepper.
• One time, the number of times that we had to run in downtown Chicago to get to a boat.
• · Almost one, the number of times Swaffy got to be painted blue and hung from his feet.

Needless to say, it was a pretty crazy weekend.

Once I got there, I didn’t know quite what to do. I had about eleven hours before the rest of the crew would be there. After having about an hour and a half of that being eaten up by rabid Notre Dame fans at the car rental counter. I had a whole new city to explore. Instead of braving the city on my own, I mostly stuck to the suburbs. I hit up some Half Price Books. I saw most of the route the crazy cab driver took me on when I was in Chicago last year for a few hours. I did get one Chicago meal out of the way pretty quickly though. Aside from the Food Network or something, I hadn’t really known of the Italian Beef sandwich, but I’m glad I found out about it. I passed by a random location of Portello’s and decided I’d better try one. French bread, lots of thinly sliced beef, peppers, and some sort of random gravy. It had any cheesesteak I had ever eaten beat by a long shot. Next, like any hardcore traveler, I ended up at the hotel and took a bit of a nap. By the time I was up, it was time to start making the trek down to pick up Swaffy at Midway. I took my time….mainly due to the pesky “avoid toll roads” option checked on the GPS. Add that to a little detour due to a mistake that led me to the Frank Lloyd Wright house rather than a Half Price Books near Midway, and it was a long trip. Too bad, I didn’t get to see the house in the daylight. I finally arrived at Midway right on time.

Once I picked up Swaffy, it was time to meet up with Funky to grab some pizza. I decided on Lou Malanati’s for our first shot at Chicago deep dish pizza. I think it was a pretty good first choice. The pizza was quite juicy, which I realize is a strange describing word for pizza, but it was very accurate. Lots of cheese, lots of veggies, lots of bread. It was quite tasty. We got a plan started and got it mostly hammered out by the time we went to bed Friday night.

Saturday was planned to started out with a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry. On our way down there, we caught a sign pointing us to Wrigley Field, so we figured we had to go see that. There wasn’t much to see there, but seeing Wrigley was a treat. I kept looking for Illinois Nazi’s, but there were none to be seen. That jaunt took a little while, but it wasn’t long before we were on our way to the museum. Real exciting, I know, but it was pretty stinking cool. The U-Boat tour was fascinating. A couple of hours weren’t near enough to see the whole museum, but it was worth the trip down there. Next came one of the worst decisions we made all weekend. Not knowing the layout of the city and trusting the GPS directions, we ended up driving down Michigan Avenue for a bit. I got to test out my cab driver skills for a bit there until we found parking. We didn’t have much of a plan for our time in that area other than to go up on a tall building.

We ended up walking into the Billy Goat Tavern for lunch. Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger. No Fries…Chips. All that good stuff from the old SNL skit. A good burger and surly counter help are probably the best two things to describe the place. I’m going to have to dig up that skit again. From there, we decided to forgo the desire to go to the Sears tower because it is the Sears tower and hit up the Hancock Building observatory. It was a good choice. The lines were short and the tour was great. The views were great, and Ross Gellar explained Chicago to us. From here, we decided we had better head to Millennium Park to see the things Ross told us about.When we got to Millennium Park, we saw my favorite sight of the whole trip. Cloudgate, the giant silver bean, is about as cool of a piece of art as I have ever seen. Good art is supposed to make you feel something, and this art was the kind that makes everyone feel something. I saw people who were queasy, I saw romance, I saw awe, I saw fun. Everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. That is good art. It is easy to see how it has become such an icon in the city in such a short time. The other sights and sounds of the park were great too. The Gehery amphitheater, the spitting fountains, the sculptures, the plants. It was an impressive park. Too bad Dallas hasn’t been able to get something like that together. It would be tough not to spend a lot of lunch hours there.

Ross led us on a bit of a goose chase after this, but it was ok. Buckingham fountain looked like it would be a nice show to see if it weren’t under construction. By the time we had missed out on that it was time for dinner. Shaw’s Crab House was the location. We weren’t fancy or patient enough for the main room, but the Oyster Bar next door suited us just fine. Good food. Random conversation with a helpful Rockwall resident who was stuck in Chicago on business. The largest food bill of our trip. It was definitely good times. Our final stop for the evening was Second City, the only preplanned event of our weekend. No Country for Old White Men was the show. The cast was very talented and the show was hilarious. It was late, but definitely worth the loss of sleep.

Chicago - The Overview

So I got back from Chicago yesterday. It was a fun trip with the guys. The guys being a couple of good college buddies. The girl was missed quite a bit. The girl being my awesome wife. It was still a lot of fun. To pass the time on the flight back, I started writing an overly verbose recap of the trip. That will be for those of you who have some time and for some reason care to read about the details of the trip. For those of you who don't, here's the high points.

Giant bean = extremely cool
Construction on train rail while on a tight schedule = not cool
Deep Dish Pizza and Italian Beef Sandwich = very tasty
Superdawg = messy
Second City = funny
Blue Man Group = Swaffy almost painted blue and hung by his feet
Chicago as a whole = really fun city

It was a great trip, but I'm glad to be back. The long winded version will be posted soon. I know you will be anxiously awaiting it.

Recent Playlist:
Random song selections from letters A-G on my ipod in the form of playlist On-The-Go 3
The Very Best of Otis Redding
The Cure - Show
Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses
Prince - The Hits
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Joe Purdy - You Can Tell Georgia
Linford Detweiler -I Don't Think There is No Need to Bring Nothin'
The Innocence Mission - Now the Day is Over
Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars
R.E.M - Accelerate
Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Okkervil River - Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You Meet
Red House Painters - Songs for a Blue Guitar
Sleeping at Last - Ghosts
Van Morrison - Moondance
Pedro the Lion - Winners Never Quit

Elvis, Gushing Water, and a Dead Squirrel

I was sitting in my garage earlier with a dead squirrel waiting for water to start spewing out of my washing machine drain pipe while reading Velvet Elvis thinking about life. I guess now that I have gotten the title explanation out there, I'll break it down.

The least relevant part is the dead squirrel. It came from my yard yesterday. Maggie's favorite game is squirrel chasing, and either she got one yesterday, or a poor sickly squirrel didn't know what a trophy he would become. Maggie carried it around very proudly until I got it bagged up and ready to take out with the trash tomorrow.

Next comes the gushing water. For about the past month to six weeks, my washing machine hasn't drained correctly. No amount of snaking, water pumping, or hoping has done much good. The drain just won't clear. I get to babysit the draining of the machine unless I want the water to end up all over the floor. I have some testosterone driven desire to fix it myself, and that isn't working out too well in the house these days.

The Elvis part comes from my most recent read, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. I have been on a big kick of reading lately. I have read everything from inspiring to entertaining to educational. Late last week, I finished another relatively long book that feel into the entertaining category. I wanted to get a quick read in before starting another book. Velvet Elvis has been sitting on my shelf for at least a year, and I hadn't gotten too far in it. It was one of the shortest books sitting on my shelf, so that is how it ended up making it to the top. I wasn't prepared for how challenging of a read it has proven to be. There is an awful lot in the book to sit and think about. Things that are right on the money....things that seem a little off base....things that are really off base.

Sitting on my garage floor reading the book, I was challenged to think quite a bit differently than I have for 27 years. I don't know that I consider Velvet Elvis a life changing read. I'm not done with it, so it still has a chance, but for now, I'd just rate it as a book worth reading for just about anyone who wants to do some thinking. It definitely has reminded me of some things. It has reminded me that I don't put myself out there to a challenge enough. I stay pretty comfortable. I like to know what I am getting into, and pretty much expect things to work out the way I have decided they should. It has reminded me that I have pretty much shaped my view of God, and I treat that shape as the complete form of Him without spending the time to let Him mold that shape. I trust Him as far as I have defined Him. It has reminded me of a lesson that keeps getting hammered into me lately that I need people and transparency in my life to keep me on the right path.

I spend a lot of time wishing a lot of things, while letting life get in the way. I idealize circumstances and think that doing the same old things slightly different ways should result in different outcomes. I get thrown when the results end up the same way. It is an insane cycle. I realize it very often, write about it quite a bit, and do something to alter the course too little.

Recent Playlist:
The New Year - The New Year
The Normals - Coming to Life
Yume Bitsu - Yume Bitsu
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Woven Hand - Ten Stones
Bob Dylan - Hwy 61 Revisited
Why? - Alopecia
Ghoti Hook - Two Years to Never
A Northern Chorus - Bitter Hands Resign
Gileah and the Ghost Train - Gileah and the Ghost Train
The New Year - Newness Ends
The New Year - The End is Near (Gotta get ready to see them tomorrow)
Suffering and the Hideous Thieves - Rats in Heaven
This Will Destroy You - Young Mountain
Lackthereof - Your Anchor
Robert Deeble - Days Like These
David Crowder Band - Remedy
Sonic Youth - Goo
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

Being Creepy, Old, and Tall

I usually end up doing a lot of my concert going by myself because no one else I know up here has quite the same musical tastes and/or is as interested in seeing shows as me. Flying solo isn't something I really like, but I am quite used to it now. I just get to feel like the creepy tall, old guy standing by himself and blocking people's view. Most of the time it is worth it though. The next few months are shaping up to be a pretty good time for concerts in Dallas. It's always nice when the shows are here rather than Denton or Fort Worth especially when they are on "school nights."

Shows I am looking forward to:
Why? with Mount Eerie - Been listening to Why? a lot of the last couple of years. Elephant Eyelash never got old, and I think Alopecia may be even better. I don't know what to expect from them live, but I can't imagine they would be bad. I'm pretty new to Mount Eerie, but I am liking everything I have heard so far.

The Punch Brothers - Haven't heard one bit of their music yet, but I figure any band from Chris Thile will be a blast to see live.

The New Year - After switching ipods and noticing that The End is Near is the most played complete album I own, I realized that they have quietly (and very mopingly) become one of my favorite bands. I really enjoyed them the first time I saw them a couple of years ago, and I hear the new album is great.

Mountain Goats - Glad these guys are finally playing a show that I can actually catch. I even have my lovely wife coming with me to this one. She has taken quite a liking to their dark humor when combined with bouncy music. I am excited by the fact that I get to see a band I really like for the first time, and I'll even be sitting with a pretty girl for this one rather than being the creepy old guy standing by myself.

R.E.M. - Get to cross another band off the list of bands I have always hoped to see some day. The first cd I ever owned was Out of Time. I didn't even have a cd player at the time, but I traded a comic book for it I think. Don't listen to a whole lot of Shiny Happy People these days, but I have gained quite an appreciation for just about everything they have done. The old stuff is classic, the new album is great, and I'll defend Up to anyone. I can't believe I actually forked over the cash to see them, but I'll be there loving every minute of it...even though those minutes probably cost a dollar each.

Danielson - Always a treat. I have seen some form of Danielson about 5 times. Like the music or not, they are an entertaining live show. I like them a lot, so it is doubly good for me.

I can't believe the number of really great shows coming through town between now and November. If I wasn't old, had unlimited funds, didn't want to go see Aggie Football, didn't have to wake up and go to work, and had lots of people to go to shows with, I'd probably make it to a bunch more. The Magnetic Fields, Ben Folds, The Swell Season with Iron and Wine, Neko Case, TV on the Radio, David Wilcox, Spiritualized, the list goes on. I can't complain too much though. I'm pretty excited to catch the ones I have on the schedule.

Not Quite Done

Over the past month, I have started and not finished about four posts. I have had some short bursts of ideas of things to write about, but for some reason, the posts sit there unfinished. Maybe I'll go back to them and get them finished. Maybe I won't. Who knows. I've gotten a little bad about that sort of thing lately. I have a house full of home improvement projects in various states of completion. I have this one project at work that is 99.99% done, but I can't quite get over the hump to finish it up. I've got a pile of books that I have started, but not made it past the first 50 pages of. I say I'll reach out to people when I am struggling, but I don't. I have been reminded more and more recently how that lack of completion is slowly but surely dragging me down. I don't know where that realization is going to take me. It isn't necessarily 100% new, but at least I have been looking at it a little differently.

Recent Playlist:
The Dandy Warhols - Come Down
Doug Burr - On Promenade
The Dead Milkmen - Beelzebubba
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
The Blamed - Give Us Barabbas
The New Tragedies - VanityVanity
Trespassers William - Noble House
Gileah - The Golden Planes
Danielson - Ships
Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets
Dosh - The Lost Take
Darediable - Feeding Frenzy
Chris Staples - Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes
Chris Thile - Not All Who Wander are Lost
Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Lymbyc Systym - Love Your Abuser
The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
His Name is Alive - Detrola
Jetscreamer - Starhead
Red House Painters - Down Colorful Hill
Richard Swift - Ground Trouble Jaw

The Best Deal in Town

I was told once in an interview that my personality would be better suited for customer service rather than sales. I didn't argue with that. I don't think I am anywhere near outgoing enough to make a living selling anything. I have spent a lot of time over the last week talking to people who at least think they have the personality it takes to make a living selling cars.

My car is on its last leg as something my mechanically deficient self can take care of. Too many miles with too little maintenance on my part. It was time to get something different. If I am disciplined, I don't have to drive much, so we decided to head the opposite direction of everyone else. Rather than a gas sipping miniature car, we decided to look at trucks and SUVs. I walked around lot after lot in the heat with vultures in tow trying to figure out what to get. Some of the salesmen were slick and seasoned, some of them were new and raw. All of them could give me the best deal in town. It takes a special person to sell cars. You have to be able to lie. You have to be able to fake expertise about every car on your lot. You have to be able to change your opinion at a moment's notice. You have to be able to ignore simple directions like contact me via e-mail since I will not be answering my phone. My opinion of the car salesman certainly wasn't affected positively this week.

I wasn't sure what sort of car I wanted. For the most part, I didn't care about colors. I didn't care about options. I didn't care about extended warranties. I just wanted a good car at a good price. It was like pulling teeth to get actual answers from these guys (and one woman). I am an over researcher, and I like to have as much information as possible. I was reminded that this is in direct conflict with what they want. I stood my ground pretty well, but I am pretty worn out by having to hold my cards so close and act outside of that part of me that wants to assume that people are basically decent and not out to screw you over.

My only experience buying a car, when we bought my wife's care, was a much simpler experience. She knew what she wanted. We found a dealer by e-mail that would get us exactly that at a price a little less than we were expecting to pay, so we bought it. No suprises, no pressure. I had gone into this hoping for a similiar ease, but around 9:30 last night signing papers on a 4Runner, I was a little relieved to finally be done with the painful process. We'll see how the car treats me, but I can at least be happy that I have finished my trek to find the a car.

Recent Playlist:
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
The Comas - Spells
The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs
The Brother Kite - Waiting for the Time to Be Right
Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
Retribution Gospel Choir - S/T
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
Doug Burr - On Promenade
The Cure - Faith
Guster - Keep It Together
The Mountain Goats - Coroner's Gambit
Sigur Ros - The New Ridiculously Named Album
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Bob Dylan - Blood On the Tracks
Andrew Osenga - Letters to the Editor, Vol 1
Matthew - Everybody Down
Oneida - Seeds of Contemplation
Creeper Lagoon - Watering Ghost Garden
Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song - I Break Chairs
Gazelle - Sunblown
The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
Jason Collett - Idols of Exile

An Uninspired Post

Writing here usually is provoked by one of three things. I am either in the mood to gripe and mope, I am thankful for things without taking them for granted and wanting to write about it, or I just went to a concert. None of those have really occurred lately. Things have been going pretty well, so I haven't had anything to gripe about. I have plenty of things to be thankful for, and I have split time between taking great things for granted and not really having anything that I wanted to write about it. I skipped writing about one Bill Mallonee show that I went to, but I didn't have much to add about it that I hadn't mentioned about him before. It was actually one of the worst shows I have ever seen him do, but seeing him sing his amazing songs is still worth the trip.

I was told earlier this evening by an unnamed party that I don't post enough. I have sat here watching uninspired NBA summer league basketball while being uninspired to write resulting in an uninspired blog post. Just as I am wrapping it up and getting ready to go to bed, I finally know what I want to write about. I do not however have the energy to do it justice. I'll finish up a real post sometime this week, but for now, you couple of readers will just be left with this post about nothing.

Playlist:
Why? - Alopecia
Calexico - Garden Ruins
Mount Eerie -Black Wooden Ceiling Opening
Travis Morrison - Travistan
These United States - A Picture Of The Three Of Us At The Gate To The Garden Of Eden
Haley Bonar - Big Star
Why? - Elephant Eyelash
Hammock - Kenotic
Low - Things We Lost in the Fire
Lyle Lovett - My Baby Don't Tolerate
The Smiths - Meat is Murder
The Red Paintings - Walls
Mewithoutyou - Catch For Us the Foxes
Northern Room - Last Embrace
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Bad Brains - I Against I
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Foxglove Hunt - Stop Heartbeat
Dylan in the Movies - Feel the Pull
Common Children - Delicate Fade
King's X - Tape Head (for Steve)

Comedy Defensive Driving

Aside from a family reunion trip, (complete with Phillips, Craig, and Dean singalong), and the neverending search for house things, much of the weekend multi-tasking. I was completing a defensive driving course that I waited until the last minute on so I was tied to the computer for a long time. I was paying some attention to the lessons, but I got some cleaning done. I did all of my laundry. I read some of my current book "Fargo Rock City." I watched two episodes of The Riches. I adjusted the template for this here blog. All of this, and I only missed one question on the whole course. Not bad for 6 hours wasted due to a tiny sign at the corner of Pearl and McKinney that says "No Right Turn on Red." While not funny in the least, Comedy Defensive Driving isn't too bad for getting defensive driving done.

Finishing up the Alphabet Playlist:
The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
Quiet Company - Shine Honesty
Richard Butler - Richard Butler
Sorry About Dresden - Let it Rest
Throw Me the Statue - Moonbeams
U2 - Acthung Baby
The Violet Burning - Lipstick and Dynamite Wonder
Waterdeep - Everyone's Beautiful
I don't have any X bands on my ipod
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Zao - Liberate Te Ex Inferis

Ken Freeman's Cowpants

I used to listen to a lot of Contemporary Christian Music. The size of my cd shelves has grown a lot over the years, but there was a time when almost all of it was discs from bands like 4Him and Steven Curtis Chapman. I had autographed posters of Clay Crosse and Bryan Duncan on my wall. I saw Geoff Moore and the Distance more times than I can count on both hands. I had a huge crush on Rebecca St. James. Heck, I even married the cousin of Dean of Phillips, Craig, and Dean just so I could hopefully have them come to my wedding and sing "The Concert of the Age" or at least "Turn Up the Radio." <--The previous sentence except for the cousin part is all a lie and way out of the time frame.

Youth group Christian music took a turn for the slightly better with the release of albums like Jesus Freak. I can still pull that out and almost listen to it these days which is more than I can say for most of the other bands. Around that time, I also was introduced to bands like The Choir. They took things to a bit more abstract of a level than anything else I was listening to. The songs weren't just about loving Jesus and/or loving a girl. It was ok to have songs about Jesus only, but love songs were mostly limited to vague "am I singing about Jesus or a girl" songs (exceptions were allowed for married artists who wrote songs for their wives). Songs from bands like The Choir had some depth to them. In a time I was learning about symbolism and themes in 9th grade English, I was pondering what a circle slide was. This was good because this was also around the time that I got rid of every "secular" cd I owned. Out went U2 and R.E.M. and Live and The Offspring. I couldn't have that devil music polluting my young Christian mind. I even broke the discs and through them in the trash. I wouldn't want to sell them and contribute to the pollution of other minds.

As a fun side note, I heard the sermon that convinced me I needed to do that preached again by that same guy about 8 years later. I had trouble not laughing. I couldn't exactly relate to my D-Now guys who were somewhat convinced that he was telling them a good idea. I don't think many were on board anyway. Over the years, I think I have picked up just about every disc I chunked that day. Hopefully my replacement copies were originally owned by some Christian kid who got a little cash for ridding themselves of "ungodly" things.

It is funny for me to look back on my musical odyssey. The CCM only phase didn't last too awful long thank God. I would have missed out on a lot of great art. I don't listen to a whole lot of CCM at all any more. I get in trouble quite a bit for making fun of the very music that I subsisted on for a good bit of my younger days. I still listen to a lot of music with Christian influences. A lot of my favorites have spent a lot of time on the fringe of Christian culture. Bill Mallonee, David Eugene Edwards, Sufjan Stevens, Over the Rhine, Daniel Smith, the list goes on. I guess it is because I can relate to their worldview of these folks. They look at life through a similar lens, but seem to have the lens a little closer to clear than I find most CCM. That's not to say there isn't a place for it, and that isn't to say I have completely shunned overtly Christian music. Andrew Osenga and Don Chaffer still write songs that kick my butt and can bring me to tears. Rich Mullins is still a life that inspired me. Some of the current worship songs sung at my church, especially a couple written by Aaron Shust and Matt Redman, are beautiful prayers that put a lot of what I would like to say to and about God to words much more eloquent than I can say on my own. I still have a crush on Rebecca St. James <--another lie.

I got to thinking about how great it is that God can use The End is Near by The New Year as much as He can the random worship songs we sang tonight to remind me of who He is. Art is from Him. It isn't all of Him, but that doesn't mean He can't use any of it however He sees fit. I'm glad that He give us the freedom to explore that and be blessed. I don't care what Ken Freeman says.

Recent Playlist (An Album for Every Letter of the Alphabet):
Anathallo - Floating World
Blonde Redhead - 23
Copeland - Beneath Medicine Tree
The Delgados - Universal Audio
Efterklang - Parades
Feist - The Reminder
Green River Ordinance - The Beauty of Letting Go
Hum - Downward is Heavenward
Isis - Oceanic
Joanna Newsom - Ys
I skipped K for the moment
LSU - Shaded Pain
Magnolia Electric Company - Magnolia Electric Company
The New Year - The End is Near
Old Canes - Early Morning Hymns

Musical Rut

Life has been going pretty good lately, but one big part of me hasn't been doing so hot. I've been in a bit of a musical rut again. I'll never understand why it is that even with an ipod full of music at my disposal; I get to the point where nothing sounds remotely interesting. When it comes to that, I hit up some old standbys and eventually something new will come along and pique my interest enough that I will get out of the rut. Hopefully it will happen soon.

Through this latest rut, I have found myself listening to a lot more podcasts. The one that has gotten the most listening out of me has been This American Life. Not being a big NPR listener, I am pretty late to the game, but it has quickly become a favorite of mine. Every week it is a couple of stories based on some theme. I have always loved this sort of stuff. It is pretty much the podcast version of a favorite pastime of mine, people watching. You never quite know what you are going to get from week to week. Sometimes the story is sad, sometimes they are funny, sometimes they are really politically loaded. They are almost always interesting though.

Mostly Rut Friendly Recent Playlist With Only A Few Disappointments:
Shearwater - Rook
Stavesacre - Speakeasy
Doug Burr - On Promenade
They Might Be Giants - Flood
Woven Hand - Consider the Birds
Lambchop - Aw C'mon
Wye Oak - If Children
Joe Purdy - You Can Tell Georgia
Colin Herring - Past Life Crashing
Bill Mallonee - Permafrost
The Violet Burning - Demonstrates Plastic and Elastic
Justin Rosolino - Wonderlust
The Cure - Faith
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Vigilantes of Love - Audible Sigh
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Elton John - Rocket Man
Justice - Cross
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Struck Last May - 16 Flowers
My Brightest Diamond - A Thousand Shark's Teeth
Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

A Big Part of Me

Standing in my new apartment on the day I moved to Dallas, I was reminded again of how much my dad means to me. He had helped me move my stuff, and we had just finished. We were pretty tired, but there we stood. It was time for him to head back; leaving me in the first place I had ever lived that he hadn't paid for. I had a tear in my eye, and he had a tear in his. I won't really ever forget that day. I felt that he was proud of me. I stood there not knowing how to thank him not just for that day, but also for the 23 years leading up to it. I asked him if I could buy him dinner, but he needed to get back before it was too late.

My dad was never the kind of dad who took me hunting, fishing, or to play catch. Those weren't really his thing. He wasn't and isn't the outdoorsy type. He has picked up on sports in recent years though, especially Aggie football. I love getting to go to the games with him. He is handy. If there is something that needs fixing, he's the guy to ask. I have never picked up quite as much of that part of him as I would have hoped, but he still helps me any time I need him. He is about as friendly of guy as I have ever known. He'd do anything he could to help someone out.

When it comes down to it, it isn't the surface parts of him that matter most to me and have had the most impact on my life. He is a man of great character that I have learned a lot from already and can keep on learning from. I can't think of a single time in my life when my dad hasn't done what he said he would do. His example of honesty and loyalty give me things to strive for. He has provided for our family at the expense of a lot of things I'm sure he would have liked. He loves my mom and the rest of our family sacrificially and unconditionally. It is a blast to see him playing with my nephew. I remember many a morning where I'd wake up long after my dad to see him sitting in his chair, drinking a cup of coffee, spending some time in the Word before the day began.

He has never been one to talk a lot about himself. There are a lot of things I don't really know about him. These sorts of things aren't our usual displays of love. As I have gotten older, I see a lot of my dad in myself. I may be a head taller. I may talk a little faster. I'll never be as handy. If I can be a man of my word. If I can work as hard. If I can love my wife and family with everything I can give. If I can love and serve God the way he does. If I can be more like dad, I will have accomplished much more than most.

I'm sending this link to my dad today. He probably doesn't even know that I have been writing here for a while. My exploits and complaints that I have documented here aren't the sorts of things I have ever really figured would be much worth reading. I didn't send him a card for Father's day. I didn't buy him a tie. I'm bummed that I am not able to make it down to hang out with him today. I could keep writing about the things I have learned from him. I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate him. I want to be better at telling him how much he means to me, and this is just a start.

Love you dad. Thanks for being a great dad. I'm proud to be your son.

Wild Hair and Black Clothes

My second trip to see The Cure was a little different than my first. First off, I haven't been on a huge The Cure kick like I was the first time I saw them. I was a late arrival to The Cure, but right around the time when I first moved to Dallas, I was listening to them daily. Over the past couple of years, I have still been listening, but not nearly as much. When tickets went on sale about a year ago for a show in October, I snatched up a pair. I would be going with a different level of obsession, but I figured I would enjoy it anyway. That concert got postponed and rescheduled for so June, so over the months I had pretty much forgotten about it. Last Friday night, they reminded me why I was on such a kick of their music.

The AAC was cut in half, and the crowd wasn't exactly high energy, but the band sounded great and as the night went on, the energy picked up. The Cure isn't exactly a high energy band, but they ended up seeming like they were having a lot of fun, and we got treated to song after song for over three hours. There were few songs missing from the setlist. We got everything from dark, brooding songs to every pop hit they ever had. My best way to put it is that they are the most boring live band that I never want to miss when they come to town. The don't play with a whole lot of flash for a band of their stature, but they really nailed the set. When the songs are that great, it doesn't take a whole lot else to make for an amazing show.
Setlist:
Underneath The Stars, Prayers For Rain, A Night Like This, The Walk, The End of the World, Lovesong, To Wish Impossible Things, Pictures of You, Lullaby, Fascination Street, The Perfect Boy, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, Sleep When I'm Dead, Push, Friday I'm In Love, Inbetween Days, Just Like Heaven, Primary, Shake Dog Shake, Never Enough, The Only One, Wrong Number, The Baby Screams, One Hundred Years, Baby Rag Dog Book

1st encore: Three Imaginary Boys, Fire In Cairo, Boys Don't Cry, Jumping Someone Else's Train, Grinding Halt, 10:15 Saturday Night, Killing An Arab
2nd encore: Lovecats, Let's Go To Bed, Freakshow, Close To Me, Why Can't I Be You?
3rd encore: A Forest

California

This time last week, I was enjoying the peaceful beauty of the California wine country. It was our second trip to the area, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. This time we had the company of my sister and brother-in-law. Aside from me, no one seemed to be too interested the wine, but there's still a lot to enjoy about being there. The food is good, and the scenery is amazing. I'd love to get to spend more than a couple of days there some time.


The second half of our trip was back in the city. I loved San Francisco my first time there. It is a different sort of city than any I have ever spent time in. There are such distinctly different parts of town that all fit together in such a small area. We drove around a lot more this time, and while it made some things a little more difficult, I was glad to get to experience some parts of town that I hadn't ever been to before. On our last trip, we got to see a lot of the typical San Francisco attractions. We saw Alcatraz. We rode a cable car. We walked through Chinatown. We spent more time at Pier 39 than we cared to. We made two trips to Amoeba (So what if that isn't for everyone. It is a stinking great music store). This time it was nice to adventure a little more and see some new things. I did get to make a return trip to Amoeba, but other than that and some really tasty restaurants, we spent the majority of our time on new things.


Early on, we decided that we would keep up our bike riding and bike the bridge. I have always been impressed by the bridge, so I was quite excited to get to ride over it and see things up close. The ride was rated as "easy," but I knew that it was still San Francisco and the hills wouldn't disappear. I took a tumble pretty early on, but I recovered and made the trip. The views were definitely worth it. The sunburn is almost gone, and my legs have recovered, but I'll remember that ride for a long time.


One of the other unexpected highlights was a little side jaunt to see the ruins of the Sutro Baths. Adrian found it in the guide book while we were looking for somewhere to kill some time while we were waiting to eat. On our previous trip, we never saw the ocean other than from the bridge. We made it down the road to the end of Golden Gate park and were amazed by the views. It was hard to believe we were even in the city anymore. There was a heavy fog and an even colder chill to the air. We walked down the path to what is left of the structure and got to experience the Pacific up close. The rocky shores and steep cliffs are so much different than what I am used to. It almost takes your breath away.

I was initially a little disappointed to go back somewhere I have already been. I love to get away on vacation and explore new places. This trip proved that even after two trips, there is still a lot to explore in San Francisco and wine country. Hopefully we'll make it back before too long. I won't even think about being disappointed.

Conversation

I've been thinking lately about how I seem to have lost the skill of starting a conversation. Somewhere along the way....in middle school I think....I started getting shy. I guess that ends up being when everyone starts with being a little self conscious. Over the years, I have mostly grown out of being really self conscious...as much as just about anyone does, but I still cower when it comes to striking up a conversation with someone. I want the conversation come to me. Get me started, and I don't always know when to shut up, but when it comes to me initiating something, everyone is bound for some awkward silence.

The internet provides plenty of nice outs for folks like me. We can make blog posts that start a conversation with no one in particular, but fill (in a weak way) the need to get things out. We can find answers to questions without ever having to ask someone. We can buy things without shopping around an having to talk to sales people. I think if I really let it happen, I could become the hermit that some part of me I don't like finds comfortable. I've got to working on the part of me that loves people. The joy of spending good times with friends is too much to keep passing up.

Playlist:
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - The Swell Season
Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
Smile Smile - Blue Roses
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan
Over the Rhine - The Trumpet Child
Richard Swift - Dressed Up For The Letdown
Red House Painters - Red House Painters I
R.E.M. - Accelerate
Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Morrissey - Kill Uncle
AC/DC - Back in Black
Why? - Alopecia
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
Van Morrison - Moondance
Elliott - Song in the Air
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations