Crappy Parking

I got moved to really bad parking yesterday. Its like 3 blocks away and its nicknamed "Circus Parking." Totally lame. There is no shade and I have to walk across the train tracks. It is honetsly a little sketch.

To all of my friends who went to Berkeley today: I wish I could have gone with you. I'm too tired to post more.

Irving is a band from L.A. I like them. One could say that they are a mellowed out Franz Ferdinand with hints of Interpol. There are traces of some 90s music in there too, but don't hold anything against them. They're hot like wildfire. As it gets close to the halfway mark in the year, I have been thinking of the greatest albums released this year, and I'm actually happy with the music we've had this year. On that note, "The Gentle Preservation Of Children's Minds" may be one of my favorite songs released in '06. One problem though is that I love all the songs on the album; some more than others yes, but there are a few that I can't decide which is my favorite. I mean with songs like "I wanna love you in my room", yeah. Their rock actually has influences from many decades as I catch traces of 60s and 70s rock and roll, some 80s synth too. I mean, I can't stop singing these guys praises. Edit: I just also think they sound like a better version of what Rooney was trying to get. Again, not Rooney, not bad. Irving is good music. (buyDeath in the Garden, Blood on the Flowers)

Bonus: Tapes 'n Tapes "50s Parking" - This is the song that got me hooked on Tapes n' Tapes. The lyrics are about finding parking, thus I think its applicable. (buy Tapes n' Tapes)

4.5 hour Dune miniseries

Last night at Blockbuster, they said I got a free movie rental, but the caveat was that it had to be over a year old. Given that this Blockbuster has a horrible selection and the fact that we've been scoured their movie sections many times, there were not a whole bunch of movies that we wanted to see. That is why I chose Frank Herbert's Dune. I decided, heck, I read the book and I can't remember it, so why not watch the movie cause its free. I'm currently on hour 3 of this 4.5 hour marathon. My dad and I watched it eating dinner, afterward, and we had to take a break. I did some abs during a love scene, and now my dad is ditching me to go work out at the gym. Seriously, he says i'm chickening out by not going to the gym with him. I say he's chickening out on watching the movie. Wimp.

So, I stumbled upon this unreleased song by Chris Martin and Nelly Furtado called "All Good Things". Word has it that the song is not planned to be released because people are stupid. It is almost as though the song can't decide if it wants to be as dancy/hip-hoppy as the rest of her new songs. Don't think its a Coldplay song though. Martin is just lends his voice, which means he also lends his charm. I love the part when he sings in his signature falsetto hitting the same notes alongside Furtdado. I have a problem though: not all good things come to an end. Somethings just get changed and you have to work with the situations thrown at you. Seriously, I kind of hope this movie will end soon. Its decently good, so according to their logic, it will come to an end. Only then will I be free from this bond that is oppressing me.

To tie the posts from yesterday and today, here is Party Ben's "Computer Talk". Its a Coldplay and Kraftwerk mashup that is really nice. I actually don't have that many Coldplay songs on my computer, which I'm dissappointed about. They have great driving in the rain music.

In other news, most of my World Cup teams are out of the tournament. Right now, I'm hoping Argentina or Italy pulls through. Normally, I'd support Germany, but I want Argentina to win more, so boo to the hosts. They have enough support. On the topic of sports, I found out that I can no longer look at blitz or scores on the city computers; how do they expect me to be productive when I'm worrying about what blitzing I'm getting and how my cricket teams are doing? So, I'm working to find a way around that as well as getting a parking card. Right now I have to give them a ton of validation stamps, and today the lady took way more than she should have. She gave me a little smug look too. If I wasn't worried about losing my job (or getting arrested...), I would have wiped it off her face with a swift left jab. Shoot, now that I think about it I would have had to use my right cause I hand her my parking ticket with my left. Yah, that would have been a bad angle too. I'll remember that for tomorrow. I'll be like, "Steal my tickets now beyotch." And she'll take less cause she'll be seeing double. Man, this plan just works on so many levels.

))<>((

I just got done watching Me and You and Everyone We Know. Its a great film about relationships between people. A recently divorced man, his teenage and elementary school-aged sons, an aspiring filmaker/artist, an elderly man, and two teenage girls all try to sort life out. In a way, its a coming of age movie for all the characters. Its funny in even a more subtle way than I (Heart) Huckabee's is, though I gaurantee the laughs are more enjoyable afterthefact. I hate to draw this similarity, but the visuals are Napoleon Dynamitesque, yet it is set in the present day and the costumes do more to set the mood and create the character than force a stereotype or conjure up simple sophomoric humor. Its one of the best movies that I've seen in a long time.

"Macaroni"

Today, I am posting a song Jon and I rocked out to in the car while eating TCBY waiting for girls to get dressed. What takes girls so long to get ready? I will give them leeway for wearing a bra because sometimes the clasps won't unhook as quickly as you'd like. Oh wait, you would be putting them on huh? Well, you do that everyday so you should be quicker about that. Make-up is something that I don't totally understand. Girls will wear it over to a friend's house to watch a movie, but in all honesty, we really don't notice if we just want to watch a movie. Did we mention we're friends who don't want benefits? And then when girls wear makeup before some athletic activity? That is about as sensible as pregaming mowing the lawn. It just won't look good when the effort needs to be kicked in. Anyhow, this song is possibly my favorite mashup. Seriously, it rocks. Here is Party Ben's Pump Up My Doornob by Eric B. & Rakim vs. the White Stripes.

So today was really laid back. Also, Lauren said she really liked my blog. Lauren likes this band called Hot Chip. They have a song that says "Laid back" a lot. Using circular reasoning, I decided that Hot Chip's "Over and Over" was a great song to post.

Its just so poppy, yet it still rocks. Its even hip-hop, but hop cause you wanna dance to it and hip because its the type of song that'd you hear at a super cool joint. Hot Chip's The Warning is a contender for album of the year, and the hype its recieved is definitely worth it. Basically, all I wanna do is bob my head to this great beat. Seriously, this is one song that just speaks for itself. I think that The Warning is an album that can crossover into lots of different genres and thus, if you buy one album this summer that i suggest, you'd probably be most satisfied with this.

I have always been one to think that I was laid back. However, I have been told that I am not that laid back but that I make others laid back. My mom definitely does not think that; to her, I am super high stress and make her worried as all get out. Yes, my mom worries about me a lot. I think my laidbackness (or attempts thereof) is a subconscious challenge to my mom's high level on the freak-out-o-meter about everything I do. Apparently, my mom was fine when I went away from school (this is a lie) because she thought I would be safe and I felt very comfortable there. Now, this trend was reversed when I got arrested. Now, I understand if I was a delinquent that she would worry, but rushing the field during homecoming is a citation level offense. That, in normal citizen's terms, means it is on par with a parking violation. I personally think I was too laid back about the whole thing. I wouldn't get caught I told myself. And afterward, I didn't care or think anything major would happen. My dean even thought I was too laid back about not feeling remorse for my "bad judgement". Ummm...I made a conscious decision to participate in a Dartmouth tradition, and with great pride I ran around that field against administration's wishes. Administration isn't laid back. That is what I should use as a platform. Laidback. More politicians should be laidback. Eh, why get your panties all in a bunch over what defines a wetland? Who really gets hurt about defining gay marriage? Do we really worry about what the North Koreans think about us?

Ok, so I realize that we can't have laid back politicians. I could settle for more laid back drivers. I mean, sure, I don't like it when people drive 35 on Kristofferson (the speed limit is clearly marked at 40), but hey, they aren't wasting as much gas. They are enjoying life (hopefully), and that is all I want to do. So let someone pass you today. Enjoy the scenery.

Bonus - Hot Chip "And I Was a Boy From School"

Stalking

You may think it a bit sketch, but I spent about an hour on facebook today trying to find guys to recruit for the water polo team next year. I'll admit, I had a pretty bad (as in a few self-calls and misrepresentations) facebook profile, yet these guys are hilarious. The number of people who put beirut or pong or beer pong (not beirut) in their interests are hilarious. As for the number of groups that they are already in, it merely needs no comment.

Last night on the ride home from dinner, "Mr. Jones" by the Counting Crows came on and I just started singing. To my embarassment, he noticed and said something positive, but it totally put me out of the mood. Today, on the drive home from work, I was loudly singing along like I normally do when I'm alone without fear of comment, when I started getting teary eyed. Oh Anathallo, why do you do this to me?

Anathallo "Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind~More Ash)" - I love Anathallo's percussion session. It just pulls together every one of their songs and truly is what made me emotional in the car. The xylophone (I'm assuming) really brings beauty to this song, which is about a man who steals his neighbor's magical dog's ashes to make his yard grow faster. Oh, maybe I should mention that this whole album is based on a Japanese folktale. The movement within the song is so fluid that it only seems natural that it should progress from loud arragements to shushed vocals over just some guitar strumming. While this is the last part of the Hanasakjijii series, Four: A Great Wind~More Ash is the most epic and wraps them all together. I believe that Floating World is going to be a top contender on most lists for the best album of 2006. (Buy Floating World)

Anathallo "Kasa No Hone (The Umbrella's Bones)" - Apparently, this is a song that Japanese field workers sing, but I believe that it could be a lullaby. Again, the stirring drumming truly shapes this song into a powerful piece instead of just a little hymn. Here is a translation of the Japanese from SongMeanings.net:
^^The ribs of the umbrella
Have fallen apart;
The paper is also torn,
But with bamboo
Tied together.
Do not throw it away.
Though I
Also am torn,
Don't desert me.^^ We all have relationships right now that are somehow torn: by distance, words, egos, competition, differences, or just lack of effort. Don't desert those you care about because you are still tied together. Don't throw it out, work to repair it.

Post-Solstice Bliss

Yes, yesterday was the summer solstice. That means today is not the longest day of the year, but I worked for about 12 hours today. It was long to me, but I really enjoyed almost finishing my first solo publication for my city internship and doing field representation for my congressional internship. I went to a dinner for mentally handicapped adults and it was really something to hear their achievements and see their joy. I went straight from work and thus wore a white shirt, conservative red, white & blue tie, and navy slacks. OF COURSE it ends up being a Hawaiian themed ceremony, so I feel significantly overdressed, yet I took of my tie and threw on a lei. Great fun, I'll admit. Now I can officially say that I hope you're having a great summer. Send me a blitz; let me know what you're up to.

Beach Boys "Surfin' Safari" - This song was playing when I walked into the hall for dinner. Reminds me of Hawaii because its about surfing; not that I've ever been surfing or my Hawaii experience was that enjoyable. But handing out those awards to those guys really got me into the mood. I mean, this song is your stereotpyical Beach Boys poppy "rock and roll" song, when of course, it was more about rolling that rocking. I mean, they laid a foundation for the music we all love. I mean, its a basic summer hit for any playlist. (buy Beach Boys Greatest Hits)


Bonus Pas/CAL "The Brozened Beach Boys (Come On Let's Go)" (buy The Handbag Memoirs)

Working for the Man

So today was my first day of double internships. Can I say that it was beyond exciting? Traffic wasn't bad on my commute to work in the morning, and I rocked out in my car to some People In Planes and Nathan Asher and the Infantry. Then at work, I walk in and have to go to Personell to fill out paperwork. Finally, I take the elevator to my office and my supervisor drops a binder litterally 4 inches thick and says, "We have to do a summary of this in seven days. Well, here is your computer. Shoot, I have to run to a meeting, if I don't see you before you leave, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

3 hours later, I read way too many numbers, wrote about 200 words, and realized that they expect way too much from me this summer. So basically, all horror stories will be real. I have to be there at 8 AM tomorrow, so I'm going to crash right now.

People in Planes "Moth" - I really like the backbeat on this one. I highly recommend this track to anyone. Yes, they do sound quite like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, yet this song could easily be a hit. Catchy and rocking, you'll blast it from the car speakers and sing (scream?) at the top of your lungs. (buy As Far As the Eye Can See)

Spoon "The Way We Get By (acoustic)" - Work sucks, but its the way you have to get by. Honestly, there are so many things I think I need to get by, but its really just about being with the people you love. There is a reason this is such a catchy tune: take it back to the basics that sound the heartstrings of the listener. I added the acoustic as a bonus cause everyone has the regular version. Plus, I heard that he played it live at a concert acoustic and the crowd went wild. I'm actually missing a concert right now, but heck, I'm getting by. (buy Kill the Moonlight)

Dad's So Special, He Gets Two Takes

I thought about it last night, and I guess I owe a lot of my love for music to my dad. He let me rock out with him in our brown truck (nicknamed La Bamba) to classics like Zepplin, the Stones, Pink Floyd, and whatever other classic rock was on the radio. I remember him buying a Beach Boys tape one time, and he forced me to follow the traditional reverence for the Beatles. He's actually willing to give me his honest opinion about my music tastes by telling me that my music hurts his ears or lacks a good melody. He also is a secret rap/hip-hop afficionado when he doesn't understand the words. My favorite is definitely his mistake in thinking that Nelly's "Where the Party At?" was "Where's the Pontiac?" I am sure he probably just didn't understand why this Midwesterner wasn't dropping lines about Bentley's and Cristal.

Sufjan Stevens "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" - While I cannot deny Sufjan's original Christian imagry about the sacrifice on the cross, this song is also about a father's love for his children. I hope one day to be able to say to my kids, "I did everything for you." To accompany the haunting hollow sound the steel strings, Sufjan's chilling voice is not a moan of burden but a sigh of relief. The phrasing that arrives with the young woman's voice adds great depth to the already emotionally deep tune.

Doron Diamond "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti (Sufjan cover)" - This cover is very similar to the original, yet it is shorter and more folky. The almost low-fi quality of the recording (word has it that it was somehow snagged from youtube) and the emptiness of the sound makes the sound less moving, but more comforting. It sounds as though it might a lullaby softly sung by a father to his child before bedtime.

Dia de los Padres

If I haven't raved about him enough, my dad is super cool. We've gotten especially close these last few years, and I'll admit, I miss him a lot when I'm away. I need to stop talking about missing people; its really bringing me down.

Well, I know I'm a day late, but thats because I spent it all with my dad. We went and saw X-Men III. Pretty good. I won't give out the ending (Evan......), but I figured it would be kinda like that. But we just chilled all day. He did gardening while I ran errands. And now, I am doing nothing. Its just loads of fun here.

So in honor of Father's Day:

My Dad vs. Yours "Canyons (grand or otherwise)" - This band is great and Canadian. Even without words, their songs are more than just background music. In fact, they are somewhat easier and more pleasant to listen to than forced rhymes and failed attempts of clever lines. This song feels like it belongs in a season finale (if it shows up on the O.C....) as it gives the sense of both coming together and moving on. Coming together in the sense that it is beautiful and happy, yet not sacchrine or cheezy (two food related adjectives in a row, yes!). Close your eyes and relax. It's nice to be reassured that it'll all be ok in the end. (buy After Winter Must Come Spring)

Wolf Parade "You Are a Runner and I am My Father's Son" - This was the song that sold me on Wolf Parade. Its also the song that I listened to over and over again the last time I was home and my dad made me mad. That was mainly because I left my CDs in the house and this was the only forceful song in the stereo. Since then, its sort of my anthem if I'm frusterated or angry until the feeling passes. I really like the staggering yet driving drum beat that propells the piano and the guitar. The lyrics feel held back, like they want to be part of the action, so all he can do is make threats ("I'll draw three fingers on your heart"). At first I thought this song was about wanting to run away from home, yet not being able to because of the ties to home. Maybe it just rationalized me not being able to build the courage to actually do something drastic like that. One thing I cannot deny is that I am my father's son. (buy Apologies to the Queen Mary)

Do you remember?

I'm still in the infant stages of this thing, so we'll see where it goes. I'm a huge fan of mp3 blogs, but I also like making them more personal. I sort of use it as a journal, just one that others can read. I might use code names, I might not talk about anyone at all. Tonight though, its all about how I feel.

Owen (the solo project of Mike Kinsella) is my favorite band, and I promised myself I would write an early post about one of songs. I've been a fan for a long time and sadly have never actually gotten to see him perform live (stupid 21+ shows and me not willing to get a fake). But anyway, he is absolutely amazing and sadly he doesn't update anything so no one knows what he's up to.


Owen "In the morning before work" - This song is about that feeling you get when you really miss someone or something. I really miss Dartmouth and everything along with it. The song starts out with some acoustic guitar (like most of his songs) and some seemingly simple lines of self-loathing. As it meanders along, the song recalls trivial events that reminds a guy about his signifcant other and how much those little things are the things he longs for the most. I miss the little things: little blitz jokes, asking what you were thinking, and random bump-ins. Ahh, I'm talking to Katie and Leah right now, and they make me miss Dartmouth too. Well, the song just sweeps; I can't think of any other adjective for the way it moves through the chorus. You almost feel how much he wants just a kiss on the back of his neck. That is when you know love is real. (buy THE EP)

My parents don't remember my first words

I gave into my temptations. I am going to try to do a blog. Music maybe? Photo maybe? Personal maybe?

Today is just a day to play around and get my feet wet.