The New Underground

The Best Music of 2007

2007-12-23T22:10:51Z

Wow, this was a great year for music. I swear, more great albums came out in the first half of this year than came out all of last year. More great Canadian albums came out this year than came out total last year, including half of my top 10 albums. This year also featured a number of solid albums from old favorites, including They Might Be Giants, Radiohead, Jimmy Eat World, and Ryan Adams, none of which made my top 10 albums list. About the only thing that could have improved this year's music would've been if the Rilo Kiley album hadn't largely sucked goat testicles. Without further ado, here are my top albums and top songs for 2007:

Autumn of the Seraphs, Pinback - I've already talked about this album in this space, so I'll spare the long description. Suffice to say that I still can't get these songs out of my head, despite not really being able to articulate why. Best songs: "Good to Sea", "The Hatenaughts of Melacholy Wall", "Barnes".

Wincing the Night Away, The Shins - Another fantastic effort from the Portland, Oregon indie rockers. As with their prior two albums, there are more than enough fantastic, mind-bogglingly catchy songs to make up for the fact that the album is so short. Would it kill these guys to throw a couple extra tracks on each album? I'm begging here. Best Songs: "Australia", "Turn on Me", "Phantom Limb".

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse - A lot of people seem to think that this album represents a downgrade from their past two efforts, but personally, I think it is their best work. Sure, there's no "Float On", but that song was an anomaly anyway. This album is much more solid from top to bottom than any of their other albums, which tended to have a few songs that were just too dissonant to be listenable. Best Songs: "Florida", "March into the Sea", "Dashboard".

In Our Bedroom After the War, Stars - While not quite as good as Set Yourself on Fire or Heart, that is hardly a damning indictment, as those prior albums are two of my favorites of all time. There's no "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" or "Elevator Love Letter" here, but there are a whole lot of great songs. Best Songs: "In Our Bedroom After the War", "Take Me to the Riot", "Ghost of Genova Heights" (I know, a lot of people hate that song, but tough. I love it.)

The Con, Tegan and Sara - I had always found them just a little too precious before, but having given this album a chance, there is no denying that they have quite the knack for melody. They also, unexpectedly, have quite the knack for heartbreak: I challenge you to listen to "Call it Off" and not feel something. Best Songs: "Call it Off", "The Con", "Back in Your Head".

Boxer, The National - I just discovered this album last week, but I already love it. Layered, thought-provoking, and addictive, this is the kind of album that is perfect for a midnight drive through the country. Singer Matt Berninger's baritone is a near flawless match for the solemn tone of the album. Best songs: "Santa Clara", "Fake Empire", "Apartment Story".

Neon Bible, Arcade Fire - Not as transcendent as Funeral, this album nonetheless manages to utterly destroy the semi-myth of the sophomore jinx. In another year, it would be a cinch top-3 album. Best songs: "The Well and the Lighthouse", "(Antichrist Television Blues)", "Ocean of Noise".

Challengers, New Pornographers - While the New Porno devoted were on the whole disappointed with this album, I think those who had previously tired of their manic pop energy will find this album much more accessible. It manages to maintain their well-crafted poppiness without being constantly upbeat, as their prior albums were. Excellent. Best Songs: "Failsafe", "My Rights Versus Yours", "Adventures in Solitude".

Costello Music, The Fratellis - Speaking of manic poppiness, this album fits the bill. Think of this album as what would happen if the Strokes drank lots of coffee instead of smoking lots of pot. Endlessly sing-along-able (yes, I made that up). Best songs: "For the Girl", "The Gutterati?", "Henrietta".

Cease to Begin, Band of Horses - Hauntingly melodic and atmospheric. Sorry about the fragment, but I'm trying to wrap this up. Best songs: "Is There a Ghost", "No One's Gonna Love You", "Ode to LRC".

Honorable Mentions: The Shepherd's Dog, Iron & Wine; Driving Blind, Jay Clifford; Chase This Light, Jimmy Eat World; Proof of Youth, The Go! Team; Spirit If..., Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew; In Rainbows, Radiohead; Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams; The Else, They Might Be Giants; Living with the Living, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists.

And, for good measure, the top 20 songs of 2007 (in reverse alphabetical order by artist, no more than 1 song per artist):
TMBG, "Take Out the Trash"
Tegan and Sara, "Call It Off"
Stars, "In Our Bedroom After the War"
The Shins, "Australia"
Ryan Adams, "Halloweenhead"
Rilo Kiley, "Dreamworld"
Pinback, "Good to Sea"
Peter Bjorn and John, "Young Folks"
New Pornographers, "Failsafe"
The National, "Santa Clara"
Modest Mouse, "Florida"
K-OS, "Sunday Morning"
Jay Clifford, "Don't Be Fooled"
The Go! Team, "Grip Like a Vice"
The Fratellis, "For the Girl"
Feist, "1234"
BSS presents Kevin Drew, "Lucky Ones"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Weapon of Choice"
Band of Horses, "Is There a Ghost"
Arcade Fire, "The Well and the Lighthouse"

Merry Christmas everyone!
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Sarah

2007-11-04T02:59:38Z

So... Everybody, this is Sarah (the bottom picture is closest to how she looks now, but they're all hot, I think).

Sarah an I met just a couple weeks ago... But we've really clicked. Sometimes it doesn't take very long to realize that you really like someone, you know? We're just freakishly in sync.

Let me tell you a story... I'm sure many of you know that I was out in Portland, Oregon in September, for my brother Mike's wedding. While talking to Sarah recently, I found out that she had also been in Portland in September (for a random trip/vacation, because Portland seemed like a fun city [which it is, btw]). Last week at my parents' house (yeah, I took her to meet the family already), and the Japanese Gardens in Portland came up. Turns out that we both went there on our trips...

So this week we finally got around to checking exactly what days we were there (thank you, timestamps!). And get this: we not only were there on the same day, but quite possibly at the same time. Not more than an hour or two apart, at most. Two people from the Atlanta area (she lives in Athens, but close enough), randomly at the same place in a city across the country on the same day, then end up dating not long afterward. Very random and fortuitous.

Anyhow, we didn't actually meet in Portland; we met online (OKCupid to be precise... fun site for random quizzes and such, by the way, even if you're not looking to date anyone--though the dating is completely free). Our first date was definitely the best one I've been on with an online date. Let's just say that one of the Athens "public safety" cameras got quite a show (no, not that kind of show, perv).

So, about Sarah... She's a hair stylist (and apparently a darn good one) at a fancy salon in Athens. She went to UGA (hence the Athens), and graduated a couple years ago with a degree in Psychology (hence the hair styling). Her family's lived in various parts of Atlanta most of her life. She was valedictorian of her class in high school (small private school, but still). She has 2 cats, and 2 more in her apartment that belong to her roommate (hooray for cats! she gets big points for this). And she's just awesome in general. I could go on, but I'll spare you poor livejournal denizens.

It's funny... I've only been on facebook for a month or so now, but it's already starting to infiltrate my thinking. The moment it really hit me that Sarah and I were serious was when I looked at my Facebook profile and saw that I was listed as "Single" and "looking for a relationship"... and it just felt wrong. So I had a talk with Sarah, and we decided that we definitely weren't "looking for a relationship". We were completely on the same page (as we've been on most everything so far). So if you go to my profile now, you'll see that I'm now "listed as in a relationship". How romantic! That's every little boy's dream, isn't it? To find someone to be "listed in a relationship" with?

Anyhow. Thought everyone should know. I'm psyched. Hope all is well with all of you folks.
-- J
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The War Is Over, But We Are Beginning

2007-10-28T05:55:41Z

Wow. So I just got back from seeing Stars at the Variety Playhouse. It was quite a show. If you don't know Stars, you are seriously missing out. Go to iTunes or your local CD shop and pick up a copy of their latest, In Our Bedroom After the War, or the previous album, Set Yourself On Fire. You won't be sorry. I guarantee it.

About the show... I forgot my camera, sadly (D'oh!), but that's okay. Even though I was really tired at the start of the show (I worked today), I still had a fantastic time. The crowd was huge (the aisles were filled with people several rows back), and the band seemed genuinely surprised and ecstatic to have such a great turnout. Torquil even joked that he was naming this tour the "I can't believe how many ****ing people showed up" Tour. Catchy! He has a point, though. That was a lot of people to show up for a show by a semi-obscure indie band from Montreal. A long way from home, those lads (and lady) are. Here's my rough recollection of what they played (I think this is everything)...

From In Our Bedroom After the War: The Beginning After the End (to start the show), The Night Starts Here, Take Me to the Riot, Ghost of Genova Heights (awesome!--and featuring Torquil in a bizarre lightbulb coat!), Personal, Window Bird, Life 2 (excellent), and In Our Bedroom After the War (to close the pre-encore segment of the show; just a fantastic, bring the house down rendition).

From Set Yourself on Fire: Your Ex-Lover is Dead (fantastic--but then this is one of my favorite songs ever, so that's no surprise), Set Yourself on Fire, Ageless Beauty (on which Amy totally rocked out!</i>, Reunion, What I'm Trying to Say, One More Night ("a song about ****ing someone to death"--Torquil), Calendar Girl (to end the show; another one of my favorites).

From Heart: Elevator Love Song (a great version--even better than the album version, which is great), and Look Up (which blew me away... most surprisingly good song of the night)

From Nightsongs: On Peak Hill (dedicated to Death Cab For Cutie)

The only songs I wished they had played are The First Five Times and Romantic Comedy, but that is just a very minor quibble about an amazing show.

The opener, in case you were wondering, was a guy named Magnet, from Norway. I wanted to like him; he used this cool multi-instrumental synthesizer that worked like a lap guitar. That was pretty interesting. Sadly, though, his songs were very bland. Nothing memorable or catchy at all. Plus, he had this annoying habit of asking for audience participation on every song. Seriously. One song it was humming, the next clapping, the next snapping, then stomping and clapping. Oy. I know he's only trying to get us involved in the show, but that was ridiculous. The best way for an opener to win our support, as he should know, is to play a familiar cover or two. Not to bludgeon them into half-heartedly being your backup band.

But anyhow... the moral of the story is this: Stars rules. Now I am going to go collapse. Sayonara.

8 Things I Like Right Now

2007-10-20T00:36:11Z

This comic from the excellent webcomic Wondermark. Ah, memes.

Pushing Daisies, Wednesdays @ 9PM on ABC. Part crime drama, part Tim Burton movie, this show is funny, touching (ha! if you've seen it, you know what a horrible pun I just made), and gorgeous to watch. Plus, any show with Chi McBride has pretty much got to be good.

Autumn of the Seraphs, by Pinback. Based in San Diego, Pinback has a stunning knack for creating complex arrangements that sound simple, along with melodies that get stuck in your head without you quite knowing why. Their last album was pretty good; this one is fantastic. Give it a listen!

Mac OS-X Leopard, due out next week. Wow. Take the tour and tell me you're not impressed. I particularly like the Time Machine and expanded iChat features. Maybe I'll ask for it for xmas.

DMZ, the graphic novels by Brian Wood and Ricardo Burchielli. Set on Manhattan amidst a Second Civil War, DMZ is an intriguing blend of a not-so-far-from-here alternative universe and war drama. In a world with no clear "good guys", the books focus on the people caught, literally and figuratively, in between. It's a nice change of pace from the standard reading materials; engrossing. (Big shout-out to Matt for recommending it, btw.)

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde. If you're a book nerd, or if you like Neil Gaiman, this is the book for you (there are several sequels, but I haven't gotten to them yet; I assume they're good too). The Eyre Affair is a madcap journey through England and several of its literary classics. It's very entertaining; plus, the author has probably the coolest name I've ever seen. Double F's!

In Rainbows, by Radiohead. While a step down from their best work (OK Computer and The Bends being two of the best albums of all time), this is still a solid album. Focusing more on the ambient and ethereal than on easy-to-recognize hooks, it makes for perhaps better background than foreground music, but it is a good listen nonetheless. The best part: you get to pick the price. I paid $10, partially to make up for the fact that the band probably only received $2-$3 from my previous album purchases, and partially to reward them for their unique album-sale strategy. Check it out.

Tootsie Rolls

What are you liking right now?
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I think Al just won an NAACP Image award, too...

2007-10-12T22:57:32Z

So Big (not-Gay) Al won the Nobel Peace Prize, and congratulations to him. Perhaps this and the Oscar will help soothe the pain from 2000. Lord knows the man has had some good karma coming to him. But...

As important as the message of climate change is, and as much as Gore has done to spread it, does that really make him eligible for the Peace Prize? Seriously, Peace? Maybe if there was a general humanitarian award, or an award for environmental activism... but Peace? As in, preventing and ending wars? While we're at it, should we just give Big Al the Pulitzer? I'm sure he wrote something at some point. Why not throw in a Tony and a Peabody while we're at it? Maybe put him on People's 100 Sexiest list, just for good measure? Sheesh.

I know the world feels that they need to prove to us backward Americans that Al's been right all along, but something tells me this isn't going to do the trick. The more liberals and Europeans lionize him, the more the conservatives will become convinced that they're in the right (no pun intended). All this does is degrade the award in their eyes (although I'm guessing conservatives haven't taken it seriously since Jimmy Carter won). I don't know how to convince them to stop driving SUVs, but I do know that this won't help (just look at the press coverage, which has focused more on the split reaction to his winning than to his actual accomplishments). Besides, couldn't they have given it to someone who actually did some real work for peace? And no, I don't mean Bono or Angelina Jolie.

And while we're on the subject... Several of the more intellectual critics have accused the IPCC (who shared the Nobel with Gore) of being too dogmatic in their attitudes toward climate change. While I happen to agree with the IPCC's take (that climate change is serious, caused by people, and that something needs to be done about it ASAP), I think they have been too rigid in the viewpoints which they have accepted. In their urgency to proclaim that the sky is falling, they've shut out the more moderate (and to those who doubt the probity of Gore's agenda, more credible) voices. Is there anything wrong with letting a few people publish papers that say that global warming is merely an unpredictable and probably harmful result of our continued reliance on outdated technology? Sure, that's less scary than saying we're all going to die if we don't start driving hybrids. But isn't fear-mongering supposed to be a bad thing? Liberals and scientists, with their doom and gloom, have thus far only succeeded in eliciting an obdurate, offended reaction from conservatives, which shouldn't be surprising, since that's exactly the same way that liberals react to Dubya's periodic War-on-Terror admonitions. Regardless, the only way to get everyone on board is to allow everyone's voice to be heard, and to come up with a reasonable compromise that can begin the process of mitigating climate change without alienating the very people who are often the worst contributors to the problem. If there's one thing the Bush administration should have taught us, it's that science is no place for ideology. Even if it is anti-Bush ideology.

</end rant>

More Haiku

2007-10-05T05:40:06Z

your skin sleeps lightly
so as to hear the call of
my wandering eye

-~-~-~-~-

beneath the thunder
we lived with a wild whisper
and laughed through morning

concrete evening

2007-10-01T03:58:23Z

my breath hard and cold
in the concrete evening
dreams fall like dead snow

This is a haiku I wrote using my new magnetic poetry set. Sorry it's so depressing. The next one will be more chipper, I promise... I think I've just been watching too much of "The War" on Tivo. It's really good, but man is it depressing most of the time. War is not fun, that much is clear. If only certain people had understood that before we got involved in Iraq (or Vietnam and Korea for that matter). There should be a law that every politician has to watch this whole series (or something similar) before voting for a war. Just so they can't pretend that they didn't know what they were getting into.

--J

You Know You Want to Touch It

2007-09-24T03:30:30Z

I got my iPod Touch today. Oh man. It's unspeakably awesome. There's nothing like having 2900+ songs, episodes of The Office, all my photos, and WiFi internet, all in my pocket. Not to mention that the screen looks *fantastic*. When I first turned it on, I was so blown away that I couldn't stop looking at it. The touch-controls are very intuitive, and strangely satisfying to use. It really is hard to keep your hands off it once you start playing with it. The coolness-per-square-inch of this thing is off the charts.

Yeah, I know. You're jealous. Don't worry, that'll fade with time.

Note to Steve Jobs: I'm officially your bitch now. (Be gentle; I chafe easily.)
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Wedding Pictures!

2007-09-22T01:21:45Z

This is what you've been waiting for. That's right!

Here it is!

...

Just kidding. Here are some wedding and reception pictures.

Reception Dinner Pictures
Wedding Pictures

More Oregon pictures to come next month, when my Flickr upload limit resets. Enjoy!

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It Is Way Too Early

2007-09-18T12:32:58Z

I'm sitting here at Terminal C8 in the Portland Airport, wanting to punch time in the face. There's nothing like getting up at 4AM local time. Fortunately, I had only somewhat adjusted to Portland time, so that really only felt like 5:30 or so. Which still should be forbidden by law.

Portland is awesome, by the way. The airport here has free WiFi (unlike certain other airports I could name)--hence this post. While here, we went to Powell's Books in downtown Portland (aka Heaven), and the Japanese Gardens. Mom also took us by a lot of her old haunts in Oregon City and Portland. It's amazing to see how much (and how little) have changed in 50 years.

Mike & Maria's wedding was great. The rain held off for the entire evening, and the ceremony went off without a hitch. Mike was clearly verrry (triple-r) nervous, but he got through it in fine fashion. The food (prepared by the bride's brother Curt) was fantastic. There was a dance floor, which was promptly commandeered by my energetic nephew, Alex. That boy sure can boogie (though he didn't get it from our side of the family, that's for sure). The whole night was great--definitely a good choice for my first wedding. Mike & Maria are great for each other.

It was great seeing/meeting everyone, too. We didn't see my mom's brother Don and his family, since they couldn't make it out, but lots of other folks showed up. I even got to meet my mom's ex, the heretofore shrouded-in-mystery "Bruce". He was perfectly genial and harmless. Maria's family was all very friendly and fun to be around, too. (Maria herself, as I'm sure Mike would tell you, is fantastic.) One of the best parts of the wedding was seeing all the different families coexisting in perfect harmony. That is very refreshing in this age of acrimonious divorce and custody battles.

Anywho, I'll post more once I get back (including pictures, hopefully). Happy trails to me.

summerworld

2007-09-09T04:48:33Z

these deciduous limbs are royally adorned
yet your dominion stands ragged and worn,
looming listless amid impossible precipices
while the summerworld whispers away.

those thin precepts, tethered no longer to the light of day,
were all that held you together.

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Ye Gods, Another Gadget!

2007-09-06T05:15:26Z

Lately I've been buying a lot of gadgets. Just in the last 3 months I've bought an iBook, a Tivo, a digital camera, and now (I'm sure you know what's coming) I've preordered an iPod Touch.

Before you chalk this splurging up to materialist excess, you should know that in the five years prior I had spent practically no money on electronics (I did get a Wii, but that was a Christmas present). As a result, my technological lifestyle was sadly lacking. I can say with full confidence that every one of the aforementioned devices is a near-necessity in my life. Now that I have the iBook, for instance, I don't know how I ever dealt without it. The Tivo was necessary due to my having to work late on weeknights (all work and no Office makes J a dull boy). I needed the camera for my upcoming trip to Oregon, not to mention that I just plain could use one, since much of my life lately has gone undocumented.

As for the iPod--well, did you know that I have never even owned an mp3 player before, much less an iPod? That's right, I'm the last person on earth without an iPod. I would've bought one a month or so ago if I didn't know that Apple was on the verge of announcing new versions. Luckily for me, the Touch is exactly what I was hoping for: basically an iPhone without the phone. Oddly enough, that is exactly what I was wishing the iPhone was when it came out; I am reasonably happy with Verizon, and AT&T is renowned for being a sucky carrier. Plus, I didn't want to lock myself into a crazily expensive 2-year contract. With the Touch, I get all the cool stuff without the hassles of crappy networks and contracts. Exciting! New toys!

I bet my poor old lackluster cellphone is getting mighty jealous about now. It should probably be afraid, too; I doubt it has long for this world, at this rate.

Con Pics

2007-09-04T01:30:49Z

DragonCon was entertaining, as usual, line-standing aside. It was great to see everyone, too. I'm pretty pooped right now, but not any more than you'd expect. Have a look-see at some pictures.

The Uncanny Relationship Valley

2007-08-20T03:26:55Z

In the midst of my most recent romp through the wonderful world of Internet dating, I started to notice an interesting trend in the predominant attitude of the female singles. (Am I the only one who finds that usage of the word "singles" a tad odd? It sounds more like cheese than people.) Compared to the women I talked to/dated my last go-round (around 3 years ago), the women today are much more willing to hold out for their "perfect man". I've seen signs of the same thing in many of the profiles I've read, as well: many more women are referring to "true love", and fewer to "just having a good time", and that sort of thing. This is all anecdotal evidence, true, but bear with me.

With any new technology, there are always three phases of growth: 1) the early adopters, 2) the tech-savvy, and finally, 3) the general public. For reference, right now Blu-ray/HD DVD are in phase 1; HDTV is in phase 2; and things like iPods and YouTube are in phase 3. When I last ventured onto Internet dating sites, they were still in phase 2, though rapidly approaching phase 3. Now they are firmly in phase 3. As the dating sites become ever more embedded in the mainstream, and more and more women realize that Internet dating sites are more than just socially maladjusted nerds and creepy old men (though I plead guilty to a mild case of the former), the sites have grown exponentially. Some sites now list millions of profiles (though only a fraction are anywhere near active). This level of selection is (obviously) unprecedented. Much like the advent of 100+ channel cable TV has altered conventional TV-watching, I think the rise of the dating site has forever altered the way people go about finding a mate.

This isn't exactly earth-shattering, I know. Of course new technology changes *how* we do things. What is more significant, I feel, is how technology changes how we *think* about what we do. Which brings me back to my observation. It's trivial to say that people are taking advantage of the greater pool of candidates online; what is interesting, however, is how the change from, say, the bar/party scene, to the Internet, affects the type of choices a person makes, even long after the in-person meeting.

Stereotypically, women who meet a man in person are willing to overlook many flaws in a potential partner in favor of his positive qualities, even if those positive qualities are relatively unimportant. I think that the reason women are so forgiving in this situation is that often there is just no better option, at least not in the immediate vicinity of the initial meeting. And this attitude often persists well into the relationship, probably due to the fact that an average person just doesn't encounter very many new people on a short-term basis. In short, a man who meets, say, 60% of a woman's standards, may be the best eligible, non-gay, man she'll meet in a long period of time. So it's only natural to learn to put up with, and even appreciate, a somewhat-flawed partner. (The process is the same with men, but MUCH simpler, again stereotypically; as I'm sure you've heard, men often are happy just to be with someone who'll have sex with them without nagging too much in between copulations. I get the sense that even these men's standards are lower in real life than on the Internet, though I'm not one, so it's hard to say for sure.)

With Internet dating, the sheer wealth of available people allows us to be much more selective. Dating sites require selectivity, really; there are simply too many good matches to even try dating all of them. And those 60% matches that look so good at a party or bar? They aren't even spared a mouse click. I've noticed this in my own browsing; for instance, I regularly pass on profiles with minor grammar and spelling errors. While I'm sure that many of these people are perfectly intelligent, it doesn't speak well of their commitment to quality that they would let such mistakes speak for them to the assembled masses. While this pickiness doesn't carry over into real-life very much for me, I can't say the same for many of the women I've met online. Whereas Mr. 60% continues to look good long after a real-life meeting, I can be Mr. 90 or 95% and still the woman in question will have little desire to have a long-term relationship with me.

And that's fine by me, really. I don't really want a 90 or 95%-satisfying relationship, either. But why are humans so willing to put up with a mismatch in real-life, but so unwilling to do so when it comes (in a lesser form) from the internet? The Uncanny Valley, that's why. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Uncanny Valley, I refer thee to Wikipedia. Basically, the idea behind the Uncanny Valley is that we focus on the human-like aspects of robots and animated humans if they differ greatly in appearance from real (live) humans, but focus on the inhuman aspects if the robot/animation more closely resembles a human. Therefore, the characters in The Incredibles elicit much more empathy than, say, the nominally more lifelike characters in The Final Fantasy movie, which bombed in large part because people (myself included) were bothered by the little problems--the facial expressions, the slightly stiff way the characters walked, etc. This is also why all the humanoid robots that Japanese companies keep creating just creep me out, and why zombies have such a prominent place in our horror culture. Similarly, we are much more likely to settle for a 60% match than we are for a 90 or 95% match. With the 60-percenters, we focus on the positive (often out of necessity); with the 90-percenters, we can't help but focus on the few areas in which the other person falls short. The other person is too close to what we're looking for.

The Uncanny Valley of relationships has a different psychological basis than its robotic counterpart, I'm sure, but it seems no less real to me. We're still early in the Internet Dating Era, but I believe that we'll see a significant shift in the way relationships work as it continues. Or, rather, a continuation of the shift that began 10 or more years ago. I think we should expect the divorce rate to go up even further, due to the fact that it's much harder to feel "trapped" in a bad marriage, or even just an unsatisfying one, when you're aware of just how easy it is to find someone better. More than that, though, I expect the marriage rate to decline even further. It is much harder to make a lifelong commitment to someone now than it was even 5 or 10 years ago. Differences that would have caused little more than frustration in a 20th-century relationship will short-circuit a 21st-century relationship. When you're so close to what you're looking for, it really is more difficult to settle for less than perfection.

But don't expect people to be too broken up about this development. After all, now, there really are more fish in the sea. A lot more. And they're just a few clicks away.

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Of Wookiees and Rookies

2007-08-06T02:39:37Z

As I detailed in this space a few months ago, the Braves have a secret weapon. No, I'm not talking about Matt Diaz. I'm referring to the Wookiee sound effect that they occasionally use after a foul ball. At the first game I went to this year, Jeff Francouer lined a game-winning double immediately after the Wookiee groan first was played.

Well, I went to another game in May, but all the Wookiees in the world couldn't have saved the Braves that day (they lost 14 to something). But today, my family went to another game, against the Rockies. The game went to the 10th inning, tied 5-5, with nary a wookiee appearance. Guess who was at the plate? Jeff Francouer. And guess whose barbarous yawp was blasted over the stereo speakers? That's right, Mr. Chewbacca's. And guess what happened next? That's right, a double by Mr. Francouer. After an intentional walk, the remarkable rookie Yunel Escobar drove in Francouer with a single to left, ending the game. Braves win, 6-5. Thank you, Chewie!

Why is Chewie's voice so powerful? Perhaps it strikes fear into the hearts of his (and the Braves') enemies. Or perhaps it merely baffles the opposing pitcher, causing him to lose his focus by making him wonder, "What the hell was that? It sounded like a wookiee?!?!" Either way, it seems the Braves have finally found their answer to the Angels' dastardly Rally Monkey. Though the Monkey has scoreboard graphics and such that the Wookiee does not have--yet. (If the Braves' people are smart, they're getting on that right now.)

Speaking of Yunel Escobar, have you noticed the Braves' remarkable ability to produce self-assured, smart, clutch young hitters? Francouer, Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, and now Escobar. And that's just in the past few years. Clearly, their scouts and coaches are doing a phenomenal job of finding and nurturing not just the physical talent, but also the maturity of these kids (all 25 or under). An Escobar anecdote: A week or so ago, with two outs in the ninth inning and the Braves down a run, Escobar drew a walk, and then pulled off one of the most remarkably alert plays I've ever seen. The opposing pitcher, forgetting to call time, bent over to tie his laces. The opposing position players twiddled their thumbs or had conversations with each other.... And then, out of nowhere, Escobar breaks for second. He's more than halfway to second by the time the pitcher is alerted to what's going on, but by then it's too late--there's no one close enough to second to take the throw anyway. A few pitches later, Willie Harris (speaking of guys who've been phenomenal) blooped a hit just out of the shortstop's reach, and Escobar scored the tying run. The Braves would go on to lose in extra innings, but Escobar's play stands out as perhaps the most "heads-up" play I've ever seen. And he's a rookie!

All in all, it was another enjoyable day at the park (despite it being the hottest day of the year). Now, I'm exhausted. Catch you later, LJ stalkers.

i wake up still on fire

2007-07-30T05:24:21Z

where i once was stoic, somnambulizing
through one-note weekends;
where i once was walled-off and unsurprising,
insecure and uninspired,
now i wake up still on fire.

a bracing breeze has blown,
bringing with it the ineffable grace
of a grateful sunrise (long unknown);
graying, somber skies have been replaced
by the searing glow of your embrace.

\\//\\// {{ }} {{ }} =||=

If {...} then {...} The Else

2007-07-17T04:15:37Z

It's scary to me that I've been listening to They Might Be Giants for, what, 13 years now? More, maybe... (Longer if you count the Tiny Toons videos). That's more or less as long as I've been seriously interested in music. And so it's always a treat to listen to a new TMBG album, even an underwhelming one like Mink Car. It's been a while since they put out a legitimately great studio album (at least since Factory Showroom, maybe as far back as John Henry, depending on how you define "great"), but for the most part they keep producing quality entertainment.

The new TMBG album, The Else, is produced by the Dust Brothers, which is an interesting choice, and a good one, I think, for a band going on 20+ years and 12 albums. The Dusty boys manage to bring out the Johns' rockin' sides much more than they've shown recently. And on some of the best tracks, like "Contrecoup" and "Climbing the Walls", even perpetually tired-sounding John Linnell manages to sound invigorated. My personal favorite is the classic dumping song, "Take Out the Trash", a Flansburghian ditty full of both catchy lyrics and unexpected pathos. For a dose of TMBG at their best--being not just off-beat but also oddly philosophical--try "Feign Amnesia", an ode to selective memory. Like "Ana Ng" or "Birdhouse in Your Soul", "I Should Be Allowed to Think" or "The End of the Tour", it works both as a pop song and a meditation on the vagaries of modern life. The album-capper, "The Mesopotamians", is also quite good, a historical song in the tradition of "Meet James Ensor", "James K. Polk", and "Istanbul (not Constantinople)". Any song that posits a rock band featuring Hammurabi and Gilgamesh gets my stamp of approval.

Unfortunately, there are too many uninspired songs in the middle of the album. Of tracks 5-10 (out of "only" 13), only "The Shadow Government" is at all interesting. "Bee of the Bird of the Moth" meanders on for way too long (at 3:31, it's the longest track on the album... ah, TMBG), and isn't really interesting to begin with. It sounds like a kids' album reject. And I don't get "The Cap'm" at all. "Withered Hope" tries, at least, to bring a funky vibe, but Linnell's voice is a poor match for funk, I think. One offsetting factor is the bonus CD, containing an astonishing 23 (!) songs. Most bonus CDs give you 3 or 4 tracks at most. Leave it to the Giants to blow that out of the water. I haven't listened to most of them yet, but it's hard to beat the bang for the buck you get with 23 free songs.

All told, The Else is about on par with their last album, The Spine... A couple notches above Mink Car, but not as consistently good as their best work (Flood, John Henry, Lincoln). Your thoughts?

Catching a Flight

2007-07-14T00:53:58Z

Summer television is for the most part a vast wasteland, especially for those (like me) who don't have HBO. Of course, for the creative, there are always ways around the whole not-having-HBO problem (I'm sure you know what I mean). One show that may be worth employing such creativity for is Flight of the Conchords, HBO's quirky new musical comedy about a two-man band from New Zealand trying to make their way in New York City. Flight has a very Wes Andersonian feel to it, only with Kiwi accents and bizarre musical interludes.

The two stars, Bret (pronounced "Brit") and Jemaine (the goofy-looking one), share a strange chemistry. The jokes are nearly all delivered in a straight deadpan monotone ("the New Zealand accent", their manager calls it), which may take some getting used to... But they crack me up. Flight's songs are inconsistently funny, but when they hit the right notes (sorry), they are hilarious. View the clip below if you want a taste of the Conchords' musical stylings.

"If You're Into It":

My favorite lyric thus far is from the song "Think About It", from the third episode (4 have aired thus far):

They’re turning kids into slaves just to make cheaper sneakers.
But what’s the real cost?
‘Cause the sneakers don’t seem that much cheaper.
Why are we still paying so much for sneakers
When you got them made by little slave kids
What are your overheads?

You have to imagine that being sung in that odd New Zealand monotone. Hilarious.

At any rate, Flight of the Conchords airs at 10:30 on Sundays on HBO, plus numerous re-airings I'm sure, and it's on On-Demand if you have it. You can also view the most recent episode on hbo.com if you prefer. Plus the "creative" methods I mentioned earlier. You should check it out. It's not for everybody, but if you know me, you'll probably enjoy it.

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Next on CNN... Puppy Torture Video

2007-07-06T22:13:43Z

The state of mainstream American news, in a screenshot. Look most of the way down the top stories list. Although there are lots of other ridiculous "stories" in that screenshot. "Britney Spears makes bizarre apology", "Girl disemboweled in pool", and the one about the 10 & 12 year olds being arrested for kidnapping are three of my favorites. It's sad that the most meaningful story on the page can be summed up with the question "Hot enough for ya?".
*sigh*

Font Jokes = Height of Comedy

2007-07-06T02:20:32Z

This might just be the funniest comic of the year:

THE DISEASE IS INSIDE OF YOU!

Hi-larious.

In other news, I saw Sicko the other day. How pathetic is American healthcare? Laughably so. You have to laugh, really, because otherwise you'd be too depressed to get out of bed. How people can go on proclaiming America's superiority given the state of our country (healthcare is just one part, though one that hits close to home for so many). Yeah, we should be sooo proud of the fact that we're the only country in the western world to allow corporations to profit off the suffering (and death) of its citizens. Although, in fairness, that does make us the #1 country in the world when it comes to bloated, imperious histrionics.

No wonder much of the world hates us... Although, from the interviews in Sicko, it appears that the western world's predominant response to the American healthcare system is... pity. As in, those poor Americans, how do they put up with that ridiculous "system"? So we're also #1 in being pitied. Which is always nice.

U-S-A, U-S-A!

Happy July 4th, America.
--

unexpected sunrise

2007-06-26T05:15:44Z

a hope once hidden within ebonescent skies
has heartened into sight
with sudden, resplendent surprise,
and the revelation of daylight
from a world drowned in dark;

no denouement is quite so stark
as an unexpected sunrise.

btw, i came up with "ebonescent"; it's not a real word, though i'm sure you can figure out its meaning... i love making new words... it makes me feel powerful, like Stephen Colbert

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Where Soul Meets Body

2007-06-23T03:24:55Z

Lately, I've been thinking about the pros and cons of internet dating compared to traditional "meet the person first" dating. I've relied mainly on the Internet to meet new people since I left college (and many of my best friends left town), with decidedly mixed results. I guess that's not surprising--my "real" dating experiences have been almost as mixed--but what is interesting to me is the differences in the types of connections I tend to form with people online versus in real life. Online, I can be myself easily and with little pressure or ramification. This is good in the sense that most of the people I talk to online seem to genuinely enjoy talking to me, and I in turn have an easier time forgetting about social pressures and enjoying myself. Seems like a win-win, right? Well, if I could live my whole life on the Internet (not possible--yet!), maybe so. The rub is in the transition to actually being in the other person's presence.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a reserved person in most social situations. This shyness is only exacerbated by the prospect of Romance. I guess I feel an extreme pressure to perform (so to speak) in these scenarios. Even though this basically amounts to being myself, it is a far from trivial task. Not an impossible puzzle, but it takes me a while (in dating scenarios, 2-3 dates, usually) to solve it. Add to this the pressure of knowing that, thanks to hours of Internet and phone conversations, you actually like the person in question, and things can get pretty tense. And not in a good way. Oddly, I have no trouble transitioning to the phone, even though in normal situations I am uncomfortable with phone calls, and prefer to talk in person. Maybe I'm more worried about Looking stupid than Sounding stupid?

At any rate, the upside to Internet dating is that you can make sure that you have a connection, and that the person you are talking to is not a total freak or someone you can't get along with, before you ever meet them in person. Since I consider this kind of mental connection to be essential to a relationship, I had thought that the Internet would be a great way to date. Especially since there are so many people to sift through, you're almost bound to find a few people you can connect with.

But lately (and yes, a particular experience did inspire this rant, though I don't want to belabor that), it's become more clear that this might not be the best approach, at least for me, despite the much larger pool of potential dates relative to my 3D life. The problem with connecting intellectually first is that it is only tangentially related to physical attraction. And what has often happened to me is that, upon meeting, at least one of the two of us has not been particularly hot for the other (usually I'm not so hot for the other person, but the last time, it was the other way around). Even the most honest dating-site pictures inevitably leave some things to the imagination (Rule 1 of Internet dating--Never go out with someone until you've seen a recent sub-neck picture), and physical attraction is definitely not guaranteed even when you find someone's pictures to be highly attractive.

I think now that in-person may be easier, since you can get physically comfortable with a person, and learn whether you're attracted before you get intellectually and emotionally involved... I think in many cases, it's possible to acquire an intellectual connection with someone even when you don't have one at first. On the flip side, I don't think it's possible to learn to be attracted to someone (barring dramatic physical changes or the influence of alcohol). This difference may be the clincher, at least for the nonce. Though I have no idea where I'm going to meet eligible women outside of work.

I'm interested to hear other people's opinions of internet dating... What is good and bad about it? Is it better to connect physically or intellectually first?

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New Place, etc...

2007-06-15T20:50:31Z

Haven't posted in a while because I've been busy. Last week, I moved into a new place, kind of a basement apartment type deal. It's as big as the apartments I was looking at, but a little cheaper, and in a nicer neighborhood. Plus it's always nice to have people in the house, even if I don't see them that often. Makes me feel less like a hermit. There's a huge bedroom/living room area and a semi-kitchen (no oven/stove or sink, but there's a fridge, microwave, etc., plus a water cooler, dishes and whatnot). I'm finally all moved in and unpacked, too. Now is the first real down-time I've had in the past week.

So now I'm working summer schedule at the centers, which means getting up relatively early but not too early, and not having to work until 9:00 anymore (7:30 now), which is nice. It's actually daylight out now when I get off work. Odd that that would seem odd.

Let's see, what else is new? I bought a Macbook finally. It's just a 13-incher, but it's got a SuperDrive and various other goodies. I'm looking forward to being completely wireless and joining the shiny white Apple throngs. I had been considering a Mac for a while, but the straw that made the camel open his wallet was when my computer started randomly rebooting itself after the move. I guess something got dislodged in the commotion, but I've un- and re-plugged everything and it's still doing it (though it's a bit better now). Plus, half the sites on the internet like to crash Firefox and IE now. Something must've gone wrong during one of the unplanned reboots. And I'm not about to upgrade to Vista when there's OS-X out there and I've got $25k in the bank just waiting for me to spend it. And I hardly ever buy anything big for myself, so why not?

Also, I got a haircut (which is always traumatic for me, but this one seems like it'll turn out okay). And I'll be seeing Knocked Up tomorrow, which I've been wanting to do for a while. And the Braves really suck (though they managed to at least have a lead for a while last night!) But all in all, things are going quite well. Huzzah!

That's all for now... Maybe I'll do something creative sometime and post it. We'll see.

midtown, or how i learned to lose you

2007-05-20T03:42:38Z

i trace your outline against the somber station lights
as you slip slowly into a cold concrete embrace;

those vapid metal vessels bide hungrily below
to hasten you from the dulcet thrum of peachtrees--

from me, and from this slumbering, synoptic city
that, with a kiss, conceived us (a sum of tenths and twelfths);

only here,
bathed in the brazen inertia of human progress,
can i sense the strict science which augurs our departure;

only now,
as you descend toward an inexorable exit,
can i comprehend the thin, unthinkable chasm

between the words we've spoken
and the wishes we've felt.

??

26

2007-05-15T05:53:32Z

I'm now as old as the number of letters in the alphabet.

Jesus.

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