good: jessica’s coming back tomorrow night.
bad: i’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon for a work trip.
good: it’s up north, and i get to see old roomy mike!
bad: i’m traveling solo into client land with no coworker buddies to get my back. scary!
good: there’s another mountain goats show coming up soon. have to remember to get tickets.
bad: it’s in a museum? (…or is that a good? do they play underneath a dinosaur skeleton? that would be a super-good.)
after three quarters of a year of living with my lovely lady, i now find myself with almost a week home alone while she’s off on a work trip. saturday was fine, because i spent the whole day drinking beers, watching UCLA screw up their final four game, playing (and losing) poker, rocking some rock band, and so on. that was a good time not terribly unlike any other saturday.
but i wake up sunday — much later than normal, with no one to stir me — and am somehow totally disoriented by my solitude. normally a day of lounging around the house together, it becomes a weirdly quiet period of isolation. i find myself constantly asking, sometimes even aloud to no one but myself, ‘so, what now?’
not to say i was paralyzed by loneliness. i normally take these opportunities to plunge headlong into my less social pursuits; i watched maybe 5 episodes of battlestar galactica over the course of the day. i played in a 90-person poker tournament online that ended up taking, to my surprise, four hours; but which, also to my surprise, i took first place in. i went on a grocery run that was like a flashback to my first week out of college: root beer, frozen pizzas, sandwich materials. and i sat alone in my bedroom and read a book.
what might have been ‘a pretty good sunday’ only a few years ago, felt somehow eerie or empty in the context of my grown-up, co-habitating self. aware of my almost instant change in disposition after only 24 hours solo, i had to wonder — is this a sad sign of dependence, or a romantic pang of lovesickness? or can it be a little of both, and be a part of normal healthy coupledom?
so yes, i miss my jessica a bit and have a week of nerdiness ahead. of course, one thing that will definitely not happen is the oft-dramatized lonely/crazy housewife syndrome, where one’s days are joylessly occupied with the endless battle for a spotless abode. sorry jessica, it is weird without you and all, but not so weird i’d resort to any sort of scrubbing.
recently watched the documentary no end in sight, about the mismanagement of the iraq occupation by those at the highest levels — despite the plentiful advice from those better informed on how things could have been done right. if you’re interested, as i am, in better understanding the specifics on how incompetent and arrogant the bush administration has been, this was a great way to get a clearer picture of the details. before the film, i had a very good sense that they were cocky and poorly prepared for the eventualities of this war. but now i have a much better grasp of the issues involved, the chances they had to help resolve those issues, and their total squandering of any potential solutions that were offered to them. it’s really an uplifting tale.
on a similar topic, this week’s this american life podcast is really good too. again, about the arrogance and all-around jerkiness of the administration. seeing/hearing the two on back-to-back days makes a man awfully glad it’s only a matter of months until we get someone started on digging us out of the hole we’ve let ol’ dubya get us in to.
well after my intensive (and expensive) training at the hands of the online poker community, i still did terribly at our poker night on friday. i blame the jump from playing stone sober at fast-moving automated tables to the dual handicaps of several beers and much slower hands. the lack of inhibition and patience cost me twice over. blast! another good lesson learned, i hope.
our imac is in the repair shop this week, thanks to a disc drive which refuses to reject discs. the choice was either listen to the magnetic fields’ distortion for the next five years, or take it in. which means less poker practice, and no working computer at home unless i fire up the work laptop. funny how it effects your day-to-day life. that was our primary music player, so it’s quieter already. i stop by to check email usually once every hour or so, and now there’s just a big empty space there. plus i had downloaded and hoped to catch up on battlestar season three before it starts back up this week, but forgot to make copies before bringing it in. double blast!
i also find myself in a music drought lately, so i’ve been going out of my way to find something, anything to go pick up at amoeba this month. i think i’ve settled on these two, which perhaps you can dissuade me from or support if you happen to have heard them in their entirety. so here’s a track off both since i skipped the last pay day song.
cadence weapon – juliann wilding
the whigs – right hand on my heart
the former for it’s excellent sense of flow, the latter for actually sounding like rock music. i’m going through another one of my ‘all this indie shit sounds so mopey and weak’ phases, which might also lead me to pick up the new raconteurs album too.
new this week: we went to santa barbara for a night this weekend where the weather was beautiful, the one wine tasting we made it to was just okay, the dinner was great, but the bar we went to afterward was a little douchey. so overall, i think it averaged out to somewhere between pretty good and actually good.
yesterday i finished half life 2 proper and get to move on to the two little half-life-lettes that accompany it.
also, i’m pretty sure i’ve pinpointed what i might call my three biggest weaknesses in a week full of poker playing. now i’m hoping that knowing how i suck is part of the path to sucking less. wish me luck with that.
slacking, brian. have you no thoughts, no ideas, no stories to tell?
well, let’s see. my very slow february suddenly became a fairly busy march at work, and it was like opening floodgates. i even worked yesterday for six of my normally lazy sunday hours, neglecting my customary call home to the parents (sorry, mom) and my hypothetical gym schedule (sorry, gut). we did squeeze in a birthday lunch with jessica’s mom before i reported for duty though, and her cumpleanos seemed more feliz for our being there. we also had dinner with gino and sarah and planned our may new york trip, which is becoming more real and therefore more exciting by the day.
what have i failed to report over the last couple weeks? well, my sister is an amazing singer now that she’s close to finishing college, chicago was nice but damn cold even in march, and i am no longer allowed to order chocolate milkshakes on pat’s behalf from the wiener’s circle. apparently i am bad at being the butt of a joke.
saw an excellent mountain goats show, finished a few books, and am starting to play some online poker in an attempt to teach myself not to suck as badly. those lessons are coming slowly and with their share of frustration and lost dollars. but i am confident that if i can just lose enough times in a short period of time, i might learn to fold when i’m goddamned supposed to.
the most dramatic update: i got a new pair of glasses which should come this week. they will replace my old ones which were generic looking and had cracked lenses of a weak prescription. i’m anxious for the sleeker, sexier version of nerdiness that will cement my cute bookish hipster profile. ‘why yes, i do enjoy the occasional mcsweeney’s publication, would you like to make out with me?’ jessica will be sure to put down her newsweek, helpless with geek lust, and pounce all over me without even turning off the flight of the conchords episode playing in the background. can’t wait!
one weekend, two concerts. last night’s magnetic fields show was very pleasant, and although that sounds banal i mean it in the most flattering way. it wasn’t exactly exciting, because for the first time in my experience at the henry fonda, they had folding chairs set up in rows. i was not expecting to sit, but it made sense; the magnetic fields don’t put on so much a rock show as a musical performance. for what it was, though, the first word that comes to mind is ‘gorgeous’.
they’re just such a talented bunch when it comes to crafting cleverly worded, well-constructed pop music. i love stephen merritt’s songwriting in all its various incarnations, all of which they pulled from for their two-part set (intermission at a rock show? unheard of!). the way his lyrics dance along the line between profound and funny is unbeatable. and as a collective, i think they make great decisions as to which singer and what music best fits each song, even when the live version isn’t exactly faithful to the original. as strange as it was to be sitting still and listening instead of toe-tapping or head-nodding at a concert, the serenity served to highlight the gorgeous quality of beautiful music coming together. the less-distorted versions of songs from their new album distortion might even have improved when pared back to focus more on the words, and i just enjoyed myself the whole way through. finally seeing one of my favorites on a rare public appearance was a very satisfying way to spend 30-or-so dollars.
unfortunately, i wish i could say the same of friday’s MSTRKRFT show. if you read my buddy ted’s account, he absolutely loved it. i, however, am less enamored. not to disparrage him or them, but i think it took this show to point out exactly why i don’t have the same audio-crush on them that a few of my friends do.
being a big fan of their remix work (of which ted has also posted several great samples), i was expecting to like it way more than i did. but i quickly realized they came to play ‘their music’, not do a dj set. here’s the disconnect: i think they have absolutely mastered the craft (kraft?) of a very specific sound; a sort of crunchy, rock-and-roll, distorted synth sound that they use super effectively to take any song remotely danceable and knock it out of the dance club atmosphere. that’s why their remixes are so good — they take what’s already great and put it into overdrive. however, if you take the base sound that they’ve perfected for that purpose, and try to make it stand it on it’s own, you start to lose me. it’s just not a musical form i have any interest in, no matter the possible merits audible to the more initiated.
for example, listen to these quick slices from some of their mixes:
and you have vaguely what the first hour of their live show is like. for a house music enthusiast (or ecstasy user), it might be spanish fly. but i am a person who likes a couple basic things when having a dance party: a little variety, and some words to sing or shout along to. i just could not get into what quickly became, to my ears, a droning repetitive buzz-saw house beat. when they pulled out some justice and daft punk samples at the end, i was ready to jump right back in there. but i have to say politely that by this point i had barely made it that far without walking out. i am just not a guy that likes house music. let me know next time you’re spinning at a club with actual songs, not just punching buttons on your BeatThumper 3000, and i will gladly give you vowel-snubbing scoundrels a second chance.
speaking of which, i give full credit to their opening act, dj z-trip, for doing exactly what i do like a dj to do. take some familiar and unfamiliar tracks, then mix and match them in fun and unexpected ways that show talent, finesse, and a desire to charm the pants off your crowd. check out his page for lots of downloads similar to what he spun at the show and tell me it isn’t more fun to listen to than an hour of MSTRKRFT’s pounding, and i will not believe you. so it wasn’t a total waste.
anyhow, back on the positive side and last night’s show. i’m currently adjusting my ears to the new magnetic fields songs as heard in their shoe-gazey form off the new cd i picked up at the show. i’m not sure i’m convinced this was the best way to go for them, but at the very least you get more classic lyrics from merritt’s notebook. i’m particularly fond of too drunk to dream, for it’s simple premise of getting fucked up in order to forget that formerly special someone. a precious pay day song pick for you to enjoy.
today is my brother’s birthday, and my friend gabe’s birthday. since they live in time zones ahead of mine, here’s hoping they are both drunker than i am right now as i prepare to leave work for the day.
also, i’m heading into a very musical weekend. mstrkrft tomorrow, magnetic fields sunday, mountain goats tuesday. i’m not sure i’ve ever been to three concerts in such rapid succession before, so here’s hoping my 27-year-old body won’t have any problems with such a rocking schedule.
after having this website for going on seven years (seven!?), and attempting throughout to write semi-coherent reviews of the entertainment i fill my evening hours with, i’m beginning to worry about a couple things.
one, that they aren’t very good or very helpful to anyone. telling all six of you regular readers how a movie or album i plunked down cash for aligned with my already-established tastes, just as i expected them to when i decided to fork over said cash, doesn’t get anyone anywhere. unless the reason you read this is because you know our similarities and differences well enough to say to yourself, ‘i know how brian thinks, and i’ll probably have a similar opinion,’ in which case i suppose i’m glad to have validated your 12 dollars.
two, as a corollary, is that i rarely if ever give anything below a 3 out of 5. as i just said, i think this is a symptom of knowing very well by now what my well-established tastes are, and only bothering with things that will suit them. so it’s never a question of, ‘will i like or dislike this thing i saw or heard?’, as much as ‘i knew i’d enjoy this because my taste-radar is a finely tuned instrument. now, did the work in question deliver on its promise to a fair, high, or outstanding degree?’
the second one is hard to do anything about without intentionally de-tuning that well-calibrated radar of mine, which i refuse to waste my precious time doing. perhaps it’s more a question of adjusting the scale to more varying degrees of good, and the rare category of ‘failure’ (*coughtransformerscough*). leaving the score part out altogether would alleviate the problem — with a simple ebert/digital ratings system (being both thumb-related and on/off status) — but then you have no ‘special award’ to give when you really love something. hmm.
the first, however, i intend to put much more effort toward. seven years of amateurish rambling can only get you so far; at some point you either throw in the towel or try to develop, and i favor the latter. if i want the act of writing in one form or another to be at the center of whatever i do career-wise, progress must be made. words must be cut, replaced, rearranged into something greater than thought vomit.
i’d start right this instant but what was meant to be a prelude to a couple book reviews got all grandiose and blathery. carry on for now.
pulled out the old animation show dvd box set last night for kicks — and because i haven’t watched them since picking up said box set — speaking of which, isn’t it about time for the next one guys? i seem to remember going to volume three around this time last year.
anyhow, i think a couple of my most favorite, and incidentally not part of the original program, are the brother, cousin, uncle trilogy of adam elliot. so sad and sweet and funny at the same time. i think i almost — shut up, i said almost — cry at the end of brother at the closing line which i hope i can faithfully remember:
memories of you i will always keep; god saw you were tired, so he put you to sleep…
so on the dvd they also mention his academy award-winning follow-up, harvie krumpet, from 2003, which i have never seen. now in this season of catching up on the oscar-nominated films i have guiltily neglected, i have decided to track it down in addition to all the obvious ones that have been recently added to the lengthy netflix queue. i mean, i suppose i could watch it on youtube or ifilm, as is apparently possible. in fact, i’d recommend you do just that if you’re less interested than i am, but still at least somewhat intrigued. i, however, refuse to take in such works in a degraded format, so i’m currently taking to the internets to find a higher quality option.