Je Suis Bien Calée

Grow Up and Blow Away

2011-06-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

With my student track rapidly running out, it seem I can't avoid that age old question: "what do you want to be when you grow up?" When I was little, my response was "a pay-lady"--what I called cashiers. Pushing all those buttons at the cash register! Getting to take people's money! Seeing what everyone bought and getting to talk to them! It seemed so thrilling.

As I got a bit older, and the novelty of pressing buttons gradually wore off, my goals shifted. I can't remember having any other well-defined profession in mind, though. I mostly just pursued whatever interested me. So here I am, after a long road in school and science, in grad school. It can be easy to look back on your life path and impose some grand plan. We like to see order, even when it isn't completely there. (I've done this plenty of times in application essays, explaining all of my research experiences and education as if they were clearly motivated from a desire to achieve my current goal.) I've had inklings of bigger plans and interim goals, sure. But if I'm honest, much of my education and extra-curricular pursuits have been more motivated by what I was interested in at the moment than by a bigger "dream".

I did enter grad school with the idea of staying in academia. Though it was definitely more of a general notion than a well thought-out plan. I think it may have also been because it was the obvious path. It's what grad students do, I thought. I was never really fully aware of other options for people interested in science/research. I also only had vague notions of what academic science was like. As much as people like to pretend undergrad research experiences prepare people for graduate school and beyond, it's just not true. It's not something you can really understand until you've steeped yourself in it.

I have steeped. And I'm not convinced I want to stay in the water. As I mentioned in my previous post, the past few months or so have left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth with regards to academia. (I think I'll save those rants for another day.) I'm not completely soured, yet. But I'm concerned enough to realize that I really need to stop and finally think about my career path. I finally need to answer that question I've been avoiding since the age of 5. Are my current reservations about academia just passing resentment about some negative situations? Or is there something better out there for me?

That thought is overwhelming. Feeling like I have potential and options is simultaneously exciting and stressful. Particularly since making life decisions is not my strongest suit. I've been trying to narrow down the field a bit to make things less daunting. But that seems to require answering an exploding list of even harder questions: What are my best skills, and what do I enjoy doing the most? Do I want to be the big-shot, workaholic; or do I want a job that let's me have a real life outside of work? Am I driven more by passion/interest, or do I need my work to have a broader impact on society? Do I want to live in a particular place/area? etc. etc. And what of these qualities are a priority?

Sheesh, who knew being an "adult" would be so hard?

I've been seeking out as many career seminars as I can over these last few months, trying to get a sense of what other jobs are out there and what they're like. Slowly attempting to collect data and fill in some of the many many blanks. Some of the most consistent advice I've heard is to use internship and fellowship programs to explore. That seems reasonable, and it's something I'm seriously considering. Try different things, gain new experiences, and hone in on the ideal career. Shuffling around for a while could also take advantage of my relative freedom now, before I go and become a real adult with a family.

But in the back of my mind, I worry I'll just use internships to further put off answering The Question. But maybe that's ok for a while? I can delay being a real grown-up for a bit, right?

I've come too far, and I don't want to fail

2011-06-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

"Don't you hate that feeling like you suddenly have to pee when someone pokes in your belly button?"

Mostly likely you don't. Because almost everyone I've ever mentioned this to has stared at me like I'm a little bit bonkers. It took me a while catch on to the fact that not everyone experiences things the same way as me. That people are fundamentally different in everything from their basic physical perceptions to their motivations and goals. It took frequent iterations of "Isn't it funny/weird/great how ___?" statements yielding blank stares for it to start to sink in.

I still default to the assumption others feel/think similarly to me. It's the easiest option. But I seem to learn the most about myself and how I really feel when I discover that assumption is wrong. One of the best examples of this is my love of academic pursuits. I was an egg-head from the womb. As a kid, I think I never fully separated enjoying school from my abilities. I was good at it, and I liked that. It took seeing others who were also good at school, but would rather apply their talents in other ways, for me to realize that I didn't just like getting the gold star. I liked the whole process. My mind was blown when I heard people in college saying they couldn't wait to get out of school and move on to "the real world" and careers.

So naturally, I just kept going; High school to undergrad, to grad school. My parents call me the "professional student". And I've often operated under the idea that I could be that. Just keep going to school forever. If you've ever done an experiment-driven Ph.D., it feels like you will be there forever. Equipment constantly breaks, there are always better/more controls, there are always new ways to analyze the data, and even "finished" experiments usually generate more questions than they answer. It's a great way to get lost inside your own little Never-Ending Story.

Then suddenly* my advisor called me in to his office and started talking about me graduating and asking what I wanted to do next. What? There is an end to this thing? And it's soon? I always knew that my Ph.D. would end eventually. I had even tried thinking about the future and career options on occasion. But there is a big difference between "someday" and "in a year". I'm starting to run out of the clear-cut career-preparation (read: student) path, and heading straight for a point when I have to make some decisions.

I had always planned on a career in academia. If I had to be a real adult and have a real job, at least do something that's as close to being a professional student as possible. I could get paid to think. It seemed perfect. But as seems very common, some less than ideal experiences with the nitty-gritty details of doing research for a living have left me a bit disillusioned with the academic lifestyle. I've also developed new skills, and learned that my talents might actually have interesting applications outside of school--a somewhat crazy idea to me. I'm also having trouble telling what is just a bad aftertaste from my current research burn-out and what are genuine feelings and goals.

So I have come here. In the next few weeks, I hope to use this space to explore some of my thoughts on science, academia, and careers in general. It is probably going to be pretty self-indulgent. (But, then again, that's part of what blogs are for, right?) But it seems crucial for me to try to get input from others. Maybe I need outside thoughts in the mix to figure this out; to burst my self-generated bubble and get a sense of what I really want via comparison. I need perspective on other people's career paths, and what it might mean to not be a student anymore. Basically, I need to be reminded yet again that not everyone feels like they have to pee when you poke their belly button.

*well, not so suddenly. I have been working on my Ph.D. for four years, after all. But as many Ph.D.s and grad students know, finishing a graduate degree is typically not a clear-cut "you filled requirements X, Y, Z so you can graduate." It is a discussion you have with your advisor, motivated by career goals, current projects in the lab, etc. So it can sneak up on you sometimes.

Where's Your Head At?

2008-07-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a 2-week stint in L.A. for a UCLA summer course on neuroimaging. The class wasn't exactly what I was expecting, and ultimately wasn't that useful for me. But, surprisingly, that wasn't the most disappointing aspect of my trip. This short change of pace managed to put me in my place; it reminded me that, no matter how much I may enjoy visiting new places, extensive travel is probably not my forte.

I've been struggling with chronic tension headaches for not quite a decade now. After a sizable string of doctors and many different medications, I was effectively put on "pain management"--otherwise known as "we can't fix it". I eventually stopped seeing doctors, and stopped medication completely. And for the last 5 or so years, things have been very managable. I've figured out the patterns that trigger my headaches, and on the whole am pain-free.

Unfortunately, avoiding headaches seems to require that I live something like a 60 year old: regular meals around the same time each day, a pretty constant sleep schedule. I have to get in a routine and stay there. Any significant or sudden change, and I could be in for a rough couple of days. If I want to catch up on sleep on the weekend, for instance, I wake-up with what I refer to as a Sleep Hangover.

From the usual day-to-day, this is fine. I know my body, and don't feel particularly limited. Traveling is an entirely different thing. While staying at UCLA, I was at the mercy of the program. They set my schedule. Turns out, the schedule they picked (and switching schedules) was a recipe for headaches. I haven't had headaches this bad and persistent in a very long time.

I really enjoy traveling, and experiencing all that a place has to offer. But, I saw very little of LA. Some of that was because it's just so time-consuming to get around without a car. But mostly, I just never felt like exploring. After a full day of lectures, and an ever-growing headache, I just wanted to watch tv in my room. I can generally push through my headaches. (After 9-odd years, you kind of have to.) But these two weeks really kicked me to the curb. The transition back home doesn't seem to be much better, either.

I'm not particularly upset about this flare-up, but the reality of how tightly I have to regulate my schedule is a bit disheartening. I'd like to be able to be spontaneous, to be able to travel and not worry about when I can get to bed and when all of my meals will be. I'd like to live, well, like the 20-something I am.

Maybe this trip was an unusual circumstance; maybe it was the smog. I sure hope so, because there are a lot of places I'd like to visit--without an extra large bottle of Ibuprofen in tow.

It's All Gonna Break

2008-07-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned, I recently found myself in need of a new iPod. I waited about a month, and though I did realize that life was indeed possible without a portable personal soundtrack, I also saw that my addiction to DJing my way through commutes and studying was going to die hard. Very hard.

So, I took a trip to the Apple store this weekend and treated myself to a sparkly new iPod classic. Apple is nearly synonymous with sleekness, stylishness, simplicity, and functionality. The stores are refreshingly bare-bones--clear glass everywhere, products clearly displayed on counters with any essential information about them nearby. Their packaging couldn't get much sleeker. (I actually asked the clerk if the necessary cords were included because the iPod box is so small, it didn't seem like everything could fit inside.) Their "Genius Bar" helpdesk is, in my experience, a well-oiled machine getting complaining and befuddled customers in and out quickly. Et cetera, et cetera.

It seemed to me that Apple really had everything figured out. At least when it comes to running a retail store.

But, as it turns out, they have a very amusing Achilles' heel: checks. Approaching the check-out counter, my sales person asked "Cash or card?". I hesitated for a moment, and questioningly replied "...check?". He seemed a bit surprised, but agreed. He then proceeded to 1) have to switch computers, 2) ask co-workers for help on how to process checks, which none of them seemed entirely sure about, 3) stay on the phone asking for approval for at least 10 minutes. All in all, my picking out the iPod and accessories took about half the time it did to buy them, and I'd caused a pretty sizable back up in the check-out line.

I didn't have anywhere to be, so I didn't care about the wait. I just giggled, realizing that I unknowingly managed to throw a wrench into the gears of The Great Jobs-mobile.

Dancing in the Streets

2008-06-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

I enjoy living in a city. The crowds and expense can get a bit overwhelming at times--especially for someone like myself who grew up in the rural Mid-West--but, the museums, amazing restaurants, boutiques, so on and so forth, win me over.

While I don't like crowds much, I am a huge fan of the unique amalgamation of people in cities. Explorations in San Francisco nearly always result in at least one hilarious and/or awesome interaction with a stranger.

Case in point:
Today, while waiting for the bus, Matt and I saw something nearly too good to be true. A man on a motorcycle, dressed to the nines in tough-guy-looking leather and helmet, pulls up to the intersection and stops at the traffic light. As he drives by, I hear vague pop music playing but can't tell where its coming from or identify the song. As Mr. Motorcycle is waiting for a green light, I realize that the music (very loud now that the rumble of the bike has stopped) is coming from his motorcycle's stereo. Then, I recognize the song--The Spice Girls hit "Say You'll Be There." He proceeded to dance and jive as he waited.

He quickly sped off, engine roaring, once the light changed, and left Matt and I laughing and smiling in his dust. Amazing.

I Turn My Camera On

2008-06-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've been slowly exploring more of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Slowly only because my classes and research this past semester kept me quite busy. When I had free time, I just wanted to watch my latest Netflix movie and pass-out on the couch. Which is a shame, really, because I enjoy this area when I finally come out of hermit-mode.

With exams over, I'm back to my more active self. So, I have some pictures. Most of them are older, actually. I just never uploaded them--another example of my recluse tendencies under stress.

I went with some friends to Santa Cruz and Carmel during spring break:

A boat on some random pier

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. A bit touristy for my tastes, but people watching here was fun.

The waterfront in Carmel, California. If I'm somehow very wealthy when I retire, this could very well be where I end up.

An overly twee, but very delicious candy store in Carmel.

Matt and I also finally walked across the Golden Gate Bridge:

I wish I could credit great my great photo skills for this shot looking like it belongs on a postcard. But really, it's just hard to take bad pictures of somewhere like this.

The bridge really is an impressive structure.

Looking back on San Francisco from the bridge.

A few random shots:

One-Way Colour Tunnel by Olafur Eliasson at SFMOMA. I saw his full exhibit there this winter and meant to write a post about it, but never got around to it. Maybe this summer.

My and Matt's favorite local coffee shop, Farley's.

More pictures at my Flickr account.

Music Always

2008-05-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a tragic day. The end of an era, so to speak. My iPod of nearly 4 years has passed. There had been signs of impending doom for a while now—skipping songs more frequently, restarting itself at random, steadily reducing battery life, occasional freezing, and even cases of full-blown amnesia—so I wasn’t shocked that it happened. But it all seems so sudden. It was working just fine, and then it froze. After restarting, it made some weird grumbling and grunting-type sounds, and then the display showed the link for iPod support and a hilarious yet sad picture of an iPod with x’s for eyes and a frown. I think it’s time to finally put the poor thing down.

I suppose I can’t complain too much. Most people I know who bought one of the early generations of iPod (mine was a 2nd generation) have long since abandoned them for various reasons. Four years is a very long time for most any hand-held electronic to last.

I’m sure I’ll be buying a new one soon. I’ve been eyeing them for a while now that they have increased the memory so significantly. I filled my 20 gigs up a long time ago, and have to shuffle music around whenever I wanted to add things to my iPod. The color screens and video are also a plus, though I’m mostly just interested in the music. Plus, I supposedly get a small discount if I turn-in what remains of my old one to Apple.

But this interim where I’m without a music player is making me very aware of how much I rely on it. I’m writing this during my commute to lab. I didn’t feel like doing anything intellectually intensive, and if I had my iPod I would probably be listening to music and zoning out. But I don’t, and spacing out without my own personal soundtrack doesn’t seem to work. I can already tell that my long commutes to Berkeley could get excruciating. I also have to plan my working-out schedule around the TV. I’d never get through biking or the elliptical without music and with nothing good to watch.

I’m a bit ashamed of myself and how dependent I’ve become. It’s also clear how spoiled these entertainment-at-your-fingertips tools have made me. I can’t entertain myself anymore? Hmm. Maybe I should wait a little while to buy my new iPod.

My Mind is Rambling

2008-04-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

As part of my Ph.D. program, first year students perform laboratory rotations. A mixture of an awkward academic research courtship and broad research training, rotations let students sample different labs and areas of research before settling on a thesis lab.

The opportunity for rotations was a significant part of why I picked this program. Most other schools seemed so focused on getting you in and out of the program quickly -- basically, becoming Ph.D. mills -- rather than letting you 1) explore different approaches to similar questions or topics, and 2) actually make an informed decision about where to complete your thesis. I'd rather take a year or so to pick a lab than dive into a project and research group right away, only to realize a few years later that I'm not so happy. Or worse, that I'm not being academically challenged or motivated anymore.

Rotations also appeal to my general indecisiveness and preference for putting off big choices. But having entered my third -- and presumably final -- rotation this semester, I'm quickly approaching Decision Time. I am, of course, still debating.

I had hoped that some obvious choice would pop out. A logical fit both personally and intellectually. But which lab I see as the better option right now depends on the day (or even time of day) you ask.

The reason my choice has become so difficult is that it represents more than just which lab I want to work in--it's a fundamental choice about what direction I want my research to take, it's a debate of applied research vs. more fundamental science. And this question is where I get confused.

I am, without a doubt, fascinated by systems neuroscience and motor control. There is no issue of what I want to study. The debate is in how I want to approach the problem. My three rotation labs all take very different approaches to motor control. One is focused on brain-machine interfaces. Asking 1) how the brain controls our movements and 2) how can we use the brain to control external devices (e.g. a prosthetic). The other two use very different techniques (one focusing on imaging, the other on modeling of neural computation and psychophysics research), but they ultimately ask very basic questions about motor control and the role of the senses in said movements. The work might eventually have applications towards rehabilitation, or even brain-machine interfaces. But, as with most fundamental research, the applications are vague ideas or afterthoughts. They aren't a driving force behind the work.

My interest in motor control was prompted, almost entirely, via its applications. I have a lot of personal motivations for wanting to improve the lives people with movement disorders. Rehabilitation is also an area of medicine that often gets overlooked. It's not as "sexy" and trendy as, say, gene therapy or cancer research. But it is undoubtedly just as important. Until we magically eliminate the occurrence of stroke or Parkinson's etc., we need to focus on improving the lives of patients with these chronic--and debilitating--disorders.

But, I seem to be suffering from A Conflict of Head and Heart. I have all of these great intentions in mind. But faced with very applied projects, I get almost bored. The brain-machine interfaces work is intellectually exciting in theory, but in practice, the work gets bogged down in details and limitations. The requirement of real-world applicability ultimately reigns in your ideas and reduces the experimenter's creative range. All research faces limitations, I suppose. Your ideas and theories always outnumber the things you can actually implement. But this problem seems to be even more prominent for application-oriented projects.

I've come to accept the fact that I'll never be an Engineer in the traditional sense of the word. I'd rather ask big questions than make a specific product. But can the underlying goals of brain-machine interfaces work ultimately outweigh my ADD intellectual side? Do I pick a project that's personally motivating and maybe less intellectually exciting, risking getting bored and frustrated? Or do I instead select a project that appeals to my inquisitive nature but lacks in passion?

Of course, things aren't quite as cut-and-dry as I've portrayed them. There are basic science questions mixed in with the brain-machine interfaces work. And some applications and ideas may indeed come out of the more basic work in either of the other two labs. But it's a question of weighting. Which is more important to me, I'm still not sure. It's also a question of my ultimate career path and goals.

There's also the unique appeal of the high-impact, cutting edge aspect of brain-machine interfaces. Almost anything you do in this field will be new. You'll be the first. You'll get papers in Nature or Science. It's a very enticing idea for a fresh-faced scientist, indeed. It'd also be an amazing way to launch a career.

There are other, more personal, issues at play to complicate matters too. There's a debate of Berkeley vs. San Francisco -- my preference probably being for the latter. Whether or not I want to do animal research. The personal atmospheres of the different labs. So on and so forth.

Options are always great. I should be happy to have so many great projects to chose from. But right now, the task of closing off some of these options and making a choice is, well, daunting.

The Chapter In My Life Entitled San Francisco

2008-01-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

This Sunday was a beautifully sunny and warm day. I'm still not used to such nice weather in the dead of winter. I'd originally thought that San Francisco's lack of seasons and overall constant temperatures would grow tiring; but right now its hard to imagine how I've put up with Midwestern winters for 20-odd years before now.

I took the weather as an opportunity to walk around the city and take pictures. Something I've been meaning to do for a while now. I'd taken a few pictures here and there during the semester, but nothing too substantial.

So here's a small tour of the city in pictures.

The UCSF MUNI Stop.

AT&T Park.

Happy Donuts! I have always been amused by the name of this shop.

Boats at the dock off of The Embarcadero.

The Bay Bridge and Treasure Island/The East Bay.

A perched seagull.

A street performer outside of the ferry terminal.

A street car. The Illinois Terminal, I might add.

Street signs in the Financial District. I like the black and white and red-ness of this picture--It came out much better than I expected.

A view of the city from the UCSF Parnassus library. That's right. I look out at this as I study.

The aptly-named Hillway Street in the Sunset. I've mentioned this hill before.

The Castro District.

Monk's Kettle, a beer bar/restaurant in The Mission.

More pictures at my Flickr account.

Note: For some reason, the pictures in the post look a bit pixelated, and I can't figure out why. Click on the images for larger and better quality versions, or just go to my Flickr album.

Your Bathroom Caller

2008-01-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

People travel to see new things, meet new people. Getting to wherever you're going is also pretty interesting.

The whole process of flying is, admittedly, very draining. But I enjoy airports. With so many people and characters to watch, at least its easy to kill the wait time. You're always assured to see new things.

After landing in San Francisco, though, I saw something I hope to never see again. Waiting in line at the ladies restroom, I noticed a woman coming out of the stall after finishing her business, talking on her cell phone.

I've mentioned my opinions of excessive cell phone use before. And I admit that since that particular post, I too have started using my cell phone quite a bit more. But talking in a public restroom? This just takes the cake. Not only is it unnecessary, it's unsanitary. And gross. Even if she had the phone proped up on her shoulder, and presumably didn't touch it during the process, the idea of talking to someone else while they're sitting on the toilet is just unsavory.

This particular woman was speaking Spanish, so I don't know if the discussion was somehow urgent. Even if it was, this is still ridiculous.

Seriously, call them back.

Straight Down to the Bitter End

2007-12-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

Last week, I sat outside in the California sunshine and temperate December weather, enjoying my favorite sandwich from my current favorite lunch-spot in Berkeley. The sandwich was delicious, as per-usual. Until the last bite. Maybe the combination of ingredients was off, or something. But it was less than perfect compared to the rest.

This is one of the worst things ever.

I'm starting to get the same feeling about academic semesters. I'm excited and interested at the beginning. Anxious, even, about the possibilities of the upcoming classes and research. Then by the time final exams and projects roll around, I have a bitter taste in my mouth about the whole thing. I want the semester to be over, so that I can start the new one that I still have an optimistic outlook on.

I'm not sure if this is just typical burnout, a dislike of finals and the stress that goes along with them, or a sign that I'm not in the right line of work. I'm guessing it's some combination of the first two. Hopefully.

But for now, I'm just telling myself that next semester will be better.

My headphones. They saved my life.

2007-11-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've riden public transportation quite a bit since coming to the Bay Area. Commuting back and forth between San Francisco and Berkeley at least 3 times a week, I've spent my fair share of time on the BART, MUNI, and various buses. These many hours sitting on trains has given me an appreciation for people who commute to work everyday. It's also assured that in the future, I will do everything in my power to live close to where I work.

I started to wonder what public transportation was like before iPods and all of today's portible electronics. Riding buses is an experience in of itself. You're smooshed into a small space with people you don't know, and would probably never spend time with outside of the bus-situation. It's awkward, amusing, interesting, and sometimes disconcerting--all at the same time.

But with half the bus listening to their iPods, you avoid a lot of these interactions. Wearing headphones is a generally well understood "Leave me be" signal. Most people won't try to spark up a long conversation with someone listening to their iPod. For example, I'm deaf in one ear. I don't actually need both earphones when listening to music. But if I'm feeling particularly anti-social on an airplane or bus, I have to put both in--just to fully register the "don't talk to me" message. It's quite effective. (It also avoids confusion when people expect me to hear them if I'm wearing just one earphone.)

Before iPods, and their ability to isolate you from your fellow passengers, did people talk to eachother more on buses? Am I missing out on potentially interesting conversations?

Perhaps. But I'm probably avoiding a lot of uncomfortable situations, too. Coming home from Berkeley on Halloween night, I saw a lot of unique characters on the BART. One of which was a girl, probably about 14 years old, "rapping" about very lewd, sexual things. I heard her through my music and, naturally, looked up to see what was going on. She noticed, asked me if I liked her song, and started singing louder. It was awkward.

But I just turned my iPod volume up and continued my reading. I suppose its nice to have the option of blocking out the rest of world. Particularly on public transportation.

...And You in Your Autumn Sweater

2007-09-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the local news each morning. Mostly as background noise while I'm eating breakfast and getting ready.

Local news shows are generally about the same everywhere. But, the weather reporting here is rather amusing. I can't imagine it's too exciting to report weather in a place like San Francisco, where the average temperature ranges about 20 degrees for the entire year. As someone who's used to seasons, I'm very amused by the weathermen's attempts to spice up the relatively unchanging forcasts.

This week, the temperature dropped by about 5 degrees for a few days. It also sprinkled a little bit today. For the past week, I ate my breakfast to great discussion about how "fall-like" the weather was becoming.

What? Fall? But, all the trees are green. There's no distinct Fall smell. It just got a little less warm and rained. I didn't know these things signified an entire "season change". This season-less climate's weathermen claim to have seasons just to give themselves something to talk about? Silly.

Fall, Schmall.

Just Like California

2007-09-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

I've been in California for about a month now. This marks the longest period of time I've spent west of the Mississippi river. Having lived most of my life in the midwest, with short experiences in the south and east coast, California is a whole new affair.

I've been slowly collecting observations about the differences in culture and universities.

UC Berkeley, a large public school, is obviously very different from Case, a small private university. I'm still not used to the "small fish in a big pond" aspect just yet. But beyond the obvious, Berkeley has an entirely different feel. Students here (mostly the undergrads) are remarkably. . . hip. I'm not accustomed to half the people around me looking as if they belong in an American Apparel ad, or should be at an indie concert. There's nothing wrong with that style, of course. I'm just not used to it at such high concentrations. I kind of miss the general awkwardness of kids at Case.

More tangibly, I'm still adjusting to the hills here. I clearly took the flatness of Case's campus (and the Midwest in general) for granted. I'm starting to think that people's more leisurely walking pace is less related to the laid-back west coast attitude, and more a result of the "if I walk quickly up this hill, I will be sweaty when I get to my destination" issue.

I walked up a one block long hill at the UC San Francisco campus before I was told there was an elevator in one of the buildings that would take you up. Going up that one block of the hill: 8 floors in the elevator. How do people do this on a regular basis?

Don't You Evah

2007-08-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to update the Ear's Current Cravings section. The previous albums, though excellent, moved down on my heavy rotation list a good while ago.

For brevity's sake, I think I'll only comment on a few of the albums. I'm a bit rusty on writing about music, too.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I've been a Spoon fan for a while now. Considering my strong appreciation for melody and tight song writing, they're an obvious standby. I listened to their back-catalog this summer before approaching the new album. Hearing their work chronologically, the progression is so slight and clever. Each album has a clear "Spoon" sound without sounding like a carbon copy of it's predecessors.
On this album, the arrangements are more compact, and the songs relatively concise. The album as a whole is very pithy. And they've packed some excellent songwriting into this slick framework. Songs like "The Underdog" and "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb", with their horn riffs and handclaps, wouldn't sound out of place reworked by a 60's girl group. Other tracks, like "Eddie's Ragga" or "Black Like Me" have a heavier feel, but still carry subtly infectious melodies.

Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire - The Swimming Hour
I took a while to get on board for Andrew Bird. But after discovering this album, I was kicking myself for my tardiness. Andrew has a real talent for songwriting, and this record highlights his diverse range of tastes and skills. He covers an incredible number of music styles in one, cohesive album. And does justice to all genres he attempts -- whether it's classical or rock n' roll.
One of the more endearing aspects of Andrew Bird's songwriting on this album is his controlled meandering. Songs like "11-11" take a minute or so to reveal their structure and inherent sing-along qualities. He has a plan, you just aren't quite sure what it is until the song's nearly over. Meanwhile, a track like "Core and Rind" shows that he can win you over with a straight-forward song too. Of course, it's hard not to fall for someone like Dr. Stringz!

M.I.A. - Kala
This inclusion is, perhaps, a bit premature -- I haven't heard the album in it's entirety yet. But all of the songs I have heard are excellent. I enjoyed her first album, but not consistently. "Bucky Don Gun" and "Galang" were captivating, yes, but I rarely listened to the album from start to finish. The similarities in songs grew grating as you listened to Arular -- perhaps a flaw of the sequencing.
But songs like "Boyz," "Bamboo Banga," and "Paper Planes" make me hopeful for Kala. There's a wider range of sounds and moods in these songs. Most importantly, the beats and arrangements are more sophisticated this time around. Tracks like "XR2" and "Boyz" are both club-bangers, but they have very different sounds. The former is sleek and sly, while the latter has an in-your-face excitement. This variety was missing on her first effort, both in her performance and the arranging. This broader range of compositions better showcases her talents as a singer and songwriter.
Maybe it's too early to declare this album a favorite. It could suffer sequencing issues, or have dud tracks that weigh it down. Maybe I'll be retracting this post in the near future. But considering that I loved "Hit That" -- a song that didn't even make the album cut -- I doubt it.

Fading into Obscurity

2007-08-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit absent from this blog for the past year or so. Infrequent posts during the school year is pretty typical for me. But this year, the sabbatical continued on into the summer. The blog hasn't been the only thing I've ignored, either. I slowly stopped keeping up with new music -- rarely checked mp3 blogs, stopped reading reviews, and got into a music listening rut. I retreated from just about anything remotely intellectual. The only websites I regularly checked were CuteOverload and Go Fug Yourself. Entertaining, yes. But not terribly thought provoking.

I think after four years of college, spending ages buried in new music to process at WRUW, and stress levels that caused me difficulty breathing, I finally hit full-on burnout. Burnout from music and from, well, thinking.

But, I've had a summer filled with sleeping, copious amounts of trashy TV, and some much needed exercise. A vacation from the typical life of a student. And while I'm regretting not having a job this summer from a financial point of view, it was the right decision for my sanity.

I'm finally feeling ready to go back to the life of classes and research. I've even noticed my interest in music coming back. I feel more like myself again. Though I will admit that I'm watching Britain's Next Top Model as I write this post . . .

This resurgence comes at an excellent time, since my first year of graduate school is about to begin. Which brings me to the reason I wanted to write this post. I never officially mentioned it here, but I'm starting UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco's joint Ph.D. program in Bioengineering this fall. I moved in to my new apartment in San Francisco recently, after a week+ drive across the country -- from Philadelphia all the way to California.

So, here are a few pictures from my long journey.

Devil's Slide, Utah.

Antelope Island in Salt Lake City Utah.

View of The Great Salt Lake from Antelope Island.

Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Yosemite National Park, California.

Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park.

More of Yosemite National Park.

And finally to San Francisco!

And UCSF's Mission Bay Campus. Somewhere I'll be spending a lot of time.

See more pictures at my Flickr account.

Hopefully this won't be the last you hear of me this year.

2007 Summer Mixes

2007-07-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

The past two summers, I've made myself mixed CDs. In part to enjoy during frequent driving excursions in the summer months, but also to help archive my listening tastes through the years. Listening to old mixes is a great time. It reminds you of old forgotten favorites, and can humble even the snobbiest of music snobs. I just stumbled upon an old mix from freshman year of college that is, to put it lightly, terrible.

Continuing the new tradition, I've put together 3 mixes for summer 2007. Three is a bit ambitious, yes. But after preliminary selection of songs, I had over 6 hours of music. And after cutting 2 hours worth, things were getting a bit too personal. Once I thought about cutting They Might Be Giants, I knew it was time to stop.

So, I randomly sorted my master list into 3 discs and sequenced them. Here are the results.

Mix 1
Aztec Camera - Walk Out To Winter
XTC - Life Begins at the Hop
Guided By Voices - Chasing Heather Crazy
Them - Gloria
Be Your Own Pet - Adventure
Klanguage - Horse Friend
Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
Ohm - Spoon Me
Kylie Minogue - Sweet Music
Papas Fritas - Sing About Me
Rockpile - Heart
Laura Nyro - I Met Him On A Sunday
Asha Bhosle - Ina Mina Dika
Les Yper-Sound - Psyché Rock
Herbert - The Movers and the Shakers
Regina Spektor - Edit
Arthur Russell - This is How We Walk on the Moon
Björk - Isobel
Grizzly Bear - The Knife
Camille - Jolie Bruine
Beirut - Postcards from Italy

Mix 2
Amy Winehouse - Rehab
Grinderman - No Pussy Blues
Tom Waits - Lie To Me
The Hold Steady - Chips Ahoy!
Sloan - Ill Placed Trust
Café Tacuba - Eo
Of Montreal - She's a Rejector
Low - Breaker
Menomena - Air Aid
!!! - Break In Case of Anything
The Rapture - Whoo! Alright-Yeah . . . Uh Huh
Cibo Mato - Sci-Fi Wasabi
Eric B & Rakim - I Ain't No Joke
Rihanna - Umbrella
The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health
Miho Hatori - A Song for Kids
Jens Lekman - Pocket Full of Money
The Go-Betweens - Love Goes On
The Zombies - Tell Her No
Cat Power - Lived In Bars

Mix 3
Nellie McKay - Cupcake
Simian - La Breeze
Deerhoof - +81
Coin-Op - Favourite Subjects
Ghostface Killah (et. al) - Jellyfish
M.I.A. - Hit That
Beyoncé - Get Me Bodied
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
The Arcade Fire - Intervention
Andrew Bird - Imitosis
Can - Spoon
Robyn - Bum Like You (original mix)
The Chiffons - Nobody Knows What's Goin' On
The Pipettes - Judy
Feist - 1 2 3 4
Marit Larsen - Come Closer
The Mountain Goats - This Year
They Might Be Giants - They'll Need A Crane
The English Beat - Best Friend
Spoon - The Underdog

I'm sure these will be very useful on my epic road trip to California.

If You Ever Change Your Mind about Leaving Me Behind...

2007-05-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

As you may have guessed from my complete lack of posts since September, my senior year has been a bit stressful. But, things are now coming to a close and I can relax.

Even as the last weeks of classes came and went, I never fully realized that the Undergraduate chapter of my life is almost over. But then, I aired my last show of Music Is My Boyfriend on WRUW, the campus radio station. With the end of that show, I became fully aware of how real my leaving Case Western and Cleveland really is--and that soon, I will uproot myself to start over in an entirely new place.

Despite the sadness, I am actually rather proud of the way my last show came together. I treated myself and my listeners to some of my favorite songs, for a "Best Of" show. An archived MP3 of the show can be downloaded here, but will only be available until 4pm on Wednesday May 9th, so download now.

The tracklist:

The Futureheads - Hounds of Love
Beck - Devil's Haircut
Herbert - The Movers and the Shakers
Deerhoof - Milk Man
The Black Keys - 10 A.M. Automatic
Fugazi - Target
Pavement - Summer Babe (Winter Version)
They Might Be Giants - Anna NG
Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
The Blow - Parentheses (by request)
New Pornographers - Letter from an Occupant
Teenage Fanclub - What You Do To Me
Rockpile - When I Write A Book
Lucksmiths - Self-Preservation
Elvis Costello - Accidents Will Happen
XTC - Season Cycle
Jens Lekman - A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill
Los Zafiros - Un Nombre De Mujer
Marit Larsen - Come Closer
Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
Bjork - Bachelorette
The Books - There Is No There
Rachel's - Water From the Same Source
Low - Sunflower
Arthur Russell - A Little Lost
Calexico/Iron and Wine - Dead Man's Will
Cat Power - Lived In Bars
Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me
Tom Waits - Downtown Train

Narrowing down this list was pretty difficult. I was actually a little rushed because of the hellishness of last week. The list may have been different if I had more time to carefully select everything. But all in all, I think it represents what Music Is My Boyfriend was about for the past 3 years. The string of songs from The Blow through Arcade Fire may be the poppiest set I have ever put together. And that's really saying something, considering my trends in music tastes.

The calls I received during my show were also incredibly touching. I got at least a handfull of calls from listeners telling me how much they enjoyed the show over the past three years, that they will miss hearing it, and wishing me well after my graduation. There were also a few calls from fellow station DJs saying goodbye. I was a little awestruck. It's strange how you rarely realize how much something means to you, or those around you, until you're finishing up and packing your bags. (Cue the collective "Awwwww")

You'd Better Listen to the Radio

2006-09-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

WRUW's fall schedule starts today. Having been absent from the station all summer, I'm very excited to have a show again. I'm also excited for this semester's time slot: Music Is My Boyfriend has been scheduled for 12-2pm Monday afternoons.

You could be old-fashioned and listen to my show on the radio at 91.1FM [Cleveland]. Or for those of you not in Cleveland, webstreaming is available at WRUW's website. Shows are also archived for one week after airing, and can be downloaded here [56k link].

The first show tomorrow should be interesting. After being gone all summer, there's such a new music build-up that I get a bit anxious and end up with a huge hodge-podge. Of course, my show isn't usually all that cohesive anyways.

In other WRUW-related news, Studio-A-Rama will be this Saturday, September 16th. The annual free concert is held outside on Case's Mather Memorial Courtyard. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy music from local Cleveland bands and this year's special headliner, Matt Pond PA. Festivities start at 2pm and go until 11pm. More details and a full concert line-up here. The concert will also be broadcast live on WRUW.

Blog Polygamy

2006-09-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

There are an impressive number of free blog services popping up all over the place, it seems. While reading a recent CuteOverload post, I discovered one of the latest services: Vox, today. The invitation only service is the latest from Six Apart, the makers of Movable Type, Typepad, and LiveJournal.

Based on Typepad's great reputation, I decided to snag one of the 1,000 invites offered through CuteOverload. I've been pretty happy with Blogger as a whole, but I thought I would give Vox a once over. No need to tie myself down to one particular service. After looking around Vox a bit, I have mixed feelings. It has some really great features: wide variety of templates/site layouts, a friends network, public and private posting, tags--and most importantly--image, audio, and video hosting. I would love to be able to host mp3s sometimes. And more easily posting pictures would be delightful [I've had to fight with blogger's image hosting many times].

But the service doesn't appear to offer any way to personalize your page. You have to use their templates, and there is no way to create sidebars in addition to the automatically generated ones [i.e. most recent comments, archives, etc.]. Since I've taken the time to teach myself rudimentary bits of HTML and CSS, I don't like the lack of these options on Vox. Sure, I fight with blogger a lot. But part of the fun of blogging is designing both the content and how it's presented. For people less interested in the web design aspect of blogging, Vox seems pretty perfect, though.

I haven't decided if I'm going to switch or not. The audio and image hosting is awfully tempting., I'll admit. But regardless of my decision, I have several invites up for grabs if anyone wants one.

Oh You're So Dreamy Jens

2006-09-06T18:21:00.002-07:00

I've had a bit of a school girl, music nerd crush on Jens Lekman ever since I saw him live and subsequently fell in love with his Oh You're So Silent Jens last year. He's a charming, attractive Swede who creates some amazing pop music. How can a pop-addicted music snob with a soft spot for nerds like me resist? Seriously?

Well, my fondness grew just a little more today when I discovered his talent for making mixes. As Pitchfork noted, to commemorate the passing of summer, Jens has made a mix/remix compilation of some of his favorite summer songs. Download the 26-odd minute bundle of fun--entitled "The Death of This Summer"-- here [via Pitchfork] or here [via Jens' site]. A list of included tracks and Jens' personal notes can be found on Jens' discussion board.

I wasn't familiar with any of the songs used and had never heard of several of the artists either , but I enjoyed all of them. They're definitely fun, playful summer pop songs, and it makes a lot of sense that these are among the Swede's summer listenings. I'm still debating if 26 minutes of bubbly pop in a row is too much. It is certainly a possibility, but this mix seems to avoid that unfortunate fate. It's wonderfully paced, with just enough hidden surprises, changes of mood and rhythm to keep things delightful throughout.

Chalk up "excellent DJ" on the Things To Love About Jens Lekman list. Right next to "He plays the ukulele".

Post Script: The riff around 18 minutes sounds exactly like that of the Janet Jackson single "Someone To Call My Lover" [I actually sought out the song just to confirm my suspicions]. Since I'm not familiar with the songs, I don't know if he sampled the riff or if it's actually from the particular song. Or does the mix song sampled Janet, or vise versa? Someone must be sampling someone. Any ideas? I would be incredibly amused if he sampled Janet Jackson. Granted, it is a pretty nice riff.

Shut Up. Just Shut Up, Fergie.

2006-08-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

This evening, I was semi-watching "So You Think You Can Dance." Yes, this is a clear indicator of how bored I can get at home, and how little there is on TV. In my defense, I did not decide to watch the show myself. My mom is apparently a fan.

Anyways, in between excessive dance performances, they had a musical guest. Much to my dismay, that guest was Fergie singing her new song "London Bridge" [YouTube Video]. Now obviously, this song is just horrendous. But I think the more disappointing thing is that people are actually paying attention to this Fergie solo effort. I guess when I heard the song online weeks ago, I assumed it was destined to mere online joking. It was just so . . . Ridiculously bad. Couldn't she just stop after the whole making breasts sound like cancerous growths thing?

Why can't Fergie and "London Bridge" be more like Kevin Federline and that "Popozao" non-sense? That's the only respectable thing we can do with "all this junk": mock it to death on the internet.

I'm Going To Sing This Song With All Of My Friends

2006-08-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

There has been some recent internet buzz about a new band called I'm From Barcelona. As soon as I heard their song "We're From Barcelona" [from their debut album Let Me Introduce You To My Friends], I was smitten. It's cheery, playful, catchy-as-I-don't-know-what pop with handclaps; of course I love it. The video, with it's smiling, singing chorus of band members, only makes the song cuter:

If you didn't already guess, I'm From Barcelona aren't from Barcelona at all. They are, fitting with their bubbly pop, Swedish. The 29 person collective [I think this tops Broken Social Scene for most ridiculously sized band. Impressive.] have surpassed adorable here. Not to mention the song's ability to seep deep into your brain on impact.

This song is well suited for the recent "kid songs that appeal to indie parents too" compilations, actually. I like it, and I can think of several youngsters who would happily "na-na" along with these Swedes. Plus, the video already looks like it could air on Sesame Street. They'd only need to add a section where they count all of the band members. And maybe get rid of the "I'm with stupid" shirt.

More songs on their MySpace.
Another video at their website.

100th Post! . . . That should have happened, oh, two weeks ago

2006-08-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

This post marks my 100th attempt to say something interesting, clever, and/or worthwhile. Of course, this post should have come a long time ago. Sorry for the complete disappearance. Things got a bit hectic at the end of my summer program. Coming up with an abstract, final presentation, and final poster in a week's time--all while being pushed to do as much subject testing and coding as possible before you leave--is very daunting.

But, I'm done now. Having slept an impressive amount in the past few days, I am on my way to recovery. It shouldn't take too long, except that I'm also a bit preoccupied by panicking about the fact that I'm about to begin my final year of college. [I now have a bookmark folder entitled "Grad school. EEEEEEEEEEK!!!"]

While we wait for my sanity to return, here are some things to amuse yourself with.

Gorilla VS Bear's guest author has come up with a hilarious hipster quiz (See "Bonus" section). I don't normally go for the magazine-style quizzes, but this one is delightfully self-mocking and witty. I ended up being a bit more hip than I expected--just barely in the middle category.

Gorilla VS Bear has also posted a few interesting tracks recently. My favorite finds are a selection from the Ethiopique Vol. 3 collection, and a soul gospel cover of Eleanor Rigby.

Cute Overload was ranked the #1 time waster by 'Time' Magazine. So go! Waste time! Much cuteness recently, if I do say so myself.

YouTube: I have recently become addicted. Specifically to trashy model reality shows of the foreign kind. Somehow, Canada's, Australia's, and Britain's Next Top Model versions are just so much better than America's. I think it's the accents?

Time For A Change

2006-07-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I decided to change things up a bit around here. I thought a more personalized template would be more fun. I took the banner picture this weekend at Mike's Pastry on the North End [the "Little Italy" of Boston]. I ended up buying one of the eclairs in the bottom left corner there. It was a tough decision--this is only a tiny portion of all the sweets they have there! Very delicious, though. And I was indeed bien calée after eating it.

Things will be tweaked over time, I'm sure. I'm not entirely sure of this color scheme, and I have a better idea for a banner. It's bedtime now, though.

In the meantime, what do you think? Suggestions for changes welcome.

Would You Please Spoon Me?

2006-07-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Said The Gramophone just posted a little gem by OHM, called "Spoon Me," available both here [STG] and here [OHM's label Sing Your Life]. This track, simply put, is a must download. This new Swedish trio has crafted a completely irresistible pop song. The melodies and individual parts are kept simple, instead adding layer upon layer until the song blossoms into a swirling pop delight. The rhythmic pounding and textured [almost crunchy] guitars create a great backdrop for vocalist Jenny Burna's sweet crooning. Her sugary vocals drip with sap--especially as she requests "would you please spoon me?"--but never overflow into the annoying, affected realm. And on a closer listen, the lyrics are a bit more complicated than might be expected. It isn't a clear-cut cuddle request; it's about control in a relationship.

Not to mention the handclaps! My pop addiction and love of handclaps are no secret, but I also happen to love cuddling--and spooning is a personal favorite. So for me, this song has an irresistible trifecta: 1) handclaps, 2) catchy pop melodies, 3) spooning. I didn't even know such a combination was possible. The only way to improve this would be to somehow include toast [I have a somewhat unhealthy love of toast]. I suppose I'll just have to eat toast while listening to this song while I wait for a song to satisfy all four.

I Shook It Like A Polaroid Picture

2006-07-24T19:40:00.001-07:00

Of the three potentially great concerts last week, I ended up only making it to one. I worked almost the entire Monday and had no desire to haul myself out to see Diplo once I was done. And I didn't anticipate Jens Lekman selling out as far in advance as it did. Good for him, I suppose. I did, however, make sure to attend the Konono No. 1 show this past Wednesday at the Museum of Fine Arts. And thought I'm not usually too keen in picking favorites, Konono certainly ranks very highly on my list of favorite shows.

The MFA's courtyard is really a lovely venue--trees and vines growing along the walls behind the stage, soft grass to relax on, and a view into their gorgeous library. It's just small enough to feel very intimate without being prone to uncomfortable cramming of people. The weather was also perfect for an outside concert. Walking into the courtyard and seeing the stage all set up, I had a feeling this was going to be a great show. There was a very diverse mix of people in the audience. There was the older crowd that sat in the chairs, clearly dressed for an evening out on the town. There were both hipster kids and hippies. And there were a few professorial types; anthropology or ethnomusicology perhaps? It takes quite a band to bring that broad of an audience together.

I enjoyed looking at their equipment before the show started. In particular, their homemade amplification system seen here. They had two of these bullhorn-like PAs on stage with them, which looked, well, pretty rough. They also had "Fragile" stickers on them, indicative of how much they've been traveling. The band did use some professional amps and microphones, too. But it was neat to see that they still kept these, which had become such an integral part of their sound. The homemade amps must not be that powerful, though, because they had a mic on each one to further boost the sound.

The band made their way to the stage pretty promptly and after saying their name a few times, started right into their groove. There wasn't much potential for chatter since they only speak a little bit of French and their native language [I don't know what language that is--there are an awful lot of languages spoken in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I'm not too good at differentiating African languages].

It didn't take long before audience members worked their way to the front to dance. And once a few had done so, many more joined them, myself included. Their Bambazo Trance influences were even more obvious live than on the record, as they let their songs continue on for twenty to thirty minutes at a time. They really only played a handful of songs in their set, despite it lasting well over an hour. I don't think I've ever had a better cardio workout. But it was quite fun wiggling around without having to worry too much about looking silly--I don't think anyone had a definitive clue how to dance to Konono No. 1's music. Some approaches to the dancing were pretty . . . Unique. One kid looked like a DDR mat belonged under his feet, while others looked like they aught to be on a club floor. I really wonder what the band thinks of Americans' methods of dancing to their music.

Even though I was jiggling about, I still paid quite a bit of attention to the musicians during the show. They really seem to love music and performing. Most showed it outwardly, via dancing and smiling. But the two elders of the group [pictured right] were quite somber and serious throughout the whole show. They played their thumb pianos intently, only making occasional gestures, but still seemed to sincerely enjoy themselves. And they quickly became my favorites. It was endearing to watch them play, stern faced, shaking their head as if disagreeing with what was happening.

The group put on a really great show. They're very solid performers, and it comes across well on stage. They created the dense rhythms almost effortlessly, the intensity and pace rising and falling naturally and seamlessly. They truly are a band that needs to be seen and heard live. Congotronics is wonderful, but it was nothing like this.

After their lengthy set and generous encore, I hung around to see about getting at least one of them to sign my ticket. My friends and I approached the primary singer and attempted a conversation with a bit of difficulty. I had forgotten the French word for autograph or signature, and in lieu of that, asked him: "ecrivez vous nom?" [write your name?]. Either he misunderstood the request, or was hitting on me and my friends, because he returned our tickets with his name and phone number written on them. Not what I had intended, but a pretty great souvenir anyways.

Send In The Trumpets

2006-07-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Cat Power [a.k.a. Chan Marshall] has just released a video for "Lived In Bars," the new single off of her album The Greatest. I like it enough to embed a YouTube video, so you know it's good.

This song was probably one of my favorites off of The Greatest, aside from perhaps the lovely title track. It highlights Chan's beautiful singing capabilities and the added bit of poppy soul to her sound works extremely well. This video, thankfully, lives up to the song. It just fits so perfectly--1) it's set in a Memphis bar, 2) it includes cameos by many Memphis-based musicians [the Memphis part fitting because she recorded The Greatest with The Memphis Rhythm Band], 3) it transitions from a calm, quiet bar into a sudden dance party right along with the song.

Chan is also pretty adorable here. Her dancing reminds me a bit of my own slightly goofy wiggling [which very few ever see]--except she looks a lot better doing it. Even when she's pulling those stereotypical sexy moves, she's not really taking herself seriously. So instead of looking a fool [very possible with those types of moves], she just looks, well, hot. But at the same time adorable. That's a combination very few can pull off. Look out Jenny Lewis, your title as Miss Indie Rock may be usurped this year!

I'm Losing My Edge

2006-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

I am suddenly a little overwhelmed with concerts. More and more "I can't miss this!" shows come up all the time. And well, I'm not exactly rolling in cash. Or free time. So, I'm having to make decisions on what I truly must see. This is not so easy.

The main problem is next week. I am presented with three concerts that seem very promising:

Diplo/CSS @ Great Scott, 7.17
Konono No. 1 @ The Museum of Fine Arts, 7.19
Jens Lekman/Frida Hyvonen/et al. @ T.T. The Bear's Place, 7.22

A few years back, the prospect of three great shows in a week would have been exhilarating. But recently, it just makes me feel . . . Tired [work is a bit ridiculous at the moment]. It also reminds me that I should avoid being a broke-ass grad student if possible. Which means that I will probably be cutting at least one out. Question is, which one?

I've only heard a few tracks from CSS [Cansei de Ser Sexy--Portuguese for "Tired of Being Sexy"], but they have not impressed me too much. If you're curious, some limited-time samples are available here [via Fluxblog] and here [via Gorilla Vs. Bear]. Or try your luck at Hype-Machine. They seem a bit unremarkable, and rather snotty. But I really want to see their buddy Diplo. I've been a fan of his remixes and DJ work for a good while now, and somehow always miss his live shows. I'm curious if he could make me dance as much at the show as I do at my private dance parties. But perhaps I should wait until his tour-mates are more my speed? He does tour pretty regularly.

I'm pretty set on seeing Konono No. 1. I'm not sure how often the African group will be touring, so it seems smart to snag the opportunity now. The MFA also seems like an interesting setting for a concert. And how often does one get the chance to dance to thumb pianos, honestly? The only remaining question is which of their two shows to catch. With the earlier, they wouldn't be tired, but there's the possibility of it being cut short. The later show has more potential for ridiculous encores, but could suffer from fatigued performers. Quite a pickle!

I have already seen Jens Lekman in concert at Case's concert venue "The Spot." So, it would be possible for me to miss this one without shedding too many tears. Yet, that's part of why I want to see him again--I absolutely adored his live performance. He writes truly wonderful pop music, and it really should be heard live. I was actually a little disappointed in some of the songs on Oh You're So Silent Jens because I heard them live first. It really would be a very fun show. Plus, that Swede is quite attractive.

Anyone seen these performers live and have feedback? Any input on which show(s) to skip would be appreciated! I am a very indecisive person, to say the least.

Post Script - On an entirely unrelated note, I am beyond amused that Blogger's spell check wanted to replace "Diplo" with "dipole." Yes, this shows my science nerd side.

That's Really Super, Supergirl

2006-07-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am overdue on updating my recent listenings. And, I've been listening to a lot of music lately. The result: some pretty tough choices regarding my current favorite albums. The competition was fierce! . . . And by that, I mean I fretted for a bit longer than usual when picking the albums to highlight.

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
I think my recent post reviewing their live show did a pretty good job of articulating my affections for this group. I still haven't decided if I prefer this new venture to their sophomore Underachievers Please Try Harder. Though the more I listen, the more I lean towards the newer. I instantly liked this album. It's pretty hard to resist the catchy fake organ, incessant catchiness, and clever lyrics of opener "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken." Or the bittersweet malady of "Country Mile," with its stunning vocals. But on every listen, I find something else to endear me to the record. What can I say, I'm a sucker for smart, heartbreaking lyrics and a beautiful melody.

XTC - Skylarking
Going right along with melody and smart lyrics, XTC reminds me of a slightly less silly They Might Be Giants. They are by no means humorless, but they don't have any songs about people wearing "foreheads on their real heads." XTC's brand of sly pop is very refreshing. The lyrics are memorable, witty, and endearing. But unlike the majority of pop, most songs tackle surprisingly serious subject matter--everything from religion ("Dear God") to paying the bills ("Earn Enough For Us"). It's an interesting contrast with the lighthearted melodies. These songs are very unexpectedly catchy. With some songs, you can categorize the catch-factors, breaking down what makes it stick in your head and tap your toe. I have yet to succeed in doing that for XTC, despite singing "That's Really Super, Supergirl" and "1,000 Umbrellas" to myself all day.

The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It
The best word to describe this album is "fun." Plain and simple. It's upbeat and playful, inspiring all sorts of dancing and grooving. But the fun never overshadows the delightful songwriting/arranging and performances. You can't listen to these songs without noticing their deft musicianship. Songs like "Hands Off, She's Mine" and "Best Friend" are prime examples--tight rhythms, great instrumentation, and really excellent playing. I think many more recent ska-type bands focus on the genre's inherent lighthearted and peppy sound too much, forgetting to put the music first. The real fun, though, comes from well made music, not from some excessive horn section. And for remembering that, The English Beat have won my heart.

Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags Of The Sacred Harp
I discovered JOM this past semester while scanning shelves at WRUW. When I read the name off of the CD sleeve, I was rather curious and picked it up expecting some sort of in-your-face punk outfit. What I got was nothing of the sort. The best description of the Portland-based group of music geeks I can come up with is Avant-Garde Folk-Drone. The band finds a lot of influence in traditional American music and spirituals, but this is by no means grandmother-friendly music (at least not my grandmother). With Flags, they manage to fuse these more traditional songwriting techniques and melodies into a completely avant backdrop of electronic whines and bangs. It somehow really works, though I'm still not entirely sure how. Songs like "Hey! Mr. Sky" are beautiful, understated sighs. There's also "Spirits" that wanders and drones without an established melody for sixteen minutes, but is still captivating. It's a bit difficult pinning down what exactly I like about this album. And that only makes me like it more. It's beautifully intriguing.

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
I actually got a chance to "see" Beirut in concert a few weeks back. I say "see," because I barely got into the show, and hence was stuck at the very back of an extremely crowded room about the size of my bedroom. Being about 5' 1", I didn't see anything. I did get to hear them, but for me, the visual aspect of watching musicians perform is the greatest fun of a concert. Anyways, I purchased their album after the show, and have been enjoying it quite thoroughly. I am not terribly familiar with Eastern European music, but I really enjoy this adaptation of a Gypsy brass band. As others have noted, there is something very appealing about the trumpet. I'm also really impressed with the song- and lyric-writing skills of someone so young. The songs sound lush and full without losing the more intimate touches of his folk influences. The album hasn't blown me away, but it highlights some serious potential. I look forward to listening as he develops his sound further--as long as he throws me a beautiful catchy thing like "Postcards From Italy" every now and then.

As I mentioned before, these choices were tough. I guess I'll just have to update this more often to get to some of the other contenders. Sigh. If only I were Supergirl . . .

Everyone Else Thinks It's the Bee's Knees

2006-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of seeing Camera Obscura in concert for the first time. Considering my pop addiction and love of well-crafted songs, the Scottish band quickly earned a place in my heart after a few listens. I've been a fan of Under Achievers Please Try Harder for a good while, and their most recent Let's Get Out Of This Country cemented my high opinion of the sextet. So, I was really looking forward to a live performance.

The show was at The Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts. The bar was actually quite charming, with small tables and an impressive wooden bar. And, since it's Boston, the obligatory television tuned in to the Red Sox game. The stage itself was quite petite, and somewhat tucked away from the rest of the bar. When I arrived, the house DJ was blaring music, blatantly trying to appeal to the indie hipster crowd. He did a pretty nice job, though I don't appreciate it when the house music requires wearing earplugs. Those are usually reserved for the actual show, thankyouverymuch.

After a very long wait, the openers Georgie James made their way to the dimly list stage [Which, by the way, made pictures a bit difficult. These were the best I could do.] The Washington D.C.-based band is a new, more pop-friendly project from John Davis, former drummer of Q and Not U. The group had a decent stage presence--about as much as can be expected from a reasonably sized group on a tiny, crowded stage--but I honestly wasn't all that impressed. The first batch of songs sounded almost exactly the same. Similar melodies, rhythms, timbres, and harmonies; nothing very distinctive. Later in the set, their songs did seem to branch out a bit. But as they continued to play, even the more unique songs started to blend in as they recycled the same tricks over again. I think Georgie James have a decent amount of potential. Their singer/keyboardist Laura Burhenn reminded me of a slightly more soulful, more pop-oriented Fiona Apple. And that seems very marketable, indeed. But they need to better define their sound and beef-up their song writing before they'll really distinguish themselves as a unique pop/indie act.

Between sets, the excessively loud house music returned. There was an odd delay between finishing set-up and the beginning of Camera Obscura's set, during which all six of them stood right beside the stage. The audience quickly grew restless and started clapping and clamoring, hoping to persuade them to the stage. It was pretty humorous listening to several groups try to chant "Camera Obscura"--which does not lend itself to chanting--and then quickly give up. Eventually, though, the clapping and attempted chants succeed. Once on stage, Tracyanne explained that they had been waiting for a dramatic entrance song, but it never came. It was both amusing and a bit endearing. It also made me wish the DJ had caught on and played something like "The Final Countdown."

Once on stage, they were quick to start the music, keeping the talk to a minimum. A quick "How are ya doin' " and then "Keep It Clean" began. Immediately, I was taken with the spotlessness of Tracyanne's vocals. Perfect tuning, clear and crisp. She remained spot-on the entire show. It's also clear in watching her that she's quite the perfectionist. She always requested slight adjustments in levels and kept a very focused, serious look on her face throughout each song. It's an interesting juxtaposition--Camera Obscura's pop melodies coming from such a determined-looking girl. The rest of the band was also quite polished; especially considering that it was only the third night of their tour. They stayed together perfectly, and sounded quite comfortable. They really seem to fit together as a band. It's a great thing to watch. I could hardly discern methods of keeping time within the group, which is impressive when considering their size.

The set was both well paced and selected. They hit all the highlights of Let's Get Out Of This Country [the title track, the clever single "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken," "Country Mile," "Dory Previn," and "I Need All The Friends I Can Get"], most of Underachievers' shining moments ["Suspended From Class," "Keep It Clean," and "Teenager"], and "I Love My Jean." The only real miss was leaving out "Let Me Go Home." Either way, there wasn't a dull moment. Even when they were slowed by equipment troubles, they volunteered chatter and jokes to fill the time. Tracyanne's Scottish pun--"What do you do when you find a trumpet in your garden?. . . Rut-it-ut!"--was a bit lost on the American crowd [for Scots, Rut = root and ut = out]. Both the joke and their bashful attempts to explain it were adorable. The set really showed off the band's versatility and range, including their twee-pop gems and twang-infused ballads. The encore was also a delight, with an acoustic rendition of "I Need All The Friends I Can Get" complete with audience handclaps.

Camera Obscura put on a great show, living up to my very high expectations. It can be a bit dangerous going into a show adoring a group's albums. Sometimes you walk out completely unimpressed and a bit saddened by the whole thing. But with Camera Obscura's obvious perfectionist ways, Scottish charm and straight-up talent, that was not the case here.

They Call Me The Wanderer, Part IV: Boston

2006-07-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

After our quick visit to Salem, my parents dropped me off in Boston for the summer. I've been here for about a month now [yes, this is indicative of just how slow I've been on these posts]. My pictures, however, are few and far between. My quite sizable memory card appears to be blown, as it now only holds 2 pictures before claiming to be full. So I'm stuck with the starter card that only holds about 20, and haven't been taking to many pictures as a result. It's funny how spoiled I've become because of digital cameras. 20 pictures is about one roll of film, but now it just seems like so few that it's not even worth carrying the camera around for.

I did however get some lovely shots during a Duck Tour our program took during the first week here. The tours are a very creative way to reuse military vehicles. The idea is pretty brilliant, actually. For a city so surrounded by water, amphibious vehicles are the best way to give tours. We were lucky to get a guide who realized we were college kids, and probably weren't interested in the ridiculous amounts of quacking and song-singing that usually accompany the tour. Instead he asked us lots of questions about where we were from and made very geeky jokes in between his discussion of Boston and it's history. I quite enjoyed it.

All my best shots came from the water portion of the tour. On land, we were moving a bit too fast for photo-taking. I'm sure pictures of downtown and architecture are to come sometime this summer.

An old aqueduct by the Charles River. [Yes, I am enjoying my new-found iPhoto filters and tools]

A peek at the river.

Boats docked along the river.

All this picture needs is a plane flying by, and then most any traditional form of transportation will be represented. Trains, cars, and boats. You can also see a Duck on the right-hand side.

There is something I really love about this picture that I can't articulate. I think some of it is the positioning of the boat relative to the skyscraper.

There were an incredible number of sail boats on the river during our tour. This is only a small group of them. Apparently, there are very cheap sailing lessons offered every summer. Perhaps I will become Admiral Amy this summer.

I've really enjoyed Boston thus far, and I still have over a month to do more exploring. There is an interesting sort of intellectual vibe to the city. It's very different from most other places I've been. I could do without all of this humidity and heat, though. I didn't know that 95% humidity was possible without the air completely condensing. But Boston has shown me that it most certainly is possible. And it's disgusting.

They Call Me The Wanderer, Part III: Salem

2006-06-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

My parents decided to drive me up to Boston for my internship this summer. They then used this trip as an excuse for a vacation, since we have never spent time in New England. So, I spent a quick weekend in Salem Massachusetts with my parents, arriving on a Saturday night and leaving Monday morning. I was a bit worried that the entire weekend would be filled with Witch Hysteria Tourist Traps, but luckily my parents and I were almost equally uninterested in that hocus-pocus mumbo-jumbo.

We started Sunday with breakfast at Red's Sandwich Shop, known for its cheap prices and tasty food. The restaurant occupies the location of the former Old London Tea House, which dates back to the 1700's. From the giant crowd clamoring for tables, they lived up to their reputation of "where the locals meet to eat in Salem". The reputation of good food was also well deserved--we came back on Monday too. I heartily approve of pancakes the size of my head.

Very full, we took a trolley tour around the rather small town. I was surprised that the trolley managed to fit through all the narrow brick-lined streets of the city. The tour went past the major landmarks as the tour guides spilled information on the city's history and attractions. After once around the city, I was ready to declare my disdain for the New England accent. My mom actually asked me at one point during our tour "You don't think you'll pick up this accent over the summer, do you?" seeming very concerned that I might. When considering accents, I think I'm glad I grew up in the Midwest.

The tour made a stop at the Winter Island Marine Park, which provided an attractive view of the coast. The weather--clouds and rain all day--made it a bit less picturesque, though.

We also wandered around Salem's harbor a bit, specifically the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Above is The Friendship, a full-sized replica of a 1797 merchant ship.

I enjoyed seeing the coast; it's something I'm not very familiar with. I also found the history interesting. I was never really aware of how important Salem's harbor had once been, or how much the sea trade influenced the city structure and lifestyle. Neighborhoods were established based on their proximity to the sea. Shipyard workers and sailors lived in small, tight-packed neighborhoods on the shore, while wealthy ship captains and merchants lived further inland in more posh areas.

There were, of course, several other things along Salem's shores in addition to the neighborhoods with houses only a few inches apart. The Customs House, which once housed officials in charge of regulating goods traveling in and out of the harbor, appropriately overlooks the shores. Nathaniel Hawthorne was once employed there. The West India Goods Store is also situated right along the harbor. Deemed a Salem Maritime Historic Site, it has sadly been renovated into, essentially, a fancy gift shop. Though they did have some delightful smelling teas, it's a bit disappointing that more effort wasn't taken to preserve the history of the 18th century store.

A short walk from the harbor ports is The House of Seven Gables. The house, whose history inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's book of the same name, is over 300 years old. The estate has changed hands several times, but the most recent owners have turned it into a museum. Our tour included extensive explanations of the house's history, it's decor, and renovation efforts.

Though I've never read The House of Seven Gables, I found the tour very interesting. The house has taken a pretty extensive beating over the years. Several additions were made to the house as the original family's wealth grew. A later owner, however, found the style too traditional and removed many of the gables to achieve a trendier Federal-style exterior. They also remodeled the interior in a Georgian style, adding very lavish, impressive wood paneling throughout the house. [Sadly, no pictures were allowed inside.] Finally, the gables were added back on during restoration. Ridiculous additions, such as a secret staircase--that may be the smallest staircase intended for people I have ever seen--were also made to better fit the house to Hawthorne's book. I suppose you do what's necessary to attract tourists. It definitely works--the estate is the second most visited home in America (the first being Graceland). It's a marvel that the house is still standing, let alone looking as well as it does.

My favorite area of Salem was Chestnut Street. Billed as "the most architecturally beautiful streets in America," the street was one of the first established communities in America. It was home to many of Salem's most successful merchants and sea captains during the harbor's golden era. Now the majority of the homes are still used for residences. Only a few have been reserved for tours and so on. We weren't able to tour any of the homes, but I really wish we had. I am very curious about what these are like on the inside. I just can't imagine having a house that old.

Chestnut Street is dominated by Federal architecture. The symmetry held so dear in this style is echoed throughout the street, which is part of why it is so visually appealing.

One indicator of the neighborhood's age is the appearance of "funeral doors" on many of the houses. Wakes were traditionally held in the home of the deceased. This naturally requires fitting the coffin inside the front door. Since coffins are wide and standard doors were not, homes had these "funeral doors". The smaller panel (left) can be opened when necessary to fit wide objects. Convenient for moving furniture and dead bodies in and out.

The other unique door found on the street is the "gossip door". The two front doorways of this condo-like home have a small door between them. When closed, it provides a bit of privacy from your very close neighbors. But when feeling the need to gossip, the door can be opened to let the neighbors converse. Perhaps evidence of women architects?

Though I loved wandering Chestnut Street, I think this is my favorite picture from Salem. Pamplemousse [pronounced something like pomp-le-mousse], which means grapefruit, is my favorite French word. [You can probably guess my favorite French phrase.] I didn't even go in this store, but I love its name and sign. It did seem like a rather neat shop, too.

The architecture and interesting history of Salem made for a very pleasant visit. We did end up going to one Witch museum. I suppose a trip there wouldn't be complete without seeing something on witches. But one was all I needed. The hysteria itself is an interesting historical phenomenon, but the museum played up the stereotypical conceptions of witches with talk of The Devil and Evil too much for my tastes. Needless to say, I'm glad our trip was no where near Halloween.

They Call Me The Wanderer, Part II: Boone

2006-06-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

While visiting in North Carolina recently, I requested that we venture out to the mountains. I quite like looking at the scenery, and mountains provide quite the change of pace for a flatlander such as myself. I spent my entire childhood and young adult life in The Prairie State, after all.

So, we went to Boone, North Carolina. It is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains near the northwestern tip of the state. Quite fittingly, it is home to Appalachian State University, which can be seen in the background here. I found it very interesting to see a city stuck right in the middle of the mountains. It really makes for an interesting mix; shops and businesses with scenic trees and mountains in the background. In the majority of places I've been (especially the Midwest), you're either in "town" or the "country". Where I grew up, people actually said "I'm going to go in to town, do you want anything while I'm there"! But Boone seems like both at the same time.

The town also manages to be both quaint and modern at the same time. They have a General Store that's been running since 1883, selling everything from clothing to candy. As seen in the picture, they have an impressive selection of candy. And that picture only shows a portion of it all. I've never seen so much candy in a non-specialty store before. [Surprisingly, I resisted buying any.]

These types of stores are mixed in with college-kid friendly shops like Espresso News/Mosaic Books and hipster music stores. We went to Espresso News and had some tasty coffee while browsing their extensive magazine selection, and then went up to the book store to look around. We overheard an amusing group of college-aged girls complaining about club bouncers. [Apparently they aren't very good at doing math to determine if someone is of age, and it's a HUGE problem. I was completely unaware.]

The funkiness of Boone was clear to me when we went into Grapevine Music, a new and used music store. In addition to having a lot of great music, this sign was posted inside. It reads:
"We accept new and used vinyl
- CA$H or CREDIT -
EXCEPT:
Kenny Loggins
The 5th Dimension
Sndtrk to Godspell
Gordon Lightfoot
Carly Simon
Barbra Streisand
Wings
Seals & Crofts
Dan Fogelberg
Neil Diamond
Chuck Mangione
Jackson Browne
*We will take some Billy Joel and Elton John -BUT WE'RE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT-*"

Even though I'm a full-blown Yankee, the music snob in me felt at home. I am beyond amused that they were overwhelmed with enough music they didn't like/want to make a sign banning the artists.

Though Boone is very scenic, we also wanted to see more of the Appalachian Mountains. So, we drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway for a bit, stopping to take pictures along the way. The National Park Service maintained highway winds through the mountains with overlooks, camping grounds and a few hiking trails along the way. It is a nice laid back, beautiful drive.

The highway is also quite an engineering marvel. I can't imagine building these roads so high up in the mountains.

As we climbed further, we encountered some residences, which prompted me to say: "People actually live up here?" And that prompted laughs at my obvious Midwesterness.

Both needing to go to the bathroom and wanting a change from the driving, we stopped at Linville Falls. After a short hike on a reasonable trail, we reached a lovely overlook of the falls prime for picture taking:

I'm not always the happiest of hikers, but when it pays off in a view like this, it's quite worth it.

Boone served as a good introduction to the mountains. An interesting town, and beautiful scenery.

They Call Me The Wanderer, Part I: Greensboro

2006-06-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, I've been doing my fair share of traveling. And, like any tourist, I've done a lot of picture taking. I've finally settled down in one place for a while, so I suppose it's time to share some of these photos.

The first trip was to Greensboro, North Carolina. I'm undeniably a Yankee through-and-through, but there is a very interesting Southern Charm to North Carolina that I find very appealing. Some of it might be my enjoyment of spending time with my significant other, who is the reason I've spent any time at all down yonder. But that's certainly not all of the attraction. The country-side is gorgeous, and the cities have an interesting combination of history and modern funkiness. The people are friendly, and say y'all (which, I must admit, makes far more sense than the northern 'you guys'). The south often gets a bad rap, which I'm not so sure it fully deserves. I only wish it weren't so damn hot.

Anyways, on to some pictures. I did a decent amount of wandering around Greensboro's downtown area. Elm Street (pictured left) has lots of restaurants and shops and such. One particular favorite is The Green Bean (pictured right), with its interesting live music and tasty coffee. We happened to catch the first part of a Klezmer band performance during our visit. The Sinai Mountain Ramblers had the coffee house pretty hopping when we left, but I've heard that they can get even more raucous as the show goes on. I suppose I'll have to find out for myself at some point.

Probably the most interesting and photograph-generating portion of my visit to Greensboro was taking a tour of the historic College Hill Neighborhood, given by Preservation Greensboro Incorporated. The tour highlighted some of the unique features of the neighborhood, especially the architecture. As the first established neighborhood in Greensboro, dating back to the mid 1800's, it has a very wide range of architectural styles represented throughout.

One of the main architectural styles represented on College Hill is Victorian--more specifically, Queen Anne style. This prim-and-proper house is a prime example, with its spindle columns, detailed trims, and wrap-around porch. When I was younger, I always wanted to live a Victorian style house with hardwood floors--I was probably one of the only little girls who picked out a specific architectural style for their dream home--but now I find them a bit too fussy. When done well, though, they can be quite appealing.

This far less busy Victorian house was probably my favorite of the tour. I'm not sure just why, but I'm a sucker for a beautiful porch, and this one--which wraps around nearly the entire house--is delightful.

One thing that struck me during the tour was the interesting way such an old neighborhood has slowly been modernized. Being a historic district, much care is taken to preserve the homes of College Hill. But, people will of course want modern conveniences. Some of these renovations and additions make an odd juxtaposition of old and new, as seen in these shots. That satellite dish looks just a bit out of place with the Victorian home it belongs to. I found it very amusing.

The other most prominent architectural style on College Hill is Craftsman. I'm not especially familiar with Craftsman architecture, but what I've seen I quite enjoy. I might like to have a bungalow at some point, and not just to say that I own a bungalow. The houses are simple and to the point, without looking too plain.

In many of the houses, their style and materials were influenced by the occupations of the first owners. This house was owned by a stone mason, and featured some very impressive stone work that you don't see too often anymore. Just look at that circular detail on the walkway! Obviously, this was motivated in part by money--it's cheap for a stone mason to get stone. But I think it really adds a more personal, individual touch to the home that you don't see as much nowadays.

The other feature of Craftsman architecture that I find very appealing is the tendency to use materials specific to the area. This house's columns and surrounding landscaping were built using milk quartz, which is found in abundance in the Greensboro area, making it ideal for Craftsman designers.

An old neighborhood such as this also faces interesting challenges of finding new uses for old buildings no longer needed for their original purposes. This home was once the College Hill neighborhood's fire station. I really wish I could look inside this one. I'm very curious as to how well the inside was adapted to domestic life. It makes for a very intriguing looking house.

College Hill itself is situated in a very nice area, overlooking downtown. Some of the houses have this lovely view of the Greensboro downtown.

And to conclude this monstrosity of a post, I have a few great shots that don't really fit in with anything else.

This adorable little tyke was sitting on her porch with her father when the tour came around. She seemed very intrigued by us, though a bit shy about watching.

For some reason, I really enjoy giant old trees. They just seem so elegant. With all of the vines, this one looks especially graceful.

And that (whew!) is a sampling of my trip to Greensboro. Soon to come in this several part series: Boone, North Carolina; Salem, Massachusetts; Boston, Massachusetts.

Post Script: I apologize for the less than ideal layouts. Blogger's picture posting is a bit frustrating to use, and Picsa's Hello! program (which I love), doesn't have a Mac version. If anyone knows a Blogger and Mac compatible photo hosting program, do share.

It's Hard Being a Pimp

2006-06-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

I have been checking CuteOverload a lot lately. The cuteness can be a bit overwhelming at times--I nearly always end up aww-ing out loud (aol-ing, perhaps?). This evening, however, there was a post that inspired more laughing than cooing, and I found it too hilarious not to share.

That G.P. is one impressive little guy. It had to take some real smarts and ambition to break out of his cage and into the adjacent cage containing 24 ladies. And it must have taken some ridiculous horniness to, upon arrival, "romance" all of them. That'll do, pig!

The fact that the lucky guy slept for 2 whole days afterwards just goes to show that it's hard out there for a pimp. Of course, the guinea pig pimp might have it a bit easier than his human counterpart--he won't have to pay child support for the 43 children he fathered in his one night of passion.

Update: I have been further informed by The Definitive Source that this story is a bit old, and that there's even more hilarity not mentioned on CuteOverload. According to the BBC, this lusty guinea pig got a lot of fame for his one night stands, getting his own website AND a lifetime membership to London's Stringfellows Club. Sooty here may have upstaged GP the Guinea Pig for most famous guinea pig! Definitely a bit less wholesome, though.

Hi, I'm a Mac.

2006-05-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

I seem to be very good at unannounced blog hiatuses. Oops?

I've got a few things I want to post about, but that will have to wait a bit. I promise I'll stop being my lazy, It's finally summer and I only want to sleep and watch TV, self soon. For the moment, a few blurbs about what I've been up to (aside from the obvious sleeping and watching TV).

I'm currently getting things set to go to Boston to work here on this. I'm very excited about the project, but the 25 previous publications dating back eleven years is a bit intimidating. I've got a lot of reading and studying ahead of me to get up to speed. I'm also pretty thrilled to be living in Boston for the summer. I'll have several old friends nearby, and it should be a fun summer city for a youngster like myself.

Since I'll be staying in Boston for 10 weeks, am completely computer addicted, and can't haul my massive desktop up the east coast with me, I have invested in a laptop. I went through the Windows-Mac debate for a good while, and finally decided to go with Mac. Windows has burned me a few too many times. Twice to be exact. Within a one month period. No more Blue Screen Of Death.

Of course, I seem to have taken the plunge a bit too early, as I got the 12" powerbook just a few weeks before they released these new MacBooks. But oh well, I love it nonetheless. And it's smaller than those 13"ers anyways, so HMPH. I've named it La Petite Pomme (The Little Apple). I wasn't feeling especially creative at the time of naming, but it fits her well. It's small, sleek, and very user-friendly. Exactly what I wanted in a laptop. Portability is key. And the smallness is adorable*.

I tested out La Petite Pomme while visiting Matthew (a.k.a. The Definitive Source) in North Carolina this past week. So far, so good! We had a great time visiting various cities and historical places. I have many beautiful pictures, and will post them along with discussion soon. They're on the internetless laptop, and I am not ambitious enough to transfer them to a connected computer.

The real test of this wee Macintosh will be when it is my primary computer in Boston. Which is very soon, actually. I suppose I should stop putting off packing.

* Why are almost all small things cute? I fall all over myself at the sight of baby shoes every time, but haven't the faintest idea why.

The Most Recent Listenings

2006-05-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

For someone who most friends would describe as an "indie kid," I've really been listening to a lot of old music lately. Not entirely sure of the reason, but I don't suppose it's a problem. It's good to listen to music outside of The Latest Internet Fad from time to time.

More recently, I've found a lot of new music that I really enjoy. Elaboration to come soon, I'm sure. But in the meantime, here are some older titles (though some are new to me) that have been stuck on repeat in the past month or so.

Hem - Eveningland / Rabbit Songs
I'm cheating here a bit, listing two albums from one band. But it would be a very tough choice between the two. Hem, I've decided, is the slowcore of alt.country. They rarely push the tempo past moderate, and always sound quite mellow. You'd think it would get a bit lackluster after a while. And you'd be right if Hem weren't incredibly adept at song composition, arrangement and performance. I absolutely adore Sally Ellyson's voice--the girl can just plain sing. She could be singing her groccery list, and it would still sound absolutely gorgeous.

Rabbit Songs, Hem's debut album, is full of simple and beautiful songs. The song writing and arranging is refreshingly clean and pointed. Melodies are catchy and memorable. Arrangements perfectly convey tones and textures without beating you over the head with them. Hem's follow up, Eveningland, only reassured that the wonders of their debut were not a fluke.

I'm not always the biggest fan of twang. But Hem, for me, is a perfect example of how great song writing and performing can win you over, regardless of genre.

Neko Case - Blacklisted
Neko Case is another example of the wonderful writing and performing talent combination. Her music has some very traditional elements in it; particularly instrumentation. And it's very clear that she listened to a lot of great music growing up. But there's something very modern about Ms. Case's work. I'm not entirely sure what it is. Perhaps some of it is her lyrics, which are far more open to interpretation than most. She also plays around with song structure a bit.

Her very pleasing voice doesn't hurt, either. Again, there's something I can't quite put my finger on about her voice. It's very unique, in a good way. She's very spunky, as is clear from an interview she gave with Pitchfork that had me laughing for ages. That attitude seeps into her songs, and it works oh so very well. Example: "Running Out of Fools."

The Lucksmiths - Warmer Corners
This absolutely adorable Australian trio makes perfect spring and summer music. Beautiful weather and sunshine call for a soundtrack of infectious melodies and fun. And what better way to do that than guitar driven power pop with clever lyrics and the occassional horn and string accompaniment?

Of their albums, I think Warmer Corners has won my heart as the favorite. Each one has its smattering of gems, with their smart and playful lyrics and can't-get-it-out-of-your-head hooks. But this most recent effort is the most consistently delightful. The increased use of horns and strings beefs up their sound when the tune calls for it, like "Fog of Trujillo". But they still know when to keep things sweet and simple, as with "Great Lengths". With Warmer Corners, The Lucksmiths both expand and hone their pop skills. It's a truly pleasant listen.

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True

Amadou & Mariam - Dimanche A Bamako

I have been trying to write blurbs on these last two albums for nearly a week now to no avail. I think it's time to stop "Saving As Draft," in hopes that I can come back to it at a later date. I'm really not getting anywhere right now.

It's surprising how difficult it can be to explain why you enjoy something. In an English course freshman year, our teacher devoted an entire class to the subject of humor. He would read jokes or statements and then ask us why we found them funny if we laughed or smiled. Nearly every response was along the lines of "it's just . . . funny." I appear to be stuck in this sort of a rut. I'm left incredibly inarticulate about the music I enjoy most. I just end up with variations of "it's great!"

Hopefully this is only a post-finals burn out that will pass with time. In the meantime, please pardon my uncommunicativeness.

Isn't It Only Fair That You Try And Let It Go?

2006-05-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's official: this pop addiction is not just a passing fad. I think it's pretty safe to say that it is here to stay.

Marit Larsen, yet another Nordic musician blessed with the pop-genius-gene, seems to be chock full of pop delights. An mp3 of "Only A Fool,"a song off of her debut album Under the Surface, can be found here (via FluxBlog) for a limited time. I'm a bit tardy in posting on this one, so you best download quickly--it probably won't be around much longer.

I've heard three of her songs now, and have yet to find one I dislike. They're gorgeously orchestrated, well produced, clever, riduclously infectious, and just plain delightful. It doesn't hurt that she seems to be fond of handclaps. Though I promise you, that is not the only reason I enjoy her music. "Only A Fool," in particular, is a great example of her pop mastery. It's all sorts of catchy without being the least bit predictable or ordinary. Between the instrumentation, her playful delivery, and that Americana-esque bounce, you just can't resist it.

Under the Surface has yet to be released here in the US. And I've had no luck trying to get my hands on more than a few mp3s here and there. I must say, it really is a shame that there aren't more quality pop acts in the United States. I like to think that many people would enjoy good pop music if they had access to it, and that the somewhat rampant lack of musical standards among many American youth is only a result of this lack of access.

If Marit looks or sounds familiar, you may be recalling your good old Disney Channel days. As a kid, she was half of the girl-pop group M2M. I'll try to be the bigger person here and forgive her for participating in a group that sang a song on the Pokemon soundtrack.

Oh Oh Oh!

2006-04-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about being a DJ at WRUW is having access to a pretty ginormous music library. Especially the new music!

Today, in my weekly perusing of the new-shelf, I got a chance to give Figurines' Skeleton a listen. Skeleton is the sophomore effort of the Danish band, who's been around since the 90's. Though I didn't get through all of it (so much new music, and so little time!), I must say that I quite heartily enjoyed the bits I sampled. I'm not familiar with their previous work, but what I heard today makes me very curious. They remind me a bit of Built To Spill--a real knack for astute melodies, vaguely poetic lyrics, and some delightful guitar playing. Not to mention that the singer's voice has a almost-whine very reminiscent of Doug Martsch. A few sample mp3s from Skeleton and their first album Shake the Mountain can be found on their website's media section.

A video for "I Remember", also from Skeleton, can be seen here (.MOV). I quite enjoy the song. It stands out from the rest of the album a bit, having a more straight-forward pop bounce to it. The video is amusing, and must have required epic amounts of time in the editing room. I've never seen this sort of live-action-stock-motion, jerk style taken to such extremes before. When the first few blips started, I thought it was due to poor video quality. But nope; it's deliberate. It can be a bit dizzying, but it's an interesting effect. It certainly fits the song well.

I don't understand how or why, but there seems to be an amazingly high concentration of pop-genius in the Nordic countries. Perhaps I should move.

Post Script
Speaking of Built to Spill, they too have a new album out: You In Reverse. I've listened to the whole thing once through, and I have mixed feelings. They haven't changed their style too much--after all, don't fix it if it isn't broken. But I feel like the new album has a few too many songs that drag on unnecessarily. Built to Spill is a band that can pull off both epic, vast songs (see "Velvet Waltz" on Perfect From Now On) and concise, delightful pop ditties. But with this album, they seemed to confuse those two aspects. Songs that would have worked well in the latter category are expanded until you just get a bit bored. Don't get me wrong, I still like much of the new album. It has a really great energy to it. But, I don't think it's my favorite.

Some of the new songs can be streamed off of Built To Spill's site. The entire album can also be streamed (via VH1.com) here.

What the Pitchfork is going on here?!

2006-03-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

So, WRUW regularly receives concert tickets to local shows to give away to listeners. All these concerts are listed in a big book at the station, and DJs sign up to give them away on a first-come-first-serve basis. We usually only have two sets of tickets to give away. And, being a college station chock-full of hipsters, most of the very indie shows are taken well before I get to them.

So that is why I am completely baffled by this: No one signed up to give away tickets to the upcoming Serena Maneesh show! Serena Maneesh, the Norwegian shoegaze band that Pitchfork regularly piddle themselves over! Completely vacant! I wasn't quite as blown away by the album as the magaziners were, but it's still quite good. And I hear they put on an amazing show. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that people stayed away since we don't have the album at the station, hence they can't play them on air unless they have their own, probably imported copy. Who knows. Either way, their bashfulness has left me with awesome tickets to give away. I am excited.

The show is at the Grog Shop Wednesday March 30th, at 9pm. The Volta Sound, a Cleveland band [I am personally unfamiliar, see their website for samples of music] and Henry James are openers. If you're interested in going FOR FREE, listen to Music Is My Boyfriend on WRUW FM 91.1 on Monday March 27th from 3-5pm for a chance to win a pair of tickets.

Maybe I'll even get a staff ticket. That'd be fun. And very very loud; I have a feeling earplugs will be a must for this show.

I may get Sir Mix-a-Lot all hot and bothered, but I cannot find a skirt

2006-03-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

I went shopping with my mother today. I made a pretty decent haul, but was unsuccessful in finding the one thing I wanted for the upcoming warmer weather: a skirt. And there's one main reason for my failure:

Why must every skirt have a waistband of this sort? Why?! Here's a hint to designers: thick waistbands like this RARELY work for those of us with significant junk in our trunks and/or large hips!

Seeing as how I've been told on several occasions that I have "child birthin' hips" and a "badunkadunk," I have just about given up on this style of skirt. But damn it, they're all so pretty!

P.S.- On an entirely unrelated note, I noticed very odd music choices in two different establishments this afternoon.

1) Gap was playing "Funny Little Frog" by Belle and Sebastian (off of their newest album The Life Pursuit). Quite odd, indeed. Especially considering that their other album titles include The Boy With the Arab Strap. "Arab Strap" meaning the sex toy.

2) Fuddruckers played "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior. It's a delightful song, but a bit unexpected from a burger chain famous for their excessive 1lb burger.

Boy, Can't You See We're Through?

2006-03-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

It's obvious that girl-pop and I are not going to be through any time soon.

My newest love is the Pipettes' "You're Kisses Are Wasted On Me," which can be downloaded here (via Fluxblog) for a short time. You can also stream it and other Pipettes songs on their myspace page. If visuals are your thing, the video for "Your Kisses..." can be seen here (via YouTube).

The song starts out as pretty typical girl-pop fare; cheer-like shouts to the backbeat of handclaps and rhythmic pounding. I immediately liked it. Certaintly something I'd dance to, though nothing amazing. A bit bratty sounding.

But then! That chorus! I've heard a few Pipettes songs before, and never did I expect such a lovely voice. Seriously, where did that come from? I knew they could craft a nice hook, and knew their way around vocal harmony--but this? Wow! It's catchy, gorgeous, and delightful.

The combination of punk-girl spunk and almost 50's doo wop vocals is very interesting indeed. Modern, but classically catchy. I love it.

" Aw frig, my microwave popcorn!! "

2006-03-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been thoroughly enjoying Dinosaur Comics. For those unfamiliar, the somewhat daily internet comic uses the same panel of pictures for each comic. The only thing that changes is the text. You'd think it might get old after a while, or come off a bit gimmicky. But somehow, Ryan North really pulls it off. It's always different, interesting, and funny. I have yet to tire of it. Part of the fun is seeing how he'll transform the same old pictures each day. Of course, his geeky sense of humor helps a lot too.

In the usual boredom associated with being home, I was wandering the site and found that there is a wealth of Dinosaur Comic merchandise. The T-shirts, like the comic, are quite amusing. For obvious reasons, I was drawn to this one in particular:

(Taken from www.qwantz.com)

As their description of this shirt says, it's based on a character mentioned in only one comic. Somehow, I think that fact makes the shirt even funnier. And independent from the comic, you can't deny the humor of a diplodocus wearing a mortarboard named "Professor Science." I mean, come on.

Needless to say, I must have this shirt. Just in case I ever become a professor.

The Ear's March Munchings

2006-03-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

After a long and unannounced hiatus, I have returned. It's spring break and I believe things have finally calmed down long enough for me to attend to my much neglected blog. And the first matter on the list is updating "The Ear's Current Cravings" section. As you may have noticed, the selections were a bit . . . old. Sure, it's possible that I've been listening to Low's Christmas album through the holiday season, all the way into March. But, really, I don't like Christmas music that much during Christmas. So I certainly wouldn't prolong the experience. Even if Low is wonderful.

I've decided to write a little blurb on the albums I select each time I update the section. I like the idea of having a personal record of what music I liked and why at different times. And, who knows, maybe people are curious. Or maybe I have an inflated ego.

I haven't been very aggressive in finding new music to listen to lately. Most likely a result of being overworked and stressed out. The majority of these are favorites that I've rediscovered as of late.

Björk - Homogenic
I've often heard people complain of not liking Björk's vocals. And I remember being among them for a short while. I had to be in just the right mood to listen to her. But, having given Homogenic a good proper listening, I can't find any justification for my prior feelings. Her talent for arranging and composing is self evident throughout the album. She has quite the knack for combining avant sensibilities with more traditional composition techniques. And good grief can she sing. Examples: "Immature," "Bachelorette."

Rachel's - Selenography
I have yet to discover a Rachel's album that I dislike. But of the ones I've heard, Selenography is my favorite. It's a bit more traditional than, say Systems/Layers, but it still manages to be captivating, complex, and original. It's also a bit more cohesive than some of their other works. The overall mood of the album is somewhat dark and brooding--when I played one of the songs on my radio show, a caller commented on how "haunting" it was. All in all, it is lovely music.

New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
Needless to say, I love me some good pop music. And that is exactly what New Pornographers provide. Honestly, it took a while for this album to grow on me. Though I'll lose a bit of "indie cred" for this, Electric Version was the first New Porno's album I heard; I didn't listen to their earlier work until later. After a few listens, however, I quite like Mass Romantic. They really use Neko Case's powerful vocals to their fullest here. There are fewer "oh wow! This is so catchy!" moments than Electric Version, in my opinion. But when they do happen, they'll be in your head for days. "Letter from an Occupant," anyone?

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The only recently new album on the list! I'm not familiar with the entire Belle and Sebastian repertoire, so I'm not qualified to judge their latest effort in full context. But, based on its own merit, I quite like The Life Pursuit. It is delightful, catchy, well crafted power-pop. It's far more upbeat than anything I expected from them. Sometimes, though, surprise is nice.

Rockpile - Seconds of Pleasure
I owe Matt (aka The Definitive Source) for this discovery. This Nick Lowe fronted band has a real knack for fun, clever songs. They sometimes get a little silly (see "A Knife and a Fork," a song about a woman eating herself to death), but never lack wit. It's a short and sweet, effortless-sounding album with plenty of catchy moments. After singing "When I Write A Book" in my head for nearly a day straight, I am convinced of Nick Lowe's song writing brilliance.

99% Hell, 1% Working Experiment

2006-02-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

This is easily the nerdiest post I've ever made, and I'm amazed that I'm even doing this. But, I am. I am posting about my physics lab, because damnit, I worked for so long on this. And I am beside myself now that it finally worked.

Our experiment was to observe the 2D Quantum Hall Effect. To keep it simple, in the presence of high magnetic fields, and at very low temperatures (~ 4 Kelvin), you can see the quantization of resistance. It's very neat. Lots of expensive, dangerous, and tall equipment.

But as interesting as the experiment sounded on paper, it was a nightmare in practice. For the past 5 weeks of the semester, my lab partner and I have been banging our heads against a brick wall trying to get our experiment to work. True, the majority of physics labs consists of just that--but this one was particularly more painful. The combination of a completely fried diode inside of our magnet, a magnet power supply controler that refused to communicate with us, general stupidity, etc., meant 9 4-hour lab periods of sheer frustration and one rushed "IT WORKS! IT WORKS! TAKE DATA NOW!" lab period.

Now that we have actual data and I understand the general theory behind everything, I have to say that the experiment is pretty amazing. It almost makes up for the last 5 weeks. Of course, I can't complain too much. I did get to play with liquid helium for much of the time.

A few pictures of super-coldness:

The white cloud is the helium vaporizing as it hits the warm air.

The ice building up around our equipment as we fill it with the liquid helium.

A closer picture. If you look closely, you can see liquid oxygen forming on the pipe as the air around it liquifies.

And I must admit, this plot makes me very happy:

Sorry for the poor quality. Photoshop was not cooperating with me.

Anyways. There it is! Quantized resistance! Hooray! Sure, we don't get quite the right value for the ratio we were supposed to measure, but at this point even an order of magnitude match is thrilling.

I won't do this again, I promise.

My Heart's On Fire!. . . From Laughter.

2006-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

I was checking out videos.antville.org, a community blog on music videos, and came across something so awesomely-bad that it becomes awesome.

HammerFall, a Swedish metal band, has filmed a video for their newest single "Hearts on Fire" with the Women's Swedish Olympic team. It can be seen here (.mov).

Now, I have nothing against Swedes. Nordic people certainly know their pop! But this. . .Just, Wow. Contributors to the hilarity:

Generally cliché look of the band. It looks like a parody video.
Music in general. "HEARTS ON FIRE!!!"
They're CURLING while trying to rock out HARDCORE!!!
Forced effort to make sure the Acuvue name was seen as much as possible. It's fine that they sponsored the team (and possibly the video), but seriously guys, you need to work on the fine art of subtlety. Unless you actually intended this to look like an Acuvue commercial.
Blatant preference of the more attractive female Olympiad.
"Oh man! I'm rocking out soooo hard!" guitar solo stance/face.

I have nothing left to say, except hahahahahaha.

How's the Weather Up There?

2006-01-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

Lab today was quite humbling--and very frustrating to boot. Why? Because my lab set up is taller than I am. I can't see behind any of the equipment without standing on a chair.

It's not even like it's on some giant rack, either. It's just on an ordinary lab bench. So I feel ridiculous climbing on a chair just to turn a lock-in amplifier off.

You'd think the impossibly ludicrous programming and equipment problems my lab partner and I had today would have been more frustrating. But I can eventually fix those. I, however, cannot make myself grow several inches.

I need some sort of easily portable step-stool.

Movin' On Up

2006-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

WRUW's spring 2006 schedule has been made!

Thankfully, my time slot has dramatically improved from last semester. Music Is My Boyfriend is movin' on up to Mondays from 3-5pm. No more waking up at 5am on Sunday mornings!!

Maybe people will actually listen live for a change. But, as always the archives (kept for one week, and posted immediately after the show airs) can be found here. Simply click the 56k link for Music Is My Boyfriend, and 2 hours of delightful music and my occasional babblings are yours. No excuses for not listening.

My first show is this coming Monday the 23rd. I'm very excited to use our brand new air studio for the first time. Hopefully I don't get yelled at by crazy listeners this time.

Any suggestions or requests for themes this semester?

"You, shake your junk."

2006-01-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

This is a bit old, but I've been super lazy as of late. And for that I appologize.

For those of you that may not be aware, Diplo has remixed Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman," and it's absolutely wonderful. An mp3 can be accessed on his official website under mp3s (the first dinosaur), posted on Deceber 5th 2005. I hate flash sites and their lack of direct links.

As usual, Diplo manages to inspire all sorts of booty shakin'--the song is just plain fun. I'm still incredibly sad about missing him in Chicago for New Years, and listening to this song reminds me of why. Diplo is a super sweet DJ, with a real knack for making songs dancable. This remix in particular isn't as good as the original (how could he beat Ray Charles?), but it's certaintly a superb club-friendly adaptation.

P.S. - If you recognize the song but can't quite place it, it's the Ray Charles song Jamie Foxx imitates in the sample used in Kanye West's "Gold Digger."

The Fruits of My Labor

2006-01-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

My 10-something cousin has always commented on my tie purses whenever I see her. This Thanksgiving, in her 10-year-old-subtle way, she made it very clear that she wanted me to make her one--"I really like your purse, Amy. You know, that would make a really great present for someone." So, being the pushover that I am (and being really bored at home), I decided to appease her.

The more of these I make, the easier they get. Though I think I get more and more critical of the stitch work every time. This one was a bit different, since I was designing it for a little girl rather than myself. Everything got scaled down a bit.

Anyways, here's the end result of some thrifting and not quite a day of sewing:

The front.

And the back.

It turned out very sparkly with all the gold. But I suppose little girls like that sort of thing. At least I hope.

Fallingwater

2005-12-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today, my family and I trekked out to the Pittsburgh area to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Not being a morning person, I wasn't very excited about the idea at first, as it required getting up at 6:30am. But, I must say that it was well worth it. The scenery was lovely, and the house is an amazing one-of-a-kind. I'm still floored by the fact that it was built in the 30's--Wright's designs and ideas seem very modern day, indeed.

Here are a few pictures of the house (outside only, sadly) and the surrounding woodlands. It snowed quite heavily the whole time we were there, which showed up in a few of the pictures. Adds that winter feel, I suppose.

The view as you walk to the house.

A side view of the cantilevers the house is based on. You can also see the stairs that go from the living room down to the stream. A very novel idea.

A far view highlighting how the house hangs over the waterfall.

A close up of the waterfall.

Some impressive icicles along the rocks between the main and guest houses.

Another front view.

Now if only I were incredibly rich, and Frank Lloyd Wright were still alive. . .

A Magazine Loaded With Lies

2005-12-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows that magazines touch-up photos. But I've always wondered just how much they do, and what they change. Well, this site helps to answer those questions. Not only do they show the before and after of a doctored photo, they also have a demonstration that goes through each touch-up. It shows just how easily an average photo can be turned into an eye-catching magazine cover.

The before and after are pretty dramatic. It's a little sickening to think about how much deception is going on here. It's also sad that our ideas of beauty have gotten so unnatural that people have to be photoshopped beyond belief before they're "attractive."

Despite all that, this little demonstration makes me feel pretty good. Knowing that all those girls aren't really that beautiful is comforting. Takes off the pressure, I suppose. Reminds us that we're all human. Or maybe it's just the bitter, jealous girl in me talking.

A Wintry Wonderland

2005-12-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Having lived up north all of my life, I'm pretty used to wintery weather by now. Can't say I'm always a fan of it--especially if I have to walk 20 minutes to campus in it! But, every now and then I see something that reminds me of the things I've always liked about winter. Like this:

Simply awesome.

Ice in general is pretty neat. I remember putting bowls of water outside when I was little to wait and see when they'd freeze. I thought it was so cool. (Ok, yes, I was and still am very easily entertained.) But when ice forms in such unique shapes like this, it's even more fascinating. I'm not entirely sure how this giganticicle formed, but I think it was probably caused by the brief warm spell we had. Stuff started melting, and then all froze back again.

Either way, it's awe inspiring. Though, now that I think about it, maybe that's why it's always so cold in my dorm room. . .

WRUW, How May I Help You?

2005-12-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

I had a very odd call into the station during my radio show this morning. I'm a bit surprised I haven't had more, my show being from 6-8 am and all. Though I'm definitely glad this is the first I've had like this.

The call went a little something like this (paraphrased, of course):

[Four Tet "My Angel Rocks Back and Fourth" playing in the background]

Me: WRUW

Caller: I, I, I hear a harp and that sounds really nice, but there's that shhhww shhhww going on too. You need to cut that out. It sounds like there are two songs playing.

Me: [laughs, about to explain that the song has the rhythmic noise in one channel and the melody in another channel]

Caller: YOU LAUGH, BUT I CAN EASILY CHANGE BACK TO 90.5. . . [continues on about the radio station and how he can stop listening]

Me: [attempts to say that it's just one song and that there's nothing I can do to change it, and that I'm sorry he doesn't like it]

Caller: [yells LOUDER over me not allowing me to say anything, threatening not to donate to telethon, and that if I keep playing music like that I will clearly not get any money donated to my show]

By now, enough time has passed that I have about a minute before I have to go on air and talk.

Caller: [still yelling loudly. He was "as serious as a heart attack and a stroke combined" when he was saying I needed to stop the music, and that I just laughed. Etc. etc.]

Me: [finally bursting in, continuing to talk even though he was yelling over me for most of it] I'm sorry you don't like the song, but it is one song and there is nothing I can do about it. I have to go because I have to talk on air.

Caller: [just keeps yelling]

Me: I HAVE TO GO NOW!

Caller: [continues to talk for a long time, finally wrapping up his threats]

Me: [by this time, extremely annoyed, having 10 seconds to rush to the microphone] BYE.

I never thought I'd get callers threatening to change the station, to not donate to telethon, and just generally yelling at me because of one song I played. He even commented that he liked the song before that one! But apparently, the Four Tet was just too much.

I don't know if I should find this funny or sad or scary. I'm not sure what sort of conditions a person who makes a call to a radio station like that must have been in. But I really question his mental state. I'm just glad he wasn't making personal threats to me.

Either way, I've had my dose of being yelled at today, that's for sure.

A Triumph of Sorts

2005-12-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Being done with a class that you thought was going to completely clobber you and knowing that you totally rocked it. . .Definitely an awesome feeling. Doesn't quite beat the putting-on-clothes-fresh-from-the-dryer-feeling. But it's high on the list. Sure, much of my thinking I was doomed was complete paranoia. But still!

Hooray for being done with lab. One class down, four to go.

I'll try to suck less at the whole updating thing soon. Promise.

Simply Horrific.

2005-12-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

I had heard rumors of this before, and had hoped for dear life that it wasn't true. But sadly, it is.

Paris Hilton is apparently a musician now.

Well, at least she is putting out an album. After listening to a few of the songs on her new MySpace page, I wouldn't venture to call her such. Though the songs do provide a good laugh (via terrible lyrics, bad songwriting, and overall suckitude), I had trouble stomaching the three tracks in their entirety. It's almost painfully bad, really.

Of course, we know that the model will play the role of a pop starlette very well. Slutty pictures of her abound. I doubt she even had to do a new photoshoot for her album art work. And as the background picture of her MySpace shows, she's all set to do a cover of Rolling Stone. But it's pretty obvious that Paris is unfamiliar with playing the guitar. She appears to think that it is played with the crotch.

I'm sorry to break it to you, Paris, but you can't accomplish everything in life via vagina. Though you're sure making a valiant effort.

Edit: Apparently this was in fact a fake site. I suppose that makes sense, since she made a big deal about becoming the "hiphop princess," and those songs sounded nothing like that. Anyways, since being exposed the site has since become a thing making fun of Paris Hilton. Oh well.

'Ello, 'Ello, 'Ello, 'Ello VEEE EEEEE !

2005-11-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

There appear to be absolutely no limits to the talents of Missy Elliot. I just listened to her remix of the terrible Ashlee Simpson song "L.O.V.E.". . . and she actually made the song pretty damn decent. I'd venture to say good, but Ashlee is still involved. Putting such a label on something she had a hand in seems just plain blasphemous. Of course, odds are she actually had no part in the original or the remix. Oh lip syncing teeny boppers, did Milli Vanilli teach you nothing?

An mp3 of the remix can be downloaded here (scroll down a bit to find the proper entry--damn lack of permalinks!). Not the best quality, but it gives you the idea.

Missy, you have worked a miracle.

An amusing side note: A large portion of the top results in a google search of "lip syncing" are Ashlee-related.

Yesterday a sloth challenged me to a race and won

2005-11-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have been completely overwhelmed with laziness as of late. Definitely not a good thing to happen when I have important assignments due in over half of my classes. Though I think the two facts are related--I'm feeling quite burned out.

One odd aspect of my laziness is the things I do instead of work. Currently, my favorite procrastination method is looking at graduate programs. I have no idea why, when burned out on doing work, I want to look into more school and work to come. But, I have wasted hours doing just that.

From my research, it looks like if I do decide to go into prosthetics and/or orthotics, applying to programs will prove quite simple. . . there is only one accredited post-graduate program in the entire country. Though this could also make things very stressful, as if I don't get accepted to this program, I am screwed.

Much to the delight of a friend of mine, this one program is at the Georgia Institute of Technology. It looks like a very neat program. Exactly what I would want if I were to pursue the field: I'd be able to get certified to work with patients, get research experience, and have the possibility of continuing on to a Ph.D. in a related field. Only problems being that I've had no experience with prosthetics, and have no idea if I'll really like it in practice. It also requires taking a cadaver dissection lab, which requires me getting over the cold sweats and queasiness often inspired by watching other people be poked and prodded. So, who knows. I suppose I've got time yet before I need to make a decision.

Unless, of course, I just keep procrastinating it all away. Much like I am doing now. . .

Dropping the ball is the one thing I do best

2005-11-21T13:31:00.001-08:00

This may be way too far after the fact, but I have a predicament and wonder if anyone might be able to help me. I always try to keep downloaded mp3's of my shows-past. Especially the theme shows, which I spend a lot of time putting together. However, I absent-mindedly forgot to download the mp3 of my most recent handclap tribute show before it was replaced. I'd really like to have this, so if anyone out there happened to have downloaded it and still has it, please contact me somehow (see my blogger profile for email and aim screen name).

I'm probably completely silly in thinking that anyone has downloaded and saved my show. But, it's worth a shot.

Clap Your Hands!

2005-11-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today's edition of Music Is My Boyfriend (my radio show on WRUW, Case's radio station) was the second tribute to the handclap. It's easily one of my favorite shows to do--the music is generally fun and catchy. I will admit to doing a lot of dancing in the studio this morning.

In a move of blatant shameless self-promotion, I am encouraging people to download the show from the archives. Simply go to the program guide here, and click the 56k archive link for Music Is My Boyfriend. Then listen. Be snappy, the archives are only around for a week!

In case anyone is curious. . .

The tracklist (Artist - Song):
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands!
The Mountain Goats - This Year
Blur - Parklife
The Unicorns - I Was Born (a Unicorn)
The Coral - In The Morning
The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You
A.C. Newman - Drink To Me, Then, Babe
Architecture In Helsinki - Like a Call
The Lucksmiths - Fear of Rollercoasters
Jens Lekman - I Saw Her at the Anti-War Demonstration
Devendra Banhart - Quedate Luna
Asha Bhosle - Ina Mina Dika
Ramones - Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?
Q and Not U - A Line in the Sand
Sleater-Kinney - Ballad of the Ladyman
The Rapture - Sister Savior
The Faint - I Disappear
LCD Soundsystem - Disco Infiltrator
Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen
Beck - Rental Car
The Go! Team - The Power is On
Spoon - Back to the Life
Sloan - Everything You've Done Wrong
Sam Cooke - Having a Party
Sam Cooke - Mean Old World
The Beatles - I'm Looking Through You
Elvis Costello - Lip Service
Belle and Sebastian - The Boy With the Arab Strap
Feist - Mushaboom
Camera Obscura - Let Me Go Home

Skip the Waves, Syncopate, Forwards Backwards.

2005-11-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Directed to Yahoo!'s Launch to see brand new Kidz Bop videos just released, I ran across something far more noteworthy:

Deerhoof has a released a video for "Wrong Time Capsule" from their new album The Runners Four. The video can be viewed here (via Launch). The song is excellent, as is the entire album. As far as I know, this is the first "real" video that Deerhoof has released--they have a few random videos accessible through their website, but they aren't official single releases (I don't think, anyways).

They certaintly didn't disappoint with the video. It's about what I would expect from them--odd, random, and very neat. Of course, it makes sense that a Deerhoof video would be a bit, er, non-typical. Their music doesn't necessarily lend itself to the typical music video formats, aside from perhaps a performance-based one. And from seeing them live, I somehow don't see them as the types to make a big production out of themselves and their performance. I just wonder how the video director (Martha Colburn) came up with some of this stuff. At any rate, it looks awesome, and somehow fits the song even though time travel and being eaten by money have nothing at all in common.

Certainly much better than Kidz Bop videos. No furries, and no damn yelling kids.

Je Vais Prendre Ta Douleur

2005-10-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Handclaps, French, sass, popiness . . . . oh my, I can hardly control myself!

Yesterday, Matt (aka The Definitive Source) sent me "Ta Douleur" by Camille, and I absolutely love it. The vocal percussion, her sweet voice, and the handclaps make for delightful, catchy-as-hell music. The lyrics are also quite endearing--"Je vais prendre ta douleur" means "I'm going to take (away) your pain/sadness."

Sadly, I know very little about Camille, and cannot provide a link to an mp3 of the song. However, the video can be seen here (Real Player). It's interesting--very French. I'm curious as to how they filmed all the parts with the weaving yarn.

Here's hoping we have this at the radio station so I can play it on my handclap tribute this semester.

I don't know about you, but I could go for a nap.

2005-10-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the complete lack of updates recently. But it's totally not my fault, I swear. With school picking up, I have far less time to peruse the internet finding amusing things to share and comment on. I also have less time to ponder things. It's not so much that I don't have things to say. More that I don't have the time to sit down and articulate them nicely. Or the free time I have is spent doing other things, like sleep.

I find it interesting how college--higher education--makes me revert to very basic behaviors. Sleep and food are regarded most precious above all else. Spare time: I'll take a nap! Free food: CHOMP! Interesting intellectual discussion/lecture: is there free food? Cause otherwise, I don't know...I could use that time to nap.

It seems as though there's some sort of nerditude conservation principle at work here. I only have so much nerdiness to go around. When in school, putting forth lots of mental effort in classes, my free time is devoid of intense thought. When not feeling the crack of the Physics-major whip, I spend lots of time exploring interests, reading, and writing.

Of course, the fact that I am using a conservation principle to describe my mental exhaution goes against the whole theory....Damn.

A Dorothy Without her Toto

2005-10-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I received a rather upsetting call from my parents relaying the information that Chewi, the dog I've had since Kindergarten, had to be put to sleep. It's amazing that she lived happy and healthy for nearly 15 years, only showing significant signs of aging in the last year or so.

We had several reasons to suspect that she wouldn't be around too much longer. But, even when you think you're "prepared" for a death, it doesn't make it any easier to accept when it happens. Especially when it's a pet who's always seemed indestructible. And who you essentially grew up with.

I hate cancer. Even though her breath was stinky, I'm still going to miss those relentless kisses.

A Guy Like Mike Jones Should Wear a Warning

2005-09-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

I've always had random odd pop weaknesses. Lately more so than ever, now that I've decided not to fight or hide my addiction to catchy, upbeat trifles. Because as I've said before, deep down, everyone loves pop whether they admit it or not.

Sometimes though, there are pop songs that even I don't want to admit to enjoying. Considering that I've confessed my love of a Sugababes song to the internet world, if I don't want to own up to liking a song, that's saying a lot. One such song is the infamous "Toxic" by Britney Spears.

But, I just came across a mash up of Mike Jones Vs. Britney Spears called "Tippin' Toxic" by Hollertonix, which makes me feel better about liking the original "Toxic." An mp3 of the song can be downloaded here (via Fluxblog) for a limited time. I enjoy a good mash up from time to time; it's so impressive when two songs you never would have thought to put together blend to make a completely new awesome track. These two songs fit together smashingly.

It makes me wonder if the genius back-beat/melody of "Toxic" would fit with most anything. It certainly adapted from Britney's sex-filled lyrics to Mike Jones' rap very well. This fact makes me feel more at ease about enjoying a Britney song so. Hearing those catchy screeching strings out of context makes it incredibly obvious that the magic of "Toxic" is not at all Britney related. Phew!

Occasionally, Hipsters Like Cool Things

2005-09-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

I have a love-hate relationship with Pitchfork, the hip indie internet magazine. The site is an excellent source of musical news and information; I often hear about new artists on Pitchfork. And when trying to get a feel for an older artist with lots of material out, the Pitchfork numerical ratings can sometimes give a good idea as to what album(s) to start with. But, I don't always agree with their musical assessments, and frequently find their reviews/news commentary a little on the pretentious side.

Though snooty, they do come up with some pretty awesome stuff from time to time. Their track reviews occasionally feature a link to download the track-on-trial. And as I was perusing the site today, I came across an mp3 of a Dimension remix of the Stereolab track "Mudra," which can be found here. I enjoy Stereolab quite a bit--I think I'm a bit addicted to Emperor Tomato Ketchup lately. And I, like Pitchfork, am really enjoying this remix. Between the swirling synths and beats, there are beautiful little melodies. It's delightful.

I suppose it's worth putting up with the snobbery for the excellent free music.

The Typo Heard 'Round The World

2005-09-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

As we were all taught in kindergarten, it's good to share. Through the convenience of the internet, sharing is at an all time high nowadays. Especially music, thanks to that delightful file-type mp3. As you may have guessed, I love sharing music in this fashion. Though I sometimes feel a twinge of guilt as I click "download," I usually feel better knowing that I am an avid concert goer, and purchase CDs and other merchandise at these shows. The artist gets money (and arguably, more money than they would if I bought their CD at a retail store) for their hard work and talent, and I feel that I've paid my dues so to speak. Plus, if I really enjoy the album/artists, I will buy the music even if I can download it for free. There's something to be said for the tangibility of a CD, having the album art, etc.

There's also the fact that mp3 blogs and music sharing are an amazing way for artists to get their work out there. The best example of this would be the latest indie darlings, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who were an overnight sensation in part because of mp3 blogs. They weren't even signed to a record label, and yet ran out of copies of their self-produced CD because everyone wanted a copy, immediately. I also read an interview with Feist on Tofu Hut, and she noted that people used downloaded copies of her album to become familiar with the music before the concert, and would turn them in for the real thing at the show. She was surprised by people singing along to her music in The States; she hadn't realized she was popular here--but she was, and mostly because of the internet.

But, I must say that there are funny quirks about music sharing. Just yesterday, I realized that I was missing a track off of Pixies Doolittle, and hadn't noticed up until now. Whoever I downloaded it from didn't have it, so neither did I.

More amusing, though, are mislabelings of music that can pervade the music sharing community. One day, I noticed that one of the bonus tracks from Beck's album Guero was labeled as "Crap Hands." Since the song was singing about clapping your hands, I decided to investigate. As I had suspected, the correct title was indeed "Clap Hands," as indicated by a tracklist on Amazon.com. What was hilarious, though, is that apparently, a lot of people had been listening to "Crap Hands" by Beck. A check of last.fm for the track shows that 379 people listened to this non-existent track. That doesn't even account for people who caught the typo and fixed it.

So everyone, crap your hands!

Shrödinger is a Jerk

2005-09-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Evenings such as this make me want to change my major.

Today was my 21st birthday. How did I spend much of my evening?

No. I did not drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol. Or even a reasonable amount. I did Quantum Mechanics homework. And made very little progress on it, I might add.

Sure, I suppose I'm doing the homework now so that I may celebrate in a more traditional fashion this weekend. But still. I am mad at Quantum Mechanics. I don't think our relationship will ever be the same, unless it is willing to change.

No Really, Size Doesn't Matter. . .

2005-09-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

As many of you probably know, Apple has come out with a new iPod--iPod nano. The name is indicative of the 'pod's very small size. Although, like many things nowadays that play off the hype around nanoscale science, it uses the term nano inaccurately. I'm pretty sure that the device's dimensions are nowhere near the 10^-9 magnitude.

But with trends going as they are, I wouldn't put it past Apple and other technology companies to try and make a handheld gadget that tiny, just because they could. For example, Motorolla has come out with a cell phone--the Moto Razar V3--that too is marketed for it's minisculeness. One of the commercials for the phone (no, not the one featuring ACDC's "Back in Black"), shows a girl squeezing herself into essentially skin tight pants, and then slipping the phone into her back pocket with ease. Thank goodness a company finally came out with a phone that facilitates tight-pants-wearing and phone-carrying at the same time. That was such a problem for me.

As that thick sarcasm indicates, I really don't understand the modern obsession with shrinking technology. My cell phone is enormous when compared to the newest ones on the market, and I sometimes think it's too small. Once in my purse or backpack, it's impossible to find. Especially if it's ringing. In fact, it is my second cell phone because I lost the first one--it slipped out of my purse without my noticing. Perhaps Motorolla is brilliant. People will buy more phones if they're constantly losing the tiny suckers. And, of course most importantly, will wear tight pants far more frequently.

In the case of iPod nano, things seem even sillier. That thing is begging to be broken or lost. I purchased a thick case for my 20 GB iPod partly to protect it, but mostly to make it bigger and easier to hold on to. I won't be surprised if I hear about someone dropping their new nano-pod, only to watch it smash to bits.

This ridiculousness best stop before we all look like Zoolander, talking on cell phones so small they can only be held with two fingers. Eventually, we will all need magnifying glasses to read the displays and finger adaptations to push the itsy-bitsy buttons.

Radio, Radio

2005-09-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves shameless self promotion . . .

Music is My Boyfriend is officially back on the air for the fall semester, starting this coming Sunday. Very exciting indeed. You can expect excellent music, random babblings about music (in what has been called my "sexy radio voice"), and occasional themed shows/concert ticket give aways all semester long. I, however, won't expect you to actually listen to the live broadcast. For, sadly, Music is My Boyfriend will be airing every Sunday from 6-8 a.m.

But thankfully, WRUW's Handy-Dandy Web Archiving makes it possible for you to listen at your leisure. Simply go to the WRUW Program Guide for Sunday, and right-click/"Save Target As" the 56k link to the right of Music is My Boyfriend. And magically, that week's edition of Music is My Boyfriend will be on your computer in mp3 form! Archives are only kept for one week after they are recorded.
The website has not yet been updated for the brand new schedule, and probably won't be for a few weeks. So for the moment, download the mp3 file for 2-Tone Army, which was in the Sunday 6-8am slot this summer.

My first show will be this Sunday, September 11th. Should be interesting getting used to such an incredibly early time. Especially considering that I've never been a huge fan of mornings.

In other WRUW-related news, Studio-A-Rama, the station's anual outdoor *FREE* concert is this Saturday, September 10th in the Mather Memorial Courtyard. Magnolia Electric Co. is our headliner, and many other local Cleveland bands will be playing too; music Starts at 2pm. See the WRUW Press Release for a band schedule and more details.

Fun and music all around!

My Sexy Ass Has Got Him In a New Dimension

2005-09-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Don't ever let the pop stop. I'm so addicted.

I was going through Fluxblog today downloading songs before they're taken down, and came across the Pop Gem "Push the Button" by Sugababes. An mp3 can be downloaded here. It has been posted for awhile, so be snappy with the downloading. The song can also be heard on their website (linked above).

The lyrics make very little sense, but I love it. Catchy, sexy, playful, and fun. Definitely going to be dancing and singing in my underwear to this one.

Update: I got a chance to listen to some of the songs off of Sugababes older cd Angels With Dirty Faces, and I can't say I was too impressed. I suppose everyone lucks out with a super catchy pop song every now and then.

Also, I watched the video for "Push the Button" off of their website. It's fairly stereotypical "look at me dance, I am hot" fare. The girls dance in an elevator waiting for three guys dispersed on various floors to push the button for the elevator. The play off of the song title is somewhat amusing. But by far the best part is the choice of boy for the Blonde Sugababe. He's a complete dweeb, and looks very overwhelmed by her hotness. Nerds are so cute.

You Too Can Be A Model

2005-09-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

I ran across an interesting post on Boing Boing yesterday. The short post talks about newly developed garments specifically for potentially suicidal prisoners. The product site can be seen here.

I had never really thought about such issues before, and hadn't heard of the traditional--and degrading--practices used to deal with these prisoners. Such a situation does present an odd challenge. And I'm sure that belittling already suicidal prisoners by forcing them to strip naked doesn't help the situation. So the new clothing is certainly a worthwhile invention.

But I think the inventors may want to rethink their advertising techniques a bit. I mean, just look at that picture.

Now, I understand that in advertising it makes the most sense to show your product being used in a realistic environment. A picture of this being worn by children on a playground just wouldn't get the point across. But picking the craziest looking people you can find to model your clothing for suicide risk prisoners may not be the best idea. Especially when they look like they've been given the direction "look like you want to kill yourself". Even though it does make for one hilarious picture.

Looking on the bright side, this means that I might still be able to pull off that modeling career after all!

LCD Soundsystem Video "Tribulations"

2005-08-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

LCD Soundsystem has a new video out for their song "Tribulations." Watch it here (.mov). The video is excellent, and really plays around with the borders between reality and film. It actually reminds me of some of my favorite surrealist paintings by Magritte. I've watched the video once, but I definitely want to watch it again, paying more attention to all the little details. I wonder how they pulled off a lot of those effects. Very cool, indeed.

The first time I heard this song (I think) was at the Deerhoof concert I went to back in May. They played it in between sets. Nearly all of the kids around me thought it was the Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch" because of the similar opening beats. They were all "singing along," and hardly any of them realized it was an entirely different song. hehehe

I certainly like this song (and video) much much better. Although it's very true that we're "nothing but mammals."

Homeless Neurotic

2005-08-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

After a summer of shuffling from one place to another and moving myself into my dorm room, I have reached a conclusion: I hate moving.

It's not that I don't enjoy going to new places. I love traveling, and have been known to get bored if I stay in one place too long. But there is a huge difference between moving and traveling. When you travel, you still have a place you can call home awaiting your return. When you're constantly moving, however, you really don't have a definite "home".

Being a college student, I suppose my parents' house would be my "home." But ever since they moved 14 hours away from where I grew up, the folks' place really doesn't feel too homey. More than anything else, it is where all of my stuff lives. And since the life of a student is filled with moves from dorm to dorm, and from school to random summer location, etc. I don't have any other place to claim for myself. I'm not especially bothered by this. I've gotten sort of used to the whole college student life, considering I've lived in dorms for 5 full years now. Such a wandering nomad. ha

But each move reminds me of a personal trait I often forget about. I am incredibly anal when it comes to my living space. But I never realize it until I'm forced to up-and-move to a new place. Once I've got things set up in a nice orderly fashion, I am happy. But until then, I plain hate it.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to actually being able to settle down in a place for more than a year.

iPod Sluts 2

2005-08-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

As discussed in a previous post, I want to start a large-scale iPod exchange program on the Case Campus. I'm not completely sure on how I'll go about starting a group. But, I've at least taken a first step!

To get an estimate of student interest in such a program, I started a facebook group called "iPod Sluts." So, any Case students who are interested, you can join the group here. Spread the word!

Comments, Questions, and Ideas about the program welcomed.

P.S. I'm not a huge fan of facebook, but it was the best type of forum for such a project. If you're interested but aren't on facebook (and don't want to be), just let me know via IM, email, or commenting here.

I Need a Million Hearing Aids, STAT!

2005-08-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

While packing up for school today, I had MTV's TRL (Total Request Live) on in the background. I don't really know why. Part laziness--not wanting to change the channel to find something decent to watch--part curiosity as to what's "popular" nowadays, I guess.

After watching their top 20 countdown, I have come to a conclusion. Preteen America is suffering an amazing epidemic of deafness. It is the only logical conclusion as to why they regularly and willingly subject themselves to such suckitude (with a few minor exceptions, but my guess is those are just flukes). It could be a rising increase in masochist tendencies among youth, but that seems doubtful considering the large amounts of gleefull cheering they do for their favorite acts. Deafness is the only explanation.

I wonder what natural phenomenon could have caused such wide spread hearing loss. So strange. Doctors, you best get on this. Hearing aids all around!

Express + Gang of Four = wtf, Mate?

2005-08-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

During more shopping with the mother today, I noticed something incredibly bizare:

Gang of Four was being played in Express.

Several odd things about this.

1) While they don't play terrible music in Express, I can't say that I've been overwhelmed by their selections either. Plus, post/dance-punk certainly isn't their style. I expect things like Jamiroquai and Kylie Minogue from Express. Not Sonic Youth and Gang of Four.

2) Most amusing, though, is the fact that Gang of Four was being used as background music in a mall store. The Definitive Source described the hilarity of such a situation quite well:

I think it's hilarious that Gang of Four was being played while people were shopping. . . because of the obvious Marxist critique in their songs. They spent great amounts of effort deriding consumer culture, and now they've been commodified and turned into background music while women try on clothes.

Somehow I doubt that Express is a terribly Marxist organization. . .

See Alanis, this is irony.

P.S. TDS would like me to note that he does not necessarily condone or agree with Marxism. He is a huge Gang of Four fan despite disagreeing with their politics.

The Soundtrack Police

2005-08-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

This evening, I watched Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason with my parents. I can't say I was overwhelmed with the film. As with the majority of sequels, disappointing compared to the first. Too bad.

Amusingly (and not too surprisingly), the only definitive criticism of the film I can come up with is their music selection choices. The music wasn't especially bad, but it just didn't seem to fit that well. It was pretty obvious that they selected songs based on their popularity, rather than their melding with the storyline and scenes.

The scene that brought this to my attention:
While Colin Firth fights with Hugh Grant over the latter's possible relations with Bridget, The Darkness' popular hit "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" plays in the background.

Ok, I suppose 80s-esque rock is fitting for a brawl. But if any song by The Darkness is to acompany a lovers' quarrel, the only possible choice is "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman, Mother Fucker." I mean, come on!

Now that I think about it, I'm amazed that I haven't seen "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman, Mother Fucker" used for a fight scene yet. I have a feeling it'd be delightful. I suppose it's their loss. They decided to sacrifice possible screen gold for popularity. What a shame.

The Emperor's New Clothes

2005-08-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

In the good ol' Back-to-School spirit, I've been doing a decent amount of clothing shopping with my mother recently. Generally, shopping for clothes is something I loathe. At least if I have something(s) in particular that I need to find. I really enjoy looking at clothes. It's great fun. Trying things on, however, is usually a very different story. For many years, I swore that all designers were given a mannequin version of me to make sure that all clothes made did not fit or flatter my figure. After most shopping trips, I am completely sure of my hideousness and am ready to live in sweatpants.

But, recent shopping expeditions have proved very different. I attribute the vast improvement to two things:

1) I've finally thrown up my hands and sworn off all Juniors Departments and teen-targeted clothing. They may be trendy and cute, but those things just plain don't fit a girl like me. And having moved on to more adult clothes, I must say that I'm thrilled to find styles and cuts that don't require a Walking-Stick-esque body. My hips are finally finding the acceptance they needed.
Not to mention, the little kid inside me who still loves the idea of playing dress-up is having a field day. I get almost giddy thinking of cute "grown up" outfits I can put together. Yes, I am the type of girl who still requires that skirts pass the twirl test.

2) A complete lack of caring about sizes. Before, I used to worry when I had to get a bigger size of something. Somehow, I took it as a personal "you are getting fat" from the item of clothing. But having tried on jeans almost identical to a pair I own (which fit very well), and requiring a larger size AND shorter length, I came to the conclusion that almost all women's clothing sizes mean nothing. So, who cares. If it fits, great. I'll take the XXXL, thanks.

I Guess Mornings Aren't Completely Terrible...

2005-08-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

Let the pop-act mocking continue!

Today, I (somewhat unwillingly) rolled out of bed before 12am. A very rare occurrence for me during my stays at home. But, my efforts at least yielded some personal amusement.

While sleepily eating breakfast, The Today Show was on in the background, and I happened to see Hilary Duff's live performance of her new hit "Wake Up." Video of this can be seen here (Windows Media).

All I can say is that Hil's got some really smart people working for her. The attempt to cover up her lack of singing talent is well done--and soooo obvious. Between the reverb and excessive background singers, you really don't hear her voice at all. The real Hilary does pop out once near the end of the bridge. Reverb and background singers cut out, and it's just her meek little off-key voice by itself. Sad, really. While it's shameful to deceive people with these musical tricks, the consideration of the public's ears is much appreciated. I don't think I could stand it if we actually heard her sing live the whole time.

The kids and the hosts seemed to really like the show, despite it's fakeness. I wonder if her Mom tried to beat up anyone at this show...

80's Goes Teh Suck

2005-08-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Listening to the The Spandex Years on WRUW the other day, I heard a song that is surely in the top running for The Lamest Cover Of All Time Award.

Apparently, the "Christian punk" band Relient K, of "Be My Escape" (undeserved) fame, has recorded a cover of the 80's hit "Manic Monday" by The Bangles. The hilarity that resulted can be heard in full by downloading the archived Spandex Years show here (click the 56k link. Available until 8/20 only!). The song appears approximately 49 minutes into the file if you don't want to listen to the whole thing. But if you enjoy good 80's music, I highly recommending sitting through the 2 hours. A short clip of this terrible cover (and oh so many others) can be heard at the MySpace page for the Punk Goes 80's compilation it appears on.

So many things to insult, I hardly know where to begin.

On Relient K:

Why do they need 2/3 guitars? I hear no counter melodies. I don't hear anything that requires more than a guitar, a bass, and drums. Two theories as to why they need the extra instrumentation:
1) If they have at least two of them playing the same part, between the two/three of them, the melody will actually get played.
2) One or two of them just wanted to get laid, and so they added the members on unnecessarily. Since it's lame to play the tambourine, they just stuck a guitar in their hands. The main problem with this theory being that they're a "Christian" group, and joining such a band for the purpose of getting action seems....somewhat contrary. But it is still highly plausible. I'm sure plenty of pre-teens are willing to "be their escape."

On Punk Goes 80's:

Not a single band on this compilation is "punk." And don't argue that they're "pop punk," because that term means nothing. It just indicates pop that's a little heavy on guitar. This certainly bears no resemblance to punk music in it's original form (i.e. Sex Pistols, The Ramones, etc).

I also don't understand the notion that speeding a song up makes it "punk." I'm sorry, but it doesn't. It makes it (gasp!) faster. It also makes it worse if the arrangement doesn't merit the speeding up, as the Relient K ditty highlights.

This song is just so horribly bad; it almost becomes good. Awesomely bad, perhaps? I find myself listening to it just to giggle. In particular, the slow emotional ending that takes the song far too seriously. How can they sing "I wish it were a Sunday, cause that's my fun day" as if they were singing about a new young love and not crack up laughing?

That may very well be my only credit to this song. Relient K's amazing ability to take themselves and this song seriously despite the multitude of reasons not to.

"I feel so deliciously white trash"

2005-08-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ah, the American South. This amusing video captures some of the pervasive stereotypes of Southern life (via Boing Boing).

My entire extended family living well below the Mason-Dixon Line, and having spent a decent amount of time in North Carolina and Virginia recently, I can say that these stereotypes certainly don't apply to all southerners.

The video is still hilarious, nonetheless.

Cruel Intentions, Staring Mom and Dad

2005-08-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Parents, for the most part, are well intentioned in their actions. I often remind myself of this in dealings with my mother and father. It helps prevent the typical teenage "MY PARENTS ARE TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE!!!" reaction to parental interaction. However, lately I've been wondering if these well-meaning parents ever keep their goals in mind when dealing with their children. Because with my parents, usually what they do and what they mean to do are about as closely related as me and Hilary Duff.

My parents have always been reasonably supportive of me and my academic persuits. They're proud of my accomplishments, and encourage me. They usually have the "find what makes you happy and do it" attitude.

Except now that I've been pondering less science-oriented careers, their reactions to discussions of such changes reveal a modified philosophy of "find what will get you a job and money, and do it." Yet, they still claim to only be interested in my happiness. Apparently, rolling your eyes at the mention of non-scientific fields, and discrediting my reasons for disliking scientific research are actions of someone trying to be suportive of my search for a fulfilling career. Odd.

Of course, I sort of suspected such things from my engineer father. As with most engineers (and scientists), he sees science and engineering as the only worthwhile fields. And of course, if you go into anything else you'll end up an unemployed bum. Particularly with engineers, if you go into anything that's not completely practical (i.e. something artistic or more academically founded), it is seen as a complete waste of time.

As a previous post indicates, I completely disagree with my father's notions. For the most part, that's what I find so frustrating with his sudden lack of support--the fact that it's based on ridiculous principles. There's also the fact that my confusion about what I want to do is not at all helped by my parents disliking a lot of the things I've pondered persuing.

Oh well. I've never been one to compromise my desires just for other people, so I don't suppose I'll start now. But still, this incident (among several other unrelated ones) really make me wonder if my parents ever think before they speak and act. They may mean well, but intentions hardly matter when they rarely come across.

Lazy Drunkards

2005-08-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Finally! I have access to a computer where I can upload pictures!

In celebration of this fact, let's look at a picture from this summer's adventures. Below, we can see Matt (aka The Definitive Source) posing with a product found in the wine section of a Farm Fresh in Newport News Virginia.

The product our lovely Vanna is displaying here, as you can see, is incredibly classy. Take a look at the description found on the box:

Not only can you get drunk on a box filled with "premium wine beverage" (i.e. watered down, flavored wine), but they also give you to the cups!

Honestly, how lazy can people get? Can we not even be bothered to find cups in which to put our liquors?

Kylie Fever

2005-08-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Looks like I'm not the only one thoroughly enjoying Kylie Minogue's poppiness at the moment. Fluxblog posted "Sweet Music" today. Nothing beat's a pop song about making pop songs!

You know you want to go download it. There's no sense in denying it.

I promise, no one is looking.

Pop Me One, Right In the Face

2005-07-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

As my updated "Ear's Current Cravings" section shows, I've had insatiable pop cravings lately. The music snob in me sometimes feels guilty about my ridiculous affinity for well done pop. But, under current circumstances, I'm not being too hard on myself. Partly because I think, deep down, we all love pop. Some just admit it more openly than others. You know that all the stereotypical emo kids switch out the Bright Eyes cd for some Destiny's Child and sing along happily when no one's looking. If not DC, then some other poppy artist. Everybody's got their "guilty pleasures".

The other reason I'm guilt-free about my pop bingeing is that, honestly, I need it. In the last week, I have redone all of the analysis for my internship research project 3 times, while trying to make a poster, and write a paper (possibly for publication) about these constantly changing results. Thinking is too much to ask of me right now. I need happy, peppy, easy going music that doesn't ask much of me other than to perhaps sing along from time to time.

I need to write Kylie Minogue a letter of thanks. Fever kept me sane today during the most recent (and hopefully the last) re-working of results. I can't feel stressed or worried when I'm Burning Up (baby).

So Many Australians, So Awesome.

2005-07-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention (thanks, Jay) that Architecture in Helsinki has a new video out. The song, "Do the Wirlwind," is one of the many excellent songs off of their newest album In Case We Die. It also happens to be featured on one of my exclusive summer mixed cds this year. So clearly, it's quality.

Anyways, the video can be seen via Yahoo!'s Launch here. It's very silly, playful, Super Nintendo era animation--very fitting for their youthful and vibrant sound. I love it. Though, I would be curious to see a video featuring the whole lot of 'em with all their instruments.

P.S. In case you're unfamiliar with the band and/or don't have access to their material, the new album can be streamed off of their website (linked above). Je l'aime.

The Z Makes It Awesome!

2005-07-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

The somehow popular kids compilations of pop songs known as Kidz Bop completely baffles me. I don't understand the appeal of any manufactured compilation cds of this sort, really. (Now That's What I Call Crap, Volume 22!) But this phenomenon in particular has me especially curious.

These kid rockers (and you know they rock, because it's Kidz Bop) are obviously reasonably popular. They wouldn't have 8 editions of the stuff if it wasn't selling. But, why ? What is the appeal of kids shouting along to popular songs? And more importantly, why can't kids listen to the original versions of the songs? It's not like Kidz Bop changes the lyrics of the songs to make them more age-appropriate. They just add the overly excited yelling of children.

But, I suppose I shouldn't bother tryng to understand this bizare trend. I'd rather just laugh at it. Sound clips of the kid screaming can be found here . I'm particularly fond of their version of Amerie's "1 Thing." Kid shouts have an odd effect on that incredibly catchy, sex-filled song. I'm also curious about the ending of U2's "Vertigo". That's got to be chock full of ridiculous cheering and mayhem. The full Franz Ferdinand rendition can be found here, thanks to Stereogum. I don't think Gang of Four inspired post/dance-punk and a choir of children mix too well.

When it comes to laughing at Kidz Bop, nothing beats the video for their version of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" (the link is on the right-hand side of the page). Kids rocking out to bad music played by furry-esque animal musicians. Honestly, does anything more need to be said?

My Alcoholiday

2005-07-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

This post comes a little bit after the fact, but the ending weeks of my internship are getting pretty busy. Having to actually turn things in does that.

Anyways, last weekend I journeyed to Greensboro, North Carolina to see The Definitive Source (TDS) [Also known as Matt]. The primary reason for my visit being to see Teenage Fanclub kick off their U.S. tour at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill. Partly, I wanted to see a concert with TDS, since his music geekery makes him an ideal concert companion. But the opportunity to see these power-popping Scotlanders (that rarely tour the U.S.) live was certainly reason enough for the journey.

The Rosebuds, a local North Carolina band, opened, and are opening throughout the tour. They were a good opening band. I wasn't blown away, but they have a nice sound. They sometimes have too much of an affinity for choruses entirely composed of yeahs, ohs, or whoas. Don't get me wrong, I love yeahs, ohs, and whoas. But in moderation. It also takes some real skill to master the art of non-repetitious repetition. That sentence sounded very...repetitious.

After the long equipment-shift pause between bands, which was filled with lots of shuffling around in the crowd to avoid me being stuck behind tall people, Teenage Fanclub came on stage. From the very opening song, I was very impressed with their musicianship and talent. Their vocal harmonies sounded delightful; very well balanced, which can be difficult to pull off live. And the guitars--all three of them--excellent. They don't simply wail away at the things, attempting a non-stop rock out, like some bands mistakenly do. They practice just enough restraint that when they do really let things go, it's a perfect contrast. Don't think they didn't rock. Trust me, they did. Norman, one of the guitarists, broke a string during one song and just kept right on going.

The band also had a great stage presence. You could really tell that they love playing, and they don't take themselves too seriously. Norman, the primary speaker for the band (the others seemed a bit shy about speaking to the crowd), forgot what album one of their songs was on, announcing "And it was on.....one of our records. I don't know." Even more charming was his frankness about the encore: "We've got one song left, and then we're going to go backstage and pretend the show is over. And then we'll come out and play a few more songs." All said with his thick (and wonderful) Glasgow accent.

After said encore, the crowd seemed intent on having a second, but sadly they did not come back out. And despite playing an excellent set full of wonderful songs, they didn't play one of Matt's very favorites, Alcoholiday. But, he did get a set list to take home. Always an excellent concert memento.

There was an interesting mix of people in the crowd. It was about one third indie hipsters, one third older folks, and one third random people, some who seemed to have just wandered in on a whim. I heard one guy lean over to some girls and ask "Are these guys from Scotland or something?" Gee, I wonder. . .

Ass-Face, the Blue Ribbon Winner

2005-07-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Late night TV is some real slim pickin's. I just found myself watching a dog show on Animal Planet. Sheesh.

I really don't understand dog shows. At all. Look at this monstrosity of a dog that won the Eukanuba Tournament of Champions in Harrisburg Pennsylvania (Jeffery the Pekingese was the winner, he's first in the line of video clips to chose from). That thing is a giant puff of hair with a face that looks like a butt.

Yeah, sure, they judge the dogs based on the standards of their breed. But good lord! That is an ugly dog!

I'll Willy Your Wonka

2005-07-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

I just got back from seeing the new Tim Burton remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was originally pessimistic about the outcome of this movie. I generally dislike remakes, and I was skeptical about Johnny Depp replacing Gene Wilder. But, I really liked it--I mean, really liked it.

The remake was able to use new-fangled fancy-pants special effects to its benefit. I can usually forgo the special effects; most movies now are unnecessarily filled with them. But modern special effects really allowed them to capture the far-out, beyond-your-wildest-dreams nature of Willy Wonka's factory. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is actually one of the few Roald Dahl books I haven't read, but having read the majority of his other books, I think Burton's depiction of the factory and all of the crazy antics were along the lines of what he envisioned.

The Oompa Loompas . . . Awesome. Their song and dance scenes were some of the most amusing parts of the film. The song for Veruca Salt sounded like it could be on the next Super Furry Animals record. I must say, I'm envious of the Oompas' dance moves and groovin' skills. It was also nice to see them, well, not so orange.

Otherwise, I think the movie had just the right amount of weird humor. The comedy wasn't overwhelmingly slapstick, and it wasn't too subtle either. It was delightfully odd, and hilarious. Though, Wonka running into his glass elevator doors twice was a bit too much to me. It almost seemed like a last minute attempt to get some kid-directed humor into the movie, just in case.

Johnny Depp is definitely cut out to portray a cooky, crazy guy. (But didn't we already know that?) There was also just enough sinister in his Willy Wonka to make it interesting. He didn't try to replace Gene Wilder by any means. It was very neat to see the different ways the actors interpreted the character.

The only thing I didn't like so much about the film was the addition of Wonka flashbacks. Not having read the book, I can't say if they were a complete Burton creation, or if they were in fact adding a part of the book originally left out. Either way, they didn't really seem necessary to me. They provided some insight into why Willy Wonka was so odd, sure. But do we really need to know? I prefer him mysterious. The only other purpose they served was adding "yay families!" push at the end. Yeah, ok. It's a movie that many kids are going to want to see, so you include a nice little moral-of-the-story ending. But it just seemed forced. Besides, even without that addition, the story has a moral: don't be a brat.

This certainly isn't a movie entirely aimed at children. There's a lot of odd humor more for adults, and there's a squirrel scene that would have terrified me when I was little. But not surprisingly, there were a lot of kids there. I got a real kick out of seeing a movie in a theater filled with kids. The random shouting gives you another thing to laugh at. There's also all the children parading in and out to use the bathroom. One girl felt the need to hop down every step on her way out to the potty. So funny. Some might find it distracting, but every now and then, I like it.

On the whole, it was $6.50 well spent. If only to see the synchronized swimming, dancing, singing Oompa Loompas on the screen, and the hopping little girls in the aisles.

Comments, Questions, Concerns?

2005-07-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Related to my last post, I have a request.

One of my many new goals is to improve Music Is My Boyfriend for the upcoming fall semester. [For those unaware, Music Is My Boyfriend is my show on WRUW, which I started this past spring. I'm assuming I will get to continue with it this fall.] I only did a few themed shows in the spring, and I'd like to change that.

I've come up with a few theme ideas, and am slowly working on coming up with track lists to go with them. A few possibilities are:

Covers and their Originals
Sampling: Songs that sample, and the originating songs
Non-Traditional uses of guitar over the ages
References: Songs that reference other songs/artists/etc. and music the music they allude to
Track # day: Songs that are the blank-th track off the album they appear on
Another tribute to the handclap (That was easily one of my best shows)

The Request: Thoughts on these (suggestions for songs to include and so on), or new theme suggestions?

Underachievers, Please Try Harder

2005-07-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Summer always presents me with a confusing conflict of interests. Summer is vacation time. Time to be lazy, sit around doing nothing particularly ambitious--to recover from the academic year just passed and to rest up for the coming one. I start my summers in this traditional fashion. Mid-May, I can most often be found sitting on my posterior watching one of the millions of episodes of Law and Order on TV (At any given time, some channel, somewhere, is playing an episode. I swear, Ice-T is inescapable.). Or perhaps sleeping. I do a lot of that too.

But somewhere around early July, my typical overachiever-nerd habits return. I find myself making all sorts of ridiculous plans for future projects and setting absurdly high goals. There's nothing especially wrong or unnatural about this. I've always been a little too high-reaching for my own good. Only problem is that by the time I get around to the meat of my projects, school starts again and I am too burned out by work to persue my side projects with the fervor and gusto they deserve. I spite my work for taking me away from the things I'd rather be doing, and feel like a slacker for never carrying through with my original plans.

I don't know that the cycle will ever be broken. I can tell that I'm already a bit over my head for the fall. That is, if I am to keep all my self-made promises and my obligations. Some are things I've been meaning to do for years, some more recently developed desires.

Overachiever trapped inside an underachiever, I suppose.

Internet Induced ADD

2005-07-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

About an hour ago, I put a tea bag into a mug of hot water and sat down at the computer to pass time as I waited for it to seep.

About 5 minutes ago, I remembered that I was once in the process of making tea.

The internet is a damn distracting thing! Time seems to fly by whenever I sit down at a computer to do my usual perusing of websites. Maybe with all this information traveling near the speed of light, time dilation occurs in the computer frame of reference.....

Some length contracting links:

Apparently Xiu Xiu is going to play at The Spot (Case Western Reserve University's campus bar). To be honest, I can't see too many Case kids liking that show, but nice work getting good acts, UPB!

Said the Gramaphone's got some great mp3's up lately. Recommendations here, there, and everywhere.

STOP THE EMO!!!!!! [wmv] (courtesy of Music (for robots)) Watch all the way through. The thank you is my favorite part.

Technologically savy Ukulele players' prayers have been answered. (courtesy of BoingBoing.)

A small sampling, I suppose, will have to do for now. Beds are too comfortable, and I am too willing to give in. After all, sleeping is giving in.

Hold On a Second, I've Got a Call...

2005-07-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about it lately, and I really, really hate cell phones.

I have one of my own, but it was forced on me by my parents. The only reason I agreed was because of the free long distance on nights and weekends, and because they were paying for it. As I'm sure many of my friends are painfully aware, I rarely pay attention to it, or keep it with me for that matter. There's a reason my voicemail message is "Hey, it's Amy. You know how much attention I pay to my cell phone." If I look at it, it's usually to make a call, because it's making some annoying beeping noise, or to use it as an alarm. I wish others would do the same.

I know I'm not the first person to note this, but cell phones have caused rampant rudeness. If two people are at a restaurant having a nice conversation, it would be incredibly ill-mannered for one of them to turn to another table mid-conversation and start chatting with someone new. But nowadays, cell-phoners do this on a regular basis. Perhaps even more exaggeratedly so, since they strike up new conversations with people who-knows-where.

When I was venting about this to someone the other day, they commented that perhaps this widespread cellular crudeness happened because the technology came around after the days of etiquette. Maybe so. We're certainly far less concerned about manners than our ancestors--less likely to take offense.

I can't quite decide if this evolution is a good thing. But I do know that technology should not interfere in our everyday lives as much as cell phones tend to. I talk with people and am blown off at the ring (or vibrate) of a phone. I go to concerts and have my view obstructed by people holding up their cell phones to let a friend hear the music, or to take pictures. Time is wasted in my classes reminding people to turn them off, or dealing with interrupting calls. Movies, plays, performances of any kind now feel the need to take time at the beginning of shows to tell people to turn them off.

It reminds me of junior high when every kid just had to have one of those virtual pets. They would bring it to class, where it would beep and buzz constantly, much to every teacher's delight. Those things eventually had to be banned. I wouldn't be at all surprised if many schools have banned cell phones.

I understand why we have them. They're absolutely wonderful in the case of an emergency. They can really come in handy in sometimes. But I see some people, and I'm amazed that their faces don't have permanent indendations where their phone goes. Since when was it impossible to live without a phone at your constant disposal?

I'm certainly not anti-technology. I went into withdrawl after 2 days without my computer and can't imagine life without it. And there certainly are people who have cell phones and use them politely, responsibly. But it seems like the large majority of the population is back in junior high, thrilled about their new toy, and insisting on taking it and using it everywhere.

You know, you can always call them back. It's ok to not answer sometimes.

Don't Tell Me Not To Blog, Bucco.

2005-07-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Five days a week, eight hours a day, I can be found sitting in little cubicle #4, generally bored out of my mind. To break up the monotony, I usually wander the internet aimlessly and often find some interesting stuff. Today, I came across this article from Chronicle Careers. I found it both thought provoking and annoying. But mostly annoying.

The article talks about the influence job applicants' blogs played in the selection process, and concludes with a very strong "Don't Blog if you want a job" push. Eww.

Now, I understand one of the main points of the article and wholeheartedly agree. People who use blogs as personal diaries, publishing all of their neuroses to anyone and everyone who want to read it, are just asking for trouble. Employers certainly have a right to read applicants' blogs, and to judge the person for their dabblings in internet publishing. So if you use your blog as a forum to discuss your craziness, good luck!

I've never quite understood the whole concept of blogs as online (i.e. public) diaries. I have a warm spot in my heart for actual hand written (what?! People still use pen and paper? gasp !), personal journals. Maybe I'm just a romantic, or old fashioned, but I prefer them. It may also have something to do with my love of notebooks. I have no idea why, but even if I have no use for them, I like having nice notebooks.

My preference isn't entirely for privacy reasons, either. There are no locks on any of my journals (I have lots of them, even though none are full. Like I said, notebook weakness). If people ask me to read them--and actually a pretty decent amount have--I have no objections. But, there is a huge difference between acquaintances being able to access my thoughts and publishing them for anybody and everybody to read. I just don't see the need for that. There's also the fact that I doubt anyone would care. I have had both livejournal and xanga accounts before due to the urgings of friends, but I almost never updated them (as you can see). Mostly because I didn't like the whole concept behind them. I actually update this, though, because I like using blogs for discussing ideas and prodiving information, instead of just being a place where I can tell you all about my latest gossip.

Of course, I can't sit here and say that this blog is entirely impersonal. Most things I write about are related in some way to my life and things I'm going through. And of course, everything written here contains my opinions (directly or indirectly). But, this is by no means my online diary.

While I agree with the idea that people who publish diaries online are just asking for trouble, I completely disagree with the article's argument that all blogging is harmful to bloggers' future employment and otherwise. Yes, bloggers publish raw, unedited opinions for everyone to see. Yes, anyone can read these opinions and make their own judgements about the person and the ideas expressed there. But how is this any different from sitting down and having an intellectual discussion or argument with this person? If anything, employers should encourage people to submit blogs of this type. It gives you an insight into the interests, thoughts, and personality of a person. Certainly more so than stuffy, uptight resumés and interviews. Yes, in the end, what the employers learn about the person via their blog may end up being the reason they aren't hired. But, can this not go both ways? Even though it will cause rejections, if they are based on a better understanding of who the applicants are, perhaps it would facilitate better hiring decisions.

I'm not about to shut up just because I aspire to live in something more comfortable than a box. Future employers: Read what I write and like it or don't. I see no reason to censor myself because people might happen to use it later to learn more about me.

Je Suis...Not so Bien Calée

2005-07-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Indeed. Today, replacing the "bien calée" with "un stupid-head" would be a bit more accurate. [For those non-French speakers, the literal translation of "je suis bien calée" is "I am good/very clever." However, as my blog description points out, the actual phrase means "I am very full."]

Yes, mes amis, today I was humbled beyond belief when I joined the "I locked my keys in my car" club.

In rushing to get to lunch with the rest of the interns, I got out of the car, grabbed my wallet, and in doing so put down my keys. My lack of keys once outside of my car, which I always lock as I get out of, went unnoticed until about half way between my car and the door. The train of thought went something like this:

Hmmm, I'm not carrying very much.
That's weird. I usually have more with me than this.
[small pause]
Wait, why don't I have--FUCK!!!--my keeeeeeeeeys!!!!

Luckily, all hope was not lost. I had driven to the mall (where we were meeting to eat. Yeah, not my choice) by myself, because I needed to leave a bit early, having a meeting with my mentor at 1pm--We summer interns are wonderful at taking long leisurely lunches. And, being my practical, level-headed self, I always keep my vallet key in a reasonable place. In this case, my room back at the lab. So, I was able to hitch a ride back with some of the other interns, get my vallet key, and then get a ride back to the mall to retrieve my beloved Bebop. I felt awful for being such a burden, but the intern giving me a ride was happy to, since it provided him an excuse not to return to work. I managed to be only 10 minutes late to my meeting.

All in all, it wasn't a complete disaster. But it certainly made me feel quite the fool. If I were able, I would have hung my head in shame. I was amazed by how helpless it made me feel. My car was right there! But I couldn't do anything with it! It's a bit like having a great cd and no cd player, graham crackers and no nutella, etc. etc. Useless. Not ironic, like having 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife, though. Because we all know that such a situation is just so ironic. Ahh, Alanis. You silly Canadian with no understanding of irony.

Anyways, I got served. Big time. By a little bit of molded metal.
Quite humbling indeed.

Spiff 'n' Span

2005-07-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the musical trend of the last few posts, I decided to spiffify the blog a bit by adding a new link section: "The Ear's Current Cravings." So, in case anyone cares, they can now find out what cd's I can't stop listening to at the moment.

And just a note on the title. The "Ear's" is not a grammatical error. If you know me, you will know why.

The Whoring Must Go On!

2005-07-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I have built up a reputation of being, well, a bit of a whore. I am by no means sexually promiscuous; I prefer to slut it up musically. When I find good music, I let as many people know about it as possible, and give them access to it any way I can.

Now, I may be away from Case's delightful sharing network, and I may be restricted to government regulated computers on which I can't so much as change the screen saver settings; but I am determined, damnit! (Luckily, thanks to the wonders of the internet--especially mp3 blogs--this isn't too hard.)

Sufjan Stevens, a very talented indie folk-esque artist setting out to release an album about each of the 50 States, released his second state-devoted album Illinois this past Tuesday. (His first, Greetings from Michigan "The Great Lake State" was released in July of 2003, and is a great listen if you haven't already heard it.) So far, I've heard only good things about the newest album. The hipsters at Pitchfork gave it a 9.2 rating, placing it at the top of 2005's albums to date.

Being a poor college student, I have not purchased the album just yet. However, at this very moment, I am listening to it in its entirety thanks to WRUW's ever-handy web archiving. I was thrilled to find that Denise of the Make Please Me Radio Hour decided to play the entire album on her show this week. So, for those of you interested, Illinois is available for your listening pleasure here (click the 56k link for The Make Please Me Radio Hour to download an mp3 of this week's show). The archives are only held for one week, so get while the gettin's good.

So far, I like what I hear, though I'll need to give it my full attention before I give a definitive verdict. Having lived in Illinois for most my life, I'm excited to hear what he has to say about the state.

And in another whoring effort, I urge everyone to go listen to Rinôçérôse's single "Bitch". Immediately. The song can be streamed from their website (linked above), and a mp3 can be found for a limited time here (thanks to FluxBlog). It inspires booty shakin' to the extreme, and is playful, sexy, rhythmic, and just awesome.

Enjoy.