Afternoon Break...Not much else to say for today.
I'll add a picture later.
Took this photo between my 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock class.
Day 276 | Wednesday, September 30 | 2009
Afternoon Break...Not much else to say for today.
I'll add a picture later.
Day 275 | Tuesday, September 29 | 2009
Boaz is here...I am so glad that Boaz is here -- he'll be in my apartment for the next month because he needed a place to stay. I can't wait for all the fun we'll have and all the things I can learn from him. He is a very interesting person with a lot of things to offer the world.
Today has been a little off-color and I am not sure why. Maybe it is because I have gotten so little sleep. I was parking today on Court Street and I made a obvious error in pulling back into traffic as I was parking, almost hitting an oncoming car. The car honked at me and the driver look quite mad. I didn't think much of it and I just went inside the store I was going to and forgot all about it. When I came out of the store and then back to my car though, someone had stuck a note in between my car door that read, "Learn how to park ASSHOLE."
So again, it hasn't been the most thrilling day based on that anecdote.
On the bright side, today was the first day of vegan cooking, I got to spend time with Caitlin, and school seems to be going okay.
I'll add the picture later.
Day 274 | Monday, September 28 | 2009
Light Bed Reading...Ha. Right.
I have a paper (albeit only 2-2 1/2 pages) that is due tomorrow in which I essentially have to compare two early 19th century Spanish plays. The task is actually relatively easy (one is a quintessential Neoclassicist play and the other is clearly Romantic) but it is utterly uninspiring. There is nothing that I would rather not be doing right now other than not writing this paper.
How's that for triple negatives?
Today is a happy day in general though. Boaz is here and I am excited for the next month. I am also excited about life in general. Lately I have been a grouch but I think that will change within the next week or so (or at least I hope so).
Day 273 | Sunday, September 27 | 2009
Sometimes Houses Look Like People...This morning at 4 AM Caitlin and I were woken up by the blaring fire alarm. We shuffled downstairs and out into the rain so that Caitlin could direct the congregation of Biddle Hall residents. It was all such a blur at first, to be woken in the middle of the night and stand in the rain in pajamas. As I started waking up, things just kept getting weirder. The rain increased and then the next thing I knew I saw Alan (one of the other RAs in Biddle) carry a handicapped resident out of the dorm door in his arms cradled like a baby. The resident was still in his white briefs underwear and it was all mad. Ben is the resident's name and he is unable to use his legs. I helped Alan hold Ben up for a couple minutes and everything just turned absurd. There we were cradling a man in his underwear in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. It started to rain harder and Ben got cold so we decided to carry him over about 200 ft to Lincoln hall so he could get dry. We waited there for about ten minutes until the police had cleared everything up and then we went back inside. After that, I had trouble falling back asleep and I when I finally did I didn't wake up until about 10:00.
Today has been mostly slow in terms of getting school work done but I have gotten a lot of other things done.
I am excited for this week even though it will be hectic. I have so much to do and so little time to do it.
Took this photograph on my street. The house looks like a face to me.
Day 272 | Saturday, September 26 | 2009
Empty Chair...It's been a few days since I've posted in 'real time.' No apologies over here though. I have been busy with school and I this will happen from time to time. There are things more important than blogs sometimes. Speaking of which, I have noticed that some of my friends have been starting blogs, wordpresses, or even tumblrs lately and it's interesting. I often wonder if such things are related in any way to what I do here on Beans with Garlic or not. If so,...welcome to the boring and somewhat static world (or in some cases even more boring) of hyper-space being.
In my daily act of posting pictures, I in no way claim to any more advantage of knowing than from one person to the next -- I am only interested in documenting a pin prick of each daily perspective as it was and can never be again. What I am not interested in doing, however, is to use this medium as a some sort of domineering soap box to push down what I think is cool down other people's throats. This is just a space for me to be; you can imitate it or blacken it all you want but I'll still remain.
.... or maybe Times New Viking says it better with their advert designed to promote their new LP Born Again Revisited ...
(pardon the language there)
Welcome to my little corner of the world!
Edit: OK, so I don't really mean 'fuck your blog' to all of my friends. Maybe I went a little too far. It was mostly satire anyways. In all honesty, I really enjoy all of my friends' blogs (except for maybe that one friend of mine's blog to which this whole rant is directed). In short, we will all perish and die in the end so trivial things like this don't matter, right?
Edit of an Edit: I am sorry for being mysterious, brooding, and spiteful. It is really not a good way to act. Flowers for everyone!
Day 271 | Friday, September 25 | 2009
Romanian Feast!..Tonight Caitlin, Leslie, and I got together for our weekly meal. I made Romanian Pilaf and Romanian Bean Mash. It turned out really great! It was all vegan too :)
Life is good and there are some exciting things that are about to happen. Dad comes tomorrow for the afternoon and the next week is sure to be great.
Day 270 | Thursday, September 24 | 2009
Perfect Day...Today was a really good day. I took Caitlin out for dinner at Casa Nueva and then surprised her with tickets to see Yo la Tengo at Stuart's Opera House.
I have never seen a music show quite like this -- the stage presence and energy exuded by the players was very zen-like. It was as if the players never felt like the music was ever really out of their control. The guitarist played like a mad man -- he was hurling and slinging his guitar around the stage like a dog stripping a bone raw. His solos and inflections were truly possessed. I am so glad I got to see this show -- it goes up there among the best shows I have ever seen for sure. Caitlin and I went with our good friend Rob and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.
Earlier on I recorded this song using my the video feed on my computer. I put some hackneyed effects on it to make it look antiquated but I don't care. The song is Nuestro Juramento by Julio Jaramillo and here are the lyrics:
Nuestro Juramento
No puedo verte triste porque me mata tu carita de pena; mi dulce amor, me duele tanto el llanto que tu derramas que se llena de angustia mi corazón.
I cannot see you sad because it kills meYour little face (full) of sorrow, my sweet love.It pains me so much, the tears that you spill,That my heart fills up with anguish.
Yo sufro lo indecible si tu entristeces, no quiero que la duda te haga llorar, hemos jurado amarnos hasta la muerte y si los muertos aman, despues de muertos amarnos más.
I suffer unspeakably if you sadden,I do not want doubt to make you cry.We have vowed to love each other until deathAnd if the dead (can) love,After dying, to love each other more.
Si yo muero primero, es tu promesa, sobre de mi cadaver dejar caer todo el llanto que brote de tu tristeza y que todos se enteren de tu querer.
If I die first, it is your promise,Over my cadaver let fallAll the tears that spring from your sadnessAnd let everyone hear of your love.
Si tu mueres primero, yo te prometo, escribiré la historia de nuestro amor con toda el alma llena de sentimiento; la escribire con sangre, con tinta sangre del corazón
If you die first, I promise you,I will write the story of our loveWith my whole spirit filled with emotion;I will write it with blood,With the tinted blood of the heart.Day 269 | Wednesday, September 23 | 2009
Another View from the Garage...Here's another hack at the September Sunrise installment I have been working on. Took this one on my way back home from spending the night at Caitlin's.
I have found that it's difficult to get a good sunrise picture without going up here on the parking garage. The good ones are out in the country but it seems that the sacrifice of getting up early enough to drive out there and investing so much time (when the time should be invested on day planning or homework assignments) just isn't worth it.
Today is Caitlin and I's monthly anniversary and I am ecstatic. We won't be able to see too much of each other today, however, because Caitlin has some ResLife commitments she needs to adhere to. Tomorrow night though I'll be taking her out to dinner and taking her to the surprise gift that I have been planning for months.
Day 268 | Tuesday, September 22 | 2009
Down the Street...My spanish teacher who teaches 19th Century Spanish Plays is on vacation to Spain this week and my other spanish teacher Spanish Civilization and Culture is in Ghana. Today and yesterday we have had Skype video conferences for the civilization and culture class and it has been really odd. Somehow, the use of technology just doesn't translate in this setting. I am guessing that if our teacher used a bigger projector or a more powerful speaker system, things would work out more smoothly. As is, the classroom dynamic has turned awkward and people are just baffled.
Played soccer tonight and I am already sore. Plyometric activity is so different than the exercising I have been used to this summer. It works the muscles more intensely and from more acute approaches than distance running. I suppose I will just have to keep taking motrin.
Day 267 | Monday, September 21 | 2009
Guitar...Caitlin came over last night and it was really sweet of her to come to comfort me. I am so lucky to have such a beautiful and compassionate person like her in my life.
Not much today except classes and cloudy weather.
As you can see, I have nixed the idea of September Sunrise in the past few posts. It has just been too impractical for me to do it in the past week.
Day 266 | Sunday, September 20 | 2009
Theory...Today was nice -- got to catch up with Julia and got some schoolwork done (principally work for music theory class). It was a little bittersweet getting together with Julia because she will be moving to California next week. If she is not moving next week then she is moving soon thereafter. She has a been a really good friend to me and I think one of the things that is making me a little sad is the fact that we came here (Athens) the same year as freshman. Here we are now six years later and I am still trying to finish college and she has earned her Masters degree at OU and is moving so far away. I will miss you Jules!
I have been having trouble getting work done lately and I think my time management system is off. I need to correct this soon or else it could be ugly. I have two tests this next week and a take home exam due next tuesday.
Day 265 | Saturday, September 19 | 2009
Listen, OK?... We know movies...Today has been a mix of feelings of strength and exuberance and times of weakness and lethargy. Last night was great -- Caitlin and I went and saw Taking Woodstock and we made dinner beforehand. It was a so-so movie but just going out and relaxing was a nice change.
Today we both worked a lot on stuff, had lunch with Evan, and then had a really great dinner with Leslie. She made us a really good butternut squash / apple casserole with a lentil soup -- so good that I got the recipe for later. It was a hit. After that, we sat around and talked for a little bit about music and movie snobbery and our experiences with it. Music and movie snobbery starts (almost always) with having a 'normal' conversation with someone and then meandering toward a ground of music or film. Oh, you like Neutral Milk Hotel? Well then you must have heard of ______'s album then. Oh, ... you haven't heard of The _____. (snob then ignores the 'less cool' person). This could be just one example of a conversation involving music snobbery and could also be applied to film too (just change band names with names of actors, directors, etc.) In either case, the snob uses the name drop as a honing device -- a way for the snob to know precisely where you stand on their own internalized map of coolness. If you keep answering the question right (if you keep saying that you have heard of the snob's bands) then you will go far.
Anyway, Caitlin and Leslie and I thought we would try to pose with some of my more 'hipster indie' films that I own to pay tribute to this snobbery. (Or at least mock it). Snob expressions and all.
Day 264 | Friday, September 18 | 2009
There is a tree in Paradise / and the pilgrims call it the tree of life...I had a little book
Was given to me
And every page
Spoke of liberty
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
There is a tree
In paradise
and the pilgrims call it
The tree of life
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
But it's too late, my friend
Too late
But never mind
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
If religion were a thing
That money could buy
Then the rich would live
And the poor would die
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
All my trials
.... soon be over
Was given to me
And every page
Spoke of liberty
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
There is a tree
In paradise
and the pilgrims call it
The tree of life
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
But it's too late, my friend
Too late
But never mind
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
If religion were a thing
That money could buy
Then the rich would live
And the poor would die
All my trials lord
.... soon be over
All my trials
.... soon be over
Day 263 | Thursday, September 17 | 2009
Deus ex machina...I didn't sleep through the sunrise today but I just didn't get a chance to take the picture. I was too busy working on homework for my 19th century Spanish Plays class.
Today wasn't too bad of a day. Although it wasn't horribly great either. A middle day.
What made today really good later though was that I got to have dinner with Larry, Jesse, and Caitlin. We made stir-fry in the wok. It was pretty good. Onions, peppers, tofu (I have been vegan for a month now!), minced garlic, broccoli, and white rice.
Day 262 | Wednesday, September 16 | 2009
Cloudy Morning...Not a lot of sun today in the morning. Later though it was a different story. Today was well spent for sure -- I got to talk to Jim at Casa, later saw Rob on the sidewalk outside of Casa, got to talk to Rob inside of Casa, and did a lot of other things that made me feel good. Things are looking up.
I even got a recipe of vegan lentil and potato stew that Susan sent me. Whoohoo! It looks tasty and I'm looking forward to making it as it gets colder out. Also, my mom recently gave me a cookbook and I am additionally thrilled about that. I am a lucky guy. What did I ever do to deserve such boundless love?? (smile on my face).
It was nice to see Caitlin too this morning (it was great that she spent the night last night) because I felt like with her SRA orientation, there wasn't really a time that she had been by where I am living. I know that there will always be things for each of us to do but it was nice for her to be here with me last night.
Day 261 | Tuesday, September 15 | 2009
Another Sunny Day...I tried working on a couple new songs last night and they sound alright. I am still doing the thing where I write the music and melody but am completely nonplussed for lyrical ideas. I want to write too much -- more than I am able to it seems. Nothing is ever good enough.
Day 260 | Monday, September 14 | 2009
Breakfast in the Morning...Cooking breakfast for Caitlin this morning might have been the best thing (if not the only thing) I have done all day.
It has been a miserable day and I am feeling disappointed with a lot of things in life -- nothing in particular.
Day 257 | Sunday, September 13 | 2009
Mom...Slept in a little today to wake up and then take a picture of my Mom right in front of the house. She was out talking to their neighbor I think.
Today Caitlin and I will go back to Athens. So much work to do -- not going to be a fun day.
Day 256 | Saturday, September 12 | 2009
Highway 32 Revisited...Today has been a wonderful day. Woke up early to get to Cincinnati by mid-morning with Caitlin. Once we hit the road we blasted Like a Rolling Stone in all its dawn-breaking glory -- it was quite great actually. The perfect song for the moment one gets onto the highway.
The day was mostly spent visiting loved ones we haven't seen in a while -- my brother Dustin, my Mom and Dad, Lee and Lea, all of my brother (and my) friends and their families, and then the Almer family. We are about to eat dinner now and are going to watch Ohio State football versus USC. Normally don't really care about football but what the hell. I just want to see my brother happy!
Day 255 | Friday, September 11 | 2009
West State Street Cemetery...How in the world has it already been 8 years since the terrorist attacks? Time has flown by so fast it is incredible. I vaguely remember the five year anniversary in 2006 and that seems like it was literally yesterday.
Anyways, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the innocent victims of the attacks eight years ago and anyone (and everyone) who were affected by the infamous terrorism.
Not much to say for today except that I am feeling a little better. I am still a little sniffly but things have calmed down a bit. I slept a good eight and a half hours last night so I am good to go. I didn't get to finish my homework but it won't be that big of a deal -- I'll get some done right now and go with the flow later. It's only the first week; teachers are more understandable now than later.
Day 254 | Thursday, September 10 | 2009
Under Construction...I am feeling a little better than yesterday because now I am taking an antibiotic and decongestant. I have a lot to do before class starts at 11 (it is now almost a quarter until 8).
Last night Kate and Gaelan came over and it was nice to visit with them. However, when they were over, I felt incredibly self-conscious about what they were thinking about me -- maybe it was because they went into my kitchen and noticed I had walnut oil. I have used that walnut oil so far for making a homemade dressing and I also have used it in making a stir fry too. Anyway, something about it last night left me nonplussed...or at least a little quieter than I would be with other friends. I mean,...the elephant in the room was basically the fact that I am spoiled in a couple ways -- I have a nice apartment all to myself, I have nice stuff to cook with, and I have nice stuff like musical instruments and equipment. Maybe they weren't thinking anything of it and maybe I should just stop worrying myself into a hole. Either way, it doesn't really matter in any lasting way.
Kate and Gaelan are nice people and have been good friends to me. In a couple weeks or so Gaelan will be leaving to South Korea to teach for at least a year. Although we didn't hang out on a regular basis, it will be sad to see him go. I'll always remember touring with Southeast Engine together (even though he was in the band just for that month or so).
Last night was rough on Caitlin; she was going through some of the blues she always feels now and again. I tried my best to be there for her. I can't put into words (or at least right now and here) of how much she means to me. I read her this poem story last night in an attempt to make things better for her:
West-Running Brook
by Robert Frost
'Fred, where is north?'
'North? North is there, my love.
The brook runs west.'
'West-running Brook then call it.'
(West-Running Brook men call it to this day.)
'What does it think k's doing running west
When all the other country brooks flow east
To reach the ocean? It must be the brook
Can trust itself to go by contraries
The way I can with you -- and you with me --
Because we're -- we're -- I don't know what we are.
What are we?'
'Young or new?'
'We must be something.
We've said we two. Let's change that to we three.
As you and I are married to each other,
We'll both be married to the brook. We'll build
Our bridge across it, and the bridge shall be
Our arm thrown over it asleep beside it.
Look, look, it's waving to us with a wave
To let us know it hears me.'
' 'Why, my dear,
That wave's been standing off this jut of shore --'
(The black stream, catching a sunken rock,
Flung backward on itself in one white wave,
And the white water rode the black forever,
Not gaining but not losing, like a bird
White feathers from the struggle of whose breast
Flecked the dark stream and flecked the darker pool
Below the point, and were at last driven wrinkled
In a white scarf against the far shore alders.)
'That wave's been standing off this jut of shore
Ever since rivers, I was going to say,'
Were made in heaven. It wasn't waved to us.'
'It wasn't, yet it was. If not to you
It was to me -- in an annunciation.'
'Oh, if you take it off to lady-land,
As't were the country of the Amazons
We men must see you to the confines of
And leave you there, ourselves forbid to enter,-
It is your brook! I have no more to say.'
'Yes, you have, too. Go on. You thought of something.'
'Speaking of contraries, see how the brook
In that white wave runs counter to itself.
It is from that in water we were from
Long, long before we were from any creature.
Here we, in our impatience of the steps,
Get back to the beginning of beginnings,
The stream of everything that runs away.
Some say existence like a Pirouot
And Pirouette, forever in one place,
Stands still and dances, but it runs away,
It seriously, sadly, runs away
To fill the abyss' void with emptiness.
It flows beside us in this water brook,
But it flows over us. It flows between us
To separate us for a panic moment.
It flows between us, over us, and with us.
And it is time, strength, tone, light, life and love-
And even substance lapsing unsubstantial;
The universal cataract of death
That spends to nothingness -- and unresisted,
Save by some strange resistance in itself,
Not just a swerving, but a throwing back,
As if regret were in it and were sacred.
It has this throwing backward on itself
So that the fall of most of it is always
Raising a little, sending up a little.
Our life runs down in sending up the clock.
The brook runs down in sending up our life.
The sun runs down in sending up the brook.
And there is something sending up the sun.
It is this backward motion toward the source,
Against the stream, that most we see ourselves in,
The tribute of the current to the source.
It is from this in nature we are from.
It is most us.'
'To-day will be the day....You said so.'
'No, to-day will be the day
You said the brook was called West-running Brook.'
'To-day will be the day of what we both said.'
'North? North is there, my love.
The brook runs west.'
'West-running Brook then call it.'
(West-Running Brook men call it to this day.)
'What does it think k's doing running west
When all the other country brooks flow east
To reach the ocean? It must be the brook
Can trust itself to go by contraries
The way I can with you -- and you with me --
Because we're -- we're -- I don't know what we are.
What are we?'
'Young or new?'
'We must be something.
We've said we two. Let's change that to we three.
As you and I are married to each other,
We'll both be married to the brook. We'll build
Our bridge across it, and the bridge shall be
Our arm thrown over it asleep beside it.
Look, look, it's waving to us with a wave
To let us know it hears me.'
' 'Why, my dear,
That wave's been standing off this jut of shore --'
(The black stream, catching a sunken rock,
Flung backward on itself in one white wave,
And the white water rode the black forever,
Not gaining but not losing, like a bird
White feathers from the struggle of whose breast
Flecked the dark stream and flecked the darker pool
Below the point, and were at last driven wrinkled
In a white scarf against the far shore alders.)
'That wave's been standing off this jut of shore
Ever since rivers, I was going to say,'
Were made in heaven. It wasn't waved to us.'
'It wasn't, yet it was. If not to you
It was to me -- in an annunciation.'
'Oh, if you take it off to lady-land,
As't were the country of the Amazons
We men must see you to the confines of
And leave you there, ourselves forbid to enter,-
It is your brook! I have no more to say.'
'Yes, you have, too. Go on. You thought of something.'
'Speaking of contraries, see how the brook
In that white wave runs counter to itself.
It is from that in water we were from
Long, long before we were from any creature.
Here we, in our impatience of the steps,
Get back to the beginning of beginnings,
The stream of everything that runs away.
Some say existence like a Pirouot
And Pirouette, forever in one place,
Stands still and dances, but it runs away,
It seriously, sadly, runs away
To fill the abyss' void with emptiness.
It flows beside us in this water brook,
But it flows over us. It flows between us
To separate us for a panic moment.
It flows between us, over us, and with us.
And it is time, strength, tone, light, life and love-
And even substance lapsing unsubstantial;
The universal cataract of death
That spends to nothingness -- and unresisted,
Save by some strange resistance in itself,
Not just a swerving, but a throwing back,
As if regret were in it and were sacred.
It has this throwing backward on itself
So that the fall of most of it is always
Raising a little, sending up a little.
Our life runs down in sending up the clock.
The brook runs down in sending up our life.
The sun runs down in sending up the brook.
And there is something sending up the sun.
It is this backward motion toward the source,
Against the stream, that most we see ourselves in,
The tribute of the current to the source.
It is from this in nature we are from.
It is most us.'
'To-day will be the day....You said so.'
'No, to-day will be the day
You said the brook was called West-running Brook.'
'To-day will be the day of what we both said.'
Day 253 | Wednesday, September 9 | 2009
East Side Sunrise...For the past few days I have been feeling sick. It started out on Monday in the middle of the night with a scratchy throat. Then yesterday with drowsiness, coughing and sneezing. Not to worry though, I went to the doctor today and I don't have H1N1; I only have a small respiratory
virus and I am on antibiotics and sinus decongestant.
I hate being sick because it saps all of my vitality. I feel like I can get nothing done.
Day 252 | Tuesday, September 8 | 2009
First Day...No sun again today at daybreak so I thought I'd wait a little bit for the sun to peak out. Sat on the corner of Court and Union Street -- just outside of Perks for this one. It is the first day of classes here at OU and the campus is teeming with returning students and newcomers alike. Of all the grief and toil that the students bring to our collective psychosomatic pulse in Athens, Ohio, I will say that there is something exciting about the energy that they bring year after year. The start of the year particularly is exciting because of the drastic difference that this town comes alive to attend classes and pursue knowledge. I think that these day-time activities are exciting enough to at least mask out some of the horrendous night-time transgressions student's make here in this small town.
Today should be a good day. First day of classes for me:
11:00 - 12:00 Spanish Civilization and Culture
1:00 - 2:00 19th Century Spanish Literature
3:00 - 5:30 Biological Anthropology
That is just today. Here is my class schedule by week all quarter:
1) MUS 101 (Music Theory) | 3 Credit Hours | Meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
10:00 - 11:00 AM
2) SPAN 348 (Spanish Civilization and Culture) | 4 Credit Hours | Meets Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
11:00 - 12:00
3) SPAN 425 (19th Century Spanish Literature) | 4 Credit Hours | Meets Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
1:00 - 2:00
4) ANTH 201 (Biological Anthropology) | 5 credit hours | Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:00 - 5:30 PM
Day 251 | Monday, September 7 | 2009
No Sun Today...I figured this would happen. Cloudy day; no sun. In lieu of a sunrise, I figured I would take a quick (and somewhat careless) photo of the front entrance of The Ridges.
Day 250 | Sunday, September 6 | 2009
Wasted...Ding Dong. Ring the bell. The students are back. Now watch as the streets are flooded with cretans, vampires, and philistines. People who suck out the blood of this town and vomit it back up on the sidewalks. Useless chatter, useless noise and violence. The degenerates have sprung a new bud; tack another one up for the party boys and girls, the gorilla men who are cock-guided, and the girls who don't know the difference and sell their bodies as meat.
Oh, ... and their are some really offensive things too about the students being back.
I would be a little more passionate about this all if I had not witnessed the exact same process year after year. It starts out as not just one thing that reminds me of my disappointment in the human race but as little vignettes or collections of things I see -- a girl sullenly vomiting into a street trash can, some meat head barking up the alley, or a group of practically naked young women swaggering down the brick streets. All in all, it always leads to the same place of feeling disappointed in the decisions that people make on how to use their time in the most selfish of ways. In the end, all of this bizarre destruction and loot is about people being selfish, wanting attention, and pleasure for themselves.
Anyway, enough about that. Last night was very lovely, despite the primordial roar and chaos of the New Blood.
Caitlin played so wonderfully and I do not know if she realizes how well she did. Her family was there and all of our close friends have had nothing but glowing things to say about her performance. I felt honored and heart-warmed to sit on stage with her as she played so poignantly and vulnerably. I was also reminded of how far I think she has come as a performer and singer-songwriter. I remember seeing her play way back when, before we had even met. Even back then I thought she was great but I believe she has improved tremendously since then and I feel lucky to see her sort of come into her own as an artist. Last night she played five songs (all originals). The names of the songs were:
Untitled
Supposed to Be
Meet Me in the Forest
Spider Dreams
Dream Avenue
I really love all of her songs but I especially love Dream Avenue. Dream Avenue currently sits and number 1 atop my iTunes top 25 most played songs of all time. I used to watch the video of her playing the song when I was in Ecuador and missing her/feeling homesick. The song, like the girl, is simply magic.
Oh yeah...I forgot to say that after looking up I noticed today is day 250 of Beans with Garlic. Woo! It is weird to think that it has been that long.
Day 249 | Saturday, September 5 | 2009
Dow Lake...I am pretty tired although I am excited for Caitlin's show tonight.
Day 248 | Friday, September 4 | 2009
East Playground...Today is my brother's 10,000th day. I am happy for him.
Took this photo on my walk home from Caitlin's. It is the East Elementary School playground. It is a beautiful day (it's been a beautiful week here).
Day 247 | Thursday, September 3 | 2009
A River Ain't Too Much to LoveI couldn't sleep very well last night. I twisted and turned throughout and didn't really end up falling asleep until 4. So it was a little extra hard to wake up this morning for this one. I took it down by the river and I am glad that I woke to take it because the sunrise was so beautiful. The mist was rising up off the river and it made everything seem like a hazy dream.
Went back to bed and woke up just now (11:49 AM). I am astonished (and slightly guilty) about the things one can do when they are temporarily out of school and without a job. I am thinking that this will be a good quarter. It will surely require a lot of work and perspiration but I am up for it.
Today should be really good. Caitlin gets off work at four and I am going to cook dinner for her. Maybe a stir fry. Maybe burritos? I don't know yet. Maybe I'll go to the store.
I had a real terrifying dream when I came back to bed this morning that involved people trying to kill me at a gas station.
Day 246 | Wednesday, September 2 | 2009
Hooper Ridge Road...With the second installment in the series that I like to call September Sunrise, here comes a photo on one of my favorite roads in Athens County. Located between Amesville and Trimble, Hooper Ridge Road is a path the winds and stretches through some of the more striking bucolic panoramas of this region. If you are ever in the area, I suggest taking a joy ride down this lovely way. Also, be on the lookout for a really interesting house that Caitlin and I like to call Copernicus Court. It's a weird structure -- has shag bark that makes up the exterior, extra wide windows, and the whole thing looks like a strange castle (the top of the house has battlements etched out as if it were trying to defend an assault from the Duke of Nelsonville).
Anyway, it was a nice ride early this morning.
Yesterday was not very productive at all. Today will be all about getting things done. In addition to getting a couple things in the mail that needed to be sent, I spent most of the day yesterday listening to a band called The Dovers. I had originally heard of The Dovers from my friend Evan who had sent me a link to their transcendental song What Am I Going To Do several months ago. He had found out about The Dovers because Bradford Cox from a band called Atlas Sound had sampled What Am I Going To Do on a song of his called Walkabout. Anyway, The Dovers are a pop band that formed in the early 60s in California, were heavily influenced by The Beatles (and doo wop), and sadly had little or no commercial success. What's so pleasant about The Dovers though is that they are one of those bands whose music hits you like a discovered treasure buried deep within the abyss of lost time. It sounds like too many things at once and hits you like a rush -- a little bit of Beatles for sure, some early Motown hints in the drumming, and the bass and vocal harmonies sound like they are straight out of something off of Stax Records soul albums. I scoured the Internet looking for a place to procure one of their recordings and soon found out that this is a nearly impossible task. All I could find was an LP for sale through Google Shopping for $45. With the recommendation of Evan though, I was later able to find a place where I could download The Dovers album We Are Not Just Anyone in its entirety -- which is here, through Cassette Cathedral. Just follow the directions and download the zip file and it should be good to go. If not, at least here is the song (with lyrics) that stood out to me upon first glance:
What Am I Gonna Do - The Dovers
Chorus
Baby, what am I going to do
Baby, what am I going to do
With you, with you
1) Oh now I heard you say, 'bout a girl who took my love away
Now (that?) she left me all alone I've no one to call my own
Chorus
2) (We?) had everything there for my love to be
But all she ever wanted was to be set free
Chorus
Bridge
Well just what do I have to do
To get your sweet lovin' from you
Do I have to die once or twice
To keep you for the rest, the rest of my life, all of my life
3) If you were seventeen I'd still feel the same way
Well there's nothing in this world that will make me change my way
Chorus
Day 245 | Tuesday, September 1 | 2009
September Sunrise...So here is the idea I have for this month's entries: all photos to be taken at sunrise, daybreak, and encapsulate the motif of September Sunrise. Get it? Got it? Good.
Photo numero uno is taken atop the parking garage here in Athens, Ohio. I figured this would be a fitting photo one, taken from the most jutted location in the city. There are more elevated places around for sure but this one seemed a more fitting or at least more official place to start out.
Got up early today and went running listening to the fantastic and possessed album, Mirrored released in 2007 by a band called Battles. Great running music / workout music.
I hope today is a productive one. Lots of things to do -- bookshelf organizing, crawl space organizing, sound card constructing, and lots of tea drinking to do.
Day 244 | Monday, August 31 | 2009
Leo and Jordan...Today has been a really good day. Woke up this morning to go check on my car (I ended up taking it to Athens Auto Center), ate breakfast, did some things around the house, and then went uptown to help Julia on her project and meet up with Evan.
At Donkey, I happened to see Leo and we then made plans to go to China Fortune later with Jordan. It was so nice to spend time with Leo and Jordan. Sometimes, I feel so bad about not hanging out with friends or staying out of touch. Spending some time -- just for a minute at the record store, at the coffee shop, at a restaurant, or at each other's place is a much needed chance to catch up. I loved hanging out with Leo and Jordan and they are good friends.
Tomorrow I am going to get a lot of work done. Mainly on my Ecuador sound project and cleaning/organizing the apartment. It's looking good as of late but there are a lot of things that need straightening out in the bookshelves and crawl space areas.
Day 243 | Sunday, August 30 | 2009
Mom and Dad Sleeping...Here is a picture of my parents sleeping on the blow-up mattress in my living room. They spent the night in order to help me. (My place would be a mess if they hadn't helped me move in this summer so much).
Today was another great day. Worked/cleaned some and then met up with Caitlin for lunch. Parents left at around 4 and then I got to spend some much needed catch-up time with Matt. Matt came over, returned some of my musical equipment, we played a little music some, talked about motorcycles, listened to music and then he left. Later, Caitlin and I met up with Evan at Casa in which he bought us both dinner.
Which brings me to say....Evan has got to be one of the most generous, nice, and caring guys I have ever met. I am lucky to not only have him as my friend, but also just to know him.
Day 242 | Saturday, August 29 | 2009
Fantastic Cat...I am not sure what her name is but this is the cat that is always hanging around outside of my place. She is incredibly friendly (for a cat) and follows me around wherever I go when I see her.
Today...
What a day! Caitlin's family came into town, my family came into town, and we all met up at Donkey to then go to Salaam for my birthday dinner. I was showered with gifts from everyone -- I am a lucky guy (!!) -- and it was simply wonderful to have everyone there with me. We ended up going to China Panda instead of Salaam because we could not wait to eat. Probably should have put in a reservation but it didn't matter in the end. Dinner was so wonderful. For dessert, we all ordered intricate combinations of ice cream flavors and the waitress was humorously stifled.
Day 241 | Friday, August 28 | 2009
Caitlin...Today I am twenty four years young. Feels exactly the same as it did when I was twenty three yesterday. Twenty four. On to bigger and better things, right?
I had a lovely lunch with an even lovelier lady. My sweetheart took me out to arguably my favorite restaurant Casa Nueva and I am so thankful that she had a gap in her busy schedule to be with me. I am really proud of how hard she is working -- I cannot remember which one of my friends said it but they (along with me) thought that college would not be so bad if someone like Caitlin (or especially Caitlin herself!) were their R.A.
The rest of the day was also really pleasant. Met with Mike and Shannon of whom I feel bad about being so out of touch, I met up briefly with Julia at Donkey to talk about her film project and my sound project, and then ended the day nicely by being treated to dinner by Rem and Amanda. Mike and Shannon lent me The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel by Edward Abbey and we also got to talking about various things like how Gram Parsons' cadaver was partly burned by his friends in the desert. As we were talking about Gram Parsons, one of his songs eerily made its way onto the randomized playlist of Mike and Shannon's iPod.
Day 240 | Thursday, August 27 | 2009
Design...
It has been a simply hellish morning. The first part wasn't too bad -- I woke up early and left to go out on a run (I ended up just walking instead) out on the West State Street park area. The morning was foggy and mystical in its own way and I found it calming just to roam around where only the insects and fauna were chirping or stirring. I wandered into the community garden spaces to look at what people were growing and I was really impressed. There were several towering shoots of sunflowers at about 7 or 8 feet high in the air, one plot was almost completely filled with corn stalks, and the other plots around were filled with common plants and vegetables like squash, tomatoes, and greens. I stopped by for a little bit to marvel at this spider's complicated design (pictured above). It was really neat to look at how the spider had effectively captured two bees (or maybe wasps?) inside its clever web. Simplicity in nature can be starkly impressive against the backdrop of how complex we humans try to construct this life of being. Sometimes it feels like there is so much that we need, our lives and worlds are turned upside down while the simple spider spends his life waiting, patiently perched in the simple design of her web.
Speaking of complications....this morning's follies started after I was finished grocery shopping at Kroger. I had great plans to come back to the apartment, cook vegan pancakes, shower, and nosedive right into the pile of work ahead of me. However, I get into my car and try to turn the engine and then I hear the sound of fate. It kind of reminded me a bird fluttering its wings, the sound of baseball cards rapping against the spokes of a speeding bicycle, and a mechanical mutant phoenix flapping its titanic metallic body all into one noise. In fact, it was an awful noise, and for the next three hours came to represent the sound of being stuck; the sound of fate against my will (not unlike the wonderful lyric from Echo and the Bunnymen's hit songKilling Moon). So there I was in the Kroger parking lot, stuck and bewildered, and I soon only made matters worse when I unknowingly locked my car keys inside of my car. I was talking on the phone with my dad about how to potentially fix the problem with my car, I was caught up in the panic of it all, and for some reason I just left my keys on the passenger side and locked them inside. It was awful. I didn't tell my dad that I had locked them inside because I was afraid of him reprimanding me (like he often has done) for me doing such a thing and I soon came to realize that I was left to my own devices.
So I regrouped, packed up camp a little bit, and then walked across the street to the conveniently-located AutoZone. There, I received the awesome advice of how to fix the problem and was given a long and slender rod that looked like an over-sized and unraveled shirt hanger. As it happened (as it was meant to happen Kurt Vonnegut would say) a good samaritan was waiting for me in the parking lot to help me out with my car. She prized open the passenger window with an ice scraper while I did my magic with the steel rod. We first aimed at trying to push the unlock side of the automatic lock button on the door but then later changed strategies. With surgical focus, I was able to unlock the lock dial that is located near the handle of the passenger door and voilá, we were able to get into my car! This, however small, was a triumph in what was otherwise a shitty morning (for the lack of a better word). Things didn't seem so bad when I was able to unlock my car and get my keys because, without my keys, I would not be able to get to my wallet, my phone, or get back into my apartment. Through my mind were images and fears of being stranded out of my home for the next three days until my parents came -- and I am so glad that that wasn't the case.
Anyways, me and the generous stranger (her name is Timmy and she was really helpful) worked on trying to get my car jumped. One of her friends showed up to Kroger and he helped us with the cables. The setup was good but it just didn't work. In addition to the jumper cables not working, my power windows being able to work, and my headlights functioning with reasonable efficiency, I have determined that the problem here is probably not the battery. I have come to think that the problem is either (a) the alternator is not corresponding with the battery well enough to start or (b) the starter itself is shot. Either way, we're going to somehow get my car towed or push it over across the street when mom and dad come on Saturday.
I am really lucky to have the generosity of Timmy (the woman who helped me) and she later gave me a ride (with all of my groceries) back to my apartment. To top it all off, I had realized I left my new iPhone in her car about five minutes after she left from dropping me off the panic had started all over again. I was trying to figure out how I would be able to contact her -- I only knew her first name was Timmy, didn't know her last name, and didn't get her phone number or anything. For about fifteen minutes I thought my phone was lost until I heard a knocking at the door. I opened it up and there was Timmy and her 21-month old daughter wearing her
Tinkerbell sunglasses, beaming from ear to ear, and clutching what appeared to be an enormous phone in contrast with her tiny hands and frame.
After saying goodbye to them both, I collapsed on my bed for about an hours nap. A simply exhausting experience.
Day 239 | Wednesday, August 26 | 2009
Nostra Nova...Found my drawing this morning in storage. I remember talking to Ben awhile back (or at least him talking to me) about the idea of this drawing sitting in my basement. Ben had rightly made a observation that I have let my work/passions/whatever you want to call it sit un-touted in a dark and moldy basement. I know that he wasn't making the comment viciously or even ill-mannered at all -- but he was right. I really ought to get this drawing matted and framed.
Anyway, it's been somewhat of a cathartic exercise in going through the old stuff. I am looking forward to the time when I have gone through everything and separated things into their rightful place.
Day 238 | Tuesday, August 25 | 2009
Caitlin...Today has pretty much been the opposite of yesterday. I got up, went running, did some cleaning around the house, and then spent the bulk of the day organizing my mini storage unit I have out on East State Street.
Here is a picture of my sweetheart, standing by a tree over by the river. We had just got done playing a game with some of the other ResLife workers. The game is called Sardines and it is essentially the opposite of hide and seek. Instead of everyone hiding, one person only hides. Everyone goes to look for that person and then they hide with them if they find them. The last person who has not found the person who originally hid is the person designated to hide in the next round. We played about three rounds of Sardines before we both got too tired.
Day 237 | Monday, August 24 | 2009
Caitlin's T-Shirt....Today was a mostly unproductive day. I cannot really think of one thing I got done today other than organize my apartment and get things running again. The power went out the other day and I couldn't find the fuse box in my place. I called maintenance and they responded surprisingly fast. Scott (one of the maintenance guys) came by and was able to get some of the lights that had went out functioning again.
If today amounted to anything, it was that I got the chance to meet with Josh. It had been a long time since we had met (probably since February or March) and we were able to catch up a little bit. Other than being an very warm-hearted and caring friend, Josh is also an excellent sound engineer who is renowned in Athens (and beyond) for his brilliant work. He records Southeast Engine, Emily Rodgers, Zeb Dewar, (Nostra Nova), among others. Anyway, it was nice to meet with him and show him pictures and sounds from Ecuador and also to hear what's going on with him.
After a long day of doing little tedious things that didn't really amount to much, I gave up on any ostensible productivity and I wandered up town to get one of Troy Gregorino's no-bake cookies. On the way there, I saw Larry which eventually led me to have dinner with him at Casa. We got it to go and then went back to his house (where I only stayed momentarily), met up with Robinson, and then watched part of this movie called The Wicker Man. Very pleasing (yet demented) film. Someday I will watch the rest of it.
After I got a call from Caitlin, I went to see her. She had just finished a long day of meetings and work activities for ResLife (stands for Residence Life -- an organization that facilitates the housing, activity, and accommodation of Ohio University students) and was free to relax for a little bit with me. She is a Senior Resident Assistant (a more administrative role than the position of Resident Assistant) and I am really proud of her. She works so hard and diligently and it's inspiring to see how well she works. Unbeknownst to her, I boast a little bit (or at least I feel a good amount of pride) when friends and acquaintances ask me what she is up to. I tell them that she is working through ResLife, give a description of what she does, and after all of it I feel like a very proud friend.
Day 236 | Sunday, August 23 | 2009
By the Gas Station...It's another one of those shots into the sun that never works the way you want it. Maybe someday when I am looking back on this blog I will (hopefully) realize how far I have come as a photographer. At least I am trying...
Today is Caitlin and I's 18 month anniversary of dating. I took this photo on my way back to Athens (from Cincinnati) just before I got in to see her. I love her with all of my heart and soul. I could not be a happier being than to be with her.
Day 235 | Saturday, August 22 | 2009
Wonderful Day...The wedding has been absolutely wondrous. Brian Wiebe and Michelle Gnau were married today in Yellow Springs, Ohio and I feel honored to be a witness and music practitioner of their ceremony. I played Here Comes the Sun as Michelle walked down the aisle. It was an outdoor wedding and the setting was singularly gorgeous. The Little Miami River ran through the property where Brian and Michelle live and the chairs of the ceremony were all set up there on the bank. Brian and Michelle both stood barefooted in the river as they exchanged their vows. It was really touching for me.
Here is a picture of two pictures. It was Brian and Michelle when they were kids and this picture was pretty much the best picture I could take all night. I wasn't using my camera too much because I was either (a) talking with people I hadn't seen in a while, (b) playing music, or (c) watching people rope-swing into the river.
What a great time!
Day 234 | Friday, August 21 | 2009
Highland Park...Today was a really good day. I got to see Susan and Mark and Caitlin is back in Athens. We all got Caitlin situated in her new residence, had lunch, and then ran some errands to get Caitlin more settled in.
Took this picture this morning before the Kraus family arrived. Last night was really late and I spent a lot of time with Jamie, Larry, and Chris. It was good to see these great guys. Jamie and I listened to some soul records in the wee hours of the morn. I hope I get to spend more time with Jamie than I have been in recent history. A lot of it had to do with me being in Ecuador, but it would be nice to be really close friends again.
Tomorrow I am going to head out to the Wiebe Gnau wedding and I'm pumped.
Day 233 | Thursday, August 20 | 2009
Cash for Clunkers...Another sunny day in the neighborhood, another day for driving down the pristine East State Street to see the Cash for Clunkers cars yet again adorned so gracefully in Farmer's Refuse dumpsters.
Tonight I went to go see a band called The Back Pockets. Overall, I thought they were pretty cool and I enjoyed the energy they exuded -- somehow I left there feeling that all that they did made everything seem (momentarily) okay. At first listen, though, I could hear and see all of the hipster red flags go up -- they were playing one of those mouth melodicas (1), they were jumping around the stage like members of the Arcade Fire (2), they were all dressed in homespun costumes and makeup, looking like characters from Where the Wild Things Are (3), and furthermore, they made Where the Wild Things Are-like yelps in between their songs.
Speaking of Where the Wild Things Are, there is a patently cool film adaptation of the book coming out on October 16 (or is it the 17?) directed by Spike Jonze. In the trailer, there are several vignettes (accompanied by a spliced version of Arcade Fire's Wake Up) that seem like they are particularly tailored to most of us Indie Rock (with capital I's and R's) kids out there and has further demonstrated the latest example of marketing genius. Chances are, most people who read that book (and still appreciate it) were slightly left of center kids who are now slightly left-of-center adults just waiting for a new great Indie film to come out. The Arcade Fire song just reinforces the whole damn thing and it's no surprise that the trailer evokes goose bumps all around. I guess what I am saying is that I am utterly excited about the whole thing, despite the fact that I am very conscious of the film's conspicuous marketing ploy.
Back to the concert. It was nice. I guess what did it for me was just the enthusiasm and exuberance that The Back Pockets showed. Sure, some of the stage presence seemed borrowed (if not taken) from groups like the Arcade Fire, CocoRosie, or whoever, but the songs really stood up on their own and their performance was unique. In between some of their songs, they had a shadow puppet interlude that was pretty imaginative. I couldn't tell if their reference to The Rabbit of the Universe was some sort of Donnie Darko parody, sincere reference, or absolute coincidence. Either way, I sat there feeling a little baffled. Their shadow puppet show consisted of them setting up a white blanket while two of the band members depicted actions that the lead singer narrated on the microphone. I really hadn't seen anything like it in the house-show setting and it was quite memorable because it was sort of wandering into the realm of performance art and theater. Maybe it wasn't brilliant art or theater but it did make a lasting (and pleasing) impact. Bravo Back Pockets!
It was also nice to see Leo, Box, and some other familiar faces that I hadn't seen in a while. I feel that I wish I could see more of people that I have sort of lost touch with in some way or another but I don't feel guilty about it. I have been so busy. I hope there will be time to meet up soon with some old friends.
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