I just got back from a 5-day trip to Chicago with Susan. I got back on Saturday, and I'm still exhausted. All we did was walk and eat Subway sandwiches. It was kind of hybrid trip: we did some touristy stuff, but we also just chilled. We figured that between the two of us we'd dumped our money on pretty much everything you can- museums, tours, pizza, hot dogs, the works. Really, it was just somewhere for us to get away. Helluva city, though, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you. Here's a couple pictures. Actually, outside the Field Museum, we decided to take a picture. We were both kind of drained from five hours of cadavers and cutting implements, and as I hoisted the camera, my fingers slipped. Susan's 8 mega-pixel camera skipped down like ten stone steps before it halted. I raced down to see it, not sure what I'd find- memory card mangled, battery ooze eating away at the stone, lens fluttering frenetically- but it was miraculously unscathed. Our masterstroke was our trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo. If you're ever in Chicago, you need to go, especially if you're a penny-pincher like me. It's a free zoo, but it's fantastic, definitely on par with our zoo here in Detroit. We used my parents' Hilton points to stay three nights in the Chicago Hilton, which is right on Michigan Avenue. It was a lovely hotel, and I felt like a huge brat for being there, but it was free, and my parents seemed excited to do this for me. After that, we stayed a night with Susan's cousin, also named Susan. She and her husband were really sweet for putting us up. I wouldn't mind living in their neighborhood some day. They had a nice apartment and were only a ten minute red-line trip away from downtown Chicago. Then, Saturday morning, we left for home.
I missed my friend Billy's baby's baptism (quite the tongue-twister. Susan and I enjoyed it immensely as we threw an annoying, robot-voiced GPS back and forth like a hot potato in the car ride back from Chicago). My best bud Danny tells me to expect a tidal wave of opprobrium. My friend Rob, who was dubbed "Strafe" back in high school, has already been giving me mountains of shit, telling me that "we're not friends anymore", that I've "failed as a friend". Things like this are typical from him, though, so I have to add a grain of salt to all of his abuse. Still, I don't think I should have to put up with all of this. I'm a good friend to my good friends. Some people just need to learn that I'm not that close to them. What can be more constantly heart-breaking than to see your best friend behave like a mere acquaintance? Well, before you line yourself up for that kind of disappointment, you should ask yourself whether or not this person IS just an acquaintance. People grow apart, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's natural, it's necessary, even. I just simply don't have the same investment in certain people, and I do NOT expect them to retain theirs in me. If this sounds cold, I don't want it to. It's just an unemotional account of the degeneration of friendship, something as natural and inevitable as the formation itself.Coming home has always been a blessing in disguise. This one's been different, though. It's clear I need a break, but I still can't stand slowing down. This economy though has been one hell of a speed bump. I'm job hunting these minimum-wage, burger flipping, piece-of-shit, seasonal employments to extinction, but my prey is elusive. I've done the walk of shame down Gratiot Avenue like twice now, with no luck. One of the most poisonous consequences of this recession is this feeling of defectiveness. This economy already commodifies every aspect of our life, including ourselves. We're tools to be used. When there's no "use" for us, we lose our purpose. This is why people are jumping off of overpasses. This is why forty-year-old fathers of three are robbing convenience stores. I'm feeling it myself :/
That feeling of uselessness really kills me, and, the way I see it, there's only two ways to beat it: 1.) I can keep trying. I can persevere, find a job, make money, and just keep truckin' until things (if things) get better.
2.) I can dig deep into some philosophical mumbo jumbo and dissolve this whole concept of uselessness. Who says I'm useless? What is 'useless'? Is it even so bad to be useless?
Right now, I'm trying to run both at the same time, but it's a crap shoot, really. They're not very complementary, and by trying to reconcile them with each other, I might be losing any and all advantages each would give me by itself, without interference.
Pop/punk, sort of the guilty pleasure for all guys my age, speaks to me the most right now (Secret #34235 for you, blog). I've been listening to two bands a lot, lately: The Dangerous Summer and Valencia. First off, I fucking hate that name, "The Dangerous Summer." Why are bands doing this? Every name is like a phrase or sentence now or, even worse, a sentence that leaves out the object- e.g. The Academy Is... . Wow, what interesting syntax. I bet that would piss off my parents, to know that I listen to bands who are very playful with their names and run counter to the normative grammar of older generations. I'm calm now. The Dangerous Summer have some really good songs. "Northern Lights" is very powerful, with heart-rending narration and powerful vocals. On Valencia's latest LP, every track is strong. "Where Did You Go" might be the most catchy, with a super fun drum beat and cheery lyrics, delivered with a emo flourish, which makes it something of a happy curio, a true little gem of my summer. "Free" and "Carry On" are outstanding, too.
As far as new music goes, Camera Obscura's new album was okay, a bit formulaic and prosaic. I love their singer's soft, lilting voice. What else...Oh, Dredg's album was, hm, something of a disappointment for me. I don't THINK they're selling out, but this album seems like a ploy to get some much-needed fans and some mainstream notice. Known for their proggy forays with strange instruments and rad lap-steel humming, as well as some very recondite, but fascinating lyrics, Dredg have always stood out to me as a band that was breathing new life into a scene that seems a little too afraid to experiment. Yet, this new album sort of shed's their roots. The band even acknowledged that it was going to be "just a rock record". There's a couple funk songs on it, and they were about as misplaced as "Stand Up Comedy" on the recent "No Line on the Horizon" (I actually liked U2's attempt, though, even if it was a little out of place). Most of the songs obey the same-ole, same-ole verse-chorus structure that we like to chime with in the car, but hope bands like Dredg replace with something more creative. The two singles are freaking awful. "Information" and "I Don't Know" suck. If anything saves them at all, it's some funky breaks and the beautiful vocals. "Cartoon Showroom", "Quotes", and "Down to the Cellar" are my three favorites so far.
Dream Theater's two early releases from their new album impressed me. "A Rite of Passage" has one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard. "A Nightmare to Remember" is just the kind of winding, epic that we love from Dream Theater, one of the only bands who can make 16-minute songs that hold our full attention throughout.
I'm trying to get into Manchester Orchestra, but I just can't. They seem like they're going to be a huge force in punk for awhile, and I want to get on the bandwagon early. I hate how the vocalist winces out every other note. I like their slow songs, like "I Can Feel a Hot One", a surprisingly thoughtful and emotional song. Maybe it's because I heard this album described as "Pinkerton on steroids"?
Explosions in the Sky are sort of a one-trick pony, but incredible.
This last week, I've started listening to the Allman Brothers Band like mad. "Blue Sky" has one of the coolest solos I've ever heard. Yesterday, I had a religious experience listening to them outside on my trampoline, me bouncing up and down to the music, listening to Duane Allman melodiously dance up and down for like three minutes straight on "Blue Sky".
I haven't seen a good movie in awhile. I need to see Star Trek soon. Susan and I watched Apocalypse Now, and I loved it.
That feeling of uselessness really kills me, and, the way I see it, there's only two ways to beat it: 1.) I can keep trying. I can persevere, find a job, make money, and just keep truckin' until things (if things) get better.
2.) I can dig deep into some philosophical mumbo jumbo and dissolve this whole concept of uselessness. Who says I'm useless? What is 'useless'? Is it even so bad to be useless?
Right now, I'm trying to run both at the same time, but it's a crap shoot, really. They're not very complementary, and by trying to reconcile them with each other, I might be losing any and all advantages each would give me by itself, without interference.
Pop/punk, sort of the guilty pleasure for all guys my age, speaks to me the most right now (Secret #34235 for you, blog). I've been listening to two bands a lot, lately: The Dangerous Summer and Valencia. First off, I fucking hate that name, "The Dangerous Summer." Why are bands doing this? Every name is like a phrase or sentence now or, even worse, a sentence that leaves out the object- e.g. The Academy Is... . Wow, what interesting syntax. I bet that would piss off my parents, to know that I listen to bands who are very playful with their names and run counter to the normative grammar of older generations. I'm calm now. The Dangerous Summer have some really good songs. "Northern Lights" is very powerful, with heart-rending narration and powerful vocals. On Valencia's latest LP, every track is strong. "Where Did You Go" might be the most catchy, with a super fun drum beat and cheery lyrics, delivered with a emo flourish, which makes it something of a happy curio, a true little gem of my summer. "Free" and "Carry On" are outstanding, too.
As far as new music goes, Camera Obscura's new album was okay, a bit formulaic and prosaic. I love their singer's soft, lilting voice. What else...Oh, Dredg's album was, hm, something of a disappointment for me. I don't THINK they're selling out, but this album seems like a ploy to get some much-needed fans and some mainstream notice. Known for their proggy forays with strange instruments and rad lap-steel humming, as well as some very recondite, but fascinating lyrics, Dredg have always stood out to me as a band that was breathing new life into a scene that seems a little too afraid to experiment. Yet, this new album sort of shed's their roots. The band even acknowledged that it was going to be "just a rock record". There's a couple funk songs on it, and they were about as misplaced as "Stand Up Comedy" on the recent "No Line on the Horizon" (I actually liked U2's attempt, though, even if it was a little out of place). Most of the songs obey the same-ole, same-ole verse-chorus structure that we like to chime with in the car, but hope bands like Dredg replace with something more creative. The two singles are freaking awful. "Information" and "I Don't Know" suck. If anything saves them at all, it's some funky breaks and the beautiful vocals. "Cartoon Showroom", "Quotes", and "Down to the Cellar" are my three favorites so far.
Dream Theater's two early releases from their new album impressed me. "A Rite of Passage" has one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard. "A Nightmare to Remember" is just the kind of winding, epic that we love from Dream Theater, one of the only bands who can make 16-minute songs that hold our full attention throughout.
I'm trying to get into Manchester Orchestra, but I just can't. They seem like they're going to be a huge force in punk for awhile, and I want to get on the bandwagon early. I hate how the vocalist winces out every other note. I like their slow songs, like "I Can Feel a Hot One", a surprisingly thoughtful and emotional song. Maybe it's because I heard this album described as "Pinkerton on steroids"?
Explosions in the Sky are sort of a one-trick pony, but incredible.
This last week, I've started listening to the Allman Brothers Band like mad. "Blue Sky" has one of the coolest solos I've ever heard. Yesterday, I had a religious experience listening to them outside on my trampoline, me bouncing up and down to the music, listening to Duane Allman melodiously dance up and down for like three minutes straight on "Blue Sky".
I haven't seen a good movie in awhile. I need to see Star Trek soon. Susan and I watched Apocalypse Now, and I loved it.
My Red Wings lost to the Ducks last night. If you can ignore the sexual innuendos, I'll talk about what I think we've been sucking at. We can't penetrate like Anaheim. We're not big enough (giggle). That team is HUGE; they're like all power forwards who can muscle themselves in front of our net, park it, and then score. We have a couple players like that- Hossa, Franzen, Holmstrom, to name a few. We still have three times more grace, skill, and finesse than Anaheim will ever have, but play-off hockey is a grind, and a strong, physically imposing team like Anaheim is well-suited to that kind of hockey, which is why they always enter the play-offs as a pretty low seed but turn it around. The wings WILL win this series (it concludes Thursday) because we're better. We just need to keep getting the obscene number of take-aways, face-offs, and shots-on-goal that we have been all along. I just know that Thursday night, with the Joe packed with fans chanting Osgood's name and beating on the glass, will have the Wings jacked up and hungry. Also, they have a poise Anaheim will never know. I mean, they just freaking won. Even the young kids are veterans.
The other match-ups have been fun. The Washington-Pittsburgh series has been interesting, filled with plenty of twists and turns. Carolina-Boston has been even better. The titan that is Boston was on thin ice with Carolina up 3-1, but they staved off elimination twice, despite my hysterical cries of anguish whenever they scored (I'm rooting for Boston now, ironically).
