I just woke up from a dream in which I had gone to the wrong place of employment, wrong city even, and when I went to get back in my car and go to the right place, somebody was trying to break into my car, except it was their truck and I was just confused because it was parked next to my car, and everything was fine, except when I opened my car door, my car was about to be towed by two semi-professionals who were going to two it with a chain around my tow hitch (I don't have one), so I unchained it but when I got in, I couldn't keep my car from rolling backwards and the only way to stop it from rolling backwards was to get it started and get it going forward because the brakes were locked out while the car was off. But I couldn't get it started. I, impossibly, missed a car, fence, dense brush, and one more car while I figured out how to get the car started. I finally got it started and spun to avoid a car, and woke up.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

I haven't written in this thing for awhile, but I'm definitely feeling it today.

I went to Walmart after work and completely forgot that it's two days 'til christmas. I just wanted a lightbulb, a fuel additive, some rice, and some yogurt. Wowzers, that place was a wreck. There were a lot of people, a ron of boxes everywhere, and about twice as many employees as are usually stocking shelves and 11:oo at night.

That's also when I realized that I think I'm become a bit selfish because I haven't even really attempted to find presents for my mom and dad, at the least, since I'm not going to be with the family this year. I know what I'd like to get my Dad, but I just wrote the gift-giving aspect of Christmas off. I guess that's kinda lame.

I didn't find the yogurt, decided to not get the fuel additive, and bought some tea along with my rice and lightbulb.

I'm working now at this place in Hudson, a company that finishes nuts and bolts. (See it's been so long that I can't even remember if I talked abut that here.) I work an in-between shift, 2-10:30 p.m. It's kinda nice. Get up when I want, go to bed when I want, no worries.

Now I had a reason for mentioning that. It was background to something I was going to say. Oh well.

Oh right, so I'm working in Hudson and living in Kent in the basement room of a family I know from a church here. And I find it weird to use their kitchen to cook in. I'm not sure why, but it just feels awkward. So, I don't. And for a couple months I just ate out all the time. Literally. Which I've never done before in my life, and wow: that's expensive and unhealthy. Geez. So, I finally decided that I've got to find some way to cook at least a few meals in my room. So I bought a rice cooker. Hence the rice at Walmart. And that's that.

I have some records in my car I should go get out because I think they're going to get warped in their current state.

Cold. It's cold outside getting my records. I love records. I have a number of them, although fewer than I used to, necessitated by my inability to stay in one locale recently.

I also just noticed the package my mother sent me!!! It's got food!!! It's good Christmas food!!!
All desserts, no filler! My mother makes an amazing fruitcake which is always the highlight of my Christmas consumption. And I've got my very own. (This is no ordinary cake batter, rum-infested, nut-filled, chalky, dusty, rock hard mockery. This is a sweet, moist full-flavored extravaganza of joy.)

So, thank you Mom!!

I bought a new microphone, the CAD E-100-2. It's the first condenser I've had that I would describe as being dark sounding, despite what the frequency response chart would make you believe. It's dissappointing, frankly. But I'm also trying to figure out if maybe it's just me somehow. We'll see. Nevertheless, can't help but love a new microphone. :)

You Can Make Me Dance

Just heard a song by The Faces I'd never heard before. Great little tune. It's called (get this!): You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog For a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings). Pretty great title and a great little tune, although it definitely leans towards Stewart's future disco stuff but thankfully is stopped short by some really nice rolling bluesy riffing by Ron Wood.

Hear it here.

See the ever (un)sexy Stewart sing this number here.

Wilco

I finally found a place to listen to Wilco's latest online. It's sweet. Can I just say that the addition of Nels Cline's lap steel makes everything better all the time? Yes, yes, I can, and yes, yes, I have. Because it's true. Foundation of the world true. It's amazing when you can consistently count on someone to always get it right, and that's what you get with Nels' work with Wilco. There will always be bright flaming meteor showers like Hendrix and Clapton and whoever else, but at the end of the night, Nels' bright shining morning star will always be there for you in the same perfect way it was yesterday.

The new album is in many ways Sky Blue Sky, part 2, but not in a rehash kind of way or in a b-sides way, but rather in a that was yesterday, this is today kind of way. Same band, new city, new view. From an analytical standpoint, I think you could say there's something of Summerteeth on here, even some A.M. It's sort of a return to "traditional" Wilco after having wandered through the Yankee-Ghost-Sky arc.

One thing that really amazes me right now is: just what has Tweedy tapped into lyrically?? It's like he's channeling something outside of this world, something...spiritual... It's bizarre. Not bad bizarre, but amazing bizarre. I'm scratching my mind listening to this right now, kind of jaw-dropped at this thread that he seems to have hit upon with these last two albums. Maybe it's just me, but I swear he's talking about stuff that is not only on my mind, but on the mind of a lot of people I know. It's like he's summarizing and then further exploring these ideas I keep running across, running across like the leakage from an underground stream I keep finding. I'm really wondering if I'm the only one that feels this way? Either way, he's writing some great stuff.

The album just finished. Too short! Not a criticism at all, but gosh, I want to hear the tracking tapes!! More, more! No end of track fades! Anyway, good, good stuff. Really good.

Hear it here:

http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.artistalbums&artistid=0&albumid=12647299

Quote of the Day

"The vocalist is starting to look more like Dr. House the older he gets. Great song." - Scavneck


Found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE

blow up some stars

I've really grown to love Steven Delopoulos' album Straightjacket.

It's a really quixotic art/singer-songwriter affair. The music is largely one-man-and-a-guitar based but adds in all kinds of orchestration. There's even a kind of off-broadway chanted theatrical number. In fact, in many ways, I could see the album being the music to a really, really cool and engaging modern dance concert. The lyrics aren't obscure, but they're not obvious, either. If you don't think about it, you largley get what he's trying to say. If you think about it, it doesn't all make a lot of sense. Impressionistic, then, I guess. But not in a Michael Stipe kind of way. More in a Bob Dylan meets Leo Kottke kind of way, if that makes any sense at all. Poetic, rather than lyrical, but with the quirky honesty of someone who knows what it means to wear out his shoes from walking.

So, I leave you with the official video for the first track from Straightjacket. It's a slightly different mix than the album version and the video's not as good as the song, but that's not really news these days, is it? Enjoy the song.

Winner!!

Apparently Bob Dylan wants to settle in Jersey

This is hilarious and makes Bob Dylan an undisputed winner. I can completely see this. Kinda nice to know that he's not the cheeky punk he once was when it comes to authority.

That reminds me of an interview by some guy on 60 minutes who alternately asks good and stupid questions of Bob. Throughout Dylan shows the patience of a man who is used to suffering fools.