Blather...

December 28, 2006 Greetings from Echo Park. I have not been here for many years (far too long, truth be told) and I am really enjoying it. I hear so many people say they dislike LA, only to then hear that they have only been to Disney (which is in Anaheim, not LA proper) or Hollywood. So far I have been to two beautiful parks, a museum, the best independent record store (ever!), Amoeba Music, and hung out with some wonderful and interesting people. Okay, it helps that I am staying with an long time LA local and that she lives in a great neighborhood, oh and that it's been 70 degrees every day with bright blue skies, but seriously, stop busting on LA, and see for yourself how nice it is.

December 23, 2006 There is always another film out there to see, another one to rent. Today the Netflix queue brought an indie flick called The Puffy Chair. Obviously I am not the only one who likes it, it got heaps of awards. It's nice to see films that really are about the story and not about the huge budget and special effects.

On the music front, I got the Sufjan Stevens box set Songs for Christmas. It came with stickers, a poster and a nice lyrics book. NPR had a funny piece today about box sets, saying they are the new "socks and underwear" of the gift set. Essentially, when you don't know what else to get someone, you get them a box set. However, it then went on to say that the people who are the most into box sets are the true music geeks. Ahem, guess that would be me.

Peace, Love and Joy for 2007!!

December 17, 2006 I am not feeling the holiday spirit in general but I did manage to get down with my inner santa on when I saw El Vez on Saturday night. I had never heard of him before (alas!) so the whole show was a big surprise. All four of us had a blast and I confess it left me feeling a lot more upbeat about the holidays. The show was at the Doug Fir, which appears to have a lot of good shows coming up. Ones to watch for -- The Prids (pdx band), TalkDemonic (pdx band) and The Mountain Goats. The Mountain Goats most recent CD, Get Lonely is a tremendous work, rather sad and soulful, feels appropriate for me these days.

This afternoon I went to the Laurelhurst Theatre and saw The Science of Sleep. It was good, though not as wonderful as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Such a great place to see movies. $3 and access to pizza and beer? What more could one ask for?

December 12, 2006 I saw Pete Yorn last night at the Crystal Ballroom. It was a last minute thing and I had a great time. I found out he is from New Jersey, and after seeing him, it made sense. He reminded me of Bruce Springsteen. Came out wearing a hat and a leather jacket, ended up in black T-shirt. So very rock and roll. When I saw him up there it made me think of a lot of people I know back east. He mentioned that he had met Johnny Mar (of the Smiths) and then proceeded to cover There is a Light That Never goes out. That was excellent! I am thrilled to be living someplace where I can see live music and be home and crashed out by 12:30.

Holiday madness approaches and this year I am taking a back seat. No cards, not much in the way of gifts, and a tiny tree. I just don't feel terribly festive. I am going to LA over the break, should be nice to bask in the sun for a week.

December 5, 2006 I previously wrote about Keanu Reeves. Yesterday I had silly celebrity moment regarding him. Turns out he was at a gathering where the attendees toasted to absent folks who were having birthdays. A friend of my sister was there and she toasted my niece (who turned 10 on Sunday!!). Mr. Reeves then said her name a number of times, commenting on what a cool name she had and that he would like to know someone with this name. I got such a kick out of this. I am not someone who pays much attention to the world of celebrities, but in this case, how could I resist?

Seen this video yet? Good geek humor.

December 2, 2006 I finally went to the Doug Fir. I saw The Dears, who hail from Montreal, Canada. The place has great sound and a nice feel to it. The band was excellent, I was totally mesmerized. 1.5 hours never seems long enough to me, I could stand there a whole lot longer and drink in live music. Next weekend....Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins.

November 20, 2006 Families that you connect to, but are not your blood relatives fascinate me. I love listening to the histories of people, especially older members of the family. What brought them to where they are today? What is their back-story? How does it connect to my own? I am lucky to have met some lovely ones over the years, from old New England lineage to sweet folks from Oklahoma.

I am considering using blog software so that people can leave comments. I hear there are some good ones out there so why re-invent the blog engine? Let me know your thoughts on ones you like or dislike. Shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts.

Two interesting NY Times pieces. I am a long time fan of John Waters and love this piece he did on Tennessee Williams. The London Review of Books and personals, and I thought Americans were odd.

November 11, 2006 I am so happy about what happened in Washington this week -- It's about time for some change! I don't expect any kind of miracle but certainly a shift in power will help restore some balance in the country.

On a geekier note I recently subscribed to the newsletter from Photojojo and so far I have seen some pretty cool stuff. Their most recent one had me clicking on LikeBetter.com for a long time. This cover of John Stewart and Stephen Colbert Rolling Stone cracked me, I want a copy!

November 2, 2006 I don't live in CT anymore but I was so pleased to see this ad for Lamont. Paul Newman has done a great deal for local environmental causes, and now for CT politics. I surely hope Lieberman does not win, CT needs a change.

October 29, 2006
Go see Shortbus. I saw it today and it's excellent. Cinema21 is a great place, too.

October 23, 2006 Most recent read = The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America by Michelle Tea. This is her first book and I loved it. Her style of writing is casual and very addicting. I also just started Confederacy of Dunces. It's one of those books that I should have read a really long time ago. Anything good is worth waiting for?

October 16, 2006 Last month I went to see one of my new favorite bands, The Thermals. It was their CD release party -- and many other excellent local bands played, too. Blitzen Trapper, Point Juncture, Wa, Wet Confetti, and a few others. I had a blast, the show was at the Wonder Ballroom. it's a really great venue! Tomorrow night I am going to see The Decemberists. I saw them last year in New Haven at Toad's Place. It was a very memorable show. It should be curious to see them here, since they are local darlings. I like the new CD, it's well written and interesting. However, I find it lacks some of the catchier, fun songs from previous CD's.

The Portland music scene gets plenty of press and it should. There are incredible local bands and if they don't quench your thirst for amazing live music, the rest of the musicians who pass through town will. I was telling a friend the other day that there are almost too many choices, I could easily see a band every night and not get bored. I hope to catch Regina Spektor next week -- her new CD is superb.

Autumn here is not the same as New England. You folks back east who keep up with this should enjoy the intense color and crunchy leaves under foot. There is color here, but without all the oak and maple trees it's just not quite the same.

I hope to move to a different part of town when the house sells. Southeast(SE) Portland has many streets that are tree lined, so lovely. Reminds me of Connecticut.

August 19, 2006 Today I get to pick up my bicycle. I am pretty excited about it. I have not ridden a bike since I lived in Black Rock and even then it was not a frequent occurrence. This IS the bike city, everyone has them and the whole city is oriented towards people who ride. My whole mindset when I drive has shifted since I moved here, one has to be very aware of bikes when in a car. It's quite different than back east where I always found people on bikes to be very brave and/or crazy. The bike itself sat in my basement in CT. It was not a good area for riding. When I got the bike R would not ride it, he said it was a girl's bike after all! I always wanted to get him a guys bike, paint it black and put flames on it, odelay!

The commute is a lot easier here, too. I don't mind 25 min when the cars are moving. Anything is better than I-95 between Stamford and Bridgeport. I don't miss that road!

I have been slacking off with my photography. I need to shoot my neighborhood -- show it off. Hoping I dig up the creative momentum, it's been on the shelf for awhile now.

August 8, 2006 I know, I know. It's been way too long since I have written a thing. There is much going on. My focus right now is job hunting. I am still knee deep in boxes and trying to find a place for everything. I need a lot of things, simple stuff like curtains and towel racks and shelves. I am working on making this house a home.

I am in love with my new city. Everywhere I go I see interesting stuff and meet cool folks. I have never felt so at home. That says a lot, I lived in CT for essentially my whole life. It's a pretty place to live, and the houses are lovely but the people are not just what I want to be surrounded by. I feel so at ease here. The food in Portland is worth noting! Everywhere I go it's excellent and cheap!!! Quality lunch for $5? Vegetarian friendly everywhere I go? I am in heaven. A few nights ago I went to Farm Cafe. It was very, very good. Tofu in marionberry sauce with sautéed greens and a bit of macaroni and cheese. Sounds odd but it was outstanding.

I did not mention how excellent PDX Pop was. I had a great time, saw some great bands. The Shaky Hands and 50 Ft. Wave were my two favorites. Buy the CD! Get yourself there next year!!!

July 12, 2006 Portland! I arrived here on Monday evening, after a totally amazing drive. Nearly every mile from Boise to Portland is incredible. Once in the gorge, it was all I could do to not gape constantly. This is a beautiful place. I am sad that my trip is over in a way, but I am very glad to be in Oregon.

My house is everything I dreamed of and more. It needs no work! How is that for a change? I have been wandering around my neighborhood, eating at the local places on Alberta and generally trying to settle myself in. The movers arrive today, at LONG last. I have the fun job of directing them as to what goes where.

Next stop? Job hunting....

July 8, 2006 Wyoming. Up until this morning I found the drive to be fairly boring and mundane. Then, suddenly, it shifted. There was something to look at mile after mile. The colors of the rock changed and the sky became a spectacle of clouds mile after mile. There are not many towns along the road in Wyoming, the miles between exits stretch. Somehow, it does not matter. I kept looking up, looking around and taking it all in. I am in Rock Springs tonight, a nice place. Tomorrow is a big day, I need to get to Boise, Idaho. I am visiting my cousin, and I get to meet her little girl for the first time. Portland, soon, soon.

See my flickr photos for some Minneapolis shots.

July 6, 2006 Greetings from Council Bluffs, IA. I had a long day today, total time in the car was about 8 hours. I left my aunt's house at 10:15, arrived here at 6:15. The trip through western IL and eastern IA was really lovely. There were rolling hills, farms and it was all quite green. I crossed the Mississippi river at a town called Savanna and wound up in Sabula. I had a moment of OH!, I was now truly headed west! I really liked the area where my aunt and uncle live, it's a bit isolated for my taste but the beauty took me aback.

Route 80 in Iowa surprised me. Most of the rest stops had WiFi. This was a nice treat. Council BLuffs is a fairly industrial city but it's not so bad. I think there is a railroad museum here which I may go check out before I head out tomorrow.

Harry Potter has been great company so far. I am totally engrossed in the story. If you are reading this, I thank you. I know it's not the most thrilling blog. I have already reached the "I want to be there already" stage. Bear with me.......

July 3, 2006 Hello from the Minneapolis Public Library. The hotel does not have free WiFi so I walked over here to get online. This is a brand new library, full of light and glass. Expect to see photos at some point on flickr. This is a very pretty city, a lot of old buildings worth taking pictures of! I got to see the "skyway", subject of my favorite Replacements song. Last night I saw Wilco for the first time. It was a pretty small venue, and I was impressed with Jeff Tweedy, et all. I did not realize a guy who used to play in the Geraldine Fibbers plays with them. Duluth, MN is a nice little city. It was a holiday weekend and clearly packed, but it was filled with great old buildings and interesting people.

I am already getting tired of snack food in the car. I crave fresh fruit and veggies. I know all this will be readily available once I am in Portland, but for now I am trying hard to eat well.

I start to travel alone today. I think it's time to break out Harry Potter. Miles traveled so far? 1408K. Tomorrow I head south to Madison, Wisconsin and then to Illinois. I look forward to visiting my aunt and uncle. I am tempted to stay here one more day, and wander around. Wanderlust will get you everywhere.

July 1, 2006 Greetings from Newbery, Michigan. Look it up on google maps, because you will never know where it is otherwise. We drove for hours and hours today, 11 to be exact. For this leg of the trip I don't have to drive alone. My friend, Cori, is with me and we are going to see Wilco in Duluth. Should be amazing, I have never seen them.

Let me back track a little. I stopped in Moosic, PA to visit my cousin Kay. It was right in the midst of the flooding! I was amazed, I had never seen these rivers so high. I had to take a side road for a stretch as Rt. 17 was closed. I hung out with my folks for a few days and that was nice. The Finger Lakes part of NY state is beautiful. All you east coasters, get yourselves up there for a visit. This part of Michigan is very pretty, isolated but pretty. The sun did not set until nearly 10 pm and there is a stark quality to it.

Music that has been played on the trip so far, pdx pop compilations, the Dead, Gillian Welch, Aterciopelados, and Wilco (of course). I have not busted out the Harry Potter book tapes yet, that will be saved for when I am solo again.

Cell phone = sketchy. WiFi = sweeeet.

June 26, 2006 Wikipedia on chaos. Me on chaos = Staying up until 2:30 AM, sending R and the three cats off to NJ where they flew west to PDX, waking up at 7:30 AM, barely eating, packing every little thing I can think of into boxes. The calm part of my day? 4 guys doing a great job of moving nearly everything I own out of the Fairfield house. I am in the way if I do much, so I am sitting in the corner, on the floor, hooked up to the modem, waiting patiently for them to finish. Still more stuff to do around town, too. Ready to shout, get me outta here!

Days left in the northeast = 2.

June 25, 2006 Exhaustion nearly did me in yesterday. I was so tired last night from packing that I lay in a stupor on the couch watching Law & Order and drinking beer. Rumor has it that Portland is considered to be the microbrewery capital of the US. My local favorite is Magic Hat out of Vermont. This morning brings renewed energy and serious focus. In fact, why I am sitting here on my laptop?! Pack, pack, pack!

Days left in the northeast = 3.

June 20, 2006 Why does it feel like I live in the twilight zone some days? This headline really took me aback. Pentagon Lists Homosexuality As Disorder. According to this article, "the APA declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973". That was over 30 years ago, so what is the Pentagon doing? Is this more wrangling by the "theocrats"" to get their way? Is there some other weird motive that I can not see because I am so disgusted? I have never been able to understand the absolute need of some point to force their morals and values onto everyone around them. Those on the right would say that liberals do this too, but I don't agree. There is far more acceptance and tolerance within the ranks of progressives than on the right. They have Coulter and O'Reilly, Dobson and Falwell, all hate mongers. HATE mongers, nothing more. The ones who do it in the name of god/jesus/ repulse me the most. My grandmother would have been 101 this year. I am thankful she is not alive to see so much hate driven spew in the name of god.

Days left in the northeast = 7.

June 19, 2006 I have been waiting a long time for Pete Yorn's new CD. I loved the first two, each of them was the type of CD that I listened to over and over again, nearly wearing them out. He is playing at the Doug Fir in Portland on July 29th. This could well be the first of many shows I go to once I make it to the west coast. I am also checking out PDX Pop Now! that same weekend. I have the CD from 2004, great stuff!

Packing is moving along, I keep finding more and more and more that needs to tucked into boxes. Rule of thumb when doing this, do not get caught up in old photos and letters, they will suck the time out of your brain. Days left in the northeast = 8.

June 15, 2006 Keanu Reeves is not stupid from thejay.com. I got such a kick out this piece. Okay, so mostly he is eye candy, but I recently saw him in Thumbsucker and I thought he was very good. No trace of Ted left in him now. He is no Paul Newman but I love him just the same. That is today's random blather.

June 14, 2006 Countdown began long ago. I am packing up the house, and moving to Portland. It has been my dream for 20 years since I was a students of the University of Oregon to go back. We are moving the NE part of Portland. Our neighborhood seems to go by two names — Sabin and Irvington Heights. It's 15 minutes from dowtown, a HUGE difference from getting into Manhattan. Translation? I get to go see bands play, all the time, and it wont take me 2.5 hours to get home! Portland has great public transportation, it's very bike friendly and we can walk to a whole lot of shops, restaurants and cafes from our new place. There is so much to do in the next two weeks!

June 11, 2006 I have seen Radiohead three times. The first show was in New York at Radio City Music Hall in 1998. The second show was Roseland in 2000. The Roseland show was one of those freak things, it was one of 2 shows played in the US that year. I was working in Ridgefield, CT at the time. I went out on my lunch break and heard a DJ mention that they had tickets for Radiohead. I went back to the office and thought, why not, I will try. I was caller number 92 and the tickets were mine! I could not believe it, how often does one get that lucky? I felt like I had won the lottery. It was incredible, I blown away, I remember Thom on the stage, dancing like a wild man. I kept screaming "Johnny!!". The downside was the smoke, it was pretty bad. Thank goodness those laws have changed.

Okay, so back to the Boston show. They played at the Bank of America pavillion (I absolutely hate that nearly every big place you see live music has some giant corporate name attached to it). It was a beautiful night, clearing off after a hard rain the day before. We arrived in time to hear the end of Willy Mason, not bad at all. Beer in hand we made our way down to our seats. The seats were a bit far to the right, but they were close. The moement they came on I got such a rush. It was incredible, every moment of the show had me grinning, dancing and totally absorbed in the music. Erik was laughing and smiling, too. We felt the same "Holy shit! I can't believe we are here!!" The band was very tight, more controlled than previous shows. I am not sure that this was a great thing, there seemed to be a lot more precision involved. I guess this is the natural evolution of many musicians. I loved the new songs, new CD should be incredible. Thom Yorke has his own CD coming out on July 11th caled The Eraser.

This show was certainly special on another level. Having my friend, Erik, there, all the way from Colorado made it that much more incredible. The experience of live music always leaves me wanting more. Since I am moving to Portland, this won't be a problem!

Here is the setlist.