December 16, 2007The Blow was super fun last night. It's really just Khaela Maricich, she used to play with Jona Bechtolt but now he does own thing with YACHT. Her show is as much about her songs as it is about the stories she tells and the way in which she tells them. It was performance art, it was pop music, it was fantastic.
I read the New York Times every day, without fail. I feel connected to the good and the bad this way, and lately I've been impressed with the little bits of interactivity they have added onto their stories. An article about department stores bags as a fashion statement had a clickable photo gallery that allows the user to view the bag pictures without every leaving the page. It's a nice touch to an already superb site.
And lastly, for my friends who read this and live in the NorthEast -- sorry about the lousy weather. Portland may be gray, but I love not having to drive in the snow and ice (unless of course I am headed up to Mt. Hood).
December 9, 2007 Lazy blogger am I. There has been a lot going in the last few weeks, but its hardly an excuse to not write. We went to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving. My parents flew out from the east coast and my sister came in from LA. I've never been to that part of the country so it was a nice treat to see the desert. In fact, we liked the area so much we are going back over xmas.
Aimee Mann had a festive xmas show at the Aladdin, Nellie McKay was there along with members of The Decemberists. I've been a fan of Aimee for a long time but this was the first I have seen her live. She has a new CD coming out fairly soon. Next weekend is The Blow at the Doug Fir, that should be a whole bunch of fun! Deifintely one of my Portland favorites. January shows worth noting -- Ryan Adams at a theater in Salem, we got front row seats!
I saw the Todd Haynes film I'm Not There. I'll chime in with every other film critic around and say it was the best movie of 2007. I was utterly riveted by both the both the writing and the acting. Cate Blanchett was brilliant, and should win the oscar. The soundtrack for the movie is also amazing -- have you seen the artists on it?!
November 15, 2007 Wow. I just got home from seeing MIA at the Roseland. It's probably the best show I've seen all year. It was one big mesh of people, dancing, moving and loving on her. She jumped into the balconies and bounced about and then grabbed a whole bunch of people and got them grooving on stage with her. What a rush! I danced the whole time, slightly unusual for me. And, in typical Portland fashion, I ran into several people I know.
I am hoping to see the film, The Future Is Unwritten this weekend. It's about Joe Strummer, someone who greatly influenced me musically. There were not too many bands that sung about politics, I loved them for doing that. I have so many memories of walking around while listening to Sandinista, headphones pressed up tight to my ears, wearing Converse and sporting pretty short hair. I'll spare you the details about the rest of my outfit. Let's just say it was very 80's.
November 6, 2007 Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney is blogging about music for NPR. I look forward to reading this on a regular basis.
Siren Nation was great, I only made it one night due to feeling unwell but Team Dresch kicked some serious arse!
What I love about Portland...there is always something to do. I've never been bored here, not for one minute. Music, art, movies, bars/cafes, coffee shops, festivals, conferences, performance art, book stores, and shopping at locally owned stores — I have access to them all! Today I am venturing out to shoot photos of the Broadway bridge (in all its red brilliance) before the rains come and it will be tougher to do.
October 29, 2007 Time to write after a busy weekend. Last Thursday was Ignite Portland, and wow, was it fantastic! I was enamored by many of the presentations, I love seeing the creativity flowing and the buzz it created afterwards. It was like you could see the juice flowing, the ideas shared sparked many flames (pun intended). I am already looking forward to the next one. See my photos on flickr.
This weekend I saw The Darjeeling Limited, the latest Wes Anderson film. I liked it but I felt it was slightly lacking. I wanted just a little more out of it.
This coming weekend is Siren Nation. I'm a volunteer, hopefully taking a lot of photographs and anything else that needs doing. There are going to be some great bands playing, come to the Wonder Ballroom and check them all out.
October 18, 2007 I saw a great but under attended show last night. The Fiery Furnaces played a lot of songs from their new CD, Widow City. I've never seen them before and I've read that they can be rather hit or miss live. I thought it was great, as did the fairly small crowd. I love the Aladdin, the architecture is great and the sound is too.
Last week the new Radiohead record, In Rainbows, was released. I'm a huge fan of the band and have been since The Bends came out in 1995. I've purchased every release with great enthusiasm and this was no exception. The way it was released was really clever and pretty geeky all around. And yes, I paid for my copy, total of $7 (US). I've listened to it at least 6x and I love it. It's simple but has enough layers and depth to keep me intrigued. I saw some of these songs played live in Boston (June of 2006) and I'd love to see them played live again. Will they come to Portland? If they are anywhere on the west coast, I'll be there.
I saw Sunshine a few weeks ago. It had some action, but it had an equal amount of quiet. I admire any director who allows for that in a film. Danny Boyle directed, of Trainspottting fame. The cinematography was good, a lot of dark and closed shots with an equal number of large and spacious ones. See it on the big screen if you can.
September 27, 2007 Holy crap, I have to wait until Tuesday to get this CD? PJ Harvey has out done herself this time. See the video for The Piano. I've never seen her, and I would pay a lot to have that privilege! I also like the other two videos, The Mountain and When Under Ether.
September 23, 2007 Unlike most of fans of indie music I had never seen The Flaming Lips before. That all changed last week when I was lucky enough to get tickets to the small and very much sold out performance at the Roseland. We missed the warm up band, Black Moth Super Rainbow, which was too bad, I've heard they're good. I don't have the set list, but I did find this short piece from the WW music blog Local Cut when Wayne Coyne gets interviewed (there also some photos of the show). I know the band is from Norman, Oklahoma. The only people I know from there are weird and not in a Flaming Lips good sort of way. It was a killer show and I walked away smiling!
More music abounds in October and November. The Fiery Furnaces are coming to the Aladdin and MIA will be at Roseland. Thurston Moore has a new solo record and he's coming to the Doug Fir. Lastly I'll be seeing the super popular Feist at the Schnitzer.
I'm not happy about the Mets taking a dive, I suspect they won't nab their division. It's been a good season but they seem to be tanking and the pitching has become less than stellar. Cold weather means football and hockey season, I'll take the later.
September 7, 2007 I was lucky enough to get on the list for a KEXP in-studio at the Doug Fir. I saw The Thermals and as always, they were amazing. They did few covers before moving onto their own material. They played Big Dipper, a Built to Spill song and I was surprised and impressed. I'll be seeing Built to Spill in 2 weeks, and Camper Van Beethoven is opening for them!
I went to see Sicko, at long last. There is not much to say that hasn't already been said. I found it depressing and it made me want to move to France. I hope that healthcare in the US will improve in my lifetime, but I remain pessimistic.
August 27, 2007 Wilco was fantastic. The set list can be found here. I've seen them once before and I think they were even better this summer than last. The setting was perfect. Outside amongst trees and clear skies with plenty of good beer We got there a little late so the four of us ended up sitting fairly far back but I wandered up to the front a few times. I did not take any photos worth posting, I was too far away. As I mentioned in a previous post I don't love the new CD but Wilco still puts on an amazing show!
I went to Astoria this weekend, and then down to Manzanita. It's a gorgeous area of beach front, I want to go back! I love the OR coast now more than ever. I am able to channel total relaxation when I am there.
Tomorrow I can pick the new Michael Chabon book The Yiddish Policeman's Union at the library. If you've read, get in touch and let me know!
August 17, 2007 It's certainly better to have things fresh in your mind when writing but I've been so busy the last week that I have not had time to write about PDX POP. It was a great festival, all three days had amazing bands, and great turnout. I think the highlight of the festival for me were DAT'R, Laura Gibson, and Yellow Swans. Between dancing, relaxing and donning the earplugs for the latter it was a full on musical experience. PDX POP IS quintessential Portland.
Seattle — I had the pleasure of going there last weekend, wandering around and soaking up a new city. The hotel (a very swank stay at The W) was located downtown, which meant easy access to the more touristy areas of the city. I started to walk through Pikes Peak Market but left, it was too crowded and busy. Instead I wandered around for 3 hours being sure to stop at one of the many coffee shops along the way. I know I'll be back up there soon, and I want to check out some of the other neighborhoods.
I also went to Whidbey Island. It was my first ferry in the Pacific NW. I recalled traveling to Martha's Vineyard, though this ferry was much quicker and the water was far smoother.
I'm looking forward to seeing Bonde de role next month. However, there are shows sooner -- Mirah, Copy, and of course, Wilco.
July 28, 2007 It's fairly ridiculous that I have not been out of the city more. The whole state is a wonderland — mountains, rivers, the coast, hot springs, etc. I keep looking but have yet to find a book that is about day trips around here. My method is to ask people and file it away under "fun"!. I did go to the coast last weekend, and as ever, I am reminded of why it's one of my favorite places on the planet. It rained, which to be honest, sucked. I could not shoot very many photos, because it was coming down so hard.
PDX POP is next weekend! The lineup looks really amazing, it's FREE, 3 days, and tons of fun. I'll be volunteering and there to see the music, too.
As ever, tons of good shows in August and September. Marissa Nadler is playing the same night as Gogol Bordello, oh the decisions!
July 20, 2007 Last night I went to a Portland Bloggers dinner. It was fun, and I got to meet a bunch of cool folks. I think that its time for me to get Word Press up and running here so it can be a blog in the true sense of the word — people can actually leave comments!
Last weekend I went to the Bastille Day block party at Pix. Copy and YACHT both put on great sets. There was dancing, sparklers, confetti, great beer, amazing chocolate and boatloads of fun people. See this set on Flickr for some great shots, I did not bring my camera, too busy dancing!
July 12, 2007 A thunderstorm! I am so excited, fairly rare here. I stood outside and let it cool me off. Wooohooooo!!
July 8, 2007 Last nights festivities entailed checking out a new venue, Towne Lounge to hear Graves and Essie Jain. I heard Essie Jain doing an in-studio on KEXP. Once the crowd of loud women left it was great! She was really incredible -- do check her out.
I've seen some good movies lately. Pan's Labrynth, Grindhouse, and Knocked Up. I am on Season 3 of Buffy and Season 2 of Deadwood. I think my next series will be Firefly. I started it back east and never finished it.
I did a short hop on my bike today, my neighborhood is highly conducive to riding. I've been working out (my company gym is as good as it gets) recently and really liking the way I feel.
Random video -- Rilo Kiley porn style? You have to wade through the first bit to get to the actual music.
July 1, 2007 Happy July! Only a few weeks into the summer and I've been doing all sorts of summer like things. I went to the CD release party for Blitzen Trapper at Holocene. They were fantastic and The Shaky Hands played a killer set before them. Here are some photos of Blitzen Trapper from Pitchfork.
I watched a private showing of a film made by friend and local director/filmmaker, Scott Tebeau. It was great, really beautifully shot with a unique and evolving story line. I need to watch more shorts.
I'm hoping to head down to SF at the end of the month. Flying seems to be expensive right now and none too fun for passengers of a recent Delta flight. There is something both funny and horrifying about the video. I think there needs to be regulations that limit the amount of time a plane full of passengers can sit on the tarmac before those flying are given the choice to turn around and get OFF the plane. The most notable thing about this video is that due to video and social networking on the Internet companies can not longer hide their mistakes easily. I think this makes it a better marketplace for everyone (think back to last winter when the Jet Blue CEO made a video after a similar experience)
June 17, 2007 Friday was tough, there were two amazing shows and I had to pick one. John Doe won out. I have been an X fan forever, and I have yet to see him solo. He was great, as was the opening band, Dead Rock West. The show was at Dante's, I had not been there before. The t-shirts he sells just about sum it -- the words "John Fucking Doe" in big letters across the front, hell yes! I forget how crazy that part of downtown Portland gets, there were tons of people around.
Wilco is coming to Portland in August, I'll be there (even I don't think much of their new CD). I got tickets to Rufus Wainwirght, that should be amazing. The Feist show is on the 25th. I have heard rave reviews about other shows on her tour. As always, so much music, so little time.....
I went to a splendiferous birthday party last night. We had strawberry shortcake and the berries were so red and juicy, I decided it's impossible to capture that color on film, it's too beautiful.
June 1, 2007 – I am getting reacquainted with that which belongs to me. For the last 10 months I have lived in a state of transition. Moving, knowing I have to move again, staying somewhere temporary while waiting to move. Now, finally, at long last, I am settling in. I have gone through bags and boxes that I packed well over a year ago. I keep having these moments, “Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that!” One of the main life lessons for me is that I need far less “stuff” than I imagined. I lived out a suitcase and backpack so my attachment to the material has greatly diminished. Also worth noting is that my current place is much smaller so I am having to be creative and give some things away, and sell some as well. I wish I could give some of these things to R but that cant happen at the moment so here they reside. What I am happiest to see are my CD’s and books, I am greatly attached to those!!
I love my new neighborhood. I can walk to everything, the schools are good, and the people are great. I feel really blessed to have found this place. The immediate area is filled with so many gardens that I may just find my green thumb after all.
Next weekend is the CD release party for PDX Pop Now. There are some great bands playing (of course!) and you get a copy of the CD with the cost of admission. It’s also an all ages show – Yeah for the Hawthorne Theatre.
I have been listening to the Feist, Rufus Wainwright and the new Wilco. Can’t say I am that impressed with the Wilco, there a few good songs but it has this cheesy feel to it that I don’t like. Laura Veirs, Tegan and Sara, John Doe, Feist, Rufus Wainwright, Jenny Owen Youngs (an east coast singer/songwriter that I saw in a small coffee shop in Norwalk, CT) are all coming to town soon. I know I am not the only person who feels this way – there are simply too many good bands in town playing to keep up with all of them. Pick and choose, pick and choose...
May 7, 2007 When I found this video today I got all choked up. It was made by Jem Cohen. This article in New York Magazine mentions a second film about Elliot Smith by Steve Hanft called Strange Parallel. Steve is actually a friend of my sister's — I have two of his films on DVD.
Southlander and Kill the Moonlight. Check them out!
May 2, 2007 I went to a free show last Friday night at Berbati's Pan. Laura Gibson, HorseFeathers and The Shaky Hands were chosen as Willamette Week's Best New Bands of 2007. Okay, there were actually 10 of them but the above artists were the ones who played. The sound was not great, and it was crowded but it was fun to see live music. As always, there is so much music locally that I can barely keep up. Friday night = Explosions in the Sky and Saturday YACHT is playing at Dsjecta. I know I am going to the first show, let's hope I can make it to the second one after a day of working on the new house.
Tomorrow finds me going to WebVisions. Great speakers (including a friend of mine) and interesting topics, it really looks like it will be a fine time.
April 26, 2007 Not much time to write but I urge all of you to get busy and help save Internet radio. SomaFM.com and similar sites/stations are in danger of disappearing! Get off your arse and sign the petition, call your reps, whatever you need to do, just get busy!
April 19, 2007 I don't watch much television as I don't currently have cable. However, when I am somewhere that has access, there is one show that I love The Colbert Report. I absolutely love Stephen Colbert. Clearly, I am not alone in my opinion, seeing as so many folks watch his show. I think one of the things make him so funny are his facial expressions -- even if I had to watch the show with no sound, I would be laughing.
Count down to move = 2 weeks. Busy painting and cleaning right now.
April 13, 2007 I went to see Eloquent Nude at Cinema 21 tonight. It was a short film, but really well done. I loved seeing the woman behind the photographs I have admired for so long. She was incredibly beautiful, I want this photograph of Charis Wilson on my wall. Go see it if you are local, if not, rent it on DVD.
Last year for my birthday I got an iPod, such a great present! It was a replacement for the one that had run out of room (20 gigs was too small for a music freak like me). I have spent the last year filling up the new one, though it still has heaps of room! This year was far more low key. I got some CD's, and went out to dinner at Bernie's Southern Bistro on Alberta. The waiter was fantastic, he made my night! It was fun to be back in my old neighborhood, too.
There are so many good shows coming up I can't stand it! The ones I am most excited about are Explosions in the Sky, The Black Angels and John Doe. I am miffed because LCD sound system is not coming to Portland. Seattle, yes, Portland no! I can't stop listening to the new CD, Sound of Silver. Check it out!
March 30, 2007 I went to see Lilly Allen last night at the Aladdin theatre. I have never been there before, what a great place to see a show. It's small, comfortable and had really good sound. The location can't be beat either. Lilly Allen was fun, fresh and saucy. She has a limited repertoire due to the fact that she has one CD so the show was on the short side. I loved how much she interacted with the audience. UK pop wondergirl!
Everyday on my way to and from work I can see Mt. Hood. Okay, not everyday -- it's too cloudy here for that! If I am really lucky I can see a plane flying overhead AND Mt. Hood. It's a great way to start and end my work day.
March 17, 2007 On moving.... I spent 8 hours today and 10 hours last weekend packing, organizing and moving. Everyone dislikes moving but for me it's particularly hard as I just did all this 9 months ago. I was so meticulous when I packed everything in CT, I knew it was headed 3,000 miles and I thought it would stay in that house for many years to come. I had quite the wake up call and here I am, moving again. The key to sanity is pacing yourself, and in my book -- hiring people to help you. I have big stuff, tons of books and asking any of my friends to do that is just not fair. So, I get to relax now, for a little while. I don't move into the permanent digs for another month or so. In the interim I can pretend there is no move in my near future, hah!
It's spring here, truly spring and it feels weird. It's St. Patrick's day! That used to mean possible snow storms, and another solid month of cold. I like PDX weather, seeing daffodils this time of year feels hopeful, optimistic. Moving, flowers = new beginnings.
March 4, 2007 At long last I have seen Borat. It is easily the funniest movie I have seen in a long time. Yeah, I know it's been in the theaters forever, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, it was pure genius. The website is slick, if only my design skills were that good!!
Soon I will be living in different part of Portland, I will post more about it once I am living there. I will miss this part of town (Alberta), I have grown really fond it. I was eating dinner tonight in New Seasons on 33rd and I told C the story of the first time I went in there. I looked around, at the all the people and thought, I want to live in this city. It was a strong feeling and clearly I went with it. Despite all the difficulties in my life on a personal level, I am very glad to be a resident of PDX.
I have not been to any shows in the last few weeks. I see heaps of things worth going to, there is never a shortage of great music here. It's just hectic with packing and a new job. I suspect once spring is here I will be more energized to get to live music. I would love to get to Coachella, the lineup -- incredible.
February 13, 2007 Too busy with upcoming move and new job to write much. I have come to the conclusion (after a whole 7 months of living here) that the Portland Mercury is my preferred alternative paper of choice. The writing is funnier, the reviews are quirkier and the overall vibe is more funky. Not that I dislike the Willamette Weekly (I do think their website is clunky and too slow to load) but the Mercury is more my cup of tea (make that green/ginger/lemon).
I watched a few minutes of the Grammy's -- YAWN. I think that the plug awards are a bit more my style.
Quick evening addition. I just got back from seeing The Departed at the Kennedy School. Wow, that was honestly the best movie I have seen in a long time. The acting was outstanding and the story line was really gripping. I really love that Jack Nicholson still has it, he is one of those actors that I think the world is blessed to have. I have watched him in so many things and he has rarely failed to disappoint.
January 28, 2007 This weekend I went to an opening, my first in Portland. He is a local photographer, Bobby Abrahamson, though originally from elsewhere (as are most of the people I meet here). The photographs were very good, see them here — Street Muggings. Portland has a very diverse and deep art community. My neighborhood has it's own scene, going up to Last Thursday is fantastic, especially when the weather is warm.
Neko Case is playing in town with Merle Haggard on February 10th. I have yet to see her. She has such a melodic voice. I am impatiently waiting for Gillian Welch to put out a new CD.
January 22, 2007 Yeah, so at least I did not make any New Years resolutions to write here more often. The first bits of the new year have been quiet and low key. Last weekend I went to see The Queen. I thought it was excellent. It's truly a study in human nature. Helen Mirren was superb, I can't imagine trying to portray someone who is actually still alive and such a huge figure. Then again, I am not an actress. It was a Portland first for me, I went to the Hollywood Theatre. What a beautiful place! How fantastic that it was saved by locals, I love seeing history preserved.
On the music front, things have been quiet for me. However, February looks to be a great month. Deerhoof, Of Montreal and Camera Obscura are all playing at the Wonder Ballroom. This Sunday there is also a free show at the Crystal Ballroom. Menomena is playing -- their new CD is supposed to be amazing, I need to pick it up. The Shaky Hands are also playing in Lola's Room. They were incredible at PDX POP Now, go see them!
Lastly, today is the birthday of one of my long time friends, E. Happy, happy, happy!
January 1, 2007 Welcome 2007! Last night I brought in the new year, Portland style. We went to see a show at Disjecta -- we missed Grails, but we saw The Joggers and Quasi. The Joggers rocked in the new year by playing some Led Zeppelin covers, most notably Houses of the Holy. They also covered Deerhoof and the Grateful Dead. It was heaps of fun. Quasi was good, I have never seen them before (come on now, I am not a pdx native!). Here is a great photo set that Jason Quigley took when they played city hall this summer.
This is great -- Yellow Bird Project. Bands designing T-shirts and giving the proceeds to charities. Check it out.
It looks as though John Edwards has already announced his plans for a presidential run. I am not quite ready to dive into heavy politics yet. There has been so much transition in my life over the last 6 months that most of my focus is on the personal. I am not keeping a close eye on what my party is up to. That being said I think he has a good chance though I think Barak Obama has a lot more character. I really hope Hilary does not run -- I would love to see a woman in the white house, just not her.
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?
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.
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 ColbertRolling 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.
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, 2006Wikipedia 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, 2006Keanu 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!
