No. 206: how things go

I know I haven't done the songs yet for last week, but they can wait. I'm serving jury duty for the next few days, so everything is sort of on hold that is more or less trivial. AKA I'm not getting to go to any of my classes that I actually do need to go to. Two papers and a test next week and I don't have time to hear the lectures about the topics the papers are on. Missing the psych class was missing info on my test Monday. So... good luck to me and all your prayers welcome. I'm just saying, though: irony, right? Anyway-- that's our political system and I'm happy to serve. Makes me feel closer to Baltimore, somehow, a little. And this is just one semester's courses-- I got a few left to go. Anyway my point of even entering into this silly world of blog was to say this about people:

They will surprise you. 

I wonder about my friends, where their lives are going to take them. People I've grown up with are getting married and starting lives together. Kids not much older than I am. And others of my friends off jetsetting the globe in travels our parents would never have had available to them. It's interesting. I have to rely a lot on God for the aleviation of this, but a lot of the time thinking about it stresses me out. Our forebearers and then our peers define our cultural norms, and I wonder at the precidents we're all setting for each other. Where are we setting the bar? The things you and your friends are doing are defining our era. It's a little nerve-wracking, I guess.

Possibly I'm experiencing alarmist theories b/c of Snow White, the Barthelme book Glenn assigned our Authors class. It's almost threatening, somehow, the way it's written. Probably sitting in a courthouse for 8 1/2 hours has made me more suseptible to currents like that, I don't know. But in any case-- I'll be excited to read something more calming and familiar (which oddly enough for me is going to be stuff) like Shakespeare, next semester. 

I'll post the songs probably tomorrow night. 

Cheers, hon.

H.

Ooooh P.S. I met Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair Magazine (which I one day hope to emply me). He was lovely, and I giggled like a moron as I skipped away in glee. Lawd, it must have been like watching Saved by the Bell crash into 30 Rock.  In any case, it was awesome (also talked to Andrea Mitchell and nearly knocked down her husband, the incredible Alen Greespan, which was highly embarrasing). 

No.195: two of life's best mind canaries

Okay. I wanna run this by you:

Sarah Palin -- Skipper Barbie. Enh? She's an evil, dull-witted Skipper Barbie  who accused the likely future President of the United States of "palling around with terrorists". She did this during a time  of hideous financialy crisis and whilst our country is engaged in a ridiculous harmful war with, wait for it: terrorists. This woman should be tied to a chair in a locked room and forced to watch Brady Bunch re-runs until she  finally loses that fragile, fragile grip on sanity she now  barely possesses. But that might've been the cause of the problem to begin with. 

Anyway-- 

Shakespeare was alright. The new  theater  in DC is gorgeous. The play was an all-male rendition of Romeo & Juliet. It was... it was okay. I've seen it before done much better by  the same company. The dude that played Juliet made me furious, and while I'm usually a die-hard Mercutio fan, the actor who played him WAY over played him, so when  Tibalt kills him, I was sort of glad about it. Anyway, dinner at the new Mexican restaurant next to it was PHENOMENAL. Carne Asada destroyed me.  And they make the guacamole at your table. Shweet.

Tomorrow is church and then driving up to Columbia to fetch my couch from Jo's. Maybe say hullo to  the Columbia kids and up to the More. I've got to write a 5-6 page paper on Aristotle for Wednesday and who is NOT jazzed about it? This girl  here.

So yeah. 

here are the songs, last weeks with barely a description or playlist and this weeks with both. 

cheers.

H.

p.s. if you haven't already, listen to the song "At Last" by Neko Case. There's a great Emily Dickinson reference and she's so whistful it'll make you cry. Perfect Fall music.

1. Judgment of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune) by Joni Mitchell
2. Avril 14 by Aphex Twin: Carlos wants to use this in one of his movies. Gorgeous tune.
3. Just a Girl by No Doubt
4. Little Motel by Modest Mouse: I forgot how much I like the more ballady stuff by them.
5. Top Yourself by The Raconteurs: Driving around Ocean City with a generally BA attitude amongst hundreds of V-dubs. It was rad.
6. Drive My Car by The Beatles
7. The Man in Me by BobDylan: Matt bought me The Big Lebowski. Love.

This Weeks:

1. Hotel California by Gipsy Kings: Another Big Lebowski tune. Carlos and I stayed up absurdly late and watched it. The scene where you first meet Jesus is only as good as it is because of this song. Beautiful camera work. Silly Coen bros.
2. Bobcaygeon by The Tragically Hip: From Trailor Park Boys. Sooo good. Must to check it out. "How their voices rang with that  Aryan twang". Hilarious.
3. Smart Went Crazy by Atmosphere: I love the horn section in this song. He's incredibly creative and I really like You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. It's a respectable album.This song is probably a highlight, though.
4. Grey Gardens by Rufus Wainwright: Went to a screening of Grey Gardens the other night. Rufus Wainwright has  a song about it, and there's a Books song with a line from the movie in it, but I'd never seen it. The Gilmore Girls like it, though, so I had a strong (fictional) backing. Anway-- it's great. So twisted, are these women, and yet so delightful in their utter strangeness. See it. And listento this song.
5. The Great Salt Lakes by Band of Horses:  I really really like them. I don't know what to say other than that. Mike was arguing with me that Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are boring, and whilst I love both, I can agree with him. But Band of Horses is usually grouped in amongst those, and  I never, ever ever find them boring. It's really good music for the weather we've been having lately, especially for you melancholy types.
6. Bad Things by Jace Everett: Last night at dinner Marian asked me what my guilty TV pleasure was of late (b/c Mike likes Gossip Girl and we tease liberally). I said I didn't really have one, since  Deadwood and House are generally respectable shows. But then  I realized Jenny has  me sort of compelled to watchTrueBlood. This song is so pretty in its absence of pretty. I love the guys voice a lot. I don't recommend the show, because I would find myself morally remiss, but the  song is great.
7. Crackerbox Palace by George Harrison: Ben put George on while I was dropping him off last night (while I was drivin the wrong way up Charles Street-- oh boy was that an adventure). I hadn't listened to Harrison in SOOO long. But I'm feeling a return to that genre of music. We'll see.