THE YEAR OF 35: CONFIDENCE, COLLABORATION, AND CONCERTS

In June I started to branch out in my performances. Valpo has several open mic opportunities, one of which is a coffee shop called Anna's (well, it has a longer name but I'm not sure how to spell) that runs them on Tuesday nights. Things are generally looser there and you get to play four songs (the other places have only been two a night). I decided I would try and write a new song for my debut there and sat down that afternoon with a lyric idea. I didn't quite get there but I had the chords down and a good idea where I wanted to go with it. Still, I went and performed my two originals, the Dramarama cover I had learned for Front Porch's anniversary the Thursday before (by request), and attempted Wilco's "A Shot in the Arm." It all went reasonably well - I was a little out of key with "Woke Up" and I didn't quite get the G minor chord on the Wilco but I got a good response from the audience (including a high school kid who thought I was awesome) and a bit more respect from the assembled musicians.

That night also saw the debut of Dime Store Millionaires, a group made up of people I'd met on the open mic circuit. They were making their debut at a coffee shop that coming Saturday, for which Graham was the opening act. After watching their performance, Graham got very jazzed about the band idea again and was open to doing my songs in the band context as well. So, we spent some time over the next couple days playing together - he adding guitar licks (acoustic) and harmonies to my songs and me putting some keyboards and harmonies with some of his songs. During our practice on that Thursday my wife appeared in the living room saying she thought one of the songs he'd been playing ("Poor") needed something extra...and she pulled out a harmonica from behind her back. She and Grant had snuck out of the house, gone to Front Porch and bought the harmonica without us knowing. Luckily, it was in a key that worked with the song. I blew on it once or twice and we decided we'd be okay.

That night was open mic at Front Porch and we decided we'd practice some of our material. Graham went first and did one of his songs without me and then I got up and we did "Poor" together. Then it was my turn and we dueted on "Woke Up" and "That's Okay." I felt completely comfortable being on stage with him and had no doubts in my abilities. We got a nice response and I even had someone compliment my harmonica.

The next day was Friday and we planned to get together to practice some more and play again that night at Music of Oz's open mic. Before Graham came over, I managed to finish the new song and we were able to practice that and create a setlist for the next night. At the show that night, Graham went first again and I joined him for 2 of his three songs - "Poor" and "Waste Your Breath," for which I played piano. Then it was my turn. We did "That's Okay" and debuted the new one, "Song For a Day." There were some children in the audience other than my son, so we didn't do "Woke Up." I did the Dramarama one more time. It went reasonably well except when I screwed up the chord changes in the chorus of my new one. My parents also got to see my perform for the first time that night as well, which was fun.

Saturday rolled around and we got to the place a couple hours before we were scheduled to perform. As the opening act, we were going to do 9 songs (all 3 of mine and 6 of his). We hung out for a while as Dime Store got all their stuff set up and then it was time to do a quick soundcheck and set up our equipment. Graham had brought his kick drum and we had our guitars and brought the keyboard and I had my harmonica; the place (a coffee shop) also had a piano that we used. Things went well - we got a nice response from the crowd (my parents were there again) and even got interviewed by a guy from a local music magazine. In fact, you can read the interview here; click on the article about Dime Store Millionaires and scroll down to the last paragraph.

The following week we started up band practice again, as we hadn't been able to get all three of us together for a little while. Graham switched from guitar to bass on my songs and we added in Tom's drums. That first night we worked on "Song For a Day" and it was so cool to hear my song fleshed out in a full band setting. One of the best experiences I've ever had. We only got in two practices before it was time for vacation, though.

Before we made the trek east, there was one more performance. Graham was the scheduled host for the open mic at Front Porch, which meant he got the first half hour to himself. He played two songs by himself and then I came up for a couple more. Once again we got a nice response from the crowd; Jill said people were really into "Poor."

I brought my guitar along on vacation. I wanted to be able to play and I wanted to be able to perform for family members who hadn't heard me, such as my brother. I also thought I'd be able to get some more songwriting done - I had another song half-completed and yet another I had a first verse and music for. Well, the songwriting didn't work so much, though I did figure out the chords for two more songs. And I did perform for everyone at the lake on July 3, which was fun.

I had an idea in the car on the way back home to speed up one of the songs I'd been working on and I was able to sit down on Friday night and got the song done. I played it for Graham when he came over to practice on Saturday and he was extremely positive about it, saying he'd pay money for it (nothing like encouragement from your bandmate and a songwriter you respect). So, "Decoder Ring" is my fourth song.

We got back down to band practice on Monday and have another one again tonight. Why? Gs Livid Penny debuts as a full unit next Thursday night at a bowling alley. I'm looking forward to debuting on the bass and just having the energy of the drums while we play. I'll let you know how it goes...

BEHIND

Our vacation ended last week; we arrived back home around 6:00 last Wednesday after a car trip of almost 13 hours. Vacation was good - lots of time with family and some interesting sights and events - but it is always good to get back home to your own house and routine and (especially) bed. I've been having a weird transition back to regular life, feeling like my person in somewhere behind my body. Like I'm still in Ohio or something, traveling to catch up with myself. Every day hasn't been like this and Sunday was definitely the worst but I still feel like I'm missing some part of myself. I'm doing my best to get fully locked in to the here and now and expect it won't be long.

I am also behind on other things, including this blog. It's funny, I had the energy to devote to it when we left on vacation but I had limited internet access. Anyway, I know I've hardly written anything in the past few months. I've thought about plenty of posts - reviews and "Year of 35" updates and cool things around the net and more on 52 and so forth - but they existed only in my head. The thought of trying to catch up on them makes the prospect of picking up the blog extremely daunting, so I'll probably just leave all of that behind and just forge ahead with the new (and maybe doing some catch-up along the way).

And you want to talk about being behind? I'm waaaay behind the pace for the book-reading goal for the year. My goal for 2006 is 40. We are now more than halfway done with the year (and about halfway done with July!) and I've only managed to read 17 books so far. 17. Yikes. I took 3 books on vacation and only read one - Paragaea by Chris Roberson, which I liked well enough. I did start a second book - Grab On to Me Tightly As If I Knew the Way by Bryan Charles - but gave up after 40 pages. You would think a rock'n'roll coming-of-age story couldn't go wrong with me but there you go. I do have the third book left to start, Hal Duncan's Vellum, and the new T.C. Boyle (Talk Talk) is out too. Yet I've been reading through the current issues of Asimov's and F&SF before starting on those. And maybe making up for those weeks of lost internet time a little too much. Obviously, I'm going to try and get back on track. I'll let you know how it goes...

AWAY

I've been away from the blog for a while and that will most likely continue for a time since we are now physically away as well and internet access on Jill's laptop will be spotty at best from here on out. We are in Columbus, OH and will be leaving for North Carolina in the morning. Eventually we will make our way to NYC/NJ and Canada Lake in the Adirondacks of upstate New York.

I've been keeping busy with band practice and performances and work and watching 3 seasons of "Scrubs" on DVD and the first season of "24" as well. I read Ian McDonald's River of Gods in there too.

I have my guitar along with me and a bunch of CDs (can't get enough of The Essex Green's Cannibal Sea) and a handful of books like Chris Roberson's Paragea and the latest Invincible trade. Plus, we're hanging out with family on both sides and have plenty to do as well. Oh, "Superman Returns" is on that list.

Anyway, I may get a chance to check in but you'll probably have to wait a few more weeks before I start getting into any sort of posting groove again. Take care of yourselves and I'll talk to you soon.

FUTON

My father-in-law sold his house recently; he's been living in Columbus, OH with his new wife and no longer needed the house in Maysville, KY. He'd been planning on giving us some furniture from the house - mainly a bed and nightstands. Our bed is old and creaky and the one he had was much newer and slightly bigger. He signed the closing papers on May 22 and then loaded up a U-Haul and drove up to us. In addition to the bed and nightstands he brought and chair and some lamps and another nice piece where he stored his albums and a futon. Our house is small, so not everything could be used inside. We do have a porch that becomes an extra room in the summertime and Jill rearranged things so the futon could fit.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time on the futon and it was very nice. It was a beautiful day out and the futon was very comfotable. I read quite a bit of Absurdistan out there yesterday and also took a little nap. Watched some sports too. I'm looking forward to a summer of the futon. Thanks, Dad.

Oh, and I read 230 pages of Absurdistan yesterday and finished the book. I liked it. I'll say more once I get around to a proper review (which will be in September at my current rate of speed). Next up in the reading queue is Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness and then the July issue of Asimov's and then Hal Duncan's Vellum.

BLAH BLAH BLAH

My brother pointed out on the phone last night that I hadn't updated my blog. My head's been full of a lot of the blah blah lately and I've haven't been feeling too coherent. I laid off the guitar for a few days as well. Part of my problem is that the current session at the Y is almost at an end...two classes tomorrow and then I'm off for a week! I love my job but I'm ready for a bit of a break.

I've also been distracted the last few days by "Scrubs." I picked up Season 3 on DVD when it came out the other week and hadn't gotten around to it yet. Jill started watching the show with me when it came back in January, so I thought she'd want to go back and watch the third season with me. She did...but then she decided we should go back to Season 1. I was happy to oblige - it's a funny show and well worth watching multiple times. So the last few days have been devoted to whipping through the first season and this afternoon we started on Season 2. Which means we have about 40 episodes or so to watch yet.

And now that the current season of "24" is over I can allow myself to start watching Season 1, which Grant and Jill got me for my birthday. This was the first time I watched the show and it hooked me big time. The season finale was great. So was the season finale of "Lost," for that matter.

I've been reading too, of course. I need to do reviews for The Empire of Ice Cream and Black Swan Green and Apex Hides the Hurt and The History of Love. Plus I'm working through Absurdistan right now.

I'm quite behind on talking about music too. Today I started listening again to everything I've bought or downloaded so far this year and the plan is to write about all of it. We'll see.

I have been doing the open mic thing still - tonight was my fifth overall. I played "That's Okay" and quickly learned a Dramarama cover ("Work for Food") to help celebrate the 15th anniversary of Front Porch Music. My performances are getting better but my fingers still want to move strangely at times. Ah well.

Happy birthday, Theron!

52.2

I was going to post this last week but didn't get around to it. I'm reading these issue when they come out (on Wednesdays), so I'll try and be a bit more timely with my posts. Anyway...I thought this issue definitely delivered on the promise of the first. Now maybe this was because it only focused on the characters and situations I found interesting in #1. Or maybe it was just good.

Ralph Dibny learns more about what is going on at his wife's grave and the mystery of it leads him to twitch his nose just a bit; perhaps this will lead to the Elongated Man taking up his detective role once again.

Booster Gold visits Dr. Will Magnus (who created the Metal Men) to make sure nothing is wrong with his robotic companion Skeets. He doesn't seem to think so but later on a plane rescue turns out more difficult than anticipated due to more misinformation from Skeets. Another mystery.

Speaking of mysteries, we see Magnus visiting T.O. Morrow, another brilliant man who is also a criminal. Morrow is told that his creation, the android hero Red Tornado, has perished in the recent battles; Morrow mentions one of Tornado's brothers, the Red Inferno. We also learn that someone is rounding up mad scientists, which explains Dr. Sivana's disappearance last issue.

The other major action of the issue is between The Question and Renee Montoya. He acts all mysterious but ends up hiring Renee to do some detective work. Plus, there's a scene of two women sleeping together (really sleeping, perverts), which you don't see too often in a mainstream super-hero comic.

The end solves a mystery to a certain extent but raises another bigger one and then we're on to the back-up feature giving us the history of the DC Universe in our newly-streamed timeline.

I say, give me more, as long as it's as appealing as this issue. Guess I'll find out tomorrow...

eMUSIC ROUND FOUR

Last time I waited a few weeks before using up my downloads. This time? Done in just days...

Grandaddy/Just Like the Fambly Cat - It took about a week for this one to turn up but I knew it would, since the rest of their albums are available. It's good and it's their last one.

Twilight Singers/Powder Burns - I've liked Greg Dulli for years but have never gotten around to picking up anything from this band or The Afghan Whigs. The new one is great rock music - I like a band that tends toward the dramatic, as long as it's held it check. This delivers.

Archers of Loaf/Icky Mettle - Long been interested in this and now I've heard it. This was Eric Bachmann's band before Crooked Fingers and was more rock-oriented. I've only listened once but I liked it.

WHO WANTS LINKS?

I missed Free Comic Book Day the other weekend; it wasn't high on my agenda and I let it slide. I shouldn't have, because I forgot all about Free Scott Pilgrim. What is that, you ask? It's a brand-new adventure of the fantastic new graphic novel series that I rambled about late last year. And it was free. Oops. I've been saved, however, as it has been posted here. If you haven't read the series, I hope this gets you hooked. I haven't read it yet, as Bryan Lee O'Malley says it takes place after the third volume, Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness, which is due out next week. I can wait. I suggest you don't.

Want to watch something on You Tube? How about the pilot for "Heat Vision and Jack," which starred Jack Black as an astronaut and Owen Wilson as his talking motorcycle? Oh, and Ben Stiller was involved too. I haven't taken the half hour to watch it yet but I plan to this weekend. (via someone on the BKV message board)

Jason Isbell of the Drive-By Truckers just did an instudio on Minnesota Public Radio in which he plays an acoustic version of "Easy on Yourself" from the new album and a brand-new song called "Dress Blues." Go, listen, enjoy. (via LHB)

The new Jon Auer (of the Posies) album is finally here - Songs from the Year of Our Demise. You can listen to the whole thing here.

I am in love with the pop sensibilities of Central Services. Go to their MySpace. (via You Ain't No Picasso)

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Bishop Allen. I picked up their March ep and haven't gotten enough of it. I will talk more about it soon. But for now, check out their MySpace page. (via several leading music bloggers)

52.1

INFINITE CRISIS, the latest epic storyline for DC Comics wrapped up the other week. It was a thematic and at times direct sequel to CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, their first such event in 1985. I was all about that previous series and it introduced me to many characters I didn't know yet while also wiping out their multiple Earths (along with multiple Supermen and Wonder Women and so forth)in order to streamline the DC Universe (or DCU). IC briefly flirted with the idea of restoring the multiverse but settled for once again streamlining the DCU. How successful they were is a topic for another time. Or not.

The end result of the series is that, for varying reasons, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman disappear for a whole year. This has lead to DC publishing their comics under a banner of "One Year Later," which started in March. All titles had a change in the status quo of the series via this concept. I haven't read many of them, so I can't offer much comment. You may wonder what happened during that missing year. Well, DC is telling you one week at a time.

52 is a comic that will be published weekly and offers a real time look at what happened in the DCU during that missing year of continuity. A weekly series is a massive undertaking and part of my interest in this series is whether they will be able to meet that schedule. I appreciate the risk involved and like that they are willing to try something like this. How are they doing it? Four writers - Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Greg Rucka, and Geoff Johns. A rotating cast of artists assisted by breakdowns on every issue by Keith Giffen. All under covers by J.G. Jones, whom I think is one of the best in the business. The first issue came out last Wednesday and I thought I would offer up my weekly thoughts on the series for as long as I stick with it.

#1 opens up by checking in on three people - Ralph Dibny (better known as Elongated Man; his wife Sue was killed during the opening salvos of the current DC direction in the IDENTITY CRISIS); Renee Montoya (a cop for the Gotham P.D.; her partner was recently killed in the pages of GOTHAM CENTRAL); and John Henry Irons (also known as Steel, he was one of the replacements for Superman during the big "Death of Superman" storyline more than a decade ago). The first two are depressed and not coping very well and Steel is working in relief efforts around the world after the events of IC.

Next we see Booster Gold, who has returned to the corporate ways of his debut 20 years ago. Not only is he pitching drinks while beating up bad guys but he has also rented out space on his uniform. Booster and his robot companion Skeets also happen to be from the future, which they are using to their advantage. Booster plans on being a part of the brand-new Justice League, which he is confident will be announced at a hero's funeral at the end of the week. I was a fan of Booster when his comic series was around and then through various titles like Justice League, though I was glad when he seemed to gain more substance. Not sure how I like this new/old take on him.

There were other parts of the issue that didn't do much for me - Steel and his niece; a look at Black Adam, the ruler of Khandaq; the fact the fate of Wally West, the Flash, was dealt with in such an off-handed matter. Seems like you would want one of the main parts of your big series, IC, to be dealt with in another way. Yes, I know I'm losing you.

Here's why I'm coming back for #2...Ralph gets an interesting message concerning his late wife; mysterious things are afoot with Dr. Sivana; the memorial for the fallen heroes and how things go awry from Booster's perspective; and the brilliant appearance of The Question at the end of the issue. I'll let you know how the new issue goes in the next couple of days...

EXTRA-CIRRICULAR

I did say I'd start posting on May 15, right? What? I said May 1? Darn typos...

You know I've been keeping myself occupied with music (if you've been reading my sporadic Year of 35 posts, that is) and I'm still putting in a few hours a day in the YMCA pool. And I've been reading (though not as much as I'd like to) and watching TV (Lost, Sopranos, Big Love, 24, Amazing Race, Scrubs, Gilmore Girls) and some baseball (again, not as much as I'd like). Plus, hitting shuffle on iTunes like a junkie. But I've also managed to do some different things over the past week or two...

I went to prom. Sadly, it's not a new experience for me. I went to two of them when I was in high school and this was my ninth as a chaperone. How do I get so lucky ever year? My wife is one of the junior class sponsors. Do I get to hang out and watch her dance in her cute dresses while she hangs out with the students? No. I get to eat quickly and then go to the lobby to make sure no one tries to leave before they are allowed to. Occasionally I escort someone to their car and make sure they don't grab any alcohol or pills or what have you. It can be interesting when something happens and there is usually an upset girl whose boyfriend is being a jerk. This year? Boring. No criers, even. That's a good thing, of course, but it made the hours go by that much slower. Oh well.

Last week I got to be a crossing guard. The regular guy went on vacation (fishing in Kentucky) and asked if I would fill in. We're friendly and I will walk with my son a couple days a week just to talk to the guy. Things went well the first three days but then the weather took a turn for the worse and I got to stand in the rain on Thursday and Friday. Not something I'd want to do on a regular basis. The good news? He paid me for it. The bad news? My wife is going to take it to help pay off some purchases. Oh well.

By the way, tomorrow brings the debut of The Raconteurs. Oh yeah!

eMUSIC ROUND THREE

My regular eMusic subscription hit its second cycle on April 15. I get 40 downloads a month for $9.99, have no complaints about the service at all, and would recommend it to those of you looking to get as much music as you can. Commercial over. I grabbed 4 albums this time around...

The Black Keys/Chulahoma - This is an EP of Junior Kimbrough covers. I like the Keys and this sounds good after a couple listens. Their new full-length should be out later this year too.

Centro-Matic/Love You Just the Same - I've rambled on about how much I love Fort Recovery and I had to go back and pick up some of their older work. This album is pretty darn great too.

The Essex Green/Cannibal Sea - Trevor put a track from this in his April mix and I liked it. What really sold it was hearing "Penny and Jack" on KEXP. It's a pop album with interplay between male and female voices. How can I resist?

The Black Angels/Passover - I first heard this band on KEXP last year and really liked the songs off their self-titled EP. I never did get around to buying that but three of the songs are on the new full-length. It's heavy rock in the Velvet Underground vein, hypnotic and catchy (though it can blend together a bit). I also grabbed the remaining tune from the EP.

My new download period started today and I'm not sure what I'll pick up. But that's the fun, isn't it?

THE YEAR OF 35: FRONT PORCH (x2), BACK PORCH, BASEMENT

I made my open mic debut at Front Porch Music on May 4, as promised. It's the longest-standing open mic place in Valpo, though there are now several. I've also been going there the longest, since about 1993, so it was nice to finally get up on stage and perform myself. Once again I played "Lonely Holiday" (Old 97s) and my first original, "Woke Up." I forgot what verse I was on in the former and missed some chord changes in the latter but it went well on the whole. Jane, one of the owners, told me she liked my song and wanted to hear it again. That made me happy.

On Sunday, May 7, I was supposed to have my first band practice with Graham. He was going to come over and we were going to work on adding bass and keys to some of his songs. He called in the morning and said the drummer wanted to come too, which was fine by me. Graham arrived first and we unloaded the gear and set up the mikes and amps and our back porch, then he started teaching me one of his newest songs. Tom (the drummer) came as we were doing that and we got his electronic kit set up. We were ready to go. We started on the song I was learning - "Jews and Gypsies." It didn't sound too bad and the first pass. What was cool for me is that I thought a small desending bass run would sound good and actually executed it. We worked on it a few more times, getting in and out of a slow part and such, and had it sounding quite good. My neighbor was yelling encouragment too. We worked on a few more songs with varying degrees of success (I came up with a solid keyboard riff for another song and my harmony contributions worked out pretty well). We played "Jews and Gypsies" one more time and called it a day. It was so much fun.

I had come up with a simple chord change on my guitar that day and a melody presented itself. By Monday night I'd come up with a first verse; Tuesday morning brought the second; and Wednesday gave me the rest of the song. It was as easy as "Woke Up." By contrast, I'm still at a loss for some lyrics on a third song. Anyway, "That's Okay" stands as the second song I've written.

I was back at Front Porch this past Thursday and had even more people in the audience watching me - my boss and co-workers and their friends and husband in one case. I started off with "Woke Up" again and did better than the week before, though I was still missing that one chord change from A to D - too keyed up, I think. I decided I should play "That's Okay" too and it went very well. My cheering section all said I did very well and I got another positive response from Jane, who liked the new one and heard more in the first one.

On Saturday I packed up the keyboard (which Graham had loaned me so I could work on the songs) and an amp and went down to Wheatfield (Graham's house) for another Livid Penny practice. Tom got there right after me and we set up down in the basement. I used a different bass and played with a shoulder strap for the first time. We started with "Jews and Gypsies" and it was as good as where we left it. We worked on three more songs and got two more worked up pretty well - "Puppet on a String" and "Tempo." After we were done my head was stuffed full of music. I think I did well, considering it was only my second time in any kind of band situation. I'll practice this week and we'll do it again on Saturday. And I'm back to Front Porch on Thursday too.

I'm having a blast doing this...

THE YEAR OF 35: ONE MONTH

My 35th birthday was one month ago today, so I thought I'd assess where I am with my year-long project...

The biggest change has been on the music front, obviously. I have sustained my guitar playing for the longest stretch of my life and it has paid off. I play it better than I ever used to (bar chords are getting easier) and I am learning more chords than I ever knew. I have also starting learning how to play the bass and feel I have a basic knowledge of what note is where. This has all culminated in me actually writing a song (I used to write lyrics when I was in high school but never got around to putting any real music with them) and actually getting up and playing at an open mic. This coming Thursday, May 4, will bring my second open mic appearance and my Valpo debut. I am also working on my second song, "Tell Me."

I haven't done much writing of any kind. I've been focused on the music, for one thing, and I'm busy with work and family and so forth. I'm not terribly worried about it, as I am starting to get new ideas for stories, and once the current session at the Y ends I will have a lot more time to myself (only 5 weeks left). Perhaps my book idea for The Year of 35 will also start taking shape then.

My reading is down a bit and I haven't been watching as much baseball or keeping track of as many TV shows or watching as much on DVD and so on. I've been busy doing more things, which is a definite change for me. Sure, I'd like to do more of all those things but I'm happy with the balance that has been struck on the whole.

I've also allowed myself to buy single issues of comics again. Look - no guilt! Sure, I'm going slowly but there's nothing wrong with that. I only have so much money (and space). But 6 issues in a month's time is pretty good for me and I have plans to buy more.

Anyway, that's the quick overview. More on most of the things mentioned in the coming weeks, I hope. I do plan on getting back to a bit more regularity of posts starting Monday (May 1). Get to some reviews I've been meaning to do for a while and try to stay a bit more current. Until then...

THE YEAR OF 35: OPEN MIC

I've talked about doing an open mic night for years and years, going back to the early 90s. I first got the bug when we would go see Your Neighbors, a band that contained a friend who actually was my neighbor growing up. They were really good and I always thought it was a shame they never got a record contract and they eventually broke up. Anyway, we used to see them play at a local music store, Front Porch Music. This is back in 1992, 1993 range. Every time I used to say - I'm going to work on the guitar and learn some songs and start playing. I didn't back then.

Over the years, I've got to open mic nights at Front Porch from time to time; each new instance would bring a new resolve from me to play. Never did.

Over the past year or two I've gone off and on to see Graham play without much thought to doing it myself. Except now I'm in the year of 35 and things like open mics are what it's all about. I knew there was one happening in DeMotte (the town I grew up in and first dreamed my music dreams in) on April 21 and I decided it would be fitting to play that for my first time out.

I started working on some cover songs, trying to decide what I could play and what would sound okay. And after practicing those, I started to play some chords to see what sounded good and I found something I liked. I kept on playing it and a melody came to me. Then I had an opening line. That was it until earlier this week - I was washing the dishes and suddenly I had two verses. It was completely unexpected and utterly cool. I spent five minutes trying to go to sleep that night and then got back up and wrote down the last verse. A little editing here and there and trying to fit everything to the song and just yesterday and changed up the chords in one part and added a little repeat and it felt ready. When Graham came over yesterday I played it for him and he said he thought it was ready.

Cut to tonight. It's my turn to play. I get up and talk briefly about turning 35 and all of that. Then it's time to play. First I did "Lonely Holiday" from the Old 97s and then I debuted my song - "Woke Up." I played it pretty well, missed a D chord a few times and forgot to change to a G at the end, but I was happy with it. I got a very nice repsonse from the crowd (many of whom I knew) and that was great. I wasn't that nervous either, even when I hit the mic stand while playing or missed a chord. I know it didn't ruin things. And I know I'll do it better.

Next up is playing the open mic at Front Porch, which I will be doing May 4. I'm looking forward to it.

PROGRESS REPORT

My hand is not very pleased with me right now because I had to do 44 progress reports for my swimming classes from yesterday afternoon to this morning. Ouch. But outside of a few checkmarks or comments here and there I am finished for another session. This is the last week of the current one and then we start a new one next week; it will last 7 weeks, bringing us into early June. And then I'm taking 5 weeks off so we can go on vacation and all of that. Yay.

Anyway, I thought I've give a quick progress report on what else I've been up to the past week or so. Between the time change and going back to work and the death of one of our former drama kids, last week kinda got away from me.

I'm still working through The Empire of Ice Cream. I've now read 10 stories, leaving 4 to go. It's been great and I'm sad to see the book come to an end but the new David Mitchell, Black Swan Green, is due out tomorrow and I can't wait to sink my teeth into that one.

I also took some time out to read Seven Soldiers Vol. 2 and Ex Machina: Fact v. Fiction - reviews coming in the near future (at least that's the plan), as well as a story and the book reviews in the Apr. issue of F&SF (I have to finish that and then have the May issue and the June issue of Asimov's).

I picked up the new Flaming Lips last week and am eagerly awaiting the new Built to Spill and Calexico that come out tomorrow. I also used up the rest of my eMusic downloads for the period, picking up the Iron and Wine/Calexico EP (why didn't anyone tell me how great it was), Elliott Smith's Either/Or (followed a link on a whim), and another Brendan Benson track I didn't have (a McCartney cover).

The bass has been going pretty well. Graham came over and taught me a few things last Thursday and I now realize I need to think of it in terms of what notes are where. Makes sense, I know, but I needed to get that into my head. We also started writing a song together, which was cool. I'm also aiming for my open mic debut on April 21 - I will play guitar and sing a couple songs. Less than 2 weeks!

I've also been watching baseball. Of course. The Sox are off to a slower start than last year but I'm confident they will find their rhythm.

That's about it...

FALL OF THE EMPIRE

No, I haven't stopped reading The Empire of Ice Cream. I'm three stories in and loving every minute of it. I've just decided to stop posting about each story as I read it; I'd rather let them roll around in my head for a bit and play off of each other. So, I will wait and do a review of the collection as a whole when I finish it later on this week. I have the title story up next!

YES!

Today is one of the best days of the year for me. Why? Baseball is back! Anyone who knows me or has read my various blogs over the years know of my love for the game. Last year was a great season, culminating with my Chicago White Sox winning the World Series. The team looks good again this year and I look forward to watching them try to defend their title. I also like watching other teams and players around the league and watching how it all unfolds. I've watched one "Baseball Tonight" already and will watch the next one at 6:00 PM CDT and then the Cleveland Indians and the White Sox (though there is rain in the area and that may mess with things). In any case, I am very happy to have my favorite sport up and running for another season.

THE LOST HOUR

Things I could have done with the hour we lost last night...

* Read another story in The Empire of Ice Cream (working on "A Night in the Tropics" right now)

* Watched more of the extras on The Fearless Freaks DVD (the main doc is good, by the way)

* Listened to the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs another time (I picked up Show Your Bones when I got the DVD on Friday and am right now listening to it for the second time)

* Worked on learning the bass some more (I did play for an hour in the afternoon, as well as the guitar; then again, I don't think my family would have let me make a racket that late at night)

* Started a new writing project (I have an idea...)

* Slept (I'll probably feel that loss tomorrow, especially since it's back into the pool)

EMPIRE: JUPITER'S SKULL

This is one of two stories in the new collection that I've actually read before; I encountered this in the Flights anthology. I liked it then and I like it now.

It's a story of the power of creativity and engaging with the world. Of passion and poetry. It also loops around on itself, intimating that the tale just told has happened over and over again. I don't want to say much more than that, really. It's dreamlike and sexy and beautiful. And that's enough.

EMPIRE: THE ANNALS OF EELIN-OK

It starts with the idea - there are faeries called Twilmish who only become corporeal when they discover a sand castle to their liking. Their lives then last only as long as the sand castle remains, so they must choose wisely.

Next comes the specific - a small journal was discovered and its author was one of the Twilmish, named Eelin-Ok. The rest of the story consists of the entirety of his journal.

The payoff comes in the beautiful writing and the life that Eelin-Ok lives. He comes into being at sunset and passes away while the moon is still in the sky but time seems to behave differently for him. He explores, fights off a rat, decorates the castle, acquires a sand flea companion, meets and fall in love with a faerie woman of a different species (and her son), rides on a bird, repels a full scale assult from more rats, and so much more. The story too plays with time - it seems like you've read a much longer tale. Eelin-ok writes "'What does it all mean?' I have always asked. 'It means you've lived a life...'"

A beautiful story and a strong start to the collection.

ANTICIPATORY NON-FICTION

I've managed to read two books within the last week, helped by the fact I didn't have to work at all. Both books can been seen as warm-ups for upcoming events and I liked mixing in some non-fiction when I get the chance.

First up was Three Nights in August by Buzz Bissinger. It's centered around a 3 game series between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals in August 2003; both teams were fighting for the division lead at that time (along with the Houston Astros). Bissinger takes a look at Cards manager Tony LaRussa and the team, using specific examples of players (such as Cal Eldred and Albert Pujols) and situations (such as the hit-and-run) to touch on unviersal truths about baseball. I've been a fan of LaRussa since he managed the White Sox in the early 80s and this book didn't change that in the least. It's a smart book that is passionate about baseball played the right way and that's the kind of baseball I love. Now I am fully charged up for the new season ahead, which begins in less than 48 hours as I type this with a game between the Cleveland Indians and my beloved World Champion White Sox.

The second book, finished about an hour ago, was Staring at Sound by Jim DeRogatis. It tells the story of one of my favorite bands, The Flaming Lips. DeRogatis lays things out in chronological order with histories of the members and centering around their creative output. I liked it. It reminded me a bit of the Wilco book that Greg Kot wrote the other year. I always find the creative process interesting and when it's one of my favorite bands...how can I resist? This now has me fired up for the new Lips album, At War With the Mystics, which comes out on Tuesday. I've been listening to all the previous albums and used some birthday money to buy the Fearless Freaks DVD, which I'll try to get to before the new one. Can't wait.

That gives me 11 books read through the end of March. Not bad. Next up is Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream and I plan on posting about every story as I read them.

THE YEAR OF 35: TENDER FINGERTIPS

I pulled my guitar out of the closet yesterday. I can't remember the last time I played. My guitar dreams started all the way back in college, when I was inspired by a friend down the hall. I borrowed my mom's guitar and brought it to school. Didn't do much with it. That pattern has continued ever since - I'll play for a week or two before deciding I don't know what I'm doing and putting it away for six months or a year or what have you. The one good part is that I'm now proficient enough that I know a bunch of chords and can play a little every time I pull it out.

I played for about a half hour yesterday, getting used to some chord changes. I printed off the chords for a couple Old 97s tunes and messed around with those, as well as coming up with a little four chord pattern that may turn into something.

Last night I went to a local open mic with Graham, so I could hear him play and soak up some music. It was fun - you get some good and some bad. Two guys from Call It Arson (I'd never heard of them) were there on an off-night from their tour and they sounded amazing with two acoustic guitars and harmonies and a pair of interesting songs. Graham did a Bush cover and his own "Puppet on a String," which I really like. Anyway, the most important part of the evening was that Graham loaned me a bass guitar and a giant amp. Yup, I'm now attempting to learn the bass.

I spent a good 45 minutes or so this afternoon with the bass, trying to get used to how it plays and then putting some songs on the stereo and trying to play along. It didn't work too well but I didn't expect it to. I feel like I did learn something about how to play it, though, and that was exciting. Plus, I picked up the guitar after that and felt a bit more at ease with it. I even made more of an attempt to sing along to those Old 97s tunes.

I had great fun doing all of it and I can't wait to get back at it tomorrow...

THE YEAR OF 35

I'm 35 today.

When I was in fourth grade, I was in a program for gifted students where we did independent study. The first thing I focused on was a study of the presidents, a subject I found fascinating. I memorized all of them in order and learned lots of facts about them - William Henry Harrison dying after only a month in office; the fact Ulysses S. Grant wasn't his original name...Hiram Ulysses Grant (HUG) anyone? I also decided that when I grew up I would be president and I told everyone about it. I was promised quite a few votes from classmates, teachers, and other adults.

The funny thing about the program was that I only studied two subjects that whole year - the presidents and the Rough Riders (led by future prez Teddy Roosevelt). Other classmates managed to go through many subjects but I was a bit of a procrastinator. I was very interested in those subjects but I was also interested in reading every Hardy Boys book that was published up to that point. I started to read comics around that point as well. I was in love with story.

I was good in school, even with my tendency towards procrastination. Everything came easily to me and I could whip out a paper at the last minute. I think those deadlines helped me focus; it meant I couldn't spend my time reading a book or some comics or listening to records. I was able to do homework quickly and would then have the rest of the time for myself. I always had a book or some comics with my in school. I graduated as valedictorian and headed off to Penn State for college.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I got to college. When I was younger, I had a Princeton course catalogue and I would make up student names and choose their courses and roll dice to see what grades they got. Yeah, I was a dork. Still am. Anyway, when I was faced with actually making those choices I had a hard time. I didn't think I wanted to be president anymore but I was still very interested in politics, so I signed up for a high level political science course (I was able to do that as part of the honors program I was in). I lasted maybe a week before I dropped it and picked up something else. In fact, I made liberal use of the drop/add program over my years at Penn State - you could do it over the phone! But as I went along, I just became more and more lost with what I wanted to do. I started taking some fiction writing classes and by the time I went to declare as a writing major you could no longer do so. It was English or nothing. I started having problems with depression around this time too, something I'd never had a problem with. It all came to a head the second semester of my junior year; I had a mini-breakdown and my parents came and got me. The plan was to go back after spring break, which wasn't too far away. But I didn't go back.

Eventually I tried a local branch of Purdue for one class. I was depressed and had an unreliable car and didn't show up for class a whole lot, though I did all the work. Handed in my final paper only to have my professor tell me I wasn't there enough for her to grade it and I ended up with an F. I didn't get Fs. I didn't go back.

I tried a third school, Columbia College in Chicago. I wanted to be a DJ. Took a class and realized that I wouldn't be able to play the music I wanted to at most stations I would have a chance of being hired at. Ended up in that writing/English vein again. I had been working at Subway but got an opportunity to join the staff of my hometown paper as the junior reporter. Before too long, the guy above me left and they hired in someone new with no experience (just like me) and I was the senior reporter. I was responsible for writing articles, taking pictures, and laying out the paper every week and was going to school two days a week in Chicago. I completely cracked and that was the end of my career as both a reporter and a college student.

By this time I knew I wanted to be a writer. The problem was that I didn't write. Or I'd try to write and give up after a few paragraphs, thinking it was horrible and I would never amount to anything. I was still depressed and I was working at Subway again, which didn't help my self-esteem. I had rediscovered my love for comics and started to publish a small fanzine about them. I also started writing letters to comics, something I had done for a while in my high school days. This lead to me being recruited to join an APA (amateur press association) about comics called Legends. Through my zines I met a bunch of people who were like me. It was nice. Eventually, I worked on a comic with some of those friends, a small anthology from Slave Labor called LOVE IN TIGHTS. I had two scripts published and was considered a comics professional.

I was still riddled with doubts and fears of failure and gave up quickly (sure, I wrote up some proposals for more comics but I had no artists to work with and just didn't push). I removed myself from the comics scene after a time and have been fighting with those impulses ever since...trying not too care too much about the medium I loved since I was 10 and keeping it at an arm's length by only buying trade paperbacks. I've been fighting with myself about comics for the last five years.

That's actually become my mode of operation. Keeping myself shielded from things that I have an interest in doing. Holding off comics so I didn't have to think about my failed attempts (and failure to continue those attempts) at becoming a consistent comics writer. Wanting to write songs but not picking up the guitar for more than a few days at a time and then putting it down for months or even years. Stopping my incessant notes full of story ideas. Stopping the pursuit of the dreams.

As that was going on, though, I began to have a healthier outlook on life. I haven't been depressed in a long time. Having a child helped that; as the at-home parent I couldn't afford to wallow in my own head all day long. Finally getting out of Subway helped too and I went to work with my wife running the drama department at the high school (which was also where I went to school). The kids repsected me and I enjoyed working with them. And once I started my job working with little kids at the Y, I was able to see that I had worth as a person and it had nothing to do with my ability or inability as a writer or a creative person or anything. I had discovered how to be happy along the way.

So, here I am at 35 years old. I am now legally able to run for president. Obviously, I don't want to be president anymore. But I don't want to give up on my creative dreams. So I am going to take this year of my life to pursue those creative impulses. I'm going to write fiction and really play the guitar and do whatever else comes to mind. I'm not going to put any restrictions on myself, all my rules. If I want to buy a single issue of a comic, I will. If I want spend two hours playing guitar poorly, I will. I'm going to see what I can do. It may not go anywhere. That's fine. I'm still going to be happy. I'll still be finally going after my dreams and that will be worth it in its own right. But wouldn't it be great if it did go somewhere?

I plan on writing about that pursuit as well, seeing if I can get a book out of the pursuit. So be on the lookout for posts marked with "The Year of 35" to see how that pursuit is going. I'll still be doing my regular sort of entries as well. I'm interested to see where I'll be with all of this a year from now. I hope you find it interesting along the way too.

It's my year of being 35. I'm looking forward to it.

ADRENALINE RUSH

That's what "24" is. I'm still trying to recover from last night's episode. Yes, character tends to be largely subsumed to the plot (but we got some emotion from Jack last night). And yes, it's a bit unbelievable that everything can happen within the given time frame. But it's a hell of a ride and I am so glad I finally gave the show a try this year. Now I have to catch up on the first 4 seasons...

In the spirit of that rush, here are some quick reviews...

* I recently read the debut novel from Dave King, The Ha-Ha. No, it's not a comedy. Instead, it's the story of a damaged Vietnam vet who can't communcate with those around him and how his life changes when he becomes the temporary guardian of a 9 year-old. Recommended.

* How great have the first 3 eps of the new season of "The Sopranos" been? I love that show.

* I still get get enough of Fort Recovery. I've also been playing The Believer, the new one from Old 97s front man Rhett Miller, a whole bunch. A great pop/rock record in the best senses of those words. And Dear Higgins, the debut from Higgins (my brother's former roomies), sounds like the 70s. In a good way.

* Jeff Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen completely lived up to all the good reviews I've been reading about it for years. Full of horror and humor and literary games and stories presented in completely new ways. There's no excuse not to go pick up the new Bantam edition.

* Grant and I have been watching "Justice League Season 1" on DVD for the past few days. It's such a good show and hits me right in my DC fanboy brain. I'm also having fun watching Grant get into the characters and wanting to pick up more action figures.

* Picked up the softcover of Top Ten: The Forty Niners last week. Great stuff from Alan Moore and Gene Ha. I'm so disappointed the ABC line has dried up and we won't get a "season 2" of Top Ten. That was my favorite of the line.

* How about that Final Four grouping? LSU/George Mason for the championship, anyone?

* The baseball season is so close...I can almost taste it!

MUSICAL FAUNA

I can admit to being wrong. I'd heard "Abel" by The National on KEXP a number of times and I'd liked it but I lumped them in with all the hot British bands of the moment - your Killers and what have you. Um, mistake. For one, they're American. Oops. LTR recommended them to me back in January and I gave Alligator a chance. Glad I did. They offer intelligent lyrics and a nice mix of moody music with instrumentation that features violin and cello in addition to your regular guitar and piano-driven songs and songs that rock, like the afore-mentioned "Abel" and "Mr. November," the rousing album closer. In fact, they remind me of American Music Club (helped by Matt Berninger's baritone) and that's not a bad thing at all. Highly recommended.

Tapes 'n Tapes has been touted by a number of music bloggers for a while now, going back to last year. I was a little slow in checking them out but once I heard "Cowbell" I had to go to their website a listen to a few more tracks. I liked what I heard and ordered up The Loon. It's definitely an indie record but it's the good kind - varied musical styles and tones, interesting lyrics (even if I haven't totally parsed them yet), and lots of energy. They can sound like Arcade Fire ("Manitoba," possibly my favorite track) or The Pixies (the fun instrumental "Crazy Eights") or what have you but it's never derivative. Here's one time where the hype is justified. Oh, they'll be playing live on KEXP tomorrow afternoon (3/25) at Noon PST - check it out.

I didn't know who Neko Case was before The New Pornographers (and I didn't discover them until Electric Version, but that's another story) but once I fell in love with that band I had to branch out to its individual members. I grabbed Neko's Blacklisted and picked up her live album when it came out in late 2004, which had me ready to pounce on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I think it's her best work yet and the first half is particularly strong. Her lyrics are full of strange images this time around and don't necessarily tell a story, yet they seem full of meaning. Meaning I haven't quite grasped yet. But that doesn't mean I'm not entrance by the folk and country-tinged strains of the title track and "Star Witness" and "Hold On, Hold On" and "That Teenage Feeling," which feels like a lost hit from the late 1950s. My only issue is that many of the songs fall into a range of 2:30 to 2:45. That lack of variety in song length can sometimes make the songs blur into each other, especially on the second half. But that isn't new for Case and it's no reason not to go out and grab the album.

THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEAD

I read Kevin Brockmeier's first novel, The Truth About Celia, early last year and really liked it. It combined beautiful writing with a heartbreaking and completely cool idea. More importantly, it guaranteed that I would read more of his work. I haven't gotten around to his story collection yet but I did grab his latest novel, The Brief History of the Dead, as soon as it came out.

The novel alternates chapters between the denizens of a city which appears to be the place you go when you die and the story of a woman trying to survive alone in Antarctica, who may also be the last person left alive on Earth. That's right, it appears a plague has swept across the globe and the carrier was Coca-Cola. Why Coke? Because the water supply in the future isn't safe enough. And why is Laura Byrd at the South Pole? A marketing project for Coca-Cola.

There are many links link that between the characters in the book, especially when it becomes obvious what the remaining denizens of the City have in common. The chapters set in the afterworld focus on different characters and we get glimpses of their lives both in the "real world" and now. Those people do appear in the background in other chapters, of course.

The language and writing and wonderful throughout the book, with themes and ideas pinging back and forth between the more metaphysical City chapters and the more adventure-oriented chapters of Laura Byrd's trek across the ice. It's official: I like Kevin Brockmeier's work and I think you will too.

LOST "LOST"

After what, a month, we finally got a new episode of "Lost" last night. I think it hurts the momentum of the show to have breaks that long on the consistent basis that it's had of late. The previous episode was a high of the season and then...but I digress. I had the VCR running while I watched last night, since Jill is still a bit wiped from her crazy "Beauty and the Beast" schedule of the last two weeks. Everything was all well and good until the end. Just as Henry Gale was pouring his cereal and learning that Anna-Lucia didn't tell Jack and Locke about the map he drew for her...the power went out! By the time it came back on, I caught Henry mentioning something about a trap or...? Can any of you help me out and tell me what happened?

ONE WEEK

As in one week from today I turn 35. I've been planning a new project (which will encompass many other projects, or at least that's the idea) to coincide with that milestone, which I will reveal in one week as well. I'm excited by it all and I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you.

In the meantime, I hope to catch up on some posts I've been planning for a while. I need to talk about the latest Kevin Brockmeier and "musical fauna" and all of the other CDs I've bought or downloaded and The Ha-Ha and maybe some thoughts on "The Sopranos" and geeking out on "24" and maybe by then I'll have finished the Vandermeer and and and...

We're just over a week from the new baseball season too and I can't wait. I also realized today that I haven't read a baseball book yet these year, an annual tradition for me these past few years. I'm looking at 3 Days in August, which is about a series between the Cardianls and Cubs in late 2003. I've been a fan of Tony LaRussa ever since he was on the South Side.

I just found out there's a new book out about The Flaming Lips too - wonder if I can squeeze that in before the new album comes out. My copy of The Empire of Ice Cream arrived today too. And the softcover of Top Ten: The Forty-Niners came out today.

I guess the good news is I will soon be on spring break from the Y - only 7 more classes and a private lesson to go before I get 9 whole days out of the pool. Have I mentioned my spring break fever yet? It will give me lots of time to read. Ah, time to read...

DILEMMA

I came into today with 4 CDs on my high priority list - Josh Rouse's Subtitulo; Loose Fur's Born Again in the U.S.A.; the debut from Band of Horses; and the new Warren Zanes (the title of which escapes me at the moment). The first three were released today and the Zanes was last week, though I just learned about it a few days ago. I went out to Best Buy and Barnes & Noble looking for the new stuff and struck out except for finding a copy of Band of Horses at B&N for $15.99. Frankly, that's a bit more than I want to spend for an unknown entity even with positive reviews. So, no new music.

I do have another recourse - I still have all 40 downloads for my current eMusic month. Both the Rouse and the Zanes are available. My one sticking point is that I had planned on only picking up older albums from artists I've been buying on CD and continuing to buy their new releases in hardcopy. I've been buying Rouse's work new for many years and have Zanes' Memory Girls on disc. But I really want to hear the new stuff and I could get both albums for roughly $4.50. What to do, what to do...

Update: After talking with my wife last night, I realized that if I'm willing to go into someone's back catalogue digitally then I might as well grab new stuff that way when it's more convenient and/or cheaper. So, I grabbed Subtitulo and burned it to a disc and listened to it as I was falling asleep. Restarted it at breakfast this morning and I like it a lot. He's been making great little pop records for a while now and this is no exception. And now I've also grabbed People That I'm Wrong For, which is the new Warren Zanes.

SPRING BREAK FEVER

I only have four more days in the pool before I get a whole nine days to be free of chlorine. I can't wait. And all you get today is links...

My brother Theron has jumped onto My Space here. Go and befriend him, or at least read his list of bands he likes. Brevity, thy name is not. Then again, how do you pare it down?

My pal (and former performer in the drama shows I was assistant director for) Graham has posted some nifty new songs on My Space as well. Go and listen. My plan is to play for the Livid Penny at some point this year.

I picked up the latest issue of Harp the other day and have been enjoying my readthrough. I was surprised to see an ad for a new Warren Zanes record - I had no idea he had a new one coming out. I really liked his debut, Memory Girls. It's a beautiful pop record. It's on eMusic too, for those of you eager to burn up your downloads.

My favorite comics cover artist - James Jean - has also done the art for the upcoming Calexico album. He covers the process over at his blog.

I mentioned Jeff Ford the other day. For a sample of his great writing, go and read this tale of his hot dog addiction and his son's growing mustard artistry. I should receive The Empire of Ice Cream in the next few days.

MY HEART'S IN THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Jeffrey Ford's second story collection ever since Golden Gryphon put it on their "forthcoming" list. Now the wait is over and The Empire of Ice Cream is now shipping. I placed my order this morning and I ordered directly from Golden Gryphon so they (and Jeff) get all the money without any middlemen. Sure, it's slightly more expensive that way bit only slightly and as I am a big fan I do it to support their efforts. The best part of it all is that I get to read a bunch of new Ford short stories, as I stayed away from reading most of them on original publication. I wanted to experience the book with as fresh of a look as I could. Anyway, I highly recommend Jeffrey Ford's work and I plan on posting reactions to every story when I read it.

MY HEAD'S IN FORT RECOVERY

I've just been listening to music, music, and more music lately. I'm still trying to process the albums I downloaded from eMusic and the ones I've picked up the past few weeks - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and The Believer, for example. And this coming Tuesday brings the new releases from Josh Rouse and Loose Fur and this Band of Horses I've been hearing good things about. But all of that has taken a backseat to Fort Recovery, the new album from Centro-Matic. I think the album closer, "Take A Rake," has taken up permanent residence in my brain. Unless it's actually "Monument Sails" or "Patience for the Ride" or "Calling Thermatico" or "For New Starts" or "Triggers and Trash Heaps." Yes, that's half the album. And the other six songs are great too. If you haven't heard of this or just haven't bought it yet, you need to stop everything and procure a copy immediately. I mean it. Then you can join me where the drums crash at the beginning of "Take A Rake." See you there.

CATSUP

The previous two Thursday nights (before last night) I participated in a trivia challenge at our local Buffalo Wild Wings (it's the trivia game they have in restaurants and bars all over the country - NTN, I think). It was a fundraiser for the Y and did very well - it cost $150 for a team to play and there were over 20 teams. I played for a lawyer in town who had worked with my dad on a project and knew that my dad and a former office mate used to go and play the trivia game on their lunch hour a couple times a week. The lawyer put up the money and asked Dad and Mike (the former office mate) to be on his team; they said they needed me as well (all last year I would go play with them on Fridays - the only day I wasn't in the pool until after 1:00). On the first night, we played four games and our team managed to win 3 of them (in the first 2 we got over 13,000 points out of 15,000; many of those questions were pop culture things I just knew, such as the artist who released Tunnel of Love in 1987). On the second night we learned that only our top score from the previous week would count and would be added to our best of 2 scores from that night for our total. We didn't do as well on either round but we managed to score over 10,000 each time. In the end, that was enough for us to take first place by around 800 points. The prize? $250. I didn't take any money, though. It was fun to do and, of course, fun to win. And now some of the big bosses at the Y know I'm more than just a swimming teacher.

Grant got sick late Tuesday night with a fever and sore throat. That developed into puking as well on Wednesday as well. So, it's been an interesting last few days for me. His fever isn't getting up as high as for as long and his throat seems to be getting better as well. Doesn't look like he'll be playing basketball tomorrow, which is a shame - he's really started playing well the last few weeks. He's been sticking with the opposing player on defense and actually took a shot in a game the other week. We still have one more game (and one more practice) next week.

Jill has been busy with the musical she's directing, "Beauty and the Beast," so she hasn't been around much to relieve me this week. Oh well. This production has been a bit rockier than usual in the runup to performances but things seem to have come into shape finally. That's good because it opens tonight, followed by 2 shows tomorrow and 2 more next weekend. And then spring break is right around the corner!

This title post is in honor of my Grandma Batey, who always said "catsup" instead of "ketchup." I miss you, Grandma.

THE NEW DRUG

I resisted at first. Wasn't going to do it. Not for me, I said. If I couldn't phsyically hold an album (CD, whatever) in mind hand I wanted nothing to do with it. Sure, I'd already dipped my toes in the water with iTunes, downloading songs here and there from various music blogs and artist sites. And then The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers put Psalterie up on the web and Harvey Danger put up Little By Little and suddenly it seemed smart to just get the music.

Lately, there have been posts about eMusic sprouting up all over the net. And no sooner did I finally sign up for the 50 free downloads then Trevor posted about the greatness of it. I signed up for the basic service when I got my freebies, which means I pay $9.99 a month for 40 downloads. Hey, I can handle 25 cents a song or around $2.50 an album. It's a great way to try out new bands or fill in holes or what have you. I finished my trial downloads today and am obviously going to keep on going with it. I would recommend it to anyone.

So, what did I get?

Destroyer/ Destroyer's Rubies
Elbow/ Leaders of the Free World
The Hold Steady/ Almost Killed Me
Slobberbone/ Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today

Plus: 7 Brendan Benson tracks that were b-sides or extras on reissues

KIRBY

Kirby Puckett died. He was a baseball player, a centerfielder for the Minnesota Twins from 1984 to 1996. I wasn't a Twins fan but I had a ton of respect for Kirby; he played the game the way it supposed to be played - hard and with a lot of fun. He could hit. Man, he could hit. He was a great defensive player as well. His Twins won the World Series in 1987 and again in 1991, where Puckett made a great catch in center and hit a home run in Game 6 after telling the team to jump on his back; in Game 7 Jack Morris was lights out and it was over. Kirby had to quit the game in 1996 when he started suffering from glaucoma and it was a blow to the game. His numbers were something else and if he'd been able to play, he would easily have had 3,000 hits. Still, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001. And now he's gone, suffering a stroke yesterday. He left the game too soon and he left life too soon. I love baseball and I loved watching Kirby Puckett play baseball. He will be missed.

FEBRUARY 2006 TOTALS

I read 3 books in February (Company; Black Brillion; The Brief History of the Dead). I purchased 3 books (Black Brillion; The Brief History of the Dead; The Ha-Ha).

I purchased 7 CDs (The Gun Album; Alligator; The Loon; Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not; Live at Town Hall; The Believer), one of which was a DVD/CD combo (That Striped Sunlight Sound).

I read 14 short stories.

I read 2 trade paperbacks (Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous; Powers: Psychotic), both of which were also purchased this month.

I watched 1 DVD (Serenity) and 2 DVD box sets (Veronica Mars Season 1; Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1). I also finished another DVD box set (The Simpsons Season 1) and am about halfway through yet another one (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2).

I watched every new episode of 6 TV shows (How I Met Your Mother; 24; Gilmore Girls; Lost; The Office; Justice League Unlimited).

MUSICAL PREVIEWS

Today is a virtual record release party for Rhett Miller's new solo album, The Believer. You can head over to his MySpace site to check it out. It comes out this Tuesday.

I found out from my brother that the band he used to live with - Higgins - saw their album, Dear Higgins, released this past Tuesday. I still haven't been able to find it for purchase anywhere online but you can go here for a couple of tracks. Much of this was recorded while my brother was around and I met the guys a couple years ago. Good guys and good music.

Earlier this week I read about a new album from Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. The whole album is covers from the 60s and they have a couple of them up for a listen.

I will finally be purchasing my first Centro-Matic album on Mar. 7, when their Fort Recovery comes out. You can click over to Misra's website and find the stream for the whole album to find out why Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers loves the band.

And while you're wandering all over the net for new music, head on over to Merge to stream Destroyer's Rubies, which came out this week. I didn't get a chance to pick it up but after listening to it I think I'll have to in the near future.

FROZEN NOSTALGIA

Late last week my parents asked if the three of us wanted to go to Chicago to go to the Berghoff before it closed. The Berghoff is a Chicago institution, a German restaurant that has been around since 1898, and it is now in its very last days - it closes on Feb. 28. I hadn't been there in almost 15 years but when I was young and we had family come in from out of town we would inevitably go down to Chicago and do the Sears Tower or the Museum of Science and Industry and we would go and eat at the Berghoff. It was always a treat - they had great homemade root beer and creamed spinach and great multi-grain bread and apple strudel for dessert. So naturally I was up for trying to go one last time, especially since Jill and Grant had never been there.

Our plan was to get there for a late lunch, figuring the line wouldn't be too bad (and I wanted to get to the sale at the comics shop before we left). We arrived in Chicago a little bit after 2:00 and by the time we parked and walked the couple blocks to the restaurant it was close to 2:30. There was a line. Now that wouldn't have been so bad but for the fact it was about 3 degrees. Still, we settled in and the line was moving fairly quickly. Jill and Grant made liberal use of the Walgreen's across the street to stay warm and at one point the three of us hit a nearby Starbucks for hot chocolate. It didn't take terribly long for us to get close to the door; however, the security came out and said it would be about an hour and forty minutes before the line moved again. Yeah right, we thought. An hour later in the freezing cold we were started to believe him. After some debate, I was sent to locate another possible eating place - my parents had just about had enough. I wandered around and didn't find anything suitable until maybe 10 minutes into my sojourn (into the wind!). I headed back to report and saw my parents waving across the street to Jill and Grant - someone had come out and said everyone would be inside in 5 minutes and seated within 20. It took closer to 15 to get in but then maybe 10 minutes to get seated. By this time our late lunch had turned into an early dinner but we were inside and on our way to warming up.

And here's the good news - the food was just as good as I remembered. We ordered a grilled marinated portabello for an appetizer and I had a bite of my dad's creamed herring appetizer. For dinner I had wiener schnitzel, German fried potatoes, and their fabulous creamed spinach. Dessert was apple strudel of course. And I washed it all down with two mugs of the best root beer ever.

We were insane for doing that in single digit weather but I know I'll never forget the last time I got to eat at the Berghoff. It was worth it.

SHOOFLYPIE RADIO

I'm going to be a DJ. In a couple of weeks, I will be starting my very own show on our local Valparaiso radio station, WVLP. It's a low power station and only reaches about 5 miles out from the center of town but I will rock those 5 miles! I'll be playing a mix of music, basically the stuff I talk about here...your indie rock and power pop and alt. country and Springsteen and so on and so forth. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to be able to have my own show where I could program it myself (I went to Columbia College in 1993 to work on becoming a DJ and quickly stopped when I realized the jobs where you wouldn't be force fed a playlist were few and far between and highly coveted) and I'm very excited about it.

I went on a gift card shopping spree this evening, hitting both Barnes & Noble and Best Buy. I used up my cards for the former and managed to leave about $17 on the latter. The haul? 1 book (Kevin Brockmeier's new novel, The Brief History of the Dead); 1 CD (The National's Alligator, recommended by LTR); and 1 DVD (the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Veronica Mars got me in the mood for my favorite show about a spunky blond uncovering secrets amidst the hell of high school). I'm excited about all of that too.

I HEART...

Joss Whedon - Well, I always heart him but lately it's for the one/two punch of Serenity and the visual companion. I got both for Christmas and read the book, which contains the script and background info, right before watching the movie on DVD (Jill and I saw it in the theater when it came out). It's a really good movie and if it's the last we ever get of the "Firefly" universe...I'm happy.

TV shows on DVD - My son and I finally finished The Simpsons Season 7. I realized that I didn't see a number of those eps when they originally aired because I saw bits that were cut out in syndication. They were cooking that year with the appearance of Homer's mom, a spring break road trip by Bart and his friends, the very cool look at all the characters in "22 Short Films About Springfield," and so much more. Then I spent the past week watching Veronica Mars Season 1 as fast as I possibly could. It's easily one of the best shows on TV, with that perfect mix of humor and drama with interesting stories intercut with emotional stories all wrapped up in an overarching secret murder investigation. I cried a couple times watching the last episode. Now I can't wait until they start rerunning season 2 eps (or the DVD comes out).

New music (or new to me) - I mentioned the Jenny Lewis (with the Watson Twins) album in passing but I'd like to reiterate how good it is. She's got that great voice and the album frames it very well with a country feel. Got around to getting The Long Winters EP, Ultimatum, from last year. Good stuff, especially the title tracks. The new Minus Five is solid, as is The Go-Betweens live DVD/CD.

Books - The new Max Barry novel, Company, is pretty good. It's another satire of the business world from him but it takes things to an exteme level and the character work is stronger than in his previous novel (Jennifer Government).

STILL HERE

Yup.

THOUGHT BUBBLES

I wandered over to Best Buy today, thinking I would pick up "Bubble." That's the new project from Steven Soderbergh that is being released in a variety of formats at the same time; it's an idea I find interesting and something to support. I was dismayed to find it offered at $22.99 - and that was the sale price. No way am I going to pay that much money for an unknown quantity. If it were priced around $15...but it's not. So I will be passing. Guess I'll have to toss it in my wife's Netflix queue at some point.

Two great things about "My Name Is Earl" tonight - guest star Adam Goldberg as an annoying would-be suicide and "Ain't No Easy Way" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on the soundtrack (Howl is a good album, people).

I mentioned Godland: Hello, Cosmic! the other day. It's a comic heavily influenced by Jack Kirby with big machinery and cosmic concepts and dynamic art and coloring. The villains are a bit more interesting than the hero and his family - Basil Cronus, a skeleton head floating in a jar on top of his torso who is an addict, comes to mind - but the overall concept is decent and I was sufficiently entertained enough to make me consider getting volume two when it rolls around.

I can't get enough of those two songs from The Raconteurs, especially "Store Bought Bones." Thinking I might need to pick up some of The Greenhornes in the near future. I seem to remember my brother recommending them a while back (Theron, you reading? Confirm?).

Also can't get enough of the Jenny Lewis album; I should put up a proper review in the near future. Company is interesting so far. I'm almost through The Simpsons Season 7. After reading the "Serenity" script I'm ready to watch the movie again (for the first time on DVD)...maybe this weekend.

Super Bowl predictions, anyone?