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...