Alternative Christmas Traditions

I believe I will make December 26th official "Christmas Tree Bonfire/John Prine Sing-Along Day". Merry Christmas.

Influences

What's up with that.

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. Jason Sudeikis' dancing in the red tracksuit is probably my favorite part. Enjoy.

From the Cradle to the Grave.

Music videos aren't known for cinematography but some get it right. Like Spike Jonze. Or this one by Meiert Avis (a guy who did some videos for U2). Plus this a great song.

"All I Want Is You" U2
by Garglouik

Jon in Ithica

Hit play and enjoy the shenanigans.

Jobs

My father was a singer. He traveled Europe with some other singers, bumming rides and praising God and making his vocal chords grow like biceps. He was good, and is good, and I'll hate the day when he isn't good. It's his thing, his paintbrush, his 67 Chevy, his elected position because lots of people think they sound good, but my dad KNOWS he sounds good and he ain't ashamed.

My father was a printer. He loved drafts and rulers and pencils and desks with lamps attached and working hard and seeing what he created roll of the press in its bright yellow, blue and red ink with steam, metaphorical steam, surrounding him. He put up with the boss from hell who didn't appreciate him or maybe appreciated him too much but either way he came home everyday to a wife who cooked him hot meals and told him everything was ok. What else can you say?

My father was a telephone marketer. He took orders from people all over the country and he gave them what they wanted and what they didn't know they wanted and what they didn't know that they probably didn't want. But he sold it to them anyways. And he was good. He knew he was good and I think that's what he likes in any job: to know that he is good at it. It doesn't have to be being President and after all, he wouldn't like it because what President ever honestly did a good job?

My father was a purchaser. I still barely know what that means but he does and he does it well. Or did it well. He got laid off. it didn't really mean much to me but it did to him. Like a slap in the face and a short simple "You didn't do good enough". What's that supposed to mean? And who has that right? Capitalism can be a bitch.

My father is a handyman. He holds a house together like Atlas or the freaking Kings' Men (if they were better at puzzles). All this time I thought he was a masochist or a workaholic or some O.C.D. patient but I get it now. He's good at it.

My dad is good at what he does. All the time. And if he isn't he pays someone else to do it. Isn't that what everyone wants? To be good at something, anything? I know it's what I want.

****************

Been watching some spoken word poetry by a guy named Anis and I decided to make an improv poem so here you go.

p.s. here's some anis

Coconut Records

I don't know if I actually like this band, but I love their music videos. Look them up and enjoy these videos.





P.S. In case you didn't guess, I'm pretty obsessed with Mark Gonzales

Pseudonyms

I have decided that a pen name does not suit this blog. I don't use any SEO, and I link to this on my facebook profile, so it is meant more for my friends and acquaintances than for the public. So to avoid any confusion, it is I, Brendan L (I avoid using my last name because it is an easy way to avoid the personal matters of my life being easily searched).

P.S. To those who were curious the name Nelson Hawkins was a pen name used in some letters by the late John Brown, a man whom I admire and detest at the same time.

Collateral Damage

It's not that I disagree with all of the military's goals. I think you're missing the point if you start questioning my motives with accusations of masochism. I just don't believe in collateral damage as a legitimate part of any solution.

What bothers me most is when the goal isn't necessary. At that point the collateral damage becomes more outrageous. One other thing is when the damage was foreseen. A general in his high thrown sees the solution but also sees the villagers who won't make it and goes through with the operation anyways. I feel like I have to oppose this decision on principle, even if I benefit from the action.

More than anything I feel like existence itself is an experiment with a good goal but too much collateral damage and I find myself fundamentally opposed.

10 Weeks

Is not enough time. For anything.

TItle Unknown

I've heard it said "you want the most that which you cannot have". This is probably a good summation of my feelings lately. I'm not sure why I find this so true in my life - perhaps a deep rooted resistance to authority, or a manifestation of my selfishness, or maybe I just like the challenge.

This problem is shown in my kleptomania of things I'm not supposed to have - from cones to Space Chimps decals. More frustrating though, is when the that becomes whom and the cannot becomes should not. I find myself running into that a lot.

Checklist

Do you love your mama, Jesus and America too?
Are you crazy about Elvis?
Do you love horses and your boyfriend too?

If you answered yes to these three questions you just may be a "good girl".

Side effects include being at home with a broken heart.

Summer Plans

Hello everyone. I have been a little quiet in regard to my summer plans because I wasn't sure for a while there what I was doing. Well, now I do so here we go.

I will be working at a place called Camp of the Woods. It is a Christian campground but I think resort or timeshare are better descriptions of it. I will be working on the "Recreation Crew" which entails all sorts of things, but my impression is that it will mostly be transporting people and equipment to activities such as hiking, canoeing, etc.

The benefits of this job include free food (and delicious food at that), shenanigans with Matthew Marsh (who shall also be working there), and the fact that I hate job searching and this essentially fell into my lap. I will start on the 20th of June and go till sometime in September.

I am encouraging everyone to come visit me and matt. I'm not sure how it would work, but I know that it will. Also, unfortunately I won't really be able to visit you, as much as I would love to. Here is where I will be:


View Larger Map

P.S. For my New England friends: I am in Massachusetts for a couple weeks still, so call me if you want to get together.

Voices I Wish My Life Was Narrated By

Guy Lafontaine. Morgan Freeman. Ira Glass.

Pit of Your Stomach Sadness

You ever get that feeling? That's what I do. When something just hits me I don't cry, I get that feeling. A few examples for you: thinking about hell, reading the end of 1984 and this song. It's beautiful, but my stomach hurts.

James Franco Destroys A Room

Brilliant.

Expectations

I tend to keep my goals to myself. I tend to think of it this way: I have 4 possible outcomes.

1.) If I tell people about one of my goals and do not accomplish it I disappoint not only myself, but also the people who were looking forward to the outcome.

2.) If I tell people about one of my goals and accomplish it I am happy and they are excited as well (hopefully) about the outcome.

3.) If I don't tell people about one of my goals and I do not accomplish it I am disappointed but no one else is.

4.) If I don't tell people about one of my goals and I do accomplish it I am happy and people are surprised and happy to find out.

Those are the four options the way I see it. Now I've been told that sometimes having other people aware of your goals will help motivate you, but I have found that this isn't very strongly the case with me. Now you know why I'm hesitant to freely share my future plans and/or goals. Feel free to debate the logic of my 4 scenarios in the comments below.

The Game We Learnt

A day once dawned
And it was beautiful
A day once dawned from the ground
Then the night she fell
And the air was beautiful
The night she fell all around

So look see the days
The endless coloured ways
And go play the game that you learnt
From the morning

And now we rise
And we are everywhere
And now we rise from the ground
And see she flies
And she is everywhere
See she flies all around

So look see the sights
The endless summer nights
And go play the game that you learnt

From the morning

Nick Drake's last album Pink Moon is (as I've mentioned before) my favorite and it is songs like this that make it so beautiful. Nick Drake suffered from insomnia and this was a big part of a lot of his music. The lyrics to From the Morning here show the beauty and pain as he looks in on the "normal" folk who play the game they learnt "from the morning"

Norwegiens

I've mentioned this video to a few people, so just in case you couldn't find it, enjoy:


wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Dr. Feelgood

This past week was crazy. I pretended to be a film major for a little while and I can see what they're talking about when they whine about scheduling, etc. Getting people together is rough. The weekend was also crazy, but in a good way. Women's Dinner went well and I got to see the parents (and with that came food, money, etc.).

But I was still kind of stressed with all the work I had to do this week. Today my blood sugars rocketed up due to running out of insulin (or as Jon and I call it now, Dr. Feelgood) and I checked myself into the Student Health Center. After a little while I went to fill out a prescription at Wegman's and now I'm back to normal.

Those few hours of just getting better, going to Wegman's and biking in the sun reminded me that sometimes doing nothing in particular is the best thing you can do. Maybe after some of these projects are done I'll schedule in some hammock time.

State Radio

This song is one of my new favorites. A cowboy hat, some ginger beer and this blasting from the car stereo on the way to the beach would be a perfect moment. The song is written for a guy named Manny that the members of State Radio met when volunteering at a camp for the disabled on Martha's Vineyard. Here's the video (go ahead and blast it):

Nader Interview

Back in the fall (I think it was October) Ralph Nader came to Pittsford. I tagged along with Eric and decided I'd try and ask him a couple questions. I succeeded ( http://preview.tinyurl.com/dhhkv3 )but his answers were pretty boring. More interesting to me was a local man named Mr. Rosati, who pulled up in a smart car and talked with his hands a lot. I got a minute or so of audio with him and Eric took some photos. Here's a slideshow:

 

Reason versus Passion

I don't want to go into the "Reason vs Faith" argument because it takes too long and I don't have the motivation to type that much. I do, however, wish to share my thoughts on a different matter of balance.

I can't say that this discord between passion and reason is a perfect scale, nor that it applies to everyone. There are many who are passionate and reasonable and many more who are dispassionate and unreasonable. I have noticed, however, that there is a very vocal (if not large) group of people who seem to be lacking in reason and having an overabundance of passion. I'd rather not get into the politics or specifics in this setting.

On the opposite spectrum, I think that the more reasonable one can be, the easier it is to lose passion. With reasoning comes the realization that things are not black and white, and nothing can cut at people's motivation like gray areas.

I think that what makes true leaders and world-changers are those who manage to keep their passions without losing reason.

Music that lasts.

I saw most of the documentary Before the Music Dies, an interesting story about the music industry and the new avenues of getting quality music (i.e. the kids turning to the internet when radio, television, etc. dissappoint). If you don't feel up to watching the whole thing, then at least watch the first 5 minutes; the late, great Billy Preston opens up with a reminder that no matter how cool you are, you aren't as cool as he was. Seriously, it's worth a view.

One of the comments from an interviewee in the film was right in line with what I've been thinking lately and it was something like this: There is a good chance that a lot of truly good music will not sound good to the average listener at first. He went on to say that this is because much of the creative new stuff is just that; new and therefore probably a bit different than what we are listening to currently. He pointed out (and I wholeheartedly agree) that truly good music will sound better after a few listens.

There are a few examples I can think of personally that fit this description. A lot of music that I enjoy I never cared for when I was a kid/teen. For instance, Bob Dylan. I could say that the change their was just in my musical preferences. There are however, some bands that I changed my mind about quickly, after listening through their album once or twice.

The first band that really had this strange phenomenon for me was Bright Eyes. I think mostly because I started listening to them on Cassadaga, which starts off with a pretty strange interview with a psychic. But after putting it (figuratively because I listen to digital copies) aside for a month or so, I retried it and it. is. brilliant. Don't argue with me, just accept it.

Next was Neutral Milk Hotel. I had never heard anything like it. The constant fuzzed guitars were just weird. I mean, it wasn't my first experience with lo-fi (I've got Bee Thousand) but it was still just a little too much for me. However, I thought "I'll give another shot seeing as how it was voted the #1 album on eMusic." that second playthrough was enough for me to be in love.

Lastly and most recently was the band I am currently obsessed about: Vampire Weekend. I remember previewing their album back in late '07 maybe early '08 and just being kind of unimpressed. I have no idea how or why. I may be being fickle because they are THE thing I'm into right now but hell, how did I skim over this one?

I think all this goes to say that maybe now my "Don't bash it unless you've tried it" rule may turn into "Don't bash it unless you've tried it at least a few times" when it comes to music.

Currently listening to:

Haven't actually been listening to much music lately but when I do it is this:

I'm a little late to the bandwagon with Vampire Weekend but as they say, better late than never. They are a brilliant blend of Upper West Side Ivy League and African Soweto (their own self proclaimed genre).

With a completely different feel is this song by Badly Drawn Boy:

Amazingly calming introduction with the strings and brass. P.S. No idea what's up with the picture on that video - it was the first one that youtube would let me embed.

To the elves who are stealing my clothes:

I like your sense of style. The buffalo plaid flannel with a black vest, cotton trousers, my carhartt and the skinny scarf is a good look. Well done.

BMX!

I was looking through this flickr set which I highly recommend checking out. It's got some classic black and white photos of BMXing at its beginnings - the perfect blend of artistic and manly.

There are a lot of great photos in there, but this one stuck out to me the most as far as clothing.



I love the look of the classic striped sock. For those who don't understand what is so great about them, I recommend watching the movie Pineapple Express. For a good portion of the movie Seth Rogen is walking around without any pants and yet he still looks cool. How is this possible? Two words: Striped (wait for it...) Socks. There you have it, the proof that cool is all about what's on your feet.

Stress gone?

I have just finished winter quarter and I'm already a little stressed about spring. What? I am looking forward to a spring break with literally nothing planned. Enough on school though...

I have way to much music at my fingertips. In the past couple weeks I've gotten about 4 albums and a bunch of EPs. One of my favorite songs is this one by a group called The Wrong Trousers. Not a huge fan of the album but there's a couple gems and I admire their instrument choices.

I know these past few posts are a bit boring, but I've been having some weird bouts of insomnia this past week and writing seems to help a bit. That and learning more Ben Harper songs. I was convinced that I would never be able to sing and play guitar at the same time; that it was just something I could not do, but it turns out I'm just not very patient - Walk Away is almost perfect now.

All I Wanna Do Is BANG BANG BANG BANG...

I started writing about my weekend but it sounded boring so I'm boiling it down to the basics. Enjoy!

Blue Moon, Q:Score? A:"Sevedge-Elevedge", Tambourine, Lauren(s), Kinky Reggae, No couscous?!, Joel (E?)'s panini, It is written, Sitting on trains, Surreal but nice, Balconies, Goodbyes are never fun anyways, Ginger Beer and cashmere.

That was my weekend. I may or may not elaborate on some of these stories in future posts. My insomnia just quit working - goodnight.

I'm coveting.

I can't help myself. Anyone wanna donate?

http://www.coachella.com/event/lineup

Great Ad

I know, another video. Trust me, this one is worth it. Kudos to Amnesty International for getting the word out.

Currently Listening To:

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. An up and coming indie pop/rock band with Neutral Milk Hotelesque distortion laid in the background and lyrics that don't shy away from teenage angst that I can't help but feel at times. Here's my favorite song and a quality lo-fi music video.



Also listing to: Obadiah Parker's acoustic remake of "Hey Ya" by Outcast. As the Guinness brothers would say, "BRILLIANT!"

What I got today.

Black pinstripe vest. LIFE photography book. British driving cap. Green plaid belt. Brown plaid scarf. Tan Member's Only jacket.

In other news, operation give out pokemon valentines to as many friends as possible was a success.

This thing? I wipe my nose with this!

Last Friday I went to some gallery showings. This was at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. There was a lot of good photography there but what I really noticed was this man making the rounds and chatting it up. I especially liked the colors in his tie and the way they contrasted with his shirt. I pried the "D9" camera from Kirsten's hands and approached him when we were about to leave. The conversation went much like this:

Me: Would you mind if I take your picture?
Man: Eh?
Me: I really like your tie and I wanted to take a picture.
Man: This thing? I wipe my nose with this! (proceeds to do just that)
Me: (Click)

Gotta admit that I did not plan the picture turning out so well. I think that there is definitely more character than the plain photo I had planned and I'm glad that my photo (and the only one I took at that) turned out well.

P.S. Also at ROCO, a photographer took my picture and complimented my orange flight jacket/blue flannel/blue trucker's cap outfit. It (plus the free mini eggrolls) made me happy.

Broken Glasses, Bruised Shins and Pickpocketing; All in All a Good Concert.

If you don't want a detailed account of the concert then skip to the second section where I've listed my favorite moments.


===================The Concert===================


The night opened with the spotlight dimly highlighting a guy with Buddy Holly glasses and a pork pie hat jamming out on his electric guitar. After a song or two and joking with the crowd the drummer and bassist came out - equally honoring Buddy with matching thick black glasses and some sweaters normally reserved for parties on Cape Cod. This was perhaps the best dancing moment of the night for me. Sure, The Stitch Up was the first of three openers, but they had some good beats and people were not so crazy at the beginning - we actually had a circle pit going with only a dash of moshing thrown in. It was good old skank, and I loved it. The best part of this act was definitely when they asked if anyone could play electric guitar and in a minute we were all rocking out to a simple song played by a guy named Dennis (and let me tell you, for a packed crowd and about 30 seconds of practice, Dennis KILLED it).

The next band was a skate punk band named The Swellers. They got the crowd pumped with music fast and loud - perfect for moshing, and mosh we did. I was not aware of how much Matt likes the pit; he handled it like a pro and managed not to be a douche (the same cannot be said for all those in the circle - I had to avoid a few random haymakers). I did, however, take the opportunity to jump in and throw some elbows at Matt, Eric and Moses. At this point the pit was kinda half mosh/half skank whirlpool, so I had some fun throwing them into the whirlpool, where the only choice they had was to dance around at least once. Unfortunately, during this most beautiful and sweaty of whirlpools my glasses fly off my face. I immediately lost hope of finding them and just got out of the circle to cool off. Fortunately, others didn't give up as easily, and after a couple minutes of searching a kid near me found them - a bit bent, but the lenses were good, so I was happy. I settled down after that, but with my glasses in pocket I decided there wasn't much to lose now.

I saw a guy that I recognized from my floor freshman year at the concert. I never really knew him - he was a tool and (judging from his actions at the concert) he hasn't changed much. He was dressed in full Red Sox garb, and the next band, The Wilhelm Scream (who are from New Bedford, MA), got him excited. I think if they started playing polka he would've been OK with it - he was really just looking for an excuse to yell "Yankees Suck!" and a band from around Beantown is reason enough. They were good - as the other guys said, "real punk", which I wouldn't know because I'm not that kind of connoisseur. Lots of yelling, more moshing (at this point I was done with moshing - there's only so many elbows I want to throw and/or take) and a much more packed crowd towards the front. Unfortunately I got pickpocketed somewhere around this time. I was a little pissed so I went to cool off with some water and the snow. When I came back I stayed more towards the back and after a few minutes Moses and Eric decided that I should crowd surf (it had been going on for at least the 2nd and 3rd acts, so people were cool with it). It was an interesting experience and I'd probably do it again, but I wouldn't say I am going to actively seek out the opportunity at concerts from now on.

When Streetlight Manifesto came out we were at full capacity, except that everyone was in the front half of the bar, so a little wave thing started happening where everyone has nowhere to go, so a couple people start swaying and soon everyone is leaning back and forth with about 0 inches of room between you and the people on all four sides of you. Not really painful, just annoying. I got pushed back a bit and soon found myself in a smaller version of the circle pit we had going way back when. It was good; cramped, but I was actually dancing with, as opposed to getting to intimately know, the people on all sides. I appreciated Streetlight the most, as I at least knew the words to some of the songs and I could a lot more freely dance. Soon I started feeling a low blood sugar come on, so I headed out to the bar next door to get something with sugar (with some money borrowed from Moses). After entering the lobby to the bar and laughing at some actual skanks I got my Jack & Coke (sadly Jack was missing) and downed it. With that I was good and after heading back, I was back in a circle and letting loose. Soon the final songs came, so I jumped up, looked for the guy with dreads, and headed over to mosh.

After the event closed I started looking for my wallet with no luck initially. Soon a security guy that had been talking with Eric or one of those guys told me he had found it (sans cash) and I had it back. Hooray lazy pickpocketers! I am glad that they didn't have the effort to steal my credit cards or anything else and I'm only out 15 bucks. With that we headed out and got some delicious BK. OK, now for my...


============Favorite Moments/Things/People============


The suits. I mentioned above that there was a decent circle pit that started for the very first opener. It was good but how it started is even better. There was a little moshing, but that died down after a little bit and then there was this open circle left in its wake. It was sad and unnecessary, but before anyone knew what to do, they came to the rescue. Two guys walk into the circle dressed in full suits and ties. And I'm not talking like, your dad's old suit that makes you look fat. I'm talking well tailored suits with skinny black ties and shoes to boot. After a few seconds they just start skanking like no one's business and 30 seconds later, the circle is spinning. And like that, they are gone. *Poof* I don't know where they went or how they snuck out so easily, but they are my heroes. It wasn't even just that one time. I was in a couple other dance sections that were briefly graced by the presence of these classy guys. I'd like to imagine they do the same thing at small concerts everywhere, setting by example the proper way to dance.

The bouncers up front. There was a bit of crowdsurfing and by the time Streetlight came up, there were security up front. So what did these guys do when a guy came slowly came riding the waves towards them? Did they grab them roughly and send em outside? No, they helped get 'em on stage and then politely directed them to a staircase to get back into the crowd. Props to those guys.

Circle pits. It's a human whirlpool of hopping and swinging. You can throw yourself out when you want and then jump right back in when you want some more. Greatest invention ever? (Probably not, considering it's not even technically an invention, but still worthy of praise.)

Watching a fat guy attempt to crowdsurf. He was running and jumping, but I think he was only fooling himself.

Moshing with the guys. When else do I get to punch them with no real repercussions?

Buddy Holly glasses. The first band had 'em and I want 'em.

The water in the bathroom. It was crystal clear and cold as ice (willing to sacficice my loo... oh right). In a bar! And it tasted better the thirstier I was.

Brendan. The other Brendan at the concert who was in the middle of the circle at some points with a camera that I assume is worth at least $1000. Good for you, man.

Dancing to punk and ska. I can do this because when you look retarded, you are doing it right (slight exaggeration). Everything else I get confused about but this, this is good.

Not-Jon. I lied. This was an unfavorite thing. Jon, you shouldn't have bailed and hopefully you regret it.

Colin Bear

My friend Jason introduced me to the original version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Bob Marley early last December. Even more so, he introduced me to the scene from the movie Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid which the song was written for (Bob acted and made the soundtrack for the film). This scene is one of the greatest pieces of film I've ever seen and I think that this has a lot to do with the music. Bob's genius is clearly shown in the way the music makes a haunting scene even more haunting. I can't do enough to do it justice, so I'll go ahead and let you watch it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MgubwywhiU

I know. I recently saw this scene again (I finally got around to buying the song and I just needed to see it again) and doing so reminded me of a poem I wrote about it when I first saw it. I think I'm gonna name it after the sheriff.

With blood dripping
And vision blurred
We drag ourselves to the water
Flowing, brimming
With life
With hope
And as the sun begins to fade
On the days
The months
The years
Reality dawns
But there is nothing we can do