Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to my dear mom, a woman who wears many hats. She's got style, she can cook anything (and it's always delicious), she's a star at work, and she's definitely the head of this household! Thanks for everything, mom... you really are "the bomb" and we love you for it!

And since my mom is always beginning sentences with "Do you know what I was doing when I was (insert age here)?" here is a photo of her on a nice fall day when she was a youthful but mature 18.

A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere...

I headed back to the 9:30 club Sunday night for a double bonus concert featuring Stars as the opening band for the headliner and now most well-known indie band (but not technically "indie" anymore, if we're talking record labels), Death Cab for Cutie.

Stars were absolutely fantastic. I was expecting something low-key and mellow from them, considering I usually pop in Nightsongs (Le Grand Magistery, 2001) as I'm getting ready for bed, but they totally rocked the place and the lead male vocalist, Torquil Campbell (who I just discovered is also an actor and has made appearances on "Sex & The City," among other popular shows) was as energetic and inspiring as they come.

For those of you who haven't heard Stars, I highly recommend them. They are what I call "ambient" pop, or in other words, indie-electronica as influenced by the likes of the Pet Shop Boys and The Smiths, with modern contemporaries being the Postal Service and Belle & Sebastian, among others. You know you love some keyboards and synths and drums played with mallots. That's why they call it "dreampop." Anyway, it's hard for me to describe, but something about listening to Stars makes me feel cool. So take that as you will. The blend of male and female vocals (Amy Milan's voice is effortless) adds a unique element, as does Torquil's very passionate performance, including a few dazzling trumpet parts.

As for Death Cab... well, they were good. I've never been hardcore Death Cab, but as the big indie fan that I am, I have to appreciate them. There was no shortage of little OC-fan teens in the crowd, and the club seemed especially packed, even for a sold-out show. That said, it was a nice atmosphere and the crowd was respectful, down to the granny (or some other elder relative or friend of one of the band members) who was up in the family balcony section overlooking the side of the stage. She was up on her feet the whole night clapping and snapping photos! It was great.

Despite the fact that their new album is chock full of emo-ballads, the music itself was lively. They performed the majority off Plans (Atlantic, 2005), but also mixed it up and played at least one song off every album, which was nice. They were able to really rock out and get the crowd going for songs like "The Sound of Settling," but at the next moment bring the place down to a hush, as in the first encore song, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" which featured Ben Gibbard under a spotlight with his acoustic guitar.

Chris Walla, the "mastermind" behind Death Cab's album production, as well as producer on other popular indie discs (The Decemberists's Picaresque, to name one) was a surprising and unexpected character in person. My impression was that he seemed like he was in another world-- not in any "I'm on drugs" kind of way, but more like a "huh??" kind of way, but maybe it's just part of his inaccessible artistic genius. As an aside, his speaking voice is quite high pitched, in a way that catches you off guard when you first hear him utter any words. Maybe this is why his banter seemed mostly unintelligible to me.

Anyway, I can stop writing now and pass the rest off to you, dear reader, because thanks to NPR: All Songs Considered, you can listen to Death Cab's full concert online. It's an audio broadcast of their Monday night show at the 9:30 club, but my guess is it's not far off from what I heard on the first night. It's probably just as good as having been there. For starters, you don't have to worry about getting your clothes all smoky... Enjoy!

"I am Job..." at last!

Well, everybody, the day has come. After nearly a year and a half after graduating (yikes), I can finally say that, beginning November 2, I'll officially be employed. That's right, this afternoon I received a job offer for a job that I was really excited about and really wanted (as opposed to one that I just wanted because it was a job). I'll be an Assistant Editor at PR Newswire, which my sources tell me is a pretty well-known electronic media distribution company. The good news is, well... I finally have a real, full-time job where the people seem cool and where I definitely won't be sitting in a cubicle bored out of my mind. The bad news, if I have to name any, is that I'm turning in my wings as "professional intern" and also as the newest rising star at Treetop Kids (but not before I show up in costume for my last shift on Halloween!!). And naturally, I'll have a lot less time to blog since I'll be occupied with something else for 9 hours of the day! But I'm sure you'll all forgive me. The weekend updates will just be that much sweeter, I suppose...

EVOO!!

Today I received an e-mail containing the link to an absolutely hilarious Rachael Ray drinking game. That's right, folks, booze up with Food Network and you'll be ready to party in no time!

I won't post the whole thing, but here are some highlights of the rules:

"EVOO" -- 1 drink
"Yummo" -- 1 drink
"Delish! -- 1 drink
"How ____ is that?" -- 1 drink
*comes back from refrigerator carrying too many ingredients -- 2 drinks
*drops something on her way back -- whole drink
*fails to provide measurement and tells you to "eyeball it" -- 1 drink
*wears anything midriff-revealing -- 3 drinks


Oh Rachael, you're so awkward but somehow we still adore you... and yes, we'll forgive you for the FHM photo shoot, too. (You can google that one yourselves!)

Fall favorites

Today was one of those perfect fall days: it started out rather chilly, then as the day wore on it warmed up a touch, the sun came out, and that cool fall breeze kicked in. It's days like these that call for my favorite fall music, and to honor the season, I'm posting a sampling of what I consider to be the essentials.


Counting Crows :: August and Everything After (live)

On my drive to work this morning, I popped in August and Everything After (Geffen, 1993) and was reminded about how absolutely brilliant it is. It's a timeless album that still sounds fresh with every listen. The Counting Crows really nailed it with that one. This song, however, is not from that album, but it's a live cut of the title track that never made the album, so for that, it's significant. For those of you wondering which song's lyrics were scribbled on the album cover art, this is the one.

Counting Crows :: High Life

As a bonus, I've also thrown in a favorite off This Desert Life (Interscope, 1999). If I had to look back on the album that got me thinking critically about the music I listen to, this might have been it. We were reviewing new CDs for an issue of my high school paper, and by random drawing, this is the one I picked. The rest, as they say, is history!


David Gray :: Shine

His most recent release, Life in Slow Motion, makes for a great new fall soundtrack, but when it comes to fall, I'll take any ol' David Gray, especially his early work. It's raw and stripped down, pumped with emotion, and personally I think it's Gray at his best. This is the opening track off his debut album, A Century Ends (Caroline, 1993).


Elliott Smith :: Waltz #2 (XO)

Oh, Elliott. It's been two years since you've passed, but thank goodness we can listen to your music forever. There are occasions when I hear Elliott Smith and I am in disbelief at just how good he was. Such brilliant songwriting and heartfelt lyrics. The one thing that's guaranteed is that you can't listen to his music and not feel something. Waltz #2 off XO (Dreamworks, 1998) is no exception.


Nick Drake :: One of These Things First

Nick Drake is yet another brilliant songwriter who left the world too soon, but also left us with a wealth of beautiful music to enjoy. This song appeared on Bryter Layter (Hannibal, 1970) and makes me want to go outside on a windy fall day, run around in an open field, and kick around the falling leaves. There's something about the music that transports you to a different time and place. This song is especially light and playful, which is a departure from a lot of his darker, more depressing themes.


Nickel Creek :: When You Come Back Down

I absolutely love this song, which is actually a cover of a song written by Tim O'Brien and Danny O'Keefe. It appeared on Nickel Creek's self-titled debut album (Sugarhill, 2000), which is an accessible blend of bluegrass, folk, and classical, among other genres. This tune in particular is a beautiful and heart-wrenching love song that has everything that makes a song wonderful. Chris Thile's soothing voice rings through delicately over gorgeous fiddle solos and three-part harmonies. Just perfect.


Dave Matthews :: Stay or Leave

Mr. Matthews did quite a number on his first and only solo effort, Some Devil (RCA, 2003). This is a fall pick because this album was released at the beginning of my last year in college, and I'm pretty sure it sat in the CD player of my car for the majority of the season. It reminds me of fall drives in Charlottesville, golf classes in the morning, weekend hikes or picnics, and in general how there seemed to be no better place to be than UVA in the fall.


R.E.M. :: Nightswimming

Chris Martin told Spin magazine, "I'll tell you what I'm most proud of. The other day I had a pizza with Mike Mills from R.E.M., and he played 'Nightswimming' on the piano for me. I was so proud that I got to the position where I could hear that." This is one of my favorite R.E.M. tunes off of one of my favorite R.E.M. albums, Automatic for the People (Warner Bros, 1992).


And there you have it. Enjoy!

A Special Shoutout to the Binhster...

Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad! He already knows how much I love him for always being there and for his frequent "I love my family" declarations. But here's a special thanks to him for making the best "com tron" (Sorry, I'm missing accents. It's basically a big rice bowl with all sorts of delicious things mixed in it.) and for knowing the DC-area like the back of his hand, and thus being a walking local atlas, able to navigate and offer detour advice to anyone in a jam.

Happy Birthday Dad! You're the best.

Finally, since I spoke of this in a previous blogpost, here's a photo of my pops sporting the linen shirt and Seven jeans, looking somewhat like a J.Crew model with the whole scenic backdrop... (It's Half Moon Bay.)

Current Music: So Alive, by Ryan Adams

Sweet Golly Goodness!

Thanks to Steve Jobs, I have another exciting reason to post. After much anticipation surrounding Apple's new product announcement today (I mean really, the nano is brand new, and now unveiling something else, so soon?), it seems Apple has once again taken the iPod to the next level. And I am officially jealous. Introducing... the new iPod.

Incidentally, this post comes almost exactly a year after one of my first crazy-iPod blogposts in which the 60 gig photo was first unveiled. Ok, while I was always one to snub the iPod extras (photos, color, etc.), I now realize that I want it all.

Here's the deal:

The new iPod has 150 hours of video storage capability, and through the new iTunes 6, you can download your favorite music videos or TV shows (Only ABC or Disney, for now...) for $1.99 a pop. I mean, that's pretty damn cool, right? Sure, the screen is a mere 2.5 inches, but that's still an improvement from the old version. And hell, if I can catch up on a missed episode of "Lost" while waiting at the doctor's office or sitting on the metro... well, I'm not going to complain. It's sure to beat those little handheld rabbit-eared Sony TVs I remember from a decade ago!

Ok, for those of you unimpressed by these add-ons that detract from the music, here are other practical bonuses:

The new iPod boasts up to 20 hours of battery life, five hours more than before. Plus, you get a bigger display and one more iPod color — sleek black. But here’s the kicker: At under half an inch thin, the new 30GB iPod takes up about 45 percent less room than the original iPod. Even the new 60GB model is 10 percent thinner than the fourth-generation 20GB iPod. More features in less space? Sounds like iPod.

Just the other day Auddie and I were in the Apple store, and when we saw the old 60 gig, we were like "Geez, this thing is a monster! Look how thick!!"

Anyway, I'm a bit overwhelmed right now, jumping from page to page to catch up on all the new details. I'm a little annoyed that I just upgraded to iTunes 5 only about a month ago and they've already updated. But if there's any lesson we can learn from Apple, it's that you should wait. Yep, let you jaw drop in awe over all these new gadgets, but sit back and let it all settle in before you pull out your credit card. Sometimes I think about all those folks who have given into the initial hype...the ones who own a Mini, a Shuffle, a Nano, and are currently drooling over the newest iPod. Then again, they're probably broke. It's a nice thought, though! As for me, my 3rd gen. 20 gig is still doing the trick, but I know it won't be long 'til I give in... all extras aside, 20 hours of battery life sounds pretty appealing right now.


Current Music: Pipe Dreams, by Travis

The times, they are a-changin'...

First things first: My apologies for the lack of updates. My computer time has been limited lately. I smell another hiatus.

My auntie sent me an amusing e-mail today and it seemed like such a joke that I thought I'd post about it. It's an old clipping that purports to be from a 1955 "Housekeeping Monthly" article about how to be a good wife. (Other sources indicate that the graphic is fabricated and that the text is from a 1950s home economics textbook.) Real or not, it's still worth a look just as a reminder to appreciate and acknowledge how much has changed for women in only a few decades (though arguably it's not enough). We all may laugh now, but we really should remember that these ideals were once a reality for women... long before the days of Geena Davis as our TV president.

Current Music: The Wrong Idea, by Chris Thile

One year and still going strong!

Well, since I haven't much to blog about, I'll babble. I just realized it's been a year and one day since I decided to enter the blogosphere and change my life forever (by merely fueling my addiction to the computer and Internet). Remarkably after all that time I still am finding things to say. So for that, I wanted to say thanks for any and all who read this.

For some time capsule material, let me add a few current-events bullet points:

-Celeb news: Oh god, just when I thought TomKat was out of the news, they bounce back with Hollywood's latest out-of-wedlock pregnancy. (Hey, at least Kenny & Renée didn't make the same mistake.) I don't really have anything else to say on that. Blagh.

-TV: Ok, it's a given that TV is taking over my life. I'm trying to take serious steps to address this problem, but meanwhile, another show has captured my attention. With seemingly dozens of new series premieres entering lineups this fall, it was hard to capture the attention of viewers who, for the most part, already had their favorite shows picked out. My parents, on the other hand, who are casual TV channel flippers, happened to catch the Pilot of "Commander in Chief" and they couldn't stop raving about it. So I thought I'd tune into the encore as well as the second episode last night. I thought it would be terrible and cheesy (ok, it's a little cheesy), but it's actually quite entertaining and I'm definitely going to keep tuning in, at least for now.

The whole ad campaign that said "This Fall... a woman will be President" was actually inspiring, though at the same time a bit sad, because you realized it was a TV show and the Prez. was Geena Davis, who for some reason I can only remember from "A League of Their Own." On the other hand, despite some occasionally poor makeup, she's great in the role, to the point where you're like "Wow, I would vote for Geena Davis..." (Just like we'd all vote for Martin Sheen.) They threw a couple funny Hilary jokes into the script, too, and all of the First Gentleman scenes definitely had me laughing. Finally, they couldn't have cast a better bad guy/resident jerk than Donald Sutherland.

-Books: I'm currently reading Oprah's latest Book Club selection, A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey. It's the first time I've been on the same page (hah!) as my pal Ope, so I'm pretty excited. More on that later.

-Blogger: Drumroll, please..... On the one year anniversary of "Watch out for the Po-Po," let us welcome the newest member of the blogosphere, Kam! Yes, that's right, you've seen her comments (some of them obscene) and you've read my shoutouts. Now it's time to hear directly from Kam about her amazing adventures in knitting. Don't be fooled-- knitting is not for old ladies anymore!! Kam will prove it to you. I guarantee after looking at some of the photos she's posted of her work, you'll be begging her for a Christmas gift!! Congrats, Kam, and welcome! :)


Current Music: The Hardest Part, by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

Army 10-miler

Well, today was the day! After months of (sort of) training, I awoke before sunrise today to make my way down to the Pentagon for the start of the Army ten-miler. With 20,000 entrants and a high demand for registration, this is the biggest ten-mile race in the country, so it was especially exciting to be a part of it.

20,000 runners means that it takes awhile to reach the starting line, so I wasn't too concerned when the start gun fired and I was still waiting in the porta potty line... Luckily I made it out in time to hop in the big pack and start the race ten minutes after 8 am.

The race itself went well, and I definitely enjoyed the course more than the mostly out-and-back Cherry Blossom race I did back in April. The Army course was more of a scenic loop which led us past the Pentagon, across the Memorial Bridge and past the Lincoln memorial, then past the Kennedy center, and eventually along the Mall past the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial, and finally a small loop past the Capitol before heading back. Aside from the lovely early-morning Washington views, the turns and loops were much easier, mentally, for me to get through.

There was one minor (ok, it was major) glitch in the race that had lots of runners fuming. Just around or before the 8-mile mark, the race was re-routed because of an emergency security concern at the 14th street bridge, which was supposed to take us to the finish line at the Pentagon. It seems that just after 8 am, an official identified a "suspicious package" on the bridge, so they decided to re-route the course, basically sending us back across the Memorial Bridge and finishing the course the way we had started, in reverse.

The only problem was, no one knew what the hell was going on. First of all, no one ever saw the sign for the 8 and 9 mile mark, which started up the initial confusion, then when someone finally notified us that we'd just crossed the adjusted 9-mile mark, everyone had the "Ok, last mile, this is the final stretch" mentality going. I was slightly more in the loop than others, since I'd borrowed Huan's Garmin GPS device for the race and was keeping track of the race mileage on my wrist. So I knew something was up when the Garmin beeped for 10-miles and we were still only halfway across the Memorial Bridge.

But of course, I kept going, wondering what disaster had befallen the race. Meanwhile, other runners are thinking "This is the longest $@#%&* mile of my life!!!!" Finally, we get word from the finish line that "It's 11.4 miles, and you're almost there!!" This is when people start getting pissed. The beginning of the race was full of smiles and cheers, and now it was "You'd think they could have told us," and "I'm never running this race again." Though it was all kind of sad to think about how the race fell apart and no one was getting official scores, the whole thing was amusing in a "I can't believe this is the biggest ten-miler in the country and this is what happened" kind of way. Sigh.. But I guess these things are unpredictable and security is extra tight and cautious around DC anyway.

I finished my 10 miles in decent time-- about a minute slower than my Cherry Blossom time, but considering training for this race consisted of many fewer workouts and a lot more Popeyes/beers/potato chips/television watching/you name it, I'm actually pleased with my result. And on the other hand, I ran 11.4 miles, which I definitely was not expecting to do. I guess that means I'm that much closer to running a half marathon! Whoo, look at me, raising the bar!!

Since Auddie was such a fabulous event photographer, here are some snapshots from the day (thumbnails):

Mile 4:

Me & my pops (with thunder sticks in hand) at the finish line:

Awesome shot of my dad in front of the Lincoln Memorial, no other tourists in sight:

Finally, here's a random shot of the gang at my post-race brunch at Carlyle in Shirlington:

Twas a fabulous Sunday overall, made even better by a miraculous Redskins win in overtime! 3-0, who'da thunk it?

Current Music: Lately, by David Gray

God put a smile upon your face...

Wow, what a fantastic show Coldplay put on at Nissan Pavilion last night.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. Remarkably, it only took Becca and me a little over an hour to get to the venue on a Friday afternoon, so we had plenty of time to hang out and grab a bite before the show. Leaving the show, on the other hand, was a first-class nightmare. After getting to my car a little after 11 pm, I didn't even start my car to move an inch until an hour later. Then, it took close to another hour to actually exit, but not before we dealt with some ridiculous parking lot antics and near fender-bender drama with some really moronic girl. Luckily, Becca and I didn't have to start a parking lot riot, and we carried on our way, not letting the post-concert misery ruin an otherwise amazing evening.

As I mentioned in another blogpost from months back, I managed to score pretty sweet tickets for this show (the general admission orchestra section), so when I walked into the Pavilion a little after 7 pm I found myself just feet away from the stage. It was definitely an incredible feeling to be that close for what I knew was going to be one of those knock-your-socks-off, big stadium, crazy lights kind of show.

Here's what it looked like behind me. Pretty freakin' crazy:

Rilo Kiley was the opening act and they played a 45 minute set. Prior to last night, I was a casual listener, but I'd never really gotten into them. But after seeing and hearing them perform live, I enjoy them a lot more and will definitely give their music another chance. It's a nice mix of alt-country, rock, with splashes of pop, and a female vocalist (who is Jenny Lewis of "Troop Beverly Hills" fame, no less!).

Here's Jenny along with her Conor Oberst-lookalike guitarist (who was also a childhood actor with a recurring role on "Boy Meets World," though I don't remember him):

After what felt like an unusually long time to set up the stage for Coldplay, the lights went down around 9:30 and the last show of this U.S. leg of Coldplay's Twisted Logic tour was on.

They opened with "Square One" as a huge digital clock projected on the big screen and counted down to the big, booming chorus of the song.

The show's setlist followed with a nice combination of songs from X&Y, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and Parachutes. Between "Politik," "The Scientist," "God Put a Smile on your Face," and "Trouble," among other old favorites, they really did a great job as far as crowd pleasers go. While some of you may remember me not being crazy about the new album, I will say they were well-suited for the stadium show and I enjoyed hearing them performed live. Chris Martin is definitely a showman, and it's great to see him so passionately perform his music and know that he's a genuine guy. He was running around from one side of the stage to the next, jumping like crazy and really engaging the crowd.

During "Talk," he did a totally cool rockstar thing by grabbing someone's cell phone out of the audience and singing into it. Ok, so he's kind of a cheesy guy...at times he changed his lyrics around to fit the Washington, DC theme...but it's also cute that he's a self-professed geek.

Here's a shot of the guys (minus drummer Will Champion, who oddly was out of my view for the entire show, leading me to believe they were playing a drum track), and also a view of Chris's now well-known Make Trade Fair logo piano:

The biggest highlight for me was hearing "Green Eyes," which is my favorite Coldplay song. It was particularly awesome because as diehard fans know, Coldplay announced a couple years ago that they would no longer be including it as part of their regular setlist. The reason? Chris wrote it about a girl who was not Gwyneth. That pissed off just about every Coldplay fan, but it appears she must be 'over it,' since they've reintroduced it into their show. Still, it's only been performed live a handful of times over the past few years, so it's pretty damn awesome that we got to hear it. They performed it in an acoustic set which also included "Til Kingdom Come" and "Ring of Fire" (a Johnny Cash cover).

I also decided that Chris Martin is one of those guys who can pull off the lead-singing without a guitar without looking awkward. On the piano, he works, but when we saw him playing the guitar he just looked like a big dork. I think he was holding it high up on his chest, à la Dave Matthews, except he didn't pull it off quite as well. Anyway, just a side observation.

As expected, Coldplay ended the show with a resounding version of "Fix You," a song which Chris Martin has said is the band's favorite. I have to say, I definitely liked the song before, but after hearing it performed live, it's still stuck in my head and I've been completely hooked on it for the past couple days. It's just a great, powerful and anthemic song, all building up to that moment where all four guys sing together in harmony. At the show, that part was especially moving, as all of their faces were projected on the big screen and the place was just erupting. It was the chill-inducing concert moment, I suppose.

Final verdict: Coldplay put on a damn good show, and it was nice to go to back to a huge venue to remember what a really big and dramatic concert is like. I'd been so hooked on the 9:30 club recently that I think I forgot what it was like to hear a crowd of tens-of-thousands singing the same song in unison. It's pretty awesome.

Come On Feel the Illinoise!

I arrived at the 9:30 club on Tuesday night for a Sufjan Stevens show, a little tired and not sure whether Sufjan and his soothing tunes would be able to get me pumped and psyched. I was quickly proven wrong.

Sufjan burst onto the stage with five companions who comprise the "Illinoisemakers," and they were like a bunch of kids bouncing with energy. (Actually, the six-some at the 9:30 club were not the same group seen in the photo above... they must have a rotation or something..) To give a little background, Sufjan Stevens has set out on an ambitious project to record an album for each of the 50 U.S. states. So far, he's documented his home state of Michigan, and his most recent effort was a tribute to Illinois, on which this current tour is based.

From various photos, I found Sufjan to be an attractive man, so when he walked on stage, I took note. I was surprised, however, that Sufjan really looked like a frat boy that night, clad in gym shorts with a Cubs baseball cap tipped up off his head. He was also wearing some kind of gold chain necklace, perhaps with a crucifix? (Sufjan is known to be a devout Christian.) Nevertheless, he was good looking in that charming, boyish way.

Sufjan & Co. were fully outfitted as Illinois cheerleaders, complete with pom poms and wristbands. They kicked things off with the "50 states song," then launched right into the Illinois set. The crowd was unusually quiet and subdued, perhaps as a show of respect, but more likely because it was a Tuesday night. To liven things up, the group would conduct cheers to open up some of their songs. Led by Sufjan's "Ready, OK!" they shouted Illinois-themed cheers in unison while performing choreographed cheerleading moves and finishing off with--what else?-- spirit fingers. I have to admit, this was definitely funny and entertaining the first time, but by the fifth or sixth, when you could tell that Sufjan was holding back some laughter at the whole thing, it seemed the novelty had worn off and that the gimmick was on.

If there's a critique you'll hear about Sufjan, it's that all this hype over his 50 states project is just that--hype, and that all of it is far too gimmicky. There are the costumes, the cheers, the bold announcement of producing 48 more albums, and the ridiculous song titles (for example, "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us," or "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for your Step-mother!") While this may be true, I think if you stripped away all of the costumes, cheers, and showiness of his performance, it would still be a good show based on the music alone. And Sufjan seems neither pretentious nor arrogant. In fact, aside from being head cheerleader, he was a man of few words, sparing us the usual rocker concert banter. The Illinoisemakers provided much support, whether it was on the trumpet, trombone, maracas, xylophone, or the ever-popular triangle. Songs like "Chicago" built up to big crescendos and filled every corner of the venue without sounding like a big mess. As I've said before, something about the music makes every piece fit in; they're like subtle touches over Sufjan's delicate voice and guitar/banjo/piano.

Sufjan also shined on his own. Being the patriot that he is, he performed a moving, piano-backed version of the "Star Spangled Banner." And for the show encore, Sufjan stepped out alone under the spotlight to give us two heartfelt tunes, "Happy Birthday" (not the version we all know), which he dedicated to a fan, and "To Be Alone With You," off the religion-infused Seven Swans.

Despite the often unrelatable themes of the music--midwestern states' history, personal anecdotes, religious references, and so forth-- the music is still somehow accessible, touching, moving, evocative.

On another note, all Illinois natives should be proud of the damn good PR Sufjan and his buddies are doing for their state. After all, it's not everyday that you can get a crowd in Washington, DC to start chanting "Illinois! Illinois!" All told, it was a great show that exceeded my expectations, and I left the club feeling uppity and fulfilled. Finally, here are some samplers...

A Good Man Is Hard To Find
This is one of the standout tunes from Seven Swans (Sounds Familyre, 2004). When Sufjan performed this you could hear a pin drop in the venue. I don't think I've ever heard the place so quiet. The only sound besides his voice was that of the snapping fingers of the Illinoisemakers.

John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
This is one of the darker songs from Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty Records, 2005), in which Sufjan empathizes with serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. ("And in my best behavior/I am really just like him") Very moving albeit slightly disturbing.

Chicago
As far as I can tell, this song doesn't say so much about Chicago as it does about a memorable Sufjan roadtrip and the mistakes he made and learned from. Either way, it's a great tune, definitely one of the more "poppy" ones from the album, with lush instrumentation and choir vocals.

Enjoy.

Benator?

My excuse for posting this ridiculous celeb news is that it's C-ville relevant, so here goes. It looks like 'Benator' is the latest in the string of hokey Ben Affleck nicknames, this one used to describe his rumored political aspirations as Virginia Senator. The most recent Bennifer (is that used to describe the relationship with Garner, too, or only J-Lo?) rumor had them house-shopping in Charlottesville, and now word on the street is that he's a possible challenger to Senator George Allen for the race next year. According to political-honcho Larry Sabato, the idea has been spreading widely among Virginia Dems in the "political underground."

As crazy as it all sounds, if Arnold could get elected Governor in CA, who knows what's in store for Ben (though to be fair, he's no Terminator). In fact, maybe Benny's got what it takes to turn Virginia into a blue state! Hmm...

We are being ruined by the iPod.

Ok, not really, but you probably want to read on...

I'd meant to post this New Republic Online article a while back, but never got around to it. It's a new take on my favorite personal device that points out one of the negative consequences of the endlessly burgeoning iPod culture.

The article, for the most part, has me nodding my head in agreement, but here is one of my favorite excerpts:

But there's a dark side to the iPod era. Snobbery subsists on exclusivity. And the ownership of a huge and eclectic music collection has become ordinary. Thanks to the iPod, and digital music generally, anyone can milk various friends, acquaintances, and the Internet to quickly build a glorious 10,000-song collection. Adding insult to injury, this process often comes directly at the Rock Snob's expense. We are suddenly plagued by musical parasites. For instance, a friend of middling taste recently leeched 700 songs from my computer. He offered his own library in return, but it wasn't much. Never mind my vague sense that he should pay me some money. In Rock Snob terms, I was a Boston Brahmin and he was a Beverly Hillbilly--one who certainly hadn't earned that highly obscure album of AC/DC songs performed as tender acoustic ballads but was sure to go bragging to all his friends about it. Even worse was the girlfriend to whom I gave an iPod. She promptly plugged it into my computer and was soon holding in her hand a duplicate version of my 5,000-song library--a library that had taken some 20 years, thousands of dollars, and about as many hours to accumulate. She'd downloaded it all within five minutes. And, a few months later, she was gone, taking my intimate musical DNA with her.

Oh, how it's true! The acquisition of music--huge amounts of music-- has come down a few fleeting moments with friends (and sometimes people who aren't even friends) through iPod updates, burnt CDs/DVDs, and the like. The problem was introduced when CD burning began, but looking back, it was merely a nuisance then whereas now the idea of cloning music collections is simply what's accepted.

And I'm not here to point fingers. I certainly have gained my share of new music from others' iPods, "digital libraries," and burnt CDs. But I do regret that the whole sanctity of one's music collection is forever changed. This is probably one of the reasons that despite the ease and bargain of purchasing albums off iTunes ($9.99 for any complete album is a steal), I still try to make a point to go to record stores to browse the aisles. For my most favorite artists, I almost always pick up the actual CD. While some would argue that liner notes and plastic cases take up unnecessary space, these things are priceless to me. I think it's my attempt to try and preserve the "thrill of acquisition" as mentioned in the article, and my small effort to see that CDs don't become completely replaced by intangible files on a computer. Heck, I know for sure that someday I want my own record player. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned like that.

Carlton Draught: A Big Ad

All I have to say is that if I were an Aussie, I'd be drinking Carlton Draught. Apparently the huge and popular ad for the beer was released way back in July via email to employees only before it made its TV debut. Soon, through the magic world of the Internet, it had been downloaded 2 million times via blogs and e-mail.

Anyway, it's pretty sweet. It's always refreshing to see an innovative beer commercial that doesn't feature bikini-clad women or other dumb bar scenes.

Check it out!


Current Music: Parting Gift, by Fiona Apple

Lost returns!

Whew! Other fall premiere shows are going to have to be pretty damn good to top tonight's "Lost" season 2 premiere.

Talk about intense! There were far too many details to absorb in the one hour of intense drama, not to mention they didn't even get to anything about the people on the hijacked raft! This is definitely one of those good DVD shows. The episodes never get old because you can watch and rewatch each one to overanalyze every little thing.

Tonight, for example, when Jack first enters the hatch he sees the number 108 scrawled all over the walls. No big deal, right? Lost fanatics will soon realize that 4+8+15+16+23+42 = 108, and as we all know, the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42 have appeared in some form in many other episodes. Read and discuss more here if you are really into the crazy theories and all the number madness.

I'm surprised I've gotten into this show so much considering I'm not usually a fan of the "supernatural" stuff. I mean, the mysterious-black-cloud-of-smoke-monster-thing? Not my style. But for whatever reason, I'm hooked to this show. I think it's because the writers did a really good job on emphasizing character development and making sure the viewers are committed to the people, first and foremost. That way, the storyline, while farfetched, is based upon characters we relate to or at least feel invested in.

Speaking of characters, here's a nice chance to post a photo of my favorite fella and the hottest island-dweller, Charlie Salinger-- oops, I mean... Jack Shephard. Hey-- how about that hair in tonight's episode flashback? Great wig, folks. Thank goodness the doc got a buzz cut for the island...

On that note, and with other season premieres yet-to-come, fall is here! One doesn't need the autumnal equinox to ring in the season (although tomorrow does officially mark the beginning of the fall season); you know it's here when your days are again dictated by the TV guide. (I know i sound like an addict, but I know most of you agree!!) So while we lament the end of the long days of summer, we have all-new television to ease us into the colder months... should be a goodie!


Current Music: Golden Slumbers, by The Beatles

Grand Opening: Treetop Kids!

The newest Treetop Kids toy store in Arlington celebrated its grand opening yesterday after an impressive 19-day marathon of prepping it for customers.

Congratulations to Molly, the manager, for her hard work and new role as head honcho of the new location. She is seen below in what was an exciting ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the official opening... If only she'd had giant scissors!

In other news, I am the newest sales associate at the Arlington store. Let me tell you, I'm having a field day discovering all the amazing toys--not to mention the incredible backyard playground options (there's even one set up in the store!)-- available to kids these days. There's really not a more fun way to earn some cash while I churn out cover letters and resumes awaiting a positive response. I can't wait to bring Auddie, Max, and Mira in to browse and let them pick their favorites. Which is to say, I am very tempted to buy a lot of these things for myself and I can't wait to have a chance to pressure kids to buy things I want to play with.

For any of you in the neighborhood, stop by Treetop and say hello! It's located on Lee Highway in the Lee Heights Shopping center. It's the one with all the colorful awnings-- you can't miss it!

Oh, to be a sevie again...

Now that school is back in session, I'm lucky enough to get the daily 7th grade update from Auddie. It's been less than two weeks and already we've had scheduling issues, a huge demand for locker shelves (sold out at Target and all Staples stores), and of course lots of girls who have quickly found new boyfriends.

So far Auddie has already gotten reprimanded by the same witchy Principal that made me sit on the stage by myself during lunch when I was a sevie myself. This disgruntled old lady pulled Auddie aside to tell her her shirt was too low! :o !! How very unexpected, especially considering the shirt in question was not even a v-neck or otherwise revealing cut. Ridiculous woman, really. Now Auddie goes through multiple shirts each morning before deciding which one will draw the least attention.

I was shocked to discover that physical expectations for 12-year-olds have been drastically reduced since my time, as the weekly always-dreaded ticket run in P.E. now only requires 3 laps in 15 minutes for an A! Just for comparison, the 1994 ticket run demanded 6 laps in 13 minutes for the same grade! And let me tell you, this was long before my running days and I'm certain I never earned better than a B.

In other developments, Max the third grader has discovered "jinx" and is having a field day with it. The other day in the car, he asked me "Pouy, did you ever have a bully??" Then he proceeded to make up a poem about how to tactfully handle bullies. Good for him. I'm guessing he's had some experience with this.

Anyway, it's definitely a strange feeling to know that Auddie is now in middle school, since I still remember it so vividly. Even as we speak, she's practicing her chromatic scale on her clarinet in the very room where I used to do the same! The other day she brought home a logic puzzle from Math class and I have to admit I had the best time doing it with her. (You know-- the ones with the big grid with names and titles all over it, and you have to figure out who goes with what by deciphering the clues and placing X's in the boxes to indicate a non-match or a circle for the right combination?) I get this great sense of indescribable pleasure going through kids' homework and realizing the same worksheets I used to do haven't changed in a decade. After all, there's nothing like a little pre-algebra to make you nostalgic...


Current Music: History of Lovers, by Iron & Wine and Calexico

Bush asks for bathroom break

A sharp photographer allegedly caught President Bush with a full bladder during a U.N. meeting today. I'll let the photo and caption speak for themselves. One has to question how legit it is, though you can't imagine Reuters would fabricate such a thing. In either case, it's pretty hilarious and amusing.

Need to Vent?

While googling something unrelated, I somehow stumbled upon this crazy site where people can basically anonymously bitch about anything in their lives. I think it's an old site, but still amusing nonetheless. Damn the internet for unwanted distractions. So, if you want to read random people's vents to their boss or ex-boyfriend or even letters to themselves, or if you need to vent and would like to do it through an internet portal, go for it. Some of them are worth a read. Others are extremely sad and borderline suicidal. I would post a preview, but the funniest ones are not G-rated.


Current Music: Train Underwater, by Bright Eyes