a split second of pregnant silence follows.

recent {shameless} musical splurge >

deerhoof > the runners four.
deerhoof > friend opportunity.
pj harvey > stories from the city, stories from the sea.
pavement > crooked rain crooked rain {LA's desert origins}
el perro del mar > el perro del mar.
grizzly bear > yellow house.
menomena > friend or foe.

this day was topped off by seeing deerhoof perform at the wonder ballroom.

having said that, i could easily indulge in a blathering holy-crap-deerhoof-melts-my-face blog-rant, but to take such a 'bold' position is about as trite and uncreative as a Jeneé Osterheldt column. rather, i'm going to hold off an any critical analysis of the show, and will save it for my next blog post.


> so it's no mystery that today's fast food isn't the greatest culinary option; it's overal convenience and chemically enhanced deliciousness aren't helping alleviate type II diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. however, we humans are strongly predisposed for adaptation. therefore, isn't it logical to assume that one day the human race will find itself immune to the consequences of blindly internalizing copious amounts of trans fats, synthetic sugars, and hormones? i realize that even considering about such a topic is purely masturbatory in nature, not to mention a moot point, given my personal eating habits. it still seemed like a topic worthy of the blogosphere.


> did you notice? the super bowl sucked; color me disappointed. although i'm not even sure why i feel this way. this game has not only become another american made holiday rationalizing consumption and gluttony, but is without question the most over-hyped game in all of sport. perhaps my cynicism is simply a function of my growing insouciance towards most professional sports {with the exception of baseball, of course}. maybe i'm just a sourpuss ... either way, the honest highlight of the evening/afternoon was the guiness ice cream float i shared with laura at the thirsty lion in downtown portland after a few other guinessexes and dinner. why lie?

in that vein, as i walked to work the following morning past weiden + kennedy, the Herculean adertising firm behind coca~cola, honda, and nike among other similarly Herculean corporations, i couldn't help but wonder what this monday meant to them. this is a pretty significant event, yeah? so do they celebrate? does work continue as usual? from the looks of their allied works'ed space containing a ten foot cardboard bear, wire sculptures and flat screens showing round-the-clock art-house films, i'm under the impression these creative geniuses like to have a good time. the lights were off inside; the place seemed peaceful. it only seems logical that they collectively took the day off to bask in the glow of some of the finest commercials a super bowl audience has ever seen. that chaotic grand-theft-auto-fantasy-land turned utopian-cheese-ball-fest really resonated with me. clearly, this is a sign of my all-too-human predisposition for the guilty pleasures of pop culture junk food.


> does anyone know how to get candle wax out of sweatpants?

> lately, i continually find myself preoccupied with my own personal use of various figures of speech. specifics include anaphora, distinguishing between antanaclasis and pun, irony and pun, simile and metaphor, and the classic overuse of alliteration.**

> i have started putting half & half in my coffee. i used to think this distorted the flavor, but now i'm in this phase of 'supplementation' and 'accentuation.' **

> menomena's song 'the pelican' has a guitar hook that sounds strikingly similar to jimi hendrix's 'machine gun.'

> i am tickled that pitchfork so freely expresses their hatred for the band Jet.


> has my blog helped people get to 'know' me any better or less? and if so, is that such a good thing? have i said too little, or entirely too much? at this point, i'm reticent to say yes or no, although there have been moments when i have most certainly questioned my course. basically, i'm starting to feel like this public display of self-expression isn't giving me the satisfaction that it once did. i don't know. maybe i'm just having a bad day.

honestly and humbly, i remain,

just another midwestern 20~something transient certain of his uncertainty.

**stolen from my myspace profile.

wamp wamp. what it do? {what it do?}

favorite words at the moment >

> abject.
> wreck.
> superfluous.
> indicative.
> the phrase 'the long and the short of it is ...'
> consummate.
> hella.
> feigned.

> i could {should} write a blog about this blog. i'll go days without any ideas {it's on my mind constantly, duh.} and then i'll wake up one morning surrounded by 10,000 topics to choose from. it's not the like the world suddenly looks more interesting, it may just be that i get the 'itch' to point out the obvious, list foods i'm currently avoiding/consuming, avoid architectural discussions, and expose my general inability to accept my surroudings as they are.

> so what's the deal with downloading music? i know it sounds trivial, and i realize asking this question reveals my ineptitude as a creative thinker, but seriously, i am genuinely put off by this trend.

i could sit here and falsly reminisce about 'the days when buying the album meant something,' but i won't, mostly because i don't even know when that threshold was crossed. moreover, that whole nostalgic 'remember when' act is so tired; especially from people like me. my preference? complain about the here and now.

i suppose as long as certain bands continue to utilze the liner notes as a means to express themselves on a different artistic level, giving the purchaser/fan a smaller window into their tastes and attitudes, the 'record' in it's purest sense will always be fashionable.

> i am a little shocked by the reaction to the statement i made last week regarding radiohead's legitimacy. people still like them that much, huh? really? seriously? that's cool. i guess. in hindsight, i probably should have considered the consequences, and i may have lost quite a bit of respect from my friends and well-wishers as a result. however, let the record show i merely agreed with the idea when my boy aaron let it rip while i was in kc over christmas break.** i'm no where near creative/bold enough to come up with stuff like that on my own.

> so i'm told mtv's newest and hottest show, 'maui fever' has a character named corbin. this guy sounds legendary. his profile, from mtv.com reads as follows :

"Corbin's the kind of guy who can't take anything or anyone too seriously. His main goal is to enjoy himself and since he grew up in Hawaii, he knows that exactly how to live the island life to the fullest. Corbin is always reeling in the ladies with good jokes and a good time. He's a class clown and a total showoff which gets him laughs and babes. With his oblivion to authority and straggly sun-bleached hair, he's a dead ringer for Jeff Spicoli in 'Fast Times.'"

it's only a matter of time before this coincidence is shamelessly knocked around amongst people i have the misfortune of meeting. the anticipation is palpable.

> not having access to cable is without question a blessing in a curse, but i have become fully aware of this truth over the course of the nfl playoffs. for starters, if i'm in need of some 'digest' or 'analysis' my only option is the concise and typically thought proking {yea, i said it} variety of online columns/articles. i find these to be far more beneficial than the canned daily bullshit and drama drummed up by the general sports media.

secondly, the super bowl is without question the most over-hyped and over-analyzed sporting event in the universe. if anyone is willing to disagree with this, speak now. no? good. didn't think so. anyway, it just seems like everyone collectively creates a checklist of topics to belabor. peyton's less-than-stellar playoff experience, the bear's 4-6 defense, rex grossman's propensity for interceptions, indy's run defense, etc. are going to be broken down, built up, and then broken down again. sounds pretty boring if you ask me. if i were a member of the media, i'd probably be drooling over and dreading these two miserable weeks.

the saving grace, the coup de gras, the reason-to-give-a-shit about this year's event is pretty muched summed up by jason whitlock here. once again, the man continues to bring it.

> i drank a bud light this weekend. psyche.

> so bush was greeted with a healthy amount of applause regarding his short-sighted and short-winded discussion regarding alternative fuels; i get that. but how funny was it to watch the senator from iowa as he furiously clapped wearing the widest smile on the planet?

> when i first saw stellastar* i discounted them primarily on the grounds that i believed the asterict to be a transparent means of distinguishing themselves; basically, an annoyance. now i really like them.

> has anyone ever used wingdings? ever?

> chocolate fat-free skim milk? this is too good to be true.

> i think i finally understand what modernism actually means.

> so i hear there are restaraunts that carry special menus for women with no prices. where are they? and why can't i meet a girl that prefers this particular arrangement?

warmly,

the corner of burnside and oak.

**I listened to Kid A while i wrote most of this post.

you were the wrecking ball before the building fell.

self-indulgent stream-of-consciousness post? um. that sounds good. i'll have ... some more.

++++++++++++++++

> this next week of work is going to destroy me. it's just as my eye-twitching affliction was starting to diminish, too.

> i might have the pearliest whites this side of the cascades since receiving an oral.B electronic tooth bruth from my biological parents this past christmas. it has four different types of brushes. FOUR. my favorite is the double-brush brush.

> indisputable proof my mom is legit? kansas city royals Sluggerrr bobblehead doll for a christmas gift.

> indisputable proof my father is legit? he recently bought a pair of non-pleated, non-cuffed pants at Halls, and "cannot wait for Bush to leave office." i feel like i hardly know him anymore.

> i'm working the pomegranate into my diet.

> i've been drinking numerous cups of yerbe mate tea at work, and have only made two trips to stumptown in one week. needless to say, i'm questioning this decision.

> my girl tq just moved to milan. {oh. hey, tq.} i am obviously, at a minimum, envious. however, i am also aware this "jealousy" is not only trite, but also unfair. myself, along with numerous others, had our moment in the {tuscan} sun. it's time to move on.

> italy was NOT the apex of our lives. get over it.

> my current project has officially taken the blinders from my eyes; interior architecture is a genuinely respectable and fascinating field of work. without question, this stands in stark contrast to what was shoved down our impressionable throats at ksu.

> i spent saturday night watching the movie sideways, drinking wine, starting this post, listening to music, and being generally anti-social. i'm pretty happy about this decision.

> sideways is my new brokeback mountain. and by that, i mean sideways has earned the title of "the most unbearable, overrated movie corbin has ever seen." all i could say to myself while watching it was "i wasted a damn netflix rental on this shit?" i should have listened to you, jill.

> the only thing keeping me from moving from northwest portland to southeast portland is my gym membership in my neighborhood; it expires in eighteen months. feel free to lose as much respect for me as you want because of this.

> let's think about those automated hand driers in most public restrooms for a moment. do people really think they're doing something orignal/funny when they scratch away at the "PUSH BUTTON" instructions so that it says "PUSH BUTT"? am i just as lame for even noticing this, let alone pointing it out?

> latest annoyance : girls who have three pages of pictures on their myspace profile, 75% of which {give or take a few percentage points} are with several different guys. what are you trying to prove? are you that desperate for attention?

> latest annoyance II : anonymous blog comments.

> i still don't know what irony means.

> i still don't understand why people like dane cook.

> i will never fall out of love with pearl jam.

> i've put a lot of thought into it, but i can say with confidence that sean's girlfriend coral may be the coolest 'girlfriend of a goodfriend' i've known up to this point. this may require further blogging analysis.

> man-crushes? i'm all for them.

> the my morning jacket concert this past tuesday changed me.

> radiohead? most overrated band since the doors.**

pipe-dream, alternative careers i wouldn't bat an eye switching to >

> major league middle reliever. preferably not with the royals, definiately not with the cardinals, hopefully with a team that's capable of beating out the twins for a wildcard position, only to take the red sox to seven games and lose as because of my errant throw to third base in the bottom of the 11th inning.
> pitchforkmedia.com writer {or any position for that matter. i'll update excell contact sheets. i'll change diapers. i'll listen to jet's 'get born' and eat snack wraps from mcdougles. anything.}
> peter gammons' apprentice.
> rick steves' apprentice.
> elliott nickell's legal intern.
> evan weir's therapist.
> starchitect.
> tenured environmental studies professor at sarah lawrence college.
> neko case's cabana boy.

albums on repeat >

> be your own pet - be your own pet.
> my morning jacket - it still moves.
> deerhoof - the runners four.
> beth orton - comfort of strangers.
> pearl jam - vitalogy.
> liars - drum's not dead.
> clipse - hell hath no fury.

singles i cannot stop listening to >

> joanna newsom - sawdust & diamonds.
> oneida - up with people.
> maxïmo park - going missing.
> midlake - roscoe.
> the french kicks - cloche.
> rock central plaza - my children, be joyful.
> rock central plaza - sexyback.
> the rapture - whoo! alright - yeah... uh huh.
> figurines - the wonder.
> the whitest boy alive - wonder.
> el perro del mar - god knows (you gotta give to get.)

nothing~man. nothing~man. isn't it something, nothingman?

dave abbruzzese.

**stolen from aaron prader.