it's 10.45 pm.
it's sunday.
i'm taking a cab home from work because my bike has a flat.
the overzealous cabbie enthusiastically reminds me as i leave his car:
i tipped him $2 on a $5 ride.
i had no problems falling into a deep slumber.
20080408
don't let anyone tell you the age of irony is over.
20080330
I want to retroactively smudge my own existential/teenage angst.
the dirty projectors > rise above
my bloody valentine > loveless
elastica > elastica
beach house > devotion
nirvana > unplugged in new york
jens lekman > oh, you're so quiet, jens
vampire weekend > vampire weekend*
the pixies > trompe de monde
atlas sound > let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel
les savy fav > let's stay friends
beastie boys > hello nasty.
> i came across some choice examples of elitist architectural verbosity that i can't help but admire. examples:
In a total darkness, light is like a shadow to the sun. - MVRDV
Faintly voicing impossible aspirations, with an elegance that can only derive from the art of subtraction, Siza's works seem to observe the world.'' - Álvaro Siza
Without respect to before or after, beginning or end, cause or effect, the not yet meets the already gone. - Stephen Holl
> as i'm writing, kansas is playing davidson in the elite 8. every game i've watched so far** has been entirely out of principle and/or habit. in other words, i have no real interest in college basketball at the moment and my viewing is based entirely upon a perfect storm of mental fatigue as well as a desire to watch something on television that is immediately accessible and requires zero thought or criticism.***
> carlos mencia, dane cook and will farrell. three comedians whose collective abundance of success has me concerned about the future of this country.
> how many handwriting 'styles' does the average person use? i have three. i think. they are as follows:
1. vertically oriented, narrow 'architectural' uppercase,
2. angled, but wider 'architectural' uppercase, probably the one i use most,
3. angled, more balanced lowercase. i think this style emerged in college when i was trying emulate mick charney's handwriting in arch history.***
> our weather lately has been ... well, odd. the past three days' temperature haven't risen above 40, but it has dipped into the teens. it snowed for an hour on friday, it hailed for a half hour yesterday, and this morning {sunday} it hailed again. now the sun just came out. needless to say, we're a thunderstorm away from me feeling as though i'm back in the midwest.
> some fairly unfortunate circumstances have forced me to undergo extensive dental surgery, which in turn has forced me to slightly alter my diet. as a result, i'm back on the yogurt train, BABY. the selection at whole foods was, at a minimum, overwhelming. after several minutes of careful deliberation, i selected two flavors of three brands: Nancy's, All Natural Soy, and Cascade Fresh. it should be noted i was reluctant to buy anything Nancy's because her cottage cheese, with its unconventional 'granular' texture and surprisingly sour taste, is simply unbearable. regardless, i was feeling adventurous on this particular afternoon, and bought the maple and vanilla. in the end, the soy yogurt and cascade fresh made a pretty compelling case, but it was Nancy's that made the strongest play. needless to say, this won't be the last time Nancy is at the top of my grocery list.
> credit card users, if you see one documentary this year, watch "MaxedOut."
> a kid with his window open across the alley behind my apartment continues to stare at me. ordinarily, this wouldn't make me uncomfortable, but his apartment appears to be devoid of any decoration, he's got a pretty impressive beard, and i'm pretty sure he owns some sort of large reptile.
*shut up, they're catchy.
**i've only watched 1.5 games.
***i can't begin to describe how pathetic that sounds when i read it aloud.
20080311
A CASE FOR A CASE OF THE MONDAYS.
i loathe the notion of "the mondays." the whole concept, in my eyes, is based upon a rejection of one's job as well as general laziness. obviously, this is a grossly general statement. regardless, i stand by my arrogant, black & white statement.
however, yesterday was a pretty bad day for myself and a significant amount of important people around me. coincidentally, it was a monday. therefore, i feel compelled to at least pause and reflect upon what occurred/did not occur.
1. my office lost a competition that we so passionately poured a remarkable amount of resources {both monetarily and labor-wise} giving me every reason to leave work early and drink all the whiskey in portland.**
2. a client of laura's mother, who may be terminally ill, dropped a traumatic bomb of issues on her lap, leaving her with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and sympathy for someone who is presumably delusional and cannot take care of himself.
3. laura's migraine, as a result of #2.
4. the rain returned to portland.
5. i had no rain-coat for my humbling walk home.
that being said, there was something so right about all these 'wrong' things happening at once. i stepped outside my office, the sky was gray, i had thom yorke's "the eraser" humming on my headphones, and i no matter what direction i walked, the drizzle was in my face. in other words, everything seemed appropriately composed.
i realize the photo i included is in no way germane to the topic of this post. i regret including it.
**i worked until 6.15 and had dinner at whole foods. i drank water.
20080307
20080207
LUNCHTIMEBLOGTIME!
maureen dowd's daily dose of clinton castigation begins today with the following:
I think Hillary truly believes that she and Bill are the only ones tough enough to get to the White House. Jack Nicholson endorsed her as “the best man for the job,” and she told David Letterman that “in my White House, we’ll know who wears the pantsuits.” But her pitch is the color of pitch: Because she has absorbed all the hate and body blows from nasty Republicans over the years, she is the best person to absorb more hate and body blows from nasty Republicans.
dowd's aversion towards the clinton family is based upon the notion of positivity, or in the clinton's case, a severe lack thereof. furthermore, she seems to subscribe to the notion that your ability to lead the country should be described in terms of what you aspire to accomplish, as opposed to the opposition you've successfully defeated many times over.
on some level, it's hard to disagree with having a "positive" attitude. this country is looking forward, has adopted apathy in place of enthusiasm, and people want to think in positive terms about our country's future. however, presenting her veiled sponsorship of obama in terms of his toughness, which the clinton 'machine' has coincidentally helped to nurture, is only making hillary a more viable if not more plausible nominee.
she continues with this:
Better the devil you know than the diffident debutante you don’t. Better to go with the Clintons, with all their dysfunction and chaos — the same kind that fueled the Republican hate machine — than to risk the chance that Obama would be mauled like a chew toy in the general election. Better to blow off all the inspiration and the young voters, the independents and the Republicans that Obama is attracting than to take a chance on something as ephemeral as hope. Now that’s Cheney-level paranoia.
i hope she's not implying the republican base would give obama a reprieve because he isn't a clinton. from an amateur political junkie, that sounds downright foolish. sorry, ms. dowd. your sarcasm is not convincing me.
this article as well as other indicators have led me to believe the press depicts the youth as a traditionally uninspired and disrespected block of the american public that is finally excited to get involved with politics, ONLY because obama is an inspiring candidate. moreover, they're suggesting that if obama doesn't win the democratic ticket, all the youthful vigor he's managed to inspire will evaporate as quickly as it emerged.
if voting turnout among my demographic decreases because hillary manages to win the ticket, so be it. i'm comfortable taking the cynical approach because those people who were so eager to "get involved" are the same people would would subsequently go back to their old habits of apathy and indifference once they didn't get their way. this is one of the most irritating characteristics of people my age. it makes my blood fucking boil.
simply stated, we're inexperienced, we're naive, and we're hopeless hopeful. a good portion of the country's youth doesn't even know who won the civil war. architectural interns don't sign construction documents, one of the partners does. our parents tell us not to have kids early. why? because education is a process and we're not prepared {yet} to holistically understand there's more to a candidate than inspiring speeches and guerrilla-style political posters.
members of the press like maureen dowd insult voters**, both young and old. aligning thyself with the smug and morally superior left in the light of scare tactics resembling "cheney-level paranoia" does nothing but irritate the very readers she is presumably attempting to reach. moreover, by criticizing hillary clinton for selling her strengths, she's adding an powerfully divisive tone to the political stew; something the democratic party, if it genuinely aims to win the white house, does not need.
**i plan on reading her column every day.
I think Hillary truly believes that she and Bill are the only ones tough enough to get to the White House. Jack Nicholson endorsed her as “the best man for the job,” and she told David Letterman that “in my White House, we’ll know who wears the pantsuits.” But her pitch is the color of pitch: Because she has absorbed all the hate and body blows from nasty Republicans over the years, she is the best person to absorb more hate and body blows from nasty Republicans.
dowd's aversion towards the clinton family is based upon the notion of positivity, or in the clinton's case, a severe lack thereof. furthermore, she seems to subscribe to the notion that your ability to lead the country should be described in terms of what you aspire to accomplish, as opposed to the opposition you've successfully defeated many times over.
on some level, it's hard to disagree with having a "positive" attitude. this country is looking forward, has adopted apathy in place of enthusiasm, and people want to think in positive terms about our country's future. however, presenting her veiled sponsorship of obama in terms of his toughness, which the clinton 'machine' has coincidentally helped to nurture, is only making hillary a more viable if not more plausible nominee.
she continues with this:
Better the devil you know than the diffident debutante you don’t. Better to go with the Clintons, with all their dysfunction and chaos — the same kind that fueled the Republican hate machine — than to risk the chance that Obama would be mauled like a chew toy in the general election. Better to blow off all the inspiration and the young voters, the independents and the Republicans that Obama is attracting than to take a chance on something as ephemeral as hope. Now that’s Cheney-level paranoia.
i hope she's not implying the republican base would give obama a reprieve because he isn't a clinton. from an amateur political junkie, that sounds downright foolish. sorry, ms. dowd. your sarcasm is not convincing me.
this article as well as other indicators have led me to believe the press depicts the youth as a traditionally uninspired and disrespected block of the american public that is finally excited to get involved with politics, ONLY because obama is an inspiring candidate. moreover, they're suggesting that if obama doesn't win the democratic ticket, all the youthful vigor he's managed to inspire will evaporate as quickly as it emerged.
if voting turnout among my demographic decreases because hillary manages to win the ticket, so be it. i'm comfortable taking the cynical approach because those people who were so eager to "get involved" are the same people would would subsequently go back to their old habits of apathy and indifference once they didn't get their way. this is one of the most irritating characteristics of people my age. it makes my blood fucking boil.
simply stated, we're inexperienced, we're naive, and we're hopeless hopeful. a good portion of the country's youth doesn't even know who won the civil war. architectural interns don't sign construction documents, one of the partners does. our parents tell us not to have kids early. why? because education is a process and we're not prepared {yet} to holistically understand there's more to a candidate than inspiring speeches and guerrilla-style political posters.
members of the press like maureen dowd insult voters**, both young and old. aligning thyself with the smug and morally superior left in the light of scare tactics resembling "cheney-level paranoia" does nothing but irritate the very readers she is presumably attempting to reach. moreover, by criticizing hillary clinton for selling her strengths, she's adding an powerfully divisive tone to the political stew; something the democratic party, if it genuinely aims to win the white house, does not need.
**i plan on reading her column every day.
20080122
CHUCKLEHEAD.
I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for people to realize that mike huckabee is worth nothing more than a good laugh. clips like this one,
in addition to remarks such as these,
"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," Huckabee said at a Myrtle Beach campaign event. "In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."
have convinced me that watching his campaign is only going to get better. in other words, little by little he is going to reveal how unfit he is to lead the country. simply stated, huckabee sounds legitimately dangerous; a loose cannon.
our country is capacious enough to embrace change, not lunacy.
in addition to remarks such as these,
"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," Huckabee said at a Myrtle Beach campaign event. "In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."
have convinced me that watching his campaign is only going to get better. in other words, little by little he is going to reveal how unfit he is to lead the country. simply stated, huckabee sounds legitimately dangerous; a loose cannon.
our country is capacious enough to embrace change, not lunacy.
20080111
if you try to steal the beat, the beat will steal you.
SIGNS PORTLAND HAS BEEN INFLUENTIAL >
a. i've had a bike stolen.
b. i've bought a bike.
c. i've been hit by a car on my bike.
d. i'm one 'crash' away from being able to count my crashes on more than one hand.
e. i bought fenders for the aforementioned bike.
f. i've had facial hair for more than six months.
g. i've actually described a cup of coffee as 'cantelope-y.'
h. i finally own a waterproof jacket.
i. my camping equipment collection has grown significantly. in other words, i now own a $300 sleeping bag and a thermal mat.
j. i'm willing to see a band perform at the expense of my personal health as well as the expense of my personal relationships.
k. political discussions have become a means to alienate myself from old friends.
l. meet the press has become far more entertaining than sportscenter.
m. i've realized the utilitarian characteristics of skinny jeans.**
n. i can't remember the last time i used an umbrella.
continuing my western assimilation,
corbin.
**truth be told, it's actually quite logical.
20071213
2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 MUSIC.
> albums >
1. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
2. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
3. The
4. Of
5. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
6. Battles - Mirrored
7. Menomena - Friend And Foe
8. Justice - †
9. Pseudosix - Pseudosix
10. White Rabbits - Fort Nightly
> Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
> Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
> !!! - Myth Takes
> Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
> Burial - Untrue
> Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
> Blitzen Trapper -
> Radiohead - In Rainbows
> Feist - The Reminder
> The National – Boxer
>
> Mary Timony - The Shapes We Make
> Trans Am - Sex Change
> Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
> José González - In Our Nature
> Handsome Firs >
> best songs >
> Knife – Grizzly Bear
> Stronger - Kanye West
> Sharpshooter - Mary Timony
> Hustler - Simian Mobile Disco
> Honey Honey – Feist
> Enclave – Pseudosix
> Peacebone - Animal Collective
> Houseclouds – Liars
> Take Pills - Panda Bear
> You Are My Face – Wilco
> All I Need – Radiohead
> XR2 - M.I.A.
> Phantom – Justice
> Phantom Pt. II – Justice
> See A Penny (Pick It Up) – YACHT
> The Moneymaker - Rilo Kiley
>
> How We Breathe – Pinback
> I Used to Complain Now I Don't - White Rabbits
> What They Said - Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities
>
> Slow Show – The National
> Bodysnatchers – Radiohead
> On Call – Kings of
> From Nothing to Nowhere – Pinback
> +81 – Deerhoof
> Flashing Lights – Aesop Rock
> And You Lied to Me – The
> 20 Dollar – M.I.A.
> Air War – Crystal Castles
> Bronson – Calla
> Atlas – Battles
> Black Wave/Bad Vibrations –
> Mass –
> Your Lips are Red –
> For Reverend Green – Animal Collective
> Walcott – Vampire Weekend
> It’s All True – Tracey Thorn
> Unless It’s Kicks –
> Blue Harvest – Pinback
> Fluorescent Grey – Deerhunter
> Devil’s A-Go-Go – Pinback
>
> I’m Impressed – Your Code Name is
> The Sega Method – Driveby Argument
> Tonto – Battles
> Reckoner – Radiohead
> Break In Case of Everything - !!!
>
> Pom Pom – Matthew Dear
> Rag & Bone – The White Stripes
> Tall Trees – Lost in the Trees
> Teardrop - José González
>
> The Towering Inferno – Lucky Soul
> Murder Babe – Blitzen Trapper
> Crossing Line – The Sea and Cake
> Melody Day – Caribou
> Sum – Au
> Elephant Gun –
> All Fires –
>
> Cold Hands – Black Lips
> Paper Planes – M.I.A.
> Potentialities – ARP
> For the Pier {and Dead Shimmering} – Sunset Rubdown
> The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life – Sunset Rubdown
20071207
i desperately want to be excited.
FASHIONABLE WORDS IN TODAY'S DESIGN COMMUNITY.
by Corbin Keech & Laura Richardson.
sustainable,
responsible,
sturdy,
delicate,
elegant,
rustic,
contextual,
well-scaled,
simple,
modern,
organic,
perishable,
fashionable,
earthy,
green,
uniform,
subtle,
refined,
unified,
textural,
strong,
purposeful,
transparent,
flexible,
natural,
clever,
geometric,
repetitive,
deliberate,
emulate,
mimic,
echo,
homage,
bold,
reflective,
brazen,
kitsch,
aged,
rigorous,
fragmented,
stout,
depth,
contrast,
baroque,
transcend,
continuity,
abrupt,
axes,
dominant,
postmodern,
ornate,
classic.
20071127
I was Clytæmnestra on a good day, dispensing wisdom to the uninitiated ...
> that's it. from now on, i'm blogging at least once a week. i'm putting an end this antiquated notion that i must write something 'relevant' at all times. a brief discussion with my boy andrew this morning was enough to inspire me to keep this blog alive, no matter how extraneous the subject matter may be.**
> people i wished blogged more often: Nolan Lienhart, Sean Hughes, Elliott Nickell, Konnor Ervin, Dave Hudnall, Sam Loring, Evan Weir.
> i'm assuming half the aforementioned men prefer i don't use names on my blog.
> i'm back on regular 1% milk. no sign of yogurt in sight.
> oh, my job? it's ... um. good?
> after having pizza at ken's artisan bakery, a boulangerie by day and pizzaria every monday night in northwest portland as well as a place that laura and i have breakfast at least three times a week, i'm assuming about one-sixth of my expenses on food are devoted to this establishment.
> "Cultural Tourism," a phrase i managed to swipe from a fellow blogger, is probably the most profoundly accurate phrase i have heard in a long time describing our collective role as consumers of art and media outside our respective day-to-day. i just love it. this is why i'm detailing skylights and not sitting at a coffeeshop simultaneously lamenting my generic liberal arts degree and relying on hyperbole to pay my rent.
> radiohead's kid a finally makes sense to me. it only took seven years.
> destroyer's destroyer's rubies, an album i detest, is playing as i write this. i think i finally like it.
> about a year ago my friend sara laid down some pretty heavy wordage critiquing my critique of others' unsavory musical choices on this very blog. in other words, she called out my elitist musings and threw a well-taylored clown suit over my shoulders. now, while i stand by my sophomoric {as she put it} rant, i genuinely respect the move, have accepted the consequences of making a public ass out of myself over something so unconsequential as another person's less refined sonic tastes, and probably will never forget it.
> i finally watched silence of the lambs last night for the first time. i can barely type that sentence without feeling overwhelmingly pathetic.
> living in oregon makes it difficult to gloat about missouri's recent domination of college football. i also have a suspicion there are a great number of kansas fans in portland, something that probably shouldn't shock me, but still manages to get under my skin. beyond that, people out here are too busy pouting about the pac-10's inability to gain national respect to even notice this midwestern ascention has even occured.
> i shaved my head on saturday before the missouri/kansas game. while this wasn't done in an attempt to give mizzou some spiritual, cosmic advantage, despite my instincts as a supersticious sports fan i'm reluctant to suggest this had something to do with the tigers' dominance of the jawhawks.
> before the game, laura and i shared a solid coffee hang. it involved her reading a novel while i doodled in my moleskind and struggled to write something profound about my highly irregular but terribly enjoyable caffeine high. my inability to accurately describe this moment only stands to accentuate my frustration that i haven't written in weeks despite an overwhelming amount of ideas and topics that have revealed themselves to me. this 'notable' achievement in self-awareness brought upon a tangential realization: i'm typically fearful of all things considered "long-term committments." these range from the mundane {property} to the ridiculous {movies} to the obvious {relationships}. i am working on all of these with equal fervor.
> "Cockeyed Perfection" is another phrase that struck me during this particular hang i shared with ms. richardson. i might have stolen this one from the portland mercury.
> where did you get that line, where did you get that look? where did you get that penchant for destruction in the way you talk?
**i also plan to use many articles at the end of my sentences just to remind everyone how much of an amateur i am.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About _
- FastTrakStatus
- New York, New York, United States
- I take myself too seriously most of the time and I am trying to do that less. I remind some people of Woody Allen. I occationally indulge in the weekend camping trip. I adamantly support the Kansas City Royals baseball club. My identity is wrapped up in a few simple things, most of which are continuously displayed on this here blog.