day 26.

is it a little strange when people bring carrot sticks, granola bars and cups of yogurt and apple sauce to a coffee shop at 6.30 pm? seems strange. i guess.

project chaboo teaser sketches >



anyone hiring yet?

day 18.

another day, another coffee shop. i'm starting to hear birds chirp in the morning.

day 14.

two weeks. one miserable portfolio. at least our president is a democrat. jury's still out on how often he's going to remind congress this is so.

day 04.

change, indeed.

i suppose that months ago, in a fit of uncharacteristic clairvoyance, i could have predicted that i would have been able to watch today's inauguration ceremony. it is, after all, 9 in the morning right now. typically this is when i'd be unstrapping my biking shoes at my desk or pouring my first cup of coffee in the break room.

now, as judge roberts is swears in obama, i feel a tad conflicted. despite the fact that i'm wearing sweatpants on a tuesday morning and i'll spend the rest of the day on my laptop frantically writing a resume and portfolio, i've managed to witness a unique moment. the past is politely pushed aside. these challenges, as mr. obama has just said, are real. but they will be met.

2008.

1. DEERHUNTER - MICROCASTLE
2. THE WALKMEN – YOU & ME
3. WHY? - ALOPECIA
4. THIRD – PORTISHEAD
5. TV ON THE RADIO – DEAR SCIENCE
6. THE DODOS - VISITER
7. MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON – MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON
8. SANTOGOLD - SANTOGOLD
9. THE RUBY SUNS – SEA LION
10. BEACH HOUSE - DEVOTION
11. BLITZEN TRAPPER - FURR

OTHERS >

BLACK MOUNTAIN – IN THE FUTURE
STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS – REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH
CRYSTAL CASTLES - CRYSTAL CASTLES
CRYSTAL STILTS - ALIGHT OF THE NIGHT
GIRL TALK - FEED THE ANIMALS
PLANTS AND ANIMALS - PARC AVENUE
HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR - HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR
THE HOLD STEADY - STAY POSITIVE
SANTOGOLD - SANTOGOLD
SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS - ALPINISMS
THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - DISTORTION
M83 - SATURDAYS = YOUTH

the unbearable lightness of LEEDing.

i realize i'm repeating myself here, but this honestly felt like more of an accomplishment than graduating from college.

i don't profess to know anything, really.

adulthood, i think, means you floss every night. mouthwash is assumed be part of the evening routine as well.

pop music.

"... the guitars are big, bright, and unusually unfucked-with." _ marc hogan.

deerhunter

little kids
nothing ever happened
vox celeste

probably innapropriate.

the following is an excerpt from an email i sent to my parents and brother. clearly, i got entirely too worked up, i spent way too much time composing it, and i'm wasting billable hours with my analysis. beyond that, there's nothing profound about any of this. feel free to criticize.

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

“We believe that the best America is in the small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call real America. Being here with all of you hard-working, very patriotic, very pro-American areas of this country.”

Sarah Palin said this recently on the campaign trail, and I can’t help but feel troubled by her logic. WE all live in big cities. Does that make us anti-American?

Now, perhaps I’m looking too much into this, but what is she going to do if she gets elected and has to work in Washington DC? What if she’s invited to throw a pitch at Yankee Stadium? Hell, what if she’s invited to the American Royal in KC? Is she really implying that small town = bigger American pride? Shouldn’t that catch the attention of every urban-dweller in the country?

“This is where we find the kindness and goodness and the courage of everyday Americans, those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us, those who are protecting us in uniform, those who are protecting our freedom.”

The biggest problem is that her statements are, ironically, anti-American. It’s un-inclusive, it’s divisive, and it’s excusatory. More to the point, it’s what Colin Powell described as “narrow.” Beyond that, our entire family is an amalgamate of foreigners who came here because it was the land of opportunity. People don’t immigrate because they prefer to be marginalized.

Putting a flag in your front yard or singing the national anthem or wearing a flag pin or serving in the military, while all noble gestures, are not the extent of true patriotism. For some it is manifested in different expressions – both concrete and abstract. Maybe patriotism is paying taxes. Maybe patriotism is donating to political campaigns. Maybe you love your country by simply working your ass off every day and taking care of your family. Maybe patriotism is volunteering at public schools. Maybe patriotism is recycling, saving energy and taking general pride in the appearance and health of your country.

While I know this is lengthy and the appropriate location for the requisite “my apologies for the length of this email” phrase, I simply refuse to apologize for illuminating a few relevant issues.

my puberty in buffalo was drab.

appropriate on many levels.

miles benjamin anthony robinson
the debtor
written over