Friday, October 15, 2010

Friday Random 11

It’s one more random than 10!

We’re closing on the U.P. House today. No more phantom cat pee. No more royal douchebags. No more 200-inch snowstorms. No more flight delays because the wheels of the plane are frozen to the tarmac.

I spent a good part of this summer feeling sorry for myself about the house—the collapse of the first sale, the low, low price of the second sale, the delay in selling it forcing us to move in with The Lovely Becky’s parents. Then we started looking around at what happened to the Chicago market, where it’s not unusual to see houses that lost six figures worth of value and still can’t find buyers. Suddenly taking six months to sell and getting a check (even a small one) seems like a blessing. I guess the definition of “lucky” lost a lot of its value if we’re considered in its bracket.

We’ve also put an offer on a place and hope to be back to our indie-label status in December. The upside for us is that the housing crash opened up a lot more possibilities for us. We’re in fact buying a place in John Hughes country, the sort of North Shore area that has a reputation as a breeding ground for privileged buttwipes who would serve as the rich antagonist against a less privileged buttwipe such as myself. Even though our particular neighborhood is not ostentatious, I had a bit of a dilemma in coming to terms with my eagerness to live in this area. Would I become more of a privileged buttwipe? Was I already carrying the privileged buttwipe gene, genetic code that might go viral should I acquire a certain level of equity? But as we went through our inspection yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of how much I dug the house and the neighborhood and the location relative to the rest of the city. I can see TLB and I growing old and Libby growing up quite happy here, to the point where it won’t surprise me my next piece of real estate will be one of Chicago’s many fine Polish cemeteries. That’s worth a little buttwipe risk.

If you ever catch me wearing an ascot, however, you have permission to run me over. On to the tunes....


1) “VCR,” The xx. A 2009 release that would have easily made my best-of 2009 list had I heard it before 2010. This entire album is fantastic: quiet, moody, hopeful, lonely, romantic...all packaged in something that sounds familiar yet (to me) feels refreshingly original.

2) “Silence Kit,” Pavement. I notice that our blog group seems to have slowed a bit. Most of us have been at this for at least a few years, and I do think it’s harder now to keep at it. Blogging feels like a relationship. After the honeymoon where it all feels new and exciting and you’re eager to try as many positions as possible, you settle into a routine. Routines can be a bit of a drag, and this blog has dragged in the last few months (at least) because I’ve had my hands full with life beyond these virtual walls. So the thought of quitting has popped up from time to time.

Yet, every time, I come back to one thing: I like the routine. The routine gives me comfort. And I still find thrilling sparks of energy from it, maybe not as frequently as I once did, but enough to leave me wanting more. Doing this for five years has also made me a vastly better writer than I was before I started blogging. It’s not a coincidence that, after fifteen years of unfinished futility, I got to the end of a novel draft in less than two years.

And, of course, there are the blogging relationships, the in-jokes and comments and kidding that I enjoy even more than my own writing. I don’t want to lose that, so I hope that our blogging group doesn’t break up. But if we do, we should definitely reform in a few years and cash in. We can start by blogging at New York’s Summerstage.

3) “Help, I’m Alive,” Metric. Speaking of blog groups, it was fantastic to meet Von along with Jennifer and Grizzled this week. There is nothing like enjoying the company of online friends, and then find out they are even better in person.

4) “Blankest Year,” Nada Surf. Just a great, go-to Friday song. Makes me happy, gets my foot tapping, doesn’t require a lot of thought yet doesn’t seem dumb.

5) “Rebellion (Lies),” Arcade Fire. I was a bit shocked when their latest album hit number one. Then I hear this and realize I shouldn’t be, because Arcade Fire know how to create indie arena rock meant to be played loud to a stadium or fairground full of people.

6) “Girls,” Beastie Boys. The newer, serious Beastie Boys may technically be better, but it’s not nearly as entertaining.

7) “Living Well Is the Best Revenge,” R.E.M. I know the murmur of Murmur and the other early R.E.M. records is a great part of their charm. But when I hear the loud, vibrant songs on Accelerate, I kind of wish they would go back and record some of those songs like this—a greatest hits revisited and turned to 11, or at least 8.

8) “Stupid Thing,” Aimee Mann. I know the meaning would not be at all appropriate, but I would love to make a Sarah Palin video set to this.

9) “Your Head Is on Fire,” Broken Bells. I don’t know if it’s getting older or being distracted or a quality control issue, but I’m finding 2010 to be a downer year for music. There was a lot of stuff I thought I’d really love, like this—The Shins merged with Danger Mouse, the hippest of hop for white people like me—and yet I’m feeling slightly meh. I’m almost at the point where I’m going to give a disc three listens. If it doesn’t happen by then, it’s not going to.

10) “Summertime,” The Sundays. It’s always sad when you notice the shortening of the days. I’ll be cruising through the summer, feeling energized by having light well into prime-time hours, until one day it’s six o’clock and I have to take my sunglasses off so I can see the road.

11) “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC. Damnation has never sounded so appealing to me. I am also seriously missing my big, bad computer speakers (packed away) because it is a crime to not shake the foundations when this song comes on.

Have a great weekend.

14 comments:

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

But when I hear the loud, vibrant songs on Accelerate, I kind of wish they would go back and record some of those songs like this—a greatest hits revisited and turned to 11, or at least 8.

You need to listen to Live At The Olympia, (available on eMusic, get it before they change the pricing) and see the accompanying movie if you can.

Five nights at a small theater in Ireland, getting prepared for their world tour and practicing their old stuff in front of crowds, trying to remember how to play them. The recording is amusingly warts-n-all, and even more vital because of it.

OT; just watched I'm Not There and though I am not a huge Dylan fan, I really liked it. Cate Blanchett was amazing. It doesn't hurt that the soundtrack is awesome. Sonic Youth doing the title song? HEAVEN.

Hopefully see you tomorrow. If you get REALLY LUCKY, you might even see Young Zombie and his Zombie Girl.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

so I hope that our blogging group doesn’t break up. But if we do, we should definitely reform in a few years and cash in. We can start by blogging at New York’s Summerstage.


fuck that.

I'm going solo.

Brando said...

zombie rotten mcmalkus.

I think that REM video I linked to was from that show. I'll have to grab that off eMusic this month. Not crazy about the new pricing system but still cheaper than iTunes.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

I think that REM video I linked to was from that show.

yes it was. The old stuff (and there is a LOT of old stuff, both in the movie and on the soundtrack) got a similar treatment.

Olympia is much better than the somewhat recent REM LIVE, which is still pretty good.

Jennifer said...

Yay! I hope the rest of the house stuff goes smoothly.

And, pffft! Polish cemetery?!? I'd expect nothing less than a Circle Jerk at the Square Dance monument in Graceland!

Jennifer said...

And speaking of John Hughes and Arcade Fire... Ready to Start has always sounded to me like a song that should be in one of his movies had he made them in modern day.

Kathleen said...

great news on the house front!

and ditto everything else.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I am also seriously missing my big, bad computer speakers (packed away) because it is a crime to not shake the foundations when this song comes on.

Damnable crime, even. Also, if you're playing it in the car, you should be speeding.
~

blue girl said...

I hope that our blogging group doesn’t break up. But if we do, we should definitely reform in a few years and cash in. We can start by blogging at New York’s Summerstage.

Hilarious!! :)

So happy things are working out for you guys! Everything's looking up! Such a great place to be.

Adorable Girlfriend said...

Congrats on the house sale and best of luck on finding a new home in Chicago.

fish said...

Even though our particular neighborhood is not ostentatious, I had a bit of a dilemma in coming to terms with my eagerness to live in this area.

totally know what you are talking about there as I buy $120 soccer uniforms and cough up extra money because the other parents want a pro coach once a week to stay "competitive." The guide to you new life is here.

Mandos said...

I blame 3B. They aren't keeping it fresh.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

aren't we supposed to blame fish?

Churlita said...

Having grown up in ghetto project land, I've always felt like raising my kids in Iowa City was like I thought people lived on TV when I was a kid. It seemed weird to me as my girls were growing up, but when I asked my youngest if she thought she had a happy childhood, she said, "Oh yeah. I loved my childhood. That's why it's hard for me to grow up now..." I definitely couldn't say that about mine, but it's nice to be able to do that for my girls. I'm sure Libby will thrive there.