Sentimental Valium

Finished the new Nick Hornby book last night, A Long Way Down. It was fantastic--typical of his brand of British fiction. It's not as good as How To Be Good but is good enough for me to recommend to everyone. I'd rather give nothing away except to say this: if you've ever been the kind of person who has even remotely debated "Is life worth it? Should I keep going?!" you will most assuredly connect with one of the four main characters in this book.

With the left hand, I put the Hornby book on the shelf and grabbed the new Chuck Klosterman book with the right. His last book, the "low-brow" contemporary manifesto Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, had me laughing and shaking my head the entire 276 pages. This newest book, Killing Yourself To Live, promises to keep the sardonic and irascible voice of Klosterman as an important under-the-radar voices. I find his magazine voice (he writes for Spin and Esquire regularly) a little "safer" than his novels. He's a fan of good music and is a New Yorker via Ohio/North Dakota--two places I have lived as well. Very entertaining writer--I'll give more updates as I get more into the new book.

You know, seeing a real nose-picking can be very upsetting. I don't mean the surface-work kind of picking. I'm talking about the "getting-the-job-done" kind of picking. The kind where a person forgets the existence of the outside world. It's the mission-minded kind of picking that I'm talking about. There is a difference between the absent-minded, finger-wandering to a nostril kind of pick and the goal-oriented, "I-will-not-stop-until-I-have-that-thing" type. I think there should be some kind of reminder on the steering wheel of every new car produced--some kind of "People can see you" statement. The number of people who end up staring blankly at a stoplight while this ineluctable urge forces their hands to action--well, the number is just simply too high!

People can see you--remember that.

posted by -tr0y- @ 10:01 AM

Currently playing: "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" by Pete Yorn.

I'm rarely enamoured by celebrity pictures. However, I fell in love today. Something about this picture of Kate Bosworth in the newest Entertainment Weekly affected me in significant ways. It's true--I've always had this thing for girls in "smart glasses" (ever since the infamous Wendy Calloway experience during elementary school.....) so that contributes to my consistently staring (and keeping the magazine open on my desk). Mostly though I think it's the eyes. I won't give it away in case people choose to not click on the link, but I can't get past the eyes!!!

I speak rarely about girlies. Someone asked me recently if I even liked them.

The answer is yes.

Two great words to expand your vocabulary:

irascible \ih-RASS-uh-buhl\, adjective:
Prone to anger; easily provoked to anger; hot-tempered.
(Irascible is from Latin irascibilis, "prone to anger," from ira, "anger," which is also the source of ire and irate.)

exigent \EK-suh-juhnt\, adjective:
1. Requiring immediate aid or action; pressing; critical.
2. Requiring much effort or expense; demanding; exacting.
(Exigent is derived from the present participle of Latin exigere, "to demand.")

Go Pistons.

posted by -tr0y- @ 10:59 AM

Word of the day: antiquarian \an-tuh-KWAIR-ee-uhn\, noun:
One who collects, studies, or deals in objects or relics from the past.

adjective:
1. Of or pertaining to antiquarians or objects or relics from the past.
2 Dealing in or concerned with old or rare books.

(Antiquarian is from Latin antiquarius, "pertaining to antiquity," from antiquus, "ancient.")

Someone I know told me that he had a dream last night that I showed up in. I'm usually very uncomfortable with that knowledge--I'd just as soon never be the main character in another man's nocturnal imaginations. All the same, in this particular dream, I was playing football for the Detroit Lions. Evidently I was the star tight end (no smart comments from you @m) and was catching touchdown after touchdown--all done without the use of a helmet.

t-bizzle gave me a disc that I've absolutely fallen for. If you're not familiar with this Australian siren Missy Higgins you are missing out in major ways. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows my abhorrence for most things popular and most anything that would be considered "Top 40." But I have to admit--this record is fantastic. In the first listen, I felt different--these songs provided the perfect aural massage. Producer John Porter (Ryan Adams, The Smiths) has helped to capture Higgins' diverse influences into a very cohesive and bizarrely-pleasing record. I want to see this girl live now--I have to see if she can pull it all off in person. All reviews and accounts have pointed to that being the case. If you're looking for some good chick-chill music, I really do recommend this!

Yes b()b I agree with quite a few of your playlist suggestions--esp The Avalanches. I was trying to come up with the most representative list possible, but have left out some very worthy tracks. Like b()b, I would love to hear the suggestions of others for my iPod.

Exit music: "Follow The Sun" by Ooberman.

posted by -tr0y- @ 2:24 PM

Currently playing: "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley.

There might not be a more emotional record that Grace by Buckley. It's incredible. Killer songs and such evocative vocal performances. To be honest, I often can't listen to the record from start to finish--it's too heavy for me. It's a record everyone should have--and I do mean everyone!

I've been making a summer playlist on the iPod and thought I'd share what I've come up with so far. This is an incomplete list, but I wanted to share something abridged. I'm open to summer suggestions from people. These are just some songs I love to listen to when I have the windows down and sunroof open, letting my naked head gather more of the sun's rays.

Abridged Summer Playlist
"Beverly Hills" Weezer
"Bucket" Kings Of Leon
"C'Mon C'Mon" The Von Bondies
"Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" LCD Soundsystem
"Feel Good Inc." Gorillaz
"Girl" Beck
"Goodnight Goodnight" Hot Hot Heat
"Helicopter" Bloc Party
"Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" Eels
"It's The Nighttime" Josh Rouse
"Jerk It Out" Caesars
"King Of All The World" Old 97's
"Never Forget" Tahiti 80
"Revenge!" Spoon
"Seventeen Years" Ratatat
"Summer Is Almost Here" PAS/CAL
"The Sporting Life" The Decemberists
"Wonderful People" Q And Not U
"Work" Jimmy Eat World
"You Are The Light" Jens Lekman

Been doing some packing up of my house. I'm shocked at how much I never unpacked from before. I've had to go through stuff that I never unpacked before and decide if I wanted to keep it packed up. I can't believe how much crap I have. I really need to down-size.

Sorry to Marie for the link being down. I can't figure out what's wrong either. That's the tough part about free music. I'll get some more free stuff out there soon.

Exit music: "Mellow Song" by Blur.

posted by -tr0y- @ 4:35 PM