tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46237445913921390382024-03-13T06:53:00.304-07:00The Tickle ClosetThe real life story of a house.The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12414262534430414938noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-84813164739734481982015-01-27T21:01:00.001-08:002015-01-27T21:14:06.920-08:00Grandpa Vern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My grandpa Vern died just before Christmas this year. Really, it was as if he passed a few years ago, his mind wrecked with dimentia. Near the end, he thought the whole family was out to get him. He had some violent episodes. Once he stole the dump truck out back and drove to the neighbors saying he needed to borrow $20,000 to skip town. This was long after my grandma gave all the guns in the house to my brother-in law. Another time he tried boxing my dad. When the episodes started coming more frequently, we had him live with a caretaker family. The veteran's home had kicked him out becuase he was soon labled "a runner" and they weren't equipped for residents hell bent on getting out. Not that he could get too far. He was tough, but his body was pretty broken. Walking a few hundred feet left him wheezing.<br />
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The caretakers brought him to church on Saturdays and he'd stay for lunch. One day last summer, my dad and I took him on a drive, the back way up to Pullman, WA. He wanted to visit the fraternity he stayed at when he was a student in the 1940s at WSU. After a lot of looking and stopping to ask pedestrians, we found it. The original building had burned down so the exterior looked completely different. I accompanied him inside and we found a couple of guys in the dinning hall. They were curtious and welcoming to my old-timer grandfather as he reminisced a few stories from his college days. He told them about his boxing days, and how he whuped anybody in the house who wanted to challenge him. As soon as he said it he was quick to point out the folly's of fighting. He said he wouldn't have boxed if he'd done it over.<br />
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Vern came from a fighter family. His dad and older brothers used to beat him until his body was covered in bruises. One day the neighbor came over and told Vern's mother they needed to get things figured out or she was gonig to call the sheriff. Grandpa vern turned the tables as a young teenager when his dad was prepping to give him a whipping. He told his dad he wasn't going to take it anymore. His dad said something like, "you sure as hell will" and that's when grandpa fought back. He beat the shit out of his dad, and told him to never come back to the house. After about a week, Vern's mother convinced him to let dad come home.<br />
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He put his boxing gloves up after college, and they're still hanging in my grandma's basement. But even though he put up the gloves he took his fighting spirit to almost everything he did, family, religion, business. Emily and I found him fighting for breath the Sunday before he passed away. We were in Clarkston for the weekend and heard that he was in the hospital with some fluid build up on his heart and lungs. We stopped by and found him in good spirits. He greeted us with his typical cowboy-sized grin. His lips were dry, and his voice was parched. They had him on a fluid restriction because of his symptoms. We showed him some pictures from our travels. He smiled and asked a few pictures, but talking was straining on his dry voice. The sun was shining and we had a view of the Clearwater River from his fourth story window. Before we left we prayed with him. He couldn't really hear. He smiled and said, "Bye, bye now."<br />
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The next morning they turned off his pacemaker and his heart beat less and less until it stopped beating all-together.<br />
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I've been listening to more Johnny Cash lately. Something about Vern is connected to <a href="http://youtu.be/SmVAWKfJ4Go" target="_blank">Johnny Cash</a> in my mind. </div>
Tommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534988368304297277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-61888390630215440972014-02-27T14:38:00.000-08:002014-02-27T14:40:39.081-08:00Real Life In Real LifeI've been enjoying Tommy and Emily's #reallifeinreallifeseries. The pictures of Tommy cutting his toenails and Emily delivering letters helps me feel better about doing chores and reading the tax code. Lindsay has been reading a book about mistakes people make in their twenties and she informs me that this is the time I should be doing boring things like laying a foundation for success later on in life. She's not wrong.<br />
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Speaking of Lindsay and real life - Lindsay has a head cold. There are a lot of things I don't know about girls. Probably even some things I don't even know I don't know. Let that sink in. BUT, what to do when your girlfriend is sick, is not one of those things.<br />
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Rules.<br />
1. Bring your A game. This means showing up with soup, tea, and fun girl activities. A Disney princess coloring book and a few crayons usually does the trick.<br />
2. Whatever your girlfriend wants to complain about is, "literally the worst thing ever."<br />
3. This one is important. No matter how cute your girlfriend looks in pajamas and a blanket, under no circumstances are you allowed to try and "bust a move." Zero. Forget it. Pretend she's your sister.<br />
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Last night I went with oranges and Mario Kart. For anyone who spent any amount of time at the West Whitman Estate, you know that Mario Kart was and is an important part of the experience. Lindsay was a bit shaky at first but what she might lack in driving prowess she makes up for in attitude. I feel a unique mix of affection and fear when she yells, "DIE PEACH DIE!!!" at the screen. To be fair, she was driving under the influence. Of NyQuil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's important to use protection at all times.</td></tr>
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-64924070280559324042014-01-09T22:27:00.000-08:002014-01-09T22:27:47.246-08:00The Tickle Closet Lives!I just went to the gym.<br />
<br />
I've been going to the same gym for a couple years now. I've sweated though many a 49ers game and I once saw Conan O'Brien through the window. Tonight, I watched a few minutes of the film <i>Pearl Harbor</i>. This movie isn't on any of my personal top ten lists, but I'll watch almost anything with Kate Beckinsale in it. I even sat through <i>Underworld: Evolution</i>. Let that sink in.<br />
<br />
The story line I find most compelling is the friendship between the two pilots. Up until the point that one of them 'dies' and the other one puts the moves on his girl. Uncool bro. If I died and Alban moved in on my girl, I'd haunt the holy hell out of him - that being said, this movie did force me to consider which one of the estate members I would be the least upset about replacing me. However, that is not a conversation for the blog because I have a feeling Lindsay would replace me, dead or alive. But probably dead.<br />
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I guess It's been awhile since anyone posted on the blog. Notable accomplishments since my last post: I passed the Bar, went on a road trip, and finished my first quarter of tax school. I figure that the relative scarcity of blog posts is probably a good thing. I know for myself that it means I talk to Lindsay about things I would otherwise hash out here. Tommy probably talks to Em and Alban to his cats.<br />
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Life must evolve - unless you're a creationist. Science burn!!!Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-2986056830862882622013-07-06T18:17:00.000-07:002013-07-06T18:17:27.813-07:00Jesus Loves the Little Dinosaurs I went to church today. 10 points for me! Right? Isn't that how this works?<br />
<br />
A friend texted me and let me know it was communion. Usually that's enough encouragement for me to find something else to do, but I was already on my way. Soooooo...<br />
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The Pastor spoke about Matthew and the Kingdom of God. He talked about the last supper and the fact that Jesus invited Judas and Peter - even though he already knew they were going to blow it - big time. He also told the story of when Mary used expensive perfume to wash the feet of Jesus. He made the point that when the men started talking about what a poor choice it was to spend money on "wasted" perfume, Jesus says, "Why are you guys bugging her? Calm down."* And then, when the men self-righteously point out that the money could have gone to help the poor, Jesus says, "The poor are still there. You're free to go help them whenever you'd like..."*<br />
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BOOM! Total Jesus smack down! His overall point was that the kingdom of God is an inclusive place. Everyone is welcome.<br />
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I left church pretty pumped. Maybe even "stoked." It was the same kind of feeling I had when I finished Shane Claiborne's book. It also made me wonder why churches don't preach on how inclusive and service oriented the kingdom of God is more often.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus being inclusive</td></tr>
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*New Living David Translation - for ages 18 and up.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-5832558880096172642013-05-21T23:36:00.000-07:002013-05-21T23:36:33.145-07:00Wasted Hours<strike>It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon.</strike> Last week was eventful.<br />
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I graduated from law school, got a girlfriend, and Vampire Weekend released a new album. I guess you could say a couple different projects culminated all at once. (Also, for anyone tempted to ask me to rank the aforementioned events... no.)<br />
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I'm currently living in a small gap in the time space continuum that exists between the end of law school and the beginning of bar prep. Yesterday I dropped my bike off at a shop near the waterfront to have some cosmetic work done and then walked home. I wandered into a store dedicated to "The Sea Sheperd," which is a ship/organization that goes around the world fighting against whaling, inhumane fishing, and such. The lady working there asked me to sign up to set sail for Antarctica to save whales. I once saw a documentary about penguins on Antarctica. They all died. So I didn't sign up.<br />
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Later in the day I played ultimate frisbee with some UW dental students and then helped Lindsay study for a quiz. "Helped" is probably a little generous. Mostly I laid in the grass and identified things that flew over my head.<br />
<br />
David: Bird.<br />
Lindsay:...<br />
D: Plane.<br />
L:...<br />
D: Cloud.<br />
L: Very good David.<br />
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Today I played soccer and made gnocchi with a tomato broth. Yes, you read that correctly. I've been reduced to perusing food blogs*. I also realized I have no idea what to do with free time.<br />
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I think it's easy to start feeling like every second of life needs to be epically adventurous or productive. I need to work on being content with just being. It's a problem I won't have to deal with for long...<br />
<br />
"If I could have it back,<br />
All the time that we wasted,<br />
I'd only waste it again...<br />
You know I'd love to waste it again,<br />
Waste it again, and again, and again..."<br />
- The Suburbs (continued), Arcade Fire<br />
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*Actually, now that I think about it, a majority of the readership of The Tickle Closet probably enjoys perusing food blogs. So, let me apologize for besmirching the practice. I appreciate the food you occasionally share with me.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-6058035324100809302013-04-19T16:51:00.000-07:002013-04-19T16:51:55.539-07:00Avocados and Water-Boarding <div>
I just ate an avocado and hummus sandwich. Delicious. Why are the pits in avocados so large? There could be so much more avocado in there if the pit would stop hogging all that space. Are you listening science? This is a job for you! </div>
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<strike>On a related note</strike>, I've been listening to a lot of hip-hop and R&B lately - well, mostly just Frank Ocean and Justin Timberlake. I can't always relate to what they are singing about, drug use and spaceship sex, but I like to move my shoulders and tap my foot to the beat. One lyrical theme I can relate to is frustration with the police. (This isn't really true at all, I just needed a transition)<br />
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Last weekend I took a group out to my grandparents' property in Sequim, Washington. There are perfectly good cabins to sleep in, but I spearheaded an effort to sleep outside on the perfectly good ground. It was cold. Like, "only poke your nose out of the sleeping bag to breath" cold. A couple of us tried to sleep on the ground, a couple more in the trees. Just as we were starting to <strike>freeze to death,</strike> drift off to sleep, people started yelling at us and pointing lights in our faces. Like a terrible 'Hunger Games' nightmare come true.</div>
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At first we thought it was some kind of joke, but then one of the helpful officers yelled, "This is not a joke!" Thanks for clearing that up new friend! They loudly insisted that we take our hands out of our sleeping bags, which we all did, except Tristinn, who was trying to fulfill her dream of being water-boarded. </div>
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<br />
As it turns out, someone in the area had mistaken us for burglars and called the local sheriff. An honest mistake I guess.<br />
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<div>
My hip-hop album drops next month.</div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-450576827253632552013-04-02T22:04:00.000-07:002013-04-02T22:04:03.190-07:00Bikes, Ice Cream, and Anime Let's play doctor. I'll tell you what my symptoms are and you tell me what the affliction is. <div>
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1. The amount of soccer I played last week doubled. </div>
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2. My coffee/espresso consumption tripled, at least. </div>
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3. The amount of cute girls I got phone numbers from stayed the same (zero). </div>
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4. The amount of thai food and ice cream I consumed increased by an amount that cannot be measured without using unreliable, cutting edge metric techniques. </div>
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If you guessed that Alban came to visit, you're pretty smart. Or you read my previous post. I won't make a big deal about "who used which method." You're all winners. Right? </div>
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Saturday we decided to take bikes and ride Bainbridge Island. Like bosses. Horrible bosses. </div>
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After riding the ferry (one of my favorite things) and enjoying a delicious meal of bread and cheese, Alban rented a bike and we left. Bainbridge Island is a little more curvy than we had anticipated. But as Tommy always says, "Ain't nothin' wrong with a little extra curve." A few miles into our tour we ran into a hill that got the better of us. We dismounted and sheepishly pushed our bikes the rest of the way. When we reached the top, we saw her. The most beautiful road-biker-babe either of us had ever seen. On a scale of 1-10, she was forget your name cute. She added to our misery as she rode past by giving us a semi-flirty - "good try boys..." </div>
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Later, we caught the ferry back to Seattle and started the walk back to my apartment. I wasn't really paying attention... and what should have been an easy walk back to Capitol Hill turned into an experience. We ended up in a weird concrete park surrounded by hundreds of what we later learned were attendees of <b>Sakura-Con</b>. Wikipedia describes Sakura-Con as an "annual three-day anime convention." These people were dressed head to toe in costumes that go way beyond anything most people can imagine. They spoke alien languages and placed spells on one another. It was amazing. The irony is that Alban and I were the misfits in our jeans, t-shirts, and matching shoes. </div>
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Our accidental visit to Sakura-Con reaffirmed the idea that people need community. I'm sure the anime enthusiasts were experiencing the same warm feelings I had when my brother and I attended an Arsenal game in London. It's a good feeling to be in the company of like-minded people. </div>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-21318174353887879202013-03-21T19:43:00.000-07:002013-03-21T19:43:02.014-07:00SPRING BREAK I'm on spring break.<br />
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I've spent the week working on a personal statement for a post-law school tax program. I assume at some point they just give you a piece of paper that says, "You win at school." I've also been studying for the ethics portion of the bar exam. However, I've been wearing a bikini top most of the time - So I can't say the week has been a total waste.<br />
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I've got friends and family texting me pictures from places like SF, Rome, and Paris. I'm not bummed about it though. Also, Oxford commas are the best!<br />
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Sonya (If you don't know Sonya, you're doing it wrong) sent me a package that arrived today. It contained a little wooden dinosaur lawyer dressed in lady lawyer's clothes, holding a book that says, "law." She hoped it would, "inspire me in my studies." It has. It also reminded me that of all the career options I could have chosen based on Jurassic Park characters, including: Paleontologist, Eccentric Billionaire, Sexy Mathematician, or Big Game Warden, I chose the one who gets eaten while sitting on a toilet. Thanks!<br />
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Alban flies in tomorrow. He chose the correct career. Nice.<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-34242661816453414112013-02-10T11:40:00.000-08:002013-02-10T12:09:45.900-08:00Church CookiesA month ago a couple friends mentioned they had stopped eating "sweets" as a new years resolution. I silently and impulsively decided that it sounded like a good idea. On Wednesday an irresponsibly large box of cookies from my home church arrived at my apartment. I got sick the next day. My church cares for my soul, but not so much my body.<br />
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Yesterday I attended a screening of "Seventh-Gay Adventists" in Auburn. I liked it a lot. I don't have much personal experience with the subject (except maybe for <a href="http://www.insightmagazine.org/cover/index.asp?issueID=20111603" target="_blank">this</a>), but it's still something I've wrestled with to some extent. The intersection of arguably unclear theology and personal convictions can be an uneasy place to live when the two don't see eye-to-eye, irrespective of what the subject is.<br />
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My first reaction is to start lawyering. I wiggle and twist, searching for new angles and interpretations that bring everything back into balance. I don't usually get there, but that's okay. Typically, I end up returning to two familiar quotes:<br />
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<i>"Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.</i></div>
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<i>'Who is this that obscures my plans <b>without words</b> and <b>without knowledge</b>?</i></div>
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<i>Brace yourself like a man;</i></div>
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<i>I will question you, and you will answer me.</i></div>
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<i>Where were you when I laid the Earth's foundations?'"</i></div>
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Job 38:1-4</div>
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<i>"You are not here to verify, </i></div>
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<i>instruct yourself,</i></div>
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<i>or inform curiosity...</i></div>
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<i>You are here to kneel."</i></div>
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TS Eliot - Four Quartets</div>
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These passages don't give much in the way of answers to my questions. Instead, they remind me not to rely on my own understanding. They remind me that having every one of my questions answered maybe isn't the most important objective. They remind me not to allow the things I'm unsure about to obscure the things I am sure about.</div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-63904698681601158982012-11-16T20:17:00.000-08:002012-11-16T20:17:08.289-08:00Last Will and Testament*This semester I am taking a Trusts & Estates drafting lab. My assignment for this week was to draft my own will.<br />
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Sometimes high school bible teachers have their kids write their own eulogy or something to make them reflect on how they want to live their life and be remembered. Writing your own will stirs a slightly different bucket of emotions.<br />
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Forcing people to confront a world they aren't a part of can bring out the worst. It's a quick way to find out who the control freaks are. People suddenly feel the need to control exactly where all their stuff goes and even how people use it down the road. To allow people to control their stuff after they've died, estate planners typically use a trust. My professor likes to joke that, "You only use a trust when you don't trust the people you're leaving your stuff to." That's not entirely true, but it's funny so I'll allow it.<br />
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At its best, contemplating your own mortality can help clarify who the people are you care about. It also helps if you, like me, don't own anything of great monetary value. It's easy not to care when you don't have anything to give away. I love it. Stuff just holds you down. <br />
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My estate is full of sentimental equity. I decided that the material things I value the most are my guitar, "Taylor Swift," which I left to Tommy. Followed by my soccer jerseys, mostly to Alban. My original Jacqueline Erwin painting, to Cody. And Alban, whom I left to Tommy.<br />
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Now, for those of you thinking, "David! Why would you tell people they get some of your stuff when you die? Aren't you afraid they'll kill you"? Don't worry, Washington has a "Slayer Rule." If they slay me, like with the "jawbone of an ass" or whatever, they don't get any of my stuff.<br />
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I encourage anyone who wants to measure their attachement to their junk to think about who they would give it away to. Would you be tempted to add any conditions?<br />
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Don't worry Phil, I left you a fun surprise.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9ObXqtOh-YisKChM8Kfg0VJROTRxImKIbQINcnYG-EXbXS_4vho2DiebUShcW49n2A__bMVlxbyXfGt0LPN3_aQHZqKe9bHG5hHmyFdJBlfE_PO9SG7PdORwsXdD-CixeA2LwUYpwDXl/s1600/iStock_000001197012XSmall.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9ObXqtOh-YisKChM8Kfg0VJROTRxImKIbQINcnYG-EXbXS_4vho2DiebUShcW49n2A__bMVlxbyXfGt0LPN3_aQHZqKe9bHG5hHmyFdJBlfE_PO9SG7PdORwsXdD-CixeA2LwUYpwDXl/s320/iStock_000001197012XSmall.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This kid is pretty attached to his ice cream</td></tr>
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* This is not my "Last Will and Testament." It is not intended to be a testamentary document of any kind, including but not limited to a codicil or will replacement.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-26873800482346527212012-10-18T16:33:00.003-07:002012-10-18T16:35:47.315-07:00Tommy's Top Six<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My musical palette has been exploratory in the most recent months. Though I will always love the old standbys such as Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ross, and Coldplay, I’ve found myself yearning for a new kind of music. As I enter the green waters of careerdom, I yearn for a fresh music to be the backdrop for this vernal stage in my life. Something inside of me is calling for a soundtrack to settle down and build a career on, a kind of rice base. The following albums are the chosen few who I’ve made acquantinces with so far. Some of them are foriegn and will likely be deported, but still, put a gun to my head and ask me my top six albums, these are them. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie Tyler is the one in the picture.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Late at night I toss and I turn...” If that line from “Holding Out For A Hero,” ever fits you, I don’t recommend this album as a sedative. <i>Bonnie Tyler Super Hits</i> is a refreshingly audacious endeavor to mix raw human emotion and music, and Bonnie Tyler. The angelic skuzz-buzard vocals of Bonnie accompanied by the distorted hell-bending guitar are perfectly accented by the three second reverb snare sets. Where some albums suck, this one doesn’t. This album seamlessly blends the evocative emotion and philosophical meandering that’s come to typify Bonnie Tyler’s music. For example, the song “If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)” has a saxophone and an affected choral chorus that Jon Bon Jovi later mimicked. And don’t even get me started on the courageous lyrical imagery that is effortfully strewn throughout: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” ...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The performance isn't miserable. </td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In this album, The Miserable Ones deliver a surprisingly edible concoction of uncompromisingly good things. The seductively commanding voice of Jean Val Jean capture attention in “Prologue” with one harrowingly delivered line, “I stole a loaf of bread!” That same voice returns to take us on a journey of decision, ultimately ending in a contentedly responsible hope, that captures the essence of Jean Val Jean’s plight in, “Who Am I?” This song is the brooding question of every young professional. I’ve often found myself in my office shamelessly resonating that question out the door and down the hall, as I, withJean Val Jean, come to the final realization that I too, am in fact, “TWO-FOUR-SIX-O-ONE!!!” </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hands might be Johnny Cash. </td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Johnny Cash reminds me of my Grandpa Vern, mostly in resemblance, but also in time. I always admired my Grandpa Vern’s faith in Jesus. When I listen to Johnny Cash in <i>My Mother’s Hymn Book </i>sing “I Shall Not Be Moved,” I’m immediately transported to my Grandparent’s basement, on their little self-made stage called “The Rocking Horse Review.” There my Grandpa and I are singing together, and his faith, the faith I need, is shared with me––something like a Seventh-day Adventist smokey-saloon foretaste of heaven. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Songs of the Aztecs, older and newer.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Mexihkateokwikameh</i> is an unkempt journey into the imagined chants of ancient Mexico. Tzotzollin give a pleasantly compromised blend of pre and post-Columbian America music, with what seems to be some tribal African-like harmonies as well. This album gets at the humble hummer in all of us. The Spanish/Aztecan fuse of "Temetzkaltzin Kwikatl" is driven by a calm but persevering percussion rhythm, and in the drivers seat the vocals optimistically chant about something in foreign chords, joyfully permitting us to be okay at life. And near the end of the album, "Tlanezi Kwikatl," rocks us to sleep with its new but familiar lullaby-like progession. Oh, and who can’t help but sing along with, “Ome Tlazokamati Kwikatl?” ... “Ome Tayayo! Ome Tayayo! Ome Tayayo!” </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">This is Album 2, but same cover as Album 1. </td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Jean Val Jean is back and older than before, but he can still sing. He takes the audience beyond the barricade in his falsetto prayer, “Bring Him Home.” But the Miserable Ones really do it right when the dead join the living in “Epilogue [Finale],” for the most lavishly beautiful zombie-chant ever accompanied by a pit orchestra. This album garishly, yet amazingly unpretentiously, filters the human condition inspiringly into the hearts of the audience. Who can contend, after such a performance, that “To love another person is to see the face of God”? And when the questions are asked of me, “Won’t you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me”? May my answer be a resolutely intrepid, “Yes, I will. Bring it on tomorrow. I’m ready.” </span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloop: The Underwater World Nature Sounds, <br />
New Age Music Relaxing Sounds for Deep Meditation, Enlightenment, <br />
Relaxation, Message, Yoda, New Age Healing Under Water Enigma,<br />
Nature Music, Sound Therapy and Spa.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This album is a sixty minute recording of someone playing in the tub, laced with white noise.</span><br />
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Tommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534988368304297277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-49663510322244794772012-09-30T20:12:00.000-07:002012-10-02T14:24:20.866-07:00Phil's Albums<br />
My original plan was to sit down and write this list without reading the other album posts; the thought of etching my musical taste in digital stone (melodramatic much?) seemed much more authentic if I made my choices in a vacuum. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I put my willpower to better use elsewhere (I hate writing cover letters. See also, <i>Parks and Recreation</i> marathon/binge: four seasons in two weeks, check.), and I have been greatly enjoying the posts so far. But on to the matter at hand.<br />
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The order isn't particularly important, other than the fact that the albums are written in the order in which I thought of them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dizzy Gillespie: <i>Compact Jazz</i>, 1990</b></td></tr>
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I did a little detective work to try and figure out when this album entered into my library. I looked through all the library catalogs of placed I've lived and scoured old hard drives, and the best answer I could come up with is that I found the album on some shared piece of a network sometime during college, maybe in 2003 or 2004.<br />
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It's not a standalone jazz album, but it is a very solid compilation. This wasn't the album that started my love of jazz (see Miles Davis, <b>Kind of Blue</b>), but it was the one that deepened it. It's a gorgeous, often joyous album of trumpet-led jazz infused with latin rhythms. It's full of memorable melodic licks that I find myself humming from time to time, even when I haven't listened to the album for a while.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dirty Projectors: <i>Swing Low Magellan, 2012</i></b></td></tr>
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Easily my favorite thing about this band is that they are masters of playing with aural texture in their music. I have only heard snippets of <b>Morning Better Last!</b>, but I think the "fabric scraps" from this album were the textural bits of sound that were quilted together in <b>Bitte Orca</b> and layered together in <b>Swing Lo Magellan</b>. It's a really interesting evolution of sound and complexity. Also mainly, I just enjoy the album immensely. <i>About To Die </i>is my jam. Seriously.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>M83: <i>Hurry Up, We're Dreaming</i>, 2011</b></td></tr>
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This album brings to mind a cold and quiet January in rural Korea. Well, it was quiet until I started (respectfully) blasting this album in my apartment. It was the awkward part of the Korean school year when classes kinda take place for two weeks, punctuating the middle of a two-month stretch of vacation time. I didn't have many teaching responsibilities, which meant that I was often home, playing one silly computer game or another with this album on repeat. There may or may not have been some dancing during <i>Midnight City</i>. But there were no witnesses. Like a tree in the forest, if no one sees it fall, does it even happen?<br />
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This album is decidedly more electronic than most of the music that I love. But I instantly took to this 80's synth-tastic symphony.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Radiohead: <i>In Rainbows</i>, 2007</b></td></tr>
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According to iTunes, this is the album with the most plays in my library. In some part of my brain, I know that <b>Kid A</b> and <b>OK Computer</b> are regarded as better Radiohead albums by most fans and critics. But sorry, this is the album that resonates the most with me. I remember fixating on <i>Weird Fishes/Arpeggi</i> and playing it nonstop; this one song was added to my library a year before the rest of the album, and it used to hold the record for most plays until <i>Bodysnatchers</i> and <i>15 Step</i> made it into my running mix. <i>Bodysnatchers</i> used to come on mid-run, and I immediately couldn't help but pick up the pace and start burning up the road (less slowly than usual).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxry4CyphYt-Fw26y5I-QS_op0UqDOhHGphCyY-tqxRBkfnthOp6BOtphKWnkQf8f4QbCo8uQMTTKechBjAgR37AUn4KVh6yedFVwZP6LPzZEEeYRjgRUHmJ3r-iMgSWTOKfHRwC6qQIx/s1600/funeral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxry4CyphYt-Fw26y5I-QS_op0UqDOhHGphCyY-tqxRBkfnthOp6BOtphKWnkQf8f4QbCo8uQMTTKechBjAgR37AUn4KVh6yedFVwZP6LPzZEEeYRjgRUHmJ3r-iMgSWTOKfHRwC6qQIx/s320/funeral.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Arcade Fire, <i>Funeral</i>, 2004</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Seeing Arcade Fire live in Montréal was perfection in audio/visual form. The trip to Osheaga in 2010 was a perfect storm of a trip: excellent company (Evan, Alban, and David), fantastic food (bagels, Di Fara pizza, coffee), and so much good music. And the pinnacle of the trip was seeing headliner Arcade Fire end the day with a concert in their hometown. I heard<i> Rebellion (Lies)</i> live. They played seven songs out of ten from this album, some favorites from <b>Neon Bible</b>, and a bunch of songs from <b>The Suburbs</b>. The encore finished with <i>Wake Up</i>, with hundreds of people singing along with the opening lines.<br />
<br />
It was easily the best concert I've been to yet. And this will always be one of my favorite go-to albums. It's a perfect mix of contemplative songs and orchestral rock anthems. I really want to see them in concert again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2OzDZZki0pzHKM5PwuzfsS8JIoZCBIr2JfmLDkCgb7g1ZUvhW1LZOnWe1wYxQnS8adhyqGvJ5Zc1YIOyolu26Gy-CbX5VSMWVAp7psyjNtu-C3iA1pChCmWT8hBp-sIEy-bQ3PSPKjCK/s1600/helplessnessblues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2OzDZZki0pzHKM5PwuzfsS8JIoZCBIr2JfmLDkCgb7g1ZUvhW1LZOnWe1wYxQnS8adhyqGvJ5Zc1YIOyolu26Gy-CbX5VSMWVAp7psyjNtu-C3iA1pChCmWT8hBp-sIEy-bQ3PSPKjCK/s320/helplessnessblues.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fleet Foxes: <i>Helplessness Blues</i>, 2011</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When I listen to this album, I remember the sadness of post-college withdrawal and the hope of spring and the end of winter. I moved back to my Mom's house after graduation, and I had forgotten both how rural and unpopulated the area was and how harsh and lingering the winter in New England was. I started listening to this album in April, right at the transition between winter and spring. So I can't help but associate this album with returning sun and creeping warmth.<br />
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But at the same time, <i>Helplessness Blues</i> was the song that encapsulated my questions about life and work and purpose after graduation. And to me, <i>Grown Ocean</i> is the essence of the Northwest distilled into audio form, and it made me nostalgic for the time spent there with good friends.<br />
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This Fleet Foxes album is bittersweet and weighty with memory and emotion. Also mainly, it's beautiful and a joy to listen to.<br />
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<b><u>Honorable Albums Worth Mentioning</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
- <b>Sigur Rós: <i>Takk, </i>2005</b><br />
I went from ridiculing (a little; I joked that they were probably singing about fish sticks in Icelandic) this album in Argentina, to using it as the soundtrack of my life in Thailand.<br />
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- <b>Joanna Newsom: <i>The Milk-Eyed Mender</i>, 2004</b><br />
The Book of Right On would also appear on said soundtrack.<br />
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<b>- Sufjan Stevens: <i>Peace! Songs for Christmas, Vol. V</i>, 2006</b><br />
My favorite holiday album that warrants listening all year-round. I pity the fool that doesn't Recognize Christmas. Amirite?<br />
<br />
<b>- The Shins: </b><b><i>Chutes Too Narrow/Port of Morrow</i>, 2003/2012</b><br />
I might have made fun of this band too.(Sorry, Trina!) Stupid move, 'cause they're a whole bunch of folksy rock fun. Both albums are good but different. See the first for the original folksy rock fun.<br />
<br />philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00088417971536023673noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-16324452941910687202012-09-22T14:55:00.000-07:002012-09-22T14:55:28.866-07:00David's Albums <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-PQoNeqZ5aCALr1cPo7bQEAnxLcVzstzAPadbUETkylXr6C05dYqnI80utZxnlcoAXxF2Kdo0qOrFPNu28NQ58h4VN4pAFiu9-4NuDIuUl0jRJ8NEwUJNeXVtfPlYdswXtBzayENepH-/s1600/eric_clapton_-_unplugged-front.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-PQoNeqZ5aCALr1cPo7bQEAnxLcVzstzAPadbUETkylXr6C05dYqnI80utZxnlcoAXxF2Kdo0qOrFPNu28NQ58h4VN4pAFiu9-4NuDIuUl0jRJ8NEwUJNeXVtfPlYdswXtBzayENepH-/s320/eric_clapton_-_unplugged-front.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Clapton: <i>Unplugged,</i> 1992</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
I must have been about 13. My mother and I had just finished running some errands. She was just about to take the key out of the ignition when I frantically stopped her. I turned up the radio and told her I'd bring the keys in when the song was over.<br />
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<div>
There are a few songs that stand out in my mind as game changers. <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkhOmKVW08" target="_blank">Something</a></i>, by The Beatles, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsDxvAErTU&feature=related" target="_blank">Kodachrome</a>,</i> by Paul Simon and <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y9T15kAF8U" target="_blank">Layla</a></i>, by Eric Clapton all dramatically opened my mind to what music could be. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
After I graduated from my "John Denver Anthology for Easy Guitar," I went straight to the blues. I listened to this album on repeat for hours working out every note of every slide and solo. I admit I didn't really understand what he was singing about, but the blues spoke to me anyway. The piano solos from <i>Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out </i>and <i>Alberta, </i>along with the guitar work from <i>Lonely Stranger </i>and <i>Tears in Heaven, </i>were inspirational. My favorite song currently from this album is <i>Lonely Stranger </i>because it captures the satisfaction I get every time I feel like I don't fit in with the other law students. I love this album. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kInVcnEpbrmDYD74daxwiHDNecNAA_dqOLbktS57suLy9NyW37V68irC-k4Q5H735MWQ5BZ0fW1tSzPYKfiujjvr7UJO6u87n12bfxbNdh1G0hOUID5OchReFamEweR3NnKG9pPceMb6/s1600/the-suburbs2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kInVcnEpbrmDYD74daxwiHDNecNAA_dqOLbktS57suLy9NyW37V68irC-k4Q5H735MWQ5BZ0fW1tSzPYKfiujjvr7UJO6u87n12bfxbNdh1G0hOUID5OchReFamEweR3NnKG9pPceMb6/s320/the-suburbs2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arcade Fire: <i>The Suburbs,</i> 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
When I listen to this album I have flashbacks that involve spending my last summer before law school with the Howes. Excellent memories of music, food (thanks Ansley!) and a trip to the farm. I guess I did some work as well. It also reminds me of my first year of law school.<br />
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Before I started law school I made up my mind that I was going to defy whatever was expected of me and do it my own way. The entire goal of law school is to take perfectly good people, break them, and rebuild them into lawyers. This album was the soundtrack to my resistance. It's my tradition to blast <i>Modern Man</i> in the car on the way to finals. I try to take the pressure off by reminding myself that people who let law school determine their value are missing the point.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>In line for a number but you don't understand</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Like a <b>modern man</b></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
For me, the track that hits hardest is <i>Suburban War.</i> When Win Butler cries, "All my old friends / they don't know me now / all my old friends / are staring through me now," I get choked up. These lyrics reflect how it felt to go through an experience that no one else understood and my intense desire to come out on the other side as someone my closest friends still recognized.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFwwk0l45E294bEWLvX_Snjh8-XH73jG48bbk1-HRUdZqXBx-liaSVw4_CtXNOUct96Bz48IZdL87we5dQ4j2_SnMHf2u-5VUlqeZ-Ws8ZgItSwcrSQDdaxx_lGaNuEL8f_xIaI0q27Ti/s1600/artworks-000004505455-u23ggy-original.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFwwk0l45E294bEWLvX_Snjh8-XH73jG48bbk1-HRUdZqXBx-liaSVw4_CtXNOUct96Bz48IZdL87we5dQ4j2_SnMHf2u-5VUlqeZ-Ws8ZgItSwcrSQDdaxx_lGaNuEL8f_xIaI0q27Ti/s320/artworks-000004505455-u23ggy-original.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fleet Foxes: <i>Helplessness Blues,</i> 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This album is immense. <i>Helplessness Blues</i> is the post-Nirvana soundtrack of the Pacific Northwest. It speaks to me through beautiful harmonies, existential questions and gritty defiance. On the title track Robin Pecknold takes the words out of my mouth regarding my future when he says:</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be</span><br style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me...</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>I don't need to be kind... </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Or bow down and be grateful and say "sure, take all that you see"</span><br style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls and determine my future for me</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yAxIdkF2Qo" target="_blank">The Shrine / An Argument</a>, </i><span style="font-size: 14px;">is an absolute masterpiece. Pecknold tells the story of a failed relationship in three parts. Anyone who has experienced the deterioration of a relationship knows exactly what he's talking about. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">He launches into the second movement of the song with a drum beat and strum pattern that evokes an image of someone, eyes closed, trying to get up the courage to end a relationship he knows has run its course. He describes the frustration as the relationship breaks down and the inevitable period immediately after it ends where each person works to rid themselves of the influence of the other and become their own person again. Then he resolves the chord progression, signifying the release and peace of being free. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>When you talk you hardly even look in my eyes...</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">In the doorway holding every letter that I wrote...</span><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">in the ocean washing off my name from your throat</span><br style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">in the morning, in the morning</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: DroidSansRegular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Seriously, just listen to it... </span></span></div>
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<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDjQr68m2G6x26PkC8CVGX9TyGhUKvsNRoYCnBiIWnyIPry-npeMK_eWHn0NUoAiix9KmyxWCMrXpNhtvIRJlUm6SRmnm_7PoCoUyA_Y5UAoxp9Lo4KMcqTwsCOXOjOKm3j6zT5DcPX1a/s1600/BEACH-HOUSE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDjQr68m2G6x26PkC8CVGX9TyGhUKvsNRoYCnBiIWnyIPry-npeMK_eWHn0NUoAiix9KmyxWCMrXpNhtvIRJlUm6SRmnm_7PoCoUyA_Y5UAoxp9Lo4KMcqTwsCOXOjOKm3j6zT5DcPX1a/s320/BEACH-HOUSE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach House: <i>Teen Dream,</i> 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
When I share this album (or the ones above) with others, I always say, "It's ok if you don't like it. I won't judge you." But I do. "Meh... it was ok," is not an acceptable answer. Save your uninformed apathy for a dry cupcake or a subpar taco! *... Gees David... that was harsh. Do you think maybe you went too far on that one?* Of course not.<br />
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Alban introduced me to Beach House my last year in The Estate and then I saw them the following summer in Montreal with Phil. (Alban and Evan were scoping out their spots for Arcade Fire). The experience was magical. If you close your eyes during <i>10 Mile Stereo </i>or <i>Take Care</i> you can literally feel music fairies sprinkle pixie dust on your soul. Victoria Legrand's voice is translucent and powerful all at once. Beach House are on a short list of bands who are able to harness restraint and silence to make their music even more powerful. (See also, The XX).<br />
<br />
I have tickets to see Beach House for the third time on October 4. I'm stoked.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU2ZzVDTRAelWf9T3_izczzqxs89HymX9ncQ55rBDWxFKQRePoFNhl932aDnP08M6_2wtPGmHvUSQVFbPa8G9-Aq_NqpgEG70-jJYK89sheJ4SQmQV_IZGw-d8s8e59rYab5zuzi_-2_1/s1600/Ryan_Adams_&_The_Cardinals-Cold_Roses-Frontal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU2ZzVDTRAelWf9T3_izczzqxs89HymX9ncQ55rBDWxFKQRePoFNhl932aDnP08M6_2wtPGmHvUSQVFbPa8G9-Aq_NqpgEG70-jJYK89sheJ4SQmQV_IZGw-d8s8e59rYab5zuzi_-2_1/s320/Ryan_Adams_&_The_Cardinals-Cold_Roses-Frontal.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: <i>Cold Roses,</i> 2005</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
There is a special place in my heart for the alt-country genre. I've often thought that if I wrote my own songs they would sound like this. <i>If I am a Stranger </i>perfectly describes what it felt like to reach a point in a serious relationship and realize that if you can't fully share yourself with them at that point, it's not going to happen.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
If all this love is real, how will we know?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And if we're only scared of losing it, how will it last?...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
To tell the truth it's hard enough to find a lover</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Who you want to hide your darkness from</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So they won't let you down</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
If I am a stranger now to you</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will always be, I will always be...</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Let It Ride </i>captures the desire that everyone feels sometimes to drop all your relationships and responsibilities and run. I know a rolling cadence and slide guitar don't work for everyone, but I love it.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWD41UypYFyTl0hm6HdLZCJXkKG8wZidfruPnTA2MCXy2kT-H_g916Q1PdSykvV7bqTMmbnMxfugU_iV9KFL5-RgXqycI1tF5XEIw0Ep3K9ZhD_9Wa5wIJ5l2ASRkwrcY1DP5Uog35W7Hk/s1600/Coldplay+-+Parachutes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWD41UypYFyTl0hm6HdLZCJXkKG8wZidfruPnTA2MCXy2kT-H_g916Q1PdSykvV7bqTMmbnMxfugU_iV9KFL5-RgXqycI1tF5XEIw0Ep3K9ZhD_9Wa5wIJ5l2ASRkwrcY1DP5Uog35W7Hk/s320/Coldplay+-+Parachutes.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: x-small;">Coldplay: <i>Parachutes,</i> 2000</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
This album is solid all the way through and feels like the last album Coldplay wrote that wasn't specifically meant to blast in a sold-out arena. That being said, many of the tracks are quite blast worthy. My itunes play count tells me that the songs on this album have been played an average of 112 times. The lowest, <i>High Speed</i>, at 74 and the highest, <i>Don't Panic,</i> at 138. This album doesn't ever unsettle your nerves or make you question life. Instead it projects an atmosphere of calm and hope.</div>
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<div>
My favorite memory associated with this album involves jamming <i>Everything's Not Lost / Life is For Living,</i> with Alban at The Estate. When I recall the memory I imagine the scene from the perspective of someone on the sidewalk looking through the living room window at night, drawn in by the sound of music. Five guys in the living room, I'm on drum or guitar, Alban is playing the old piano. Tommy has his black Nike hat on and is reading a book about pastoring while Cody tempts him to drop it and play MKart. Phil is talking to Jax about bread.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm sure I have combined a few different memories into one, but I'm ok with it. The next time we get together we need to jam <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMGymLwCzcg" target="_blank">this.</a><br /><br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Honorable Mention</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b>Ben Folds Five: <i>Ben Folds Five, </i>1995:</b> I'm a major sucker for bluesy piano, tight harmonies and crunchy bass lines.<br />
<br />
<b>Dirty Projectors: <i>Swing Low Magellan, </i>2012: </b>This was incredible live. <i>About to Die</i> is one of my favorites. It's hard to go wrong with lyrics like, "If you squint trying to recollect the bosom of your hoodlum love."<br />
<br />
<b>Bon Iver: <i>Bon Iver,</i> 2011: </b>Gorgeous. All of it.<br />
<br />
<b>Santigold: <i>Master of My Make-Believe,</i> 2012: </b>This album has some serious beats that even a white boy can get down to. Sort of...</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-53354018684315200482012-09-10T04:03:00.002-07:002012-09-10T04:03:40.738-07:00Cody's Albums<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In deliberate, but not descending order:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ55ZXW1RiqGq2Tu2YzAoZkwerwzuanCS-lSCzhYLC5FaFmyuxj6FAMXXMAUfAC-Q-Cpg-uAvcwbO0sh7h4B2HdnDqL4pNBG2rCDdblgKqq-7j5zBsuomg9-JwL19Hl-STxxCR91WvA4E/s1600/Muse-BlackHolesandRevelations_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ55ZXW1RiqGq2Tu2YzAoZkwerwzuanCS-lSCzhYLC5FaFmyuxj6FAMXXMAUfAC-Q-Cpg-uAvcwbO0sh7h4B2HdnDqL4pNBG2rCDdblgKqq-7j5zBsuomg9-JwL19Hl-STxxCR91WvA4E/s320/Muse-BlackHolesandRevelations_original.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Muse: <i>Black Holes & Revelations</i>, 2006</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
David said it first: "Muse is Cody's soul music." But, I didn't know it was true until we saw them in Seattle. After that, I drove across the country to work on the East Coast. On the drive, I listed to Muse almost exclusively.<br />
<br />
It's my soul music because it's the sort of music that inspires the overthrow of something like a government or an academic administration.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX3w5GfFgqsHlPvQXO0-DxZO14wc3Ou6Jgn1o_cXlc5AOUmGI4rcduZMcNi9P0sRYQ9vuA8FMoPGPKXjhQTkxwPlZRjk4lEXH_J2YrqoLdI2PMAAnah6DqOkut7FZ0FvqgkZb7tJMn-U/s1600/Killers_day_age.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX3w5GfFgqsHlPvQXO0-DxZO14wc3Ou6Jgn1o_cXlc5AOUmGI4rcduZMcNi9P0sRYQ9vuA8FMoPGPKXjhQTkxwPlZRjk4lEXH_J2YrqoLdI2PMAAnah6DqOkut7FZ0FvqgkZb7tJMn-U/s1600/Killers_day_age.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Killers: <i>Day & Age</i>, 2008</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This was my first concert. In my memory, all the members of the Estate made that trip to Seattle. I know that wasn't the way it went down, but I can see all of us clustered together on the floor waiting for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GL2RFaiqRs">Wild Light</a> to hurry up.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
The most important thing about this album is how it probes into the most pressing philosophical questions. "Are we human? Or are we dancer?" Prior to this album, I had not known those were mutually exclusive.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, there's nothing like five guys on the way to Seattle signing <i>Day & Age</i>.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9WeG78dqKtxHCS6ZPI0pb_rFDe1UhwLz6ST_YvNHg0J9poLaC_QRBg8R6yOaouzi50jeDsopRfcvjXqadVB_FJ40rcbUwv0Yv87FOUl4KG_XlzLGv6F-fig0rsepASLKbYchaAzTJu0/s1600/500px-Coldplay_X%2526Y.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9WeG78dqKtxHCS6ZPI0pb_rFDe1UhwLz6ST_YvNHg0J9poLaC_QRBg8R6yOaouzi50jeDsopRfcvjXqadVB_FJ40rcbUwv0Yv87FOUl4KG_XlzLGv6F-fig0rsepASLKbYchaAzTJu0/s320/500px-Coldplay_X%2526Y.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coldplay: <i>X&Y</i>, 2005</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coldplay's forgotten album. What I mean is that when I think "I'll listen to Coldplay," I don't think of this album. But, after a few songs from other albums, I invariably resort to <i>X&Y</i>. Perhaps more than any other, I consistently listen to this album from end to end.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K47eaf55oaaROA6dJVJeljlTss6Mlg-yMSvqvsH9o8k7kZrcqXj1lB2x3yAS46y5Wxj1wJbEryteQDwd5SSXvCDHplAI7wBAaK5mXj7vvS5yJen2UM2VyXqQ76vCsip2saPMj0VBwPY/s1600/Bookends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K47eaf55oaaROA6dJVJeljlTss6Mlg-yMSvqvsH9o8k7kZrcqXj1lB2x3yAS46y5Wxj1wJbEryteQDwd5SSXvCDHplAI7wBAaK5mXj7vvS5yJen2UM2VyXqQ76vCsip2saPMj0VBwPY/s1600/Bookends.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Simon & Garfunkel: <i>Bookends</i>, 1968</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nothing makes me feel more mature, sophisticated, and altruistic than listening to Simon and Garfunkel. You can't deny the legacy and timeliness of their anti-war sentiments and raw talent. What's great about this album is that it has several unknown gems in addition to the famous "Mrs. Robinson." "America" is actually my favorite S&G song of all time, but "A Hazy Shade of Winter" makes a particular effort to be sung with much gusto. Do it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLUB8UKrPO7KzkX-wjbZSW7ZC8H13QiSG2Ad7CWl8Mlvy11cKViet4OWj0L-HDm3VjZrsYNM0nVrE4z-etMk0q3L_5G23TDN30KW2ILA53W2YglZixH3gM0v_Ft8q80Lz7d6X5Oj05tU/s1600/Writeaboutlove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLUB8UKrPO7KzkX-wjbZSW7ZC8H13QiSG2Ad7CWl8Mlvy11cKViet4OWj0L-HDm3VjZrsYNM0nVrE4z-etMk0q3L_5G23TDN30KW2ILA53W2YglZixH3gM0v_Ft8q80Lz7d6X5Oj05tU/s320/Writeaboutlove.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Belle & Sebastian: ...<i>Write about Love</i>, 2010</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This is the newest addition to my listening habits. I trust the sincerity of the music and their earnest melodies do much to enhance the message behind their poetry in songs like "I Want the World to Stop." </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In terms of philosophical tenor, I see them as a gentler Muse. They don't care about the typical worldly measures of success. This is an album about love and love changes the bottom line. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucpC9Z7IbEXYsBjVlJVUQFIiuylnqQLwewuBILcVtYsWqIf7pWoAUCvWyCLO06f4xZtG9iZK_fh6dKdpzPnSDZ82VENN-WmyBsbSfIsUQjQsRfsYJpvCZdhxwcSgstchLwpvlOHemY_A/s1600/1248776112_sigur-ros-takk-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucpC9Z7IbEXYsBjVlJVUQFIiuylnqQLwewuBILcVtYsWqIf7pWoAUCvWyCLO06f4xZtG9iZK_fh6dKdpzPnSDZ82VENN-WmyBsbSfIsUQjQsRfsYJpvCZdhxwcSgstchLwpvlOHemY_A/s320/1248776112_sigur-ros-takk-front.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sigur Rós: <i>Takk</i>, 2005</span></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I liked <i>Takk</i> right away, but I fell in<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> love when I saw this </span>video:</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oE0sDfukvso" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Kent State was one of the darkest moments in American history. It was the moment we realized it wasn't only foreign fas<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">cists who would kill when their people challenged them. Moments like Kent State make me determined to live for something worth dying for. Nothing sums up my feelings about Kent State better than "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Glósóli."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout, the album encourages contemplation and cultivates patience.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0kvZ1r4-dUnOCBg_g5zuZcQFhyphenhyphenLPeYQVhZ6KlVPtsZG_Awobmx51nr6_OuVrSz1-oM90FYFXu84ZazpdNHWXLVAJEt0Kas78EDAhNtPk-QoAGsV6YRhXW6VtnvCgZ2A78QMdl35KnEE/s1600/Carpenters_%2528Carpenters_album%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0kvZ1r4-dUnOCBg_g5zuZcQFhyphenhyphenLPeYQVhZ6KlVPtsZG_Awobmx51nr6_OuVrSz1-oM90FYFXu84ZazpdNHWXLVAJEt0Kas78EDAhNtPk-QoAGsV6YRhXW6VtnvCgZ2A78QMdl35KnEE/s320/Carpenters_%2528Carpenters_album%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Carpenters: <i>Carpenters</i>, 1971</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These artists are concertedly artistic. "Sing" graciously supplies an optimistic and radical philosophy that I'd like to teach to every child (which is probably why it was created for Sesame Street). Also, "Sing" isn't on this album (it's on <i>Now & Then</i>).<br />
<br />
There's something about music from this era that suggests a sort of emotional sincerity (<i>see also</i>: John Denver in the Honorable Mentions) compared to the seemingly less convincing artists of today (except for B&S above). Sing along with these ballads while you're reading your casebook. I do.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPMntGeMgaos8t2FigtFuDU09LsJKTTxdj7tKopLeHZOVyrSqHl4WIFSfklz6jd0RrEx90avuq_bOD9Qn-zfBa7TL_8fbwt2bAKlCu7PPM9VD5H8yo_o19cNez9R7TzNixXnv3508we4/s1600/Stars_FiveGhosts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPMntGeMgaos8t2FigtFuDU09LsJKTTxdj7tKopLeHZOVyrSqHl4WIFSfklz6jd0RrEx90avuq_bOD9Qn-zfBa7TL_8fbwt2bAKlCu7PPM9VD5H8yo_o19cNez9R7TzNixXnv3508we4/s320/Stars_FiveGhosts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Stars: <i>The Five Ghosts</i>, 2010</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Driving to and from Metallak, Alban and I agreed that the latter half of this album is lacking. The first half makes up for it though. Alban introduced me to <i>The Five Ghosts</i> and <i>The Suburbs</i> on that trip; it was an important trip.<i> </i>I'm not sure why it was so late when we were driving, but I remember stopping in the middle of the night to, I don't know what, get gas or something. It was the sort of helter skelter, seat-of-our-pants, raw adventure that really gets seared into your memory and makes you think of <a href="http://westwhitmanestate.blogspot.com/2011/05/fight-club.html">Fight Club</a>. It was real.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjQyrmXcUAPWysRnvUoEGRlTEt5zjU97EGB6APqZDqdfDk-WBKjVs4-s2LjQzQUZzrAhRfZgUJyRIzyeUtmz_D53zJYZVeZesDbynyDHHMPPZ6h_xcaFHz-oKkwsINqqvSfkmi1iQNKA/s1600/Teendream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjQyrmXcUAPWysRnvUoEGRlTEt5zjU97EGB6APqZDqdfDk-WBKjVs4-s2LjQzQUZzrAhRfZgUJyRIzyeUtmz_D53zJYZVeZesDbynyDHHMPPZ6h_xcaFHz-oKkwsINqqvSfkmi1iQNKA/s320/Teendream.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Beach House: <i>Teen Dream</i>, 2010</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I suppose Beach House could lend itself to memories of our <a href="http://wedontwantyourbody.blogspot.com/2011/07/then-there-was-that-one-trip.html">Oregon Coast trip</a> (an almost perfect time except for our lack of Phil), but it rarely makes me think of that. I listen to this album when I'm cleaning. And the reason I do is because it makes me think of two specific things about our time at the Estate.<br />
<br />
First, I think of Alban, in the midst of one of his cleaning fits, cleaning junk off of the coffee table. Remember how he used to fan out our magazines (mostly <i>The New Yorker</i>) and stack our newspapers (exclusively <i>The Collegian</i>)?<br />
<br />
Second, I think of Phil in the kitchen during family dinner. In the scene, David has already completed the salad and Phil is making his last magical gestures over the pan on the stove (it's Texas Enchilada night). Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros was more our Family Dinn<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">er fair, but somehow Beach House is connected for me too. Over the next two hours, we stuff ourselves with TE topped with Phil's magic sauce and relax contentedly knowing there's no place we'd rather be.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
<b>Honorable Mentions: </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Jónsi: <i>Go</i>, 2010</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>(Good music for driving around Berkeley. Also reminds me of Tommy dancing.)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><b><br /></b></span></b>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>John Denver: <i>Rocky Mountain High</i>, 1972</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>(If Edward Abbey and Wendell Berry can't make you love our Earth, John Denver should do the trick.)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Franz Ferdinand: <i>Franz Ferdinand</i>, 2004 </b>(We saw them at Outside Lands. They are the next generation of Euro band that appeal with their traditional stage presence and evident style.)</span></span>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446501095831085195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-36849362059757423972012-09-01T14:47:00.001-07:002012-09-02T11:25:02.305-07:00Alban's Albums<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iH9gpHF99KdXg6AS_RiCIncos9rbAr1Mx2VsIYiNujnHZQ2jgEOvkp2sjgidCGWFEOSzcENnRjNNZQ7SV8t70EahqJQeLKgVIpwWp9_ZJSksYW6TEWSdyqcdJLTfiwgAVRO6-sIo2EA/s1600/Illinoise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iH9gpHF99KdXg6AS_RiCIncos9rbAr1Mx2VsIYiNujnHZQ2jgEOvkp2sjgidCGWFEOSzcENnRjNNZQ7SV8t70EahqJQeLKgVIpwWp9_ZJSksYW6TEWSdyqcdJLTfiwgAVRO6-sIo2EA/s320/Illinoise.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sufjan Stevens: Come On Feel The Illinoise, 2005</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The summer after I graduated from Highland View Academy, Sufjan Stevens invited me to Come On Feel The Illinoise. I remember driving to the Hagerstown Borders and being pretty excited that they still had the illicit albums with Superman on the cover. I bought two. One is still in its wrapping.<br />
<br />
Illinoise was one of the first albums I listened to straight through multiple times in quick succession. This wasn't because I loved the album on first listen, it was because I was reorganizing the entire HVA library for Mrs. Payne that summer. It took me a little while to warm up to Illinoise. I hadn't been exposed to much Sufjan before, and so it was unlike anything I had heard before. The predatory wasp finally got me, I guess. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgn1arDCYYjaKTWsIfwvcg_XiXbklLkk2wNvDkjI1W_yU2iywR_NL1YzdRVwwu2SIHQTiryaJAbBQHU7XBPjfd8ysmRwVvVACvQKJE9lD-mN5cEJ5b7Taagjvc00WEW61urDp_3AiHm4/s1600/takk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgn1arDCYYjaKTWsIfwvcg_XiXbklLkk2wNvDkjI1W_yU2iywR_NL1YzdRVwwu2SIHQTiryaJAbBQHU7XBPjfd8ysmRwVvVACvQKJE9lD-mN5cEJ5b7Taagjvc00WEW61urDp_3AiHm4/s320/takk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sigur Ros: Takk, 2005</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When Takk arrived in Argentina in a package from Jen, it was a welcome respite from the old-style gaucho music that was usually playing in our room. My roommate Güenche didn't really appreciate it, so I only got to play it when he was gone. Takk fit my mood in Argentina remarkably well. It is at times lonely yet leaves you feeling energized and optimistic. I can remember sipping mate while listening to <i>Glosoli</i> and working on grammar homework. The arpeggiated piano chords that open <i>Hoppipolla</i> and its ensuing crescendo represent one of the best years of my life. The final track of the album, <i>Heysatan,</i> is exactly how I was feeling when I left Argentina.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV8pNOvOu0qenQvPXktoEmPga4bh__rMb5vfHKbB-qs174j5jJNppmUH2d5eb3u6cV4_Xk5MGLuzCKsmejOq70PEypag_IssWavQFWAUWxZjWwaCQLCVsax2FkTw5Pt2PWwzq5VT9vRA/s1600/bitte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV8pNOvOu0qenQvPXktoEmPga4bh__rMb5vfHKbB-qs174j5jJNppmUH2d5eb3u6cV4_Xk5MGLuzCKsmejOq70PEypag_IssWavQFWAUWxZjWwaCQLCVsax2FkTw5Pt2PWwzq5VT9vRA/s320/bitte.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca, 2009</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Evan introduced me to the Dirty Projectors during my first year at The Estate. I can't remember what albums I was listening to at the same time, but I remember liking them more than Bitte Orca. This feeling didn't last particularly long. When I listen to the first chords of <i>Cannibal Resource</i>, I am taken back to Phil and my road trip to Angwin for Thanksgiving, 2009. It was the same time Fantastic Mr. Fox arrived in theaters. This is not especially important, but I associate the two events for some reason. <br />
<br />
It was during that trip that I realized that Bitte Orca manages to be interesting in every category: melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and lyrical. And yet, it remains grounded enough to be both danceable and singable. This unique characteristic is represented throughout the album, but the behemoth of a track, <i>Useful Chamber,</i> perhaps demonstrates it best. It was soon after the Thanksgiving trip that I started to realize The Dirty Projectors was my favorite band. This was later confirmed when I saw them play live at the 9:30 club. Twice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVW3_odCjOd5Lzq9EtuiYQGf2fCnRvPBgXh76b8P3H2Q5f7LQlt6qo2HvYVtvOMpQ44a_oBtk0eSg6gTi1pa05TLWCi0bgF1qejWGDFno-9x9EdcVeWAtYxiWdfWMtgrHsXuV20x8oSek/s1600/suburbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVW3_odCjOd5Lzq9EtuiYQGf2fCnRvPBgXh76b8P3H2Q5f7LQlt6qo2HvYVtvOMpQ44a_oBtk0eSg6gTi1pa05TLWCi0bgF1qejWGDFno-9x9EdcVeWAtYxiWdfWMtgrHsXuV20x8oSek/s320/suburbs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Arcade Fire: The Suburbs, 2010</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When the first single from The Suburbs, <i>Month of May</i>, dropped in early 2010, I was underwhelmed. By the time Osheaga 2012 rolled around on July 31st, we had only heard three songs from the new album: <i>Month of May, The Suburbs, </i>and <i>Ready To Start, </i>but my attitude had changed dramatically. That Arcade Fire show was the first time that I had heard songs by one of my favorite artists live before hearing them at home. I heard <i>Empty Room</i>, <i>Rococo, Deep Blue, We Used To Wait, Half Light II, </i>and <i>Sprawl II</i> for the first time in Montreal. Three of those songs had never been performed before. It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to, and its inseparable connection with The Suburbs only adds to the album's sacrosanct status. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNUQpR3SJgzeu3wzeucdaE4DCqzhFnZXnDjJcVWvH8lAg5xKo4p_cQ8nsDRvSh52gbPFioeYV8xzegtqKvik4-Agw0LHKBjqfJnWErURV2JMmXeo-ocXlDxTHevTcpU3besBbi1v_FU0/s1600/hurryup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNUQpR3SJgzeu3wzeucdaE4DCqzhFnZXnDjJcVWvH8lAg5xKo4p_cQ8nsDRvSh52gbPFioeYV8xzegtqKvik4-Agw0LHKBjqfJnWErURV2JMmXeo-ocXlDxTHevTcpU3besBbi1v_FU0/s320/hurryup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>M83: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, 2011</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
M83's massive double album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, dropped on October 18 last year. For me, it was the best album of 2011. On Sunday the 21st, I went to Takoma Academy and worked for about ten hours, which allowed me to listen to the 74 minute album eight times.<br />
<br />
It was around the same time that I realized I could beat the "First Year Teacher" level. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming reminds me of that feeling - the feeling of facing incredible stress square in the face and beating it, just barely. Here are some of the apropos lyrics from <i>Intro:</i><br />
<br />
Carry on, carry on, carry on!<br />
And after us the flood.<br />
Carry on, carry on, carry on!<br />
Our silver horn it leads the way.<br />
Banners of gold shine,<br />
In the cold, in the cold, in the cold.<br />
<br />
<i>Midnight City</i> was Pitchfork's track of 2011 for good reason. <i>Raconte-moi une histoire</i> is one of the best feel-good crescendo tracks in existence. <i>Claudia Lewis</i> has the sexiest intro I have ever heard. <i>When Will You Come Home?</i> showcases Anthony Gonzalez's ability to write ethereal interludes. <br />
<br />
Are we still talking about the first of two albums?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMsxvlsp3nPLJUC5y0g3IrkLsbebVLZCkdorGDsdhnUSePQG96oqzfG8xlwdAtIeAwlmqd23NMlhWHhSJdemLSfXBJyE922U_9rYCZEGknmhCH8uAbGRhkg3UOTRF9aX9Y483SRPgpbw/s1600/bloom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMsxvlsp3nPLJUC5y0g3IrkLsbebVLZCkdorGDsdhnUSePQG96oqzfG8xlwdAtIeAwlmqd23NMlhWHhSJdemLSfXBJyE922U_9rYCZEGknmhCH8uAbGRhkg3UOTRF9aX9Y483SRPgpbw/s320/bloom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Beach House: Bloom, 2012</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It is often the case that the first singles released from new albums are intriguing, while the album itself turns out to be mediocre. Not the case with Bloom, which was introduced by the release of <i>Myth</i> and <i>Lazuli</i>. After hearing these songs, I remember wondering if the rest of the album could hold up. In truth, I was such a blind supporter of Beach House by this past May that I really had no doubts at all.<br />
<br />
My faith was rewarded. It's impossible for me to pick a track on Bloom that I don't thoroughly enjoy listening to. And while <i>New Year's </i>celestial melody and hypnotic beat probably gives it the best shot at being my favorite track, it could easily be challenged by about five others.</div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Honorable Mentions:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The xx: xx, 2009</b> (xx reminds me of quiet evenings at The Estate with the best people and hits me with nostalgia like a waterfall to the face. Sounds lame, but it's accurate.)<br />
<br />
<b>The National: High Violet, 2010 </b>(I'm still not sure this should have only been an honorable mention. It was the perfect commuting music this year.)<br />
<br />
<b>Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues, 2011</b> (Robyn Pecknold's hauntingly piercing voice represents Walla Walla wheat fields, and a great senior year with TP and JE.)<br />
<br />
<b>Purity Ring: Shrines, 2012</b> (This electronic beauty is the absolute best late-night driving music.)<br />
<br />Albanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17323171776795399961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-62539713741787717302012-08-25T16:08:00.000-07:002012-08-25T16:08:33.361-07:00The Book of Mormon Girl A couple of days ago I finished Joanna Brooks's book <i>The Book of Mormon Girl.</i> It was excellent. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
She writes about her experience growing up in the Mormon faith. She focuses on how comforting it was to know that her religion had ready made answers for all the difficult questions of life. Outside of some of the doctrinal differences, growing up Mormon sounded very similar to growing up adventist. One of her special skills as a child was being able to tell which cup of brown liquid was root beer and which was coke, because she wasn't allowed to have the caffeine. I'm pretty sure I know a few people who could identify which casseroles contained cheese as opposed to soy cheese :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Later, she talks about her experience at Brigham Young University during the 90's when the Mormon church excommunicated many feminists, scholars and intellectuals for questioning the church. She started to see the cracks and shortcomings that all churches and philosophies possess.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"These are the unspoken legacies we inherit when we belong to a people: not only luminous visions of eternal expanses of loving-kindness, but actual human histories of exclusion and rank prejudice. We inherit not only the glorious histories of our ancestors, but their human failings too, their kindness, their tenderness, and their satisfaction with easy contradiction; their wisdom as well as their ignorance, arrogance and presumption, as our own. We inherit all the ways in which our ancestors and parents and teachers were wrong, as well as the ways they were right: their sparkling differences, and their human failings. There is no unmixing the two." Pg. 133. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
She recalls her disgust as her church turned out to support proposition 8(banning gay marriage) by mobilizing a massive grassroots movement and contributing nearly 50% of the $82 million dollars donated to the cause. $82 million dollars that could have provided oral rehydration packets to children dying of diarrhea, the second leading cause of death worldwide, for a decade. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
She asks, "What do we do when we fail to become the adults we dreamed of as pious children? How do we react when we discover at the core of faith is a knot of contradictions?... Throw it out? Do we resent the worry in our friends eyes?... Do we blame ourselves for taking seriously the talk of love, compassion, equality, mercy and justice?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things get sticky when the faith that provided so many warm childhood memories and a fulfilling community isn't as bright and shinning as you thought. Anyone who has been in a relationship knows that warm memories aren't enough to create a bright future. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Her conclusion is that everyone should work to create faith traditions that are big enough for all stories and points of view. Instead of abandoning something so fundamental to your life, accept that it is imperfect, decide how it fits into your story and work for reformation. Do we need to be loyal to faith traditions in an all or nothing deal?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I highly recommend this book to anyone working to decide the role that faith will play in their life and what that faith will look like. I found it very insightful. </div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-42612289009285689812012-08-18T18:40:00.000-07:002012-08-18T18:40:41.592-07:00The Album SeriesWhen we first stumbled upon the idea of a favorite albums series, we quickly discovered that the prompt, "name your top six albums" just doesn't cut it. How do you define top six albums? Should the albums be selected because they were critical to your own musical formation? Should they be selected to represent your tastes over time? Should they be selected as the travel music for your journey to Mars? Each of these prompts creates vastly different lists. We'll keep it simple.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Over the next six weeks, the five estate members plus one special guest will be presenting six albums that they would choose to listen to right now over all others. Their selection will be supported by a short explanation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is the order of contributors, selected at random:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Alban</div>
<div>
Cody</div>
<div>
Evan</div>
<div>
David</div>
<div>
Phil</div>
<div>
Tommy</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
365, believe it or not.</div>
Albanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17323171776795399961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-91442179400222546802012-08-02T19:20:00.000-07:002012-08-02T19:20:21.101-07:00Pets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uthtZf52Lm1v48VDg1P9lR2y0zTRMH3SSEdjZ6NAT1gTq_eK1PCB11kv7gPsqiV9YoJiLTqgkLO79CKnIL3U2XlFv74_URHXlrYWnDPZrvj40MDkwy78LgDY5sgM0R1ctcwO4rw-yoo-/s1600/Pets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uthtZf52Lm1v48VDg1P9lR2y0zTRMH3SSEdjZ6NAT1gTq_eK1PCB11kv7gPsqiV9YoJiLTqgkLO79CKnIL3U2XlFv74_URHXlrYWnDPZrvj40MDkwy78LgDY5sgM0R1ctcwO4rw-yoo-/s320/Pets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
These are our pets. (minus some chickens and two cats I couldn't find)<br />
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The dog on the far left is my dad's dog. His name is Romeo, though I usually settle for something more frustrated like dummy. He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback and he's tall enough to rest his head on the dinner table and lick your food.<br />
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I dont like him because he won't respond to anything anyone says.<br />
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David: Romeo sit.<br />
Romeo:...<br />
D: Sit.<br />
R:...<br />
D: No!<br />
...<br />
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I complain to my dad a lot about what a lame dog he is. My dad always reminds me that he was bred to protect people from lions. Do we have a lion problem? This does not excuse his behavior.<br />
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I prefer buddy, followed distantly by Red cat and Bailey.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-34312234799211325882012-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:002012-07-23T10:40:47.905-07:00Cafe There's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We're here! At <i>There's," </i>says Phil. </td></tr>
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We won, one level at a time. From the moment I saw Alban walk through arrival gate B at Hong Kong Int'l, to the moment I watched him rush to the top of an escalator at Incheon Int'l, we accepted each new adventure and challenge like a new track on Mario Kart.<br />
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The Asia Happy & Wild Tour 2012 crossed five borders, consumed countless cups of mocha, sampled several different regional foods, got diarrhea, watched Spiderman and Star Trek, shared the new Beach House and Dirty Ps albums, and most importantly, included all five members of the Estate (counting one brief text message to David, and a one and a half our skype convo with Cody and J).<br />
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Among the favorite levels, was our journey to Jinbo, the place where Phil had been getting his Hugh-robes dirty this year. In Jinbo, along with delicious Kim-bop, and Kimchi stew, is the delicious little coffee trough known as "Cafe There's." We can't say much for their coffee, not because it's bad, we're sure it's the best in Jinbo, but because we didn't try it. The sign, the fake trees inside, the atmosphere, the company, and the hip wild-cat-baristas, were enough to keep our dopamine levels full on. Besides, who needs coffee when a place has hazelnut fraps on the menu? We all loved it ... a lot. The above photo shows it.<br />
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Among the most difficult levels, was getting my luggage to and from Incheon Int'l. The first time I faced this level, when Alban was busy with the Tokyo Metro level, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I learned something though, when you're planning on carrying over 150 lbs. of luggage around a busy city to a place you've never been..., plan ahead. The second time I faced the level –– getting the luggage back to the airport for the return flight –– I had Alban with me, which made it much easier. Still, thanks to some dirty kimchi the day before, it was a close call making it to the gate on time. In our hurry, we nearly clothes-lined a few old Korean ladies in the subway stations with our fifty pound duffle. We did what we had to do, and we made it. Excited for the next tour, coming soon. </div>Tommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534988368304297277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-18131001231905989362012-06-19T23:46:00.000-07:002012-06-19T23:48:30.510-07:00Olney / Takoma Park / DCSundays are usually my least favorite days. Especially at the start of the school year it meant working 12 hours writing lesson plans, grading, contacting parents, etc. They got better, but not much. The shot below shows break time. Ash is a canaries fan. Evan is home on weekends, which is always good.<br />
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The drive to Takoma Park from Olney takes about 30 minutes, but can be longer if traffic is bad. Sometimes it takes over an hour. If we are in a hurry and traffic is good, 23 minutes. The drive to work Monday morning is not the greatest since it is hard to sleep on Sunday. This shot shows New Hampshire Ave. Sometimes, to entertain myself, I pretend I am in a video game and am trying to weave through traffic. I am not sure if this is always safe.<br />
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On Tuesday, we have campus families. If we have time, Jenny and I will bake something to take to the kidlets. Jacqueline's cookies now have a school-wide reputation. I think there are students who only like me because of these cookies. Fair enough.</div>
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I always feel happy when I have completed Wednesday, since Thursday is one of my favorite days. It's a little easy to get lost in the hallway midweek, so my classroom has a convenient duck-tape number line sticking out of it. Plus, you can do graphs on the floor and stuff.</div>
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For a teacher, Thursdays are Fridays. At least, that's what I think. If we do anything fun during the week, it will be on Thursday evening. Thursdays are sunny, as clearly shown below.</div>
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Fridays are always a happy, short day. I like the time after school when students are still hanging around. Everyone is exhausted, but happy. Exhausted and happy is a good combination. Once back at the apartment, Evan and I might have a nice cup of coffee, or kick the soccer ball around in the parking lot.<br />
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We don't go into DC that often, because it takes about an hour from Olney. Sometimes we make the trip on Saturday, and we will invariably stop at Peregrine Espresso. On one such occasion, Brian and Tiffany and I quizzed ourselves and the friendly barista with a Trivial Pursuit book. <br />
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</div>Albanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17323171776795399961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-63963706915150246612012-06-09T16:12:00.002-07:002012-06-09T16:18:03.418-07:00Jordy Baby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
He's not in the Closet anymore. He's living in Hallmark or something lame like that, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>butt</u></span> Jordan Kattenhorn spent a whole year holding down the left <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>backside</u></span> of the house. Alban and I used to har<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>ass</u></span> him about his sedentary lifestyle. Jordan studied like he meant it, spending much of his time sitting on his <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>tush</u></span> with a book open. When he wasn't studying, he was cooking in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>bottom</u></span> kitchen, much to Alban's dislike. Not because Jordan's food wasn't good, but because Jordan's food was healthy. He even made a healthy variation of biscuits, that were really more like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>buns</u></span>.<br />
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Now we know what all that was about, Jordan was just getting ready to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>bare</u></span> it all just before he graduated.<br />
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</div>Tommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534988368304297277noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-30779604690218779192012-06-09T08:53:00.001-07:002012-06-09T11:07:53.835-07:00Chaos TheoryI recently read an article about Chaos Theory. And Muppets.<br />
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The author advanced the theory that most people can be grouped into "order muppets" or "chaos muppets." Chaos muppets tend to be disorganized, emotional and fuzzy; i.e. Cookie Monster, Ernie and <b>Phil</b>. Order muppets tend to be neurotic, ordered and secretly enjoy the weight of responsibility; i.e. Bert or <b>Alban</b>.<br />
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Then there are the people who don't classify so easily. Those who seem to purposefully create chaos, but only because they believe it will lead to a more efficient order in the end; i.e. Oscar the Grouch or <b>Cody</b>. These kind of muppets are bookends to the other kind that project order but secretly enjoy the chaos. I'd probably place <b>Tommy</b> here.<br />
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<b>Jacque</b> - at times gives the appearance of a tornado juggling multiple responsibilities but secretly seeks balance and order.<br />
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<b>Jessi</b> - combines the appearance of an icelandic chaos muppet with the motivated work ethic of a classic order muppet.<br />
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<b>Brendan</b> = Elmo<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Hh-bj70UfwLhel7XzdM5EjttV-grn3TRTNz70R9kPcBQQ8jHayZApwRqKDrDKY35k7Zze-Vzl1pQmsmFvB4J-hCSZNYOJIxIg4BzFVKLI_jV28v9UjhU9XnoFs0ggZlwPm1YcyTwCNQL/s1600/elmo-main.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Hh-bj70UfwLhel7XzdM5EjttV-grn3TRTNz70R9kPcBQQ8jHayZApwRqKDrDKY35k7Zze-Vzl1pQmsmFvB4J-hCSZNYOJIxIg4BzFVKLI_jV28v9UjhU9XnoFs0ggZlwPm1YcyTwCNQL/s320/elmo-main.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06982532616952535812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-928576930595097572012-05-30T05:25:00.002-07:002012-05-30T05:26:11.663-07:00A Life Motto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"Everyone is ticklish if you search long enough."<br />
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- Jonathan Nickel,<i> Estate member 2010</i></div>Tommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534988368304297277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-33559387337980305282012-05-14T22:57:00.000-07:002012-05-14T22:57:51.286-07:00Berkeley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My life in Berkeley, California is small. I live up the hill from the law school; a 7 minute walk or a 5 minute sprint. And I live only between those two points. Except on Friday mornings, which is laundry day. Then, I drive down College Avenue to Diseasey Central (the washing machines have recently been in desperate need of cleaning).</div>
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Nonetheless, this smallness is one of the reasons I'm moving at the end of this week. It's hard to leave, as you'll understand, but the <a href="http://www.bsc.coop/">Berkeley Student Cooperative</a> promises to be a horizon-expanding adventure.</div>
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These pictures detail the steps between my studio and the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29370912@N04/sets/72157627264562163/with/6023192259/">law school</a> and the one major detour I've made this year: the Occupy protests.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self portrait</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I watch the sun set from here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UixMBOnVTYCG3esJhTFlVQlQJnS-9c_Roxzdh_f0ii4WiJNASomwDVdGmdMPJ1U99H73pFeaBq69grOJVOZ6d9d-CD5CT1CWFcIGtehfQhaY3UerV7uc3tirIwRiel2D4-OhncsI3SQ/s1600/_MG_2271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UixMBOnVTYCG3esJhTFlVQlQJnS-9c_Roxzdh_f0ii4WiJNASomwDVdGmdMPJ1U99H73pFeaBq69grOJVOZ6d9d-CD5CT1CWFcIGtehfQhaY3UerV7uc3tirIwRiel2D4-OhncsI3SQ/s400/_MG_2271.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And watch bad drivers navigate this corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDA2MjeYkeYcENUW0DkBp8mJWo9NgmkEJfGlUGe4a-iSiIdWzL9_IlFcPu74kBCyungjZWjh0OM274Z6sfWSp2rrOdSng761uqQYjby28oyMq0zZZxjciiwdymQUEursnvldu-v6uhQc/s1600/_MG_2172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDA2MjeYkeYcENUW0DkBp8mJWo9NgmkEJfGlUGe4a-iSiIdWzL9_IlFcPu74kBCyungjZWjh0OM274Z6sfWSp2rrOdSng761uqQYjby28oyMq0zZZxjciiwdymQUEursnvldu-v6uhQc/s640/_MG_2172.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5knB-RJhopeD0SAvL0kg6FCpT69sXKmmUwSM5gvZGw7a3wIabvqu7TakQR13hYOh0TZwOkotNvkjCdf5qxMusz7g0b1Gh9Mmu_ZZEy5ZteOiHDt6WAGIsPevkqMVhf-wNRu0pxPXLv4/s1600/_MG_2173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5knB-RJhopeD0SAvL0kg6FCpT69sXKmmUwSM5gvZGw7a3wIabvqu7TakQR13hYOh0TZwOkotNvkjCdf5qxMusz7g0b1Gh9Mmu_ZZEy5ZteOiHDt6WAGIsPevkqMVhf-wNRu0pxPXLv4/s400/_MG_2173.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And you can see the Golden Gate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PmEOeL7A_2z4gXDCmbqQ0AN-laOi8qn0YsFhCVaeR3gL_7_aJdyLIUA9CDo7KZ_bGhRgTpAABA-Qz0GqgN_JTy8mw7W6CJBUQzB20nTJMvKpmt-bcoLtz-DRxmfF3c61kzO7cUGjuyo/s1600/_MG_1693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PmEOeL7A_2z4gXDCmbqQ0AN-laOi8qn0YsFhCVaeR3gL_7_aJdyLIUA9CDo7KZ_bGhRgTpAABA-Qz0GqgN_JTy8mw7W6CJBUQzB20nTJMvKpmt-bcoLtz-DRxmfF3c61kzO7cUGjuyo/s400/_MG_1693.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9HDaPgNPujaQesqMWYghcqfKH_ZqhKQ7KtRbU23NkAuLvYtvE2q4ljYuEBUhzkwzydNp7ces0O6SgIqQ5CMuPPoTiYw2HY5o2QC86XIV7gyaZy9Zpoyy23ftuU7WxneHoc9ul6GkLJw/s1600/_MG_1482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9HDaPgNPujaQesqMWYghcqfKH_ZqhKQ7KtRbU23NkAuLvYtvE2q4ljYuEBUhzkwzydNp7ces0O6SgIqQ5CMuPPoTiYw2HY5o2QC86XIV7gyaZy9Zpoyy23ftuU7WxneHoc9ul6GkLJw/s400/_MG_1482.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2GEIiHYjzDB0VvwxaK0VBLamqlgWLG7ozlBxFBI1h1SuTY0sKnzDnB9s-uzB0xsb375Gc7rHVfawta4AhvbVgR7Zx4wPjt4fwSDa7e_gyiStD9tvcTG1c4vtX__XQpO2K7mAW5MbxsA/s1600/_MG_2229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2GEIiHYjzDB0VvwxaK0VBLamqlgWLG7ozlBxFBI1h1SuTY0sKnzDnB9s-uzB0xsb375Gc7rHVfawta4AhvbVgR7Zx4wPjt4fwSDa7e_gyiStD9tvcTG1c4vtX__XQpO2K7mAW5MbxsA/s640/_MG_2229.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from my path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9UexTkbaz2RaOuSYqNR8D4nASGwlqjTl4C12O6avwEssGhZ4z0dwdxAmpS57Mc1tIw2Cm7x0vahkJSfjYV_TJ73YRgDZMP0PScp-DYwmXpF0dA3zXm9GLRJFxqyhkweyLS8woyRa8aGI/s1600/_MG_2332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9UexTkbaz2RaOuSYqNR8D4nASGwlqjTl4C12O6avwEssGhZ4z0dwdxAmpS57Mc1tIw2Cm7x0vahkJSfjYV_TJ73YRgDZMP0PScp-DYwmXpF0dA3zXm9GLRJFxqyhkweyLS8woyRa8aGI/s640/_MG_2332.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from my porch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMbJpmD2zaazlsDgneovPCSXfGiWYaYHBzsiNyF5fKb4qSEGG7CNBm7Ndf3ps-H-My0B-WqC6cCKMkHmOdWCltKBNdmykFUQjRkEa1ZyyPxjl6sQrmzV1ZDy7AdNOeqnYp0ebyKSSpCo/s1600/_MG_2195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMbJpmD2zaazlsDgneovPCSXfGiWYaYHBzsiNyF5fKb4qSEGG7CNBm7Ndf3ps-H-My0B-WqC6cCKMkHmOdWCltKBNdmykFUQjRkEa1ZyyPxjl6sQrmzV1ZDy7AdNOeqnYp0ebyKSSpCo/s400/_MG_2195.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Berkeley classic re-imagined </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDmua-silHw6LuNmcTqQDwJfalK2xvG7thO1lscOrnfPi8_AuFY5MymkqKpew3GH8JNvRVk10BB9kiUgMoDc3hnUDqkilQ2ilQms6bO8EZJybAlSwmzZkD0PStz4HRc9mGdh6oqATOKg/s1600/_MG_1911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDmua-silHw6LuNmcTqQDwJfalK2xvG7thO1lscOrnfPi8_AuFY5MymkqKpew3GH8JNvRVk10BB9kiUgMoDc3hnUDqkilQ2ilQms6bO8EZJybAlSwmzZkD0PStz4HRc9mGdh6oqATOKg/s400/_MG_1911.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Occupy Oakland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAJH4HylcmQasjukBes_2n4UHPjc7OLtPFOJyXtEjZRD5zcuIyUjes8nsbPZEuMfo_pFgIdhvK98RqG03jebBWCFNOuULLrwfnmcDdNw-XbIE1u48-OlOmsVrMqoLSUPKdI_nFpvfbKg/s1600/_MG_1887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAJH4HylcmQasjukBes_2n4UHPjc7OLtPFOJyXtEjZRD5zcuIyUjes8nsbPZEuMfo_pFgIdhvK98RqG03jebBWCFNOuULLrwfnmcDdNw-XbIE1u48-OlOmsVrMqoLSUPKdI_nFpvfbKg/s400/_MG_1887.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmW0u7r1XcvnQKFGuXAlny337M8BF5HtSYh_hDaCHju4EhXefBXPh17aF7Tp84NZVeI7KC7B8L_AcI_wzk4cZa_bFzMdPEkZKSUWo89Xao8P0TkiCjnJNoXv5AaNg9JBuRanaKc7IiXk/s1600/_MG_1923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmW0u7r1XcvnQKFGuXAlny337M8BF5HtSYh_hDaCHju4EhXefBXPh17aF7Tp84NZVeI7KC7B8L_AcI_wzk4cZa_bFzMdPEkZKSUWo89Xao8P0TkiCjnJNoXv5AaNg9JBuRanaKc7IiXk/s400/_MG_1923.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Occupy is a family affair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpZGe8v6-VdF4r7moyWwdXZz75GgNsa-qpuMT68yCInPu7pbuAgPi41W1yStNKh1OizhBksadU3H1kpEMHGzzRSGb0ufJugzNVQiZK3Zt_kUTphww-VXfxt8C2HwRM8QXlQ8dXVZwq1U/s1600/_MG_1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpZGe8v6-VdF4r7moyWwdXZz75GgNsa-qpuMT68yCInPu7pbuAgPi41W1yStNKh1OizhBksadU3H1kpEMHGzzRSGb0ufJugzNVQiZK3Zt_kUTphww-VXfxt8C2HwRM8QXlQ8dXVZwq1U/s400/_MG_1978.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My iconic image from the Port of Oakland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446501095831085195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4623744591392139038.post-15714889244303925382012-05-06T19:38:00.003-07:002012-05-06T19:38:53.878-07:00To Create<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Shipping soon from xiang gang. </div>Tommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534988368304297277noreply@blogger.com1