Real Life In Real Life

I'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.

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.

Rules.
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.
2. Whatever your girlfriend wants to complain about is, "literally the worst thing ever."
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.

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.

It's important to use protection at all times.

Bikes, Ice Cream, and Anime

Let's play doctor. I'll tell you what my symptoms are and you tell me what the affliction is. 

1. The amount of soccer I played last week doubled. 

2. My coffee/espresso consumption tripled, at least. 

3. The amount of cute girls I got phone numbers from stayed the same (zero). 

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. 

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? 

Saturday we decided to take bikes and ride Bainbridge Island. Like bosses. Horrible bosses. 

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..." 

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 Sakura-Con. 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. 

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. 

Alban's Albums

Sufjan Stevens: Come On Feel The Illinoise, 2005

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.

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.  

Sigur Ros: Takk, 2005

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 Glosoli and working on grammar homework.  The arpeggiated piano chords that open Hoppipolla and its ensuing crescendo represent one of the best years of my life.  The final track of the album, Heysatan, is exactly how I was feeling when I left Argentina.

Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca, 2009

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 Cannibal Resource, 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.

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, Useful Chamber, 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.

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs, 2010

When the first single from The Suburbs, Month of May, 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: Month of May, The Suburbs, and Ready To Start, 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 Empty Room, Rococo, Deep Blue, We Used To Wait, Half Light II, and Sprawl II 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.

M83: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, 2011

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.

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 Intro:

           Carry on, carry on, carry on!
           And after us the flood.
           Carry on, carry on, carry on!
           Our silver horn it leads the way.
           Banners of gold shine,
           In the cold, in the cold, in the cold.

Midnight City was Pitchfork's track of 2011 for good reason.  Raconte-moi une histoire is one of the best feel-good crescendo tracks in existence.  Claudia Lewis has the sexiest intro I have ever heard. When Will You Come Home? showcases Anthony Gonzalez's ability to write ethereal interludes.

Are we still talking about the first of two albums?

Beach House: Bloom, 2012

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 Myth and Lazuli.  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.

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 New Year's 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.

Honorable Mentions:

The xx: xx, 2009 (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.)

The National: High Violet, 2010 (I'm still not sure this should have only been an honorable mention. It was the perfect commuting music this year.)

Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues, 2011 (Robyn Pecknold's hauntingly piercing voice represents Walla Walla wheat fields, and a great senior year with TP and JE.)

Purity Ring: Shrines, 2012 (This electronic beauty is the absolute best late-night driving music.)

The Album Series

When 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.

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.

Here is the order of contributors, selected at random:

Alban

Cody

Evan

David

Phil

Tommy

365, believe it or not.

Olney / Takoma Park / DC

Sundays 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ice Cream Maker

At the beginning of fall quarter we resolved to document every time we used the ice cream maker. I think we captured around 84%.

Starting things right with some vanilla.

Theology Club tries their hand at the crank.

Not sure exactly but we'll attribute it to math club getting in on the fun.

Why not some coffee with Garrett, Doug, and Austin?

Alban's down for some coconut at Tina's.

And Alban's up for some peaceful vanilla and Rhubarb pie at Dustin's.

Pumpkin tribute for the fall season.

Vanilla for the party...

and the after party. Two parties in one night, can you say, "oh boy!?"

Can't go wrong with mint.

Finishing strong with Darigold Classic, pure Nog.

Thanksgiving. WA to MD 41 hours.

Alban checks for deer while Alex is on his knees.

Alban is feeling peaceful, but Kate is suspicious.

Now Tommy is feeling peaceful, and Alex isn't sure what's going on, however Kate doesn't mind.

Our whole bodies fit under the sign.

Alban "Four hundered miles of prime deer country, here we go."

Alex "Home of Arbor day? Seriously?"

Iowa didn't have a state sign; Alban and Alex are put off.

Alban sees a wild deer. Tommy thought the camera broke, but Alex just woke up.

Alban is wary of deer. Alex doesn't care.

Tommy, Alex, and Alban stood on the shoulder here.

Alex is happy to piggy back; Alban is pretending to be annoyed.

Tommy thought everyone was smiling.

Alex "Wait, you're saying we're in Maryland?"

Alban "Dude, I bet those woods are teaming with deer? They're out to get us man. (mumbled whisper) The deer are gonna get us. The deer are gonna get us. The deer are gonna get us."

Tommy "Huuuu."

The time Alban had something burning in his room!

Ear candles are strange (potentially dangerous, cultish, not doctor recommended, silly, etc.) things that people like Tommy use. And when I say people like Tommy, I mean people with excessive ear wax. Supposedly when you burn these candles in your ears, it softens the wax (in your ears, but also the candle wax too) and draws it out. Tommy pulled this stunt once before (four years ago), but decided to try it again. I think it was because he was getting as hard of hearing as Phil.

While working on something important in the back of the house, David and I smelled birthday candles. Venturing into the front of the house, we found Tommy frantically clutching a smoking candle to his ear. I instantly realized he was having one of his "episodes" and decided to get my camera.

As you can see from the picture, Tommy apparently collapsed between the living room and the entryway. We decided to move him to Alban's room where we closed all the windows and shut the door while Tommy continued to stick his burning candle in his ear.

After forty-five minutes or so, we decided Alban's room had seen enough (we determined this by waiting until we couldn't stand upright in the room and instead had to lie on the floor to breath). A little while later Tommy regained coherence and abandoned the ear candle idea.

When Alban came home a little while later, he walked whistling to his room.

In the aftermath, it seemed strange to me that Alban never checked for something burning in his room. His bedding could have spontaneously combusted or something. But then, I would have probably instantly assumed it was David's fault too.