The end of a crappy day brought about some creativity. For that I am grateful.
A new collage. A lot more colorful then I’m used to, but I liked how it turned out. Slightly inspired, I believe, about dreams about the West and mostly inspired by balloons.
rainy day
found a place to listen to you
alone amongst the books
at a table in the far corner of the room
it’s raining and that is somehow appropriate
you are the rain, you always were
you are the grey of the sky
and the water splashing at my feet
you are the droplets of water
on the leaves — making the tree heavy (and bow)
I will walk in the rain today
I will listen to your songs
I will write even though this pen leaks
I will think of you
(Written October 2004, for Elliott)
I need to write about my birthday weekend, but it really is going to be an extended entry and I don’t have extended energy to write about it now. I just wanted to remind folks about NPR’s All Songs Considered Podcast of Radiohead’s show at the Santa Barbara bowl. You should listen to it. I put it on at work today and pretended I was there, watching them perform. I did a pretty good job pretending, I just hope I didn’t fuck anything up while I was in Santa Barbara aka my desk in a law firm in New Haven.
I still haven’t seen them live.
Day off today, for no special reason other than I needed to take the day off or I would lose the vacation time. October 1st starts a new calendar year where I work, so I’m really cutting it close. I should have planned the day out better but it was nice to not have to be anywhere in particular. I feel like this October is filling up with things to do as I sit here. I don’t mind it, but I like to have days like this to reserve energy and not feel so lost in the shuffle… a breather, if you will.
This past weekend I took a chance to see Julie Doiron/Calm Down it’s Monday/Mount Eerie at the People’s Center in New Haven. To give a little background on the venue, the People’s Center is a meeting place for social justice groups and the like, leftist, maybe bordering on Communist, but has lately been renting out space for local and out-of-town shows to take place. Britt joked (although, somewhat nervously) that he would be marked as a Communist Party card carrier if he went to the show and I joked that I didn’t know, since I had never been there before. (I am glad he came, though.) The vibe was a little unusual — I felt like we were watching a show in someone’s living room, and it was essentially that. Very intimate, though. I liked Julie Doiron a great deal — she’s very cute and charismatic and talented. Actually listening to some of her songs as I type this. I’d like to keep an eye on the shows that are coming in. A lot of the acts going through to Boston or New York sometimes make stops along the way here to New Haven so we’ve been lucky to get some jewels coming through at much smaller venues. Worth checking to see if they’ll be here in town before I haul out to NYC.
In the middle of the month, within the same week, I had the chance to catch the Meat Puppets/Built to Spill/Dinosaur Jr. at Toad’s Place. First time seeing any of them live, and I’ve been listening to them (especially Built to Spill and Dinosaur Jr.) for a very long time. Built to Spill was amazing to hear live, playing Perfect from Now On, but getting kicked off short of an encore to make room for the Wednesday Night Dance Party WTF? Dinosaur Jr. was LOUD but entertaining, and I stood right in front of Lou Barlow who looked goofy but cute while he rocked out (almost as if he was doing the Snoopy dance or something, but it suited him. True story — I was supposed to see Sebadoh at Toad’s back in 1999, but a snow storm made them cancel and I haven’t had the chance to see them or Lou solo in any form since).
I want to do a short PSA before I wrap up this entry, as this week is Banned Books Week (September 27 - October 4). If you know me, reading is very important to me, as is having the choice to read whatever I please no matter how “controversial” the book may seem. The link above has links to lists of banned books and reasons why they were banned or challenged. I encourage every one to read a book from that list, or at least a book that might make Sarah Palin freak the fuck out. I have it mind to read something particularly vulgar this week.
If I don’t get to posting this Wednesday, Happy October, the happiest and saddest month that ever there was.
I’m really liking Of Montreal lately. They’re playing in New York close to my birthday weekend — that might be an idea. I do plan on spending the entire weekend in the city, maybe even an extended weekend, even if I have to go back and forth on the train. There are things I’d like to do.
Also, I’m getting antsy for the autumn. Summer has over extended it’s welcome with a muggy day in the middle of September. I will go to Walgreens soon and hope they have Mellowcreme Pumpkins out and I can pretend it’s a brisk, autumn day as I sweat walking back home.
Britt sent me a text to tell me someone proposed to his girlfriend at the Chief’s game. The only truly romantic proposal I witnessed was at Grand Central Terminal New York when the clock in the main terminal struck midnight and a man got down on his knees and proposed to his girlfriend in front of an unexpected, drunken crowd. They (the man and woman) were drunk themselves, but I hope they remember exactly how romantic it really was. I wish someone hadn’t already taken that idea, because it really is perfect, more perfect than you see in the movies. They boarded the train afterward, in the seat across from me, and held each other and laughed and then fell asleep.
I started reading Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth by David Browne. I don’t know why I like reading about them so much. I also got a hold of Robert Louis Stevenson’s collection of stories called The Suicide Club, which I’m particularly looking forward to reading.
Anyway, anyway.
My favorite part about going food shopping is the ride back from Milford — on a fair weather late summer evening. I-95 with no traffic so the ride is smooth. Windows down to blow my hair around. We have to turn the stereo up up up so we can even hear bits and pieces of what is playing on the radio. That is my favorite part. Coming into New Haven while the sun is setting. Long Wharf looks lazy. And the city’s skyline, imperfect but somehow welcoming. Calm down from the ride and come off the exit. There are a lot of people walking around, some are on bikes. Everyone looks calm, but not as calm as me. My sister will park the car and I have to sit there for a moment before I start moving again.
