How We Love the Seasons That Live Inside our Stomachs
Hoo-wee, sports fans, what a barn-burner of a Thanksgiving weekend I done had.
Wednesday cacophonyblood came into town. We drove over to Walnut Creek to meet up with some old friends of hers for lunch, which was nice if a bit strange, me being the odd man out, but it was a good time regardless. My excitement was reserved, however, for the Half-Price Books in Concord. I'm aware that it's likely a sad commentary on my life that I get excited about used bookstores, but my love affair with the American comic book is so deep at this point, I could really care less. Snagged the first two Ultimate Spider-Man hardcovers for under $20, a find indeed. That evening, gryftir met up with us to see "Ninja Assassin". Amazing film, if only for the action sequences. I think the only way it could have been better is if the Wachowskis themselves had stepped up to direct it.
Thanksgiving day, surprisingly, not much to be said. Copious amounts of food, friends and family. Business as usual hereabouts.
And Friday... well, where to begin. Picked up Laura from Bart after some early yard work with my bro, pops and Zander. Along with her and Jessica, we went and saw The Road. Interesting film. Viggo's hobo beard was impressive to say the least, and some of the scenery in this movie was just stuff that I wanted to stare at and take in for as long as possible, bleak though it was. After the movie, we headed back home so she could have a taste of my mother's cooking, which she enjoyed, as is usually the case when someone with a pulse consumes it. We then headed out to the city where we met up with the boys at Jordan's for an amazing dinner, followed by an eventful night on the town. Laura ended up getting a bit sick, but otherwise, it was a lot of fun. The impetus for inviting her out was that she's got to move back home due to lack of work opportunities, so I felt it was a nice way to send her off.
Parents were out to a wedding Saturday, so I did my best to cut through some of the backlog of TV and animu I'd worked up. And Sunday, sleepfighter came by, caught her up on House and we watched a good deal more Bones. Great way to unwind after two heavy-duty days like that.
And here we have the last two albums of my current batch. Finally time to move on to what will likely be my last grouping of the decade:
Jeph Jacques once said that the lead singer of Isis can, to new listeners, sound, "like a bear". I see what he meant. "Oceanic" has some amazing guitar riffs, and as one of my first exposures to well-made metal after a lifetime of indie rock, I should hope that's saying something. If you've paid attention to this section at all, you'll know I'm able to deal with repetition done right, and this is surely how to do it well:
"False Light"
"Carry"
The Dirty Projectors are an odd bunch to say the least. Their melodies, at first glance, sound disjointed and nonsensical, but stick with them, and they deliver a lush sound that sweetly worms its way into your head and, left unchecked, can drive you mad within hours. Wait, no, that's an earworm. Same diff. "Bitte Orca" is still a mad gem of experimental rock:
"Stillness is the Move"
"Two Doves"
Wednesday cacophonyblood came into town. We drove over to Walnut Creek to meet up with some old friends of hers for lunch, which was nice if a bit strange, me being the odd man out, but it was a good time regardless. My excitement was reserved, however, for the Half-Price Books in Concord. I'm aware that it's likely a sad commentary on my life that I get excited about used bookstores, but my love affair with the American comic book is so deep at this point, I could really care less. Snagged the first two Ultimate Spider-Man hardcovers for under $20, a find indeed. That evening, gryftir met up with us to see "Ninja Assassin". Amazing film, if only for the action sequences. I think the only way it could have been better is if the Wachowskis themselves had stepped up to direct it.
Thanksgiving day, surprisingly, not much to be said. Copious amounts of food, friends and family. Business as usual hereabouts.
And Friday... well, where to begin. Picked up Laura from Bart after some early yard work with my bro, pops and Zander. Along with her and Jessica, we went and saw The Road. Interesting film. Viggo's hobo beard was impressive to say the least, and some of the scenery in this movie was just stuff that I wanted to stare at and take in for as long as possible, bleak though it was. After the movie, we headed back home so she could have a taste of my mother's cooking, which she enjoyed, as is usually the case when someone with a pulse consumes it. We then headed out to the city where we met up with the boys at Jordan's for an amazing dinner, followed by an eventful night on the town. Laura ended up getting a bit sick, but otherwise, it was a lot of fun. The impetus for inviting her out was that she's got to move back home due to lack of work opportunities, so I felt it was a nice way to send her off.
Parents were out to a wedding Saturday, so I did my best to cut through some of the backlog of TV and animu I'd worked up. And Sunday, sleepfighter came by, caught her up on House and we watched a good deal more Bones. Great way to unwind after two heavy-duty days like that.
And here we have the last two albums of my current batch. Finally time to move on to what will likely be my last grouping of the decade:
Jeph Jacques once said that the lead singer of Isis can, to new listeners, sound, "like a bear". I see what he meant. "Oceanic" has some amazing guitar riffs, and as one of my first exposures to well-made metal after a lifetime of indie rock, I should hope that's saying something. If you've paid attention to this section at all, you'll know I'm able to deal with repetition done right, and this is surely how to do it well:
"False Light"
"Carry"
The Dirty Projectors are an odd bunch to say the least. Their melodies, at first glance, sound disjointed and nonsensical, but stick with them, and they deliver a lush sound that sweetly worms its way into your head and, left unchecked, can drive you mad within hours. Wait, no, that's an earworm. Same diff. "Bitte Orca" is still a mad gem of experimental rock:
"Stillness is the Move"
"Two Doves"