On Vox: A few things
The new Built to Spill album is the best album to come out in the last 10 years (when Keep it Like a Secret came out). Go buy it right now. It's a bit darker in tone than the last few Built to Spill albums, and includes the closest thing Doug has written to a Treepeople song since... well... Treepeople (a eulogy to State of Confusion's Pat Schmaljohn featuring Scott Schmaljohn - also of State of Confusion and Treepeople on guitar). The musicianship overall is top notch and probably about as innovative as I've heard Built to Spill get. A lot of the usual guest musicians are here (John McMahon and Sam Coomes both make appearances). There are lots of organs, and one song's got a horn interlude that works surprisingly well.
I went to Stan's Hot Dogs today for lunch (it's been such a long time since I actually said anything about what's up with me, but I haven't been vegan for over a month now). The food wasn't spectacular. The dogs felt a little insubstantial, and I'm still a tad hungry, which sucks because I probably just shoved 8000 calories down my throat to get to that point. On the other hand, the price is right. Instead of going there, I'd recommend the Boise Fry Company, who make the best veggie burger in town (and it's completely vegan). They also have a bison burger that I hear is really good, as well as fries cooked in duck fat with truffle salt (I hear mixed things about these. Never tried 'em, personally). Avoid the thinner cuts of fries, though. They tend to get really soggy in the grease, and by the end of your cone, they're like eating handfuls of potato flavored mush. Really gross.
So not being vegan has gained me about 10-15 pounds that I probably needed to gain. I've been fluctuating between about 135-140 for the past few weeks. Trying to work out a little more often to compensate. It's definitely helping. Living with my parents doesn't really help because they don't eat healthy in the slightest. This family probably eats about 8 cows a week. So I've been cooking for myself as often as possible.
Other things I've been doing lately:
- Eating Phish Food ice cream. Listening to Phish while I do it (fuck all naysayers - dudes can shred).
- Pretending not to enjoy Phish.
- Failing.
- Wondering what the hell Barack Obama actually did to justify giving him a Nobel Prize.
- Being totally stoked that NASA is shooting stuff at the moon.
- Wishing those clouds out my window would pour out some rain on us. They won't. Fuck Idaho weather.
- Playing guitar and banjo all the time.
- Saving money.
- Being boring.
I think there was something I was supposed to do tonight but I don't remember what it is. Probably wasn't very important.
Originally posted on soup.vox.com