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Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tastes change, but the song remains the same
When I was growing up, it was either Top 40 or 'album rock' stations, or my brother's record collection, mostly KISS and AC/DC. When I started in high school, it was the early '80s and I was digging on Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and Rush, primarily. Clear narrative lyrics and virtuosity were the things I latched onto, and I would forgive the clunky song structures. As metal devolved into pop, speed, hair, and death metal, I bailed to explore classic rock, especially Zeppelin, the Doors and the Dead. Listening to Clapton and Page, I found a different kind of virtuosity that could move the soul with a single aching note. The people at my high school who were also into this stuff became my circle of friends in the Charlotte area and remain so to this day.
However, I got rutted again, this time with psychedelia and jam bands. The Dead had a huge catalog, and a "friendly" scene. Here, I was enamored with the crescendo. I wanted music that forced you to be patient, that fell apart, became unraveled, and then came crashing back together on the resolving note. When Phish came about, I fell for the less prophetic/more irreverential and goofy lyrics but in the end, they played that same trick the Dead did, of denying the resolving note for an eternity before bringing the house down. They were fun shows, but that trick got old, and Phish smartly disbanded before too many people noticed they couldn't write any other kind of song. It's funny because in this era, I was forgiving terrible lyrics and formulaic songs and sloppy performance for the crescendo.
Coincident with this era, the whole Nirvana/grunge/Seattle thing happened, and I was listening to Bleach and the Meat Puppets and Jane's A and Beastie Boys and old Chili Peppers, and this was the point where I started to appreciate that there was decent rap, or that rap could be art.
I got into a bit of jazz (the late '40s thru late '60s) and classical (mostly the Classical and Romantic eras), when I moved to Michigan, but it wasn't terribly filling. Since those days, and until last year, I got into "stuff that sounds great on a nice system" (Radiohead, Bjork, Sublime), but I wasn't really buying anything new. I had no time to listen to music, until one magical Christmas morning when I got an iPod shuffle. I visited the iTunes site and discovered how easy and cheap it was to download entire albums, and to research unfamiliar music that had some connection to the stuff that I liked. I quickly ran up quite a tab with iTunes. At the same time, I was borrowing and ripping CDs from my friends Jim, Michael, and Karl. Karl has a lot of the indie pop from the past 15-20 years, so I got exposed to a lot through him, which later led to more discoveries to iTunes. Michael is big into the 2nd wave emo, shoegazer and dance scenes.
So kudos to iTunes for having a pretty good site with a ton of content. However, I no longer purchase my music online. I came to realize that the proprietary licensing that Apple applies to their product is a pain to work with. I also came to discover that the sound quality was not as nice as CD, and that I really like having the liner notes. So, I support my local music shops with my patronage, but continue to use iTunes for the research. Most of what I listen to now falls within the areas of indie rock, electronica and dance, and post-rock. Indie rock is some kind of blend of folk and pop that strives to reach a certain challenging listenability without winding up on VH1, and often escapes the "current sound" through use of alternative instrumentation and moderate to heavy post-production. Oh, and it is music that appears on independent (not major) labels. Post-rock uses the standard rock instruments to produce longish instrumental pieces with an ambient, organic aesthetic.
This brings us to the point of tonight's discussion. I'm going to do a capsule review of every purchase that I've made since I began my New Music Renaissance. I'll begin here with five of my favorites that I got from Karl.
I hope you don't hate it too much... *cringes painfully*
1)Tapes 'n Tapes The Loon
This is one of my absolute favorites from 2006. This Austin, TX band brings to mind some weird hybrid of the Violent Femmes and T-Rex. There's a lot of glam in the vocals and garage sensibility in the jangling, slamming guitar and drum rhythms in the opening tracks. There's some R-rated dangerous intimations in the desperate punk of "Insistor", and there's plenty of room to breathe and explore in the later tracks like "Omaha" and "Buckle". After a few listens, this truly feels like a work of art. The Southern roots are unquestionable, but this is just as undeniably a grimy big city record.
2)M. Ward The Transfiguration of Vincent
M.Ward is a singer/songwriter who evokes a simple "O Brother, Where Art Thou" vibe upon first listen. On "The Transfiguration...", this is due to the old-timey gospel arrangements combined with his quirky, understated delivery. Some of the tunes are heartbreakingly sweet, such as "Dead Man" and "Undertaker", while others go feel straightforward and unrelenting, like "Outta my Head" and "Helicopter". I've also picked up Transistor Radio and Post-War, which both have moments that reveal much of Ward's motivations and influences, but this one just feels timeless.
3) The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
I love this album, and even more so after listening to the ones that preceded and followed this one. The Shins are pure pop, with the capacity to get embarassingly pedantic (one song builds up to the point where the narrator dramatically flips off an unseen offender...end of song. The album closer does this repetitive Circle of Life thing). But they can also produce perfect, literate songs like "So Says I" and "Young Pilgrims". To me Chutes Too Narrow captures the best of what the Shins can do. Oh, Inverted World has beautiful pop melodies without the driving energy (and it has crappy production), while Wincing the Night Away is way overproduced and may take itself too seriously.
4) Sigur Ros Aegitus Byrnitum
I don't actually think that's how you spell the name of that record, but it's not handy. These guys are truly great. They play long, slow songs that are wonderfully produced with backing orchestral instruments. Some of the songs drag a bit, but there's usually a payoff. So what if they only sing in Icelandic? It's just more babble for me to sing to Elaine. Great atmospheric rock.
5) Beck Sea Change
Wow! This is Beck without the smirk. Not that he actually smirks, but it underlies much of his faux hip hop persona, with the powder blue suit and big lapels and huge sunglasses busting moves over Serge Gainsbourg-inspired flourishes and turntable beats with an expressionless, deadpan delivery. These songs are like the Glen Campbell era of country and western, only more melancholy, heartfelt, and distant. It's like he's actually channeling some dude who feels things, or he's showing who he really is for the first time.
However, I got rutted again, this time with psychedelia and jam bands. The Dead had a huge catalog, and a "friendly" scene. Here, I was enamored with the crescendo. I wanted music that forced you to be patient, that fell apart, became unraveled, and then came crashing back together on the resolving note. When Phish came about, I fell for the less prophetic/more irreverential and goofy lyrics but in the end, they played that same trick the Dead did, of denying the resolving note for an eternity before bringing the house down. They were fun shows, but that trick got old, and Phish smartly disbanded before too many people noticed they couldn't write any other kind of song. It's funny because in this era, I was forgiving terrible lyrics and formulaic songs and sloppy performance for the crescendo.
Coincident with this era, the whole Nirvana/grunge/Seattle thing happened, and I was listening to Bleach and the Meat Puppets and Jane's A and Beastie Boys and old Chili Peppers, and this was the point where I started to appreciate that there was decent rap, or that rap could be art.
I got into a bit of jazz (the late '40s thru late '60s) and classical (mostly the Classical and Romantic eras), when I moved to Michigan, but it wasn't terribly filling. Since those days, and until last year, I got into "stuff that sounds great on a nice system" (Radiohead, Bjork, Sublime), but I wasn't really buying anything new. I had no time to listen to music, until one magical Christmas morning when I got an iPod shuffle. I visited the iTunes site and discovered how easy and cheap it was to download entire albums, and to research unfamiliar music that had some connection to the stuff that I liked. I quickly ran up quite a tab with iTunes. At the same time, I was borrowing and ripping CDs from my friends Jim, Michael, and Karl. Karl has a lot of the indie pop from the past 15-20 years, so I got exposed to a lot through him, which later led to more discoveries to iTunes. Michael is big into the 2nd wave emo, shoegazer and dance scenes.
So kudos to iTunes for having a pretty good site with a ton of content. However, I no longer purchase my music online. I came to realize that the proprietary licensing that Apple applies to their product is a pain to work with. I also came to discover that the sound quality was not as nice as CD, and that I really like having the liner notes. So, I support my local music shops with my patronage, but continue to use iTunes for the research. Most of what I listen to now falls within the areas of indie rock, electronica and dance, and post-rock. Indie rock is some kind of blend of folk and pop that strives to reach a certain challenging listenability without winding up on VH1, and often escapes the "current sound" through use of alternative instrumentation and moderate to heavy post-production. Oh, and it is music that appears on independent (not major) labels. Post-rock uses the standard rock instruments to produce longish instrumental pieces with an ambient, organic aesthetic.
This brings us to the point of tonight's discussion. I'm going to do a capsule review of every purchase that I've made since I began my New Music Renaissance. I'll begin here with five of my favorites that I got from Karl.
I hope you don't hate it too much... *cringes painfully*
1)Tapes 'n Tapes The Loon
This is one of my absolute favorites from 2006. This Austin, TX band brings to mind some weird hybrid of the Violent Femmes and T-Rex. There's a lot of glam in the vocals and garage sensibility in the jangling, slamming guitar and drum rhythms in the opening tracks. There's some R-rated dangerous intimations in the desperate punk of "Insistor", and there's plenty of room to breathe and explore in the later tracks like "Omaha" and "Buckle". After a few listens, this truly feels like a work of art. The Southern roots are unquestionable, but this is just as undeniably a grimy big city record.
2)M. Ward The Transfiguration of Vincent
M.Ward is a singer/songwriter who evokes a simple "O Brother, Where Art Thou" vibe upon first listen. On "The Transfiguration...", this is due to the old-timey gospel arrangements combined with his quirky, understated delivery. Some of the tunes are heartbreakingly sweet, such as "Dead Man" and "Undertaker", while others go feel straightforward and unrelenting, like "Outta my Head" and "Helicopter". I've also picked up Transistor Radio and Post-War, which both have moments that reveal much of Ward's motivations and influences, but this one just feels timeless.
3) The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
I love this album, and even more so after listening to the ones that preceded and followed this one. The Shins are pure pop, with the capacity to get embarassingly pedantic (one song builds up to the point where the narrator dramatically flips off an unseen offender...end of song. The album closer does this repetitive Circle of Life thing). But they can also produce perfect, literate songs like "So Says I" and "Young Pilgrims". To me Chutes Too Narrow captures the best of what the Shins can do. Oh, Inverted World has beautiful pop melodies without the driving energy (and it has crappy production), while Wincing the Night Away is way overproduced and may take itself too seriously.
4) Sigur Ros Aegitus Byrnitum
I don't actually think that's how you spell the name of that record, but it's not handy. These guys are truly great. They play long, slow songs that are wonderfully produced with backing orchestral instruments. Some of the songs drag a bit, but there's usually a payoff. So what if they only sing in Icelandic? It's just more babble for me to sing to Elaine. Great atmospheric rock.
5) Beck Sea Change
Wow! This is Beck without the smirk. Not that he actually smirks, but it underlies much of his faux hip hop persona, with the powder blue suit and big lapels and huge sunglasses busting moves over Serge Gainsbourg-inspired flourishes and turntable beats with an expressionless, deadpan delivery. These songs are like the Glen Campbell era of country and western, only more melancholy, heartfelt, and distant. It's like he's actually channeling some dude who feels things, or he's showing who he really is for the first time.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A Tangle of Tastings
I've tried a number of beers in the past month or so, but couldn't find the time for a decent writeup. So before I forget my impressions, I'll briefly cover a group of them.
Whitetail Golden Ale Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville VT.
I drank a few jars of this at Jon's wedding. Wow. This is a medium-light spiced summer beer with a healthy dose of Pacific Northwest hops (Northern Brewer and Mt. Hood). It has that really nice combination of pungent hop nose and taste combined with an orange sweetness. There's also a peppery component to add to the complexity of the brew. I really liked it. Much like Bell's Oberon, I'm betting that this one is best on tap.
Newcastle Nut Brown Ale
I intended to do a full tasting writeup of this one, because I've long claimed it as my favorite beer. Revisiting it after trying so many microbrews led to the surprising finding that there's not much there. It has a lovely medium-light body with ample carbonation and enough protein lingering to produce largish bubbles, leading to a creamy head. There is a natural sweetness that is not immediately apparent, much like the sweetness that you get from pecans. The bitterness also is nutty, as opposed to a roasted or hoppy bitterness. And that's it. It's quite drinkable, but ultimately very uncomplicated, to the point that I was bored with it when doing the tasting. I'll try it again soon to see if I missed anything.
Dortmunder Gold Lager Great Lakes Brewery, Cleveland OH
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Burning River Pale Ale
Holy Moses White Ale
There was a sampler 12 pack in the store.
I liked all of these. The Dortmunder was a surprisingly full-bodied lager with nice sweetness and a touch of aromatic hops. Very pleasant, simple, and refreshing. I would love to find this on tap in the summertime. It's nice to have a lager without the sour aftertaste.
Eddie Fitz is one of those rare beers that does better in the bottle than on tap. It's a richly complicated porter that changes drastically as it warms. The predominant flavor for me is anise, but that changes once you sip it and let the other flavors blossom. Trouble is, I'd rather have an Imperial Stout.
Holy Moses is a perfectly acceptable White Ale. Goodness, but aren't there ENOUGH FREAKING WHITE ALES OUT THERE THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THEY ALL TASTE JUST FINE.
Finally, Burning River is one of those American-style pale ales that would be considered an IPA in England. As such, it has enough balancing malt to be palatable (to me), but the tap/cooler selections would have to be pretty slim for me to actually order/grab one over many other beers.
Anyways, I enjoyed this sampler, and can safely say that Cleveland is in good hands.
Batch 8,000 Bell's, Kalamazoo, MI
Bell's 8,000th commemorative batch is (drumroll) a Belgian Wit! Otherwise known as a white ale, even though wit means wheat. So, it's essentially the same recipe as Jill's Breech Baby Beer, with the addition of grains of Paradise. The bottle instructions say that this beer is best fresh, and that it will never be made again. After tasting, I believe that they aged this in the warehouse until it was perfect, or they did a long secondary fermentation, because the orange, coriander, malt and hops have mingled beautifully. It is a spectacular specimen of a wit.
Whitetail Golden Ale Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville VT.
I drank a few jars of this at Jon's wedding. Wow. This is a medium-light spiced summer beer with a healthy dose of Pacific Northwest hops (Northern Brewer and Mt. Hood). It has that really nice combination of pungent hop nose and taste combined with an orange sweetness. There's also a peppery component to add to the complexity of the brew. I really liked it. Much like Bell's Oberon, I'm betting that this one is best on tap.
Newcastle Nut Brown Ale
I intended to do a full tasting writeup of this one, because I've long claimed it as my favorite beer. Revisiting it after trying so many microbrews led to the surprising finding that there's not much there. It has a lovely medium-light body with ample carbonation and enough protein lingering to produce largish bubbles, leading to a creamy head. There is a natural sweetness that is not immediately apparent, much like the sweetness that you get from pecans. The bitterness also is nutty, as opposed to a roasted or hoppy bitterness. And that's it. It's quite drinkable, but ultimately very uncomplicated, to the point that I was bored with it when doing the tasting. I'll try it again soon to see if I missed anything.
Dortmunder Gold Lager Great Lakes Brewery, Cleveland OH
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Burning River Pale Ale
Holy Moses White Ale
There was a sampler 12 pack in the store.
I liked all of these. The Dortmunder was a surprisingly full-bodied lager with nice sweetness and a touch of aromatic hops. Very pleasant, simple, and refreshing. I would love to find this on tap in the summertime. It's nice to have a lager without the sour aftertaste.
Eddie Fitz is one of those rare beers that does better in the bottle than on tap. It's a richly complicated porter that changes drastically as it warms. The predominant flavor for me is anise, but that changes once you sip it and let the other flavors blossom. Trouble is, I'd rather have an Imperial Stout.
Holy Moses is a perfectly acceptable White Ale. Goodness, but aren't there ENOUGH FREAKING WHITE ALES OUT THERE THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THEY ALL TASTE JUST FINE.
Finally, Burning River is one of those American-style pale ales that would be considered an IPA in England. As such, it has enough balancing malt to be palatable (to me), but the tap/cooler selections would have to be pretty slim for me to actually order/grab one over many other beers.
Anyways, I enjoyed this sampler, and can safely say that Cleveland is in good hands.
Batch 8,000 Bell's, Kalamazoo, MI
Bell's 8,000th commemorative batch is (drumroll) a Belgian Wit! Otherwise known as a white ale, even though wit means wheat. So, it's essentially the same recipe as Jill's Breech Baby Beer, with the addition of grains of Paradise. The bottle instructions say that this beer is best fresh, and that it will never be made again. After tasting, I believe that they aged this in the warehouse until it was perfect, or they did a long secondary fermentation, because the orange, coriander, malt and hops have mingled beautifully. It is a spectacular specimen of a wit.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
More on KKJJ wedding festivities
Too much content for just one post!
First, Jill's cousins Eric and Jon are really fun people, and it's always great to hang out with Jill's sister, Gwen, and her family. Gwen and Clint share our love of games, so we always bring something along. This time, I brought Citadels and Gwen brought For Sale. We got in a quick round of For Sale on Friday (I think Gwen won).
Then, on Saturday, we agreed to get in a game of Citadels between brunch and the wedding. Jill's dad and his two siblings muscled their way into the game (OK, they wanted to spend time with us, and who can blame them?). So I ended up teaching this relatively simple game of assassins, warlords, and magicians to three non-gamers. At one point, Aunt Harriet muttered, "Couldn't we just play hearts?". But after three rounds, everyone seemed to see what was happening, at which time we had to get moving to make the wedding. Everyone politely lied about how much they liked the game. Well, Gwen and Clint were intrigued, and wanted to try again later.
After the wedding dinner, a storm of epic proportions rolled in. Jon had manned the turntables, and as the light show unfolded, he cackled and put on "Flight of the Valkyries". At this point, the breeze turned into wind, the lightning went crazy, the power went out, and all parents with babies ran pell mell for the house. The power fluxxed in and out over the next hour, but most people hung out in the relative non-safety of the tent, dancing to Jon's AM Gold selections. Clint said that they were taking off, so I made efforts to get Jill, Elaine, David and Harriet underway.
When we arrived at the cross street (Main St.) that our hotel was on, we encountered a road block. The rain was still coming down, as well as lightning. Officer Unhelpful told us that our hotel was "Ground Zero" for downed power lines and trees, and that he couldn't say any more. "I can't help you", was the reply when we said that the baby formula was at the hotel, and could he recommend a store that still had power. Clint found an alterate route back to the hotel. It turns out that the downed lines and tree were a block from the hotel, and that we were actually outside of the other road block, which presumably quarantined "Ground Zero".
So that evening found us huddled around a little table in Gwen's room, flashlights pointed at the ceiling, for a 4p game of Citadels. I was clearly the target, having played more than anyone else. However, the thief and assassin were often in the unused pile, somehow. I used the thief to steal a large pile of gold from Clint, who took Merchant for about three straight turns. I couldn't get the Architect to capitalize on this, however, so Gwen built to 8 before me, and won by 5 points.
First, Jill's cousins Eric and Jon are really fun people, and it's always great to hang out with Jill's sister, Gwen, and her family. Gwen and Clint share our love of games, so we always bring something along. This time, I brought Citadels and Gwen brought For Sale. We got in a quick round of For Sale on Friday (I think Gwen won).
Then, on Saturday, we agreed to get in a game of Citadels between brunch and the wedding. Jill's dad and his two siblings muscled their way into the game (OK, they wanted to spend time with us, and who can blame them?). So I ended up teaching this relatively simple game of assassins, warlords, and magicians to three non-gamers. At one point, Aunt Harriet muttered, "Couldn't we just play hearts?". But after three rounds, everyone seemed to see what was happening, at which time we had to get moving to make the wedding. Everyone politely lied about how much they liked the game. Well, Gwen and Clint were intrigued, and wanted to try again later.
After the wedding dinner, a storm of epic proportions rolled in. Jon had manned the turntables, and as the light show unfolded, he cackled and put on "Flight of the Valkyries". At this point, the breeze turned into wind, the lightning went crazy, the power went out, and all parents with babies ran pell mell for the house. The power fluxxed in and out over the next hour, but most people hung out in the relative non-safety of the tent, dancing to Jon's AM Gold selections. Clint said that they were taking off, so I made efforts to get Jill, Elaine, David and Harriet underway.
When we arrived at the cross street (Main St.) that our hotel was on, we encountered a road block. The rain was still coming down, as well as lightning. Officer Unhelpful told us that our hotel was "Ground Zero" for downed power lines and trees, and that he couldn't say any more. "I can't help you", was the reply when we said that the baby formula was at the hotel, and could he recommend a store that still had power. Clint found an alterate route back to the hotel. It turns out that the downed lines and tree were a block from the hotel, and that we were actually outside of the other road block, which presumably quarantined "Ground Zero".
So that evening found us huddled around a little table in Gwen's room, flashlights pointed at the ceiling, for a 4p game of Citadels. I was clearly the target, having played more than anyone else. However, the thief and assassin were often in the unused pile, somehow. I used the thief to steal a large pile of gold from Clint, who took Merchant for about three straight turns. I couldn't get the Architect to capitalize on this, however, so Gwen built to 8 before me, and won by 5 points.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Jon and Kerrigan's Wedding
Cambridge is located just south of the Adirondacks state park, in some of the most beautiful country you'll ever see. The property where the wedding was held is a large tract containing a lovely farmhouse, a pool, two spring-fed ponds (used for swimming), and a sauna. The image below shows the view from the tent where most of the festivities took place. This place was just amazing.
The land is unfarmed (at least in recent years) so it is surrounded by beautiful meadows. The wedding took place on top of a huge hill, in a shady spot among some trees. The entire wedding party had to trek along a tramped-down trail up to the wedding site, which was an adventure unto itself. (The little shed on the upper left is the sauna overlooking one of the swimming ponds.)
Jon and Kerrigan had a simple Quaker ceremony. Everyone was given bells to carry and jingle. At various points on the procession, tiny horns would sound, and the people would rattle their bells and emit yelps and yodels. Upon arrival at the site, we sat solemnly in the peaceful shade and jingled our bells. After this, silence was observed for a few moments. Finally, the ceremony proper began,with Kerrigan standing on her chair and telling Jon how she happy she was to be marrying him. Jon responded with some words of his own, followed by a memorable and joyous Happy Dance.
There was a presentation of rings (I think), and then Jon received his wedding present from Kerrigan: the customary pink trumpet. Then, anyone present (the officiants) who wished to say a few words about Jon, Kerrigan, their relationship, and their marriage-worthiness, were alloted time to say their piece. After some great reminiscences and a few emotional benedictions, the ceremony was concluded. We all toasted the couple with Ting, a Jamaican grapefruit soda, before heading back down the hill for some great Indian food.
It was all great fun. I almost wished that I had gone the Quaker route with my wedding. Thanks, J and K, for having us out. If you want to see more pics of the weekend, go here.
Elaine was a great little travel buddy, on the plane and otherwise. Jill says that we should not avoid taking trips on her account in the future. I tend to agree.
Edit: I had originally posted pics of the wedding ceremony here and on the Picasa site. The bride and groom have asked that these be removed. I had no idea that we weren't supposed to record the wedding, and Jill and I offer our sincerest apologies to Jon and Kerrigan for this intrusion.
The land is unfarmed (at least in recent years) so it is surrounded by beautiful meadows. The wedding took place on top of a huge hill, in a shady spot among some trees. The entire wedding party had to trek along a tramped-down trail up to the wedding site, which was an adventure unto itself. (The little shed on the upper left is the sauna overlooking one of the swimming ponds.)
Jon and Kerrigan had a simple Quaker ceremony. Everyone was given bells to carry and jingle. At various points on the procession, tiny horns would sound, and the people would rattle their bells and emit yelps and yodels. Upon arrival at the site, we sat solemnly in the peaceful shade and jingled our bells. After this, silence was observed for a few moments. Finally, the ceremony proper began,with Kerrigan standing on her chair and telling Jon how she happy she was to be marrying him. Jon responded with some words of his own, followed by a memorable and joyous Happy Dance.
There was a presentation of rings (I think), and then Jon received his wedding present from Kerrigan: the customary pink trumpet. Then, anyone present (the officiants) who wished to say a few words about Jon, Kerrigan, their relationship, and their marriage-worthiness, were alloted time to say their piece. After some great reminiscences and a few emotional benedictions, the ceremony was concluded. We all toasted the couple with Ting, a Jamaican grapefruit soda, before heading back down the hill for some great Indian food.
It was all great fun. I almost wished that I had gone the Quaker route with my wedding. Thanks, J and K, for having us out. If you want to see more pics of the weekend, go here.
Elaine was a great little travel buddy, on the plane and otherwise. Jill says that we should not avoid taking trips on her account in the future. I tend to agree.
Edit: I had originally posted pics of the wedding ceremony here and on the Picasa site. The bride and groom have asked that these be removed. I had no idea that we weren't supposed to record the wedding, and Jill and I offer our sincerest apologies to Jon and Kerrigan for this intrusion.
Friday, August 24, 2007
OUT OF TOWN
We're off to see Jill's cousin Jon get married to a very patient woman, Kerrigan, in a Quaker ceremony in rural NY. See you Monday.
(Don't worry, there's still land above Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. The map below employs artistic license.)
Cambridge, NY Fun Facts:
Population (year 2000): 2,152. Estimated population in July 2006: 2,211 (+2.7% change)
Races in Cambridge:
* White Non-Hispanic (96.9%)
* Hispanic (1.1%)
* Black (0.8%)
* American Indian (0.7%)
* Two or more races (0.6%)
For population 25 years and over in Cambridge
* High school or higher: 86.2%
* Bachelor's degree or higher: 28.0%
* Graduate or professional degree: 13.4%
* Unemployed: 4.8%
* Mean travel time to work: 29.5 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Cambridge town
* Never married: 19.5%
* Now married: 63.1%
* Separated: 2.4%
* Widowed: 5.4%
* Divorced: 9.6%
According to our research there were 2 registered sex offenders living in Cambridge, New York in early 2007.
The ratio of number of residents in Cambridge to the number of sex offenders is 1119 to 1.
(From City-Data.com)
(Don't worry, there's still land above Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. The map below employs artistic license.)
Cambridge, NY Fun Facts:
Population (year 2000): 2,152. Estimated population in July 2006: 2,211 (+2.7% change)
Races in Cambridge:
* White Non-Hispanic (96.9%)
* Hispanic (1.1%)
* Black (0.8%)
* American Indian (0.7%)
* Two or more races (0.6%)
For population 25 years and over in Cambridge
* High school or higher: 86.2%
* Bachelor's degree or higher: 28.0%
* Graduate or professional degree: 13.4%
* Unemployed: 4.8%
* Mean travel time to work: 29.5 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Cambridge town
* Never married: 19.5%
* Now married: 63.1%
* Separated: 2.4%
* Widowed: 5.4%
* Divorced: 9.6%
According to our research there were 2 registered sex offenders living in Cambridge, New York in early 2007.
The ratio of number of residents in Cambridge to the number of sex offenders is 1119 to 1.
(From City-Data.com)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Warning: "Cutie-Pie Snuggle-Bunny Puddin'-Butt" Ahead
If you think you can handle all that, here's a slideshow of recent Elaine-related pics.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Mustafa won again.
We played a rousing game of Liberte' at Kathy and Mustafa's place tonight. Jill and I were supposed to be a two-headed player, but Elaine was fussy. I don't think she slept a combined 1 hour all day, and she was just exhausted.
So, the game. It was fun, as always. I decided to thinly seed the board with blocks from the best cards I had in my opening hand. Eventually, I realized that I had a shot at leading the Moderates to victory, so I went for it. Kathy was my main competition, but to stay in the running, she had to sacrifice her sole Moderate personality card to defend a region. This left her with no one to put forth when we tied for Moderate leadership, and so I won the 5 VPs.
Going into the 2nd round, my sole goal was to win the Battle. I drew cards on my first two turns, landing a Club card and a crappy General. I used both of them to place markers in the Battle Box. I had another crappy general that I planned on trotting out if anyone offed the first guy. Problem was, the Radicals were making a run. So I spent one turn eliminating a radical stronghold, and another turn executing a general. Here lay the problem...which general? Jonathan was immediately after me, and then Kathy. Both had one marker in the Battle Box to my two. I axed Bonaparte, Kathy's general. Of course, Jonathan put a marker in the Battle Box, and Mustafa finished off the red pile, ending the round. Jonathan's general was better than mine, so he got 5VPs and I got nothing. Plus, Kathy admitted that she had not even intended to keep putting markers in the Battle Box.
None of this mattered, as it turned out. We headed into the third round with Jonathan at 8, and three of us tied with 5, and Mustafa bringing up the rear with 3.
Then, it happened.
Everyone suddenly had a bunch of white (Royalists). Plus, much of the white from previous rounds had been left lying around, unvictorious (or perhaps seeded there from the beginning of the game?). And for some reason, when people place white, they tend to want to do it in the counter-revolutionary regions, marked with a fleur-de-lis. Mustafa started suggesting places for people to put their blocks and they listened to him. Right after we had spent a good 10 minutes laughing about how he always does this. The camel's back was broken when he told a certain player to place her three white blocks "Two here and one here. You can push for a counter revolution! You'll win!" One round later, Mustafa triggered a counter revolution and won, throwing his deceitful hands into the air in mock surprise. OK, maybe he was actually surprised BUT HIS HANDS ARE NOT HONEST.
Despite the frustrations of the last two rounds, and poor Elaine being too tired to sleep, we had a great time, and it was nice to be able to visit again with Nestor, Ivana, and Maria before they head back to Belgrade. We initially met them last Friday when the same gang played some For Sale and Citadels at our place
Thanks Kathy and Mustafa, as always.
...next time...grrr....
Here's pics of Liberte' and of the group last Friday.
Clockwise from left: Ivana and Maria, Jill, Mustafa, Kathy, Jonathan, and Nestor
Nestor and Jonathan
Elaine inspects the Liberte' setup
So, the game. It was fun, as always. I decided to thinly seed the board with blocks from the best cards I had in my opening hand. Eventually, I realized that I had a shot at leading the Moderates to victory, so I went for it. Kathy was my main competition, but to stay in the running, she had to sacrifice her sole Moderate personality card to defend a region. This left her with no one to put forth when we tied for Moderate leadership, and so I won the 5 VPs.
Going into the 2nd round, my sole goal was to win the Battle. I drew cards on my first two turns, landing a Club card and a crappy General. I used both of them to place markers in the Battle Box. I had another crappy general that I planned on trotting out if anyone offed the first guy. Problem was, the Radicals were making a run. So I spent one turn eliminating a radical stronghold, and another turn executing a general. Here lay the problem...which general? Jonathan was immediately after me, and then Kathy. Both had one marker in the Battle Box to my two. I axed Bonaparte, Kathy's general. Of course, Jonathan put a marker in the Battle Box, and Mustafa finished off the red pile, ending the round. Jonathan's general was better than mine, so he got 5VPs and I got nothing. Plus, Kathy admitted that she had not even intended to keep putting markers in the Battle Box.
None of this mattered, as it turned out. We headed into the third round with Jonathan at 8, and three of us tied with 5, and Mustafa bringing up the rear with 3.
Then, it happened.
Everyone suddenly had a bunch of white (Royalists). Plus, much of the white from previous rounds had been left lying around, unvictorious (or perhaps seeded there from the beginning of the game?). And for some reason, when people place white, they tend to want to do it in the counter-revolutionary regions, marked with a fleur-de-lis. Mustafa started suggesting places for people to put their blocks and they listened to him. Right after we had spent a good 10 minutes laughing about how he always does this. The camel's back was broken when he told a certain player to place her three white blocks "Two here and one here. You can push for a counter revolution! You'll win!" One round later, Mustafa triggered a counter revolution and won, throwing his deceitful hands into the air in mock surprise. OK, maybe he was actually surprised BUT HIS HANDS ARE NOT HONEST.
Despite the frustrations of the last two rounds, and poor Elaine being too tired to sleep, we had a great time, and it was nice to be able to visit again with Nestor, Ivana, and Maria before they head back to Belgrade. We initially met them last Friday when the same gang played some For Sale and Citadels at our place
Thanks Kathy and Mustafa, as always.
...next time...grrr....
Here's pics of Liberte' and of the group last Friday.
Clockwise from left: Ivana and Maria, Jill, Mustafa, Kathy, Jonathan, and Nestor
Nestor and Jonathan
Elaine inspects the Liberte' setup
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Yo, Doggs! I Defended My Thesis!
First off, I don't actually refer to people as 'Dogg' IRL. Just like I don't use LOL online. Just a clarification.
Here is some amount of photographic evidence of the deed done:
A stack of theses, unrevised but turned in.
We have time for a few questions...
And now I have more time to spend with Elaine, so here's a bonus pic to celebrate that:
Here is some amount of photographic evidence of the deed done:
A stack of theses, unrevised but turned in.
We have time for a few questions...
And now I have more time to spend with Elaine, so here's a bonus pic to celebrate that:
In other news, sorry for not being around for awhile. This will improve drastically. Also sorry for putting up that stupid Pitchfork music player. I didn't realize that it doesn't EVER refresh with new songs, plus it comes on automatically when you reload the main page. It is gone. I will try to find a more user-friendly way of sharing music that I like. Look for the beginning of a multi-partite New Music series soon.
That is all. It feels good to be almost done.
That is all. It feels good to be almost done.
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