Curses!

In addition to the dance festival, I'm also missing the annual free walking tours put on by Cultural Tourism DC on Saturday. Stupid job. You all should check it out, though. I did the "Before Harlem, there was U Street" tour last year and learned all kinds of cool stuff. Did you know that Ben's used to be a silent movie theater??

Another workin-late-on-a-Thursday post

I'm in my office right now, doing acquisitions stuff for the library and streaming archived episodes of This American Life. Things I've learned about from TAL of late:

- Mortified, a stage show in which grown-ups stand up and share their most embarrassing adolescent diary entries, poetry, photos, etc. Read some (and submit your own!) here.

- The Color of Love: A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South, a book by Gene Cheek, which is now on my to-read list. It struck me in the TAL interview when Cheek said, in his warm Carolina accent, "There was never a moment in my life when I did not know for a fact that I was loved." I must have been in college when I realized that not everyone felt this way. I am more confident in my parents' love than in anything else in my life and I know I'm damn lucky to have such a gift from them. It holds me upright and together, even though Mom's not here any more.

- The High Strung, a band that tours public libraries around the country. They're coming to Iota next month if anyone wants to check them out with me!

That's dancing

Unfortunately I'm a bit overbooked this weekend - booksigning at Politics & Prose with my brother, working all day Saturday, a play, a craft fair, etc. - but if YOU have some time I encourage you to check out some of the Dance DC Festival. Especially any and all of the the percussive dance (which, as you all know, occupies a special place in my heart alongside boats, kittens, and Elvis Perkins). My tap teacher's company, Tappening, will be at the Kennedy Center on Friday evening, as will the Lesole's Dance Project, a South African gumboot dance company that I've never had the pleasure of seeing but have heard fantastic things about. Here's hoping that next year will be a bit calmer for me so I can get plugged back into the dance community here and find out about these events ahead of time. :-/

Mount Pleasant will be again soon

Because I'm moving there. Get it?

I'm still waiting on the eviction of my wee apartment's current resident (who hasn't paid rent in 3 months and refuses to budge), but barring some major catastrophe I should be once again giving up my voting representation in Congress before Halloween. Knock wood and cross fingers, folks. Hopefully this post won't jinx the deal.

Do you know anything about Mount Pleasant? Do you want to? Here are some links:

The Mount Pleasant Project (documentary photography of daily life in the neighborhood)
Explore DC: Mount Pleasant (a bit of neighborhood history)
Radio CPR (community powered radio)
Historic Mount Pleasant (historic preservation organization)
Dos Gringos Cafe (brunch!)

crafty bastards

Don't forget about the Washington City Paper's CRAFTY BASTARDS craft fair this Sunday in Adams Morgan! A few of us went last year and it was super fun - lots of crafty inspiration, yummy cookies, and breakdancing (watching, not participating in).

Here's a link.

Breakdancing commences at 3. I'll be around, and so will others - text or phone if you're lonely and want to meet up!

He'll kick you apart

Morgan sent me this link to an animation about George Washington on YouTube. Go watch it. It's funny. Thanks Morgan!

Happy birthday to me!!

I won't be 27 for another two months, but check it!! The Black Cat will be hosting two of my favorite musicians especially for the occasion, it seems. Mark your calendars (your calendars should already be marked for the second one, but you should go back and underline it).

FRI NOV 17- JOANNA NEWSOM $15 mainstage 9:00

MON NOV 20- JAMIE LIDELL $15 mainstage 8:00

Cameron Tucker Home

My friend Cameron buys old stuff, turns it into new stuff, and sells it. If you're in the market for interesting furniture, you can check out her company's new website here.

M. Ward

The M. Ward show was excellent. I'd definitely see him again. He is an amazing guitar player, we were right up close to the stage, and he played all my favorite songs (except "Lullably + Exile").

The Birchmere bandstand was an odd venue, though. There were tables and it was very clean. We felt like we were in the Festhaus at Busch Gardens or something. And there was a scary wax figure of an old man with a long gray beard playing the harmonica over one of the doors. He looked like he would come to life any minute, and they kept a spotlight on him for the entire show. It was distracting. And creeeeepy.

And this has nothing to do with anything, but I was surprised at M. Ward's size. I'd seen pictures of him with those dark curls and always imagined him as a sort of tall, dark, and handsome type. But I was wrong. M. Ward is a tiny dwarf man. Seriously. He's like 5 feet tall. Still dark and handsome, though.

Austin City Limits

Pics and a short review of my Elvis' performance at Stereogum. (Thanks Dan)

Fun

Church Sign Generator over at Extreme Craft.

Also? A dress made of sock monkeys.

It's 6pm and I've got two more hours of work

So here's one of those list things:

1. A book that changed your life.
Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot. I guess it didn't change my life, but it was comforting to read something written by a person so much like me. It made me feel like less of an oddball, or perhaps helped me to embrace my idiosyncrasies and become a bit more confident/less embarrassed by the offbeat things that make me happy (most recently? fun facts about the giant squid! I'm not kidding).
Another one, maybe, is Studs Terkel's Working. It convinced me that there is no such thing as a dream job - everyone hates something about what they do, so it's best to pick a job that allows enough free time to engage in those extracurricular pursuits that make you truly fulfilled.

2. A book you’ve read more than once.
Lord, I've read a TON of books more than once. If I like it, I'll probably read it again.

3. A book you’d want on a desert island.
We just played this game at work, but we got to pick 5. I chose The Merck Manual of the Materia Medica, The Guide to Edible Plants and Animals, The Arts of the Sailor by Hervey Garrett Smith, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and Complete and Utter Failure by Neil Steinberg. The last two because I enjoy and re-read them a lot, the first three both because they'd be useful and because I enjoy reading them. I liked K's ideas of the Bible and the dictionary, but Mary's choices of a book about genocide and an econ textbook left me cold. :)

4. A book that made you giddy.
Giddy? I dunno. Maybe Assassination Vacation or Lamb.

5. A book you wish had been written.
The Secret to Getting a Museum Job in a Town Where You Have No Contacts, or maybe How to Kick the Illegal Squatter Out of Your Apartment Quickly So You Can Move In Already

6. A book that wracked you with sobs.
A picture book called Whoever You Are. Mom and I read it in Target and both started crying in the middle of the store. We bought it for Maddy. :) Ox-Cart Man also makes me cry a bit when the man sells his ox and kisses her on the nose to say goodbye.

7. A book you wish had never been written.
I'd say Crime and Punishment, since I hated reading it so much in high school, but I have a feeling I'd enjoy it if I reread it now. I guess I'd pick something exploitative, or a book that convinced a lot of people to believe in an idea that was harmful to others. Like "The Joy of Eugenics" or something.

8. A book you are currently reading.
Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession

9. A book you’ve been meaning to read.
I've got Freak Show and Muriel Spark's Girls of Slender Means out of the library right now. I've been meaning to read Life of Pi for awhile now, too.

How cliche

They're replacing the College Delly with a Starbucks.

And so goes one of the only three student watering holes in Williamsburg. I spent my 22nd birthday there (before heading out to OD for homemade chocolate cake and Hampton for the first Harry Potter movie), plus many an evening chatting with Meagan and the other Monroe girls over vegan subs.

RIP College.

Further proof

that she and I are the same person: we dress alike.



















(photo from this site)

Please just keep humoring me...

I'm sure I'll find a new obscure indie singer-songwriter imaginary boyfriend to be obsessed with soon.

But in the mean time, visit So Much Silence to download the two non-album tracks Elvis Perkins played with Dr. Dog and Cold War Kids live on KEXP yesterday!

Mixmania update

Turns out I was the lucky recipient of Draw Circles' mix - thanks Carrie!

My brother's mix is here. My sister-in-law's is here. Thanks, Jamee, for thinking I have "fabulous taste in music." :)

culinary genius

I just grilled some tofu. I marinated it in a bunch of tamari, a splash of rice vinegar, and a splash of ginger lemonade (I didn't have any lemon juice on hand). I don't really like cooking for one, especially without a recipe, but this was kinda fun. And delicious.

Other good things about today:
- Felt ill last night and didn't sleep, so I called in sick and slept in.
- Purged wardrobe in preparation for my impending move. Filled two bags with clothes to donate and hope to fill one more.
- Finally watched Memento, which my brother lent me last winter.
- Clean sheets!
- M. Ward tickets!

housewarming gift ideas

I think I may need this.

9/11 Mixmania track list revealed

Welcome strangers, here's my mixmania track list! To the regulars - this is the mix CD exchange thing I mentioned I was doing awhile back.

I originally wrote something here about what I was doing 5 years ago today, but I decided it was kind of boring and deleted it. I don't think there's anything remarkable about my story - the short version is that I was in art history class and found out what happened when I returned to my dorm at around 11am. The hours and weeks that followed are a blur. For an account that reflects my feelings in words much better than I could ever choose, check out the title essay in Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot.

Anyway, here's the list:

THE PLACE

1. "Skyscraper" - Talkdemonic
I started out with an instrumental track from this Portland laptop+drumkit+viola band's Beat Romantic album. I picked it for both the mood and the title.

2. "America" - M83
Same story from this French ambient pop outfit's album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts.

THE DAY

3. "Anthrax (Powerballad Version)" - Kimya Dawson
"They say that it's okay, but I say don't breathe that shit in"
Kimya, as usual, calls 'em how she sees 'em. From Hidden Vagenda.

4. "Four Hours in Washington" - M. Ward
"It's four in the morning and I'm turning in my bed / I wish I had a dream or a nightmare in my head / So I could stop my imagination and get some sleeping done / Now it's five in the morning and I'm wishing it was one"
Portland lo-fi crooner M. Ward's tune about a sleepless night in Washington. From his fourth album, Transistor Radio.

5. "Numb" - Portishead
"This loneliness just won't leave me alone"
From Dummy. Title explains it, I think.

6. "Waitin' For a Superman" - The Flaming Lips
"Tell everyone waiting for Superman / That they should hold on as best they can / He hasn't dropped them, forgot them, or anything / It's just too heavy for Superman to lift"
Yep. From The Soft Bulletin.

PERSONAL LOSS
I feel like the most important part of this mix CD memory exercise is remembering the thousands who lost people they loved on 9/11. Here are a few songs that deal with the loss of loved ones on a personal level:

7. "Father Adieu" - The Reeltime Travelers
"Well if I never see you anymore til that last trumpet shall sound / Prepare to meet in heaven where parting is no more"
An original from a Tennessee string band that mostly plays traditional Appalachian music. I saw them in Jonesboro a few years ago and they really blew me away. Martha Scanlan's voice breaks my heart.

8. "Ash Wednesday" - Elvis Perkins
"In the upended bedroom / A black and white of the bride and groom / Will bring me to my knees with a colorized bad dream..."
Speaking of voices (and lyrics) that break my heart, here is the title track from my new favorite singer-songwriter's recently self-released album. Elvis' mother, Berry Berenson, was on one of the planes that struck the towers on 9/11 (his dad, Anthony Perkins, died 9 years before). Elvis wrote this song about the day he had his parents' California house fumigated after his mom's death. Elvis Perkins is easily my favorite musical discovery this year; he's really helped me deal with the sudden loss of my own mother 6 months ago. Thanks to Cheryl Waters at KEXP for playing his stuff on the radio.

9. "Orange Sky" - Alexi Murdoch
"When I've lost all care for the things I own / That's when I miss you, you who are my home"
This was a recommendation from my favorite DJ, KEXP's John Richards. He played this song at his mother's funeral, and it helps me sometimes when I'm thinking about my own Mom. From the album Time Without Consequence.

10. "Vincent O'Brien" - M. Ward
"He only sings when he's sad / But he's sad all the time so he sings the whole night through / He sings in the daytime too"
Another from M. Ward. This one is from his loss-themed album Transfiguration of Vincent. Another one that's helped me these past months.

THE AFTERMATH AND THE FEELINGS SURROUNDING IT

11. "Fire" - Kimya Dawson
"He says he's protecting us but he's a liar / And I know deep down that it's down to the wire / My heart will stop if I put out the fire / As long as I'm burning / I'll keep on yearning / To save the world, not sure how but I'm learning"
Another from Kimya. I love this song; it's such a personal, honest reaction to current events. Kimya really doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks of her. I'd really like to put all the lyrics here. But I won't. From Hidden Vagenda.

12. "King Henry" - Pete Seeger
"The year it is now 1965 / It's easier far to stay half alive / Just keep your mouth shut while the planes zoom and dive / Ten thousand miles over the ocean"
Vietnam-era song that I think is still relevant today. From Seeger's Dangerous Songs!? collection.

13. "Cannon Fodder" - Laura Veirs
"Every war is brutal, stupid, expensive, and mean"
Seattle-based songwriter's anti-war song. Just lovely. From Troubled By the Fire.

14. "On the Face of It" - The Evens
"That's a tragedy of the strategy of looking out for number one"
Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina's new(ish) band. From their self-titled album.

15. "Loyal to My Sorrowful Country" - Ted Leo
"No more shall I be..."
Ted Leo's not happy. A lot of people aren't happy. From Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead.

16. "New Kicks" - Le Tigre
"PEACE! NOW!"
'Nuff said. From This Island.

REFLECTION, HEALING, AND HOPE

17. "While You Were Sleeping" - Elvis Perkins
"While you were sleeping I tossed and I turned too / I closed my eyes but the future burned through / The planet turned, a hair gray / As I re-lived the day..."
Another from the other other Elvis. His best. Links to more tracks here and here, and you can buy the album at Insound.

18. "The Ballad of John Vogelin" - Laura Veirs.
"I survived the desperate toll dark depression takes / I may not break even, but babe I'll never break..."
Another from Troubled By the Fire.

19. "Like a Songbird That Has Fallen" - The Reeltime Travelers
"Clouds of fear and misconception / Wax and wane as if the moon..."
And in closing, another from my favorite old-time Appalachian string band. This one was on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, oddly enough.


Non-players - what would you have added? I didn't have room for The Flaming Lips' "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" or Tom Waits' "Day After Tomorrow" or any Phil Ochs, though my brother took care of the last two.

Overheard in DC

Man: Have any of you seen that new Will Ferrell movie?
Woman: Oh no, I think he's such a terrible actor! I mean, he just ruined that Alexander the Great movie!

- Moby Dick's

What I do all day

Mary, K, and I all work at the same place and spend a good bit of our time emailing each other. Here is a list of subject lines from these emails (thanks mostly to our muse Mary, who was cleaning out her sent mail box today):

Student with a baby
Tacos! (occurs multiple times)
I heart TK
ho-boat
how was it? (occurs multiple times)
chocolate
eh.
huh?
Meh.
Grrr.
No game
falafel
Pants are for the young
Cat to Adopt
Oh Canada
mmmmmmmmm
art and liquor
men love you
doughnuts
how do you spell what pirates say
for the love of puppies
eat
who needs the counties!
i ate all yr chocolate
oh, phone crush
thank god i picked only child over siamese twin
cookies!

Thrift store art

Here.

Punk rock podcast / text message walking tour of DC

Here.

Home sweet home

Fishing boats
Originally uploaded by Ekrobi.

I was in Hampton this weekend and I took a few shots of places that speak "home" to me. Check out the Flickr set here. Hopefully this will become an ongoing project...

Thank god you're up now, let's stay this way...

Elvis Perkins' album Ash Wednesday is on sale now at Insound.

Road trip to see him in Baltimore embarks Monday October 16th if anyone wants to join K, Jen, and me.

"Imagine Prince producing Otis Redding at an early '90s warehouse rave."

Jamie Lidell's "Multiply" was KEXP's podcast song of the day yesterday (they've got Lady Sov today - not a bad stretch). It's an odd acoustic piano version that sounds nothing like his live stuff, but it's Jamie Lidell nonetheless! I saw him in Toronto and kind of love him.

And he's coming to the Cat for my birthday, folks - mark your calendars for November 20th!

Snakes on a Dryer

Guess what they found in the laundry room at my apartment building?