For a couple years I was in the habit of exchanging yearly soundtracks with a close friend. They acted as a score to our lives, but it was also often an exercise in cartharsis. But for the past two years, my life has been less emotionally tumultuous, and because of my living, working, and transportation arrangements, I have had less time for music, and therefore have missed a few soundtracks. This year was similar, but I refused to skip another year, so I threw something together. It's hard because I spent most of the year listening to a few albums over and over. As a result, there isn't much variety, so I kept it short.
Here is the track listing for 2010; I call it 12 Songs for 12 Months:
"Twilight Galaxy" - Metric
"Knotty Pine" - Dirty Projectors Featuring David Byrne
"Big Red Machine" - Justin Vernon & Aaron Dessner
"Tightrope" - Yeasayer
"Gentle Hour" - Yo La Tengo
"Changes" - Stars
"I Died So I Could Haunt You" - Stars
"Psychic City (Classixx Remix)" - Yacht
"Hysteric" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Robots" - Flight of the Conchords
"Walking Down the Hill" - Travis
"King's Highway" - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
I thought about posting videos instead of a list but nearly none of these songs have official videos and anyway, even with only 12 songs this post would be too long for anyone to slog through if I embedded videos for all of them. However, I will mail a copy to anyone who wants one, just email me at mistymichael15@gmail.com.
So my friend NJA wrote a post dedicated to Hanukkah related videos earlier this month (and even though Hanukkah is over I would recommend checking it out!) and yesterday my friend Rachel posted about her favorite holiday music, so I thought I would follow the trend. Some of mine are pretty cheesy, probably because I grew up listening to "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" every year at my grandmother's house.
"Nutcracker Suite"
I will listen to pretty much any version of the Nutcracker Suite. This one, though not traditional, is very upbeat and festive.
"The Chipmunk Song"
Let's be real. I was a kid during the run of the second Chipmunks television show, so I ate up all their stuff. I particularly liked Theodore because he was just plain nice.
"Carol of the Bells"
A little more traditional here. I particularly like the more traditional versions of this one, which is why I picked this video instead of say, that of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
"Little Saint Nick"
I had this on cassette and loved it.
"Let It Snow"
As an adult, my love for the, uh . . . classier Christmas songs has grown.
"Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth"
It's not necessarily that this is a favorite, but how could I leave out this video? It's also kind of fun to check out the Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly parody.
And just for fun, "Hallelujah Chorus" performed by a flash mob . . .
I've taken over the filing duties at work. Yep, that is exactly as thrilling as it sounds. However, it does allow me a little quality time with my iPod. It's a pretty huge task, and to keep me in a zone, I've been listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs latest, It's Blitz, which I'm only now discovering more than a year after it was released. The whole album is great, and while my favorite song is currently the slightly slower "Hysteric," the opening track, "Zero," does a great job of getting me pumped about putting files on shelves. Woo-hoo!
Karen O makes me want to buy hi-top sneakers and wear red lipstick everyday. Also, shopping cart shenanigans? Awesome.
I've been in Pennsylvania since late Saturday night, and I won't be home until late Monday night. I expect I'll post about my adventures in the Keystone State, but for now, here's a funny song about Pennsylvania, set to the tune of Katy Perry's "California Gurls."
Music has a glorious ability to enhance or transform our mood. We all have those songs that make us feel happy, sad, lost, thoughtful, pumped, or impassioned in some way. Some bright songs will pick us up in spite of an otherwise sour mood (although admittedly, some depressions are so deep that even the liveliest, cheeriest of tunes becomes a cruel mockery of our unhappiness). And some bad moods call for music that will bring catharsis; raging guitars inspire a burst of angry energy that can beat out negativity, sad songs let one embrace a loss. I like to listen to Tori Amos's Little Earthquakes for a good cry that is guaranteed to bring me to the bottom of a slump so I can climb out again. Music has been an incredible crutch for me in my life, and I know so many people feel the same way.
I've been fortunate to call myself relatively happy for a while now, and consequently I have felt a little less affected by the music I listen to. This means that to some extent I have been less able to attach the songs I've discovered lately with my experiences. However, this doesn't mean I don't still enjoy music immensely, and I continue to be swayed by the tunes in my life. Currently I cannot stop listening to a compilation called Dark Was the Night, a 2009 charity album that benefits HIV and AIDS by raising awareness and funds for relief. Picking a single favorite of the two disc set is, without exaggeration, impossible for me to do. I could probably narrow it down to six or seven if pressed, and the list might vary depending on when I am asked.
I selected the following tracks for inclusion here because I feel they foster a certain pensiveness. On Tuesday this week, I took the bus to and from work (the bf works from home on Tuesdays), and there is something about riding in a vehicle (or several) for over an hour without speaking to others that makes me feel very reflective. These songs enhanced that feeling.
Again, while I can't choose a favorite, I would say the spotlight here is on Yo La Tengo's "Gentle Hour," a song that makes me feel a several things, some seemingly incongruent with others and all somewhat difficult to define, including an intense yearning--an excitement that is hopeful but almost melancholy. More potent though, is the feeling of contentedness I get when I listen to the song. It makes me feel so happy that I wouldn't change a single thing in my world, giving me a such a sheer joy for life that I even appreciate the sensory experience of a bus ride and all the noise and odor and jostling that goes with it.
I am so glad to live in an age in which we not only have recorded music, but portable music as well. I'm sure traveling minstrels were grand, and I still say there's nothing like hearing music live, but I consider the library of music available to us a great blessing.
I'm in Washington state! Specifically, I'm staying with a dear friend in Tumwater, which is near Olympia, the capital. We wrote a post together on her blog, Vinegar upon Nitre. It features some awesome music videos. Check it out!
Whew. It's been a busy couple of weeks. It's been fun for me, but bad for my blog, as I haven't had much time to be pensive. Here's a recap of my recent activities. I'll try to keep it interesting, but I must admit this post is primarily self-absorbed.
During the week of the 11th, Matt's step-brother, Mike, was vacationing in San Diego with his wife and kids, so we hung out with them one night and babysat the kids another. They have a five year old girl and a three year old boy, and they say, if you'll forgive the cliche, the darnedest things. The week produced such gems as, "I think I'll draw a nocturnal, like a skunk," and "I'm three so I get privacy."
That weekend, Matt's mom, Sue, and her husband, Peter (Mike's dad), came to visit. Before Mike and his family left, we all had breakfast with the parents at a great Salvadoran place called El Salvadoreno. It's pretty much one of my favorite places in town. Their pupusas are great but lately I've been into the plantain stuffed with beef:
The rest of the day was spent with Matt's mom and Peter. We went for a walk in Torrey Pines, then we went to see an exhibit at the Lux Art Institute in Encinitas.
Torrey Pines
That evening, we took Sue and Peter to Lucha Libre, a local taco shop with a Mexican wrestling theme (hence the name). We chose this establishment over others partly because it's very unique and not something you can get anywhere else, but mostly because Matt and I have been wanting to sit at their "Champion's Booth" for a while now. Basically, in a joint where everyone else is ordering at the counter and being served in take-out containers, those at the Champion's Booth get wait service and food served on gold plates. The booth requires reservations, so Matt made them for us. We didn't tell his mom and Peter about the place, wanting to surprise them, which in retrospect may have been a little cruel of us, because we told them we had reservation which I think led them to believe it was a fancier restaurant. They both showed up in nice clothes looking well coiffed. However, they were very good sports about it, and even donned some wresting masks with us:
Sunday we started with a nice hike on Black Mountain led by a group called the Canyoneers. Afterward we went to the Hillcrest Farmer's Market (the one good idea I had that weekend, Matt came up with everything else). For dinner, Matt made spinach pasta, although we all helped crank out the noodles:
Our last outing with Peter and Sue was on Monday, when we dined at Cantina Mayahuel. Overall, I really enjoyed spending all that time with them because this is the first time they've been in town since Matt and I started dating. I've met them before, but never on my own turf.
Their departure did not result in much restfulness on our parts. Thursday we hung out with friends and Friday my old roommate and her boyfriend were in town so we all had dinner at the SoHo Restaurant and Lounge.
Yesterday we went to Chicano Park Day. Chicano Park is located beneath the Coronado Bridge, and it has a ton of great murals (and I am picky about my murals, I prefer them conceptual, landscapes can be so tacky). The festival they have there each April hosts performers of music and traditional dance, delicious food, and an excellent car show. Although many of the cars feature misogynistic artwork, I still really appreciate the skill they display.
(The woman on the other side of the hood was topless.)
We couldn't stay at Chicano Park for long because we had to drive up to Riverside for the wedding of my high school best friend. I hadn't seen her since I was 18, and I was around for the beginnings of her relationship with the great guy that is now her husband. It was a long drive and Matt and I were exhausted but it was really great to see her again.
Today Matt and I met up with his friend Ron at the Roots Festival, which is a free street fair/music festival that takes place in our neighborhood. In the past the festival has been more oriented on folk and local music, but it seems to be getting more pop-y (much to Matt's dismay). We checked out a group called The Reflectacles, listened to a few songs by The Watson Twins (perhaps most famous for the album perform they did with Jenny Lewis, of Rilo Kiley fame), and watched Sara Watkins play the fiddle. In between we ate polish sausages and ice cream, and laughed at all the weird vendors they brought in this year as part of some weird holistic health thing.
Overall, I've had a really great, really tiring couple of weekends. Incredibly interesting for me, although probably less interesting as a post. Next time, I'll be sure to post something that sounds less like a school report titled "What-I-Did-On-My-Summer-Vacation."
Today I hung out with my friends Justin and Chris. They picked me up in the afternoon and I said, "Where are we going?" And they said, "We don't know." And then suddenly, we were on the road driving to Orange County. The drive was long-ish but the music and company were good.
We went to a Fry's so Justin could look at music and Chris could look at video games and Chris warned me that I was about to enter the tackiest Fry's ever. I thought he meant that it was dirty and filled with people you'd expect to see at Wal-Mart, but what he actually meant was that the place is looked like a cheap, Roman-themed movie set. There were fake statues and columns everywhere, it was seriously odd.
Next we went to a Guitar World, where I had the odd pleasure of taking my GoGirl on its virgin voyage. The bathroom was so gross I decided to use the "feminine urination device" that I received in my stocking at Christmas to avoid contact with the toilet seat. It's seriously awesome and it makes me want to write my name in snow.
Then at Second Spin I purchased three used CDs at very reasonable prices. I'm finally checking out The Dresden Dolls and I also found an Okkervil River album. Yay, new music!
We concluded our field trip with dinner at Mi Casa, where the cheese comes with a side of taco, beans, and rice.
I had a super fun day and now I'm home snuggling with the cat. My life is pretty good.
One of the interesting (relatively speaking) features of my job is hearing all the different sorts of things people record for their outgoing message on their answering machine. I've heard some interesting things, sometimes in content and sometimes in tone. One thing many people say is, "Have a blessed day." Today, I left a message for a client whose recorded voice instructs the caller, "Create a beautiful day for yourself." When she returned my call, she was a pleasure to talk to and called me "Miss Michael" several times. I would venture that she's nice to talk to because she practices having a good attitude about things.
I'm a little ambivalent about the idea of thinking positively. On one hand, I complain a lot. My boyfriend thinks I'm happy when I complain and while I'm not sure that's true, I admit I complain frequently. I knew a girl that was planning to go for a month without complaining because she thought it would change her life. That's just the sort of hokey crap that turns me off. (As a side note, I never got the follow-up story from her so I don't know if she succeeded). This person also believed in the law of attraction, and I just can't believe in that sort of thing, personally. I don't believe in the power of prayer or that the universe will grant a person what he or she wants just because of his or her thoughts. Actions matter. In my opinion, the concept is completely ludicrous and I'm always surprised when otherwise logical people live by it. This is why I've been wanting to read Barbara Ehrenreich's Bright-Sided ever since I saw her promoting the book on The Daily Show. From what I've seen and read, in the book she points out that thinking positively can lead to delusion and examines its effects on an individual and national level.
While I don't live by the idea that thoughts have the power to change your life, I do believe in making the best of a situation. Despite my complaining, I try to enjoy my life. I think the advantage of thinking positively is much more direct than the "power of attraction" suggests. On a basic level, if one goes into a situation with a good attitude, the pleasantries of the situation will be more evident. On the other hand, if one goes into a situation with a bad attitude, one will find things to be unhappy about. I know this from personal experience because I've definitely been guilty of it at various times in my life (I'm looking at you, teenage-Michael). A while back, I went through a period of depression, and it felt like even when I tried to be happy I couldn't. A friend told me I needed to fix my attitude, and while part of me resented the idea, he had a point. There's a Rilo Kiley song called "The Good That Won't Come Out" with the line, "You say I choose sadness/that it never once has chosen me/maybe you're right." This song was particularly meaningful for me during that period.
I have experienced many life changes since that period in my life: I have a better job, a great boyfriend, and I live in a neighborhood more suited to my lifestyle. I can largely thank these changes for the end of my depression. However, I still try to remember that line, and to remind myself that there is an upside to thinking positively. I do think it's possible, in a limited sense, to "create a beautiful day."
So, I've had a brief hiatus from my computer. It was in bad shape, so I took it to a repair shop last week. It was ready by Friday, so I wanted to pick it up that night and have it for the weekend.
Well, Friday afternoon, Matt accidentally locked his keys in the trunk of his car. This is mostly irrelevant so I won't go into too much detail, but the result was that I walked to and from the computer repair shop (less than a mile from home). It was drizzly outside, not pouring but still mildly unpleasant. On the way, I found a passport on the sidewalk.
The passport belongs to a 17-year-old German boy named Erik. I didn't know what to do with it, but I knew the sidewalk in front of a car repair shop wasn't a good place for it. So I picked it up. While I walked, I tried to think of ways to make sure this kid could get his passport back. Should I try to contact the German Embassy? Should I turn it in to the police? Would I be able to find him on Facebook?
The experience made me think of this Regina Spektor song:
Unfortunately, finding a passport is a little different from finding a wallet. Unlike an ID card, there is no address on a passport, and even if there were, mailing it to Germany wouldn't exactly help the kid. What would this poor kid do when he realized it was missing? How scary would that be? The passport had his visa in it as well.
I also wondered what the boy was doing here. Not just in this city, but in my neighborhood. Was he here with friends? With family? With school? Was he studying abroad? Where did he visit on this street? A restaurant, maybe? I imagined him here with family, staying in a rented condo or house. In my mind, he was visiting Blind Lady Ale House (which admits minors) when his passport fell out of his pocket.
After picking up my computer, I stopped at a few local business, including Blind Lady, to look for him. I asked employees if they remembered anyone with a German accent visiting. No luck.
I tried to do research when I returned home, however, after just a few moments of use, my computer experienced a major error. In the end, I called the local police department and they had an officer stop by my house to pick it up. I can only hope that Erik contacted them to report it missing. I feel like I should have done more but I wasn't sure what.
In other news, my computer continued to have problems, but it was covered under the repair shop's warranty so they continued to work on it and now it's behaving itself. I definitely missed it this past week.
