Post-Spring-Break

Spring break came and went like a summer wind and left us cold and desiring more…

Sue travelled out to Pittsburgh to hang with her mom because she had off all week last week.  I had to work though so I had the house (and dog…) all to myself for a week.  It’s the first time since we’ve been married that I’ve had free reign for such a long time.  As much as I missed Sue, I got to play guitar really loud and spread out in bed.  I actually made it a point to occupy as much of the bed real estate as possible. 

On Saturday my dad took us out to a Thai restaurant in Newtown and Sue really liked it.  I mean really liked it.  So much in fact that after Easter dinner (around 2PM at my house) we actually had to order take-out from them.  They were the only store open in the complex.  It was a bit too boring for me.  I was expecting lots of fun crazy spices that I couldn’t pronounce and were too hot for human consumption.  We got peanut sauce and a regular szechuan sauce.  It was OK.

Also, I built my first computer this weekend which was fun until I went to install Vista and have had nothing but headaches since.  Itunes and bitdefender cause BSOD’s all the time.  I gave up on itunes because it wouldn’t even work 30 seconds before crashing my system and I had to get rid of bit defender because i coudn’t even boot up properly without getting a BSOD.  So I’ve switched over to Songbird or WMP  – I haven’t decided which one to use yet.  I need to get my videos of It’s always sunny in Philadelphia to play on something else besides itunes. 

So this week, it’s back to the grind – but only 9 weeks or so left befofre school’s over.  We’re still looking for jobs in Pittsburgh – nothing yet, but hopefully over the next few weeks we can nail down some interview times and maybe some offers.  We’re getting a bunch of hits for homes but can’t talk seriously about them until the jobs fall into place so it’s just a tease now. 

Rosie Thomas and Denison are playing at the World Cafe this Saturday and I really want to go but Sue’s mom is coming out for the weekend and I’ve got a feeling Sue’s not going to want to ignore her mom to see Rosie with me.  I don’t know if I want to go solo or just bag it.

So if anyone wants to give me a call this weekend – I’ll probably have lots of free time (when I’m not melting faces with guitar hero that is)

YouTube Cover Songs

Today on XPN (www.xpn.org) in honor of April Fools Day, they were playing nothing but cover songs. Most of them I’d never heard before in the first place but I had a good time listening and imagining how the original would have sounded.

Some of you may know but my new favorite pasttime is looking for cover songs on YouTube. A part of me always cringes becaues I know that I was that kid learning to play the guitar, trying to sound like a real musician but in the end, it just sounded like crap.

Covers on YouTube can be a really great thing. There are some really talented people out there doing some really interesting covers. Some arguably better than the original. Case and point:

SPILT NEEDLES – The Shins
A great song on its own from a great album, but I like this version much better. And she’s drunk to boot!

Or How about this?

DANCING IN THE DARK – Tegan & Sara

But then there are the covers that are just fun to watch and laugh at.
For example…

NAKED AS WE CAME – Iron & Wine
It should sound like this…

Not this…

LEVEL – The Raconteurs
It should sound like this…

Not this…

AGE SIX RACER – Dashboard Confessional
Should sound like this (ignore the video)

Not this…

This is funny though

And the worst offender (somehow I can’t see Isaac Brock approving of this…)
FLOAT ON – Modest Mouse
It should sound like this…

Not this…

Waitin’ for a Superman

One of my favorite Flaming Lips songs, done by David Bazan of Pedro the Lion

Beerfest!

A Picture from beerfest last weekend

Bryan, Adrienne, Sue, Moi

Tyler

Today was by far the most beautiful day of the year weather-wise. A perfect 75 degrees with just enough clouds in the sky to have something to look at. So like many others, we got the dog and went for a walk through Tyler. Maggie absolutely loves the water. If there was a puddle on the ground, she was walking through it and there was no stopping her. When we took her down to the actual river in the park, she had a great time splashing around. I wanted to take her through the maze but Sue insisted that we don’t because the parents wouldn’t like to too much. Here’s to hoping for another beautiful one tomorrow (even though I’ll be at work/the gym until sundown)

Ted Leo – Living with the Living

Meh…

I first discoverd Ted Leo & the Pharmacists about 2 years ago. I wouldn’t call them punk but I think that’s the category they fit most neatly into. Shake the Sheets, their last album, was and is an amazing record for listening to in the summertime with the top down full of memorable hooks. This new cd is in the same vain minus the memorable part. Very forgettable… A definate disappointment. I’ve got tickets to see them this coming Wednesday. Hopefully they’ll win me back.

The other things

Et Cetera is an expression that means “and other things”. It is taken directly from the Latin expression which literally means “and the rest (of such things).”

I hope to make this a repository for all such things that make up our lives.  Work takes up the bulk of our time and too often it takes up the bulk of our lives, leaving small moments in between.  It is in those other things that life truly happens.