nine times that same blog

Almost summer time yall!

2009-04-22T15:30:00.007-04:00

This is who I'm going to hang out with/make out with all summer at summer camp.

Yesterday on the way to work while listening to a dissonant jazz version of Heart's Barracuda (thanks, NPR) trying to think about anything BUT the song playing because, OH MAN, does Barracuda get stuck in my head after I hear it, I realized IT'S ALMOST SUMMER! I mean, not REALLY. Because it's still April, and that's definitely not summer and also, today it's around 45 degrees out which, in my opinion, is the opposite of summer. But for a lot of people school is nearly out (!!! weird, right?) and supposedly it's going to be in the mid-80s by the end of the week, so ask me on Friday and I'll tell you it's so definitely summer. Anyway, all of this thought obviously begs the Very Important question: What's going to be this year's super-summer-fun-best-song(s)-ever-2k9?

I am on the edge of my seat. Who's going to put out the new D.A.N.C.E./Lipgloss/another good one that I can't think of right now???

But really, it's getting sunny more often lately so I'm in the perpetual mood to drive with my windows down blasting hits that I'll most definitely be tired of by mid-July. To be honest, I am more than happy to keep my super-summer-fun-2k9 contained by only listening to the new Dirty Projector's album Bitte Orca. On repeat. For 5 months straight (I AM ON THE RIGHT TRACK ALREADY). The album officially comes out in June and that, along with it being awesome, makes it perfect summer fun material but that just might get boring after awhile and will most definitely get annoying for anyone else I am around.

The best thing about super-summer-fun-best-ever-songs are that they can cross a few more genres of music than I usually surround myself with. During the summer I allow myself to branch out (even more than I already do) into the realm of pop music and sometimes, JUST sometimes, I think it's okay to listen to top 40 pop hit radio and find the songs appealing.

I think this year of hope/Obama (ha) might invite a lot more bands that feature women in the lead for some of the super-summer-fun-songs. Maybe The Joy Formidable, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, etc. Do any of you have some picks for the songs that will soundtrack our summer?

On Suggesting Books

2009-03-13T13:50:00.004-04:00

Oh, hey. Back from blogger vaca. This is going to be a long one, folks.

A few weeks ago Nancy Pearl, probably the most famous librarian for being a librarian (not many librarians have action figures), came to my library for a staff lecture/pep rally. Later that evening she also did an open-to-the-public forum. I went to both because I am a nerd and although both were worthwhile and surprisingly completely different in content, the staff meeting got me thinking a lot about why people like certain things.

Primarily, Pearl discussed (at least what our library system likes to call) reader's advisory. This is basically the act of recommending or suggesting a book for a library customer. It's a straight forward concept but probably the biggest hang up when working at a library. It's really hard to make recommendations to people you know LET ALONE people you don't know and have nothing in common with. Pearl explained that we, as book/information promoters, need to suggest books, NOT 'recommend' them, because recommendations lead to hurt feelings if the person doesn't like a book you love. You don't need to read or enjoy a book to suggest it.

To make this easier, Pearl presented us with four different 'doorways' a book can fit in: Story, Character, Setting and Language. Most people enjoy books mainly from one doorway, and have a secondary doorway they travel through from time to time. The Story doorway is the most common doorway, a lot of books based in this doorway are also best sellers. A Story book is fast paced, hard to put down, full of adrenaline and usually goes very quickly. Commonly, there is a lot of dialogue and when you look at the pages of a book based in Story, there is a lot of white space from the amount the characters talk to one another to move the plot along. Stephen King, Dan Brown and Michael Crichton are all great at Story writing, and their bank accounts can prove it.

Books with Character as its largest doorway are appreciated by a reader because they get to intimately know someone while reading a book. Biographies and memoirs are obvious Character-driven plots, but a lot of fiction authors also rely on this gimmick like Nick Hornby and Michael Chabon. Character books are often coming of age stories, and in my opinion, the most worn out subject for a story (although when done well, it's great). The third doorway, Setting, is not as common as the last two, but is very prevalent in science fiction books and historical fiction. Setting-driven books work because the author transports you into a time or place so well, you couldn't imagine the book taking place (or being of any value at all) anywhere or anytime else. John Steinbeck, Terry Prachett or something like Frank Herbert's Dune are great examples of Setting-heavy books.

The fourth doorway is the smallest in terms of books written and in readership. Language books are self described as "well-written" (although any book can be well-written, people who like language heavy books like to tell people they only read books that are written well). There doesn't have to be a good subject or a great character, what matters is what the author evokes in the reader, how it makes them feel and how it can change their life. I'm a total sucker for these type of books. My favorite authors write books that make me feel. Authors like Johnathan Safran Foer, Jeanette Winterson, James Joyce, Marcel Proust, Margaret Atwood, Nicole Krauss, etc etc etc write this way and although I don't like every author I've listed, I like all of them more than I like any of the authors in the other categories.

The people who enjoy Language books are probably also the most pretentious and annoying of all types of readers, because we generally look down upon all other doorways. For example, anyone who relies on Language as their doorway probably read about 5 pages of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and then threw it away because it was, they thought, so poorly written. But, as soon as that opinion is stated to someone who intensely enjoys a fast-paced Story, that Story-lover will not only be offended but also confused; they thought Brown wrote with beautiful prose. This brings us back to reader advisory. Pearl's introduction to the doorways helps us all, library employees and otherwise, understand what that customer or your friend wants in a book suggestion. Figure out which doorway a person likes or what doorway they are in the mood for that day and it should be (relatively) smooth sailing from there. Which doorway are you?

Wal-Mart Taken On By White Guy

2009-02-04T10:46:00.005-05:00

photo via BB

Sci-Fi author Charles Platt, a guest blogger over at Boing Boing for the past two weeks, has been pissing some regular BB readers off with his guest blogging. Some of Platt's posts have been controversial and more than one started off with him saying something like "at the risk of stimulating outrage..." proceeding it with some stimulating outrage. At first I was like, whatever, this dude is probably just really into good debates via the comment section. But after reading this post, he might actually just be out of touch with reality.

Platt's post in question chronicles him reading the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, deciding it's too critical of places like Wal-mart, and then getting an entry-level job at Wal-Mart to prove her wrong. Ehrenreich's book (which was first published in 1999) is an undercover journalist's approach to the poor and working class in America. If I remember correctly from reading the book five years ago, Ehrenreich gets an entry-level job and then tries to find housing and a sustainable life on her low income. The book is considered good for class/gender relations 101 and, in the ten years after it came out, has opened a lot of people's eyes to the inequalities within the welfare and class system. Platt doesn't say much in his BB post about the reasons why he decided to work for Wal-Mart because he wasn't doing it to write a book, apparently not even trying this out in an investigative way by living off of only those wages. What he does say is while at Wal-mart he was treated well, had good relations with his employers, that most of the claims against Wal-mart are from shady union-paid organizations and that it made sense he wasn't paid well because he didn't have any particular skill to offer. Well, I say that this is one of the more one-sided, privileged things I've seen come from someone who apparently is considered progressive (I can't imagine BB would invite a conservative hack to guest blog).

The picture I put on the top of this post is the same that was on Platt's post, a picture of him working at Wal-mart. I think the picture, more than anything he could write, discredits his opinions against Ehrenreich. Platt is clearly a white, middle or higher class man. After Wal-mart saw his resume (even if he omitted some of his qualifications) it would be clear he was also highly educated (and had access to a computer/printer for his resume, something a lot of people trying to get jobs don't have). Of COURSE he was treated well by Wal-mart! He was born with more agency than probably anyone else has now working in that store. No one is going to undercut the dapper gent in the turtleneck and wire-rimmed glasses. I am not personally acquainted with the supposedly poor treatment Wal-mart gives to their employees, but if it does exist the higher-ups are smart enough to know who to treat well and who to treat poorly. I don't think I'm stretching when I say it's probably almost only going to be obviously poor immigrants/women/young people/people who are not white. Platt is none of those things. No one is going to sexually harass this dude.

Additionally, as I mentioned before, Nickel and Dimed came to us ten years ago, during a much different time. Platt doesn't mention this, but it's very important when talking about the climate of entry-level positions. I don't know specifics but within the past decade and probably partially BECAUSE of Ehrenreich things within big-box retailers have changed. Maybe I'm being a little too harsh on this guy, he maybe did all of this in earnest. He might think he's going to change the world just as much as everyone else. But, still, I call shenanigans. I can't imagine someone being that close-minded in 2k9. What do you think?

Buttons

2009-01-31T11:37:00.006-05:00

I guess it's time for another Coraline post.

apparently the only picture I have of myself face on, not smiling is from 2007.

Here I am with button eyes, one of the many things you can do and look at on the Coraline website. I feel like I need validate why I'm excited about this movie. The main reason that I'm encouraged is how involved Neil Gaiman is with the promotion. You can really tell that he likes what Henry Selick has done with his book. I follow Gaiman on twitter, and his updates imply that he's doing a ridiculous amount of interviewing for this film and that's great. As opposed to other books that have been made into movies like the Harry Potter series it's apparent this was a joint effort between book and movie production. I think that, along with it not being a movie with real actors (that give books a celebrity factor that always leaves a bad taste in my mouth) are really going to push this film into the category of good-movie-adapted-from-good-book. Hopefully I won't have to bite my tongue when I see the movie after it comes out next week.

The MGMTs (aka the least time relevant post ever)

2009-01-28T11:31:00.004-05:00

photo via HRO

I'm not an MGMT fan. Don't worry, that's not a confession. I mean, it's kind of obvious, right? All of their songs sound pretty similar and are about 2X too slow. Borrrrring. But, I have to admit, I think that the song Time to Pretend is a pretty good single for a band that is overplayed and overhyped. Actually, the only reason I can even stand the song, probably, is because I moved to Columbus in the end of August instead of the beginning of 2008. The reason is the local alternative radio station, CD101. The station way overplays its popular songs. I don't blame CD101, I blame the people calling/texting/emailing their requests for the same couple of songs every day. I mean, c'mon, don't people get tired of hearing Pork and Beans after a few days?

CD101 puts out a top 101 songs of each year and the number one requested/played song of 2008 was MGMT's Time to Pretend. Honestly, I didn't even realize the song was a big single on the alt radio circuit, probably because I hadn't listened to anything but NPR until I moved to a city that has a station that plays music that's on the top 40 Alt Music List instead of the top 40 rock/country/pop lists. I would have hated Time to Pretend if I was living in Columbus, listening to CD101, even occasionally, because it would have been played so often. I was lucky enough to move in right as MGMT's Electric Feel got super super popular so that's what I got to hear constantly (now it's Fleet Foxes' White Winter Hymnal. and I hate it).

You're probably wondering why Time to Pretend is, for me, better than any of the other songs MGMT put out. I mean, it's a valid question. They're all by a long haired, shirtless white dude, trying to connect with his inner wolf. There's nothing redeeming about that. I guess it has a lot to do with that hook. You know what I'm talking about. I'm a sucker for a good hook (the Best Example here). The only other reason, and the one that needs to be capitalized on a lot more than it already has, is how meaningful it is. I mean it in the best/worst way possible.

The first time I really recognized that Time to Pretend was a "good" song was after I watched this preview for The Unidentified, a movie that a friend of mine did the sound on. And then it really clicked as the actors ran through the screen changing their perspective on life; this song takes the place of Death Cab's Passenger Seat (/every other song?) as the most meaningful song to ride in a car at night/change the world to. Actually, I think MGMT is the new Death Cab. It is the best band to connect with your mainstream friends over at the moment. I'm proud to be a part of the movement.

Coraline

2009-01-25T12:50:00.001-05:00

This is the best trailer I've seen. The others have left me kind of unsure if it's going to be any good. I'm getting excited, now.

Girl Talk 1.0 or Something

2009-01-24T22:53:00.005-05:00

A few days ago Al pointed out that Mariah Carey's song Fantasy (hate it when embedding is disabled) samples Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love in the background. Turns out, she even sings some of Tom Tom Club's lyrics near the end of the song (I'm a little disappointed she doesn't say James Brown a few times). Maybe I'm a little dense for not noticing it before but I probably never noticed because I was 10 when Fantasy came out (I listened to the Beatles and Bach back then, didn't really know anything else existed). Looking through the comments under the Fantasy video I linked to, I'm not the only one who just recently realized this either. The sample definitely makes that song/Mariah Carey better though, it's a sweet beat to steal for a pop tune. I think Stephen mentioned once that Genius of Love is the most annoying song ever, but I don't think so. I look at it as way ahead of its time in terms of what it's doing musically. Like, it totally could have come out in 2006 and been a hit. Anyway, are there a lot more pop songs from the 90s that sample good beats via the 70s/80s that I don't know about?

Science and Theory

2009-01-16T13:21:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite blogs for consistently posting interesting material on a number of subjects is Smashing Telly. The blog is "a collection of the best free, instantly available, TV on the web" (quoted from its mission statement). One of its most recent posts was this 10-minute video explaining scientific theory and calling out those who disagree with science because of personal bias.

The video doesn't say anything I haven't heard before in science classes in college but it does put it in an accessible, concise way which is valuable. Overall, though, I doubt this would change anyone's mind who already doesn't believe in some scientific theories because of a religious belief or another. As Smashing Telly commenter Dan Westlake says, "Who is this aimed at?...obsessive atheists of the Richard Dawkin’s type who enjoy nothing more than having their belief system confirmed." I do agree with what is said in the video, although sometimes I think it can be way too cut and dry. Scientific theory is fact but there are a few important things, I think, that are being left out.

My main problem with arguments such as these is the importance that is put on Science within our life. Yes, without science a lot of indisputably really important things to 21st century life wouldn't exist or be understood. But, why is science something that everyone has to believe in? Argue with me if you think otherwise, but this pressure to accept everything that's classified as scientific truth without pause is just as bad as the pressure put upon us through those evangelizing their religions. Somehow science should be different. It should be considered a little more like math. I don't have to think about it much, but I know it's there when I need it.

this is what a scientist looks like

Connected to the pressure for blind belief in science is the a-little-too-shaky-for-me concept of "truth". I'm not going to go all postmodern zany on yall (s0 freshman/sophomore year of college, right????) but it kind of does freak me out when truth is considered so...true. This video is all like "the function of science is to capture reality!"; "hey you crazies! leave science for those with the discipline and integrity to look for evidence that makes facts!". And I'm all "ugh". All that just sounds like holier-than-thou crap. Science might currently be changing but it has essentially been created, up until now, by a lot of affluent dudes. I'll concede that in the way, way past there was a lot of scientific work done by Islamic philosophers/scientists and that is great. Not EVERYTHING science has come up with has a complete Western slant. But still, it's problematic that this video hails truths (even when they're scientific theories that are checked, re-checked and changed) when things like medical science seems to be currently interested only in things that those with money are interested in. For example, it seems every day breast cancer research is getting more funding, but there are still more medicines that haven't even been tested on women although they are prescribed to them daily. Even if every theory that scientists publish is fact (which is probably is at the time of publication) there is still the question of those theories that didn't make the budget. There are so many things that haven't been discussed or scientifically examined because of money. It's very questionable to mix capitalism and science and then force that science as truth onto everyone everywhere.

I cannot deny the importance and truthfulness of major scientific theories like the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution, but this very real and very old scientific thought is lumped in with others that might be "true" but perhaps not valuable or for everyone. Who knows, there might also be some very important scientific ideas that are put aside and not discussed enough because they aren't marketable. This is why videos of this nature bother me. Maybe there can't be absolute truths, just what scientists are told through observation, experimentation and logic. And maybe that just isn't good enough.

Masculinity, 2k9 Edition

2009-01-13T20:48:00.001-05:00

There have been a couple of articles online lately that have hinted to a new breed of masculinity emerging just in time for 2009. In a Videogum post titled "Bromance Is The Most Important Examination of Modern Masculinity Ever" from a few days ago the new MTV series Bromance is described as Women-Studies-PhD-thesis-worthy. I don't have cable so I haven't actually seen the show, and even if I did have cable I wouldn't have watched already anyway. From what I gather, Bromance is a reality series/pseudo-game show about a dude (MTV's The Hill's Brody Jenner) getting another dude to be his best friend (al la The Bachelor but with best friendship instead of marriage). In theory, the premise sounds noble-- there is a common, almost primal need for good friend. But in reality, it's a lot harder for the machismo male that's celebrated in American MTV culture to have a special platonic same-sex friend.

The reason Videogum calls this series out as a major player in gender theory is the interaction between contestants vying to be Brody's new Best Friend. Apparently the interaction between contestants and with Brody is kind of, well, gay. In the short Videogum recap video they posted of the show (seen above) the contestants are almost laugh-out-loud uncomfortably funny. The video clip is a lot of dudes trying to show how not gay they are while simultaneously showing a whole lot of tender, genuine emotion in order to snag Brody's attention.* At first I thought the uncomfortable humor on an MTV spin off of a spin off of a reality show was coincidental or maybe just a side effect of the cooky premise but now I don't think it is. On Brody's personal website he (or his publicist, or whoever blogs for him) calls attention to the Videogum post. He even calls it a"bomb-ass" (which, I think means, REALLY AWESOME in bro-in-a-reality-show speak) post. For the main character to point out to his biggest fans these theories as positive and important must mean he's in on the joke. I like that he's being playful in his role as a MTV reality star and his acknowledgment of the idea of homoerotic tension between EXTREMELY STRAIGHT bros is appealing and new for the type of dude that's usually hanging around on MTV.

The other article that's potentially changing masculinty is the MSNBC discussion on Mantyhose. The product mantyhose is being discussed everywhere now and has blown into this huge internet meme (and yes, I'm adding fuel to this fire. you're welcome). Mantyhose is described as a pantyhose (or probably a lot more like tights) for construction workers, athletes and business men (the very manly positions they list is not an accident) that men use for "support, comfort and aesthetic purposes". The market for mantyhose is probably TINY at most and even smaller when you take out those that buy this product as a gag gift, a prop in a sexual fetish, or an actual legitimate product for the cross-dressing/drag queen population (this group of consumers is purposely left out of this discussion saying, " (the) trend has no connection to men who wear hose to cross-dress, since they prefer to wear pairs that are more feminine"). To be honest, if you buy good quality tights they actually can be really comfortable and warm even though a lot of people wouldn't agree. I actually have a pair of tights that I wear when I know I'm going to be in the cold because they have fleece on the inside I can understand why a dude might want to do the same thing.

The disappointing thing about all the buzz about mantyhose is that it only is buzz. One mainstream media outlet needed something wacky to talk about so their research department found the one online mantyhose shop and reported about it. Then a bajillion other outlets picked it up because they know they'll get hits. They think people are all like OMG GUYS WEARING WOMAN'S CLOTHING? I HOPE THERE ARE PICS. SO ZANY. And people probably are like that. That is why something like this isn't really doing much damage on the general concept of masculinity. The only reason this product is subversive at all (and it's bordering on being something that just exudes a new type of sexism instead of a new kind of masculinity) is actually because it is a product that was originally created for females but a few men have discovered its positive qualities.

Mantyhose has had its fifteen minutes and will probably never catch on to any mainstream population. Bromance, on the other hand, might actually be making some people think. There have to be guys that take their social ques from television and after watching an entire season of Bromance they might be willing to interact with their guy friends a little bit more intimately. Or, maybe not. What's important is that the option is being explored and allowed on a bro-centric channel. Who knows, it might pave the way for more important changes in thought in the future.

*Note: I don't think that when guys show emotion they're gay. But I do think the type of guys on this show typically think it's gay if they show that much emotion.

cross posted here

Kids Books, etc

2009-01-06T22:39:00.003-05:00

Since I've been working at The Library for about three months now I can truly say that I'm fairly acclimated to the position. Although what I do is not considered rocket science, as they say, I enjoy each day and find each task I am assigned calming, stimulating or interesting. Because I spend almost all of my time actually in the stacks either shelving, pulling or maintaining I get to see a lot of the collection I would never actually choose to seek out on my own leisure time. This aspect of the job has quickly become my favorite part of working in a library.

Lately I've become extremely interested in kids books. Not picture books that only have a few words on each page, but the bigger, more chapter-y kind. Al doesn't really get this new interest of mine, although he'd deny it if someone asked. He probably thinks what most of the adult population believes. What could a book for kids give me (a very important, smart adult)? It's interesting, though, because the past few children's novels I've read have actually given me more to think about and digest than the Very Adult book (that contains very Adult Things like war, death and sex!) I am currently trying to sift my way through today.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, in addition to constantly reminding me of The Decemberists (one of its major downfalls), deals heavily with themes of children being considered less-than-human because of their young-ness. This is not a new idea, and was most recently (heatedly) discussed here, but it is still one that doesn't get too much mainstream press or conversation. It's an issue that's hard for me too because I lack the social skills I need to interact with some of my peers let alone people who AREN'T LIKE ME (how DO you talk to a child?) but it is a great step to see it discussed in a very popular book for kids. Children need to understand that this uncomfortable vibe they're getting from the adults around them is legit and imporant in order for it to change. The funny thing about this type of agism is that the -ism really really obviously exists because of fear and I can only assume this fear lies completely in adult's ineptitude to discern the age, thought process or intellegence of anyone under the age of 15. This book surprised me in how intelligent it was throughout but I was very disappointed with the way-too-happy ending. It was the only part of the book that let its i'm-a-novel-for-kids-! flag fly. I console myself in thinking that if I were a 9 year old I would only be happy if a way-too-happy-for-real-life ending happened at the end of the book. Not everything can be as depressingly well done as the Lemony Snicket series.

Another book that I just picked up and have only read the first few pages is The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (yeah, the The Giver and Number the Stars lady) . Because I haven't even gotten far enough to know the true plot of the book I can't say much except that there are SO MANY GRE words even in the first few pages of this book. This is a book for 9-12 year olds and I've already read the words(after two pages): nefariously, ignominiously, irascible and indolent. Those type of words are never in my VERY IMPORTANT ADULT books and are those I would never ever find in a teen novel (Stephenie Meyer, I'm mean you. You've ruined a generation). Although it's fairly obvious what Lowry is doing, I find it admirable and can only hope these children who read this book and others like it actually remember the new words they've learned so they don't have to spend hours and days memorizing definitions for words that apparently are only ever used anymore in children's literature.

Although this passion for children's lit may die quickly (I'm honestly not too sure how many great kids books there are out there. There seem to be a ton more things like Pony-Crazed Princesses than there are Neil Gaiman books for kids.) I'm glad I found that there is quality in this genre. My hope is that the next book genre I find through my employment proves to be just as fulfilling.

For Those Who Like Lists

2009-01-05T00:25:00.003-05:00

To me, lists of most sorts never exist for pleasure. When made, everything written on them loses its interest and becomes entirely too Written Down. When things are Written Down they become much more set and a lot less do-able. The words just sit there calling for others to look and criticize. This is something I can't handle. Therefore, lists are reserved for very special occasions like when making lists are assigned for homework or groceries (the one list I can get behind). But now, I think I have found a certain kind of list I can actually enjoy without eliciting any criticism. This is not a top ten favorite albums or a twenty things that need to be done today OR ELSE. This is a list of preference. A list that one can only look at and go 'huh. there's a list'. So here it is, 'huh' all you'd like. I present my TOP (any)THINGS of 2008. A little late. Keep in mind, these are all things that may have been around a lot longer than just this past year but this list only includes things I first discovered and loved sometime within the 2008 year.

Favorite Album of 2008: Nat Baldwin- MVP

2008 was not a year of great music for me. Perhaps 2007 was just a little too overwhelmingly good and I couldn't get use to the more subtle greatness in 2008 music...or maybe (for me) it just really really sucked. Lo-fi was cool for awhile but that died in my heart quickly and I can definitely never get behind alt country (Fleet Foxes, I'm talking to you) or the likes of the lo gaze dream pop Beach House droners. I found myself looking backward rather than forward interesting myself in old classics like Sonic Youth and the Breeders in addition to deepening my appreciation for jazz, free and contained. This is why Nat Baldwin really blew my skull. He hit the right spot in 2008 because he knew how to recall true musicality via his upright bass/jazz sensibilities while banging on the door to the future of sweet, awesome music (like Dirty Projectors did with Rise Above in 2007) with freedom and using a different voice- literally and figuratively to show off his passion.

Favorite Website of 2008:Hipster Runoff

I think Hipster Runoff is the clever (/young/urban-ish/privileged/etc) person's Stuff White People Like. We're all looking to mock what we are now-a-days and HRO does a good job making everything a little less meaningful.

Favorite Magazine of 2008: Make/Shift feminisms in motion

Seriously. This thing changed my life and things never change my life, I'm extremely constant. I picked it up on my way to work on a Monday in Amherst (the slowest retail day at the slowest retail store) and couldn't put it down during my 8-hr shift. Then, I read it again. It's in only on its fourth issue now (I think it comes out only twice a year) but it's heavy enough that you can get 6 months out of each issue. It questions, spins around and trashes everything I think or want to believe. Just what I want in life. The article that got me interested is here, I'd recommend reading that at least.

Favorite Celeb of 2008: Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon with a side of J Mascus
They lived in Northampton, shopped in the store I worked for, and I was obsessed. What else can I say?

Favorite Sandwich of 2008: EITHER the Nantucket from Woodstar Cafe or the Vegan BLT from the Green Bean, both in Northampton Mass.

I couldn't make a decision. Sorry guys. These two sandwiches are both so great because they really pushed the idea that a sandwich doesn't have to be the same old PB&J every day. The Nantucket includes: turkey, cheddar, cranberry sauce, granny smith apple, mayo, and dijon on country sourdough. I don't even like cranberry sauce, but it somehow worked with the rest of the ingredients, the dijon really sticking out in my mind as a good kick, to make a to-die-for meal (because, honestly. that's a meal in itself). The vegan BLT, on the other hand, might be a normal thing in some parts of the country, but I'd never seen one offered on a menu with the "B" being slabs of tempeh instead of the generic Morning Star Farms-esq bacon you'd think you'd see on something passing as vegetarian. In addition, who knew vegan mayo could be so good?

Favorite Book of 2008: Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino (yeah, I know it came out in 2007 but I read it in 2008)
This book isn't amazing. It's translated, which I think is its biggest drawback because the writing is just a little off. Previously I only picked up latest McSweeney's for my leisure needs while I was generally consumed by assigned school books. Although I haven't been out of school too long, I hadn't found my book groove again until I read this novel. This crime drama also drew me out of my comfort zone in terms of what books I think I'll enjoy and what will pique my interest while browsing the stacks.

Favorite Space 2008: AS220
AS220 is a non-profit community art space that makes Providence, RI about 100% cooler than it could ever be on its own. If there is a good show it's going to be at AS220 and if there is a ridiculous altbag/bro/broad/diva they're going to be at AS220. Connected to the art space is a room that is divided between a bar (that has Narragansett tall boys) and the best taco place ever, Taqueria Pacifica. They put things like sweet potatoes and fresh green beans in their tacos. How could my life possibly ever be the same again?

Favorite Drink of 2008: Coffee, black

2008 was the first year that I understood what all the coffee hype was about. I bought a french press (and actually didn't master it until, like, 2 weeks ago) and stared trying to understand what coffee was all about. Although I still never drink more than one cup a day and I will never turn my back on my beloved tea, I have to admit that I finally get it.

Favorite Show of 2008: Nat Baldwin at Hampshire College's Red Barn, March, 2008
This show was intimate and Baldwin and his crew gave us a lot of sweet sweet freedom. Baldwin without his band is a force to be reckoned with, but I definitely prefer him with a full band-- sax, guitar, drums, trumpet. They really know how to give you chills and blow you away. Maybe my favorite show of all time?

Favorite Article of Clothing of 2008: cardigans

Al says that my personal brand is "comfy-ness". He's probably right. I own about 10 cardigans and wear at least one of them every day. Layering is great yall.

Favorite Breakfast Joint of 2008: Jakes, Northampton, Mass
To be honest their food isn't really that good. It's greasy diner food with no meat alternatives and boring waffles. But this places holds some good Total Boner Meeting memories, watching the other members eat their beloved No Frills breakfast which was a fine mixture of meat, eggs, cheese and potatoes somehow melded together in a way that made it divine (maybe if I ate bacon or sausage at the time and could validate eating that much food for breakfast I would have ordered one too). I was happy enough with my El Paso (two pieces of corn bread with egg, beans, salsa, cheese and sour cream on top). Jakes also had the best restaurant art- huge black and white drawings of old jazz musicians. Definitely a reason to go back to Mass.

Favorite Bath Goods of 2008: Anything from Lush
Although I had heard of it and seen it before Lizzy really introduced me to the world of Lush. Their natural products smell great and are different than anything else I've ever seen. I am in love with my coalface cleanser which I first saw reference to in the movie Annie Hall. Black! Soap! Amazing!

Favorite Beer of 2008: Narragansett and Allagash White

Narransett is the best cheap beer ever made. It also took me a few tries to even know how to pronounce it (kinda dumb) which makes it even better. It's a huge disappointment that it's only sold in a few states, Ohio not being one of them. Allagash is not a cheap beer but it's good enough to spend the dough. I don't know anything about beers so I can't say anything intelligent about it but it is really light, crisp and good and again kind of hard to get over here in Ohio.

hi

2009-01-04T21:31:00.002-05:00

Hello (again). How many times do I have to give up and start again before I move on? Apparently once more. Let's see if things go anywhere this time. It's a new year, right? Might as well try something different.

Stutter Shades

2008-07-08T00:20:00.004-04:00

Today I saw my first awkward preteen without style wearing shutter shades in a town without a street style blog. Where did this girl even hear about these? Does she read a lot of blogs? My confusion surrounds the notion that shutter shades never seemed to actually be cool, just something Kanye did for an album promo. And now they're being mass marketed by fred flare/forever 21 for the mainstream alt who forever wants to be barely legal? No one started wearing leopard print Russian hats when M.I.A.'s (RIP) album Kala came out last year (is that even what's on her head?) Anyway, wasn't Kanye just copying LeVar Burton's character in Star Trek The Next Generation? Apparently, the future is now.

OMG

2008-05-15T17:36:00.003-04:00

OMG YOU GUYS IT'S BEEN SO LONG. a lot of things have happened in the past few months including: mice, dreams of moving and deciding that my future lies in libraries. that is one reason why i haven't written anything for several months. but, here is my other issue: my main problem with (good) blogs, i think, is that not only must one have either interesting things to say or interesting ways to say uninteresting things but they must also ANALYZE EVERYTHING. it's like, blog posts are next to godliness and i am no god. so, that's basically why i was SO OVER THIS BLOG about a month after i started it. most of the time when i'm hanging out online i'm reading things on blogs, mostly the ones linked to on the right, and a lot of the stuff i'm reading i find intensely interesting. it would be great if i had the energy to make every thing i read that interests me into a blog post but that's a) impossible and b) a form of appropriation that i'd rather not have to lean on daily. i've heard things about tumblr accounts being a promising way for people that don't have the want to develop every thought they have into something epic. has anyone used one? is it really all that great? i am kind of considering something more of that magnitude because it seems a lot less evasive to my thoughts. (also the phrase "less evasive to my thoughts" sounds like i'm scared of technology taking over my brain. I'M NOT).

i guess the talking points of this post is: a) blogs are overwhelming, b) i want to keep in contact with people/share my thoughts somewhat, and c) what's the deal with tumblrs? so, yeah. any ideas?

Wearing Art

2008-02-21T21:08:00.008-05:00

A few years back I was really interested in Northern European culture (mainly the style that accompanied the mindset). My interest lived mainly in the attraction I had towards Swedish pop music (you know, before Peter, Bjorn and John were cool), an unnatural desire to live in Iceland and my almost obsessive checking of Hel Looks, a website devoted to street fashion in Helsinki, Finland. It's similar to fashion photo sites like The Sartorialist and Face Hunter with a few important differences. While the two latter deal more with high fashion in hubs like New York City and London, Hel Looks seems to look at fashion as more something anyone can achieve, regardless of income, through a specific artistic process. I'm not sure if this (mostly) frugal-invention-of-style mindset is common within Northern European cities more so than others or if Hel Looks just does a better job picking out those people that fall into this category for their site, but this is the type of living that I find most interesting.

My interest in Northern Europe has more or less disintegrated with time but my interest in Hel Looks piqued over the past few days out of boredom of the internet. I recently went through the multiple pages of pictures I've missed over the past 8 months to see what unpredictably inventive outfits I've been missing out on. The outfits pictured did not disappoint. The current Helsinki street fashion tends to be either extremely oversized or incredibly tight and there's a surprising amount of neon within the clothing choices (I thought neon was out when the Klaxons won the Mercury Prize). What surprised me the most as I looked back further into the archives (I believe photos go back to 2005) was how normal the outfits started looking the further I searched. This can either mean two things: Helsinki fashion has gotten more outrageous within the past few years OR (and this is what I am banking on) Helsinki is just about 3 years ahead of the American/mass fashion look.

(2 pictures from Hel Looks, both taken in August 2005. The man on the left has 2008 fashion down to the nike dunks-although he is channeling the facial hair of AJ from the Backstreet Boys-and I think a saw a girl at the Smith College bus stop with the same outfit on as the girl on the right last week.)

If my hypothesis is right, it can only mean one thing. In 2010 we will all be wearing clothes like these:

Both of these taken in 2007

I guess I'd better start looking for the perfect enormous scarf/furry leggings now.

this art could be your life

2008-02-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

Audrey Kawasaki's most recent gallery opening was last night. I consider myself immune to most whimsical things, but i can't help but really like Kawasaki's work. I like the mediums she works with (especially the wood) and it seems that the women in her paintings have their own emotional lives evident by their (usually) painful faces. I can see a life story in each painting that calls out for the viewer to discover and any artist who can paint that much depth into a person has my vote. I wish i could see her art in person, but the opening was in LA. Maybe someday i can get a print and it will be like there's a gallery in my house every day.

Bookmill!

2008-02-07T20:16:00.001-05:00

Today Al and I decided to finally check out the Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA. It's about a half an hour drive from our place and we'd both heard pretty good things about it from people that have lived in Massachusetts for a little long than we have. I generally enjoy used book stores as long as their filing system makes sense and i can easily walk around/find everything i want and the bookmill succeeded in this area. It's located in a building built in 1842 to be a gristmill giving it an interesting aesthetic quality including several different sized rooms, steep stairs and creaky wooden floors. The majority of books they carried were very well kept, many hardly looked like they'd been open. Probably 90 percent of their books were non fiction, mostly academic in nature topics ranging from gay and lesbian lit to graphic design. My main critique of the bookmill was the lack of books published after around 1992. This is probably something one could say about any used book store, but it seemed more prevalent than another bookstore i regularly visit.

What the bookmill reminded me of most is The Book Loft (warning: this is a poorly laid out website that includes a backing musical track that i think might be by enya that you cannot opt to turn off. actually, don't even go here, it's not worth it.) located in German Village, a subsection of Columbus, OH. This was always one of my favorite places to visit when i actually went into downtown Columbus while i was still living around there. I could literally get lost looking at all their book offerings within their maniacally laid out 32 room store. They were superior to the bookmill in many ways, but their best feature was being open until 11pm or midnight each night (as are many other things located in Columbus). Conversely, nothing in the pioneer valley is open past 9.

I don't want to dis the bookmill too much though, we didn't try out the cafe located next door that has a pretty sweet menu (yum, brie, apricot jam and marinated apple grilled sandwich!). Additionally, i did pick up two Margaret Atwood books for 3 dollars and some change. They are her first and second published works, The Edible Woman (published in 1969) and Surfacing (published in 1972). I've never actually heard anyone talk about these two books when they talk about Atwood which i guess either means they're really bad or really crazy. I have to admit though, the real reason i bought them (although at some point i will read them) was the hilarious quotes on the front cover of each.

It's kind of crazy that that kind of thing would ever make anyone want to buy a book. I really like how Surfacing is considered the most shattering novel a woman ever wrote and then touted as even better than The Bell Jar like Sylvia Plath is the only other woman author out there (maybe in the New York Times eyes she is-- all they probably recognize as literature are the Great Books anyway *puke*). Also-- was everyone afraid of flying back in the late 60s early 70s? Didn't they use to smoke on flights back then? I can only assume that flying fear had something to do with the stale, overused cigarette smoke recirculating through the air ducts on a long flight. I'm really excited to read these books to see if their cover hype lives up to whats inside. When i finish these maybe i'll have to go back to the bookmill to get some more reading...and a grilled sandwich.

ugh politics

2008-02-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

With the presidential election only (ha) 10 months away the general feeling by those in the political realm is that our next president will be the democratic nominee (see: Bush, the war, scandal, approval ratings, etc. on the republican side). Even though Super Tuesday has already passed there is still no definitive answer on who that candidate will be. Obama and Clinton are neck and neck trading votes from delegates and states, pretty much ending up equal in their earnings (although in this graph it looks as if Al Gore still has a chance!). McCain is heading towards receiving the republican bid mere months after being hated on for becoming inauthentic in his most recent years. Probably the best course of action for this presidential year would be to get rid of the republican candidate completely and instead let the actual race be between Clinton and Obama. Now that would be interesting! Alas, i'm pretty sure that's not possible, besides they'd probably just split the votes and then we'd have to have a ridiculous amount of recounts, etc. How. Annoying.

For the past several years that Clinton had been hinting at running for president i just laughed it off. Even if she was going to run, i thought, no one would vote for her in the primaries and she'd drop out in the beginning of 2008. I mean, come on. She's a lady. If i learned anything in my women's studies classes it's that no one likes a woman in power. But apparently, i was all wrong. Evidently, she actually might win. WIN. (although one reason i think she is doing so well is because Obama has some things against him too-- mainly that he is NOT a old white man who has a lot of political experience...but that's a different discussion altogether.) Let me make this clear- i consider myself a woman, a feminist and white. Therefore i should be cheering on Clinton and this improbable run. Yet, i am less than pleased. The last time i visited home my mom broached the subject of politics with Al and i and proceeded to tell us she was scared of what Clinton might do if in office. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at her. The right-wing propaganda against Clinton is ridiculous and is forcing unsuspecting conservative people, like my mom, to think that this "feminist, radical, liberal woman" is going to force abortions on all women (even if they aren't pregnant) and castrate all men. Perhaps Clinton was a radical liberal feminist at one time but after her failed attempt at innovating health care in 1992 while her husband was in office she changed as a person. Clinton became part of the political machine, perhaps even, she became the machine itself. In reality Clinton should be the least scary of all the democratic nominees. If she is our next president we will probably see a lot of the same shenanigans we saw with Bush as our leader (but without the scary god-told-me-to-start-the-end-times shtick).

What i believe about Clinton, though, is in no means indicative of the general feminist climate. Actually, it seems most people who call themselves "feminist" (which honestly could mean any number of things) are pretty split between Clinton and Obama supporters (not unlike the race itself). Last week New York State's NOW (National Organization of Women) released a statement to the press demeaning Senator Kennedy for not supporting Clinton saying,

Women have just experienced the ultimate betrayal. Senator Kennedy’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the Democratic presidential primary campaign has really hit women hard...This latest move by Kennedy, is so telling about the status of and respect for women’s rights, women’s voices, women’s equality, women’s authority and our ability – indeed, our obligation- to promote and earn and deserve and elect, unabashedly, a President that is the first woman after centuries of men who “know what’s best for us.

This is insane, disgusting and not something that (i hope) most feminists feel. NOW New York lost a lot of respect after posting this from many feminist bloggers (INCLUDING MYSELF). (it must be noted that the national NOW branch has issued a statement saying that they do not agree with the feelings within NOW New York [aka- not all feminist groups are crazy, apparently just one].)

The anti-feminist Ann Coulter has also come out with her stance on Clinton. Last week on Hannity and Colmes Coulter announced she'd endorse Clinton if McCain is the republican candidate (and after the Super Tuesday results it seems more likely than not he will be)

I'm not sure, but this might be the end of the world. If conservative joke Ann Coulter is campaigning for Clinton (even if it is only to make a point) AND ultra-feminists feel as if she must win because of her womanhood i can only assume Clinton will be the next president of the United States. Sadly, in all of this ruckus about who is more liberal, who is more scary and who is the most democratic i agree with Coulter's stance the most (!!!). She seems to be the only conservative (maybe even person) that understands the inability for Clinton to do anything for the liberal side because of how integrated she is in the old wealthy white male political machine.

After i said all of this i realize that i don't really know anything at all about Obama except that he's charming, he looks good on the beaches of Hawai`i (see above) and he's new to this whole political thing (which can only be a good thing). I don't think he's the best candidate for the job, but at least he's not as misunderstood as his rival.

Pretty Goes with Colleen

2008-02-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

Scott Tennent over at Pretty Goes with Pretty (out of all blogs, a good one) most recent post, Let's Talk About the Issues, somehow encapsulates the 2008 presidential election pretty well for me. Taking his cue from a (relatively bland) LATimes photo album/article about what pop culture affects the different presidential candidates (specifically their favorite music, television and movies). PGWP gives its reaction to the different candidate's answers and appears spot on in its evaluation relative to what I generally think of the candidates.

My two favorite PGWP comments are toward John McCain and Hilary Clinton:

John McCain
Campaign soundtrack: "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From 'Rocky')", ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" and "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry

Favorite TV show: "Prison Break"

On the iPod: "I have an iPod with Beach Boys, Roy Orbison – I have a varied taste in music between very good music and not-so-good music, but most of my advancement in music appreciation stopped the day I was shot down in October of 1967."

Pretty Goes with Pretty reaction: Fuuuuuuuuuuck. It's hard to fuck with a dude who throws his POW ordeal in your face when you ask him who is favorite band is. Speaking of, it would blow my mind to hear him talk back to his TV during an episode of Prisonbreak. (Additionally, I like that he likes good music and he also likes not-so-good music--lest he offend people who really love not-so-good music. Ever the politician.)

Hillary Clinton
Campaign soundtrack: Celine Dion's "You and I"

Favorite TV show: "American Idol," "Grey's Anatomy," "Dancing With the Stars," and HGTV makeover shows

On iPod: Clinton told the Associated Press in the spring of 2006 that she received her iPod as a gift from her husband. At that time, songs included Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and “Take it to the Limit” by The Eagles.

Pretty Goes with Pretty reaction: the transparency of her clearly pandering choices for favorite television show are a great example of why I don't want her to win the nomination. I do, however, believe that she likes the Eagles. However, taking her campaign song into account, apparently Clinton and McCain could reach across the aisle in their love of not-so-good music.

Scott, you speak right through me, man. Seriously, though. You can learn more about how those candidates are going to act if elected through their take on pop culture more than you ever could listening to any campaign speech.

Sensationalize This

2008-01-31T23:07:00.000-05:00

I lost some respect for the New York Times today. The main headline on the New York Times website, NYTimes.com, in the mid-morning read, "Tainted Drugs Tied to Maker of Abortion Pill" (login required?) a story about cancer patients in China becoming paralyzed after taking contaminated drugs. The Times is really going after those shock and awe hits with this title. The headline and the following article is disgusting for a few reasons. First off, linking the always hated "abortion pill" with the harm of cancer patients (a group that will always be a favorite to feel sorry for) is not doing any good for the plight of choice in America. Second, the title implies that the abortion pill is tainted and therefore worth a second glance by the FDA before we let anyone else get hurt. But I think the thing that irks me the most is that the Times needed to mention RU-486 (aka "the abortion pill) at all. The article is about a pill for leukemia and has nothing to do with abortion, the potential harm taking the abortion pill could cause or ANYTHING to do with (or the lack of) sexual reproduction AT ALL. In fact, as the article states, "(RU-486) is made at a factory different from the one that produced the tainted cancer drugs, about an hour’s drive away." Clearly, the Times is just putting a little fear in our hearts and a smile on the faces of those that are anti-abortion.

This ridiculous headline comes right at the heels of an interesting article over at Slate.com bemoaning inane headlines on cable news sites like Foxnews and CNN. As I read the article that quoted headlines like "British Teen Films Herself Trying To Kill Parents" and "Elementary School Principal Charged in Sexual Assault" I was glad that I didn't read any of those website instead opting for more "intellectual" (I am really smart) sites like the New York Times. After the Times headline today I guess no one is safe from the stupidity the internet forces news sites to lower themselves to in order to receive the maximum amount of hits per day. The Slate article compares these sensationalist headlines to tabloids on gossip sites like TMZ and mention that sex and missing/dead babies are the favorite headline topics for cable news. In my mind, this Times article is no different.

Further Reading:
Ann at Feministing adds some interesting points to this discussion that I didn't mention above.
Not sure what RU-486 is? Wiki-it.

this is a tribute

2008-01-23T20:26:00.000-05:00

"Tribute videos" have become pretty common since the internet became a hang out for the masses with the inception of youtube and social networking sites like myspace. I'm taken aback by the amount of time a person will spend slaving over their computer's free video-making software in order to create a slide show of pictures of their crushes from american idol or hannah montana backed by the creator's favorite tune. Idolator 2007 intern, Kate, even had a regular column on the Idolator site devoted to especially awesome tribute videos she found on youtube.
So, I get it. Tribute videos are everywhere and any internet-literate person shouldn't raise an eyebrow over any tribute video, no matter how ridiculous, they find. Yet, I still can't get over some of the videos I see. This video in particular, devoted to Dakota Fanning's little sister Elle has a very interesting choice of background song. I'll let you watch for yourselves:

Celeb Party

2008-01-03T22:23:00.001-05:00

When I moved to Northampton back in June I was completely oblivious to the number of celebrities I would be coming in contact with. I assumed Northampton was only a little cooler than my home-area of Columbus, Ohio, and then, simply because it resides in new england with easy access to several big cities. As it turned out, outside of the actual small town itself, the Western Massachusetts area is pretty lame. It's annoying that I have to drive sometimes two hours to get to a place that, in Columbus, was a mere 15 minute drive. But, that's where the celebrities come in. I've seen a lot of them. Or at least at lot more than I ever have in my life; in Columbus or otherwise. But not to a visit to Boston or New York, this is all happening in good old Northampton proper (or Amherst for one incident). Because this is a pretty big deal I figure I'd better tell you who I've met just so everyone will finally understand how cool I actually am.

Kim Gordon (aka Sonic Youth god/essentials regular)
Thurston Moore (pitchfork readers poll number 6 underrated album of 2007)
Coco Gordon-Moore (sonic offspring)
J Mascis (dinosaur guitar god)
John Hodgman (total humor god)
Eugene Mirman (total let-himself-go-since-college god)
A.D. Miles (total BFF with my two fav boys (Michael Showalter and Paul Rudd) god)
Eric Mabius (season one L Word jerk and apparent Ugly Betty star)
Kenny Mayne (ESPN/Dancing With the Stars star)

That's a lot of stars, right??? Don't worry, I'll update you whenever I see more.

The End of the Alphabet

2008-01-02T01:18:00.000-05:00

Working in retail has introduced new challenges to my life that require creative thinking, sweet-talking and a very fake smile. This past Sunday leant itself to a new challenge for someone fairly new to the full-time retail experience. After somehow losing the book I was currently reading I suddenly found myself ill-prepared for an extremely slow day of work. My 5-hour shift was spent alone in the Amherst shop only welcoming the occasional browser, never buyer. Thankfully essentials offers several books that at least look interesting on the shelf, although the Amherst location is somewhat lacking in that area. One title we sell, The End of the Alphabet, has been on the shelf for the entire time I’ve been working at the store, never catching my (or any of the customer’s) interest. Perhaps it’s the hefty price tag for such a small book that makes everyone shrink away. I must admit, my main problem has been the cover. I can’t get past that front piece of paper. With ever only a glance while stocking, all I could ever see was an Egyptian camel and the word “alphabet” which automatically lead me to believe the book was nothing more than an acrostic for the ABC’s with “camel” undoubtedly standing for the letter C.
Fifteen minutes into my shift boredom got the best of me and I wandered over to the set up of books, looking for the one that I could easily read while not ruining the binding for the customer who will ultimately buy the book. The End of the Alphabet seemed like the best choice with its small frame, hard cover and lack of interest from our customer base. The book is the first from author CS Richardson, and it’s usually my belief that any first book is valiant but either lacking in style or grace. Although the odds were stacked against it (Acrostic? The first? Egypt?) I gave it a try.
The premise of Alphabet was probably the most gimmicky in existence. It’s been done several times before in every variation possible, and parts of Richardson’s writing style made my eyes roll. Yet there was something about this book that worked. The story follows an alphabet connoisseur 50-something named Ambrose Zephyr and his wife Zappora “Zipper” Ashkenazi. I know, I know; those names are enough to put the book down but I kept on going. The plot ensues and Ambrose gets word from the doctor soon after the book opens that he only has a month to live. During the night after getting this news, Ambrose decides to go to places that have meaning for him over his last month on earth—one place for each letter of the alphabet (yuck). It must be said that the plot and characters are the worst part about the book. Each element that Richardson adds after he puts forth his disgustingly bland and overdone plot device made me thankful that I continued to read.
Richardson knows how to use the right amount of whim to drive the reader to understand Ambrose and Zipper’s emotions and recognize themselves in these characters. The story rides a wave of romanticism throughout and thankfully does not painfully go through each letter of the alphabet only allowing the character to die after the site of “Z” has been conquered. The aesthetics of Alphabet work because it ends quickly without too much wordiness about the death or even the thirty days Ambrose was left to live. The novel is quick, painless, and just emotional enough for such a short read.
This is a case of an author knowing how to place a reader into a story—make a reader want to befriend the characters without the cheese so many sappy novels that deal with death. What Richardson has not quite grasped yet in his writing is a unique story to tell, one that isn’t trite or obvious. As I’ve said before, this is the premier novel and improvement will undoubtedly come with time. I’ll be happy to read a second novel by Richardson, but only if I am stuck again, without entertainment, working in a store with no customers on a boring Sunday afternoon.

Year End Album List 2007

2008-01-01T21:06:00.000-05:00

20. Okkervil River, The Stage Names

19. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dandelion Gum

18. Kevin Drew, Spirit If...

17. M83, Digital Shades Vol. 1

16. Thurston Moore, Trees Outside the Academy

15. Chikita Volenta, The Stars & Suns Sessions

14. Amiina, Kurr

13. Beirut, The Flying Club Cup

12. The Bad Plus, Prog

11. Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala

10. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
I wish there was a fun phrase for the overexposure of Arcade Fire like the Shin’s Brafflash. But alas, there’s not. The reason this album is even in my top albums of the year is really just because spring quarter when I would go running regularly this is what I’d listen to. I’d like to bring back those happy, healthier, simpler times and if putting this in my top ten will make that happen, then I’m going to do it.

http://www.myspace.com/celebrationcelebration

9. Celebration, The Modern Tribe
If nothing else, “Evergreen” is one of the best tracks of the year.

http://www.myspace.com/marniestern1

8. Marnie Stern, In Advance of the Broken Arm
A girl? That shreds? Hard? SWEEEEEEEET.

http://www.myspace.com/thenewpornographers

7. The New Pornographers, Challengers
I think most people ignored this album because it admittedly isn’t as good as some of The New Pornographer’s previous work. I was going to too until I realized how often I actually listened to Challengers this year. So, I gave it another listen a few days ago and realized that it really is a solid album. Although it might be an unconventional pick for a top ten, I think this album (especially the tracks featuring Neko Case and Destroyer’s Dan Bejar) is actually pretty good.

http://www.myspace.com/battlestheband

6. Battles, Mirrored
Math rock is not for girls, but I think that is why Battles is so good. I’m a girl, and I like it.

http://www.myspace.com/mia

5. M.I.A., Kala
Maya Arulpragasam moved from hipster dance party goddess with her 2005 album Arular to 2007 with an album that actually kind of says something in a dynamic way. I like it when artists can grow in their music, especially when they’re already 5 years ahead of the game like M.I.A. will always be.

http://www.myspace.com/lcdsoundsystem

4. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
You know an album is good when bloggers and critics are fighting over which of three different songs from this album should be in the top spot for their 2007 Best Songs list (although I still don’t understand putting “North American Scum” in any top ten). Yet, I am nearly positive that I’m the only one in the entirety of the blogging world who actually likes the closing song, “New York I Love You”. Maybe it’s the slow fragility in James Murphy’s voice that makes me melt.

http://www.myspace.com/rippityrippity

3. Panda Bear, Person Pitch
I’d pick Panda Bear over Animal Collective any day. Plus, Person Pitch is innovative and psychedelic in the good way! One can’t ask for much more.

http://www.myspace.com/stvincent

2. St. Vincent, Marry Me
I can hardly believe I put this at number two either, trust me. More than once I have, for an unknown reason, become hopelessly devoted (eerily similar to the song from the musical Grease) to female singer/songwriters. Then, after months of constant play and profession of flawlessness I realize how boring or top 40 or disgustingly adult contemporary rock it really is. I hope I don’t regret this number two position in the future, but as of now, I truly believe Marry Me is the turning point in female singer/songwriter music. It’s better, it’s definitely not flawless, but it rocks a little harder and it uses a little more imagination than your typical female solo artist.

http://www.myspace.com/dirtyprojectors

1. Dirty Projectors, Rise Above
I heard this album several times, not by choice, soon after it came out this year. I was not impressed by the seemingly random guitar noise and scattered, sometimes wailing voices. Then, instead of just hearing, I listened and immediately realized how remarkably musical something could be under the mask of pure noise. Before knowing anything about the “gimmick” of this album I listened a few more times particularly confused by the harsh lyrics against the backdrop of female singers (!!) and the occasional classical instrumentation. Complete oblivion to the story behind bands that I profess to enjoy is a personal vice so I asked a friend to explain the Dirty Proj (as I like to call them) to me. I Learned that Dave Longstreth is a Christ Figure in addition to the fact that this album is a reimagination of the Black Flag album Damaged. These facts added several more layers to my amazement and intense adoration to this conceptualization of music Longstreth has created. He’s no doubt paved a path for understanding and creating new out of old for the future of something that we thought was only repeating itself over and over again.