Thoughts before my next flight around the sun

Hey there – the untimely passing of pro skateboarder Dylan Rieder hit me hard and I just about damn near wept later that day listening to his Jenkem playlist featured a few months ago. I kept the playlist rolling for a couple of days ensuring interruption free listening by keeping the continuous loop setting activated on my player. After awhile I started to loop particular songs on the playlist. Pitseleh by Elliott Smith was one of them. Elliott Smith I thought. Never heard of him.

IMG 0070 1024x768  Thoughts before my next flight around the sun
Everybody understands, everybody cares

Historically- the last two decades of alternative music make a lot more sense to me now. Death Cab for Cutie makes more sense to me. The National. Bright Eyes. The list grows and continues as I pick through my music collection.

Elliott Smith’s heyday was the 90s. Music was generally shared and discovered through mixtapes gifted by friends. It would be easy to miss someone as influential as Elliott. Still easy to do so now.

I think of the gifts that Dylan gave to skateboarding. His power, speed and style were undeniable. You felt good about life when you watched him skateboard. The fast and strong lines of kickflips over tall stair sets followed by Smith grinds on the tops of picnic tables. I also think about the music Dylan listened to and shared with people. Like a good friend saying, “You need to listen to this. You’ll thank me later.”

Broody songs by Elliott Smith flutter into my ears as I walk through the remaining days of my 43rd autumn. The spent leaves crunch under my feet. The air unseasonably warm and lush with decay. The days are darker, quicker. I feel quieter. Elliott Smith lulling in my background as I think about growing older and what I’ve gained and lost. One thing I still know. I am thankful for the people that still share and open their arms to the life around them. My family. My friends. Skateboarding by Dylan. Songs by Elliott.

Be careful with your vinyl records, kids

(A draft from January 23, 2009 that I never published for some reason)

My Mills Brothers 78 was pretty shot when my mom bought it for me but I still got a lot of use out of it.

We found the album over the summer hanging out with Rhen in the back room trying to stay cool. It quickly became our favorite album.

I think Rhen might of bounced it off the floor a couple of times. It’s just about cracked in half.

I’m not even sure if a 78 is technically vinyl. It is much more brittle than a 33 or 45.

Anyway, Mr. Jobs comes to the rescue and I’m instantly reunited with them within minutes of purchasing the two mp3s at the Apple music store. The 78 still plays but it is just about shot. The charming hiss and pop is more frantic now and I no longer feel comfortable putting our record player through the task of playing it.

Background information on the Mills Brothers is right here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_Brothers t

Future Primitive Again

About a week of skateboarding and this is what I have learned (again):

Don’t over tighten your wheels. Tighter wheels means harder pushing, harder pushing leads to a sore ankle. Wheels need a little bit of play on the truck. Enough to hear a light ‘clack’  when moved back and forth by hand.

Board slides on finished parking stops are fast. Very very fast. Be ready for it otherwise you’ll end up on your back. I challenge anyone to fall as gracefully as I did.

You will sweat profusely if you skate all out on your lunch break. Bring deodorant if you do.

Skating in the morning sucks. Night time is the right time.

Be very impressed  by anyone in their 40s doing rail slides like this one:

SICK SICK SICK! SERIOUSLY! ACK! POETRY IN MOTION!

LIST OR DIE!

California, Rogue Wave

On the Bus Mall, Decemberists

The Wind Cries Mary, Jimi Hendrix

My Murmuring Darling, Snowden

World Town, M.I.A.

Yea, Yeah, Matt and Kim

Still Ill, The Smiths

Close to Me, The Cure

Rejoice! We are at the halfway point (repeat, infinity)

It’s Wednesday. “Hump Day” – which is I wish was more literal.

Real Estate Listings:

I’ll Fly Away, Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch

I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time, Hank Williams

Willie the Weeper, Louis Armstrong

Paris 2004, Peter Bjorn and John

I Feel So Good, Richard Thompson

Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle, The Mountain Goats and Kaki King

Apple Blossom, The White Stripes

I Miss the War, John Vanderslice

Are You On My Side, Rogue Wave

tedfoo6 1024x680  Rejoice! We are at the halfway point (repeat, infinity)

Big fun

Experimenting with film cameras as of late – mostly 35mm. I’ve been using a Polaroid 210, Minolta x-700 and the school’s Pentax. Also picked up a bunch of expired bulk film which of course needs a bulk film loader, happily purchased for $5 on eBay. The Minolta (50mm lens) is loaded with Portra 160 NC. It’s a C-41 color negative film which I’m excited to use because any photo lab should be able to develop as oppposed to the obsolete E6 process for slide film that you have to send to KANSAS.  Jeez. Anyway, enough big fun film nerdery. Here’s the list:

Laura, Charlie Parker

Kate, Ben Folds Five

Styrofoam Plates, Death Cab for Cutie

Jambalaya (on the bayou), Hank Williams

Fly Me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra

Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk, Rufus Wainwright

I Know, Kevin Long

I have another duty, a higher duty to peform…

Felt so bad cutting down our Cherry Blossom tree today. A frickin’ crime against nature. It caught some sort of blight last spring and it wasted away. Dead all the way through. The bark falling off. We should have called a naturalist or my dad. I’m of the opinion that Coonhound killed it. The tree was his own personal toilet. The rest of today’s lawn work involved picking up Autumn’s leaves and scratching the ground for new grass seed.

Listing songs:

The Love God, Martinibomb

Waltz, Fiona Apple

tcp d2 24 german lady irdial, The Conet Project

The Christmas Song, Vince Guaraldi Trio

Supernova Kiss, Nullsleep

Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus

Closet Romantic, Damon Albarn

My! This coffee is lovely. Yes, this is very lovely…

The Coonhound (nervous!) woke me up early this morning because of a passing thunderstorm. He kept ramming the gate with his head and of course, it eventually woke me up. Coonhound is unpredictable (he’s a bit of an ass!) so we keep him downstairs at night in case Rhen decides to use the bathroom or come to our room.

Hey, but what am I talking about? It’s Friday! Sure can’t complain about that.

My list starts slow just like I did this morning:

Sometimes, My Bloody Valentine

This Charming Man, The Smiths

Love Me or Hate Me, Lady Sovereign

All of Me, Billie Holiday

We Will Rock You, Queen

Let’s Go Crazy, Prince

Lately, Greg Brown

The start of an early morning

I think it is ridiculously good to wake up to the lyric “young youth, yo rockin’ the gold tooth” and then all of my thoughts blow in like a freight train rushing to a stop.

And Greg he writes letters and burns his CDs:

Af Samme Stof Som Stof, Under Byen

Some Beautiful Morning, Al Jolson

Tired of Being Alone, Al Green

Air, The Owls

Days of Elaine, The Decemberists

I Cover the Waterfront, Billie Holiday