How’s this for symmetry: when the calendar passed from Saturday to Sunday, we were officially on the backside of 2017. And when we passed from Sunday to Monday, we were officially on the downhill slope of our summer break. Weird! We’ve been busy with several family events: gatherings, trips to the lake, visitors from Boston. But I did want to check in quickly to share some words in which I try to figure out what the hell my man Kevin Pritchard is thinking.
open.spotify.com/user/224a… “Endless Shore” - Melody’s Echo Chamber. Terrible news broke this week when Melody Prochet’s family announced that in an accident earlier this month, the French singer suffered an aneurysm and broken vertebrae. She had a new album scheduled for release soon, but that has been shelved for the time being as she (hopefully) recovers. Send good thoughts her way as we listen to this song, which landed in my top 10 for 2012.
Crap. With the NBA Draft on a Thursday going into a busy weekend, I totally forgot to share some draft-night thoughts. Which is a shame, because I probably had a couple really good ones I forgot about over the weekend! First off, some truth: draft night was a big letdown. There was sooooooo much hype coming into it. It had the potential to be the biggest non-game night in league history.
North Korea has been in the news a lot lately. Between the election of a new American president who is incapable of making measured comments or rational decisions and North Korea’s continued efforts to build a nuclear weapon and missile system capable of reaching the US, it feels like we’ve reached a new and particularly dangerous time in how we deal with that country. Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down among many excellent books) wrote this long piece about the state of the relationship and our options, both diplomatic and military.
I fear these are a little subpar compared to many of my summaries. Since finishing these books, I’ve been knocking out some longer pieces that have been stuck in my Instapaper queue for awhile. And I started a book on Monday that I can’t put down; I’m over 250 pages in as of 5:00 Tuesday. I fear that has warped my memory of these two books a bit. The Not-Quite States of America - Doug Mack.
open.spotify.com/user/224a… “We Could Run” - Beth Ditto. The former lead singer of The Gossip released her first solo album last week. Her voice is still awesome, and she takes the music in a poppier, more radio-friendly direction. It may lack the rawness of The Gossip’s best work, but it is still mighty fine. “Somebody Else” - The 1975. I came across this song by accident a week or two back. It sounds like something I would have listened to in 1984-85.
I finally wrapped up season five of The Americans last night. With shows that I watch a few weeks (or months) after their original airing, I generally have a folder in my Instapaper account where I stash reviews and discussions of each episode from places like The AV Club, The Ringer, etc. to read after I’ve watched them. I don’t read them when I save them, but I often get a feel for what’s going on from the headlines, blurbs at the top of the page, etc.
Anyway, I’m now officially closer to 50 than 40, which sucks big time. I know, I know, 50 is the new 30, blah blah blah. And most folks of our generation look a lot younger than I remember our grandparents looking when they were in their 50s. But, man, the body just keeps rebelling. It feels like I’ve aged more in the past five years than I did from 30 to 35, or 35 to 40.
A weekend of gatherings for us. Saturday was new nephew #2’s first birthday party. Cake, presents, and the never-gets-old fun of watching a little one have their first experience with cake. Seriously, I love watching the pure comedy that is one-year-olds taking 5 minutes to figure out they can do whatever they want to the cake in front of them before they finally dive in with both hands. Good times.
open.spotify.com/user/224a… “Lannoy Point” - Ride. Another of the great bands of the early 90s British shoegaze movement returns with a fantastic effort. Along with Slowdive, they really know how to make a comeback. “Line of Sight” - ODESZA, WYNNE, Mansionair. I often complain about how dance and electronic music has squeezed out traditional guitar-based rock in the indie world. But when a song is this good, I can totally get on board with it.
The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter - David Sax. I generally think whether astrology and people’s birth signs determine their personalities are both bullshit. However, as a Gemini, I’m often surprised about how much of who I am is about balancing two seemingly different emotions, interests, etc. Take me and gadgets, for example. I love new, high-tech toys. I’m fortunate that I am in a position to purchase the latest shiny electronics on a regular basis.
I caught parts of almost every game of the NBA Finals. As compelling as the series was, I just couldn’t lock in for three hours for all five games. Often I would turn the game on only after the girls went to bed, which meant I generally just saw the second halves of the games. I think that’s a little funny because L is a big Steph Curry and Kevin Durant fan.
The first big, friend lake weekend of the year is in the books. I believe all who attended will judge the weekend as a success. This was a four-family, 17-person weekend, including us. The kids ranged from 13 to 8, so it’s a pretty good time. The 13-year-olds, all girls, are still capable of relaxing and having fun with the younger kids. And the youngest kids are all comfortable in and around water.
open.spotify.com/user/224a… “SGL” - Now, Now. The first new music from Now, Now in five years, and it does not disappoint. “How to Boil an Egg” - Courtney Barnett. This is a song Barnett performed when she first began playing live music, but never put to wax until now. It’s a one-off single, but she also just announced that she’s working with Kurt Vile on new music. That should be interesting.
Logic often gets thrown out in sports in favor of emotion. We mask over flaws in players and teams we love because we love them. And we ignore brilliance among rivals simply because they wear the wrong color of jersey. The Kansas City Royals are in a dangerous situation when it comes to emotion right now. All of us who are fans, and everyone affiliated with the organization, hoped the core of players who got the franchise to the ’14 and ’15 World Series had one more run in them this season before the dismantling began.
Another great weekend in Kansas City. Then again, aren’t all weekends in Kansas City great? At least when you’re visiting there. This trip was made more fun by it being the first full-family trip to KC in over three years. For my readers who weren’t involved in the weekend festivities, here’s a little run-down of what we did. We drove over Friday. Had great weather and easy traffic the whole way.
open.spotify.com/user/224a… “Day at Work” - Nouveau Vélo. Man, I was sure these guys were Australian until I looked them up. They’re Dutch?!?! That jangle sounds straight out of Sydney to me. “My Smile Is Extinct” - Kane Strang. Now this cat is from the South Pacific, although New Zealand rather than Australia. A great example of taking depressing lyrics and hiding them behind a bouncy melody to hide their pain.
A little behind, so better catch up as I hit the summer reading season. No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach - Anthony Bourdain. I’m working through a number of shows I have stockpiled on the DVR, watching the Royals most nights, and still trying to read. But I do attempt to squeeze in an Anthony Bourdain show on Netflix about once a week. I’m a big fan, and have been for years.
Memorial Day weekend is in the books, the girls are out of school, and summer is officially here! The school year wrapped up uneventfully. All three girls passed. Or at least we assume so; middle school grades are mailed so I supposed there’s still a tiny chance we’re going to have an uncomfortable talk with M about her academic plans for next year. I kid! By our calculations she’s going to get her highest GPA of her career.
Special playlist for a special time of year. open.spotify.com/user/224a… “Friday I’m In Love” - The Cure. A highly significant song in my life. Although it was Pearl Jam and Nirvana that were most responsible for shifting my taste in music away from Top 40 pop and R&B back in 1992, this song had a huge impact as well. It was so bright and shiny, unlike the gloom that I generally associated with The Cure.