I got the Jeep, She got the two bedroom-mortgage is due-siding light blue palace

Catchpenny is spinning (??) in my MP3 player.  I would say they're a mix between Snug and Fastball with the hometown vibe of Kissenger.

 

What makes the band special?  They do shows in Iraq.  More than opportunism makes one hop on a plane to do something like that, call it curiosity, patriotism, or just good old fashion adventure.

 

A few weeks ago I said I'd like to take my judging and critique hat off in more circumstances.  Fast forward a few weeks, letting more in is allowing me to extend dialogue, both verbally and digitally.

 

Tomorrow I am going to see Mark Chestnutt, Didn't really know his work, but after a couple songs he kinda reminds me of a modern day Charlie Pride.

Let’s get a silver bullet trailer and have a baby boy, I’ll safety-pin his clothes all cool and you’ll grafitti up his toys

Regina Spector seems like the coolest gal ever to hang with.  Not only does she do great duets with my boys Ben Folds and Sondre Lerche, she's got the tunes with the beat, the lyrics with the heart, and we can't forget the perfect body with eyelashes that catch her sweat.

 

Makes me think of things I'd love to do with a significant other one day, as per dreamy song lyrics and other scenerios--

• Go check out the coast of Montenegro because it was Steve Malkmus's favorite target in The Hook
• Catch a bon jovi show in switzerland in a cool summer day with rain included

ahhh, well, that's all i got for now

In a hot air balloon with a rusty nail, Looking over your shoulder and setting sail

What I had for dinner....hmm -- Now that's a great question --

 

Peoples perceptions about being out in the middle of the desert lead you to believe bugs, sloppy goo in a bag, prison style porage, etc --

 

In reality, its easier to eat a balanced / healthy meal here than in the states.  Also, its easier to gorge yourself silly on icecream, cheesesteak, or any other fried goodness.  For the spending record, every Friday night is 'surf and turf' (steak and lobster), lets just round it to 150,000 people.  Not to mention the carbon footprint of getting it from under the sea to here!  WHEW!

 

Lately its been like Obama's first ride on Air Force One.  The cook says 'what do you want to eat, we have everything' -- Obama's response, 'You got some sandwiches?'

 

---

Entertainment --

 

Nill, other than media from the Amazon lifeline in the form of Iron Maidens Flight 666, a blueray of Roy Orbison and also a concert of The Who circa long time ago.  The actual physical CD has become my friend again, as a typical CD will cost 5-7 bucks online.

 

Shoes --

 

Seems like I'm needing a new pair every six weeks, the lenght of walking is tremendous, the dust and sweat, and when rainy season comes mud -- really does a number on the zapatos.

 

The Near Beer --

 

Is God's Cruel Joke.  I'm sitting next to a non-alcoholic Lowenbrau which I drank last night for sanity's sake.  Immediately got me thinking of Berlin and finer times where I would cordially go up to the bar and request 'Zwei IceBier', in which two of these high alcohol content beauties would be placed in my hands.

 

The Work --

 

Is something for the mind and memory

 

The Shopping --

 

Something I had no idea how to imagine before I got out here, and something I still can't wrap my head around after seeing the options, or lack thereof.

 

Enrichment Opportunities --

 

Lots of time to work on your trade, they have a testing center here too to get certified on whatever you'd like.  There are arabic classes, salsa classes, and a flurry of related generic'ish activities.

 

The Weather --

 

At first glance, hot, dusty and miserable.  After getting acquainted, I'd say there's a mystical quality to it -- So hot during the day, but 6 AM the weather is gentle, as if the vast and open-ness of the landscape allowed this to blow in from....where??  perhaps Turkey?  Who knows?, but its something I've been pondering, consequently while listening to Andrew Bird's 'Weather Systems' --

 

The Music --

 

Its harder to stay up with it, considering ONE mp3 takes about 10 minutes to download when you get to the chu's, and what very little bandwidth you have is best utilized for skype, and the courtesy of others.

 

The People --

 

Are a microcosm of the real world, good, bad, tricky, movers and shakers, you name it, it's here.  The difference is everyone except for a handful of us roll around with guns.  There's something surprisingly Orwellian about the psychology.

 

Overall --

Extraordinary

All these things will come to pass When heroes of the middle class Face up to their responsibilities

before coming to the desert, a buddy of mine said 'the people will make all the difference' -- the textures of Islam in the distance, Ugandans playing soccer, plenty of America f*ck yea ice cream in the dfac do little to quell the monotony of the situations, but the personal relationships cultivated are priceless.

I came out here to see a whole different world, in physical reality, mindset, and to see a breath of spirit that is ever expanding into the open mind.

what's going to happen out here, hell who knows, when the money runs dry (o wait, that's happened) and popular opinion dwindles, my guess is some sort of parliamentary dictator will take hold, but we'll have them on strings.

afgan is the place, wow, what a fascinating and sad place the more you dig in -- we've taken their 'banks', i.e. opium fields, hence they're pissed. how's this for a challenge, 94% of your countries GDP comes from opium --

--

When I'm done here, I think I want to live here, and study here

All the Stars Seemed Lined Up in the Sky, Those 4 Letter words are in your Eyes

Facebook has added visibility to my blog presence, 99% of this new base if newbies to facebook, but old friends, etc, etc, hence, adding a very personal aspect to writing. Every time that happens I get writers block.

Back in the old days I could blast out political sentiments, existential thoughts, and other points of contention and societal grind. It's harder to expand your boundaries and still have a plurality with the rapport of your friends and family -- It's easy to blast, blast, blast to the world, it has little consequence.

Society and its labels -- Throughout the years, people just don't know what to smack on me to help them understand what I think or feel. I've been affectionately been called 'communist, hippie, socialist, pacifist', blah blah, yet I work the defense contracting machine. I go to church more than most and yet I don't think the trinity will play a big part in my life, unless it's the matrix trinity.

Where have I been the last couple years...to hell and back emotionally would be an understatement, all self inflicted b/c for the most part I lived a charmed life. Self inflicted hell is what motivates me, it's the hard 20 after the easy 80 has been accomplished is where I find comfort.

Most points of discussion / argument in social culture have been settled in my mind, hence much of what I see and hear is aggregated is skewed, tired and old. Life to me is a pursuit of interest and unique opportunities and conversation. My passion lies in talking about politics, religion and the girl.

I've had several people say I've fell into a bout' with pessimism; I agree, and we can't have that. I've been regaining a positive mental attitude, and I feel that it's going to come back with vibrancy.

Life out here in the desert has helped buy my freedom from economic shackles, putting the world in an oyster. I've had to do a lot of life maneuvering to get here, more cuts and jukes to come.

My blog visibility used to be to 20 or so loyal readers, now critiques come from different people who I had no idea tuned in -- The friends I have in my first few concentric rings of influence I think is an interesting microcosm of people that bring a ton of different perspective to the table.

So the nudging, judging, perceived narrow perceptions of readers and also the writer is all a part of establishing a strong rapport with all dear in my life. Not everyone will like or agree, but I'm thinking it all through, often out loud --

For the foreseeable future, I will focus on the lighter side of things, and the hopeless romanticisms life has to offer --

An address to the golden door, I was strumming on a stone again Pulling teeth from the pimps of gore when hatched

I can't really wrap my head around short selling the market.  This week I'm going to conduct an experiement based on companies that are expected to do well.

 

Initial capital = 5,000

Expected daily return = 3%

Commission Fees = 26 bucks / day

 

Stock that I think will perform well per day --

 

monday - hum
tuesday - ice
wed - axs
thurs - awh
fri - mir

 

if i'm right, the pflight of 5,000

 

Monday = $5,124.02
Tuesday = $5,277.74
Wed = $5,436.07
Thurs = $5,599.16
Fri = $5,767.13

 

There are other points to ponder, on a general level, I'm going to see how this plays out

 

I like scenerios one and two, I'm focusing on mastering scenerio 1 first, then moving on to the rest --

This is believe me music, this is forget me music This is who can love me you know, this aint no roxy music

in a nutshell, living out shines a spotlight on the difficulty i have living under conventional circumstances.

sure there are concrete walls everywhere, the bed sucks, dust and sand everywhere, the food fluctuates, and the days are short, months are long.

back home are relationships, commutes, politics and media and all you can eat.

life is exciting and meaningful, both the beauty and the struggle is in the little details.

lots of pop psychology and philosophy floating around in my head, too tired to organize --

beer in my lap, one window down, bird in the tree, kiss on the mouth

Lots of time for introspection in the desert, working the noon to midnight shift, a ritual of mine is hanging out facing the airport over a man made lake, looking at the planes and helicopters flying around.

Thinking about history, what always went down in the books was were the civilizations 'rubbed', not the Greek guy chillin out eating grapes, BUT, I've learned to understand how to cherish those times......at least mentally.

The world turns while you're out here, I have very little baggage or obligation in life and I still feel it -- I can't imagine how families must *cope* with being away from each other.

Phases one goes through, denial, anger, acceptance -- I'm beyond the acceptance phase and have reached the phase of pragmatism in wanting to get something done, both for the job and personally.

The late nights remind me of the dreary fast paced nostalgia I lived months ago. Life has done a 180, I'm doing the time to empower myself to do extraordinary things with my life. At times its hard, but at the same time this is the perfect catalyst for me to dot the i's and cross the t's in my life, and straighten the bowling pins before knocking them down again.

I've consistently been hard on others, perhaps moreso than myself in life, I've really come to realize that out here. I've judged so much and still do, I go about thinking, wow, 'they're settling.' A better way to look at things is 'they are just framing their realities in a different way.'

Reality has lost 'center' for me, and many parts of me are glad that this has happened, I'm in a minset of minute by minute growth. I feel I have to re-define what conventional means to me and for me so I can bring others into the equation.

This has been on repeat the last few days -- I Was a Fool by Roman Candle

--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RuOvEimumY

--

Out in the evening past the bridge and below
frogs and cicadas left and right growling low.
I've spent so much time round here when spring is done
been here a thousand times, not heard a single one.
Birds in the morning while I'm shoveling the snow
coffee pot wheezing soft as my stereo

All of the things I've had whether I've known or not
All of the things I've known and then somehow forgot

When I was young riding around
beer in my lap, one window down
bird in the tree, kiss on the mouth
I thought that I had figured it out
I was a fool. Then I met you.

Dusk was the longest hour when I was a kid.
Beautiful things sometimes can seem pretty hid.
Funny the things that make you want to walk the land
are the things sometimes you barely understand.

Found lots of crooked road before I found you
hard to curse any road but sometimes you do.
Feeling all strung out, drawn up from head to gut
I was calling out, I didn't know for what

When I was young riding around
beer in my lap, one window down
bird in the hand, kiss on the mouth
I thought that I had figured it out

All of these things so hard to find
up in my face, lost to my mind
hand on the knee, kiss on the mouth
I thought that I had figured it out
I was a fool.

He's ahead of his time you know but, he cant use it - If only he could prove it

One of the 'most fun' things out here is water detail.  We make an assembly line out the building and proceed to bring 6 huge pallets of water outside the building to inside.  If the '12 packs' are extremely dirty, we feel like we haven't got our money's worth.

 

Planning a trip down the old silk road in China, on one of these , can't wait to go, meanwhile I'm reading about Republic of Letters.

Weary sun, sleep tonight, go crashing into the ocean, Cut the line that ties the tide and moon, ancient and blue

General Updates --

1. The heat is much better than the dust, tomorrow the 'feels like ' index will be 138, its not describable
2. Big difference between the sand and dust, dust is much worse
3. one word, Jackyl, not the chainsaw solo band, but the animal, subject to many jokes around here concerning lonely soldiers, etc
4. Seriously thinking about taking the 'chernobyl tour' when i'm done here, either in the winter next summer
5. cd's are my best friend, if i have a new compilation a day, it brightens my day
6. lots of opportunities i'll have leaving this place for sure, but opportunities are finding me here as well

Been very lucky to have met some lifelong buddies here, and very lucky to have several points of reference back home.  I'm used to this already, and for someone 'like me', it has been a feat.  It means not just getting along, but functioning and thriving in a mindset I'm far from accostomed to --

 

I miss a lot of folks back home, I often think about them, how it would be like if certain individuals were out here in the desert, and things spoiled people would complain about.

1. irregular water flow and temperature
2. coat of dust on everything 10 minutes after cleaning, a thick coat after a week
3. long, long walks in the hot hot heat
4. eating the same thing over and over and over and over
5. driving / travelling conditions that are to the point where you'd rather NOT go anywhere
6. staying inside ALL day b/c it isn't too bearable outside
7. zero aesthetic, 5000 percent bizarre
8. walking on a dark sidewalk seeing someone ahead of you thinking, are they going to go postal today?
9. no 24 by 7 coverage of monkey trials or pop star funerals

The disparities, to the victors go the spoils

1. ac ducts hanging out of our buildings equipped with generators and portable ac's, b/c its probably cheaper than fixing the existing french versions
2. people throwing plate full of assorted stuff away while people starve in the distance
3. having the gun that says, we see your missle, and we'll shoot it down before it hits anything
4. Quran w/ Democracy, a question that has plagued western civilization, it ain't going to be answered anytime soon
5. creative ways to have fun out here, many of these things are burned into my head already
6. we do have a store, it has about 10 things in it, including a 20 dollar microfiber towel i dream about every day

Back in the day I wrote with a point, now I just ramble -- I have some points, just don't know how to make them, till then I'm poaching, hoping a jakyl doesn't piss on me --

OO, This Feeling Is Wonderful, Don't You Ever Turn it Off --

evilution happens to everything, including twitter, in 140-whatever characters -- i boast i got an account the first day it opened at the dreaded sxsw interactive festival, my evolution of twitter is --

1 - saying what i had for lunch
2 - talking about all the cool things i've done
3 - talk about all the cool things i've done, and also aggrigating tidbits on life, love and links

certainly MOST, not all individuals who don't use it for facts and figures dine at the FEAST of EGO, in an UNPERSONAL BARREN WASTELAND WHERE NO ONE CARES! --

That's why after the buzzfactor is going, its not a viable business option, because its impersonal, and biz-ness these days is all about personal interaction. 10,000 or so people now see the 'great idea' from the iconoclast of choice, so hence, the idea isn't the science, the personal interaction is the new hotness.

Why do I think so, b/c no one in the TWITisphere seems to care about that, they're all overexerted to the bone, trying to do more, see more, act more, feel more, MORE MORE MORE --

It's not sustainable in the environment, and its not sustainable to one's soul --

Scoble says it best, when actual work was being done, not the exploitation of work -- and I cut and past --

------

Drama vs. Helpfulness, how I will rebuild a friendship

by Robert Scoble on June 29, 2009

Twitter. It almost means drama. Heck, for those who didn’t catch musician Wil.i.am and Perez Hilton going at it over on Twitter you can get a whif of the kind of things that seem to happen in our real-time entertainment-focused world.

I have drunk too much from that world.

It’s too easy to be nasty. To build alliances, mobs, and use them to hurt people. I know, I’ve been on both the receiving end of that and the giving end of it too.

But I’m going the other way. How can I be helpful?

Yesterday I reminisced about the good old days, when coders ruled the world, not drama. Code isn’t dramatic. It either works, or it doesn’t.

Code doesn’t incite riots. Code doesn’t call people names. Code doesn’t end friendships.

So, I’m leaving the drama world to those who want to use Twitter to riot, to harm, to hurt, or to cause a fight to encourage people to click on their links so they can get the page views and get paid.

Tonight a friend says he’s ending his friendship with me. I don’t care how or why, but I’ll work to be helpful again. I used to be helpful.

I used to help by being excited by seeing the coolest latest startups. I used to help by trying out all the latest technology and knowing more about how to use it than anyone else.

That is still there, but it’s been repressed by the real time world. The drama. The fights.

My friend is noticing the same thing, although he’s articulating it badly. So am I.
It takes two to fight, so now I’m off. How to be helpful?

Well, for one, have you tried Feedly? I’m playing with it and it is now my favorite way to read

Google Reader’s feeds and tell the world about who has the best blogs. Yeah, it only works with Firefox, but most of you should be using that anyway. Would love to help out.

Anyway, earlier today I wrote that with every tweet we have a choice: helpful or hurtful. I’m trying to be helpful. Kick me if I’m not.

i never really thought it would be like this, i know its kinda hard but i'm glad that it is --

idealism has always had a tendancy to bring out the best of the worst of me, today that tug of war rages on --

ever since i learned the expression 'when you point a finger, six get pointed back at you' -- i've made earnest effort to sit back, take 27 deep breaths, take what i think are the shortcomings in others, internalize and reflect on myself the mental notes i've taken of others.

often times i wonder, does that introspection and self enrichment pay off? i think 'what percentage of the population is trying to improve themselves, and what percentage increase are they doing to achieve 'better ground' .5, 5, 15 or 50% --

squandered talent KILLS ME being a c student in high school, passing college by a gray nose hair, and generally speaking working harder than the next fella, often times a lot harder --

squandered time is relative, damn if i'm not finding myself apathetic more often than not the last few weeks, there's an invisible to me mountain i'm pushing against emotionally, one of two things will happen 1- the moutain will reaveal itself to me, or 2 - i'm like hmmm, this just got easier, what happened --

i'm searching for answer one, so i don't have to climb that mountain again --

i'm finding its a great thing to have expections of people, but finding it difficult to factor that in the living a extraordinary life effortlessly.

--
lately my thoughts lack a central theme, i hate it when i read stuff that i can't derive a central them from as much as i hate watching movies like 'snatch' --

undertones will tell the tale of my past to me, or good stories for people that are close to me -- stories that i don't have trouble articulating --

two butterflies tie knots in his stomach they love it when he goes too fast

wind whistles past round oceans of air that will mess up his hair though he no longer cares anymore --

wow, perpetual bad mood only is illeviated by thoughts of --- wow, what's neil hannon doing now, what is the gang from belle and sebastian doing in glasgow, how bout billy bragg, or sondre lerche -- guess they've never been to iraq, i don't think we'll see them on a moral tour here anytime soon.

the heat is UNF*#@%&^ING believeable, this sentiment coming from a native Texas boy -- not to mention the dust, wow, man vs. all sorts of things out here.

onion layers continue to peel off, it's a good thing -- its like the soul's 'fat suite' comes right off -- binge drinking comes to mind --

only two months in, i know coming back i'm going to have a hard time 'adjusting' to civilization. i'm going to see inefficiency everywhere i go, from the showers to the commutes, to the apathy seen in peoples faces, and the general lack of care and consideration for your fellow human.

i keep talks back home short, its great to see and hear friends and family. there are some folks here that never truly accepted they are here, i've come to accept that i'm here for a good while, and i'm having a good go at it.

two nights ago, after a few hours in the heat, i'm laying in bed, cold room, and my body temp is off -- throw on the cover for 30 seconds and i'm hot -- i will have to do something for my poor feet soon too. :(

--
as we inject some capitalism into this nation, here's a quote from stalin of mother russia, maybe my friends would stop calling me a communist one day if i quite quoting brutal dictators --

“The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do.”

--
wow, just re-read this, i'm all over the place -- need to recollect

You kept running, You Got Money You Got Fame, Every Morning, I See Your Picture from the Train

Its not about having the right answers, but rather asking the right questions. My question has always been, 'how do you develop unconventional talents in a conventional world?'

-- haven't done it in my magical armchair
-- not in the pubs or on dates
-- not by hanging around people with the same mindset
-- not by knowing everything about everything or wanting to learn everything about anything
-- not even by tuning in to the emerging social scenes online

what's done more for me than all of that in just two months

-- going somewhere where most have guns
-- seeing post apocalyptic vehicles in real life and not just on mad max
-- tied to the plow 84 hours a week
-- hearing the sound of islam 500 yards away and going....'huh?, what is that?'

what i've found is a hard balance between judgement and perception --

-- why does it take moving to the desert to see a right wingers perspective on war?

-- why does it take moving a right winger to watch a polar ice cap fall off to convince climate change --

What I can do back home to be unconventional

-- listen to others
-- know where to take the conversation after inception
-- don't talk passionately about 1/2 of 1 percent of the picture

the world has some problems while we lament on

-- who to blame for it
-- how to sell it
-- the best way to stay distracted

----
Right now I think back to a moment in time, what was going on in my head when I was living in Queen Bee's basement, and Belle and Sebastian's The Life Pursuit album hit the torrents -- O how the times have changed.

And all my senses seem to shine through the day, honey that's okay Yes all my senses seem to shine in the night, honey that's alright

A buddy said what you'll experience on a deployment, 'youll never been happy, sadder, pissed on, pissed off, tired, energetic, etc' in your life, -- I'd say there's a lot of truth to that. Lately is hysterical laughter, the kind that only comes with 42 straight 12 or so hour days.

Random Thoughts --

Things that will change when I get back home (will cross reference in 6 months)

-- will be EXTREMELY happy to see the family

-- change my 20% lazy time to 2% lazy time

-- really work out some tough arrangements on the guitar

-- stay in super shape, eat right'ish

Trancendental Thoughts --

-- if everyone had at least 25k invested in common stock in America (not 401k, etc), there'd be a totally different perception of the economy, market forces and how pub debates are framed. the more you look the more ick' is revealed. classic enslavement that's been going on since the advent of trade.

-- every time i see a mention of tribal bs political talk I gremace. rome burned, the track we're on we're heading to the same fate, same as it ever was

-- oil enslaves us, 'recoveries' are blocked due to the price of oil, and my thoughts, american hedge funds try to drive up the price while opec tries to keep it down -- i'm trying to wrap my head around that one.

-- growth at the expense of mother nature suggests her nudging us off the planet, sustainibility will require A-BOMB project type coordination times 100, I'm ready. i understand what's good for water skiing isn't good for snow skiing, but there's something looming.

Tonight I throw myself into, and out of the red, out of her head she sang

tonight i get the 'twitter and social networking is stupid' tongue and cheek speech. although i think social networking is just a tool (garbage in and garbage out), it is a world flattener.

there's some iraqi officials on twitter, and i can say @yodude here's what i think about the world situation. in a nutshell that's a potential game changer.....if ---

people actually listen -- the key now isn't the idea, or listening, its execution, timing, vision and luck. good ideas are being given and consumed by so many people at this day and age, the part that you can control of a success equation is how bad you want it -- and from what my inclinations show me, people don't want much, they just talk a good game.

to this day i've never really 'wanted anything' bad enough to GRIND it out -- i desperately want to have something to sink my teeth into, until then its calculated decisions about where my life and career are going.

--
lately i've been thinking, i'm a fan of globalization WITHOUT growth. i think about what awareness does to the fertility rate, sustainability and repair (for instance, how long is that plastic smoothie cup going to stay in this man made lake, and how long is the lake going to be around?), and the true keys to the kingdom and happiness --

i've been thinking about how tired 'conventional war' is, and what's next on the horizon....clone wars, etc, etc --

i've been thinking about the hideous and sensationalist 'socialism' debate and how people get caught up in this. could it be that one day we're all so efficient we can cocoon in our chu's and have what we want on demand free of charge and free from work?

i've been thinking about how i want my stock to go up, so i can live on the interest earned --

i've been thinking about a hammock in the back yard in shiner, a really good one, laying in it all day and reading --

i've been thinking how i spend my days back home, and boy are there going to be some changes when i get back --

I'm an Outlaw, I Make my Livin' on the Run, My Life is Lonely, But I was born to Need No One

The desert is small, seeing points of reference from back home can make your disposition do a complete 180 --

Calvanism, a suggestion, something I've always been afraid to approach, but I think here's the time and the place for it -- According to wiki, its The system is best known for its doctrines of predestination and total depravity.

Another tool to make sense of a different reality, why not grind your brain against it.

To balance

Firehouse, the 80's band I've been jammin' back to back to back nights on my jog. After this jaunt through the depths of knowing thyself and self actualization, I hope to end back up at Firehouse, for as if the laws of economics say 'mo money mo problems,' a deep dip into the brain grunge certainly hinders happiness.

Yes, I'm saying it, one day I think I'm just going to like shit with a beat, but its probably going to be Mozart and the gang.

To make a mountain of Your life is just a choice But I never learned enough To listen to the voice that told me always love

for a solid 4-5 hours today i thought about mis-steps in my life, especially with people, things i'd like to make right -- on the myers briggs test, the last letter, based on my mood, i'm either a J (judgemental) or a P (perceptive).

Generally speaking, a more 'ideal human being' is a P. It means observing, cataloguing and all the other stuff that comes with action before thought. It constantly reminds me to think a situation through before making a snap judgement based on my ideology or prejudice.

this short amount of time out here at told me to look the other way in regards to what it petty, and get down to the heart of matters and see what needs renovation.

conflict, discontent, malcontent and other negative connotations don't advance agendas -- my personal agendas tell me to respect, respect, you have to show people respect.

the opportunity costs for negative emotions are enormous, as I get older I need to tear down those walls, all of them, and just let it flow --

its been a torturous day of sorts.

if music be the food of love, then play on

Since arrival -- no movies, but i plan on coming home with 52 music dvds --

they bring 2 hours of smiles to my week, and it kinda makes me feel like i'm travelling without travelling

week 1 - josh ritter Live in Dublin
week 2 - foo fighters live in london (my first bluray disk ever, i must say its impressive)
week 3 - nirvana mtv unplugged in new york
week 4 - springsteen in philly (i think) circa 1975
week 5 - jeff buckley grace tribute (live from all over the place)

see you in another 5 weeks with the next 5

Make crosses from your lovers Throw roses in the rain Waste your summer praying in vain For a savior to rise from these streets

Two prevailing thoughts --

1 -- how a song morphs with your through life, thunder road by springsteen when i was a kid was a jam, in high school i liked the 'you're not a beauty but hey you're allright' lyric, and now there's another peel that comes off that onion, wow sprinsteen is the man -- that's what it takes to sell out stadiums, write timeless tunes like that

2 -- 'deep economy' the book i'm reading says, ok, you're rich, now what? it takes about the perpetual growth models we promote and their implications on society. analysis says 10k a year is the cutoff point for happiness, you make more, the happiness curve goes down.

a hammock and bare feet will come for me sooner than later, that's happiness -- hopefully the abstract notion of true love come true to boot