I'm going kind of crazy with this vinyl buying spree that I've been on.
This past Friday I returned home from my day of work/boredom to find a wonderful surprise.
It was my double LP of Possibilities and Maybes by The Casket Lottery! On beautiful White vinyl!
It looks and sounds great!
In the past few days I've made a few more online purchases of some records that I'm pretty psyched about.
The first I acquired through Ebay and is an original, Canadian pressing of The Queen is Dead by The Smiths. Since then I've been browsing through a number of auctions on Ebay, bidding on a few different records.
Luckily I lost a number of auctions that would have put a huge dent in my bank account, though I was pretty bummed to lose the auction for Talking with the Taxman about Poetry by Billy Bragg.
However, I did win a really great auction. Once it arrives in the mail I will be the owner of a rare, limited, first pressing of the split 7" from Texas is the Reason and The Promise Ring. Released in 1996 on Jade Tree Records, this split features one of my favorite Texas is the Reason songs, "Blue Boy."
Oh, and did I mention that it's on red vinyl?
Yeah, I can't wait to listen to it!
Finally I just ordered a copy of Funeral for a Feeling by Kill Your Idols. Released in 2001 on SideOneDummy, it's a classic album from the recently-deceased New York Hardcore group. I used to have this on CD but lost it a few years back, so I'm pretty excited to have a physical copy of this again!
So that's about it for my record buying habits at the moment. I should slow down a bit.
Also, if you're interested in listening to some great tunes check out some new tracks from my friends in Mooseknuckle. It's feel-good punk rock at its finest.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Backyard Farming
I've had it in my head for a number of years that sometime in the not-too-distant future I would like to live on a farm. While I'm nowhere close to the point of acquiring a farm of my own, I'm working on getting some practice in my backyard.
At the moment my backyard is in shambles after years of neglect. I've been away from school the past few years and haven't had the time to put in the upkeep. This is all going to change this year. Around now is the time to start preparing the yard and that's exactly what it is that I'm going to start to do. This weekend I'm going to start to get my yard in order and begin the process of transforming my now dormant suburban landscape into a blooming variety of vegetable, fruit and flower gardens; or so I hope.
It will certainly be a bit of trial and error. But who knows, perhaps in due time my yard will look like this:
For now I'll just keep on planning everything out.
Also, there was an article in the New York Time today about people in urban areas growing small orchards. You can check it out here.
At the moment my backyard is in shambles after years of neglect. I've been away from school the past few years and haven't had the time to put in the upkeep. This is all going to change this year. Around now is the time to start preparing the yard and that's exactly what it is that I'm going to start to do. This weekend I'm going to start to get my yard in order and begin the process of transforming my now dormant suburban landscape into a blooming variety of vegetable, fruit and flower gardens; or so I hope.
It will certainly be a bit of trial and error. But who knows, perhaps in due time my yard will look like this:
For now I'll just keep on planning everything out.
Also, there was an article in the New York Time today about people in urban areas growing small orchards. You can check it out here.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
THEEEEERRRRMAAAALLLL
The New York Times had an interesting article in the Business section today about Solar Thermal Energy and how it's being developed around the world.
You can check it out here.
It's interesting because the article talks about how a whole new industry is starting to pop up. Perhaps by redirecting energy consumption to renewable options the economy could get jump started again.
It's highly unlikely that could happen, but it's possible. The renewable energy industry could create new jobs in both the production of technology and the installation of the equipment. But like I said...it's highly unlikely that could happen.
Dream
Last night I had a dream that My Morning Jacket and Dinosaur Jr. went on tour together.....
That would be incredible if it were true.
Jim James and J. Mascis.....if you're reading this, make this happen!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Singular
The talk in the office today has been a circular conversation about the results of yesterday's primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. It's the same conversation that's been had everyday for the past six months.
ObamaClintonMcCain.
They should be one singular candidate. In reality there isn't too much of a difference between all three. Experience doesn't necessarily matter and they all are politicians working towards that common goal of sitting behind (arguably) the most powerful desk in the world.
But why should they be the only candidates allowed to run? Why should they be the ones who work for us? If they are working for us, shouldn't we have a greater variety in our decision making process?
I just don't know how comfortable I am with the idea of only having two viable choices come November. I'm not a fan of neither McCain or Clinton, and I'm on the fence with Obama, who one minute says what I want and the next plays the party line like everyone else.
There is always Ralph Nader....
Who knows? Maybe this system is beyond repair...
Or maybe I can't take the circular conversations of my co-workers.
ObamaClintonMcCain.
They should be one singular candidate. In reality there isn't too much of a difference between all three. Experience doesn't necessarily matter and they all are politicians working towards that common goal of sitting behind (arguably) the most powerful desk in the world.
But why should they be the only candidates allowed to run? Why should they be the ones who work for us? If they are working for us, shouldn't we have a greater variety in our decision making process?
I just don't know how comfortable I am with the idea of only having two viable choices come November. I'm not a fan of neither McCain or Clinton, and I'm on the fence with Obama, who one minute says what I want and the next plays the party line like everyone else.
There is always Ralph Nader....
Who knows? Maybe this system is beyond repair...
Or maybe I can't take the circular conversations of my co-workers.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Vinyl Habits.
I've been thinking a lot about consumerism and how Americans consume large amounts of EVERYTHING on a regular basis.
I try and break that cycle of consumption within myself as much as I can. I try to avoid buying useless things and always look to find a way to reuse something.
But I'm American. I was brought up within the the consumer mindset. It's almost as if I do not feel complete if I don't consume in some way.
So, lately I've been increasing my vinyl record collection. Over the past three weeks I've bought nine records. So here's a little recap of the records I bought:
It all started three weeks ago when I was visiting Alice up in Maine. We went to this great store in Brunswick, Maine by the name of Bull Moose, which is a sort of independent chain in the Maine/New Hampshire area.
While there I bought two records: Nas - Illmatic (1994) and Pavement - Westing (By Musket & Sextant (1993). I was pretty happy with both buys. Illmatic is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time and Westing (By Musket & Sextant) is a collection of Pavement's early EP's and 7"'s.
After returning to the New York area I didn't do much vinyl buying for about a week, until on an impulse I decided to visit Looney Tunes in West Babylon. I hadn't been to Looney Tunes since a fire burned it down in August. I was kind of surprised by the new appearance of the store..it kind of felt like I was in a Borders.
Regardless I browsed their rack of vinyl and came away with three pretty good finds: Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), Weather Report - Heavy Weather (1977), and Peter Tosh - Mama Africa (1983).
The Paul Simon buy came because for some reason I've been on a big Simon & Garfunkel and Paul Simon kick lately. I figured it'd be a good addition to my collection. Peter Tosh goes without saying....the man was great and arguably a more prolific Reggae artist than Bob Marley was. While Mama Africa isn't Tosh at his best, it still is a great record that features an interesting cover of Johnny B. Goode. The Weather Report buy is kind of out of my element and the only reason I bought it was for nostalgia. The opening track on the record (and Weather Report's most famous,) Birdland, holds a special place in my musical history. When I was in jazz band back in high school, Birdland, was one of those staple songs that alway made it into a set. At Bothan Spies practice, Dana and I will sometimes break into a little rendition of it. Ah memories.
That was a week ago. Yesterday, on a whim, I bought The Casket Lottery - Possibilities and Maybes (2003) online at Vinyl Collective. This record is a great collection of a bunch of EP's and 7"'s by The Casket Lottery and is a 2XLP on white vinyl. I really can't wait for it to arrive. If you haven't checked out Vinyl Collective go right now! It's a great little site that has a lot of great records at great prices (Great Great Great!).
Today I went to High Fidelity Records in Amityville. I had heard about this store which opened up a few years back, but had yet to make it over to check it out. Specializing in used vinyl and CD's, I was pretty impressed with the selection at High Fidelity. I ended up buying three records: Husker Du - New Day Rising (1985), The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me (1987)and Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (1965).
I almost drooled when I saw New Day Rising. It's practically mint condition. What a find?
So that's my recap of my vinyl buying spree.
Maybe I'll make it four weeks in a row...
I try and break that cycle of consumption within myself as much as I can. I try to avoid buying useless things and always look to find a way to reuse something.
But I'm American. I was brought up within the the consumer mindset. It's almost as if I do not feel complete if I don't consume in some way.
So, lately I've been increasing my vinyl record collection. Over the past three weeks I've bought nine records. So here's a little recap of the records I bought:
It all started three weeks ago when I was visiting Alice up in Maine. We went to this great store in Brunswick, Maine by the name of Bull Moose, which is a sort of independent chain in the Maine/New Hampshire area.
While there I bought two records: Nas - Illmatic (1994) and Pavement - Westing (By Musket & Sextant (1993). I was pretty happy with both buys. Illmatic is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time and Westing (By Musket & Sextant) is a collection of Pavement's early EP's and 7"'s.
After returning to the New York area I didn't do much vinyl buying for about a week, until on an impulse I decided to visit Looney Tunes in West Babylon. I hadn't been to Looney Tunes since a fire burned it down in August. I was kind of surprised by the new appearance of the store..it kind of felt like I was in a Borders.
Regardless I browsed their rack of vinyl and came away with three pretty good finds: Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), Weather Report - Heavy Weather (1977), and Peter Tosh - Mama Africa (1983).
The Paul Simon buy came because for some reason I've been on a big Simon & Garfunkel and Paul Simon kick lately. I figured it'd be a good addition to my collection. Peter Tosh goes without saying....the man was great and arguably a more prolific Reggae artist than Bob Marley was. While Mama Africa isn't Tosh at his best, it still is a great record that features an interesting cover of Johnny B. Goode. The Weather Report buy is kind of out of my element and the only reason I bought it was for nostalgia. The opening track on the record (and Weather Report's most famous,) Birdland, holds a special place in my musical history. When I was in jazz band back in high school, Birdland, was one of those staple songs that alway made it into a set. At Bothan Spies practice, Dana and I will sometimes break into a little rendition of it. Ah memories.
That was a week ago. Yesterday, on a whim, I bought The Casket Lottery - Possibilities and Maybes (2003) online at Vinyl Collective. This record is a great collection of a bunch of EP's and 7"'s by The Casket Lottery and is a 2XLP on white vinyl. I really can't wait for it to arrive. If you haven't checked out Vinyl Collective go right now! It's a great little site that has a lot of great records at great prices (Great Great Great!).
Today I went to High Fidelity Records in Amityville. I had heard about this store which opened up a few years back, but had yet to make it over to check it out. Specializing in used vinyl and CD's, I was pretty impressed with the selection at High Fidelity. I ended up buying three records: Husker Du - New Day Rising (1985), The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me (1987)and Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (1965).
I almost drooled when I saw New Day Rising. It's practically mint condition. What a find?
So that's my recap of my vinyl buying spree.
Maybe I'll make it four weeks in a row...
Monday, March 3, 2008
More Delayed Trains
I'm starting to become one of those cranky commuters I always used to see on the LIRR...
This morning there were more delays on the LIRR. According to Newsday, switch problems on tracks caused delays at Hicksville at 6:25 a.m. which lead to further problems two hours later just east of the East River Tunnel. You can check out the article here.
I've come to realize that this is the reality of the busiest commuter rail line in the world. There are going to be delays, but the frequency that these delays occur and the nature of them (switch and mechanical problems) can very easily be prevented if there was more emphasis placed on preventing oversight.
The very infrastructure of the New York area's transportation grid is asking for a major problem. The system is aging, fares are continuing to rise, and it seems at times that not enough is being done to promote public transportation throughout the New York region.
It's starting to feel like I'm hitting my head against a wall.
This morning there were more delays on the LIRR. According to Newsday, switch problems on tracks caused delays at Hicksville at 6:25 a.m. which lead to further problems two hours later just east of the East River Tunnel. You can check out the article here.
I've come to realize that this is the reality of the busiest commuter rail line in the world. There are going to be delays, but the frequency that these delays occur and the nature of them (switch and mechanical problems) can very easily be prevented if there was more emphasis placed on preventing oversight.
The very infrastructure of the New York area's transportation grid is asking for a major problem. The system is aging, fares are continuing to rise, and it seems at times that not enough is being done to promote public transportation throughout the New York region.
It's starting to feel like I'm hitting my head against a wall.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Awful Reporting
I'm finally getting around to this...
I've been meaning to write a response to this report since I saw it on Thursday night.
Airing on WABC-TV, channel 7, in New York this report focused on three high speed boats that were unveiled for service by the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol the waters of New York Harbor.
The report was one of the worst pieces of Journalism that I had seen in some time. Continuously usually words such as "terrorism" and "9/11" throughout the report, the video acts as a PR stunt for these new high speed water crafts that are mounted with machine guns.
There is nothing wrong with having boats like this for security reasons, but when a major news outlet broadcasts a report that claims these boats will help in the "war on terror" it just feeds the fire. There is no "war on terror" being waged in the United States or anywhere else in the world. It's all rhetoric that has been used by the Bush administration for the past six years.
The question is, is this a real news story? Sure it's important that the Coast Guard have high speed boats in New York Harbor, and the report points out that the boats would be essential in saving the lives of disabled boaters, but this report acts a show of might and superiority. Another way of lulling citizens into a false sense of apathetic security.
But hey, it's nice to flex a little muscle. In the words of Bill Ritter, the broadcaster WABC-TV, these boats are "impressive little puppies."
That's just super.
I've been meaning to write a response to this report since I saw it on Thursday night.
Airing on WABC-TV, channel 7, in New York this report focused on three high speed boats that were unveiled for service by the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol the waters of New York Harbor.
The report was one of the worst pieces of Journalism that I had seen in some time. Continuously usually words such as "terrorism" and "9/11" throughout the report, the video acts as a PR stunt for these new high speed water crafts that are mounted with machine guns.
There is nothing wrong with having boats like this for security reasons, but when a major news outlet broadcasts a report that claims these boats will help in the "war on terror" it just feeds the fire. There is no "war on terror" being waged in the United States or anywhere else in the world. It's all rhetoric that has been used by the Bush administration for the past six years.
The question is, is this a real news story? Sure it's important that the Coast Guard have high speed boats in New York Harbor, and the report points out that the boats would be essential in saving the lives of disabled boaters, but this report acts a show of might and superiority. Another way of lulling citizens into a false sense of apathetic security.
But hey, it's nice to flex a little muscle. In the words of Bill Ritter, the broadcaster WABC-TV, these boats are "impressive little puppies."
That's just super.
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