Friday Haiku

Grandparents arrive

Jubilant children—cloudburst

A spring holiday

Another Bite at an Apple

So anyone who is a "friend" of mine on Facebook knows that after much input and research, I got Neats a new MacBook Pro for Mother's Day. It was really an excuse to get a better computer in the house for her as our near-decade-old-Gateway laptop is Windows tired--or as I like to say, "slow as all get out!" Neats was resisting dropping the coin for a new computer and kept saying that our computer wasn't really all that bad, but I decided it was time to correct this situation and after my highly scientific polls on Facebook, it was clear that it was worth the investment to jump back to the Apple.

That said, we have been in a PC environment for a very long time, so we are still (re)learning the Mac world. Here are a few comments that have been made during the process of learning about and setting up the new machine.

• So, how do I open it?
• Whoa, it's talking to me!
• Where do I click?
• Oh, hey, there I am on the screen . . . um, so it has a built in camera?
• Wow, this really is fast (i.e. our old computer really did suck)!
• Really, do you think Garage Band is the first application we should explore?
• Maybe we should call and see if the Apple Care is already applied . . . Right, it is Sunday . . .no it says they are 24/7 . . . Uh, huh. . . . . Oh hi Jason, yes Jason, sure Jason, thank you Jason. . . .Yup, we are set.
• Mama and I took a picture of ourselves as cartoons!

In short, I think we made the right decision. Perhaps there will even be cool graphics and movies here soon--that, of course, would mean that I will actually get on the Mac, which of course means Neats would not be using it. Hmmm . . . think I will go watch me some baseball!

There Will Be Veggies!

We have always been gardeners to a certain extent. In Salt Lake, we had a serious veggie garden, but only in the last few years have we really got our Maryland garden up to full speed. This year we took the final step of really getting off on the right foot with a large (some might say, too large) order of seeds from Seed Savers (I will wait while you spend the next 30 minutes of your life ogling their stuff on line and wishing you had placed your order earlier this year too).

So we have a whole bunch of plants started that will probably go in the ground next weekend, a whole bunch of early plants already seeded in the garden and coming up, and a bunch of warmer weather starters who will get planted as seeds next weekend too--all contingent on finding enough room and still managing to have a yard in which the boys can play. That said here is what we hope to have by way of veggies this year in no particular order:

• Basil: Globe, Sweet Genovese
• Parlsey: Italian
• Zucchini: Black Beauty and Golden
• Peppers: Tolli's Sweet, Garden Sushine, Sweet Chocolate Pepper
• Tomatoes: Moonglow, Cherokee Purple, Red Zebra, Redfield Beauty, Hartman's Gooseberry
• Eggplant: Listada de Gandia
• Cucumber, Japanese Climbing
• Chives
• Swiss Chard: Fordhook Giant
• Spinach: Red Malabar
• Beans: Sultan's Green Crescent & Golden Crescent
• Melon: Amish
• Corn: Stowell's Evergreen
• Carrots: St. Valery
• Beets: Burpee's Golden
• Lettuce: Grandpa Admires, and Mixed
• Arugula: Apollo
• Peas: Green Arrow
• A host of other herbs all over and in pots

We were probably a little late in getting everything going--probably should have seeded at the very beginning of March (except squash and cukes). Regardless we are having fun--and hopefully we will be flush with veggies in the near future.

Spring Goings-Ons (Rationalizations)

I realize that I often write lists of excuses as to why I haven't blogged lately--which I realize are really journal entries of what is going on in my life right now--which I realize qualify as the very reason people keep blogs. In short, I am not sure what my compulsion is with apologizing for not writing for the two people that read this here blog, but perhaps I am just trying to fit this blog into the Protestant-guilt/rebellion genre where I write about music to rebel, but apologize for my inadequacies as a blogger.

Whatever.

Here are a few of the things that have occupied my time as of late as opposed to blogging.

• A week-long series of meetings at work.
• The Engineer's baseball team, which has clawed its way back to almost .500 which plays or practices three days a week (resulting in me saying to my work colleagues, "uh yeah, that is critical, but I gotta leave to get to a little league game).
• Virtually everyone in The Captain's preschool class being born in the same two months resulting in a weekly (or two) birthday parties.
• The Artist's birthday, Neats' birthday, Mothers Day, and our 20th anniversary.
• Fantasizing (again) about having a group music blog with Lisa B, College Roomy, North Shore Dave, Wobblie and DR--that would be hip.
• Enjoying that fact that because ESPN seems obligated to show every Yankee game I got to watch the Tigers take three of four from them this week.
• Speaking of the Tigers, we happen to mention that we are getting tickets to Commerica in August and all 26 members of my family decide that is a good idea and are joining us--so add coordinating that and getting tickets and hotels to the list.
• Garden, garden, garden (more on that to come).
• Starting to listen to the two package of discs that recently arrived--one ordered and one a nice surprise from College Roomy.
• Fretting about not blogging (that takes up a lot of time)!

And now off to a baseball game, take care of the yard and make an anniversary dinner reservation!

Strangely Ambivalent: Catching Up with Arcade Fire

Another band that folks might find it amazing I did not have any music by (until my quest to catch up with the oughts started) is Arcade Fire, who managed to snag two spots on Paste’s Best of the Decade list (and the band’s first full length album Funeral showed up on a lot of lists). Actually, I first started thinking I should get Funeral when it kept being raised in comparison to Hospice by The Antlers—which I guess right off suggests this isn’t quite what you would describe as happy music. In fact, this post was in danger of not happening until we got some cool, grey weather as Arcade Fire is no spring and summer band in my book.

That said, Funeral, which is the album I started with, doesn’t plow as deeply into the pain of loss as Hospice does and in many ways Arcade Fire seems more focused on healing, escape and catharsis. This is, of course, aided by the fact that there music has a driving sound that give you a sense of propelling forward—although their slower, quieter contemplative pieces on Funeral might be my favorite. The album captured my attention enough that I went ahead and also picked up Neon Bible, the band’s second album.

But here is the catch. After listening to both albums a lot over the last few months, I am surprisingly ambivalent about Arcade Fire.

For starters I do keep listening to them—first a lot, and now off and on. And I am generally engaged with both albums all the way through, although Neon Bible definitely has a couple clunkers on it for me and doesn’t hold up to Funeral overall. The songs are intricately put together with varying and interesting instrumentation, often layering instruments (particularly anything with strings) and melodies. They certainly don’t suffer from redundancy in style and sound, but they do hold together as all of a larger piece and ultimately they are full-blown rock tunes that at their core have a consistent pulsing to them. The lyrics have depth, sometimes looking inwardly in a soul-searching way and at other times looking outwardly in a social commentary way.

But perhaps it is just as College Roomy once said about why he didn’t connect with the Decemberists: “A bit too ornate” -- or perhaps too orchestrated, too cerebral, too well thought-out. Either that or perhaps a bit too much teen-like angst on Funeral and a bit too-much smart grad-school commentary on Neon Bible. Whatever it is, I am just not fully identifying with them.

And just as further evidence, I was listening to the albums again while writing this and feeling that perhaps I was being unfair as I heard songs I really liked and I was trying to figure out which ones to share here. But then it struck me that I could also pick out a few songs that would be evidence of the tracks I am less than moved by—and there you have it.

At the end of the day though, this blog is about sharing music I like, so here are three tunes I think exemplify the best of these album--although I am giving you the second album track first just because I like this order and hey, it’s my blog!

Keep the Car Running
Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
Rebellion (Lies)

If you like these, here is their store where you can pick up these and other Arcade Fire. Now the question is whether or not to buy their upcoming release?

The Way a Speech Should Be Delivered

I swore that tonight I would get a post up about Arcade Fire I was working on (a rainy day had me back at it) and ultimately, I will. But today I watched this speech by Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mineworkers of America. He was addressing the New York State United Teachers, which happens to be the state affiliate of the union I work for--that would be the American Federation of Teachers for any rare, random stranger who ends up on this blog. Now I don't blog a lot about work stuff here--perhaps I should--but this speech deserves a listen.

What is amazing about this speech to me is Roberts' ability to take the recent mine tragedies and treat them with amazing respect, making the miners' stories and lives as personal as you can and bringing them straight to you in everyday terms so you understand who these men were. But he does more than that. He takes on the sadness of the experience and turns it into an impassioned called to action but without the misusing the memories of the miners or their families.

I could go into all the rhetorical reasons this speech moved me, but ultimately I just wanted to add to the possibility that others would see this speech as I wish more people in this country got to hear this narrative, delivered this way. So here you go--and please, watch both parts and then pass it on.