A lot has been going on in this mind of mine. For a lack of many things, school included, its also been wandering. Through many car trips, a too long layover and boredom overall I’ve been exploring the inner depths of my iPod. That led me to an On-The-Go playlist 142 songs long. Which then led to more music boredom. Since I’ve been home here in Ithaca I’ve had nice time on my hands. Allowing for most of my afternoons thus far to be completely devoted to listening to music, an activity that is a constant in my life but is never really as deep as it has become over the last two days.
It begins with the fact, and a confession, of my past as a music lover. I used to be a close-minded classic rock fan who didn’t know better and never gave anything a chance. Right now, while stomaching the Breakfast with the Beatles show, I am on a personal quest to knock the Beatles off their pedestal in my life, and for those around me. I’m the ‘Beatles girl’ (as I’ve been told) and not until now has that bothered me. Recently I’ve been listening to what I used to consider modern music. Now it is just becoming common sense.
Here we have the Dirty Projectors.
Bitte-Orca
This band we play at the station. Although I did not start listening to them until my brother-in-law recommended them to me. My Christmas gift to him was a jump drive full of music that I acquired throughout the year. His personal quest is to find as much new music as possible. Through him and someone else close to me I have found something I never thought I would stumble upon, let alone go looking for. Its the idea that anything can be great. Just think, every band- and even more importantly- every song is someone’s favorite. So you can’t be too upset with something musically, because everything has a home.
This band, the Dirty Projectors have been putting out records since 2002- this record Bitte-Orca is remarkable. There is plenty going on there, bold and unusual unlike anything I’ve ever heard.I fall in love with it every time I hear them. Over the course of time I’ve never listened to anything as what I would consider as strange as this band. And I never thought I would genuinely love anything like this.
Almost even better is Yeasayer. This is a band that has one record from 2007 and their most recent, Odd Blood, is credited for coming out in 2010 (but I heard it all throughout the latter part of 2009.) The bravest band, maybe, that I’ve ever listened to. Odd Blood opens with a track that throws you off. Almost like you don’t expect what the hell the next thing will sound like. I was so familiar with just the one song the station plays and I had heard the full album two other times. It wasn’t until two days ago I got the full record and let it marinate that I realized that its better than crack. Each song as you listen to the full album impresses me and even though there is one in particular, all the songs are peculiar themselves. After enough time to digest you can see that it is technically a ‘concept’ album- but anything short of ordinary. Most people don’t even like it.
Odd Blood
Now right now there is something even more important to me. It is a revolution in my own life. A word that can never be used too lightly, its a revolution because I have these feelings about music as if I’m falling in love with it for the first time. As if I’ve never even heard it before. Something like this has never been this important to me. Bands that I’ve known of since high school and never gave a second chance, or second thought, are now some of the most important bands in my life.
I’ve been trying to love some in particular, like the Flaming Lips (coming to Cornell in April), since I was a senior in high school. Brian Walagorski introduced me to them. He also gave me the gift of life with giving me Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the first time. I now know that this kid was way ahead of me. He knew that Wilco was his favorite band. I even remember him going to Chicago to see them (and thought he was crazy for doing so.) Wilco has become one of, if not, the most important band to me. This kid also gave me Yo La Tengo, which I have grown to appreciate. I forgot where Elliot Smith came from- whom I now am sincerely falling in love with. As well as The Velvet Underground. The Velvet Underground, as some ‘cant readers might know, are THE favorite of mine. I guess you could call them tied for first with Wilco. When I said this out loud to my sister, they could not believe it and thought I was messing with them. How could someone mess about something as serious as this?
Music has become so much more important to me. And I never thought it could gain any more credibility in my life. I’ve started a brand in my own head of ‘Euphoric Rock.’ Including a list of most of the above bands, it is a kind of music that makes you feel strangely happy yet disturbed in a way you cannot understand. Beautiful lyrics like poetry and voices that are choral and unexpected. Arrangements and musicianship that goes far too overlooked and a sensibility that continues to keep my brain interested.
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Since the ‘Best of 2009′ lists have been ranking Animal Collective all over their number one or two spot (in addition to friends and associates saying the same things) they are my newest band that I am venturing into. I want to see what the fuss is about, give it a chance even more. If this many people are talking about it, it has to mean something, right? This isn’t me trying to follow the crowd (or is it?) and I’m pretty sure this isn’t me conforming. Its just a message in my own brain telling me to snap out of whatever crazy bizarro world I was living in before and stop spinning the same things. Merriweather Post Pavilion is the one with the cool cover. A couple weeks ago I couldnt manage to get past the first few tracks. But with help from another friend, it seems OK and to be growing on me.
It has become more than the band members and their history. I find myself looking up information on these bands after weeks of listening to them. Right now its all about the music, recording and composition of what they want us to hear and in what order. It really is the music that I’ve found as if its been missing for all these years.
There is a lesson in this. I was so close minded for so long, listening to the same things, listening to the same manifesto of my father building the Beatles up to be more and more, without ever giving anything a chance. (Now I have to discover things like Nashville Skyline on my own, thanks to him. Thank god I did.) I couldn’t let anyone I know ever follow in these footsteps. I can’t imagine going through life without all of this, growing up without essentials and an open-minded variety. I just want to make sure that you go out and find something new. Stay on a station even if it bores you, tape a list on your wall of bands you’ve always been meaning to give another listen to, and listen to music with new people. Friends who study different things, have different views on everything from politics to clothing and friends who you never thought you’d meet can all influence you in ways I never thought they could. People with different interests and different tastes have had an incredible impression on me musically. The world of music just got a whole lot bigger. The list is endless. And everything seems to be falling into place.
Let’s talk about how good the basketball team is. With a 13 and 4 record, I’ve been lucky enough to watch their two most recent victories, the most recent, a one-point win over RIT. Junior Chris Cruz is dirty from the three point line, Eli Maravich (nephew of late Hall-of-Famer Pistol Pete) is obtrusive with the full court press, Tom Brown, one of two seniors on the team crashes the board like none other, and Athletic Trainers are ever-so-supportive on the bench. That means you Lil Mama.
2010 Bombers
Did I mention the atmosphere?
The fans are what going to a game at the Ben Light Gymnasium is all about. When I arrived at the game against RIT on Tuesday, the team was down by a lot. At halftime they were over twenty points behind. While the team was in the locker room receiving what I could only assume is verbal assault, the fans were warming up their cheering muscles and flipping through their insult dictionaries.
Long story short, the fans were talking trash against the scumbags of RIT, yelling our… their asses off for the Bombers, and the team responded. They came back, and got four points ahead of RIT with only seconds left. The Tigers scored a three at the buzzer. Ithaca prevailed; 81-80.
The team only has three more home games left this season. One of which is tomorrow – Friday the 22nd. The two after that are in February. You can bet your ass I’m driving up to RIT on the 31st to see the Bombers face the face-slapping untucked-slobs of the Tigers.
After just reading this…..
This just in – thacant could use a sports writer. If you’re interested, please contact, no samples required!
There are few things so simple, and so reassuring that there is peace in the world, as pictures of children with animals. Take this for example
cute
or this,
silly
And what’s better when the animal is even more bizarre than a beluga whale? When it’s miniature!
?
But sadly, there are those pictures of children with animals that convey loss, desperation, and sadness. This is one of those pictures…
dear god
Just imagine…
Hey Dad! Can we take Mr. Snuggles on the tube with us?
- Oh, I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea, kids.
Ahh, come on Dad! We’ll hold him tight. He’ll be safe.
- You know, if we hit a wake…
Please Daddy!
- Cat’s hate water, kids. You have to understand that…
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!
- ALRIGHT!
Definitely a “told-ya-so” moment.
When its time to slow down. Wait, when is it time to slow down? Is the the fact that we are the multi-task generation? Or is the the fact that we are so multi-task that almost everyone I know can’t do two things at once? We’ve lost focus of the real things important in our lives like face to face friendships (why I don’t have Facebook/didn’t let it take over my life). People are on adderall, whether or not its prescribed to them. More and more young children, as publications tell us, are being ‘over-parented’ and controlled beyond belief. (What will our kids be like??) You know them and I know them, the people around campus who use it to get their work done, get the A. It really freaks me out. We’ve lost celebs to prescription drugs because the people close to them never did anything about it (Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, maybbbbe Brittany Murphy? and more…) I know this all sounds like a drastic comparison, but if we don’t ever look at it or ignore crazy things happening they might just continue to happen.
Our society is focused on instant news and information. The reason the Tonight Show was tanking in the first place is the fact that by the time we get to 11:35p to hear the day’s jokes- so much has been said that it’s old news. It’s no one’s fault (well, maybe Jay Leno’s). Our constant age-of-anxiety lives are too much to handle. Life is progressing forward and we are all in a hurry to do whatever it is that is constantly stressing us out. We are in a hurry to do things that sometimes don’t even matter or contribute. I want to give you some advice from piecing things together, specifically from GOOD.
Here is something grand. I recommend everyone just slow down and read it. Also, if you need a good read here’s another.
1. Spongebob Squarepants turned 10 years old. Last year.
2. I’m older than most college athletes I watch on TV.
3. I don’t get carded at the BevCent anymore (may be due to my frequent visits, but still…)
4. I recently had a conversation with my parents regarding the merits of doing crossword puzzles.
5. I’ve taken a liking to Scotch.
6. All seven housemates on the Real World: D.C. are younger than me.
7. My parents are upsizing from their recent downsize to accommodate for their grandkids’ visits.
8. I’ve begun thinking about unlacing my shoes before putting them on, in order to preserve the integrity of the back of the heel.
9. I actually carry around with me a classy pen that I got for Christmas.
10. I’m graduating from College.
Wait a minute. Before I say anything else I want to address Riley’s no. 1 new years resolution.
First of all, and finally, you aren’t choosing not to eat organic because you disagree with it. Also, you stray from local food for normal reasons, not weird ones. You are simply trying to save money. So I think we ought to address the fact that you really are just a college student who wants to not spend a lot on food (which is all of us, helllllo.) So please stop addressing it this way. Its not that it feels incorrect, just stupid.
Also you have my dad’s paperbacks of Joan Didion and Hunter Thompson. (Actually Ivory has the latter, eh?) I am using this as a public declaration to wanting them back and hoping that this will give me good results.
i swear to whatever god that this is what came up on google image when i searched your FULL name. i couldnt help myself but include it.
OK. I’m done.
Sorry friends, for those avid ‘cant readers. After spending time setting up shop on my sister’s pull out couch in Cambridge and then making room in my sister’s bed in Steamboat Springs, CO- I’ve been blowing off radio break staff and traveling. Inadvertently, I’ve spent no more than four consecutive nights in any one place this entire break. With plenty of time to think I’ve had a lot of realizations and crazy adventures. Its been a great time for all involved.
Last night was the Golden Globe Awards. Here you can find a slide show of all the winners. Its the best, quickest way to get your information. Also, the New Yorker lets me fall in love with it every edition. A personal fave, if you’ve never read his writing I recommend it. Woody Allen pops up every once in a while and it just makes me glow. Even though he married his adopted daughter (which is totally weird and unacceptable) I still love him.
look at that face
Also, I’ve tried to read Youth in Revolt but it didn’t work out. Pawned as a journal then realizing it was actually fiction, I just couldn’t do it. But my sister’s excitement about the movie makes me think I should give the typecast Michael Cera a chance. Debroah Soloman did. Her ‘Questions For…’ column surprised me with this. A great interviewer at that, here is her latest…check it out.
Life has been all over the place. Home in JERRR SEEE and then back to the homeland of Ithaca tomorrow. Will be there indefinitely. (Well, maybe to Buffalo soon too.) I need to plan more adventures to see Wilco (sadly for the first time, but not the last) in Feb. and Dr. Dog by the end of the month. –If you haven’t started listening to Dr. Dog you’re crazy and our friendship is at risk. They are playing Syracuse on Jan. 30th and I am definitely going. Any fans who want to join, must. Their youtubes aren’t the best. But check them out: they pride themselves, or categorize shall I say, with dissonance, harmonies and minor chords. A favorite of mine, I can’t help but pass it along.
This semester brings shenanigans – so lets have some fun, eh?
snow-per hero
I found this guy while I was shoveling snow over break.
lord of the garage
I saw this face as I shuffled into breakfast on New Years Day. Illegal, sure. Artistic? Definitely.
faint and dark
Faint, as it was done solely in ballpoint pen, and dark, as it is in a bathroom stall. Hill Center, first floor.
ere ere
Pink Cat DJ, aka PCDJ, as seen at Urban Outfitters, Downtown Ithaca.
he's sleeping
Lastly, here eess a Mexican. Hee got tired from being a salt shaker, so he took a napp.
As avid readers of this esteemed publication know, I’m eating inorganic this year; no not to put myself at greater risk of disease or to skimp on all-natural benefits that organic food offers. I’m doing it for economical reasons – whole chickens for 88 cents a pound. I picked up two five-pounders for well under ten bucks.
What to do with ten pounds of chicken and a huge appetite? Well I thought back to the summertime when my father shoved a beer can up a whole chicken’s ass, threw it on the grill, and called it dinner. Sorry, to any of you readers, if that sounded sexual, in any sense of the word. From personal experience, let me tell you that it is not sexual, nor is it even fun to watch.
So I headed to the Beverage Center. Unlike the then-classically American Bud Heavy my father used to moisture-infuse the summer chicks, I decided to go with some heavier beers. So I picked up an Ithaca Smoked Porter and a Smuttynose IPA. I made the purchase, placed the two bottles next to my two birds and headed home. “What are you doing buying two glass bottles of beer to make beer can chicken?” you may be wondering. All you gotta do is pour the beer into rinsed-out cans, and proceed.
I employed the help of fellow beer and chicken connoisseur, as well as camera-phone enthusiast, 2008 Ithaca College graduate, Jim Walker.
Now I could bore you by transcribing the recipe on to this page, but I’ll do so with some fine photos:
beautiful birds
beautiful beers
Now, to combine the two. As stated earlier, we had to pour the beer into cans, and insert the cans in the cavity left by the giblets, previously removed.
canal insertion
As I stated before, this is not sexual or glamorous. But in two hours it will be delicious.
slick rub
The next step is to grease the bird up with vegetable oil, and coat it with a rub of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and love.
give 'em time
Throw the chicks in the oven, and wait…
patiently!
In two hours, (at 375 degrees), your birds will come out looking, smelling and tasting like heaven.
mmmmmm
For more recipes, check out NotDrugs.com‘s future page of gourmet meals, brought to you by 6fu.
Hello all and again Happy New Year. Be sure to check Thacant often throughout this new year as it will be home to great content, easy reading and good times all around.
Now, on to the late night wars. I (like most of my colleagues at thacant) have long been a fan of Conan O’Brien. Conan’s monologues, skits (Year 3000 anyone?) and demeanor have always made him a favorite of mine and a late night host who stuck out for his originality and style. After Jay Leno tanked at 10 p.m., NBC made the choice to move him to 11:35, bumping Conan and The Tonight Show to 12:05. Conan fired back at NBC, defending himself and refusing to give in to this move, preferring to give up the franchise he fought so hard to take over.
I applaud Conan O’Brien for his integrity and grace in handling this manner. One of the things people love about Conan is he seems more like one of us, like a man of the people. Walking away from The Tonight Show and the easy money because he does not agree with the move, and is insulted by the way his bosses treated him only makes me respect Conan even more.
Late night television certainly will not be the same without the great Conan O’Brien. Rumor has it he will pop up at Fox at some point, with a new late night talk show. I will definitely watch his new show, just as I will definitely not be watching Jay Leno and The Tonight Show. I used to be a Jay Leno fan, but now I cannot stand the chinned one. (Although I must admit, this controversy has made for some exciting television as monologues have been better than ever between Conan and Dave).
Thank you Conan for the great laughs, great memories, and for sticking up for what you believe in. In an industry full of fake people and primadonas, you stick out, not just for that hairdo, but for being a man of the people.
Count me as a member of Team Conan.
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