Time is going so slowly.  I want it to be like...four weeks from now.  I know I'll enjoy certain events between now and then.  Like, oh I don't know, seeing Tom Waits next Saturday.  The derby bout on July 19.  Our anniversary.

Part of this stems from doing what feels like the same thing just about every day.  Practicing.  The impending stress of moving.  August can just hurry up and get here already.

It was so fucking great to be home for a week, to drive around the western states with my good friend, hang out with peeps and see how some of their chitlins have become larger in size.  Having our laptop stolen from us on Friday in Eugene has really made me dwell on my depence on material goods.  Sure I'd like to have it back, but it was worth getting to see Eugene folk that I very rarely get to see.  The good times with friends FAR out-weighs the bad time of being burglarized. 

I do have to say that playing with Tractor Operator in Boise at the Bouqet was one of my musical highlights from the past year or two.  I "unoficially" dubbed this tour the Crooked C_ _ _ _ tour 2007 (I just can't bring myself to type those other few letters, ask Eric) OR the "Isn't that just bread with shit on it?"-tour. Maybe it was playing two days in a row, but I found a lot more comfortable in knowing where I should fit in with the songs.  I kind of slithered around them a bit.  I love playing as a two piece, with the fewer instruments I feel like I can stretch out a little bit more in an exploratory way.  The crowd was small but warm, I had really nice little buzz on, and the feeling in the room was great.  Man.  Good stuff.  I wish someone was recording.

This trip, and all of the driving involved, caused me to think a lot about what our lives would be like if we were back in Portland.  It's always on my mind a little bit when we come home, but this time more so than ever.  Whatever ends up happening we love coming home more than anything so you can expect that to keep on happening!   So getting back to work is hard, but here we go.  Pictures to come!

Ok, so everyone owes it to themselves to take 5 minutes out of your day and go to the Portalnd Mercury site www.portlandmercury.com

Find their feature known as blogtownPDX, and scrowl down until you find a blog entitled, Write Your Own Punchline (from 7/20).  Add coments as you will.  After seeing Michael Moore's Sicko over the weekend it was good to laugh about something. 

Sometimes you play Memorial Day concerts in the park because they pay you, even though it makes you want to die a little bit every time.  School is out but I'm at school every day, practicing for an upcoming Indianapolis Symphony audition.  It's actually been pretty nice having as much time to practice as I've had recently.

So, the point of this is to let you know what music I'm digging on recently.  Did I just type the words "digging on?"

Elliott Smith-New Moon

Amazing!  Most of the material is from the Either/or period (let's be honest, the best period).  Two discs of the stuff, come on!

Andrew Bird-Armchair Apocrypha

Brilliantly orchestrated progressive pop music.  And this guy could whistle anybody under the table.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-Some Loud Thunder

Ok, so I was skeptical at first, but they won me over.  At least with this record.  The singer kind of reminds me of Dan Dismuke's vocal stylings, is that wierd?

And on to basketball:  Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobli, you're both jerks.  And floppers!  There I said it.  Pistons don't let me down.

So Kelley and I really like Rasheed Wallace.  I mean, we REALLY like Rasheed Wallace.  Maybe it's because of the playoffs heating up here.  Maybe it's because I use Youtube as a distraction from my work?  I've promised Kelley that I will post 36 Rasheed movies/quotes on her page in honor of his #36.  We're not talking highlight clips here people, we're talking Sheed being Sheed.  I encourage you to help contribute to this!  Check Kelley's page.

Friends,

I'm posting the following info I recieved today from an organization known as Americans for the Arts.  This is something I feel strongly about an urge you to read the following (it's not too long):

"President Bush today sent his FY 2008 budget request to Congress, beginning the yearly appropriations process for the nation's cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Office of Museum Services (OMS), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs."

"For the seventh consecutive year, the President's budget has eliminated funding for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs, which include funding for model arts programs and collaborations with schools, teacher professional development, and arts programs for at-risk youth."

"The President's budget is the first step in the appropriations process.  While it serves as an important framework, Congress has the power to set its own priorities and change these funding levels.  That's where you come in."

"Arts advocates can make their voices heard by writing their Members of Congress and urging them to increase funding for arts and culture and restore funding for arts in education programs."

If anyone would like more info on this organization please let me know.  I think that this budget proposal  is just appalling.  Please help if you can by writing a letter to your congressman.

Thanks everyone.

Guess who's coming to Portland for his March 10th birthday!  Nope, NOT Prince Edward (03/10/1964), well I doubt it.  Chuck Norris (03/10/1940)? 

Well maybe, who wouldn't want to, right?

I am!  Woohoo! 

It was too hard to resist Tractor Operator AND Testface performing ON my birthday at the Alberta St. pub.

Mark your calendars friends.  Hey remembe that favor you owe me...well you can make it up to me by helping me celebrate my ALMOST being 30, and buying me plenty of drinks.  Good drinks, I mean "top shelf," and all that jazz.

By this I do not mean hooray for PEOPLE who lie.  NO.  They're not so cool.

Please see below for reccomended listening, particularly if you're in to Yume Bitsu/Animal Collective style ambient prog rock.

Also, hooray for Pitchforkmedia.com's best albums of the year list, helps me to realize what I've been missing all year (see below for example).

I'm on vacation and don't know what to do with myself.  Pretty neat.

Kelley and I were treated to an evening with Tom Waits last night.  I woke up this morning in a haze.  Not sure if it was the late night drive home from Louisville, but I have a feeling that it was the music.  The man was incredible, quirky, funny, every bit a showman, every bit what I wanted from him.  He even told a story about dog biscuits (Kelley will think this is funny) The concert was absolutely overwhelming, I'm going to try to compose enough thoughts to  write a brief review of the show in some time, but for now, I'm still on a high.

Cross one thing of the list of things I need to do before I die.

It's summertime and I'm in school.  I guess it feels good to have a routine and to stay busy.  I get antsy if I have too much free time.  We don't have any air conditioning in our house, which is quite strange for Indiana, AC units in Indiana are like swiming pools in Southern California.  So we bought a window AC and jimmy rigged it to fit in our bedroom window.  Problem is it's not that air tight...it's kind of semi tight, in any case I used to likefire flies, but now that they invade our bedroom when we're trying to sleep I don't like them quite as much.  It is kind of funny though, feels like you're camping.

Marching band at Mooresville has started up again.  I'm totally psyched to be working with these f'n great kids again.  They're so great, and so eager to learn.  Teaching music takes me away from the terrible realities that I haven't consolidated my loans yet.

But ANYWAYS, I haven't blogged since being back from PDX.  I couldn't have had a better time staying with Jamie for a week, Shannon for a couple 'o nights of course (wink).  I miss all of you guys.  I also miss basketball (sigh).  By the way, have you all met Elliott June Silva yet?  Holy crap, well...I might just have to post some pictures.

Adam, if you're reading this, congratulations on getting engaged!

And thank you Mr. Random for the thourough report on Ed and Tina's wedding.  It made me feel like I was there, and I wish that I had been.  Congratulations you crazy kids.