The Great Gatsby

I took a needed sick day today and finally began reading this masterpiece of literature. Wow. ("Wow" may be one of the only words that , in the right context, can have more power with a period after it than an exclamation mark.) I only read the first chapter, but here's some parts I was in awe of:

-Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope.

-If personality is a series of unbroken gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away.  This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the "creative temperament"-it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again.

-...so much fine health to be pulled down out of the young breathgiving air.

-...one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anticlimax.  

-...with her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall.

-Almost any exhibition of complete self-sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me.

-It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again.  Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered "Listen," a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour.

-For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face: her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened- then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk.

-Daisy took her face in her hands as if feeling its lovely shape, and her eyes moved gradually out into the velvet dusk.

-Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart.

Dance, you $#%* hipsters! (Treasure Island Music Festival)

It turned out much better than I had anticipated. I saw lucky to get the tickets from an independent supplier for $15, otherwise I would’ve missed out. The attire worn by the mob was big sunglasses, pastel skirts and pointy shoes. Thrift store galore. Carefully crafted exteriors. Kids that traded their fire to leech at the teet of the widow of “cool.” And dancing was sparse. But that is something that I needn’t be worried about. After all, I was there for the glory.

Day 1 was primarily dance music. Some was great and some had too much of that disco feel. Aesop Rock wandered aimlessly on stage before his set, knowing that he would be a stranger to the crowd. Most of the backpackers wouldn’t spend $65 to see him. It became even more apparent that he was an outsider when the English announcer introduced him as Aesop Rocks. He was great. The deadpan delivery went hand in hand with his reptilian movements. He looked high as a mother…Antibalas was a stream of ethnicity and grooves. I loved how they had each member step out and become band leader. Goldfrapp’s singer had a voice from the heavens but I couldn’t really get into it. Mike Relm, the mash-up master, had lots of personality and some awesome pairings of songs. My favorite: A drum and bass beat with the Peanuts theme and the Pee Wee Herman theme. I tried to see TV on the Radio living up to their elite indie reputation but I still think they are overrated. Still good though. Kinda like Superbad…It is refreshing to see some brothers in an indie band. Justice, who has a bigger buzz than TV on the Radio was groovetastic. Awesome, non-disco, non-cheesy rhythmically unique… What a party that was…

Day 2 was more about rock, and I enjoyed it more. A couple bands got a little bit Morrissey on me but I guess that was to be expected. Tokyo Police Club had their own thing going. Hard to describe. Short bursts of indie pop with a helping of punk rock. Nah, that’s not right. I guess you’ll just have to see for yourself! Morning Benders were awesome. Great sense of melody making and some really cool use of the delay pedal. They tried to remind the audience that they were alive. Okkervil River was from Austin, which made them great multi-instrumentalists. Spiritualized was a deep breath of fresh air. They were from England and had two soulful backup singers. They didn’t rush along simple ideas like sun and god, they stayed inside of them until you could really feel them. Vampire Weekend ruled. Happy, happy, joy, joy. I feel in love with Tegan and Sara. Well actually, Tegan. Girls that rock automatically receive my heart, whether they are gay or not. Oh, and that band Paramore owes everything to Tegan and Sara’s style of singing. Seeing two indentical twins sing the same phrase with the same note, same voice, etc. at the same time sounded great. The Raconteurs were the surprise of the day. I wasn’t expecting much but wow. The songs reminded me of Led Zeppelin songs that have that drunken, sloppy grove that just feels so great (Ex: “Fool in the Rain”). Jack White is way more talented than I gave him credit for. He pulls white-boy soul out of nowhere! Gets all into it like Janis Joplin did. Not to mention the rest of the band, from Nashville, back him up way better than Meg White does. In closing, my faith in indie music is restored. Now if we could just take all the hipsters and put them on an island…oh, wait…

Soldiers of Jah Army lyrics:

I open my eyes, each morning I rise 

to find the truth I know that is there.

I'm lucky to breathe, I'm lucky to feel,

I'm glad to wake up, I'm glad to be here.

With all of this world, and all of it's pain,

all of it's lies, and all of it's let downs...

I still feel a sense of freedom-

So glad I'm around.

It's my freedom, can't take it from me

I know it won't change.

But we need some understanding,

I know we'll be alright...

Alright.

The day I am gone, and the day that I leave

I'll never regret one minute of life.

I've learned from the joy, I've learned from the tears,

I've walked through the dark, now I seen a light.

Every tongue of everyone

of every state in every land,

has every thing to be thankful for...

It's my freedom

As the Evening Explodes

Let the brilliance come to light. It is all ours.  The fruits of our labor are sweet, indeed.  Love is not a sweet enough word to describe the unique wonder and wonders in each eye.  Catch my dance in a cradle embrace, and we can both believe.

I love my friends.  And a night like this is all the proof I'll ever need.  I am truly lucky.

At risk of sounding completely superficial...

The iphone is the greatest device ever. It is a phone, GPS, ipod, fully capable internet browser, notepad, calculator, camera, calender. And I'm in love. I am an iphonesexual....

I also will only listen to reggae these days.  It's always uplifting; major melodies are uplifting and sincerely happy. Minor melodies aren't sad or angry, but just powerful and often badass.  It helps keep me in the mood I like to/should be in. I and I's head be feelin' clear an me gwan go play it right now.

End trasmission

It's ok to not do anything sometimes

...but not after I just had a three day weekend of it! Must self-motivate. Tomorrow, I will do...something....

Washer Silliness.

So my washer has many settings and modes to choose from.  It has a "Normal" mode...and a "Regular" mode. Concerned that I was missing something, I looked these two words up in Webster's Dictionary:

Normal- Conforming to type or natural law.

Regular- Conforming to, governed by rule.

Nope, I didn't miss anything. Silliness is on a rampage. This washer needs an "Ordinary" mode.