Cabin Fever

After rustling around with numerical modeling problems on Friday all I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed. Really that's all I had planned since my flight had gotten in late the night before and I still needed to unpack. But Trevan and Jeff called to see if I wanted to go to a party and I went. I don't even know who's house it was at but it was a pretty good time. Saw a couple people I knew and met some new people. I'm always totally shy though when I'm around large groups of people that I don't know.

Today I slept in and finally unpacked. Tonight my friends Megan and Greg rented a cabin up in Big Cottonwood Canyon; so Jen, Brian, and myself went up there for dinner and to play games. It was a great time! I especially liked the fact that the cabin had no road to it so we had to snowshoe in for about a half mile, added some adventure to the whole experience. We played in the snow for a bit, and skied down the hill in the backyard. The drive down was a bit slow since it snowed some seven inches while we were up there. All in all a good time.

Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Currently I am waiting in the Orlando airport to go back to good ole SLC. It was a great trip in Orlando visiting some of the family and meeting John's fiancee, Shelly, and her son Daniel. They are both wonderful and glad they will be apart of the family. I am looking forward to returning back home and back to cold weather. I'm a cold weather person and this 80 degrees in December just isn't working for me, although it was sort of nice to wear shorts.

I'm feeling kind of gross right now, sore throat and headache. Hopefully it's just because I haven't ate much drank much water yet today. Oh well, if I'm coming down with something I guess staying home from work tomorrow and laying on the couch wouldn't be the worst thing.

Oh and we saw Sweeney Todd this morning. While my dad didn't like it and John seemed to only think it was okay, I thought it was excellent. Definitely a dark movie and not something you should see if you don't like blood. But it's SO well done with a twisted and unique storyline.

Top Ten Albums of 2007

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2007

as reviewed by Pete Bogenschutz

Here's my annual list of top ten albums, for the year 2007. This year I decided to write a blurb about each album for my creative writing workshop and I'm glad I did; writing about the albums makes me feel more solid about my choices. Many artists which released fantastic albums were unfortunately left off the list, and some of those casualties are: LCD Soundsystem, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Modest Mouse, Panda Bear, Andrew Bird, Bright Eyes, The Shins, Deerhunter, The Besnard Lakes, Feist, Patrick Wolf, Frog Eyes, Grinderman, Dinosaur Jr., The Clientèle, Wilco, The National, Battles, Menomena, Deerhoof, White Rabbits, Dan Deacon, Blitzen Trapper, The White Stripes, Ryan Adams, Spoon, The Polyphonic Spree, Stars, Architecture in Helsinki, The New Pornographers, Caribou, Angels of Light, Liars, Animal Collective, The Most Serene Republic, Black Lips, Kevin Drew, Les Savy Fav, Devendra Banhart, Joni Mitchell, The Field, Thurston Moore, M.I.A., The Fiery Furnaces, PJ Harvey, Iron & Wine, The Go! Team, Radiohead, Beirut, Phosphorescent, and Burial... to name a select few. Onto the list!

10) Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - of Montreal

With Satanic Panic In the Attic in 2002, of Montreal let their fans know they were not satisfied with standing still, making a dramatic change from their psychedelic pop to their current electro pop styling. With Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? of Montreal keeps the fans on their toes with yet another stylistic change, opting for a darker and more in-your-face affair. While the album as a whole takes a few spins to fully digest, the disc contains several of the bands most immediate and excellent tunes; such as “Suffer for Fashion”, “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse”, and “Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider”. “She's a Rejector” sees of Montreal rocking out with a ferocity uncharacteristic of the band's sound, yet it works brilliantly and “Gronlandic Edit” contains the best lyric of the year (“Physics makes us all its bitches”). “The Past is a Grotesque Animal”, a twelve minute emotional ejaculation, is by far the most personal of Montreal song recorded and shows Kevin Barnes has some interpersonal demons to work out. Sure, Hissing is darker and harder to penetrate than the band's previous works; but it's their most rewarding outing to date and stands among their best albums, and besides... it's still a hell of a good time!

9) The Stage Names – Okkervil River

I have a friend who refuses to give Okkervil River a chance because he thinks they make “vampire music”. To that comment I have two questions: what the hell band have you mistaken them for?, and how can you live with yourself for passing up such incredibly humane music? One of the most brilliantly cohesive albums of the decade, The Stage Names begins with three rousing numbers (and some of the three best tunes of the year), followed by a series of wonderfully crafted ballads. Just listen to the lyrics and ask yourself how one cannot relate to this in one way or another? William Sheff's passionate vocal delivery will have you jumping out of your seat with excitement, most notably on “Our Life is Not a Movie Or Maybe”. The finale of the album, “John Allyn Smith Sails”, manages to be depressing, spellbinding, and hopeful all at the same time. As an added bonus, “Sloop John B” works its way in at the end in a way that is creative and unassuming, and it will make you think Okkervil River wrote the tune. The Stage Names will leave you both breathless and exhausted; but with a thirst and passion to get out and live life. This is music which sucks into your bloodstream and never lets go of you, and if that is what my friend is referring to as “vampire music”... Well, then I think I would have to agree.

8) Neon Bible – Arcade Fire

Let me list the reasons I love this album: 1) The band avoids recreating their phenomenal and impossible to top debut Funeral, opting for a completely new sound. 2) “Intervention” is simply the best song recorded this year. Period. 3) If you read between the lines, there is some Republican bashing going on here, although in a tasteful non-confrontational way (not that a tasteless, confrontational way would have been bad). 4) Organs, organs, organs, and more organs! The last track explodes into a symphony of... well, organs! 5) I, personally, couldn't agree more with the message Arcade Fire is portraying about people becoming too illusioned by religion. 6) The moment the tempo and vocalists change in the middle of “Black Wave” is quite a magical, brain shifting moment. 7) Arcade Fire is one of the very very few bands which actually lives up its massive hype, without coming off as pretentious. 8) Even after over forty listens, I have yet to tire of this record (something I cannot say about Funeral). 9) It would change Natalie Portman's life. 10) It may even change your life too.

7) 23 – Blonde Redhead

There is a high probability that during the opening (and title) track of 23 the listener will shout “My Bloody Valentine!”, and with good reason. Not because Blonde Redhead is intentionally ripping off the legendary shoegazing band, but due to the fact that the track oozes with a delicious epic quality of multiple layers. For a moment you might actually think this album will be as good as Loveless, until you come to the reality that NOTHING will ever be as good as Loveless. But the fact that Blonde Redhead actually makes one think that, even if for only a second, is a high compliment. “The Dress” drips with remorse, with Kazu Makino stating “the tears you see on my face, yes you have something to do with” then topping it off with “love you less.” It's simple, but highly effective; so much that you actually feel as if you are to blame for the song's dark stature. The following track, “SW” swirls and climaxes in dizzying fashion that will have you hitting repeat for hours. While purists may complain at Blonde Redhead's new found slick production (and it's not a stretch to imagine “Spring and by Summer Fall” being played on modern rock radio stations... and given more proper pop vocals, “Silently” would certainly be a top 10 hit), there's no reason to cry “sell out”; this music is challenging with a replay-ability factor out the ass! By far the most addicting album you will hear this year.

6) Marry Me – St. Vincent

Annie Clark, member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Steven's backing band, makes her solo debut under the moniker St. Vincent. But what I want to know is: Annie, where the hell you been all my life?! To sum up in just a few words; holy shit, what a debut! Quirky yet heartfelt energy drips from every note in this unique disc and it contains everything a great album should; unforgettable vocals, odd instrumentation, witty lyrics, humor, emotion, and even blasphemy. “Jesus Saves, I Spend” could be the best song title ever made in the world (the song itself isn't too shabby either). “Now, Now” kicks off the album in grand fashion, Annie declaring “I'm not your mother's favorite dog” followed by the song climaxing with squalling guitars, underlaid by what sounds like a school girl chorus. Brilliant! The beautiful “Apocalypse Song” is the closest thing on the disc to traditional pop, while the title track sounds like it came straight from a loungy Broadway musical. Congratulations Annie, you've managed to make this reviewer a die hard fan from just one album. In a better world this is the type of high quality music that should be playing on top 40 stations and ipods all over America. In fact, just talking about this album makes me want to place it higher on this list. Oh the temptation; fight it, FIGHT IT!

5) Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink – Bodies of Water

No doubt winner of the 'Most Underrated Album of the Year' award by a crashing landslide; and if you ever wondered what Arcade Fire and Polyphonic Spree would sound like if they procreated, look no further. This is the epic debut by the twelve (!?) piece, apparently made up of members from a variety of religious backgrounds. And the subject of religion seems to take on a primary role in the theme of the album, although not in an overbearing/annoying way. “Our Friends Appear Like the Dawn” gives the Christian point of view, nicely contrasted by the Atheist point of viewpoint “I Turned My Face”, and wrapping things up nicely with “We Are Coexisters”. Possibly the most gorgeous song of the year appears on this disc, the moving “I Heard it Sound”, with its touching lyrics and unforgettable melody. The entire album flows effortlessly between the multiple vocalists, random manic choral arrangements, and constantly shifting tempo changes. In fact, the album is reminiscent of a mixture between Funeral and more grounded Blueberry Boat (the polarizing 2004 release by The Fiery Furnaces). It leaves one to question how such powerful music can be so untouched and un-listened to? The proper name of this disc should be Heads Will Turn and Jaws Will Drop, and if you give it a few spins, I believe you will concur.

4) You Follow Me – Nina Nastasia & Jim White

Nina's music has always been a thing of uncharted beauty; darkly original and oddly unique, yet hard to dislike. Don't even get me started on her voice, which is so intriguing I could write endless prose of endless poetry about. In You Follow Me, however, Nina really drops a bomb on her fans; pairing her delicate music over the relentless and crashing drumming of Jim White. On paper this is an absolute disaster, but listening to it you can't help to be blown away. This is some powerful stuff, and Nina's best album in her already impressive catalog. Not only that, but the track “Late Night” manages to be one of the most emotional songs recorded this decade; in fact, it's just a shade from being overbearing, yet falls just below the boundary thus making it one of the best tracks of the year. Let's not even get into the lyrics of this album (such as “The Day I Would Bury You”), or the magnificent subtleties (her singing/whispering on the stunning opener “I've Been Out Walking”), or White's drumming (most notably on “Our Discussion”) which adds to the monumental emotion and theatrics of the album. On top of all that, let's not forget that the cover art is arguable the best of the year. Subtly addicting, this album will play out as the soundtrack to your inner thoughts and emotions, and you too will hope that the Nastasia / White collaboration will be a long term one.

3) Random Spirit Lover – Sunset Rubdown

One of my favorite memories in my music listening career is the first time I heard Sonic Youth's “Teenage Riot”; the joyous taps of the drums during the opening tempo change to be precise. Supreme euphoria, and it's been a while since I've had a musical orgasm that comes close to that experience; yet the opening moments of Sunset Rubdown's sophomore effort gives me the closest feeling to that I've had in a while. In fact, the entire first song (“The Mending of the Gown”) is simply a stunning moment in music; vibrant pianos, whimsical guitars, and Spencer Krug's brooding yet bouncy voice creating a collage unforgettable imagery. One might initially think the remainder of the album pales in comparison to the opening track, however repeated listenings renders that hypothesis wrong. The album is so dense and filled with such haunting and lovely melodies that they only gradually reveal themselves. Eventually you will be led into a magically strange world; one that is reminiscent of Edward Scissorhands (certainly evident in “Courtesan Has Sung”). After you give it a chance you will wonder how Krug manages to keep Sunset Rubdown as his side project, along with the excellent acts of Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes. Even further, you will wonder why he calls Sunset Rubdown a 'side project' in the first place (especially since Random Spirit Lover is the best offering from the aforementioned bands), as it is a top notch undertaking worthy of every praise thrown its way. Recommended for anyone who appreciates Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, or music that will blow you away!

2) Night Falls Over Kortedala – Jens Lekman

Oh Jens, how could you not show up on this list? Any album which includes a song about accidentally cutting your finger off while slicing an avocado (and managing to make it lovingly effective) just HAS to show up on a top ten list. Or what about the magical do-whop of the closing song about play bingo at a drive-in, in a seemingly futuristic 1950's? Then there's “Postcard to Nina”, a song so sweet and catchy you find yourself singing along with it even on first listen, and even on the hundredth listen when it still hasn't lost it's appeal. Even better are “Sipping on the Sweet Nectar” and “Opposite of Hallelujah”, two songs so good they can't even be described well enough by the English language. This is pop music that should make all other pop artists want to give up and put their instruments away, as they realize they will never be as good as Lekman (which is probably the reason why no other pop albums made it on this list, since they are all overshadowed by this masterpiece). This music is so uplifting and life affirming, yet whimsical and weird enough to keep it from crossing over to the sappy side. It's music that rocks my world; and for people who think Peter, Bjorn & John are the end-all-be-all of Swedish pop music, just wait till Jens has you burning all your PB&J albums (no offense PB&J). Oh the strings, oh the back beats, oh the witty lyrics, oh the sweet sweet sound of Lekman's delicate voice! Please excuse me, I must go now and listen to Night Falls Over Kortedala!

1) Drums and Guns – Low

Through the opening moments of dissonance and unease, when Alan Sparhawk casually states that all soldiers, babies, poets, liars, and pretty people are “all going to die”; you know this isn't going to be your typical Low album. Low has traded in their sweetly quiet and beautiful music, for a set list which is remarkably dark, striking, and brooding with unspeakable intensity. You also know it is not going to be a typical anti-war / anti-violence album for that matter; avoiding all pretense and cliché which typically comes from music of that subject matter. Instead of preaching against violence, much of the album is told from the point of view of the killers, drug dealers, nazis, murderers, and war mongers themselves. The end result may render unsettling and heavy for some, but those who commit to this disc will be compensated with artistry of the highest form.

Where do you even begin to dissect such an album packed full of memorable and effecting moments? If one does not develop a thick layer of goosebumps from the ominous hand claps in “Breaker”, then a pulse should certainly be taken. What about the way Sparhawk and Mimi Parkers voices collide with each other through out the album? While their vocal chemistry is apparent in every Low album, it has never reached the climactic power as on this disc. “Murderer”, is perhaps the best display of this and arguably the strongest track of the album; a multi-layered song which begs to be listened to with good headphones. The track appears to be narrated by a brainwashed nazi during the Holocaust, with it's haunting lyric “if you need a murderer... someone to do your dirty work”. Then there's “Dragonfly”, a song pertaining to drug use and it's role in random shootings. Low even manages to pack in a couple whimsical moments in this somber album; the groovy “Hatchet” sees the band pleaing for peace with the chorus “let's bury the hatchet, like the Beatles and the Stones.” By the time the glorious noise of the finale, “Violent Past”, settles in the listener is left with sense of hopeful-hopelessness; the sense that we all desire to band together in hopes of seeing an end to mindless violence, yet the realization that things will inevitably only escalate. It's a bold, sad, ironically beautiful, and necessary statement.

If you want to hear something more accessible, upbeat, diverse, adventurous, beautiful, or uplifting; there's plenty of releases from 2007 you could choose from. However, you will be hard pressed to find something as striking and relevant to our current society as this album. That alone forces this disc to bear the 'essential listening' label, more so than anything released this decade thus far. Low have made the album of their career. Simply put, best in show.

Smells Like Florida

Yesterday I arrived back in the ole stompin ground of Florida. I'm here to visit my brother, his fiancee, and my dad who came down for a week. I spent seven years of my life in Florida getting by B.S. and M.S. and haven't been back here for two and a half years. In fact, it is the first time I have been east of Denver in two and half years. Right when I stepped off the plane and smelled the Florida air, hordes of memories came rushing back. I just can't get over how different this place is than Utah... Flat, moist, warm, completely different vegetation, diversity, and so forth.


It's great to be back, but I totally miss Utah. I miss the mountains, I miss snow, I miss my friends so much! Maybe it has to do with the fact that since I've left the ski areas have gotten a ton of snow and my Snowbird pass is sitting in my apartment unused! Oh well, it's basically paid for itself already anyway. Even though I'm a bit homesick it's great to see my family and look forward to the week ahead. I'm sure once I'm back at work a week from now numerically simulating things I'll be missing my vacation.

Feeling Blah

Starting Friday morning I wasn't feeling well at all. I don't think I'm sick yet but it feels like my body is trying to fight off something, perhaps a cold or the flu. It worries me because this is exactly how I felt two years ago when I got the flu. I feel really tired, drained of any energy, and lethargic as hell.

Friday night was cyberslut bingo night, but since I wasn't feeling well I opted for a mellow game night at Jen & Brian's which was very fun. Last night Maura hosted sushi night in honor of Margaret's birthday. I went and had a blast, got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a while. At the end of the night though, I had to leave because I started to feel awful. I came home and slept for 11 hours.

I woke up today feeling ok at the best. I go through waves where I feel normal then where I feel like I just want to sleep. I don't have a sore throat or a fever or anything like that. It's troubling because I'm supposed to go on a date tonight... and I think I'll probably have to cancel. What luck, I don't date much at all anymore but when I get the opportunity my body apparently is telling me to reject it. Oh well.

Perhaps its best that I get rest since I leave town on Thursday morning and have a very busy week coming up. In other news, the minute I leave town it's supposed to start dumping snow at the ski resorts. What luck! LOL.

Nuclear Meltdown

I nearly had a nuclear meltdown today at work when it seemed as if nothing was ever going to work. The life of a numerical modeler is not all fun and games (and not nearly as glamorous as it's made out to be). My advisor saw I was frustrated and gave me sort of a "pep talk", which made me feel a bit better. I'm ready to go in tomorrow though and solve this problem! (but after getting a few turns in at Snowbird in the morning to clear my mind). So WATCH OUT!!!

In other news, I weighed myself today for the first time in three months. Not that I'm concerned with my weight at all; but I was expecting to have lost a couple pounds since I've noticed that my jeans are considerably looser around the waist. To my surprise, I'm up from 170 to 177 pounds! Oh well, perhaps I've just been gaining muscle. Who knows. Or maybe it's just our natural response to wintertime, to gain a little more weight for the cold months ahead.

An Ode to Shouser

This past Friday Steph (aka Shouser) came back to SLC to defend her masters thesis. Within ten seconds of seeing her I almost forgot how hard she makes me laugh. Of everyone I've ever known in my life, I cannot think of one person who shares such a similar sense of humor to my own. Thursday evening we went out to dinner with Colby and Christy (where I almost threw up several times from laughing so hard); and afterwards retreated to Maura's place where I listened to Steph practice her defense until the wee hours of the night.

Saturday I hung out with her all day. We really didn't do anything too exciting, but we don't have to. Just being around each other and cracking ourselves up is all we need. That night there was a party for her at Maura's place where we got pretty drunk and ended up entertaining all the sober people with our drunken shenanigans. She left Sunday and it was sad to see her go!

The rest of Sunday I spent lazy getting recovered and Sunday night Megan had a movie watching party of Elf at her place. Brian, Jen, Sameera, and myself came up with a great idea for a reality show; "Meet the Millers" which we will film soon (after I film "Sameera Vs. Wild"). And this morning I ended up going skiing before work... ah, life sure is tough, huh?

Iron & Wine

Last night we went to see Iron & Wine perform at the Salt Air Palace. Let me start off by saying that I've never really been a big fan of Iron & Wine. I think Sam Beam makes quiet and mellow music which is pretty, but I've always felt that his contemporaries (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, etc) make the same style music in a much more creative and effecting way. I've always felt that Beam's music is bit too boring and well... plain. However, his most recent release, The Shepard's Dog, sees Beam expanding his musical palette, speeding things up a bit, and adding more colorful instrumentation. It's the first Iron & Wine album I can say that I really enjoy and the first that I don't label with the “overrated” sticker.

It was my first concert at Salt Air Palace, and besides the long drive to get there, I must say that I am favorably impressed with the venue. For some reason I thought it was going to be some massive, impersonal venue, but turned out to be very similar to The Depot (my favorite venue in Salt Lake). Brian, John, and I hunkered up at the bar during the opening act; who's name I cannot recall, but they sounded pretty good with a southern country-indie vibe. Certainly they were more lively and into their music compared to what we were about to hear.

Iron & Wine took the stage with seven people total; two drummers, a keyboard-ist, a pianist, a violinist, a guitarist, and Beam. Initially I was impressed at the large backing band, since many of Beam's albums are just him and his guitar. Beam announced that he was getting over a cold, and although it was hard to hear him talk, it didn't seem to affect his singing at all; and I appreciated him giving it his all. Despite the fact that Beam was sick, he was the only person in the ensemble who seemed to be giving at least 50% into the concert; as his backing band seemed lifeless and disinterested throughout the concert.

Actually, the first few tunes started out favorably for me; but not too long after, things went downhill. My biggest beef with the concert is how SLOW all the songs were. Granted, most Iron & Wine songs are down tempo; but Beam was making the excellent upbeat songs from The Shepard's Dog so slow and even making his slow songs even slower! I just couldn't get over why they were doing this. While there were songs here and there that I totally enjoyed, I just couldn't get past the fact that the ensemble was totally ruining and making most of the songs so uninteresting. The concert also seemed to go on too long... and at one point Brian (who's a big Iron & Wine fan) turned around and asked “do you all want to go?”, and it was the first time that I actually wanted to leave too. But then Beam announced he was on his last song so we decided to stay.

I feel like if the ensemble actually acted like they cared to be there and actually put some sort of life or emotion into their performance, the concert would have been so much better. The night wasn't a total waste though, like I said there were a few songs that I got into and it's always a blast to hang out with Brian and John (especially on the hour long car ride back because of the heavy snow). Overall though, you can bet that you'll never see me at another Iron & Wine concert; but if Beam continues to make albums as good as The Shepard's Dog, I'll definitely keep supporting his music by purchasing it.

The Most Serene Republic

A few months ago I made a spontaneous download on emusic.com of The Most Serene Republic. I had never heard of this band, nor read any reviews, but for some reason I still downloaded their sophomore effort, Population. After giving the record a couple spins I thought the music was original and pretty fun but didn't give it any more listens for some reason. A month ago I saw that they were going to be playing at Kilby Court and I considered emailing some of my concert going friends to see if they wanted to go; but decided against it, since the band is super obscure (yes even too obscure for us) and didn't think anyone would want to go. Luckily, Brian emailed us on Sunday night and I did not pass up the opportunity... and man, was that a great decision!

The Most Serene Republic is a seven piece that hails from Ontario. They signed onto Broken Social Scene's home grown record label Arts & Crafts two years ago and they have the distinction of being the first band to sign onto that label with no connections at all to the Canadian supergroup. With that said, their sound is very influenced by Broken Social Scene, although they do have an original sound all their own.

I was excited about the concert at Kilby Court, a very small and personal venue basically held in a garage. They also have an outdoor section with a fire pit. When I say personal, I mean personal... as there were about 25 people in attendance at this concert and Brian and I were right up front, close enough to get spit on by the band (one of the guitarists accidentally dropped his hotel keycard at Brian's feet... or maybe he was coming onto him). The day before the concert I had been obsessively listening to their new album and found myself addicted. Their sound so complex and too deep to grasp on first listen (which is probably why I only initially listened to it a couple times, then set it aside).

Their set list was outstanding, pumped full of energy and the small crowd was definitely digging it. They had everything from trombones, violins, keyboards, and a shit load of guitars. My favorite tunes were “Compliance”, “The Men Who Live Upstairs”, and “Present of Future End”. The lead singer was a hoot to watch, with his goofy facial expressions and I appreciated the heart he put into the performance. The other vocalist, Emma Ditchburn, was cute as a button with such a sweet voice. Overall, it was one of the funnest concerts of the year for me and one of the most surprising. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that when I got home, I downloaded all their other music as well (legally).

For their encore, they took us outside and around the campfire where they played a really awesome acoustic tune. What a cool group of people... and when this band becomes superstars of the indie scene (because they will, believe me) in a couple years, Brian and I will be able to say that we chilled with them around an intimate bonfire. Truly an awesome night!

Weekend Update w/ Pete B-shoots

Besides some drunken debauchery on Friday night, this weekend turned out to be nicely low key; filled with dinners and coffee conversations with friends, and of course laying around my apartment watching it snow. I worked a bit on Sunday so I could take today off and go up to Snowbird. I felt kind of worthless having such an unproductive weekend... but the past two months my weekends have been jam packed of activities so I figured I deserved to be lazy.

Today I got my first turns in. We finally got a semi-decent snowfall this year and the snow coverage up at The Bird was better than I expected, albeit still WAY behind where we should be. I started out a bit shaky in the day, but ended up having a ton of fun once I got going. The snow was nice and soft, not a sheet of ice as I was expecting. Only a couple runs were open and it was a Monday, so crowds were non-existent.

Tonight I am enjoying a moment of sanity before this week kicks into high gear. Between some deadlines, a couple concerts, and Steph coming to town at the end of the week it's going to be non stop fun and excitement fo sho. However, tonight I am putting the finishing touches on my top 10 list of 2007, which I am going to distribute at creative writing workshop on Wed night (along with a companion mix CD of some of my favorite tunes of the year). Some people have asked "isn't it too early to make your list, it's barely even December". Well... Albums rarely get released in December (mostly just live albums and compilations and such), and this past November was a VERY lackluster month in music releases. So I've basically had my list ready to go for a month or so.

In Memory of Roxy

After work today I called my brother Ralph, in Denver. We usually talk about once or twice a week so I thought it would be one of our normal conversations. When he picked up the phone I could tell he was not well, as he usually is very ridiculous and annoying (in an endearing way). This morning when he woke up his dog, Roxy (a boxer), could not get up out of bed. At first he thought it was just her hip, in which she has had problems with in the past. However, when he brought her into the vet (after hours of examination) they found out one of her blood vessels had ruptured (or something like that). They had no choice but to put her to sleep.

Roxy was only five years old, so her death comes as a shock. My brother loved that dog so much; in fact everyone did. Roxy was the cutest, sweetest dog I have ever met and she definitely found a place in my heart. Whenever I would visit my brother I would always look forward to seeing her! I still remember the first time I saw her, 2002 in Decemeber, when Ralph picked me up at the Sacramento airport when he lived in Tahoe. Roxy was sitting in the back seat and she was still a puppy; damn cutest thing I have ever seen.

My heart is broken and I can't even imagine how Ralph feels. Luckily, Ralph is very popular and has hordes of friends that I am sure will help him through this.

omg pgf

So I decided to give this whole blogging thing a whirl... Since I keep a private journal which I am very committed to, it may be hard to keep up with both. But since I'm the king of slacking off at work (hey my model is running, I can't really do anything right now! lol), I'm sure I'll have no problem keeping up with this.


For some reason I've been kinda crabby this week, which is unusual for me. Maybe it's just male p.m.s., or maybe it's the fact that I've had to come back to work after one of the best trips I've been on this past weekend, or maybe it's the fact that the ski conditions are totally sucking ass. There's nothing remotely bad going on in my life and I know it's ridiculous to feel crabby... I have so much good stuff going on and so much to be thankful for that I should be SO happy. I blame it on the good ole male p.m.s. (which men DO get). Damn testosterone.