Yes. You knew I was going to fall back on the self-important cliché of writing a top 10 year end list. The whole concept of a blog is unavoidably self-important to begin with, so it was inevitable.
I'm going with top 10 albums of the year, because this is did start out as a blog about music, and albums are far more important to me than individual songs. So, for anyone who cares enough to read, here it comes. Disclaimer: The order of the list, while I did put some thought into it, does have a degree of the arbitrary behind it. The fact that these 10 albums made the list says something about them regardless of their rank.
10) "The Incident" by Porcupine Tree. I really don't know if there's much to say about this album, because if you don't know PT's music, it's kind of tough to describe. My advice, if you're at all curious (about any album on the list) would be to go fire up iTunes and listen to some of the 30 second song previews they offer to get a feel for what the album is like. This one is kind of haunted in the same way a band like Radiohead is, but with bigger guitars and more of a mainstream sound, even if the band is hardly considered mainstream. Hard to imagine that with a name like Porcupine Tree, I know. The CD I bought was a special edition with a 2nd CD that had four bonus tracks. The first CD consisted of one 51-minute song broken into smaller tracks, but when you listen they flow together like one long song. Pretty cool.
9) "The Whirlwind" by Transatlantic. Same 2-CD deal as mentioned above, but this time the first CD was one continuous 77-minute song broken up that flows together. Musically it was a great album, but I have some issues with the context of it. One member of the band appears to have had more influence on the creation of the album, both musically and in lyrical content, than I thought any member should have had if they really are an evenly-divided 4-person band. That took away some of the thrill for me.
8) "No Line on the Horizon" by U2. Not a really successful album as far as sales or singles, but musically challenging, and coming from a band that really hasn't put out an album that I haven't liked. Ever.
7) "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King" by Dave Matthews Band. An album with obvious passion behind it since it's a tribute to a lost band member, and passion like that usually produces something impressive, at the least. A little more of a rock album for DMB, and maybe a bit more accessible than some of their other studio albums.
6) "Levitate" by Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers. This album perfectly demonstrates why Bruce H. isn't higher up on my favorite artists list. When he's at his best, he is jaw-droppingly great. He's capable of moments of true musical perfection. But he also has a few songs that come along and leave you thinking, "Wha....?" Couple of those clunkers on here. But also a couple of classics. At least as far as my iPod goes.
5) "Waking Up" by OneRepublic. The closest thing to a vapid pop album on my list. But it's got some darn catchy songs on it, several of which found their way into my head for days at a time. That has to count for something.
Now we're getting into the big guns of the year.
4) "21st Century Breakdown" by Green Day. I love the way Green Day has evolved over the past five years from being a 90s punk leftover that was almost out of gas into a fiercely political and creative rock band. This was a great album, with some of the catchiest rock songs and easily the angriest song I heard all year (East Jesus Nowhere), but I felt as powerful and complete as it was, it suffered in comparison to "American Idiot." Not because of the music or the songwriting, because I'd say both albums are pretty evenly matched in those departments -- I simply have stronger emotional ties to "American Idiot," and an abstract tie-breaker like that cannot be underestimated.
3) "Save Me, San Francisco" by Train. LOVE this album. Love the songs, love the playing, love the production, love the humor, love the tone. Much catchier than OneRepublic was, and if you want to talk about how much time the songs on an album spent playing in my head, this one wins the year no contest. It had been so many years since Train had been heard from. I was happy to get anything new at all from them this year, but to see them come back so strong was great.
2) "Chickenfoot." The roll down the windows album of the summer. I hope so much this winds up being an actual band that has some staying power instead of something a bunch of superstar buddies got together and did for kicks.
1) "Black Clouds and Silver Linings" by Dream Theater. Since I know there are a few people out there who read this blog (and it always surprises me when people mention that they do), I can't help feeling they must be a little perplexed by the devotion I have for this band that so few people have ever heard of before. Here we have an album that is only 6 songs long, but 5 of the songs are truly great and one of them is only really good. If you want more on this, go back to the post I wrote in June when it first came out.
HONORABLE MENTION:
- "Full Circle" by Creed
- "Snowfall on Judgment Day" by Redemption
- "The Resistance" by Muse
- "Paper Empire" by Better Than Ezra
- "A Positive Rage" by The Hold Steady
- "Working on a Dream" by Bruce Springsteen
- "So Many Roads" by Neal Morse
- "This is War" by 30 Seconds to Mars
And there you have my opinions on 2009's music, for what they are worth.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Does This Happen to Anyone Else?
I borrowed a book from my mother on Christmas Eve - Stephen King's latest literary cinder block "Under the Dome." Steve was probably the first author I was a fan of as an adult, if you can count 16 as being an adult, which is admittedly a stretch. Before I stumbled on an old paperback of his sitting on my parents' bookshelf, I had always been more about reading the book because the book looked interesting instead of reading the book because of who wrote it. I burned through a lot of S.K. through high school and college, and I do not discount the considerable influence he had on my writing during that time. Anyone who has read my 'ghost story' novel from this past summer would likely concur there are still traces of that influence present today.
I gave up on Steve over the past 5-10 years since he reached a point where a lot of what he was putting out just didn't seem all that interesting, and the suspension of disbelief required for the kind of hardcore fantasy premise he works within just became a bit much to swallow. Plus I'd found several other favorite authors I was more interested in keeping up with. Anyway. About a month ago I read a paperback of his I had lying around for a few years that I intended to read someday, "Cell," which I finally read while trying to accomplish my 2009 New Year's Resolution of reading every book in my house that I hadn't read yet. Incidentally - no. Didn't pull it off, but I did get to a lot of books I wouldn't have read otherwise so it wasn't a complete failure. But "Cell" was kind of interesting, so when Mom said she had "Under the Dome" I figured I'd give it a shot.
If you're unfamiliar with the premise, there's this invisible dome that suddenly appears cutting off this small New England town from the rest of the world, and by the 2nd day everything is heading down the Lord of the Flies road at a breakneck pace. For the record, if any smarty pants out there are congratulating themselves right now for noticing the similarity between this story and what happened to Springfield in "The Simpsons Movie," Steve writes in the author's note that he had been trying to write this book since before the Simpsons were even on TV. And trust me - the similarities end with the dome.
But. What I meant to get at three paragraphs back is that with all of my time off from school during winter break, I've been spending way more time than usual just reading. To the point where I've now read... let me check... 868 pages out of 1,074 in the space of five days. It's not a great book and too many of the characters fall back on too many of the clichés that SK writes with, but there's enough to keep me going, and it's not like there's anything else I really need to do these days anyway. So I've read myself to the point where I dream about the characters and the story, and start to think of some of them as real people that I know. But more than that, I've worked myself into a corner here where anytime I put the book down and step outside and rejoin the real world for a little bit, I find myself feeling really depressed and defeated because I expect to see the world falling to pieces all around me, since that's what's happening in the book. And I have to remind myself: No, just a story. No dome. No simmering anarchy, no wannabe despots trying to take over the community and killing anyone who gets in their way. Kind of like waking from a nightmare and taking a few minutes to remind yourself it was just a dream, but a lower grade of that.
This is something I seem to do a lot while I'm reading, and I've always suspected that whatever part of my brain is responsible for this writing need I have only exacerbates this. So seriously: am I the only person who does this, or do other people internalize the books they read far beyond reason?
I gave up on Steve over the past 5-10 years since he reached a point where a lot of what he was putting out just didn't seem all that interesting, and the suspension of disbelief required for the kind of hardcore fantasy premise he works within just became a bit much to swallow. Plus I'd found several other favorite authors I was more interested in keeping up with. Anyway. About a month ago I read a paperback of his I had lying around for a few years that I intended to read someday, "Cell," which I finally read while trying to accomplish my 2009 New Year's Resolution of reading every book in my house that I hadn't read yet. Incidentally - no. Didn't pull it off, but I did get to a lot of books I wouldn't have read otherwise so it wasn't a complete failure. But "Cell" was kind of interesting, so when Mom said she had "Under the Dome" I figured I'd give it a shot.
If you're unfamiliar with the premise, there's this invisible dome that suddenly appears cutting off this small New England town from the rest of the world, and by the 2nd day everything is heading down the Lord of the Flies road at a breakneck pace. For the record, if any smarty pants out there are congratulating themselves right now for noticing the similarity between this story and what happened to Springfield in "The Simpsons Movie," Steve writes in the author's note that he had been trying to write this book since before the Simpsons were even on TV. And trust me - the similarities end with the dome.
But. What I meant to get at three paragraphs back is that with all of my time off from school during winter break, I've been spending way more time than usual just reading. To the point where I've now read... let me check... 868 pages out of 1,074 in the space of five days. It's not a great book and too many of the characters fall back on too many of the clichés that SK writes with, but there's enough to keep me going, and it's not like there's anything else I really need to do these days anyway. So I've read myself to the point where I dream about the characters and the story, and start to think of some of them as real people that I know. But more than that, I've worked myself into a corner here where anytime I put the book down and step outside and rejoin the real world for a little bit, I find myself feeling really depressed and defeated because I expect to see the world falling to pieces all around me, since that's what's happening in the book. And I have to remind myself: No, just a story. No dome. No simmering anarchy, no wannabe despots trying to take over the community and killing anyone who gets in their way. Kind of like waking from a nightmare and taking a few minutes to remind yourself it was just a dream, but a lower grade of that.
This is something I seem to do a lot while I'm reading, and I've always suspected that whatever part of my brain is responsible for this writing need I have only exacerbates this. So seriously: am I the only person who does this, or do other people internalize the books they read far beyond reason?
Monday, December 21, 2009
Gift Cards and Infinity
Tomorrow is what is traditionally my favorite day of the school year -- the last day of school before winter break. Winter break is glorious, just because it's this time of year when a break is so appreciated. We get a measly 12 days off this year, but even that is cause for celebration.
But I like the day more for just the onset of vacation. Winter break begins with the class holiday party, the kids wearing their Santa hats and reindeer antler headbands, the office and the teachers' lounge being filled up with all kinds of treats, music playing all day long, and what is generally a happy, festive atmosphere. People exchange gifts and good wishes, and generally the day is full of positivity and people showing each other the kind of affection and appreciation that wouldn't be such a bad thing to see more frequently. I like spending a happy day with my students, having reached a point in the school year where we've been together long enough to have bonded, knowing that even though I'll be separated from them for those 12 days, I'll get them back again in January.
But there is another good thing about the last day before break: Gift Card Day.
If kids ever ask me what I'd like for Christmas, I don't even hesitate anymore, or offer up any kind of pretense: "Either get me a gift card or a Christmas tree ornament." My tree is thick with a garbage-pizza variety of ornaments collected over the years, and I always enjoy revisiting them when the season comes around. But gift cards are also pretty awesome.
You see, teachers view the collection of holiday gift cards as a litmus test of which students love them the most, and of course, of which teachers are the most universally loved in the school. If you can't crack $100 on a Christmas in a strong economy, you might as well look for another line of work 'cause you just ain't reachin' anyone.
Some tips out there for parents: $20 is the optimal amount; $10 is still respectable, though doesn't get you as far, and $25 is just a sign of someone trying too hard. $5? Please. Don't waste my time. And for the love of food, please do a little research before you buy. Don't assume we (and by "we" I mean all teachers) drink coffee. I don't. So don't screw me with a Caribou card that I'll probably just pass on to my sister, because it's not like you were buying her a gift now, was it? And it's not always great to get one from somewhere really specific, like "here's a gift card to a nice chain restaurant, but the nearest location is in Owatonna and it's only open on Thursday nights." Target always works. And Borders, for me, is the grail of the gift card. I'm in pretty good shape so far, since Gift Card Day is still tomorrow and my total for the year is already sitting at a respectable $55. (Once I break that $100 mark I'll be able to breathe a little easier.) And one of the coolest things I've gotten so far this year other than gift cards? A little metal gift-card sized box.... meant for storing gift cards. Hooray!!!!!
Disclaimer: Anyone who read the two previous paragraphs and took a single word of it seriously just does not get my sense of humor. If that's the case, you really need to find another blog to follow.
In all seriousness, it is the warmth and affection and companionship and appreciation everyone at school shows each other on that final day before break that I love the most. It makes me wish there were more days like that to soak up.
All right, moving on. The "Infinity" nod up in my post title refers to my 2009 Nanowrimo book. Remember how I won? Woo-hoo!! Anyway, the book is finally getting some circulation and feedback. My favorite bit of this so far came from today, when one of my students -- the first person from the intended age group, and actually someone who fell right into the target demographic I wrote for -- finished reading it. She did talk to me afterward with some enthusiasm for it and had some comments about it when she passed it along to another teacher -- my Life Coach -- that I wish I'd been there to hear.
Incidentally, anyone who would still like to read it and wouldn't mind reading it off a computer screen or printing it themselves should just let me know, and I'll send you a copy of the PDF. And for those people who've had copies of that PDF for a few weeks now, hey, FEEL FREE to let me know what you think / thought. The day will come soon when I start revising it for real, and the more opinions I can collect the more I'll have to think about.
But I like the day more for just the onset of vacation. Winter break begins with the class holiday party, the kids wearing their Santa hats and reindeer antler headbands, the office and the teachers' lounge being filled up with all kinds of treats, music playing all day long, and what is generally a happy, festive atmosphere. People exchange gifts and good wishes, and generally the day is full of positivity and people showing each other the kind of affection and appreciation that wouldn't be such a bad thing to see more frequently. I like spending a happy day with my students, having reached a point in the school year where we've been together long enough to have bonded, knowing that even though I'll be separated from them for those 12 days, I'll get them back again in January.
But there is another good thing about the last day before break: Gift Card Day.
If kids ever ask me what I'd like for Christmas, I don't even hesitate anymore, or offer up any kind of pretense: "Either get me a gift card or a Christmas tree ornament." My tree is thick with a garbage-pizza variety of ornaments collected over the years, and I always enjoy revisiting them when the season comes around. But gift cards are also pretty awesome.
You see, teachers view the collection of holiday gift cards as a litmus test of which students love them the most, and of course, of which teachers are the most universally loved in the school. If you can't crack $100 on a Christmas in a strong economy, you might as well look for another line of work 'cause you just ain't reachin' anyone.
Some tips out there for parents: $20 is the optimal amount; $10 is still respectable, though doesn't get you as far, and $25 is just a sign of someone trying too hard. $5? Please. Don't waste my time. And for the love of food, please do a little research before you buy. Don't assume we (and by "we" I mean all teachers) drink coffee. I don't. So don't screw me with a Caribou card that I'll probably just pass on to my sister, because it's not like you were buying her a gift now, was it? And it's not always great to get one from somewhere really specific, like "here's a gift card to a nice chain restaurant, but the nearest location is in Owatonna and it's only open on Thursday nights." Target always works. And Borders, for me, is the grail of the gift card. I'm in pretty good shape so far, since Gift Card Day is still tomorrow and my total for the year is already sitting at a respectable $55. (Once I break that $100 mark I'll be able to breathe a little easier.) And one of the coolest things I've gotten so far this year other than gift cards? A little metal gift-card sized box.... meant for storing gift cards. Hooray!!!!!
Disclaimer: Anyone who read the two previous paragraphs and took a single word of it seriously just does not get my sense of humor. If that's the case, you really need to find another blog to follow.
In all seriousness, it is the warmth and affection and companionship and appreciation everyone at school shows each other on that final day before break that I love the most. It makes me wish there were more days like that to soak up.
All right, moving on. The "Infinity" nod up in my post title refers to my 2009 Nanowrimo book. Remember how I won? Woo-hoo!! Anyway, the book is finally getting some circulation and feedback. My favorite bit of this so far came from today, when one of my students -- the first person from the intended age group, and actually someone who fell right into the target demographic I wrote for -- finished reading it. She did talk to me afterward with some enthusiasm for it and had some comments about it when she passed it along to another teacher -- my Life Coach -- that I wish I'd been there to hear.
Incidentally, anyone who would still like to read it and wouldn't mind reading it off a computer screen or printing it themselves should just let me know, and I'll send you a copy of the PDF. And for those people who've had copies of that PDF for a few weeks now, hey, FEEL FREE to let me know what you think / thought. The day will come soon when I start revising it for real, and the more opinions I can collect the more I'll have to think about.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Your Dose of Irony for the Day
Has anyone else ever noticed that the very same section of the parking lot that gets cordoned off when the Christmas trees go on sale in December is the exact same spot where the fireworks are sold five months earlier? Probably a good thing they don't occupy the same space at the same time. I'm jus' sayin'.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
In December
I apologize in advance for how random and disjointed today's post is going to read.
*December has been busy. There is some pressure at school when you see the date that report cards are to be sent home approaching on the calendar. And there is more pressure when you know you need to finish the unit you're on before winter break, because if you don't you'll be met by a roomful of blank stares if you try to pick up where you left off. Trust me - I've seen it.
But despite the pressure, December is one of my favorite months of school. I like the holidays circling everything that's going on, I like the initial landscape wipe of the first major snowfall and the way the kids light up in response to it. I like knowing that break is coming up really soon, even if this year it's going to be kind of short. I like being at a point in the year when I have had time to build relationships with my students, and to have a chance to bask in that mutual appreciation with them just as we all prepare to go our separate ways for the holidays.
I'd probably be enjoying the month a little more if I wasn't STILL shaking off the illness that took me down just before Thanksgiving. It's pretty much over with, but it seems like I'm going to have one of those coughs that just keeps on going and going, and then once you feel like you're finally over with it you surprise yourself with a quick, harsh hacking fit that ends with you packing a mouthful of nastiness that had been lining your lungs moments before. I won't miss this when it's finally over.
The first snow was a good strong one. I won't reflect on it too much, other than to say that the morning after the main snowfall saw a 14" snow drift right outside of my garage. And that RAV 4 of mine? Plowed right through it without a second thought. It was pretty sweet. Even better was my arrival home after a few more inches of snow had fallen and my driveway hadn't been plowed yet. I just drove right up and into the garage without hesitation. I'm feeling all kinds of RAV love these days, and even sprung for the expensive car wash when I went to fill the tank this morning.
Okay, enough blah blah blah. Two musical points to make today.
First of all, one of my favorite musical collaborations of 2009 has to be the duet between Rihanna and Shy Ronnie on the most recent SNL Digital Short. If you haven't seen the video, you really want to look it up.
Secondly, I'm working on a couple iTunes playlists these days. One will be my favorite 25 songs from the year, something I've done for the past five years or so. It makes a nice little musical time capsule to listen to occasionally. Don't worry - I'll be sharing it here when it's finished. Also I've put together a new archive list, made from songs in the library that I haven't played yet. This is mostly older stuff. It's always cool to dig out the older music and revisit what you've been missing for months or years. I highly recommend it.
And now I'll go back to waiting to hear about my first agency submission from my manuscript of this past summer... which is killing me with anticipation a little. I honestly don't expect they'll take me on as a client, but if they aren't, I'd sure like to know it so I can move to the next one on the list and start the whole agonizing process again.
*December has been busy. There is some pressure at school when you see the date that report cards are to be sent home approaching on the calendar. And there is more pressure when you know you need to finish the unit you're on before winter break, because if you don't you'll be met by a roomful of blank stares if you try to pick up where you left off. Trust me - I've seen it.
But despite the pressure, December is one of my favorite months of school. I like the holidays circling everything that's going on, I like the initial landscape wipe of the first major snowfall and the way the kids light up in response to it. I like knowing that break is coming up really soon, even if this year it's going to be kind of short. I like being at a point in the year when I have had time to build relationships with my students, and to have a chance to bask in that mutual appreciation with them just as we all prepare to go our separate ways for the holidays.
I'd probably be enjoying the month a little more if I wasn't STILL shaking off the illness that took me down just before Thanksgiving. It's pretty much over with, but it seems like I'm going to have one of those coughs that just keeps on going and going, and then once you feel like you're finally over with it you surprise yourself with a quick, harsh hacking fit that ends with you packing a mouthful of nastiness that had been lining your lungs moments before. I won't miss this when it's finally over.
The first snow was a good strong one. I won't reflect on it too much, other than to say that the morning after the main snowfall saw a 14" snow drift right outside of my garage. And that RAV 4 of mine? Plowed right through it without a second thought. It was pretty sweet. Even better was my arrival home after a few more inches of snow had fallen and my driveway hadn't been plowed yet. I just drove right up and into the garage without hesitation. I'm feeling all kinds of RAV love these days, and even sprung for the expensive car wash when I went to fill the tank this morning.
Okay, enough blah blah blah. Two musical points to make today.
First of all, one of my favorite musical collaborations of 2009 has to be the duet between Rihanna and Shy Ronnie on the most recent SNL Digital Short. If you haven't seen the video, you really want to look it up.
Secondly, I'm working on a couple iTunes playlists these days. One will be my favorite 25 songs from the year, something I've done for the past five years or so. It makes a nice little musical time capsule to listen to occasionally. Don't worry - I'll be sharing it here when it's finished. Also I've put together a new archive list, made from songs in the library that I haven't played yet. This is mostly older stuff. It's always cool to dig out the older music and revisit what you've been missing for months or years. I highly recommend it.
And now I'll go back to waiting to hear about my first agency submission from my manuscript of this past summer... which is killing me with anticipation a little. I honestly don't expect they'll take me on as a client, but if they aren't, I'd sure like to know it so I can move to the next one on the list and start the whole agonizing process again.
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