DFW & The Pale King

Beyond even having appeal for outsiders, he was just the most talented and engaged writer of his generation, I think. And that was just something that was fun and intimidating to watch as his career unfolded because you knew whatever he was doing was going to be worth reading—and something you could look to for the kind of instruction we look to all the great books for. After he appeared on the scene, people’s fiction voices sounded a little different—a little slangier, a little looser, and also at the same time often a little more mathematically precise. It was that mixture of precision and looseness that was so influential.

The David Foster Wallace Generation

I am now half way through this book and...it is amazing, infuriating, unfinished, funny, sad and a look at some one who was gone far too soon.

This is a novel about loneliness, boredom, isolation, and the Federal Tax Code before 1987. It is a piece of fiction, it is a memoir, it is a vision of a mind that was both razor sharp and dulled by the pain of every day existence.

The funny thing, even more than Infinite Jest, Hideous Men, or his other fiction, this is his work that best provides some sort of catharsis for the reader, and the people who would benefit from reading this book, and I have a couple in mind, never will, mostly because of personal bigotries related to either the author (anyone who has a cult of devoted followers has to be somewhat intimidating) or to literary fiction as a whole. I have also found that DFW speaks to normals more than to well, non-normals. This is somewhat of an inside joke and something that I should probably explain. I had a friend who is an academic, and she was dating an academic, and when in discussion about their relationship, they consulted "normals" to see how people in the real world related to each other. I was both fascinated and horrified by this usage, but now...I love it. I mean, doesn't this help explain things like the Kegs & Eggs "Riot"? People in and around "academia" see themselves as outside of society, and that the rules and mores of society do not relate to them in the same way because they are different, and think themselves better than the "normals".

DFW, who was exceptional, and he struggled to be "normal".

The Awl had a wonderful piece this week based on his writings at the Ransom Center at UT (Hook 'em). From that piece:
To sum up: all his life Wallace was praised and admired for being exceptional, but in order to accept treatment he had to first accept and then embrace the idea that he was a regular person who could be helped by "ordinary" means. Then he went to rehab and learned a ton of valuable things from "ordinary" people whom he would never have imagined would be in a position to teach him anything. Furthermore, these people obviously had inner lives and problems and ideas that were every bit as complex and vital as those of the most "sophisticated" and "exceptional."

Even so there was still a lot of the "prodigy" in Wallace, something he hated in himself, not just something he mistrusted and had "gotten over."

Anyway, this is a novel for the normals, the alone, the sad, and...well...people who hate to drive. It is no wonder that I love it.

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 14

Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love

This is another difficult one. My musical tastes are fairly catholic so...I don't know what people expect of me. (I know people do not expect me to like sports, but...eh.)

Thinking about it, the only artist that I can think of people being surprised about is...well...P!nk.

Anyway, Sober by P!nk!



(Or I could have gone with something by the Dixie Chicks, but I am going to stay with P!nk)

Harmony Mills in Cohoes

Doesn't this look like where the "Blair Witch" vacations?

I love a developer...

With a geeky sense of humor.

As seen on Broadway

Insert appropriate snark here.

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 13

Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure

Oh, I have a lot of these but...this one has to be the most guilty of pleasures.



The B-52s. I would have also accepted "Candy" by Iggy Pop.

And soon he will be gone

Notably, Mr. Beck became a daily broadcast platform for a libertarian strain of politics that is also evident in the Tea Party, a movement he embraced. Critics loudly condemned him for living with his own facts — but that only seemed to widen the conspiracy that he outlined each night, aided by a growing number of chalkboards in his studio.

Glenn Beck and Fox Agree to Part Ways - NYTimes.com

Things to do in Albany - Wiffle Ball

When was the last time you played wiffle ball? Were you ten? Was it something fun to do while you were in college? Were you in one of those hipster leagues when you lived in Brooklyn?

Would you be willing to play just for fun in Albany? I am thinking some weeknight, in Washington Park, starting at 6 and playing until dark and then heading over to Susie's for a couple of post game beers?

So...I am putting it out there and I am willing to put dates out there as well, but I am trying to gauge interest?

Anyone? Frye?

If you are interested, here is the Facebook Event Page. The date is still TBD.

(And would you like to play by the official rules or play it like baseball?)

JMFJT, a while ago, had expressed interest in playing kickball, so...maybe the groups could alternate. Kick ball one week, and wiffle the next.

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 12

Day 12 – A song from a band you hate

This may surprise some, and other already know this, but I fucking* hate the Eagles. HATE!

Thinking about them just made me have a hategasm of Diet Coke all over my keyboard.

Now, I know some of you are going to whine, "But why? They're great."

No. You're wrong. You are also an idiot.

Their laid back California infused country/roots rock was done much better by CCR (and Forgerty did not write nonsensical seven minute long songs about bad acid trips and then chalk them up to something "mystical" and spiritual) and they wallowed in their own self importance.

Now individually, some of their music is not bad. I have music by Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh on my iPod (and two songs by Don Henley, both off of "Building the Perfect Beast", because everything else he has done is insufferable) and I find them enjoyable.

With that above, I was not going to put a song up from the Eagles, but...I was willing to cheat and put up one from Glenn Frey.



I do love this song, and I have a montage in my head that appears in my soon to be made biopic set to it.

Yes, it is a cheat. I admit it and you know it. You also know in your heart of heart that the people who claim that "I love the Eagles" are even worse people than I am, and I own the fact that I am a superficial douche.

*Yes, I said "fuck". I also sprayed Diet Coke on my netbook because I was so angry. Yeah, I don't use hate often, but I have a fully rational hate of the Eagles and the majority of their "fans".

Look at that sky

Today feels like spring. I had to run some errands this morning and this was the sky I was lucky enough to be under.

Isn't that amazing? After two day of horrible weather, for the most part, I forgot what the spring sky was supposed to look like.

While I was running errands, one of the greatest pop songs ever came up on shuffle.

Big Star's Don't Lie to Me



It was great. The deep blue sky and "Don't Lie to Me".

My mood is just getting better.

Oh, being a Mets fan #2

It feels good, Mets fans, doesn't it?

I mean, you know that something is going to happen, and they are going to break your heart, but you still have some hope now, and look at this.

We are in first place. It may change tonight, but for now, we are leading the Division, and that does not suck.

Lets! Go! Mets!

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 11

Day 11 – A song from your favorite band

My favorite band in the world is, easily, Radiohead.

Now, I could pick a song off of their new album (The King of Limbs), or one of my favorite album (OK Computer), or one that I have posted before ("There, There" which is my favorite song of theirs for one lyric) but I am not going to do any of those.

I am going to pick the song that really makes me think of Radiohead when I think of the band. Well, there are two, with Reckoner being the other one, but this song came along first and if someone has never heard the band before, this is always my first track for them.

For those of you who don't like Radiohead, this song was never one of their "hits" and it did not appear on a studio album. (Though it was a B-side and on one of the live albums.) Give up four minutes and give it a listen. Please. For me?



True Love Waits

I'll drown my beliefs
To have you be in peace
I'll dress like your niece
To wash your swollen feet

Just don't leave
Don't leave

I'm not living
I'm just killing time
Your tiny hands
Your crazy kitten smile

Just don't leave
Don't leave

And true love waits
In haunted attics
And true love lives
On lollipops and crisps

Just don't leave
Don't leave

Just don't leave
Don't leave

What is the meaning behind this?

Earlier in the day, in a conversation with a friend about the childfree movement, carbon taxes, and sustainability, I brought up that when talking about population explosions, one had to look at the impact of modern medicine in LDEs, where the rate of children living had skyrocketed because of things like antibiotics, sanitation and vaccinations, and not because people were breeding more. It is just that more children are living, and then asked, very snarkily (hey, I was cranky), if they would prefer the situation where modern medicine was removed from the "redacted" so that more of their children would die.

Why am I bringing this up, and why did I use such an awful phrase as "redacted"? For the same reason? Because while we were talking about policy issues from a fifty thousand foot view, we were also dealing with the metric of death. Who has the right (and the luck) to live and who is going to die?

It is a craptacular argument and hard to have.

Then, while watching the Mets game, I saw the below commercial.



This commercial makes no argument about being both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice.

What? How is that?

Watch it again?

Pro-Choice groups are not always Pro-Abortion, they are for reproductive freedom and they refusal of intrusive government rules and mandates on what should be a private medical decision between a patient and their medical professional. What it comes down to is a privacy issue...but...I have gotten waylaid, which is easy to do when talking about this topic.

Anyway, this commercial states that HIV is not a death sentence for a fetus, which means that if you were going to justify your choice of aborting your pregnancy only because you did not think that you could deal with a HIV+ child, you don't have to.

This commercial gives answers to both sides, that both sides can embrace.

Anyway, regardless of what side you are on, and regardless if you do not like children, you should go to One.org, sign your name, because no child should be born with HIV. Life is difficult enough, around the world, for children. Why make it harder than it has to be?

There are a number of people...

that I should buy this t-shirt for...

and there are a number of you who will say that it is perfect for me

Given my day so far, this, as well as a wonderful phone conversation, has made me laugh more than it should.

You can purchase it at the Onion Store.

Something cool at the ReStore

I volunteer at Capital District Habitat for Humanity's ReStore once a week, and I have been doing it for the past year. Part of it, and I will admit this, is so that I can hang out, and have him buy me a couple of beers post the day, with Teacher Dave.

Anyway, I see a lot of cool things that show up in the store.

Like...this lamp.

Wouldn't this be awesomely weird in your office? An old school Seahawks skater lamp?

The ReStore is located at 454 North Pearl Street in Albany.

ReStore Hours:
Thursday: 2pm - 7pm
Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday: 9pm - 5pm

Plus, the ReStore is looking for volunteers to work in the store as well as to do what I do, which is ride in the truck, pick up donated furniture as spend time with Teacher Dave.

It is a great day spent helping a great cause with some great people.

If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity (and if you aren't spending some of your time volunteering, what are you doing to make the world a better place?), H4H would be an awesome one.
Or these chairs...

These Italian chairs are wonderful if a bit...odd, but they are eye-catching/

Something to die for...

I like the Sounds*, a lot, and I was looking forward to them putting out what they were calling a "dance record".

Then I heard the above song.

I mean, it wasn't bad but it really wasn't good. Not really a dance song, unless the whole rhythm thing is different in the Scandinavian countries.

But then I got the album and I have not been this happy with an album that makes my feet move since I was fifteen.

*I was laughed at after a Yeah Yeah Yeahs show for stating that I liked The Sounds more.

Edit before publishing: I went to the band's website and realized that you can get a free download of a remix of the song which is much better than the album version and much more dance-able.

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 10

Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep

There is no single song that I can fall asleep to. I mean, I have been falling asleep to music since I was about six (that I can remember, though it was probably earlier) and not one song makes their way to the front of my brain so that it sits at the tip of my tongue so I can announce...

"Suite Judy Blue Eyes"

Which, isn't a bad choice, even if it is completely untrue.

So, I decided to go with a song that reminds me of sleep but not my own.

When TEA was an infant, he was constantly in our arms and I would sing to him to try to get him to sleep. The one song that always worked was "Closer to Fine" by Indigo Girls.

Hopefully, no one will be able to link this to him, but if they do, I hope that the ribbing that he gets is good natured.

Wow, I feel like I am growing ovaries by posting this.

If Pokemon were realistic

If Pokemon Were More Realistic -- powered by Cracked.com

I used to love Pokemon! I never thought about it is such a way.

Via Cracked.com

Rediscovered Album

When Pinkerton first came out, and in the years following, I wasn't one of the people who hated it. Not that I was effusive in my praise for it, but I thought that is was a very good album. Then, for some reason that I cannot really speak to, I stopped listening to it.

Over the past couple of weeks, the album had been mentioned to me by a couple of different people, and for a couple of different reasons, and I talked about it but...I hadn't listened to it in years.

Last night, while dicking around, I decided to give it a listen...again.

Why did I stop listening to this album?

Why did I waste time on other albums when this album existed? Not that it is going to replace other albums that I listen to as full albums (OK Computer, Tallahassee) but being added to the rotation.

There are a lot of people who do not like Weezer, and I get that (I heard "Beverly Hills" while in transit yesterday and I thought about how...awful it was...and stayed silent) as some people think of them as the "Sweater Song" guys, or that Rivers is some sort of superficial douche (well, he may be that, but...so am I, and a couple of people like me and I am not nearly as talented as he is) but I implore you to give this album a shot.

Anyway, this is my favorite song on the album.

Pink Triangle

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 9

Day 09 – A song that you can dance to

Hah!

Now many people would say that "none" is the answer to this question, and that is fair enough, because I cannot dance at all. Never have been able to, never will be able to, never hope to be able to, and I do distrust people that dance well, especially as adults.

That being said, even as an adult, I will be willing to dance. This is partially because I am never afraid of making a fool of myself (and the psychosis behind that I will leave open to your imagination) and partially because I like having a good time and dancing is fun as well as being communal and something that is rarely socially acceptable (though it should be).

There is one song that will get me dancing whenever I hear it, and that is as close to this as I can come, because, and ask anyone who has seen me try, I cannot dance.

Putin as a superhero...or the man who scares Chuck Norris

As Koni charged across the field towards the two, Putin commented that she was "Bigger, stronger, and faster" -- thereby making him the first man on Earth to be both tough and a fan of Six Million Dollar Man. According to Decision Points, when Bush relayed the story of Putin's massive dog to Canadian PM Stephen Harper, he responded, "You're lucky he only showed you his dog."

We aren't law experts but we think that means Bush just used his book to offer a trilateral declaration that Putin has a massive unit.

7 Reasons Why Vladimir Putin Is The World's Craziest Badass

Oh, being a Mets fan

I thought I posted it when it popped up last fall (but apparently I did not)



Anyway...it gets better.

In fact, the only thing that might be worse is if that baby's take was aired on the team's official broadcast after an opening day loss.
Because it's the Mets, both things actually happened.
Of course they did.

Apparently the folks in Mets Country are pissed.

You can read it at Yahoo!Sports.

H/T to John M for this!

30 Songs in 30 Days - Day 8

Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to

This is a great one! There are a bunch of these, and there are ones that I thought I knew the words to, but...the lyrics I had in my head (and my heart) were completely different from the actual words. I have a friend, who does read this, who used to think that one of the lines from "Tiny Dancer" was "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancing" which was funny at the time but thinking about it, it is an amazing sentiment.

Anyway, I am the son, and the heir, of nothing in particular.