Month: July 2013

1984 and other thoughts for a Monday afternoon

I was working on a really long and repetitive metadata project so I was pretty much under the headphones listening to music all day. It would be an understatement to say that the iTunes shuffle was very 1984-centric. I mean unrelentingly 1984, including obscure stuff that never seems to pop up otherwise. It’s like there was some sort of conspiracy to make sure I left work completely and thoroughly depressed…and no matter how often I re-shuffled, it just kept coming and coming. Right now, I’m getting “Cold Kid” by Glass Moon, which came immediately on the heels of “One Small Day” by Ultravox. Seriously. All day long it’s been music from the year that was–until 2011, at least–the gold standard of miserable, depressing years for me. I should be ready to stick my head in the oven by now.

But I’m not. Which is rather a nice feeling.

That said, I don’t think I’ll be opting for First Wave on the way home tonight. Not that I ever do anyway. Interestingly enough, I can barely stand to listen to early 1980s alt-pop these days…unless it’s in French. I had a conversation about this with a friend (one with whom I spent much of the 1980s) the other night. In retrospect, the 1990s were much more suited to my personality than the 1980s were and I liked them much better; the music was better, the boys were cuter, and I got laid a lot more. Further, I’m actually sort of off the whole “living in the past musically” thing of late anyway. Unless it’s the really long past…like before I was born…

Anyway, I’m off to DC next weekend. If anyone else will be there as well, I’m up for dinner at my new favorite Lebanese place in Alexandria. Or at the Roy Rogers of your choice.

With that, I’ll say “Happy Canada Day’ and be on my way home.

Charm City

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The claim on the bench may be a bit of a stretch but I really do love Baltimore. Like Pittsburgh, it’s not an easy place to understand. That may be why I like it do much–that and the fact that it’s so damned photogenic (photos to follow).

Exploring DC tomorrow. I will try to avoid the bookstore at the National Building Museum. It will not be easy.

Randomly Wednesday night

Stuff for a Wednesday night spent recuperating from a long-delayed root canal:

  • Isn’t this the same movie I was in fifteen years ago in San Francisco–assuming you substitute “nightclubs” for “slaughterhouse”? And my answer is the same: It was there before you moved into your overpriced condo. Get the fuck over it.
  • Lurking last week outside the building where Homicide was filmed has made me want to re-watch the series. I started tonight. We’ll see how long it lasts.
  • I love rain. Really. But enough is enough. Ten days in, we’re already at more than double the average to date for July, too.
  • It was a productive Wednesday. I spent my post-endodontics hours taking care of lots of business related to the parents, the real estate, and even me personally–including one major important step I’ve been putting off for a year or more. So there’s some sense of accomplishment there.
  • I’m not really in the mood again yet but I have another free room to use or lose this coming weekend. Suggestions that don’t involve more than a couple of hours in transit?
  • And in case you don’t follow such things, be advised that I will soon be able to Kroger locally again soon…sort of. And yes, it is a verb.