'Til Kingdom Come (think of that hidden Coldplay track on X&Y; the song written for Johnny Cash)

My last day of work in photos - It was an amazing bittersweet one in that, if I didn't already, I realized how comfortable I got and how much I enjoyed the company (the people) I was surrounded by. For the first time ever, I think I'm truly nervous and frightened about starting full time student teaching on Monday, now without any sort of safety net. (although on a side note, I may have a job as a part time reader for an undergraduate course at SJSU) Have to take that leap of faith sometime, though, right?


The afternoon started with cake :) I was running across the administration building trying to get rid of it asking everyone I knew if they'd like some ;-)


Cake with Office peeps (sorry, my replacement has been engraining some lingo into me during my week of training her!)


My boss, her husband, and the new IT guy


Lunch @ Sonoma Chicken Coup


Hanging out at Paragon to end the day


It begins Monday and I'm still in denial! Like that lame Bush song, breath in and breath out. Remember Bush? Whatever happened to them ...

Currently Watching Wal-mart - The High Cost of Low Price see related

OOOH, mushaboom....

I love this song. I love this album. Check it out. Mushaboom by Feist (Leslie Feist), another Canadian - It's becoming a recurring theme lately with those Canadians (Matt Good, New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire. Hmm how to explain. Someone called her jazzy/trip-hop sensual pop music. Sounds good. Give it a listen (link above).

The film above - disturbing, it creates a balanced attack on Wal-Mart's business practices on multiple surfaces, including many I never thought of (aside from the typical they are known for i.e. labor practices, strategic store placements).

Currently Listening Duncan Sheik By Duncan Sheik see related

Life is suffering
Tee-hee, ha-ha
Cold and shuddering
Tee-hee, ha-ha
Cruel and pummeling
Tee-hee, ha-ha

Ok long title, but it's been a long time since I've quoted Toad the Wet Sprocket -

Quick notes -

-Nickel Creek performs "Jealous of the Moon" on the Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno this Wednesday the 25th!
-Blue Merle is the subject of the latest episode of Acoustic Cafe; A great performance/interview with the band plus new full-time fiddler, Luke Bulla
-Bands/Albums fitting my musical approval: Feist (Let it Die), Duncan Sheik (White Limosine), Richard Ashcroft (Keys to the World), and my new favorite of 2006, KT Tunstall.

Busy, busy last week of vacation! Training my successor at the Senate and saying my long goodbyes to all there - It's been fun! This has to be the first time ever that I'll be leaving a job that I don't immediately want to just leave. It's still bittersweet, however. But - Necessary to take the next step forward, which will be full-time student teaching third graders for the next few months - I'm freaking out! I'm also finishing up CERT (community emergency response team) training, certifying me as a rescue team member if a disaster were to occcur in-abouts San Jose State - Pray that it won't ever happen due to my lack of competence

Get together! This friday for my forced liberation of my job, at O'Flaherty's Pub (in San Pedro Square) around 5:30-6 for anyone wanting to join in. Feel free to drop by.

Sing-a-long - Duncan Sheik's "She Runs Away" - Rediscovering this gem from the mid-90s, this song's got it all.

OK! End of convoluted message. Seeya next time.

the world isn't fair

the title refers to a randy newman track out of just so many that i'm finding just as appropriate today as they were when he wrote them however many ages ago. i just love the satire in the work he's produced - anyway, his album was just one of many i purchased at a local retail that's going out of business in a matter of days (note for those who live in the south bay area!), media play, where everything is 70% off or more. the others i purchased and would like feedback on if anyone has listened to them include:

dar williams - my better self
wilco - kicking television--live in chicago
the jayhawks - rainy day music (the chris thile connection)
ryan adams & the cardinals - jacksonville nights (had a burned so i know how good this one is)
the randy newman songbook vol.1
pinback - summer in abaddon (someone i respect musically swears by them)

How are they?
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I made it to the seasonal PAC session held in downtown San Jose's Museum of Art this past Friday - Art displayed through diverse form such as through music, spoken word, poetry, dance, painting, and other medium. The above image is actually part of the ongoing exhibit currently held there at the moment, but I wanted to take the time to post it because of its relevance - I forgot the artist, but it is a self portrait of himself, and he is a proclaimed anti-capitalist who believes that it is the factor towards the faceless and brutal realities that comes out of cutthroat business. He essentially expresses how even someone as stought about his beliefs as himself is still susceptible of the allure that is commercialism in america, as represented by mickey. just one of many interesting pieces being displayed, i think the theme is visual politics.
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i caught munich at the theaters last night, but am still a little reluctant to express how i feel about it without conducting more research on the background behind the israell/palestine and arab/israeli conflict, something i admit i don't have much knowledge on. if looking at the film as a character study of the main character, however, i thought it was intriguing the portrayal of a man forced to kill and the psychological state he evolves into as the killing advances. one thing that is a little eerie is the amount of what occured at munich during the olympics was documented (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre) and how down to a T the film recaptured the moment. if anyone feels like enlightening me furthur on this, please do, i'm all ears.
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i grabbed a few photos of my office that i'll be leaving in two weeks :-(





And this is just a shot of my workspace at home. Can you tell I'm a Nickel Creek fan? ;-)

Currently Listening Eye to the Telescope By Kt Tunstall see related

Will the real slim shady please stand up?

I think it's time for odd ball phrases to headline my entries from here on out. If anything, it'll at least piss off googlers who end up finding my joke of a site instead of eminem. It's amazing the percentage of the passer-byers who end up on this site by accident.

Total randomness but who likes hanging out in groups of three? There's a quote in the Kite Runner about cliches being the bane of writing, but, as the author ponders, why? They are true the majority of the time and absolutely capture the moment and what needs to be stated. Well, the cliche I come across with groups of three is the whole "Three's a crowd" syndrome. Too often whether it's just going out to lunch, hanging out, anything that requires conversation, one of the three is just slighted from the conversation. It takes two, not three. Again with the cliches. I had this in mind when I had lunch with three others today - It was great, two side conversations between two people each broke out for the most part.

Hmm. What did I learn? Don't catch myself in a group of three
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If you're living anywhere within the reach of the Mike Marshall & Chris Thile tour that is ongoing, check it out! Caught them over the weekend at beautiful UC Santa Cruz, home of the now annual Mandolin Symposium :) They got us screaming MANDOCELLO!!! Mandolins, Mandola, and Mandocello playing musical range from Bach to the 25/16 time signatures of a Bulgerian trad., whew, I've never seen such mastery of anything in my life! It'll definitely stretch your ears.

new music to give a chance to:
-KT Tunstall
-The Decemberists
-Mike & Chris live duets
-Spoon

Three random things:

1. Did you catch the Scrubs season premiere? Oh yeah, that was "Anything Can Happen" by the Finn Brothers being played as the backdrop for the entire episode! Whoever does the music there is a god!!

2. Sara of Nickel Creek's latest entry on "normalcy" and the difficulties of life as a traveling musician. I just love how she writes in such an honest and humbling manner!

3. Not that I listen to radio (aside from kfog and npr), but I've heard that not only has channel 1049 succumbed to spanish radio, but live 105 has taken away their only decent programming, Subsonic, their late Saturday night electronic music with real DJ's who (get this) spin their own music and play non-traditional stuff. Oh well. The end of rock? Will XM thrive? We'll have to wait and see.