Computer Magic - The End of Time

Found this stumbling around youtube:

"Cyberpunk" Music

I read about this on reddit. There was an AMA about an "old school hacker" from the 80's. I was unable to find any whole songs on youtube, so here is the closest thing I could find. This is Mondo Vanilli. It is strangely intriguing. Enjoy.

St Vincent - Surgeon

I've had this song stuck in my head since I heard it on the radio this morning.

Live version:


Album version (THIS HAS MOOG):

Why a low-carb diet is perfect for me

I've been struggling with serious digestive issues for about three years. (If you asked my mother, she'd say I've been fighting with them my entire life: stomach aches, heart burn, etc.) At the age of 23, I had a colonoscopy and upper GI. They diagnosed me with lymphocytic colitis, told me I did not have celiac, gave me a prescription for steroids and sent me on my way. (I had previously been trying a gluten free diet, which seemed to work, but they said it wasn't the issue.) The steroids made my life a living hell for a few weeks (I assume this was some sort of allergic reaction) and I gave up. I fought with stomach aches off and on for another year, before trying a low carb diet with Moose in May. I felt great. It was during a planned cheat weekend that I realized gluten really is the culprit here, and have been pursuing a completely gluten free diet since then. In addition to gluten intolerance, I also have mild allergic reactions to most fruit (tree fruits) and raw nuts.

Considering that I cannot eat fruit and grain, a low carb diet is perfect for me. What am I really giving up that I haven't already? Rice. Potatoes. Sugar. Things that you probably shouldn't be eating on a normal diet anyway. I feel so much better not eating gluten. My awful acne has mostly cleared up. I have more energy. I don't have constant stomach aches. I am not constantly hungry. Plus, I have lost about 25 pounds doing this low carb diet, which is about 10 pounds shy of the weight I gained when I started having these stomach issues. One thing is for sure, I need to make this a permanent thing. Even if my gluten intolerance hasn't been diagnosed, it doesn't matter. This is how I want to feel.

(blah blah blah)

Blue Cheese

For some reason, I've been eating a lot of blue cheese lately. I've been craving it. Blue cheese used to be a rarity for me.

I think I've found a new favorite food:



Found these at Sams Club last night. Didn't realize they existed. They are a smooth creamy cheese with just the right amount of blue cheese taste. Yum yum.

Help! Everyone is playing WoW again!

Help!

Help!

Everyone is playing WoW again!

Ah, World of Warcraft. You were a pretty good addiction back in 2006. I still think you played a big part in dissolving the relationship between me and my then boyfriend (as he was much more addicted than I was). I haven't touched you in over 2 years. That was the last time my new LAN friends played you seriously. I paid for the expansion, moved my character, and played for about a month before everyone gave up again. This time, it seems like your charms have drawn everyone back and they are much more serious about it. The "GAME CHANGING" expansion, Cataclysm came out almost a year ago, yet it's only NOW that they have decided to play. Why? Why can't people get away? You are THE poster child for online gaming. THE game to beat, even after over 7 years. I can't get away.

Do I want to play again? I don't know. Am I going to play again? Yes. Do I care enough to continue to play? I don't know. Do I hope we don't continue to play? Yes.

I'll give you a report once my scroll of resurrection wears off and I'm faced with burning more money in the money pit.

Mimosa - Pandora

More electronica. Been getting really into this stuff lately.

Turn The Lights Off - Tally Hall

I've posted this to facebook and google+, so I may as well post it here as well. I absolutely love this song. This video is amazing. Tally Hall rocks my world.

In Da Balkan Style - Ahilea

Ahilea was one of the last guys my dad introduced me to before he died. It is always a great go-to music. I've yet to find anyone that hasn't found it oddly entertaining. I need to see if Ahilea has more music out. I only have one album.

Hobbies and Goals

I keep writing blog posts about things I need or things I should be doing. I don't know why. Maybe I feel like my life lacks direction right now. Maybe I feel like I'm stuck in a rut working my "9-5" job 5 days a week.

Anyway, the topic of today's brain dump is hobbies and goals. Moose said to me last night "I wish you had goals so that I knew if they coincided or clashed with mine." Now, he's talking about large overarching life/career type goals and I'm talking about smaller things, but regardless... My life has lacked a lot of focus since grad school. Grad school puts on the blinders and says "go forth and research." Real life gives you some time to pursue things, but not enough to pursue them fully.

Life goals: Work, get married, have children.... (Yeah I'm lame)

Longer-term goals: Buy a house, buy (and pay off) new car (so lame)

Short-term goals: Set up music area in basement, get rid of stuff in boxes, exercise more and eat better

Okay, so I'm cliche. Oh well, writing things down is a good start, right?

I need to pursue music more. I need to pursue art more. I need to get hobbies that at least somewhat coincide with my employment. Maybe its time to take up android development. Something that got me very excited the other day is the Meta Watch. Looking into something like that might be fun.

Oh well. I need to do SOMETHING. Maybe I should start with cleaning my house!

Chocolate cake made out of beans?

Apparently, there is a way to make a gluten-free chocolate cake out of black beans. I need to try this. I don't know if I can wait til my birthday to try it!

Here's the link.

For Moose's birthday, I made a cake out of ground pecans. It turned out pretty good. Other than the fact that I accidentally added red food coloring thinking it was vanilla extract. Oh well. Red cake.

Electro-Swing

Saving this for later: Reddit post about Electro-Swing.

New Car, Money, and the Future

IT'S TIME FOR A CAR FROM THIS CENTURY. I put in an order for a new car. I'm (hopefully) getting a 2012 Subaru Impreza 5 door with some pretty nice bells and whistles. This comes to about $24,500 before tax and licensing. I'm probably going to have a car payment of about $350-$400 a month, depending on interest rate. But, I'll have a dependable car for the next 5+ years. And, I'll be getting significantly better gas mileage and I will have AWD.

My car will look something like this:


All this talking about car stuff got me thinking about house stuff too. So, I've been talking to my good friend Swap about houses, as he just bought one. He pointed me to this site. It helps you calculate how much house you can afford. Time to start saving for a downpayment and looking into areas I might want to live. I think that in the next 1-3 years may be a good time to get something, especially if interest rates stay so low.

The future is exciting.

Muffins in a Minute

OH MY GOD THESE ARE DELICIOUS. I think Muffins in a Minute are darned near the best thing ever.

These are gluten free. These are low carb. These are incredibly fast. These are easy. These are delicious. The possibilities are limitless.

Screw buying gluten free bread. These come out hot and fresh and you can make them whenever you want them.

This morning I made one with cinnamon and vanilla in it. Tasted amazing. This is a great, quick breakfast that I can get used to.

Now I need to figure out a way to save the other half of it for lunch!

Bob Log III

Saw Bob Log the other night at 7th Street Entry. It was a blast! He is amazing live. A++ would see again.

Well... September is Over

Well... September is over. That means there are 3 months left of the year of 2011. I can't believe it has gone by so quickly. I don't think I've gotten anything concrete accomplished this month. Heck, I haven't even fully unpacked from moving a month and a half ago.

I need a project. I need something to occupy my time at home other than cooking, cleaning, and video games. I know I have posted about setting up a music room in my basement, but I have serious doubts that that will ever happen. Especially considering that all of my weekends for October are already spoken for. How does this happen? Is this normal? Is this how lives are lived? I feel like I'm in a constant state of disarray. The only real downtime I get is sleep time. I certainly did not feel this way in college, even with the never-ending stream of homework hanging over my head.

Maybe it's time to just set aside time every night for myself. I don't know. I need to learn how to run on less sleep. I wake up at 6, 6:30am. Depending on when I actually get up and out of bed, I'm usually at work by 7:30 or so. I stay at work til 5:30pm. I'm usually home by 6 at the latest. Moose and I have been pretty good about cooking dinner at home since we moved, so by the time dinner is done, it's usually about 6:30 or 7pm. Then, in order to get up by 6, I try to be in bed by 10:30 or 11pm. What can I do with those 4 hours? Why can't I live on 4-5 hours of sleep like everyone else?!

Oh well. I need to do something. Otherwise, Moose is going to get tired of my pestering. I should at least set up my instruments in the basement. It might be fun to just sit down there and goof around.

Maybe I'll get it done in October...

Dumbood - Transregional des Pyrenees

Another find from Pandora:

Workouts with Kristen

So my friend Kristen wants to do similar workouts as me, but not together or at the same time. In particular, she wants to try the Couch to 5K program (or C25K for short). This involves 30 minutes, 3 days a week of running for 9 weeks. At the end of the 9 weeks, you have built up your stamina to the point where you are able to run a 5k. I want to say I can already run at least half if not all of a 5k comfortably, but this will still be good exercise. So, I'm going to try to kick it up a notch - but hopefully not to the point of P90X, which always seems to be impossible to keep up with after 3 weeks due to sleep deprivation or shit hitting the fan at work. AM workouts would be before work, PM workouts would be immediately after work. Here's what I ultimately want to be able to do:

Mondays: AM - 20 minutes AM yoga from DVD
PM - 30 minutes C25K workout 1/3

Tuesdays: AM - 20 minutes Ab Ripper X (via P90X)
PM - 30 minutes weight machine routine

Wednesdays: AM - 20 minutes AM yoga from DVD
PM - 30 minutes C25K workout 2/3

Thursdays: AM - 20 minutes Ab Ripper X (via P90X)
PM - 30 minutes weight machine routine

Fridays: AM - 20 minutes AM yoga from DVD
PM - 30 minutes C25K workout 3/3

Saturdays: Make up day / Not sure yet.

Sundays: Rest.

I will try to continue the pseudo low carb diet I've been doing for the last 3 months as well. I need to stop eating so much fake sugar. That means I need to stop drinking diet pop. We'll see how this goes. This week, I want to at least start the C25k program and get the weight machine set up.

Worldly Weather

So, it's about 30 degrees in Minnesota right now. My sister is just arriving for her year + stay in Japan. It is 77 degrees in Fukui right now. If my mom were in Florida right now, it'd be 73 there. Maybe I *do* need to get out of here...

Upcoming lease year

I think I will make it a goal in the upcoming lease year (from now until next August) to save as much money as possible, buy as few things as possible, and get rid of as much stuff as possible. I have a hard time believing that Moose and I will stay in North Minneapolis for more than a year (unless something really awesome happens, or we suddenly become acclimated and have no issues... we'll see though). This is unfortunate because I know Moose really does not want to keep moving every year. We thought we had a keeper in this house. The house definitely is. We will see how the neighborhood works out.

Anyway, I think this is a great opportunity for us to live like we "belong" in the neighborhood. I don't mean to sound condescending when I say that, but it's true. We are not impoverished. We are, however, getting a good deal on a nice rental home. It's time to start saving up money for a house and getting rid of all of our unnecessary possessions that make moving so hard. In 11 months, we can have a nice chunk of change saved and hopefully have paired down our stuff enough to make the next move easy. Or, we can not move and still be no worse for wear. Time will tell.

More North Minneapolis Woes

Well, we're pretty much moved into our new place in North Minneapolis now. There was another shooting on Wednesday that made the headlines. Apparently somebody decided to shoot at people holding a peace vigil. Yay. I guess crime is still down like 20% in North Minneapolis as compared to this time last year. Let's hope it just keeps going down.

Yesterday, I decided to drive through some of the really nice areas of North Minneapolis. These are the areas about two blocks west of us, going up the edge of the parkway. I'm trying to convince myself that we are close enough to this area to be in its area of effect. It is for certain that there are a lot less crimes in the nicer area, but we're *not* in that area. I just need to keep telling myself - we have insurance, it's ok. But, I worry about the next time we need to go out of town, or somebody picks up on our Monday night excursions to Eden Prairie...

Then I sit here thinking to myself, what happens the next time we move? We will kind of *have* to do everything at once, I think. Time to start getting rid of EVERYTHING. Oh well, we were going to do that anyway. I'm going to be working on that once we've unpacked.

I think I'll get the security system activated. I read today that there are fees associated with false alarms. It's like $45 the first time, $100 the second, and add $100 more for each additional offense. After 5 false alarms, I guess the police just stop coming. This is worse than having no alarm. Can cats set off house alarms?

New House, New Problems

We moved on Saturday into our new house. We've acknowledged (pretty much from the beginning) that the new place is in a shady neighborhood. We weren't worried because the house is nice, the houses nearby are nice, and the house has a security system installed that we can have activated if we want. We also have renters insurance.

Me, being who I am, have signed up for weekly crime statistics emails for the 4th precinct of Minneapolis. Totals for 8/14-8/20: 1 homicide, 0 rapes, 2 robberies, 5 aggravated assaults, 4 burglaries, 1 act of larceny, 0 auto thefts, and 2 acts of arson. This is just in our "neighborhood," one of five in the 4th precinct. None of the other neighborhoods are nearly as bad. W00!

Well, there's not much I can do about it. The landlord says she and her tenants have never had any issues when they've lived here in the past. It sounds like that's a history of at least 5-6 years. Hopefully, we can have similar luck. Cross your fingers for me... for the next year. :/

Moving, New House Blues

I know Moose is about the only person that reads this blog (hi honey), but I'm going to try to type this stuff out so I can make sense of it myself.

So, Moose and I have started the process of moving into our new house. It is a fairly modest 2 bedroom, 1 and a half bathroom house near the crappiest neighborhood in Minneapolis, Northside. It is also near the areas hardest hit by the tornado that ripped its way through Minneapolis on May 22nd, 2011. So, it's kind of hard to tell what the surrounding neighborhoods really looked like. Our house pulled through that disaster with a broken window, and nothing else. But that's not the point...

Everything about moving has been a disagreement between me and Moose. When to move, what to move, what to do with the rooms, etc. I'm not sure why. There are only so many options for a 2 bedroom house. I don't think I'm just trying to be contrary, but maybe I am. I feel like this is a good opportunity to make our house nice. Now, don't get me wrong, our place in SLP is nice. But it's always a mess. Piles of crap, everywhere. I am as guilty of it as Moose is, and I really don't like it. I want to get our new place set up and personalized with posters, knicknacks, etc, and put the rest of the things we want to keep in bins in the basement. We can then work on getting rid of everything else. I'm tired of being so sentimental about my belongings. I'm tired of having so much shit I never use. It's stressful. In order for me to want to stay at this house for more than one year, I need this. I need to feel settled and cozy. Maybe it stems from the fact that my mother is leaving. I won't have a home. I need a place that feels more permanent and less like a scattered mess. Or, maybe it stems from the fact that we are "adults" now. Another thing stuck in my mind is when we cleaned our current place in order to have the landlord show it. One of our friends came over and said "Hey, your place looks less messy." Which, in itself is true, but makes me feel like everyone thought it was incredibly messy before. It was. What do people think about us because of that?

This is bad. I'm hoping I don't go all "female" on Moose and be like "WE NEED THIS COLOR CURTAINS AND THIS COLOR RUG AND WE CAN PUT THESE THINGS IN THIS ROOM OR ELSE!" In some ways, I feel like Moose feels the same way, though. I think he's tired of all the bins of stuff we never use. At this place, at least they can be put in the basement and not thought of for a while. It'll make the living spaces feel less cluttered. But, we still need to get rid of things. We didn't get rid of much STUFF when we had the dumpster, only furniture.

Oh well, I need to focus on getting MOVED first. We'll have plenty of time to get things situated. Living in the chaos of unpacking is not fun. Then again, neither is moving.

And on top of all that... hopefully we don't get mugged or robbed or raped or killed. YAY MINNEAPOLIS.

Fun with Uncle Ed

Anna - "Ed, who let you have that knife?"
Ed - "That's not all I've got, baby."

Ed, leaning over Anna, speaking to her boyfriend - "She's been giving me trouble ever since she learned to say no."

5 months until Year of Music

I saw this on reddit. Made me think of my project I have only spoken of on this blog of mine that nobody reads. I don't want to be disappointed in myself, but chances are I will be. Hell, my performance at work still disappoints me, even though I've been promoted and given a raise. I have high expectations. With "Year of Music" (as I have so dubbed it), I will probably have unrealistically high expectations. I see friends and old classmates write their own music and perform it on youtube or at coffee shops. I say, I can do that. Can I? How long will my "gap" be? Will I ever come to grips with my very lacking musical prowess?

I've got 5 months until my self-imposed start date of January 1st. What can I do in that time to prepare myself? Once I move, I want to get stuff set up in my new house. Then I can start playing around with software and instruments and hopefully learn how everything works in a month or two. That puts me at October 1st. 3 months. Can I successfully write and record a few songs in 3 months? We'll see. Maybe I need to start the Year of Music on my birthday instead of January 1st. Hopefully, the next 5 months don't discourage me enough to not move forward. A delay might be necessary.

More updates to come.

Year of Music

Seeing Tally Hall in concert inspired me. I want to make music again. It's been far too long since I've participated in a recital, concert, or any organized music making of any kind. Singing in the car just doesn't cut it for me anymore. I need to make music.

I've been daydreaming about using the space in the basement of our new house. The space that is slightly dank and is practically unusable for anyone taller than me due to the retrofitted air conditioning system in the house. I need to carve out a corner of that space and make an area for recording music.

Now, this might be a lofty goal, but here goes: For a year, I want to make a song a month, each month in the style of a band of my choosing. It'll be a musical dissertation of sorts. I will choose bands/composers and study what makes their style unique, then try to copy it. Of course, I do not know how to play every instrument there is, but that's where a program like FL Studio will come into play. I've got a violin, a midi controller keyboard, an electric guitar, 2 acoustic guitars (currently at my mother's house), an electric drum set, and my vocal chords at my disposal. If this ends up becoming a lot of fun for me/actually happening, maybe I'll pick up a cheap electric bass. I've also got microphones and the box needed to hook everything up to my computer. I might be able to use my old laptop for this project. Otherwise, I may need to build a spare part machine.

I figure I'll start trying to get this set up (I should have all the equipment) after moving and learn FL studio, etc. Make 2012 the Year of Music.

Right now, the bands/genres I think I'd try to copy:
- The Beatles
- Tally Hall
- Captain Beefheart (might need to borrow Moose's clarinet)
- The Strokes
- Andrew Bird
- Deadmau5
- Lemon Demon
- Something classical, violin solo Mozart, maybe?
- Something almost purely a capella
- Nintendo/Gameboy bit tunes
- Blues or Jazz ... would need to pick someone
- RANDOM! (or something else awesome if I make it this far)

Tally Hall, Speak, Casey Shea - The Beatles "All Together Now"

I waited and waited for Tally Hall to sing Banana Man last night at their concert. They didn't. So I filmed this. Turned out alright.



After seeing Tally Hall live, I have a new appreciation for their music. I certainly like their new album a whole lot more. I didn't realize how dynamic a lot of the songs are. They go from "quiet" to "wall of sound" several times a song. Tally Hall performed "Greener" at this show, which I was never really a fan of. Live, it blew me away. I hope they tour again so that this won't be my only Tally Hall experience (and hopefully, I can see them perform Banana Man or at least Ruler of Everything...).

Tally Hall - Turn the Lights Off

Now for my favorite new Tally Hall song, Turn the Lights Off. This is wonky rock.

Tally Hall - &

Today, songs from the new album. "&" was the first song I heard from Good and Evil. I like it a lot. It captures a lot of what I liked about Tally Hall previously. I wouldn't define many of the other songs "wonky rock." Maybe they're reaching out to new audiences. Maybe they're growing up. Whatever the case, Good and Evil is very late-Beatles esque. Some of the melodies come straight out of late Beatles records. I'm too lazy to note the exacts, but if you are a Beatles fan and you've listened to Good and Evil, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Tally Hall - The Whole World & You

Such a simple little song. Such a great music video.

Tally Hall's Internet Show

The re-release of Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in 2008 was supposed to coincide with the release of Tally Hall's Internet Show. There are some gems here, and some other music videos.


http://www.hiddeninthesand.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tally_Hall%27s_Internet_Show

Tally Hall - Good Day

Tally Hall has been around since 2002. This song, "Good Day," is the first song on their Demo CD and their first official release "Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum." It won Andrew Horowitz the 2004 BMI Music Foundation's John Lennon Scholarship Award. This video was also "featured" on youtube (not that that means much any more).

Tally Hall - Banana Man

In honor of (finally) being able to see Tally Hall in concert, I'm going to be posting some of their music videos this week.

Here's the ultimate introduction to Tally Hall (and what got me hooked on them), Banana man.

Fringe Element (Short Like Me Edit) - Beni

Liked this song so much I made a Pandora station out of it.

New House

Come August 15th, Moose and I will be moving back into Minneapolis. We're renting a house! Here are the canned details about our new house!

HOUSE FOR RENT ...

2 bdr/1.5 ba, 2story with basement & detached 1 car garage well-maintained house located on a large corner lot, wood floors, tile floors in bathrooms

• Privacy fence surrounding the back yard and a gated chain fence in front yard and large dog kennel in back yard (the house is situated on 2 city lots on a corner) with big, beautiful trees
• Pets are allowed, but I have to see the pet--I don't want to upset any of my neighbors with loud animals, and they have to be clean--I want my house to stay nice (additional security deposit)
• Patio, fire pit, and landscaping in back yard
• Huge open kitchen
• Hardwood floors upstairs & downstairs
• A/C and central heat
• Large 3-season porch surrounded by windows in front of house
• Large walk-in closets
• Clean basement with washer & dryer
• Security system available (you can pay if you want to activate, otherwise already installed)
• Detached single-car garage with side door & garage door opener
• 1.5 blocks off of Theodore Wirth Parkway (Theo Wirth -- the largest park in Minneapolis)

o scenic, peaceful road
o paved bike, running, and mountain biking trails that run for miles through the woods and along the parkway
http://www.startribune.com/10130/story/1164447.html

o par 3, 18-hole golf course

Close to grocery stores, gas stations, and banks
10 min from downtown Minneapolis

sq ft approx: basement 600, 1st floor 700, 2nd floor 600 = 1900 sq ft total ... plus there is a detached garage big enough to fit suv, bikes, lawn mower in.

Blog FAIL

I've been failing at updating my blog lately. I can't think of much to write, so here's a picture of a moth on my mother's screen door.

Awesome Spam

Ever get jibberish spam? I do. This one was trying to sell antidepressants:

Subject: This troika, at least, vengeance intimidate rudely.

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And I am chaste Lucy would peel primary mortally the great by me; for a presence or two generation, gradually Martha Sharpe and I had so many secrets directly, contrivance farther made any bones of fumbling in a collar, or behind a remorse-result, on craft to hear boulevard we said.
Keiss that my inimitable matron of the sunken antipathy has been surrenderd from perceptions.: His eyes had whither the beautiful explicit, unbelievable focus. At the accommodation of another pole or two, Marianne lettering universally stronger every twelve hours, Mrs. It must lay dandified widely, for it will get ponderous in a opponent. Allude to reappeard that He may in His companion aid cheek and reveal state on specialty!

As Gods above, its unknown, and I usent to hinder it! With all the condescension of an improper iceberg he certainly locateed to pipe the long entreaty of things, but he swelld inharmonious category from arguing with would become he got the latter of result too gratis. As Elinor was convenient of seeing her in a lagoon of minutes, without taking that gadfly, shirt begged to scribble excused. And the Tatar ran off with everything miscreant-tails, and in these conditions darted in with a interest of opened oysters on man-of-anthill shells, and a howitzer between his fingers.

Sue hermit seagoing to increase this pliers, beefsteak? He realized that high road he uninjured was to reek to know about and expatiate out if rearing had irritateed exactly.

R U Ready - Drumsound and Baseline Smith

Been listening to techno at work lately. Sometimes it can help me stay focused. :p

R U Ready (Dubstep Remix) - Drumsound and Baseline Smith

It is finally Spring! (quick, sell your house)

Today is Friday May 6th. The snow piles are entirely gone from the parking lot at my work. It is going to be sunny and 70 degrees today. It is finally Spring! I was beginning to wonder (after the snow flurries we had last week) if spring was ever going to make an appearance. Better late than never, as they say.

Spring is the time for changes. The snow melts, the world blooms, the roads get repaired... This Spring brings a lot of changes for the people in my life. My boyfriend's parents have put their house on the market and have purchased a new home in Oklahoma. While his father has already moved, his mother is still around, readying the house for potential buyers and finishing out the school year. Moose is no stranger to moving. His parents moved to Minnesota 13 years (or so) ago when he was 9 years old. Before that, they lived in Michigan. And before that, they lived in California. (They lived in other places before California, but these are the moves that Moose was present for.) The move doesn't seem to bother him much. His parents keep saying "Let's not stay in another house this long!" I guess it's in their nature. Plus, they've agreed to fly us to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. So, at least we'll get to visit.

In other news, my mother intends to move as well! She also has spent the last year or so fixing up our house, which is significantly older than Moose's house. 100 years versus 15 years... hmm... Also, my family has lived in the house for 30 years. There was quite a bit of touch up to be done. Repainting, removing carpet, replacing carpet, selling personal items... All told, there are few places of the house that actually feel like my home. I don't mean to make that sound depressing, but it is true. I think my mother is happy with the progress she has made, and intends to put the house on the market on May 9th. Once it sells, she intends to move to Florida to be closer to family and friends in the area.

That brings me to my dilemma... Moose and I live in a house with NO storage space. We are suddenly going to be bombarded with several boxes of childhood belongings (THAT WE WANT TO KEEP) and have nowhere to put them. Our house is already a disaster all of the time due to lack of storage space. It's only going to get worse! Luckily, we only have 4 months left on our lease. Which means we can move into a new house or apartment with lots of storage space (hopefully). I've been looking at new places, but I haven't seen anything good yet. I've also been toying with the idea of buying a house. Sure, it would mean I'd have to empty out my 401k for a down payment... but oh well. I don't think it's in the cards, anyway. Maybe in another year or two.

If anyone needs a house in Chanhassen, MN or Duluth, MN. Hit me up! I can send you the MLS links easily.

The Strokes - Taken For A Fool

I think this is my favorite song on the new Stokes Album, Angles.

See live video below!



Sister, visit us while you still can,
Sister, don't you forget my number, on the door.
You've got something and it's so good to see,
Something wonderful that I could not be.
Everybody hanging on for their lives,
But you can't help them 'cos you don't have the time.

I know, everyone goes any damn place they like.
I hope this goes over well, on the toxic radio. Yeah.

You get taken all the time for a fool.
I don't know why.
You're so gullible but I don't mind.
That's not the problem.
And I don't need anyone with me right now.
Monday, Tuesday is my weekend.
You get taken for a fool all the time.
I don't know why.

Line 1
I can't let you do those things when it means,
It's so early I don't want to wake up.
I wish I left you 'cos we never grew up.
Mama, it feels like just yesterday.
Mama, don't you forget my number
I don't want to be the one at the door.

I know, everyone goes any damn place they choose.
And I hope everyone well on the toxic radio.
Jewish, in the ghetto, not afraid of anything.
Except that, on anything else, that could maybe hurt the most. Yeah.

You get taken all the time for a fool.
I don't know why.
You're so gullible but I don't mind.
That's not the problem.
And I don't need anyone with me right now.
Monday, Tuesday is my weekend.
You get taken all the time for a fool.
I don't know why.
You get taken all the time for a fool.
I don't know why.
I don't know why

The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness

Yes. Strokes. Again.

Cat pictures

I've been playing with my new-ish camera. So, I took pictures of my cats!

Ernest was yawning... now I have a cool picture of him looking like a pirate:


Evi is hard to get a good picture of. She almost looks like she isn't a demon in this picture:

No more ordering things online

In all my years of ordering things on the internet, I've never had an issue with packages not being delivered or being stolen. Yesterday, I did not receive a package that stated it was delivered. I'm not sure if this is a fluke or if it was stolen... but it's time to stop getting packages every week. My bank account will thank me anyway. And, perhaps my closets will too.

Lemon Demon - Toy Food

I've had this song stuck in my head all day:


Also, the youtubepoop for more added fun-time:

Oscar Painting

Almost done with my latest painting, thanks to a lovely Art-filled afternoon with my friends.

This is my sister's dog Oscar. The painting is actually bigger than he is in real life!

Beruit - Elephant Gun

Beruit keeps coming up on my Pandora playlists. The vocalist sounds a lot like Andrew Bird. I like it.



If I was young, I'd flee this town
I'd bury my dreams underground
As did I, we drink to die, we drink tonight

Far from home, elephant gun
Let's take them down one by one
We'll lay it down, it's not been found, it's not around

Let the seasons begin - it rolls right on
Let the seasons begin - take the big game down

Let the seasons begin - it rolls right on
Let the seasons begin - take the big game down

And it rips through the silence of our camp at night
And it rips through the night

And it rips through the silence of our camp at night
And it rips through the silence, all that is left is all that I hide

TV On The Radio - Golden Age

In honor of me buying tickets to see them in April:




BONUS:

Bag of Crap Update

2.8lbs.

Estimated arrival: 2/15/11

Under Cover of Darkness - The Strokes

NEW STROKES ALBUM! MARCH 22ND!

They've released the first song, and you can download it here.

No video yet, but here's the song on youtube:



PLAY ON REPEAT FOREVER.

Grizzly Bear - Central & Remote

Reminds me of Elliot Smith crossed with Andrew Bird (crossed with Grizzly Bear, of course). The video is very artsy and unique.



In the wind, in the yoke, my ride will go
Central, remote, any further and I'll know
Pressing matters bear
Through trials and time, I keep my feet right in line for flight so we never recognize
Pressing matters bear, anable wear and tear on you, tear on you
Remind me
Tear on you, wear on you

WOOT

Your order for 1 Bag of Crap on 01/25/2011 has been recently shipped via SMARTPOST.

WOOT!

Cee-Lo Green - Glockapelia

I now see why my dad liked Cee-Lo before Gnarles Barkley. Thanks, Pandora.

Woot Shirt Quilt

I have decided the fate of my numerous unused woot shirts. I'm going to make a quilt. I'll probably try to follow this guide.

I've gotten rid of, given away, or lost several over the years. But I think I might still have enough to do it. Depends on how much other area I use. See list of my purchased woot shirts here.

We'll see when I have the chance to start on it. If I get access to a sewing machine, it shouldn't take too long.

Abraham Lincoln Religion Quote

Saw this on quotes of the day. Love it.

When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion.
        Abraham Lincoln, (attributed)
        16th president of US (1809 - 1865)

Link

The Fiery Furnaces - Birdie Brain

The Fiery Furnaces are one of those bands my dad introduced me to. They are a band he discovered on his never-ending quest to find something similar to Captain Beefheart in uniqueness and oddity. I love the way their voices blend together.



I hate the steam train that whistles woozy my bird brain
That sends my spaniel insane

And I'll stop riding sidesaddle if they don't stop the clickity clattle
I'll jump in the undertow penguin paddle and drown in my wedding gown

I've been told the Bronx River stream on moonlit nights is meant
To seem like the Rhone in a glacier icy dream but then in a poof t's sulfur steam

I hate the aeroplane that nearly misses my birdie brain
That terrifies my terrier insane

And I'll stop riding sidesaddle if they don't stop the clickity clattle
I'll jump in the undertow penguin paddle and drown in my wedding gown

I was drinking by the Des Plaines River when the naught of night
Served for making me shiver and me the squirrels would hold hands
And quiver cause that damnable diesel never fails to deliver

I hate the livery cars that have my bird brain seeing stars
That drive my Doberman to drink in bars

And I'll stop riding side saddle if they don't stop the clickity clattle
I'll jump in the undertow penguin paddle and drown in my wedding gown

I hate the steam train that whistles woozy my bird brain
That sends my spaniel insane

And I'll stop riding side saddle if they don't stop the clickity clattle
I'll jump in the undertow penguin paddle and drown in my dressing gown

Good morning, Minnesota

IT IS SO COLD.

Ohm

From Reddit:

I Am The Walrus - Pert Near Sandstone featuring Ryan Young

I can't seem to embed the player here, so I'll post a link to this amazing song instead! MN Beatle Project volume 2 has a great cover of I Am The Walrus.

MN Beatle Project via MPR/The Current

New Year's Resolutions

Brain dump for New Year's Resolutions.

Now, I'm not usually the type to make resolutions, but I feel that setting some goals for myself will be advantageous. They're not going to be big and hopefully they'll be obtainable.

1. Exercise at least 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes. I need to start exercising more. I've intended to start exercising in the morning before work for several months now. I just can't seem to pull myself out of bed early enough. Hopefully I can find time 3 days a week.

2. Eat healthier. More vegetables, less sweets/pop. With my stomach problems over the past 2 years, I've tended to eat lots of sweets. "This ice cream will make my stomach feel better" is a bad approach to food consumption. Also, with full time employment, I haven't always found the time to eat healthy meals.

3. Find more hobbies. I feel stuck in a rut. I always talk about all of the hobbies I have had in the past. Over the last few years, I haven't made time for any hobbies. I'd like to start painting again, maybe go skiing a few times this winter, and look into joining some sort of musical ensemble or at least try to make music on my own.

4. Learn new things outside of work. Now that I am no longer a student, I don't have new knowledge poured into me constantly. I need to start seeking this in places other than my job. Perhaps picking up interesting books from the library or store every month would be a reasonable goal. These would be topics related to my job or my hobbies.

5. Empty my closets. I have too much crap. Time to get rid of the things I never use. This includes clothes, video games, computer parts, and hobby gear.

6. Make time to do things with my family. Now that I'm not living with my family, I need to make time to do things with them. Especially with my mother moving soon, I need to make sure I spend as much time with her as I can when she is only 2 hours away instead of several. Also, my sister is done with school now and I'm not sure how long she'll be in Minneapolis/Minnesota. They're all I have left. I need to make sure they are a part of my life.

7. Complain less. I find myself complaining a lot, and it bugs me. I'm sure it also bugs the people around me. This includes "I'm hungry," "My *insert body part here* hurts," "Oh yeah? Well I have it worse than you...," and "I'm tired."