i saw the meat puppets play a free show at permanent records this afternoon, and it was fabulously sloppy. i think maybe the drummer couldn’t hear the guitars very well because there was a lot of intra-band head nodding and laughing… still great, though. that video above is a song called “comin’ down” from the album too high to die, which is one of the first albums i ever bought. i believe i was twelve years old at the time, and they are still one of my favorite bands.

here’s a question… if bands are mostly using myspace to promote their music, and people are mostly using facebook for social networking, how can bands connect with everyone who wants to know what’s going on? i think we all know that the facebook music pages kind of suck, so what is the solution? please tell me because i would like to know.

this weekend: camera obscura play on friday. the meat puppets play a free in-store on sunday followed by a cheap, outdoor menomena show.

our flight from new york to chicago was delayed a few hours on our way home from the popfest. there was another flight that was supposed to be earlier than ours that was also delayed.  so, we walked to the gate and stood in line behind a group of unhappy business people who were complaining about the delays and discussing different classes of tickets in terms of who would get the first seats on the earlier plane. the woman behind the counter told them they may be able to get a seat on the earlier flight but would have to wait for a while at the gate to find out. we walked to the counter and asked nicely if there was room on the earlier flight since both were delayed. she didn’t say much and then handed us two boarding passes with the words “don’t say nothin’.” awesome. i guess it helps to be nice.

i wonder if airport employees like to make things hard for obnoxious business people. i had never thought about it before, but it makes sense.

look at all the greenery… we are moving here when our current lease is over. fantastic.

kate’s shop.

it’s almost time to go to the beach. we will be brave and ride our bikes there soon. it takes bravery when you are unaccustomed to riding through a large city.

a long weekend begins in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

i guess i’m the last person to hear about the this american life radio show, but i’ve really been enjoying it lately. here are some of my favorites so far.
the friendly man
mistakes were made
the ghost of bobby dunbar
the super

i’ve been reading some books by iris murdoch lately, thanks largely to my girl randomly buying one at the thrift store. my favorites so far are the bell and the black prince. i would recommend reading these as soon as possible - you won’t be sorry.

listening to douglas heart this morning. malin has such a nice voice.

so, i go to the post office pretty often; about once a week. i was walking to visit my gal at work the other day, and i noticed this box with what appeared to be a homemade sign. i wonder why they would remove the box… if anyone has the answer, i would like to know.

do you ever have trouble finding a mailbox when you need one? every time i’m in another city (or even this city) and can’t seem to find one, i always think of the piebald song called “sex sells and (unfortunately) i’m buying” that goes: “it’s just like liquor stores, mailboxes and payphones / whenever you need them, they are impossible to find.”

i hope you don’t have trouble finding a mailbox today.

the nyc popfest shows were fantastic! we saw some great bands (including cats on fire, in the video above that we shot that night) as well as a few friends who we only ever get to see on occasions such as this. also spent some time eating ice cream and delicious meals, walking through central park, stopping by a friend’s art opening, watching a group of pugs fall all over each other in the small dog park, and riding the late-night trains. overall, a very nice time indeed.