Letters

Dear Readers,
I've written a short (~1300 words) story that I'm considering submitting for publication.  It's a bit of dark fiction called "Black Sand."  That said, if anyone has a few extra minutes on their hands and would like to do some editing/criticizing of my work, I'd gladly take you up on your offer.  Let me know and I'll send you the doc for your perusal and/or red pens.  My big worry is that it utilizes a common trope I've came across in a few different stories, but nevertheless, this was how I envisioned the work from the get-go.  Some more eyes on it wouldn't be unappreciated...

Dear Music Lovers,
I've harped adoration and love for the Milk Carton Kids for several weeks now, and it thrills me to finally have some new music to listen to.  Both of their albums are available for FREE on their website (here), or you can purchase them on itunes if you like.  Truly if you appreciate excellent harmonies and "simple" music, then there's really no reason why you wouldn't like the MCKs.  Heck, since the albums are free, there's really no reason why you shouldn't try them out.  I prefer Retrospect to Prologue, but to each his own.

Dear Amazon,
I just bought a Kindle from you and I am ready for it to arrive at Stewartland.  I debated long and hard before I decided to purchase your ubiquitous device, because I am such a lover of a traditional book's feel.  Nevertheless, when I received a large gift card to use on your site I decided to get an e-reader, since the price was drastically reduced.  And now, even though you're not yet in my possession, I'm giddy with the possibilities.  I didn't know that I could check out e-books from the library until I started researching the Kindle.  (Sure, the Kindle isn't technically supported yet, but it will be soon enough.)

Dear Health Insurance Company and Hospital Billing,
Could you please get on the same page?  It's rather frustrating when you mess up an insurance claim filed months ago, which in turn affects every claim filed after it, and you've still not got it corrected.  I don't mind, truly, but it's just aggravating explaining it to people that want their bills paid.  Thanks!

Dear Monday Night Tennis,
I had a blast Monday night.  The match I played in was probably the most fun I've had in tennis is a long time.  Despite their age (I know one guy was 67 and another 69), they were loads better than many younger players on the courts that night.  Indeed, playing with folks much more skilled than I is humbling, but I yearn for this, because that is the best way to improve my game.  I hope the rest of the summer league proves as much fun as Monday did.

Dear Project,
When our relationship began I was but a fledgling engineer fresh out of academia.  You were intimidating at first.  Baffling, even.  So I approached you hesitantly, like a young lover does his beloved.  I worked on you, polishing you, converting you, making you presentable.  And then I sent you off and the Commonwealth of Kentucky decided that they wanted to do things differently and so I returned to you.  Intimidation wore down, and now all I feel for you is loathing and boredom.  I long to be rid of you and onto brighter pastures, but I know that deep down, finishing you puts me without an imminent project to work on and I'll have to resume reading through Illinois Highway Drainage Design Manuals, for I have another young love blossoming over in the Land of Lincoln that will require my unwavering devotion for a time.  But I am not through with you yet, sweet, wretched Project.  Soon, yes, but not today.

Dear Garden,
You started o so prosperously, but this lack of rain has ruined you, I fear.  The jalapenos and bells are doing great, but that's it, unless I count the weeds that have overtaken the onions.  The green tomatoes have yet to turn red, and the squash is small and fickle.  The herbs are managing, but I nourish them more than I do you, though it isn't your fault.  I don't blame you that it's been so hot these last few weeks and that there's been little rain.  Don't go thinking that.  It's my fault that I don't treat you like you deserve, but let's face it.  You're castes below my family.  Sorry.

Dear Unnamed Independent Author,
I appreciate you contacting me to review your book, even though I declined it.  Still, it gave my heart a great and heavy chuckle to see the letter addressed to Claudio, though I confess, it somewhat worries me, too.  Thanks for the effort, though.  (Note: Read the "Contact" tab to understand why this is funny.)

Sincerely all,
logankstewart

Music and Sand

Today I spent a few hours with the toddlers, but since there were a couple extra teachers, I spent most of the time in the classroom cleaning and taking care of other things while the kids were either napping or outside. Towards the end of the day when there were only two kids left, one of the girls decided she wanted to play the drum. It’s a medium sized drum with two sticks. We both took one. Her drumming was loud of course so I showed her that she could drum quietly as well which didn’t last long. She kept trying to put the sticks back into holders on the drum, but she couldn’t quite push them in. I’d get them started for her, but then she realized it worked better if she pushed them in with her foot. We also tested what the sticks sounded like when moved across the drum and on three different balls. After a while she pushed them away and went back to loud drumming with both sticks. One of the supervisors came in and told her that she loved her music. They had one of those stability balls in the room so she loved bouncing on that too. She thought it was fun to fall off. This girl usually gets into trouble almost every day, but today she was doing great. She didn’t get in trouble at all and on the playground, she skipped around telling everyone how happy she was.

I stopped by the infant room to see if the teacher in there needed help. Crawling Baby came over to the gate and started to whine at me so I picked him up and talked to him for a few minutes. When I went to put him down, he started to cry so I tried to get him to play with a couple toys, but then the teacher suggested I take him to the sand box. He was happy out there. He liked watching me shovel sand into a bucket. I’d do it in different ways. Sometimes, I’d slowly let the sand fall into the bucket or quickly dump it in which he thought was funny. I started to dump the bucket because I thought he’d enjoy seeing the big pile of sand, but he didn’t want me to. He wanted me to keep shoveling and patting. I started to tell him about the texture of the sand when he spotted his mom on the preschool playground. I held his hands and we walked over to her. She told me how much Crawling Baby loves the sand box, but I think he was glad to be going home.

Joe Purdy Concert (The Mercy Lounge 6/8/11)

A few simple precedents to save myself from repetition.  One, and most importantly, Joe Purdy is my absolute favorite artist to listen to for pretty much every thing.  He's a powerful singer-songwriter with catchy refrains, honest lyrics, and wonderful sounds.  Two, I've seen Joe in concert once before (see this blog), and I had the bar set impossibly high.  And three, if you're not listening to Joe's music and wanna try it out, check his website where all 12 of his albums are available for free streaming.

Venue:  The Mercy Lounge, Nashville

Status:  Little air flow, but roomy-yet-intimate bar

Opening Band:  Milk Carton Kids

Main Act:  Joe Purdy

Time:  9:00pm?

The question mark that rests above in the Time spot is because my tickets said 8pm EST, even though Nashville is in CST, but Joe's website said 9pm CST.  This was a large difference, and I wanted to make sure we got there early, so we left home about 3pm yesterday.  We made it to Nashville, parked and ate (at Demos', which was quite tasty), and then decided to walk the relatively short mile to the Mercy Lounge.  Apparently, the Country Music Awards were going on last night, and the city was packed.  Still, we made the walk in muggy, high temperatures, getting further out of town, and eventually down seedy streets that may possibly have been dotted with strip clubs.  The mile trip took about half an hour, through the crowd and winding roads.  Egads.

But then we were there, and the mostly empty parking lot of the Mercy Lounge laughed at us, mocking our long walk and emptied pocket money.  Had we known, we literally could've parked at the back door for free...  Anyway, we headed inside to pick up the tickets, but there was no one there.  Joe's music was playing, we followed it and just so happened to stumble in on the sound test.  Joe & the gang were onstage singing and playing and the sound guys were getting stuff ready and that was it.  Doors didn't open* for another hour (8pm CST), so we had to go out and wait on the steps.  Later on, Joe walked out, said what's up, and hopped in his vehicle and left.  Somewhat surreal, I think.


From personal experience, I rarely enjoy an opening band whenever I go to a concert.  There's typically something odd or off-setting.  Yet, honestly, I was almost as excited to see the Milk Carton Kids open for Joe Purdy as I was to actually see Joe.  I'd never heard of the duo--Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan--until a few months ago, when I purchased the tickets for the show.  I scoured the webs and found their website, where they had a free album to download.  I did (and I boldly recommend you do so, too), and I fell in love.

The Milk Carton Kids took stage with grace, Joey introducing the band and saying they were going to play their most depressing songs from their tiny catalog.  Instead, they played their familiar-to-me songs with smiles on their faces and joy pouring from their bodies, even if the lyrics were forlorn.  But what artist doesn't pine for love?  Or hate?  Regardless, the two were brilliant, establishing a mood for the venue, starting with using acoustic guitars that were stationed in front of microphones and foregoing traditional plug-ins.  (In fact, the only instruments that were plugged in appeared to be a bass, an electric guitar, and an organ, all of which were used for the Purdy portion of the show.)  They sang to a divided crowd, many interested and listening, and many talking and chattering through the background.

This was obviously frustrating for the two, and at one point they asked the crowd to quieten down so they could play the next song with a proper feel to it.  It worked, but only slightly.  Still, the noise didn't deter me from listening enraptured by the prodigious playing of Pattengale and the smooth voice of Ryan.  The two were on fire, and they finished by asking if anyone actually knew any of their songs and had any requests.  Apparently I was one of a handful, and I yelled out "Queen Jane," to which the band played "for the one guy that asked for it."  Hey, that's pretty cool you ask me.

And then there was a short break before Joe took stage.  He played a few songs solo and then beckoned the Milk Carton Kids onstage to play with him.  They jammed and sang for the next hour, largely playing selections from Joe's latest album, This American.  The raw energy between the three was palpable.  They were stomping and laughing and generally just having a good time.  Perhaps it was because this was the first stop on the second leg of his tour and they'd all had some rest over the past week or two, but the three didn't slow down one bit.  Sweaty and sticky, their fingers moved up and down guitar necks or across piano keys.  I really liked the slowed down version of "Can't Get It Right Today."

The three played like a band that's been playing together for years, not just three months.  Unlike the last show I saw Joe play, where it was all solo, this was an altogether different experience.  Songs were filled out and fleshed.  Many had an almost newgrass feel, hammer-ons quick enough to make any guitarist in the room jealous.  Synergy was the word that came to mind last night.

By 11:20, the crowd had thinned out a bit, and the band played their last.  Pattengale had broken a string on his guitar, and then broke one on the mandolin.  The three bowed and headed off-stage for five or six seconds (a "formality," Joe said), and then Joe returned for the encore.  He opened up the floor, asking for any requests.  The crowd exploded, and Joe randomly picked a few.  Some he hadn't played in a long time, and one ("Secret") he stopped at the end and asked the crowd if there was more.  "Seems like there's another chorus or verse or something," he said, and then he fingered through the keys and re-sang the first verse.  He finished "Secret," picked up his guitar and someone asked for "You Can Tell Georgia" (one of my favorites) and he complied, putting down the guitar and returning to the piano.  This went on, open requests, for almost an hour.  Some songs Joe struggled to recall (forgivable with a catalog spanning over 100 songs in so few years), but he pulled them all off admirably.

The encore was something special.  He played so many requests it was unbelievable.  Not only was he entertaining us, but he was having fun himself, and that's always a plus when seeing live performance.  Finally, around 12:15am, the Milk Carton Kids had returned and the three finished off the night with as much energy as they had started with.  The set was over, three hours gone, but definitely not forgotten.  We walked the long stretch back to the car and made the long, boring drive home.  I got to bed just after 3am, late enough that my eyes burned, early enough that I could've stayed up and just went on in to work soon after.

All in all, the night was phenomenal.  It very likely places among the top of my favorite concerts, and I've been to a lot of concerts**.  Supporting independent artists is always good, and Joe Purdy is one of the best out there.  He's truly independent, shunning record companies to make and produce his own stuff, and that's something I for one appreciate.  He doesn't do it for the money, but for the fact that there are songs inside that just have to get out.  I believe the Milk Carton Kids are in the same vein.  As I mentioned above, if you've never heard either, follow the links and give the bands a shot.  I'd recommend starting Purdy's catalog with You Can Tell Georgia or Paris in the Morning or This American.  All the others are great, but these are just plain awesome.  For the Kids, I particularly like the song "Charlie," a poignant and resonating song about a father's love for his currently unborn daughter.  I also like "Queen Jane," "Permanent," "Broken Headlights," and "Like a Cloak."  And you have no excuse for them.  Their album is free!  So get out there and listen to some new music and hopefully find something you like.

---------------------------

*The irony here is obvious.  Or perhaps I mean coincidence.  Or oxymoron.  I'm too tired to think it through.

**Perhaps I'll make this into a list and put up here...

Nine Things

I'm really not feeling one of the books I'm currently reading.  There are simply too many characters and unfamiliar words to take in, thrown at you all at once.  Typically I'm okay with this, but this is just too frantic and too different for me to take in right now.  I think I'm gonna take a break from it and read something else for a bit first and then try again.

Similarly, I had someone recommend a book to me, and I devoured its 120 pages in record time.  I'm now re-reading it, this time aloud to Keisha.  I've scribbled and highlighted and noted so many different things.  Expect a review next week.  Honestly, though, it's a life-changing philosophy that has made me rethink a lot of my outlook on things.  Amazing.

I've finally got around to uploading my song I did for the Good Friday service, a cover of Leeland's "Carried to the Table."  I'm rather proud of it.

I'm also rather proud of the flash fiction piece that I'm putting up tomorrow.  It's called "The Hollis Idaho Incident."  The idea just hit me, and I banged it out in a handful of minutes.  It's easy to see the inspiration behind it, but still, I think it's a fun little piece, and I hope you (read it) enjoy it.

Oho, tomorrow, tomorrow, I've got an "informal" meeting.  Not sure what we're discussing, but we're driving 2 hours for a 2 hour meeting.  These things used to make me all nervy, but after the life-changing philosophy and a hefty dose of meh, I'm ready for it.

Yeah, that was me playing Fallout New Vegas yesterday.  I was off, it was 90 degrees, and I didn't much feel like doing anything.  I think that's the first time I've had the game on in over a month.  I've still not beat it.  Too many side quests.  Nevertheless, a few hours in the Mojave Wastes made for a fun afternoon.

Off topic, but in seriousness, I'd appreciate any prayers for Keisha.  She's had chest pain off-and-on for a few years now, but the pregnancy has made it more acute.  She had a heart test done, which came back with inconclusive results, and they scheduled another type of test.  This one came back with the announcement that she has a "moderate sized hole" in her septum.  It's called a PFO (Patent foramen ovale), which is a rather common heart defect, and generally is treatable with a heart catheter or surgery.  Of course, her being pregnant tends to complicate the things, and she's been stressed, so, yeah.  You know.  And thanks.

Oh yeah, and you know what else?  A Blog of Note the other day took me to a place called Grilled Cheese Social.  This blogger apparently makes mean, awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, and she takes nice pictures of them, too.  Check it out for a long list of many delicious looking recipes guaranteed to make you salivate.

Okay then.

Fleeting Hymn #2b

I'm having *difficulties* writing the review to the life-changing book I mentioned last week.  I suppose that's to be expected.  The draft, so far, is looong, which qualifies it as a Review+ instead of a typical review.  But, if I keep going, it may reach Review++ status, which would be a first.

Keisha met with the cardiologist Tuesday.  I wish all doctors were as great as this guy was.  He obviously read and was familiar with Keisha's file before he entered the room, and his care and assurance were obvious.  Thankfully, and praise God, I might add, he sees no cause for immediate concern, and says that she can continue on with the labor plans as normal (instead of an induction and C-section).  She does have high BP, which is a somewhat common concern many pregnant women face, but other than that, the cardiologist sees nothing as bad as Keisha feared.

I'm almost a hundred pages into Scalzi's Old Man's War, which showed up at my house in an unmarked padded envelope one evening with the post.  Through careful deduction and innocent skullduggery, I tracked down who sent it to me.  It's a reader of this blog.  So thanks for that gift, and I'm really enjoying it so far. 

(As a side, it's amazing how generous bloggers and blog-readers are.  Humanity, it seems, hasn't hit the crapper yet.  Sure, there are jerks out there, and we're all idiots, but as far as I can tell, the readers of Rememorandom are some of the finest out there.)

There once was a band that had a single on a Paste sampler I once owned.  This song always brought a smile to my ears (?) whenever it entered the straits of my iPod.  And then, later, there was another free single from the band, which again was marvelous.  But that was as far as I got with them.  Until recently.  For you see, I was perusing the cd shelves in the library when, by crazy random happenstance, I saw their eponymous album.  I checked it out and have nearly swooned with tweenage giddiness at their delightful harmonies and exotic sounds.  I am talking about Dr. Funke's 100 Percent Natural Good Time Family Band Solution Fleet Foxes.  Oh my.  Fleet Foxes' Fleet Foxes is an amazing album.  Wow.  Now I need to wait for Amazon to put it on their $5 mp3 albums and get it.  Listen to this all the way to the end.  How awesome is that?

I miss Arrested Development...  Sure, Modern Family is pretty funny, but there's nothing out there that compares to the humor AD had.  Not even How I Met Your Mother, which, let's face it, is losing steam.  Uh, what?

I'm rambling.  Must be time to end this sucker.  Maybe a review tomorrow, I dunno.  Probably no flash-fic, unless I get a chance to edit some.  We'll see.  Okay then.

The Decemberists Concert Write Up

I tend to set high my expectations unbelievably high whenever it comes to going to a concert, especially when the band is one I really like.  The Decemberists are such a band.  And, as it turns out, I had my expectations a bit too high for the concert I went to Tuesday night.  But, alas, not all was lost.

Venue:  Iroquois Park Amphitheater, Louisville, KY

Status:  Ominous foreboding, heavy rainclouds, cyclonic winds

Opening Act:  Justin Townes Earle

Main Act:  The Decemberists (with Sara Watkins)

Time:  8:00, 04/26/2011

Dustin and I hit the road at a little after 4pm.  'Twas a 2 hour journey, through a time zone, and we had plenty of time.  We left Owensboro, tornado warning sirens blaring, ahead of the storms.  We foolishly dared to hope that the weatherfolk were wrong and the 80% chance of severe storms for Louisville was a lie.  Fortunately, we made it to the amphitheater without running into any serious weather.  We found a parking spot, grabbed our ponchos, and headed to grab seats.

I was interested to hear Justin Townes Earle, if only because I love his father's music.  Steve Earle is such an iconic folk-rocker, and I've been a fan of the man for a good while now.  Justin, it seems, inherited his dad's voice, singing in a wonderfully broken-but-smooth way.  His guitar style was cool to watch (from a musician's perspective), and his accompanying fiddler harmonized with the acoustic quite nicely.  All in all, Earle played for about 45 minutes, and the set was good.  Plus, it still hadn't rained.

At 9pm-ish the Decemberists took the stage, opening with "Apology Song," a humorous song that frontman Colin Meloy wrote for his friend after his bike was stolen while under Meloy's care.  The band sounded exactly like listening to an album, crisp and clear.  Meloy made a few remarks about the weather and the threat of tornadoes, alluding to a mysterious safety bunker beneath the stage for the band.

For the next hour and a half the band played, hitting nearly every selection off of their newest album The King is Dead, but also playing many songs from their vast catalog.  However, this is where I felt a bit slighted.  For some reason, the group didn't play anything from their brilliant Crane Wife album, which happens to be my favorite.  Unfortunately, that means they didn't play "Shankill Butchers," "O Valencia," or any of the three-parted "Crane Wife."

Still, despite none of my favorite album being played, there were two stand out performances.  The first was the devilishly fun "Rake's Song."  If you know anything about me and my tastes in music or dark fiction, it's obvious why I like this song so much.  I mean, the guy killed-- no, just listen.  Watch.  This is similar to how the band played Tuesday.

Don't the red lights paint the wicked deeds for what they are?  Spooky, eh?  Keisha doesn't like the song...

The best song was undoubtedly the encored "Mariner's Revenge Song."  This is perhaps the most popular song of the band, and I've waxed on about it before here on Rememorandom.  The song's long, but the tale is beautiful.  Before the band agreed to play it, though, they required the audience to scream as if we were being eaten by a giant whale.  After a few practices, Meloy was ready, and the familiar chords began.  The audience ebbed and swayed, the band shook and fell.  All of this was quite fitting to the lightning and stormclouds overhead.  Mercifully, no actual rain fell, only a few drops.

And the band exited stage.  A few moments later, they reappeared for a second encore, finishing off the night with "June Hymn."  Fittingly, the rain opened up during the final song, and we ended the night with a walk through the rain to the car.  We drove home through fierce gales, white squalls, and tossing waves.  I followed the eerie red lights of the lone semi in front of me through the storms for much of the way.

Eventually, we hit the port of Owensboro, and bed was soon bested.  Did I enjoy the concert?  Absolutely.  But, I like it when a band interacts more with the crowd, tells stories, rambles and has fun.  When Meloy was doing these things, it seemed like the Decemberists were enjoying themselves.  Most of the time, though, it seemed like they were just routinely playing their songs to their fans, keeping things relatively sane and simple.

As I said, I had my expectations high, and it seems like they were a bit too up-there.  That's not to say it wasn't fun--because I had a blast--but it could've been much more.  Oh well.  So it goes.

Stewart Little - More Pictures

Keisha had another doctor appointment Monday with her new doc.  This doctor wanted to do some new ultrasounds, and here are the results.

Isn't the 3d imagery awesome?  I'm curious to see how much our daughter will look like these pictures.

Another baby class tonight, safety and general "How to Hold a Baby and Not Drop One." This is the most important class for me, as I currently am only quasi-comfortable holding a little one. I always feel like they're so fragile and I have to be super super super careful.  Apparently babies are more resilient than I give them credit for, but still, this'll be a helpful class.


Immediately following this I have to rush to dress rehearsal for the Good Friday service tomorrow.  I'm surprisingly not too nervous, despite the fact that I'm going to be playing and singing a solo to a crowd that could potentially reach 50,000.  Literally.  I'm singing Leeland's "Carried to the Table," if you're interested.  And then I'm playing mandolin in one song, just me and a guitar and some singers.  I've practiced and practiced, and I'm just hoping my fingers remember where to go.

Ultimately, I suppose I don't care.  I'm not doing it to sound good or to be noticed.  I'm doing it to worship and to get others to worship, too.  I can't wait to see what comes of the Good Friday Service.

Part 2 of "The Doom of the Salt People" tomorrow. 

The Temptation of Adam

I've been a Josh Ritter fan for a while now.  The guy may possibly be the best songwriter alive today.  In particular, I've been playing over and over "The Temptation of Adam."  Going superlative again, it may be one of the best love songs out there, albeit cryptic and apocalyptic.  Not too many songs out there like this one.

If there's only one song you're going to listen to today, let it be Josh Ritter's "Temptation of Adam."  If you like it, check out the rest of his stuff.  Phenomenal. Makes me think of Fallout 3 for some reason.

Oh, and then there's his ubiquitous "Girl in the War," the song that first got me interested in Mr. Ritter.

Josh is one of the greatest folk artists out there now, and I just had to share what's been in my head for a good, long time.  If it sounds like I'm gushing, I may be, but if I could play, write, and sing like Josh Ritter, I wouldn't complain.  If you've never heard of Josh Ritter, check out his stuff!

First Impressions: The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, and Dead Space 2

The King is Dead

 The Decemberists have been one of my favorite bands since I discovered them a year or two ago.  I love practically every song in their catalog.  The King is Dead was getting mad reviews before the album came out a week ago, and now after listening to the thing several times, I know why.  The opening song "Don't Carry it All" sets the pace & tone for the rest of the album.  Fun, light-hearted, and very Americana in sound, the entire King is Dead is a showcase of American roots prog-folky songs.

This album features Gillian Welch singing alongside Colin Meloy's lead vocals, and their combination is nothing but wonderful.  Evidenced by the first single, "Down by the Water," this album is different from the typical Decemberists sound.  The band returned to a mostly stripped-down set of songs, forsaking their typical lengthy ballads for something tight and solid.  This album is a great mix of musical genres, sounding like a cross between sea shanties, highlands folk, Celtic diddies, classic country music, and REM.  While this isn't my favorite album in the Decemberists catalog, it's excellent, and I think any fans of the band would like the songs here.

Kiss Each Other Clean

 It's no secret that I love Iron & Wine.  When I saw them in concert back in November, they sampled a few of their new songs that would be appearing on their new album Kiss Each Other Clean.  This album was released this week, and I've listened to it a few times since Tuesday.  It's starkly different from any previous album I&W has released, but this time, different makes for a very fun and funky departure.  The first single, "Walking Far From Home," is a beautiful song reminiscent of "Trapeze Swinger," but more upbeat and catchy.  In fact, most of this album is catchy, mixing pop sounds with the familiar acoustic-folky songs I&W is known for.  Sam Beam's lyrics are still as strong as ever.  Another song that I really like on this is "Your Fake Name is Good Enough for Me," a seven minute diptych that starts off slow but explodes into something that sounds straight from a 1970s anthem. 

Part of the fun for this album is that it is so different from anything Iron & Wine has released.  Traditionally I think of soft acoustic stuff, occasional banjos and electrics, and quiet lyrics.  With Kiss Each Other Clean, Beam has dove into heavy synth sounds, weird funky noises, and a much more upbeat experience.  If you're an Iron & Wine fan, definitely check this out.

Dead Space 2

Uh, I died within ten seconds of starting my game.  My post yesterday about wearing a straightjacket and hallucinating practically mirror how this game begins.  Isaac Clarke wakes up three years after the events of Dead Space to practically be thrown into the same types of situations.  Gameplay doesn't change much at all from the first, but dang it if it's not ten times as terrifying and twenty times more beautiful.

Dark corridors.  Lurking necromorphs.  Breaking glass and muffled screams.  And a protagonist that's suffering from dementia.  It's crazy how a game about survival and terror can make the heart pump and make you feel alive.  So far I've only put an hour or so into the game but it's been intense and I've jumped once or twice.  In short, any fan of Dead Space will probably like this, in addition to anyone that enjoys survival horror games (which I don't).  For me, it's the perfect mixture of sci-fi and zombie-alien-religious story arcs that make Dead Space such a success.

The 5 best Christmas albums to play this season

Need an easy playlist for your Christmas celebrations? Pick up a few of these classic and contemporary Christmas albums and you've got an easy mix of tunes perfect for parties.

1. Bing Crosby's White Christmas
   Start things off with a true classic when you purchase Bing Crosby's White Christmas album (for only $3.99 on Amazon, you can't go wrong). The disc is full of classics like "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Silent Night", and the title track "White Christmas", you'll have just over a dozen songs to get you in the holiday spirit.
   
   
2. Barenaked Ladies' Barenaked for the Holidays
   Aside from the snooze-worthy version of "Jingle Bells" that kicks off this disc, the Barenaked Ladies' holiday album is a must-have. A mix of both quirky and sentimental Christmas, Hanukkah, and winter songs make up this wonderful collection. The disc also features guest appearances by Sarah McLachlan and Michael Buble. ("God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" featuring Sarah McLachlan is especially beautiful.)
   
   
3. Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve and Other Stories
   What did we do before the Trans-Siberian Orchestra came around? Christmas Eve and Other Stories showcases 17 Trans-Siberian Orchestra songs and includes fan-favorite "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24", (often mistakenly called "Carol of the Bells") which is an instrumental medley of "Carol of the Bells" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".
   
   
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Sound Track Recording Of The CBS Television Special
   If you can get your hands on a copy of the original soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas, you are very lucky indeed! The original has the music just as we remember it (without the bells and whistles added to more recent releases). Playing this disc at a Christmas party is sure to invoke nostalgic memories of the season.
   
   
5. The original A Very Special Christmas CD
   Though there are now half a dozen A Very Special Christmas compilations circulating, the original is the best, featuring Christmas songs sung by '80s superstars. From Run D.M.C.'s wonderfully cheesy Christmas in Hollis to U2's rocking Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and Alison Moyet's hauntingly beautiful The Coventry Carol, the album features contemporary hits and proceeds from the sale of the album benefit Special Olympics.

Tune in to one of these albums for a very special Christmas of your own!

FREE New Joe Purdy Album "This American" Available Now

Completely unexpected but infinitely grateful to Joe, I'm pleased to let everyone know that Joe Purdy has a new album available right now as a FREE download.  The album, This American, is a fifteen track piece of undeniable beauty.  Joe has never disappointed me with his music, and This American is  to par with the rest of his stuff.

If you're interested in getting the FREE download, go here to joepurdy.com and do so.  While there, you can listen to his other eleven albums in their entirety for free as well.

This is the perfect opportunity to try out Joe Purdy, my favorite singer/songwriter in the business.  This American will be free for the month of December, so hurry on over and get yours today!

---

I got to see Joe in concert last year in Nashville, and I'd love to do so again if he ever comes remotely close.  Of course, remotely close to Western Kentucky is a 3-4 hr. drive.

On an unrelated note, you may notice that my blog has a slightly different appearance.  There'll be a special post about this next week. 

Happy Weekend for all who read this!

Gift guide: 10 great gifts for the party planners on your list

Have a hostess-with-the-mostest on your Christmas shopping list this year? Check out some of the 15-Minute Party Planner's gift giving suggestions for the entertainers on your list.

This Gift Tower of Sweetsis the perfect Christmas gift for any hostess. The pre-wrapped chocolate-covered cherries, salted pistachios, and gourmet pretzels come in beautiful boxes, saving the recipient from having to find serving dishes. At an affordable $21.95, this tower of sweet treats won't break your budget.


Multipurpose serving dishes like this chip and dip tray(with a dip insert that can be heated or chilled depending on what you're serving) are great for parties because the pieces stay together. There will be no more last-minute scrambling for something to hold both chips and dip with this cute tray for less than $25.


Chocolate lovers, rejoice! This basket of the best from Ghirardelli Chocolate Companypacks an assortment of Ghirardelli chocolates including various sizes of Luxe bars, Masterpiece truffles, and candy bars. The basket clocks in at $35 and ships for free, making it a great gift for the out-of-town party planner on your list. The basket's festive wrapping and wide array of chocolates make it a great gift for any hostess.



Bargain alert! This Omaha Steaks Fantastic Feastis currently being offered on Amazon.com for an incredible $69.99 (a savings of $100!). Not only does this premium food package include top sirloins, pork chops, stuffed sole, gourmet franks, boneless chicken breasts, and stuffed baked potatoes, it also saves your hostess shopping time and comes with easy instructions.



Hilarious cocktail napkins are great for any 15-minute party planner. They add some humor to the party and don't require washing and ironing like linen napkins. This set says Why limit happy to an hour?and we agree! Other funny napkin slogans include If you obey all the rules, you miss all the funand The trouble with trouble is it starts out as fun!


If you're looking to save time when it comes to mixing drinks, there's nothing easier than a cocktail shaker with built-in recipes. The Dial-A-Drink Cocktail Shakeroffers recipes for 15 popular cocktails just by aligning the shaker's arrow to the with the title of the selected cocktail. Then, just pour in the ingredients and shake it up for drinks in an instant. The fact that this cute bar accessory is made of oh-so-popular stainless steel ups the gadget's wow factor even further, making it the perfect present for the cocktail connoisseur on your list.


Teeny tiny desserts are in this year. To save the party planners on your list the hassle of cutting dessert into dozens of small pieces, give them this adorable brownie bites baking mold. The mold produces 24 brownie bites. At only $9.99 per pan, you can splurge and get two pans for easy entertaining.

This splurge-worthy meat lovers' gourmet food gift basketincludes smoked salmon, sliced Italian salami, fire-roasted salmon pate, Wisconsin cheddar cheese, jalapeno hot pepper cheese, jalapeno cheddar biscuits, and both sesame and stoned wheat crackers. The $49 basket comes ready to give with a decorative ribbon and a personalized gift message.

Tired of listening to the kids' iPod on shuffle while you're trying to enjoy a sophisticated cocktail party? Replace the hostess's teen-tunes with a grown-up, metropolitan mix of jazzy songs like the ones featured on the Cocktail Mix 2: Martini Madnessor Jazz Moods: Cocktail PartyCDs. Or, grab an iTunes gift cardso that your friend can pick out some snazzier songs herself.


Finally, when your favorite hostess isn't looking for recipes from the 15-Minute Party Planner, she'll need another resource. Easy cookbooks like Party Snacks! 50 Simple, Stylish Recipes to Make You a Popular Party Hostmake party planning a cinch. For just $10, you'll get A.J. Rathburn's recipes for "stuffed, skewered, baked, dipped, spreadable, and speedy party snacks." (Try gifting the book along with a few party snacks for an instant-use holiday present!)

The Iron & Wine Concert Write Up

First, my expectations were high.  Iron & Wine is one of my favorite bands.  Sam Beam, lead singer, songwriter, and genius behind the group, is hard to beat.  His voice blends just-over-a-whisper to high falsetto without the slightest nuance of a problem.  His lyrics are evocative, calling up imagery deep within the mind that leaves the listener scratching his head and wondering what it means.  Plus, his beard is awesome.  I love the mellow, acoustic sounds that Iron & Wine is known for, and there have been many a day when I've listened to only I&W on my ipod. 

So, with expectations through the roof, I was eager to get to the concert. 

Venue:  The Pageant, St. Louis

Status:  Sold Out

Opening Band:  White Mystery

Main Act:  Iron & Wine

Time:  8:00pm, 11/13/2010

We--my friend Adam and myself-- had standing GA tickets.  The crowd was mostly younger folks, people around my age or younger, I'd say.  And we were basically touching the arms of our standing neighbors.  The opening band was a brother & sister duo strikingly similar to the White Stripes, though the brother played the heavy drums and the sister the raunchy guitar.  There wasn't a song one that I cared for, and I was wondering why a band such as this was opening for Iron & Wine anyway.

After half an hour or so, White Mystery finished and we waited a few minutes for Sam to appear.  He came out, alone, picked up a guitar, and began singing.  Opening with an a cappella rendition of "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," soft and subtle, I knew the night would be something special, that I was in the presence of a musical wonder.  The crowd was hushed and the excitement nearly palpable, and we all loaned our ears over for the rest of the evening.

Following the quiet intro song, he dove straight into a gentle "Trapeze Swinger," a song haunting and beautiful.  Next came "Evening on the Ground," "Naked as we Came," and "Upward over the Mountain."  After these initial five songs, Sam announced that his new band would join in to finish out the night.  This was the first show they've done together and we'd be the guinea pigs.

Basically, the next hour and a half was completely revamped and redone I&W songs.  Two new songs were debuted.  Plenty of familiar classics were played with.  And it's this very act, the ability to take familiar songs and change them around and have fun with them, that blew my expectations out of the water.  "Sodom, South Georgia," was by far the highlight of the night.  Contrasting with the slow, tragedy that is the song, Beam and the band played an amazing version that built to an explosion of crescendo 'ere it was over.  A wild mandolin rift, funky electronic tones, and the beautiful guitars all came together to make an already awesome song even better.  Another great remake was "Woman King."

Another reason why the concert was great was because it looked like everyone was actually having fun on the stage.  The new band and Sam had a few goofs, but they all pulled it off perfectly, making even the errors sound fine.  And some songs almost sounded like Iron & Wine meets Radiohead, which was doubleplus good in my book.  Watching the band experiment and jam on some songs ("Wolves") was pure bliss.

So even though I stood for over three hours in total, and even though I was pressed up against complete strangers for most of that time, I would gladly do it again.  Seeing Iron & Wine in concert was a thrilling experience, and being so close to the stage made it all the better.  If you've a hankering for some good music, music that sounds wonderful and is smart in the writing, then you should be listening to Iron & Wine.  And if you want to go to a concert that'll be hard to forget, check out Iron & Wine on their current tour.

Random Meanderings: Books, Concerts, and Questions

1.  Is the word "suck" socially accepted now?  I know it's ingrained in my vernacular, but still, when I use it around my boss or the pastor, it seems strange?  The first time I heard my grandmother say it I nearly died.

2.  Anybody else have trouble spelling beaurau beaureau beureau *spell check* bureau?  Gets me every time.

3.  If you take a vacuum cleaner and put the hose in your mouth and turn it on would it kill you?  What if you plugged up your nose and then did it?  Cause I imagine your lungs and stuff getting sucked up or going crazy.

4.  Don't you hate it when you wake up and your ear feels like it's got water in it?

5.  Is there a rule that says once one vehicle messes up, then the other one is doomed to the same fate?

6.  Even though I've had Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings since its release date, it's been sitting on the shelf just waiting for me to pick it up ever since.  It's not that I don't want to read it, but I want to read it when I can fully devote time and attention to Sanderson's awesomeness.  It seems like a waste, but just knowing I have it now means I got all the time in the world.

7.  So, if a ____ and a _ ___ go to the ______ for ______, then ____ slips _ ____ a ____, what would happen?  I mean, it'd have to be messy, right?

8.  The great debate of what to read next is here.  I have so many things I really want to read, I just don't know where to go.  Ken Scholes' Lamentation has been waiting very patiently; I got a fresh stack of Hellboy's to devour; I'm feeling like a good classic, maybe One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Brothers Karamazov; non-fictional Truman Capote's In Cold Blood has been beating on my brain's door, and so has Abraham's The Long Price Quartet; oh, and the twenty issues or so of Fables to cram in 'ere issue #100 hits shelves later this month.  Instead of all of these, I've picked up Charles Portis' True Grit, a novel that's been in my possession for so long I don't remember when I first tried to read it, and a review copy of sci-fi webzine Residential Aliens #4.

9.  It's good to have Conan O'Brien back doing what he does best: being awesome.

10.  I'm going to St. Louis this weekend to see Iron & Wine in concert.  It's been a while since my last concert, and I'm super excited about this one.

11.  I'm thinking about entering io9's Environmental Writing Contest.  Click here for info.

12.  Yeah, I've already got my HP7 midnight tickets for the imax.  Can't wait.

A Broken Starter and Free, New Springsteen

So my car's starter is basically broke.  It's been long coming, and now that cold weather is here, it's arrived in full bloom.  I called a few places today to get estimates.  $342.49.  $256.00.  $379.85.  And all this when I'm in a "let's pay off the debt with the extra money we're making from Pampered Chef and subbing."  Fortunately, my uncle is quite knowledgeable about vehicles (I am not), and he's the manager of a tire & shop down home.  So I called him up and asked what he could do for me.  $104.00.  That's without labor, which all the other quotes included, but he figures we can put it in ourselves and save the labor cost.

But, to make things better, NPR is currently streaming fifteen tracks (almost an hour of free music) from Bruce Springsteen's newest album, The Promise.  Gotta say, the Boss just gets better and better the more I listen to him.  How I want to see him in concert one of these days.  The man's supposed to put on legendary concerts, and I wanna experience one.  Anyway, if you would like to listen, follow this link to hear the album.

Now, back to fretting about finances, budgets, God, vehicles, engineering, war, and the multitude of other things that weigh on my mind.  Oh, and Fallout, too, cause that's on the brain-tube right now.

A Poem, Some Musing, and Six Halloween Pictures

"dark goes the night, smooth goes the date"
by logankstewart

change my clothes
out i go
a date tonight have i

long it's been
since my last sin
so long.  adieu.  goodbye.

lick my teeth
feel the slime
a blade goes in and out

you gasp "oh"
at my crime
blood falls from your spout

eyes go wide
from the cold
of steel on flesh on bone

hands dam up
staunch the flow
but you're already gone

quick as sin
toss my knife
in someone else's truck

see me smile
in waning light
unfortunate, their luck

wipe my hands
in the dirt
and off to eat i go

a date to get
a meal to split
and no one in the know.

I don't know what it is inside me that enjoys this sort of stuff.  It's not that I have hidden desires or twisted ideas.  I think, perhaps, that maybe it's the only way I can come to terms with the craziness of the world.  I've always been fascinated by the darker (see "On the Darker Side of Songs," "On Morbid Curiosity") things in life, though, oddly, I can't movies like Saw and Hostel.  There's just something unnerving about violence, something so gritty and horrible that it makes me sick at my stomach.  The dichotomy of my music tastes is astounding; I'm either listening to folky, acoustic tunes, which are often peppered with Darkness, or I'm listening to Contemporary Christian music.  It makes no bloody sense!

So if this is the case, then why do I find the recesses of my mind adventuring in such realms?  I'm happy.  I love life.  I'm not a disturbed person, and I have no horrific past that is buried below my surface.  I'm calm, patient, compassionate, nothing like the unsavory sorts from many of the songs and stories I hear/read.

Is it the passing of Halloween and the imminent autumn-like weather that turns my mind towards dark and heavy thoughts?  Is it from playing Fallout or reading The Passage?  I don't know what it is.  I think, perhaps, I'll blame it on....... Nic Cage.  Why not?  He's a fantastic guy.  I mean, have you seen Raising Arizona?  Okay then.

In Halloween's wake, I have some pictures.  There’s a Dr. Horrible pumpkin, which anyone that loves Joss Whedon should know, and anyone who's ne'er seen the wonderfulness of it should watch immediately and then be in the know.  It took about two hours or more to carve, and I was ready to quit before I was finished.  There’s a BOO Ghost, carved masterfully by the beautiful, pregnant (obligatory) wife.  It's cute.  There’s a close-up of Stella.  (We somehow never managed to snap one of Sofie close-up.)  There’s a full shot of both dogs, one as a flying monkey, the other as the wicked witch.  Keisha made both outfits.  And there’s my world-famous mullet champion picture, which I love, since the mullet is my actual hair color and blends seamlessly in with my sideburns and beard.

View Full Album

Status: Rejected (Again)

Like the first rejection, my short story "The Bombing of Morrta" has been rejected again.  This letter was nice, though.

Dear Logan,

Thank for submitting "The Bombing of Morrta" to Abyss & Apex.  I found the story engaging and well written, but unfortunately we are going to pass.

Best of luck in placing your story elsewhere.

We really do appreciate you letting us see your work.

Kind regards,

Oliver Waite
Assistant Editor
Abyss & Apex

Hey, at least they found it "engaging" and "well-written."  Sigh.  Now, off to submit again, I suppose.  Why not?

 

Bits & Pieces

• Only about 150 pages or so left of The Passage.  This book has been quite enjoyable, just long, with lots of words per page, too.
• Red Hot Chili Peppers are so hit and miss.  Sufjan Stevens is mostly hit.  Tim McGraw is always miss.
• I miss Lost.
• For some reason, The Passage has been taking precedence over New Vegas, but not for much longer.
• Recent acquisition: The Long Price Quartet Book One (A Shadow in Summer) and Book Two (A Betrayal in Winter).  I’m looking forward to diving into this highly acclaimed series early next year, methinks.
• Gotta spend $1.87 at Borders before 10/31 and I’ll become a Borders Gold Member.  Not sure what that means, but I’m gonna be making a trip to the bookstore tomorrow!
• Check out Mattson Tomlin’s newest Kickstarter project, “Dream Lover,” and donate a dollar while you’re there. 
• I found this new (well, new to me) Star Wars satire web comic called “Blue Milk Special.”  I’ve cracked up more than a few times.  Check it out here. 

A Few Timely Updates

It's been a while since I've posted anything personal about my life here on the blog.  Pretty much everything has been either a review or some of my writing.  As one of the purposes of Rememorandom is to chronicle my life, and considering the items on the following list, I think it's time for an update.

• I will be leaving for a short vacation next week.  The wife and I, plus the In-Laws, are all heading down to the Smoky Mountains for a few days.  We've got a cabin reserved, and now that autumnal weather has finally arrived, it'll be a perfect and much-needed escape.  Hopefully I'll get in some heavy reading time.
• I found out last week that I made an error at work a few months back.  This error is basically at the Step One level of my project, and everything that's done afterward (and based on said error) is also incorrect.  Because of that, I've been terribly busy, scrambling to correct my mistake and get this thing finished.
• Netflix has got to be the coolest thing ever.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to sign up for it, but it's awesome.  Not only is every season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer available for Instant Streaming, but it's letting me catch up with other shows that I wanted to watch but never could (i.e. How I Met Your Mother.)
• I bought Red Dead Redemption a few weeks ago, but have yet found time to play it.  My Dragon Age: Origins ground to a stop about the same time.  However, with Fallout: New Vegas soon to hit shelves, and my deposit already down, I'll be getting back into gaming relatively soon.
• Keisha's been called to substitute teach for seven days in a row now, which is awesome.
• I found out that, for some reason, I've not been paying property taxes.  My house was built in May 2009, and since taxes are assessed on January 1, my 09 taxes were on undeveloped land.  However, as of January 1 2010, the land was developed and, apparently, my escrow was supposed to have gone up.  As a new homeowner, as well as someone who is competent with money but doesn't necessarily understand insurance and taxes, this error went unnoticed until Sunday.  I'm not sure what's going to happen, and frankly I'm a little nervous, but I know it'll all work out.
• Finally, I recorded a new cover that I'm mostly proud of.  You can watch it here or on the video below.

I've not had time to really finish the planned next installment of my Writing Wednesday's The Reformed, but I've got a piece that should work for tomorrow.  Hopefully I can find time to finish the planned piece and post it up next week.

Win One For the Reaper (A Lost Cover)

A friend recently mentioned something about the phenomenal Michael Giacchino soundtracks for Lost and wanted to know if I knew how to play a song from them.  No, in fact, I did not, but I certainly would like to.  So I sat off and found a simple tutorial, practiced it a few times, and 'ere long had the tune down, hopefully committed to memory forever now.

"Win One for the Reaper," or "Life and Death" is a beautiful song, oddly reminiscent of last week's haunting "All Shall Fade."  I learned the song yesterday and played (and recorded) it this morning from memory.  Give it a watch, if'n you'd like.  I think I did a fair job, though it seems a bit rushed at times.  Great song, nonetheless.



(Is it odd that last Friday's tragic song was song by Pippin in LOTR, which also starred Dominic Monaghan, who played Merry, who coincidentally played Charlie in Lost, and this song just happens to be playing when Charlie drowns?  Maybe I'm jumping for Lost connections here...)

Team Work and Musical Chairs

A few months ago, I took an online class about games for toddlers and preschoolers.
One thing that they’ve suggested that I haven’t had a chance to try is a different
version of musical chairs. They pointed out that toddlers and preschoolers do better
with games that are based on cooperation instead of competition. I thought this version
of musical chairs could be a good activity to do within the first few weeks of having
a new class to practice team work.


What you do is run the game like musical chairs using a chair or a mat for each kid.
When the music stops, you take one chair or mat away and let all the kids continue
to play.
By the end, you should have one left and all the kids have to find a way to be touching the chair somehow.

That way, no one feels bad about losing or geting bored
because they have to sit out while waiting for the game to end. When I was a kid, I hated musical chairs for both of those reasons. Now that I’m a teacher, I have to hear someone bragging to the rest of the class about how they are the winner and the rest of them are losers for ten minutes. It happens no matter how many times we tell them it’s just a game, no one in the class is a loser, we can always play again another time etc. This version solves most if not all of those problems. If anyone tries this, let me know how it goes.