The Crane Wife

Ally has played the Decemberists so much in the last few months that I have learned to like them. Their songs tell stories in ways that most bands could never dream of ... not only with lyrics, but also with instruments. So, in anticipation of the release of their new album on Tuesday, I downloaded it. The first thing that I noticed is that the production value of a major label has served them well, everything sounds better (especially the singing). But, there was something else different about it that I couldn't quite figure out until halfway through the second track; a 12 and 1/2 minute song consisting of 4 seperately titled and distinctly different songs that flow seamlessly together. Suddenly, a keyboard part that is reminiscent of bands like the Who, Rush and Deep Purple (according to Tim) made me finally realize that this album is more than just a concept album, it is at times very much a progressive rock album. I love prog rock, so this is not a problem ... Ally on the other hand doesn't like prog rock. This makes me curious to see how she accepts this album. Will she love it or hate it? Will it somehow give her an appreciation of bands that are talented enough to use odd time signatures and dissonance to craft songs instead of the usual and often trite 4/4 pop music that most bands try to pass off as talent? Lets hope so! Hooray to the Decemberists, who will hopefully pass some of this new talent to Death Cab for Cutie through Chris Walla (who recorded this album). I like DCFC, but as their production value has become better, their songwriting has become more basic ... the exact opposite of the Decemberists.

a handyman I am not

One thing I have learned since I bought a house is that I am not good with tools. I never really learned how to build things, fix things, or work on cars. I can't really remember if this was the result of my dad leaving home when I was a preteen, or if he tried to show me things and I just didn't pay any attention. Nevertheless, I look around my home making a mental list of things around the house that are lacking or in need of repair, and I don't have the tools or knowledge for fixing them.

I want to change this. I'm realistic about it, I know that change is slow. I want to start out with some small easy projects. As I learn more and become better, I will have purchased the tools I need one by one and gained knowledge (hopefully) in woodworking, plumbing, electrical, etc.

So, what should I start with? I have thought about making a dog house, but Odin doesn't really stay outside. A bird house is too small, and I had the only tree in our yard cut down. When Tyrel moved out, he took our end tables. We have a table lamp that is sitting on the floor, and our cable modem and router are sitting on a mini-fridge that would serve a better purpose out in the garage. I found some instructions online for a coffee table. I was thinking that I could make a few adjustments to make the table square instead of rectangular and make two end tables.

Hopefully soon I will have two homemade end tables, a few new tools, a bit of woodworking knowledge and all of my fingers. Wish me luck!

METAL

Friday night I went to see the Bronx, Converge and Mastodon. It was great. I'll let a text message that Tyrel sent to me from across the room during the show sum up the show.

"Holy mother of god my head is going to explode if this gets any awesomer."

I don't think that it could be summed up any better than that. I only saw a few songs by the Bronx, but they seemed pretty good. I was really excited about seeing Converge, and Jacob Bannon and crew did not disappoint. They are such an amazing band. I have to admit that I generally like hardcore more than metal, but when Mastodon started playing, I understood completely why so many people had packed the Roseland to see them play. They were brutal, loud, and tight. The crowd went nuts.

The Oregon vs. Oklahoma debacle

Wow!

What a mess has been made by the football game last weekend that Ducks won against the Sooners.

Oklahoma fans have been represented by coach Stoops and University president (shouldn't he have more important things to occupy his time?), who have asked that the outcome of the game be stricken from the record books. All because of a bad call by the officials.

This was in no way the first time a bad call was made in a football game, and certainly won't be the last. The week before, the officials in Fresno called bad call after bad call against Oregon, almost costing them the game. On a bigger scale, last season's Super Bowl was won for the Pittsburgh Steelers by at least 5 bad officiating calls. Unfortunately it is part of the game, sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't.

What really matters in this particular circumstance is the fact that the game didn't end on the bad call. The Sooners had a chance to win the game with a field goal, and the kick was blocked. They blew it ... end of story, end of game.

There's a good articel on espn.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2594247). Here are a few highlights of that article:

"If the president can put down his pompon for a minute, he'll realize a couple of things:

1. Bad calls happen. In every game. A few times a year, they can play a critical role in a game's outcome. Are we going to set a precedent of presidential hissy fits after each critical blown call?

2. The game did not end on this bad call. Oklahoma still had the lead, still had a chance to win. It didn't get the job done.

But instead of absorbing this as an object lesson -- life is not fair, but you have to deal with it -- the school president is setting the sore-loser tone. "

"If the scoreboard says you lost, you lost. That's not going to change. Take an hour to vent postgame, then try to regain your sanity. Do not diminish your quality of life -- and the quality of life of those around you -- by spewing for days about the refs who cheated your team, the flagrant league bias against your team or the complete lack of class displayed by the team that beat your team. Your team l-o-s-t. Try to deal."


Perhaps Oklahoma should just move on, and show a little sportsmanship. And maybe, just maybe, the University's president should try to worry about academics as much as he worries about sports.

The Big Sleep - Murder by Death

this song just gave me chills while listening to it on my headphones

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

At the end of the road he calls everyone home
And the fire will consume us
Striking through to the bone
At the end of the road you will soon hear him call
As the congregations crumble and the chapels will fall

And the taste on your tongue
Well it comes yeah it comes
With the bittersweet pang of remorse and pain
Till the judgment is made
The prosecution's won
The gavel has won and justice is done

The courtroom clears and I'm left alone on the bench
My wife and children gone along with my defense
The bailiff leads me back to my cell
Like the riverman ferrying me to hell
I can't blame them, no
To hate me for what I've done
I hear them whispering in the hall
You live and die by the gun
All I can do is sit here and pray
I'll be forgiven on judgment day

Tell my wife in our yard buried underneath the pine
Theres a shoebox full of money of which I never earned a dime
Use it to start over the way things should have been
Live honest, and love again
Tell my wife, tell my kids
I never meant for this to happen

When they flip the switch please do not stay
I couldn't bear for you to remember me this way

changing my mind

I've been thinking a lot lately about the railroad job situation. I got invited to a hiring session the other day, but they called me on a wednesday for a hiring session on monday. I need a week's notice to ask for a day off from work, and I had already asked for the next monday off. Besides, Mondays are our busiest day of the week at work, and I like my co-workers too much to take too many Mondays off. So, I'm not going to the hiring session tomorrow.

I've also been thinking a lot about the lifestyle changes that I would have to accept if I were to take a job with the railroad. A railroad employee has to be on call and ready to work 24/7, 365. On top of that, the railroad companies do random drug and alcohol tests. I don't do drugs, but I do like to drink. Having to be on call all the time would make it hard to drink, or even to hang out with friends or family. The job would be my life. I would have to give up my social life for higher pay. Having extra money, and maybe not having to have roommates would be nice, but I'm not sure that it is worth giving up my life as I know it.

I've come to realize that I get paid pretty well at my job, and that it is a pretty good job. It isn't the most exciting job, but the pay and benefits are good, and the work isn't too hard. I'm sure with time I will get promoted and be making more money. Also, in a few months I will owe less on my car than the trade-in value. At that point I could trade my car in for a cheaper model so that I am only paying for a few grand, instead of over $12,000. That would bring my car payment down quite a bit which would help out with money.

I think that I have come to realize that better times (financially) are on the horizon. Ally is making good money now too, and if she continues to enjoy her job and do a good job, maybe they will make her a manager and she'll be bringing home even more. Lower car payments and more pay will put us in much better financial stability. I don't need a job at the railroad for that.

sad news

I just got an email telling me that my friend Becky's older sister was just killed in a car accident. Ally and I just went to Becky's wedding a few weeks ago. I never knew her sister, but I can't imagine losing my siblings. An ex-girlfriend of mine also lost a brother while I was dating her, so I can kind of imagine what Becky is going through. How terrible that this happened so soon after her wedding. This is supposed to be a happy time for her and her new husband. I hope she's handling it okay.

For anyone who may be interested, here is a link to a website about her and her funeral.

http://www.briergoldens.com/casey.htm

coughing inside your coffin

I can't stop coughing.

I'm not talking about coughing in the way that a person coughs when they have a cold, it's more like a cough to dislodge the phlegm in the back of my throat. The trouble is, the phlegm never comes out. Which explains why I can't stop. I have no other symptoms of a cold, so I'm pretty sure I'm not sick.

I'm sure it has to do with smoking, but I haven't started smoking anymore than usual. In fact, I probably smoke less than I used to. I rarely smoke before I return home from work, having my first cigarette of the day usually around 6pm. And I usually don't smoke more than three cigarettes a day unless I go to the bars or drink in the garage, which is also happening less frequently than previously. So maybe it has less to do with smoking than I am inclined to believe. I'm sure my non-smoking friends will suggest that I quit smoking, but I honestly don't want to. Not because of the addiction, but because at the right time and/or place, I really enjoy smoking. Just as someone else really enjoys a cola when they are thirsty. I'll let you all have that nasty vice and you can let me have mine.

I usually only get allergies in the spring and early summer. It is late summer/almost fall, so I doubt that the problem is allergies

I'm not sure what is wrong with me. I just know that I want to get this stuff out of my body.

a thought

I'm kind of bored with Portland. I regret not moving to Providence last year. Although, I do own a house in Portland, which is pretty cool. Still, I sometimes wish I lived somewhere new. I have lived in Oregon since I was 4 or 5. I wish I had a change of scenery.

I still think about Providence and Boston, but now Pittsburgh is up there too. It was ranked the #1 most liveable city in the US. Plus, it is beautiful with all of the hills, rivers, and bridges. Cost of living is low too. A 3-4 bedroom 2 bath house averages around $162,000. Makes a person think ...

are you ready for some football?

College football started last weekend ... obviously.

Tonight, the NFL begins another season with a game with the world champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Miami Dolphins (too bad Joey Harrington isn't starting for them).

I'm about to go home from work to watch the game.

Thus begins several months of Ally being mad at me every weekend for not getting anything done because of college and professional football. What can I say? It is to me what celebrity gossip TV shows and trashy magazines are to Ally.

OUCH!

There are two reasons why I am naming this blog entry "ouch".

#1 - Stanford is saying ouch right now after the Ducks beat them 48 to 10

#2 - While watching the Ducks beat Stanford, Adam and I got really, really sunburned.

Now it is time to clean up and get some dinner. Then we'll be off to John Henry's to see Marisa's boyfriend's band.

another member of the gang

Last night I got a cryptic google messenger message from Jeremy Lanig. All it said was "I hear you're losing friends like wildfire. Sorry about that."

I can't figure out why my "friends" can't seem to find the courtesy to ask my side of the story before they make a judgement. Especially those friends who live in Japan.

I have been treated like shit by quite a few people that I have considered friends in the past. I'm sure it is because of Ally and her unwillingness to fit into whatever stereotype they want her to fit into. Ally doesn't refrain from calling people out for their flaws and mistakes. I've seen Ally do it to her closest friends, and she does it to me practically on a daily basis. I don't consider this a problem, but rather look at it as constructive criticism ... a chance to grow. For some reason that particular group of people is more willing to drop a long-term (no pun intended) friendship than to accept their own faults and try to change.

I have been making an effort to distance myself from them, and to make new friends with people that are strong in character and won't treat me and Ally like shit. For some reason though just about every two weeks someone from that group has to butt in and put in their snide remarks. I'm tired of it. Why can't they just move on like I'm trying to do?

headed south

After work today, Adam and I are headed to Eugene for the Duck game tomorrow. Opening game versus Stanford. It should be an easy win, but even if the game is boring it will be fun to be back at Autzen stadium after all these years.

We'll be staying at Slye's house, but he'll only be there tonight. He's heading to Seattle for Bumbershoot. Hopefully we can meet up with Chuck and Brynn since it could be a while before they come back from Italy.