Where is it, boy?

It's eight days into December, and you may be asking yourself, "Where is the novel you said you were going to write in November?" The answer to that: [crickets chirping].

So National Novel Writing Month has come and gone, and I did not write the novel I said I was going to write. I failed for a number of reasons. Here is my defense:

• I had a very important, very large, and very complicated project dropped on me at work, without advanced notice. This project required a lot of work and took its toll on me mentally. Writing in that state would have been extremely difficult.
• I decided to write a novel before I even had an idea for a story. I think it should probably be the other way around. My first idea to write a robot's autobiography didn't take off, and then my second idea was to take my idea for a TV series and turn it into a novel. I did a lot of conceptualization and made good progress with plot points, but never actually got any real writing done.
• A non-literary creative idea (short film) got in the way. My company announced a Film Festival/contest, encouraging employees to make a 60 second video to be played at the company Christmas party. My team and I came up with a good idea (an Antoine Dodson parody, complete with actual autotuning), and we put it together. We ended up taking third place and winning $250 dollars ($25 for each person). It hasn’t been announced yet, but we feel pretty certain we won the People’s Choice award. We definitely got the best and most cheers when our video was played in front of everyone.
  

Those are the biggest reasons why I wasn't able to write a novel in November. I really wish I had succeeded, believe me, but I'm not too torn up about it. I was lying in bed early last week, and, as I frequently do, I was thinking about the stories I wanted to tell. I started thinking about my unfinished novel --- December 17th will mark eight years since I started it --- and I wondered why I've felt so powerless to complete it.

Back when I thought I was going to finish my novel before graduating college, I liked to describe it as conveying the "essence of my adolescence," and I figured I wouldn't be that far removed from adolescence when I finished it. My goal was to finish my novel before graduating from college.

As they always do, things got in the way of my plans. It turned out to be pretty hard to find time to write when I was a full-time student at BYU and working 20 hours a week. Life disregarded my goal, and I never could get back into a good writing routine. I successfully co-wrote a weekly newsletter thing (the old Access: Denied) for some twenty-five consecutive weeks, but I never made much progress on my novel. Then school got really tough --- who knew double majoring would require a lot of work? --- and I basically gave up on my goal.

Years passed and I felt so removed from the 19 year-old kid I was when I started writing my book that I didn’t think I’d ever manage to resume writing it. At least until last week.

There I was, waiting for the sweet oblivion of sleep, and I started thinking about the novel I didn’t write in November. It didn’t take long for my thoughts to turn to the novel I started but didn’t finish. Eventually I asked myself, “Why can’t I start working on this novel again? What has been holding me back?” I could not think of a valid reason why I couldn’t resume work immediately. The old hang-up, of my book being about my adolescence and my no longer being an adolescent, no longer held water. I realized that yes, I would have to do a lot of revising, but I already knew that, even when I was just twenty-one and not much of an adult. I realized that my work’s autobiographical nature shouldn’t restrict me from working on it even though I’m no longer the person I was when I started writing it. I’ve changed, but the beauty of my novel being mostly unwritten is that I don’t have to revise that much. I was just struck that night, for whatever reason, by the realization that not only could I complete my novel, but that I wanted to complete it.

I remembered something I had learned in one of my film classes. There are two questions to ask when attempting to define a character in the most basic and essential terms: what does the character want? And what does the character need? Most central conflicts arise from discrepancies between the wants and needs of a character. My novel wasn’t really about me or the life I had as an adolescent. Yes, that life and my experiences informed a lot of the novel’s plot, but they did not define my protagonist. What did define my protagonist were his wants and his needs. And those wants and needs had not changed even though I have changed quite a bit in the eight years since I started the work. More than that, I think that I now have a deeper and more complete understanding of the protagonist’s wants and needs. Eight years ago I thought I knew what was driving my protagonist, but I see now that my understanding was pretty superficial. Life has prepared me to understand him better, and if delaying my novel has been worthwhile in any way, it will be in the lessons I learned during those eight long years.

A Certain Kind of Weird is not dead. Let’s think of it like it’s waking up from its hibernation, or returning from an unfortunate but necessary exile. I’m not going to pretend that it’s going to be easy to finish. There really is a lot of work to do, but rather than crank out a 50,000 word novel in a month, I’d rather try and put the 61,000 words I already wrote to good use.

Yesterday I read a lot of the notes and outlines I created years ago (which really was quite extensive), and it got me excited to return to these characters and their silly story. Though the amount of work to be done is staggering, I am not discouraged. I have to basically do a full revision of everything I’ve already written (especially the first chapter) before I can push the story out into new territories. I’m looking forward to the challenge of reconciling the tone and voice of my writing from eight years ago with my current tone and voice. Really, that’s the biggest challenge facing me. I know there will be some cringing as I read my work again, but I think I’m ready to deal with it. Most of all, I’m ready to reacquaint myself with my characters.

Maybe I’m finally prepared as a writer to complete my work.

My Newest Nephew!

On Saturday, 04 December 2010 at 12:05 p.m., my sister Janessa gave birth to her firstborn, Carter David George. He weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. Today they both went home.

Congrats to Janessa and Brett! I plan on spoiling this kid rotten.

Here are a couple pics:

Late Autumn Mix

I finally got around to putting together a Late Autumn mix. Even though it's already gotten cold and we've received snow, I think a Late Autumn mix is still appropriate. It's not unofficially winter until after Thanksgiving in my book. Anyway, I am pretty pleased with this mix. I managed to keep it under 80 minutes, which is not the easiest thing for me to do --- no two-part mix this time. I think the tone remains quite consistent, with just enough variation to keep things interesting. I made the mix available in two formats: a .zip file containing the individual tracks and a single, long-playing mp3 with all of the tracks and transitions.

Here's a track-by-track run through of my Late Autumn mix:

• "My Life" - jj. This song is a cover of "My Life" by The Game, but you'd never guess that if you had only listened to the Swedish duo's take. This song is the perfect lead-off to the mix. Just piano and vocals.
• "Cherry Tree" - The National. As I was thinking about which songs to include in this mix, I decided early on that I wanted to avoid the songs that would come to mind easily. That meant that I'd have to dismiss certain bands or songs that always come to mind when I'm putting together mixes. The National is a band that definitely comes to mind when I'm thinking about autumn. I've tried to share this amazing band with others as much as possible so I definitely wanted to include a more obscure selection in this mix. "Cherry Tree", released on the Cherry Tree EP is a song that I think some of you National fans may have never heard. It's quite stunning.
• "November" - Azure Ray. This is the only song I've heard from the group, and, as you would guess from the title, the song is a perfect inclusion for this mix. Again, this somber song is quite simple: an acoustic guitar, cello, and beautiful female vocals.
• "Flume" - Bon Iver. No autumn mix would be complete without Bon Iver. Some artists just capture a season's essence, and Bon Iver and fall are almost inseparable in my mind. I could have picked just about any track from the amazing For Emma. If you've still yet to check the album out, do it now.
• "H in New England" - Max Richter. I first heard this song featured on an NPR music program, and it blew me away. It's a short piano piece, and it is sublime. It's the first of two instrumental tracks on this mix.
• "Love is Stronger" - Sebadoh. This is the first track on the mix with a distorted guitar. It's full of melancholy in the lyrics and the music. It also has one of my favorite guitar solos, nothing amazing in terms of technicality, just incredibly emotive.
• "Your Protector" - Fleet Foxes. This band's music has always made me want to drive through the mountains with the windows down and the volume up. Their music works as both spring and fall music. I decided to go with one of the songs that gives me a more distinct fall vibe.
• "How to Disappear Completely" - Radiohead. It hit me while looking through Radiohead's discography how many of their songs I could classify as fall music. They've never recorded the sunniest music, and there's just something about their music that makes me think of this time of year. (On a side note, Radiohead is definitely night music --- there's an interesting correlation between night music and fall music). This is my favorite track from Kid A, and it features one of my Top 5 Radiohead moments near the end of the track.
• "Shame" - Low. Low is a band that I've always read great things about, but I'd never gotten around to listening to their music. I finally found an album of theirs and give it a go. I've been really impressed. Very simple but beautiful music. I need to listen to more of their music to prepare for their mid-December show in SLC.
• "Enchanting Ghost" - Sufjan Stevens. Sufjan is an incredible musician. This song comes from a great EP he released a few months ago. This is simply a great song.
• "Foreground" - Grizzly Bear. Grizzly Bear is a band that kills it live. They're so great live that I struggle to really get into their albums. Nonetheless, they always have a handful of songs on their albums that blow me away. This song is part of that handful from their most recent album, Veckatimest. Again, a very simple song that's mostly piano and vocals.
• "For Real" - Okkervil River. This is probably my favorite Okkervil River song. It may have been their first song I ever heard. I chose to include it because I felt the mix could use a song that hits a little harder. The song makes me think of the way the days grow darker and darker as winter looms over the world.
• "Sorry" - The Wind-Up Bird. This is the second instrumental track on the mix. It comes from a very interesting album, Whips, in which the titles of the eight tracks come from a heart-wrenching voicemail, "Sorry that I've become this monster -- I love you a lot." I first heard a different track from the album in which the actual message is played over and over, little by little being deconstructed and transformed into a collage of white noise. It's an astounding and punishing track, a little too much for this mix. This track, however, the album's opener, fits right in.
• "Protection" - Liars. It took awhile for me to notice this song. I finally did, sitting on a plane on my way to visit my sister in Arizona back in March. Since then, I've listened to it many, many times. It's an atypical song for the Liars, which may be why it finally hit me as forcefully as it did.
• "Scientist Studies" - Death Cab for Cutie. I haven't really followed Death Cab's rise to indie stardom, but I still love their first two albums a lot. There wasn't a whole lot of thought put into this selection, other than thinking to myself, "Hey, I really, really like this song." So that's why it's here.
• "Kettering" - The Antlers. If you want an album to tear you apart emotionally, really dig in and listen to Hospice by The Antlers. From Wikipedia: "Hospice tells the story of an emotionally abusive relationship, explained through the analogy of a hospice worker and a terminally-ill patient." The frontman/songwriter hasn't shared just how autobiographical the album is, but it doesn't matter. Even if the songs were completely fictitious, the story they tell is heartbreaking. If any portion of the lyrics are autobiographical, they become that more devastating. "Kettering" is my favorite song from the album. Its power continues to amaze me.
• "In the Backseat" - The Arcade Fire. This is another instance in which I wasn't necessarily drawn to a seasonal connection but to a tonal and thematic connection. This song just felt right as the final track for this mix.

Well, that's that.

Click here for the .zip with the individual tracks.

Click here for the long mp3.

National Novel Writing Month

For whatever reason, November was designated as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo in its shortened form. A quick look into the history of NaNoWriMo shows that July 1999 was the first occurrence, but it was moved to November to better utilize that month's miserable weather. What it is is this: during the month of November people are encouraged to write their own 50,000 word novel by 11:59 p.m. of November 30th. There are no rules other than the work be something that could be considered a novel (roughly anything fictional), it must be started from scratch (no old material), it must have one author (no collaboration), and it must be 50,000 words long (that's a lot). A comparison for those who have had the privilege/misfortune to read it, my unfinished novel A Certain Kind of Weird is 61,000 words long. It's quantity, not quality NaNoWriMo is after.

For the past few years I've seen Facebook status updates from people participating in NaNoWriMo, but I've never really considered participating before now. In part, I think that November frequently snuck up on me, and it was too late to start. This year, however, I am aware of November's impending arrival, and I am feeling the itch to write. Though the project I most want to work on is not actually a novel, I think I could find something else to write for a month, possibly even something related to my other project.

So what do you people - if anyone actually still reads this blog - think? Should I go for it? Will this be just another ill-fated attempt to get some more writing down? Or will this actually help motivate and inspire me to write something substantial? Anyone else interested in doing this? Let me know what you think.

If you're curious and want to learn more, go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

Hey, what do you know, I'm literate.

There is something about living in a large house with just two other individuals that fosters a good environment for reading. I've lived in the house for just over two weeks now, and I am already incredibly accustomed to the absolute silence at night. Coming from an ever-noisy student apartment complex in a college town to a suburban residential neighborhood, I wasn't prepared for just how quite it would get at night. None of us living here are students or have occupations that require anything of us at night, so after about 9 p.m. we begin winding down. We may watch some television (praise DVR!) or play some video games or something like that, but eventually the TV gets turned off and people start heading to their rooms for the night. For me, this provides a perfect opportunity to read, something I haven't done much of in the past two years since graduation. Living with five other guys in a small student apartment didn't really foster the right environment for reading. But all that has changed.

I've recently finished two books about music. Not serious music criticism or anything, really just a series of essays/chapters about specific songs and either how those songs tie into the authors' lives or some ruminations on life generated by the songs. The first book, Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield, takes a look at specific mixtapes Sheffield made throughout his life and how they became a part of his life and relationship to his deceased wife. The second book, Songbook by Nick Hornby, isn't built upon such a tragic loss, but it is full of genuine emotion and wit, something Hornby has always successfully incorporated into his writing. I read Songbook once back in 2005, very shortly after I returned from my mission. Hornby had written a line that has stuck in my mind, a credo, as it were, for how I've tried to approach music. It's found in a chapter in which Hornby explains how he's begun listening to music that, at earlier stages in his life, he would never have loved or been able to truly appreciate. He's come to understand how foolish it is to worry about anything other than the actual music. Too often we worry about an artist's genre or being too cool for certain kinds of music, and Hornby realizes just how limiting such thought is. He concludes with this awesome statement: "You're either for music or you're against it, and being for it means embracing anyone who's any good." Amen.

I'm not going to go any deeper into my ideas about musical appreciation or anything. I just wanted to share this awesome quote with the hope that it will ring true for fellow music lovers (and I know there are some of you out there reading this). That's all.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Attention all who read this blog, if there be such a person or persons:

You should contribute some of your hard-earned money (or some of your not-so-hard-earned money, if you're that sort) to the major motion picture Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. If you really want to be awesome, buy the six-volume comic from which the movie was adapted, read it as quickly as possible, and then go see the movie.

I must add as a disclaimer that if you did not grow up in the video game era, you may not enjoy the film so much. I hate to put a generational limitation on the film, but a lot of the film's awesomeness comes from the way it incorporates video game references and elements into the story and visual approach of the film. Nonetheless, anyone with an open mind and fun sense of humor should find plenty to enjoy in the film.

I decided on a whim one day in July to buy the first two volumes of the comic. I completed the first volume in less than an hour and then proceeded to read the next five as quickly as circumstances would allow. I was hooked and could not wait for the film. As is my tendency when I love something, I began recommending the comic to those I thought would enjoy it. My roommate Jared was the first to read the books after me. Then three others, Mr. and Mrs. Jones and fellow Sparksian Andrew Pass, read the entire series during our road trip to and from Portland to see the final two performances of Joanna Newsom's most recent U.S. tour. They were all hooked, just in time for maximum anticipation of the film's release.

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the film other than to say it was a very good adaptation of the comic, despite the limitations of adapting a six-volume comic into a two-hour film. There were some story omissions that I wish hadn't been omitted, a few character back stories that couldn't be told, and a few favorite punchlines that didn't make the screen, but overall I was pleased with the film. Edgar Wright, unsurprisingly, did a great job directing and continues to impress with his eye for impressive visuals. I don't know that the film is quite as good as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, but it is definitely one of the better films of the year. Not as affecting as Toy Story 3 or as mindbendingly (new adverb alert!) awesome as Inception, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was definitely as entertaining as any film released thus far this year.

Oh yeah, the character of Ramona, played by the talented and beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead, reminds me of Kate Winslet's incredibly memorable portrayal of Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Any film that reminds me of Eternal Sunshine is automatically cooler in my book.

So in summation, contribute your money to a deserving film and do your part to encourage Hollywood to keep financing interesting and unique projects, allowing talented directors like Edgar Wright to make the films they want to make.

FIN

Highlight of the Night

Girl Talk was pretty fantastic and the whole night was a lot of fun, but the highlight of the day was Paige calling Jared "Goat-Boy." At first, there was confusion as to why she was calling him that, but eventually she explained that it was because of his goatee. There was much laughter.

After the concert we started talking about how we should make a movie about a guy whose friends start calling him "Goat-Boy" and eventually he becomes an actual goat.

It was a lot funnier than it sounds. You kind of had to be there.

In anticipation of seeing Girl Talk tonight...

this is how I feel.

Yeah...

You know what I'm

sick and tired of?

I'm sick and tired

of having to eke my way

through life.

I'm sick and tired

of bein' a

nobody.

But most of all...

I'm sick

and tired

of havin'

nobody.

My Labor of Love for America

Here's what I did the past few days to demonstrate my love for the greatest nation on Earth.

The first (and most basic):

Later, after creating most of the pictures included below, I decided I needed a more intense picture for myself:

Here's the picture where I surprised myself with my use of Photoshop. Behold, General Whitney Jones-ington:

Here's Paige Jones, transplanted from the canals of Venice to the harbor of New York:

The wonderful Melia Fonoimoana taking the Labor Day parade to Mt. Rushmore for Independence Day:

Kiss front-woman Megan Rogers rocking out with the original American band:

Matthew Melville strolling with President John Adams on the White House lawn:

The mohawked-2nd Amendment avenger Jake Glazier:

The courageous Elyse Hawks braving the elements as she watches General Washington's historic river crossing from the banks of the Delaware River:

As American as they get, the illustrious Dave Horan:

Captain America Lauren Bytheway:

An Elder's Quorum president (Kevin Firl) riding a giant eagle adorned with a semi-transparent American flag is an Elder's Quorum president I will follow:

Jeremy Jensen, defying the redcoats to his very last moment:

Do not mess with Jared Davis...ever:

Possibly my masterpiece, the greatest thing I may ever produce in my lifetime. I present the Professor, Mr. Jake DeArton, defying the head of the British Empire, King George III:

America the Beautiful, am I right or am I right?

Song of the Next Few Days or Weeks

I discovered my next song-of-the-next-few-days-or-weeks tonight while working on my Summer Jams mix.

It's called "Casual" from Here We Go Magic. I've had their latest album for a couple months, but I've never really given it a fair listen. I remembered seeing something about this song on Pitchfork recently so I decided to given it a spin tonight. It was well worth my time, each of the five or so times I've listened to it tonight. Not many songs are capable of embodying exactly what their title and lyrics suggest, but this song's title and chorus are so perfectly melded with the melody and instrumentation. It's really quite stunning.

Look for it on my forthcoming Summer Jams mix or head over to Pitchfork to give it a listen.

Answer: I don't know but they are.

Question: Why are horns so awesome in rock music?

Sometimes you just have to powerslide.

The National - "Afraid Of Everyone" 5/13 Letterman (TheAudioPerv.com)

This video is fantastic. This band is amazing.

Great site

So I was taking a break from writing something that will probably end up on this blog---yes, I know it sounds strange, but I was writing---and I found an awesome website that has entertained me now for ten minutes. I'm certain it will provide further enjoyment in the near future. Check it out:

Rules for My Unborn Son

New Mix Series - "10 for Friends"

This is my second take on this blog post. I, unfortunately, lost my first attempt to the void that is website/internet malfunctions. This second post will likely be much shorter.

I love to share music with people, and I have since I got seriously into music as a fifteen year old. Not to toot my own horn or anything, because the bands deserve credit, not me, but I have been quite successful in sharing the music I love with my friends. It can be tricky deciding which song or albums to recommend because so much depends on the other person's personality and musical taste. Sometimes it's a shot in the dark, but I think one of the biggest factors in successfully sharing music is to just genuinely love the music. Enthusiasm might not be logically understood, but it's often inexplicably contagious. Maybe that's why I've been able to share my favorite music with my friends.

Anyway, I've decided to create a new series of mixes called the "10 for Friends." The basic idea is that I will choose ten songs from a band that I think an uninitiated listener will enjoy. I plan on starting by making "10 for Friends" mixes for my all-time favorite bands, but any band with at least three albums will be eligible for a mix. I'll even take requests. I don't know how frequently I'll create these mixes. I've already created two, and, along with my two Spring Mixes, I'm feeling the mix-making magic these days.

I will post each "10 for Friends" mix on this blog as well as Sonic Soup, a music blog I am co-authoring. Like my two Spring Mixes, I will make each "10 for Friend" mix available as either a .zip file with the ten individual mp3's or a single mp3 with all ten songs back-to-back. I'm having a lot of fun determining the best track sequence and crossfading the songs into one another.

I will post the first "10 for Friends" mix soon. I'm gonna publish this post before Blogger decides it doesn't want to let me post it. Stay tuned.

Spring Mixes now available

I already posted links on Facebook to my two-part Spring Mix, but I thought I'd put a link here in case anyone might be interested in the mix and didn't see the link on Facebook.

Head over to my music blog, which I plan on using more in the near future, at:

http://sonicsoup.tumblr.com

That's all.

High Violet

The National's new album, High Violet, is awesome. It has passed the "laying in bed late at night with headphones" test, as well as the "late night drive rock out" test. I feel it may be my album of the year when all is said and done and it's January 2011. My favorite tracks are: "Afraid of Everyone","Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks", and "England," which could end up being my favorite song this year.

I may write more about this album sometime.

In the meantime, the entire album can be streamed here, but only until April 27th. Check it out!

For the record...

...I think Mike Loyd Jr.'s mohawk is totally awesome.

I couldn't find a good picture of it, but if you've watched any of BYU's MWC tournament games or their victory yesterday against Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament, then you've seen plenty of Loyd's mohawk.

Loyd is quickly becoming a favorite player of mine. His quickness and ability to take the ball to the rim is not only exciting and fun to watch, but it's been key to BYU getting to where it is right now.

Here's to hoping we see some more mohawk magic tomorrow against Kansas State.

Why I Write: Preview #1

For the past year or so, I have had a blog post on my mind. It is an explanation of what I want to do with my life, an exploration of some of the ideas that matter most to me. I have jotted down a few notes, drafted a preliminary outline, but things have never progressed much beyond that.

A few weeks ago my roommate Dave wrote an excellent blog entitled "For the Love of... Writing", an explanation of why he writes, and it gave me a renewed desire to complete my own blog/essay on the subject of writing.

I have yet to write said blog/essay, which is why this post is titled the preview. Rather than sharing my own thoughts at this time, I've chosen to share William Faulkner's Nobel Prize acceptance speech given December 10, 1950. It is a remarkable speech, and it conveys a lot of my personal views on writing, with more clarity and eloquence than I could muster, of course.

Enjoy:

I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work - a life's work in the agony and sweat of the human spirit, not for glory and least of all for profit, but to create out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before. So this award is only mine in trust. It will not be difficult to find a dedication for the money part of it commensurate with the purpose and significance of its origin. But I would like to do the same with the acclaim too, by using this moment as a pinnacle from which I might be listened to by the young men and women already dedicated to the same anguish and travail, among whom is already that one who will some day stand here where I am standing.

Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.

He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed - love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. Until he does so, he labors under a curse. He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. His griefs grieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. He writes not of the heart but of the glands.

Until he relearns these things, he will write as though he stood among and watched the end of man. I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last dingdong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of his puny inexhaustible voice, still talking. I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.

Witty and/or Informative Title Goes Here

A few things that are rocking my world right now:

• The new Joanna Newsom album, though I've only managed to get through the first six songs so far - it's a triple LP - over two hours of music! "The Good Intentions Paving Company" is my favorite track at the moment. The way she sings the word "baby" gets me every time.
• The BYU men's basketball team. This team has been a lot of fun to watch. I feel sorry for fans who deprive themselves of enjoyment because "the team hasn't accomplished anything until they win an NCAA tournament game." It's sad that people would rather protect themselves from possible disappointment than enjoy the journey along the way. Watching Jimmer Fredette and co. play some beautiful basketball has definitely been a highlight of the winter.
• Killer Bunnies! I heard about this game from a couple co-workers and decided to buy it without ever playing it beforehand. It was a wise impulse buy. My roommates and a few other friends have had a lot of fun killing each other's bunnies and trying to acquire the magic carrot. Once we learned the complex rules and nuances of the gameplay, it's been a blast.
• I was tasked with putting together a Playlist of Awesomeness and it led me to finding some awesome new music, particularly some danceable ditties. Fantastic songs that I've been listening to as much as possible this week: "Bulletproof" by La Roux and "Heartbreak Make Me a Dancer" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor (a foxy Brit) and Freemasons, among others.
• I really, really, really want to play disc golf. Hopefully the weather will cooperate soon.

I'm sure I could come up with a larger list, but my brain is tired. I should probably sleep soon.

The Jack Donaghy Rich White Guy Humor Award goes to...

...whoever wrote these jokes for the conservative speakers at CPAC. Somebody really squeezed their mindgrapes coming up with those jokes.

To blog, or not to blog.

I was considering writing a second blog entry in as many days, but instead I have decided to hit the open road and listen to/sing along to some Radiohead.

My hunch that I would enter another Radiohead phase is proving correct.

"One day I am gonna grow wings, a chemical reaction..."

I was browsing a music message board today and there was a thread in which people were listing what they considered to be Radiohead's best song. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of people listing "Let Down" from the albumOK Computer. "Let Down" has always been one of my favorite Radiohead songs, dating way back to when I recorded a copy of the album on cassette before my brother Michael left home and went to college, but because of the cassette's limited size, I was only able to get the first half of the album on the cassette. Anyway, I listened to the first half of the album over and over, and "Let Down" became one of my favorite songs. The final verse of this song contains perhaps the greatest moment of any Radiohead song.

Reading this thread force me to listen to "Let Down" and some other songs from the album. While looking at the tracklist in iTunes, it struck me how remarkable the album really is, especially the first half. The first six songs ("Airbag", "Paranoid Android", "Subterranean Homesick Alien", "Exit Music (for a Film)", "Let Down", and "Karma Police") constitute one of the best and most consistently great runs on any album ever recorded. I'm struggling to think of another album that can match that six-song run.

I feel my annual period of listening obsessively to Radiohead may have begun tonight.

(Tongue in Cheek)

This BYU-Utah basketball game proves that Max Hall didn't know what he was talking about.

Turn up the AC!

As much as I would have liked Austin Collie to have stayed for his senior season at BYU, I am glad that things have worked out so well for him as they have. He's given me a reason to follow the NFL, and it has been a lot of fun to track Collie's progress this year. I don't think he could have been put in a better situation, and he made the most of it. He's definitely played very, very well as a rookie. I offer many props to Austin Collie. I wish I could have watched today's AFC championship game to see Collie tear it up. Anyway, way to make all of us at BYU proud, Austin. Go Colts!

Awesome movie posters

I've recently decided that I'm going to decorate the Party House, or at least my room in the party house, with awesome movie posters. I've been looking at a lot of posters online, including a lot of foreign posters, and I must say that Poland takes the cake for awesome movie posters, surprisingly enough. I just thought I share a few of the awesome posters I want to get.

Let the Right One In

Harry and the Hendersons (Polish)

Children of Men

City of Lights

The Empire Strikes Back (Polish)

The Princess Bride (Brazilian)

Rocky

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (German)

8 1/2 (Polish)

Amelie (Polish)

Those are just a few of the awesome posters I've been looking at.

Haiti

This picture, found on the New York Times homepage, breaks my heart:

A Time Suction Device

Behold, all ye procrastinators:

http://www.passiveagressivenotes.com