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Listens Last Week (July 10, 2022)
[Originally Posted: 2022.07.10]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
Here goes my second “listens last week” post. Strange exercise, but whatever.
I think next week is going to be a Toro y Moi kind of week, but not yet. Currently listening to the sounds of the birds and the creek by my backyard, and somebody’s prop plane looping around above the city macking a racket this morning.
Here goes my second “listens last week” post. Strange exercise, but whatever.
I think next week is going to be a Toro y Moi kind of week, but not yet. Currently listening to the sounds of the birds and the creek by my backyard, and somebody’s prop plane looping around above the city macking a racket this morning.
(This is a log of my music listens in the past week, by albums and playlists, not including completely random shuffles.)
Date | Album or Playlist | Artist or Curator
Sun.2022.07.03 | LOVE QUANTUM | Theo Crocker
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: driving, chores, whatever
Notes: First listen
Sun.2022.07.03 | DRILL MUSIC IN ZION | Lupe Fiasco
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: chores, whatever
Notes: First listen
Sun.2022.07.03 | Barbarism | Katie Alice Greer
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: chores, whatever
Notes: second listen - more conflicted than first listen - at least one more listen is in order
Mon.2022.07.04 | Some Cities | Doves
Format/Source: CD rip to my phone via Apple Music
Location/Context: chores, whatever
Notes: songs were in my head while mowing lawn (engine too loud for my earphones), or otherwise doing yard work (I make myself listen to the birds, the wind in the trees, the creek, and random neighborhood noises rather than listen to music) - so later, inside, on it went.
Mon-Wed.2022.07.04-06 | Barbarism | Katie Alice Greer
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: driving, then work
Notes: I wanted there to be something profound about listening to Flag Wave Pts. 1 and 2 on the actual 4th of July, but my driving trip was over less than halfway through and I never got back to listening to music again until the 6th of July. Oh well. This album has actually never sounded more right than it did while blaring out of my phone speaker.
Wed.2022.07.06 | Happier Than Ever | Billie Eilish
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: direct from iPhone speaker on my desk at work
Notes: a song came up on shuffle and it was great and I realized I never gave much attention to this album when it came out, so I gave it another listen right then. I still don’t find it as exciting as her first album, but extremely solid with some great songs.
Wed-Thur.2022.07.06-07 | Pink Dolphins | Anteloper
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: driving
Thur.2022.07.07 | It’s Giving SELF LOVE! | Dear Silas
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: reading with earphones
Fri.2022.07.08 | Movement (Definitive) [2019 Remaster] | New Order
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: working
Notes: This edition has a bunch of their early demos on the second “disc” (not sure a CD version actually even exists.) I want to buy physical copies of the “Collector’s Editions” of their first four albums, because they have second discs with all of the original singles and b-sides from the time period and New Order singles are absolutely key tracks - in the meantime I won’t lie I got three of them from the library and ripped them.
Fri.2022.07.08 | Any Shape You Take | Indigo De Souza
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: working
Fri-Sat.2022.07.08-09 | [Playlist] Superbloom | Apple Music Pop
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: working, driving, reading
Notes: Added a bunch of albums to my library for future listening from this playlist this time. I wonder if Spotify still has that Pollen playlist I used to like, and what it would be like now if it even exists…
Standalone post link: Listens Last Week (July 10, 2022)
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Reading Myself Write
[Originally Posted: 2022.07.08]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
Ugh. Fell into the “Writing the Great American Email” trap at work today. Several times.
Some people like hearing themselves talk, I guess I like reading myself write.
Ugh. Fell into the “Writing the Great American Email” trap at work today. Several times.
Some people like hearing themselves talk, I guess I like reading myself write.
(I recognize that this could be the thesis statement for this website.)
Standalone post link: Reading Myself Write
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Reading Loveless
[Originally Posted: 2022.07.04]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
I admit, I absolutely thought this was a graphic novel that I was going to blaze through in an hour, until the moment I opened it the other night and found almost 400 pages of un-illustrated, small-font text. Started reading it anyway.
I admit, I absolutely thought this was a graphic novel that I was going to blaze through in an hour, until the moment I opened it the other night and found almost 400 pages of un-illustrated, small-font text. Started reading it anyway.
At this point I’m still only about 5-10% hopeful that it will have anything to do with My Bloody Valentine’s classic shoegaze album.
Standalone post link: Reading Loveless
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Listens Last Week (July 3, 2022)
[Originally Posted: 2022.07.03]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
[Inaugural entry!]
A log of my full album or playlist music listens from the past week, with occasional notes and context. Does not include completely random shuffles, unless something worth commenting came up.
[Next week look for a “Links Last Week” log feature as well.]
[Inaugural entry!]
A log of my full album or playlist music listens from the past week, with occasional notes and context. Does not include completely random shuffles, unless something worth commenting came up.
[Next week look for a “Links Last Week” log feature as well.]
Date | Album or Playlist | Artist or Curator
Sun.2022.06.25 | Black to the Future | Sons of Kemet
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: cleanup at the cabin
Sun.2022.06.25 | A Light for Attracting Attention | The Smile
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: cleanup at the cabin
Mon.2022.06.26 | The Joshua Tree | U2
Format/Source: Vinyl LP
Location/Context: home stereo
Notes: My kids have been watching Sing 2 a bunch and I noticed that songs from this album kept popping up in the show, so I got this out and made them listen to it. And then it got stuck in my head, and I kept re-listening throughout the week. This was, for me, pretty much the definitive, ultimate album when I was a kid and teenager. Haven’t listened in a while, but won’t lie, I still really like it.
Tue-Wed.2022.06.27-28 | [Full Shuffle of 5 Albums] Lost Souls * The Last Broadcast * Some Cities * Kingdom of Rust * The Universal Want | Doves
Format/Source: combination of CD rips and Apple Music on my phone
Location/Context: over headphones at work, then while driving
Wed.2022.06.28 | Pink Dolphins | Anteloper
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: driving
Thur-Fri.2022.06.29-30 | [Playlist] The “Reconstructed” Joshua Tree | U2
Format/Source: CD rips
Location/Context: working and driving
Notes: As a teenager I read some obscure mention that The Joshua Tree was originally intended to be a double album, but that the producers or label talked U2 out of it. There was a supposed tracklist that incorporated the b-sides where they were supposed to be if it had been a double LP. I was obsessed with this, and even purchased on ebay the JT-era CD singles so that I could get access to these tracks. (They later of course released deluxe editions with all the b-sides, and now I think you can just get them via streaming.) Listened to my playlist of this expanded album for old-time’s sake. I do still love “Walk to the Water” and “Deep in the Heart” - “Silver and Gold” and “The Sweetest Thing” showed up later in other projects, but it is fun to hear the original versions in their original context. [This should become a digital garden entry and I should research out any truth to this and share the supposed tracklist.]
Thur.2022.06.29 | Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You | Big Thief
Format/Source: Double Vinyl LP
Location/Context: home while doing dishes, etc.
Thur.2022.06.29 | Butterfly 3000 | King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: laptop headphones
Notes: I got a Gizzyverse newsletter and then wanted to listen to their music. Also wanted to purchase a bunch of it on vinyl, but didn’t pull the trigger on that - yet.
Fri.2022.07.01 | [Playlist] New Music Friday | NPR Music
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: laptop
Fri.2022.07.01 | [Playlist - Partial] Wildflower | Apple Music Indie
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: laptop
Sat.2022.07.02 | Barbarism | Katie Alice Greer
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: driving around
Notes: First listen - discovered from the NPR New Music Friday playlist above. Not sure what I think yet, but there will be more listens.
Sat.2022.07.02 | Crest | Bladee & Ecco2k
Format/Source: Streaming - Apple Music
Location/Context: laptop headphones
Notes: listened while setting up the template and details for these new ‘Listens of Last Week’ pages.
Standalone post link: Listens Last Week (July 3, 2022)
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On Reading Updates
[Originally Posted: 2022.07.02]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
I’ve explored a lot of alternatives, but I’m going to continue with posting bespoke reading updates here; I’m also going to try and get back to sharing updates on Goodreads again.
I’ve explored a lot of alternatives, but I’m going to continue with posting bespoke reading updates here; I’m also going to try and get back to sharing updates on Goodreads again.
[Note: I originally wrote this on 2/21/2022, and found it in my notes yesterday, 7/1/2022, as I was working through updating my reading here and on Goodreads. Seemed relevant still to what I’m doing so I decided to post it now.]
Longer:
One of the things I’ve been trying to work through as far as how I want this website to function and how I want to participate in, or, more commonly these days, avoid various social media platforms, is how best to explore and share my reading life. I didn’t attend, but today lurked and poked around with interest on the notes and blog posts associated with the recent IndieWebCamp Pop-up on Personal Libraries. I always learn a lot when I start poking around on the websites of participants in the IndieWeb, and today was no exception. However, I did not find in the discussion or posts a viable alternative for Goodreads, at least not for my needs.
The key for me is that I’m already connected to many friends, colleagues, and, on occasion, even actual authors on Goodreads - it is one of the few social networks that I still participate in that actually kind-of works without distracting me too much from my original purpose. My original purpose when I’m on Goodreads is to explore what books these people I know are reading, or share my own reading with them, or find new books to read myself or purchase/share in my school library world. It’s not like twitter, where I log in at work to do a specific social media task and end up doomscrolling and angry about a bunch of different things that really have nothing to do with me. And in my experience there is not a lot of toxicity on Goodreads, at least compared to many other networks. (It does have its moments, though.)
There’s mainly just the philosophical problem that it is kind of a silo, and it is tied in with Amazon (though not as much or as well as it could be, to be honest). The fact that design-wise it is stuck in 2007 is maybe actually an asset these days?
At any rate, I’ve discovered nothing in the IndieWeb or decentralized offerings shared that I could ever hope to convince all or even a few of my contacts on Goodreads to adopt as an alternative to Goodreads. Even if there was something completely awesome I don’t know if I could do that; No one likes me that much to follow me to a whole new platform - it would have to sell itself.
So I’m going to post reading updates on my website so that I have them for myself, but I’m also going to continue to use Goodreads. I think I’m also going to continue to use Letterboxd for movies, and for now I’m continuing to scrobble all my listens to Last.fm. I can’t be a pure evangelist for the indieweb. For my website updates I may eventually figure out JSON or something to make them fancy or standardized, but for now I will just be typing things into markdown and html. That’s the origin and mode for a lot of what I do with this site, anyway.
Standalone post link: On Reading Updates
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Lunch Today
[Originally Posted: 2022.06.30]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
-
Tried Taqueria Los Lee for lunch today.
I’ve procrastinated actually trying this place for a year or two, so I’m lucky it still is open - the good, easy fast food taco place by my work closed down a couple of weeks ago, so I was finally driven to find a new option. I had gorditas with rice and beans and it was all very solid. I’ll be back for a burrito or tacos or something.
-
This interview with Alok Vaid-Menon was by far the best thing I’ve read/listened to/otherwise taken in this week.
Listened casually while eating my lunch - I’m going to need to listen again more carefully and unpack this, and then explore their work.
-
Tried Taqueria Los Lee for lunch today.
I’ve procrastinated actually trying this place for a year or two, so I’m lucky it still is open - the good, easy fast food taco place by my work closed down a couple of weeks ago, so I was finally driven to find a new option. I had gorditas with rice and beans and it was all very solid. I’ll be back for a burrito or tacos or something.
-
This interview with Alok Vaid-Menon was by far the best thing I’ve read/listened to/otherwise taken in this week.
Listened casually while eating my lunch - I’m going to need to listen again more carefully and unpack this, and then explore their work.
- I came back to the office and climbed the stairs without limping or even using the handrails!
I was carrying an iced coffee. There was no pain, just a little stiffness and awkwardness - my knee is actually getting better, finally.
(This was a major lunch excursion - I’ve taken to eating boring cafeteria food or microwaved things at my desk most days.)
Standalone post link: Lunch Today
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Life as fresh as this river
[Originally Posted: 2022.06.25]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
A man’s life should be constantly as fresh as this river. It should be the same channel, but a new water every instant…Most men have no inclination, no rapids, no cascades, but marshes, and alligators, and miasma instead.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 283-284 of 882)
A man’s life should be constantly as fresh as this river. It should be the same channel, but a new water every instant…Most men have no inclination, no rapids, no cascades, but marshes, and alligators, and miasma instead.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 283-284 of 882)
Longer, with more context:
Undoubtedly, countless reforms are called for, because society is not animated, or instinct enough with life… All men are partially buried in the grave of custom, and of some we see only the crown of the head above ground. Better are the physically dead, for they more lively rot. Even virtue is no longer such if it be stagnant. A man’s life should be constantly as fresh as this river. It should be the same channel, but a new water every instant…Most men have no inclination, no rapids, no cascades, but marshes, and alligators, and miasma instead.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 283-284 of 882)
Standalone post link: Life as fresh as this river
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Men do outrage to their proper natures as the tool of an institution
[Originally Posted: 2022.06.25]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
Herein is the tragedy: that men doing outrage to their proper natures, even those called wise and good, lend themselves to perform the office of inferior and brutal ones. Hence come war and slavery in; and what else may not come in by this opening? But certainly there are modes by which a man may put bread into his mouth which will not prejudice him as a companion and neighbor.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 283 of 882)
Herein is the tragedy: that men doing outrage to their proper natures, even those called wise and good, lend themselves to perform the office of inferior and brutal ones. Hence come war and slavery in; and what else may not come in by this opening? But certainly there are modes by which a man may put bread into his mouth which will not prejudice him as a companion and neighbor.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 283 of 882)
Longer, with more context:
If, for instance, a man asserts the value of individual liberty over the merely political commonweal, his neighbor still tolerates him, that he who is living near him, sometimes even sustains him, but never the State. Its officer, as a living man, may have human virtues and a thought in his brain, but as the tool of an institution, a jailer or constable it may be, he is not a whit superior to his prison key or his staff. Herein is the tragedy: that men doing outrage to their proper natures, even those called wise and good, lend themselves to perform the office of inferior and brutal ones. Hence come war and slavery in; and what else may not come in by this opening? But certainly there are modes by which a man may put bread into his mouth which will not prejudice him as a companion and neighbor.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 283 of 882)
Standalone post link: Men do outrage to their proper natures as the tool of an institution
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Men execute nothing so faithfully as the wills of the dead...
[Originally Posted: 2022.06.25]
[Last Updated: 2022.08.11]
“I love man-kind, but I hate the institutions of the dead un-kind. Men execute nothing so faithfully as the wills of the dead, to the last codicil and letter. They rule this world, and the living are but their executors.”"
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 282 of 882)
“I love man-kind, but I hate the institutions of the dead un-kind. Men execute nothing so faithfully as the wills of the dead, to the last codicil and letter. They rule this world, and the living are but their executors.”"
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 282 of 882)
Longer, with more context"
Thus it has happened, that not the Arch Fiend himself has been in my way, but these toils which tradition says were originally spun to obstruct him. They are cobwebs and trifling obstacles in an earnest man’s path, it is true, and at length one even becomes attached to his unswept and undusted garret. I love man—kind, but I hate the institutions of the dead un-kind. Men execute nothing so faithfully as the wills of the dead, to the last codicil and letter. They rule this world, and the living are but their executors. Such foundation too have our lectures and our sermons, commonly.
– Henry David Thoreau, from “Monday,” A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (location 282 of 882)