playlist 12/9/08

It's a coffee and cinnamon pop-tarts morning. Got kind of folky later on in this set.

radiohead - there there
burial - shell of light
erykah badu - bag lady
soul coughing - lazybones
morcheeba - let me see
people under the stairs - l.a. song (sensitive remix)
tribe called quest - check the rhime
the verve - life's an ocean
U2 - 4th of july
the telescopes - spaceship
manu chao - mentira
souad massi - houria
soulsavers - arizona bay
red house painters - priest alley
nina simone - mood indigo
scrawl - guess i'll wait
r.e.m. - drive
julie miller & steve earle - all my tears
alvin youngblood hart & the carolina chocolate drops - city of refuge
calexico - dub latina
cafe tacuba - encantamiento inutil
john frusciante - a song to sing when i'm lonely
habib koite - i ka barra
sierra leone refugee all-stars - seconds (U2 cover)
bb seaton - summertime
raphael saadiq - 100 yard dash

light, bright, and sparkling

So it's been an interesting week... almost-drama that's amusing in its absurdity especially since I was unaware of any previous relationship, strange characters in and out of my workplace, and the small wonders and frustrations that is the daily grind.

I wish I was as gifted of a writer as Jane Austen because like her, I find the quirks and small dramas and greater universal issues apparent in my small little corner of the world fascinating. I wish I could capture and distill like she did, but I doubt I will ever be able to do that.

When I look back at my Kent State education, I'd have to say the highlight of my English department experience was my Austen seminar I took senior year where we read everything she wrote, along with "Reading Lolita in Tehran," "Persepolis," and the not nearly as exciting "Jane Austen Book Club" which maybe I'd appreciate if I was closer to middle age, but I'm not there yet and will hopefully be reading more exciting things than that.

I was afraid that I would hate Jane after a whole semester of immersion but it turned me into a fangirl even moreso. Not that I run through the streets of Cleveland in empire-waist dresses figuring out when the next ball is, but I found the books entertaining in the extreme. I guess it's a predisposition for dry British humor that I always fall for and the hope against hope for happy endings in spite of my preconceptions.

there goes the last dj, who plays what he wants to play...

I know I shouldn't admit this as a devotee of all things college radio, but I have the local "K-Rock" and all three classic rock stations preset on my car as well, in case I don't want to listen to ambient drone, macedonian pop, or speed metal. Besides, being a native of the North Coast, I still love my classic rock and the Gen-X equivalent thereof. Despite my excursions into other sonic territory, these are where my roots are. In my universe, you can't hear "Evenflow," "When the Levee Breaks," or anything by Soul Coughing too many times.

But I felt a small sense of loss, when I hit 92.3 and realize they don't have DJs anymore, because as corporate as the station is, they actually seemed to have some personality or something, and in some cases you got a sense of what they were into, as opposed to what was on the playlist. The generic voiceover format is disconcerting, as is the sudden influx of blandness (whether or not this is better than 20-year-olds with bad hair and who were signed by pete wentz is to be debated). I also think about how these people lost their jobs too. I know times are tough, but sheesh.

I keep hearing the claims of terrestrial radio being a dying format and maybe for some it is, at least the segment of the population that has satellite radio or the Internet or their iPod but for me and probably others, but for those of us with a tape player and some presets on their dial, it's still a big thing. I've got my personalities that I enjoy, and I appreciate the eclecticism of views and styles that I get exposed to, whether it's gamelan orchestras, Rastafarian philosophy, obscure garage rock gems, Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonations, or call-in shows where people talk about neighborhood community service, their favorite haunted Ohio spots, or the local hip-hop scene.

But then again, this is coming from someone who currently does not own her own computer, laments that she can't find blank cassette tapes anywhere, and gave in to having a cell phone only because it was cheaper than having a land line in her given situation...

my girl, my girl, don't lie to me...

driving on the slick cleveland roads, skidding around the corner of 30th and St. Clair, laughing as I listen to the show before me.

playlist 12/2/08

radiohead - talk show host
cut chemist - the garden
caetano veloso - haiti
holly golightly & the greenhornes - there is an end
twilight singers - hit the street
keur moussa - ethiopie
manu chao - por lo suelo
antonio carlos jobim - generique (black orpheus soundtrack)
ceu - concrete jungle
blockhead - cavelight / breathe and start
seungchul ahn - my heart is azure
beginning of the end - funky nassau part 2
segun bucknor - la la la
black keys - i got mine (request)
cloud cult - da dum (request)
mexican institute of sound - el microfono
tinariwen - qualahila ar tesninam
the clash - london calling (live)
herbie mann - cajun moon
mark lanegan & kurt cobain - where did you sleep last night
gutter twins - bete noire
blind melon - 2X4
mike odemusu - chant
fela kuti - jeun ko ku
aretha franklin - rock steady

slackerness

So in the spirit of holiday cheer and togetherness with family and friends, I forgot to renew that fun little sticker on the back of my license plate. I'm going to catch it tomorrow when I drive down here and hopefully avoid law enforcement figures in the meantime because I have neither the cash in hand or my registration papers.

Awesome.

Though I have to say this was a pretty good weekend. Hanging with my mom's side of the family, feeling really short (I'm on the taller side of average, but 5'7 feels lilliputian in the face of my 6'8 cousins), chilling at the apartment, catching up on desperately needed sleep and time to read, successfully avoided any holiday shopping madness.

Made it to the 5th annual Thanksgiving feast thrown by one of my former housemates and a group of our friends from the Kent State days. They've been doing their own Thanksgiving ritual for the past five years, born from a love of cooking, football, classic rock, and simple just hanging out.

There were fewer of us this year, most of us having graduated and scattered across the country, those who stayed anxious about an uncertain future in Cleveland, and there was no record player cranking out the Violent Femmes, Queen, and Jimi Hendrix, but it's always good to hear stories of Joel's adventures in Bryce Canyon, me and Danica reminiscing about our English major days and trading ESL teaching stories, reliving of past broomball glories, and the spirited discussions of politics, music, and sports.

By the end of the night, the food was gone, the wine drank, and the music had shifted down from Cake to Mazzy Star, and while I don't yearn for the carefree college days, it's good to know there's still a few of us still alive and kicking.

look at all the love we found.

As messed-up as some things can be, I am still amazed at what I am surrounded by. Serenades and phone calls and little gifts and the best thing ever: time with the people I love and care about, whether it's long distance over the phone, or just chilling out.

I am so blessed to have what I have.

quarterlife

I turn 25 today. I don't think I'm a midlife or even quarterlife crisis kind of person but I've been feeling pretty low the past two days. Still, I feel good about the show I did this morning and I'm just going to try and get through today.

playlist 11/25/08

diplo- summer's gonna hurt you
tv on the radio - family tree
lupe fiasco - kick push
joe gibbs - universal dub
dr alimantado - here for a purpose
love - alone again or
kristin hersh & michael stipe - your ghost
gutter twins - who will lead us?
ollabelle - no more my lord
martina topley-bird - anything
cut chemist - the garden
joe strummer and the mescaleros - tony adams
regina carter - higher ground
outkast - liberation
irene stevenson - if it had not been for jesus
the masonic wonders - i called him
sonic youth - tabla in suburbia
mazzy star - take everything
U2 - acrobat
afghan whigs - uptown again
the cure - cut
lamb - this could be heaven