I don't think about perfume.

IT IS A WAY OF TRYING

"Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), meanwhile, testified before the committee, blasting what she characterized as an “extortion” effort by Chevron Oil Co. to attempt to convince Congress and USTR to deny Ecuador ATPA benefits because of an oil contamination lawsuit filed by Ecuadorians against Chevron. Chevron is facing the possibility of a $27 billion pollution judgment against it in an Ecuadorian court." ~ "Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) testified against Chevron's efforts to have ATPDEA benefits for Ecuador limited at the hearing yesterday. She pointed out that Chevron's complaints stem from a private lawsuit between thousands of Ecuadorians against Chevron alleging that it is liable for the damage caused by billions of gallons of toxic oil waste dumped into rivers and streams." ~ "Chevron is calling on Congress to curtail the country's trade benefits,which Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., labeled "little more than extortion." ~ "'Instead of settling with the plaintiffs, embarking on clean-up efforts, or even seeking mediation, Chevron has engaged in a lobbying effort that looks like little more than extortion,” Sanchez said in her prepared testimony. “Apparently, if it can't get the outcome it wants from the Ecuadorian court system, Chevron will use the U.S. government to deny trade benefits until Ecuador cries uncle.'" ~ "Last week, U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) excoriated Chevron's tactics in testimony before the House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee. She testified that the company is engaging in "a lobbying effort that looks like little more than extortion." ~ “Their lobbying and PR efforts are really clumsy and very heavy handed, and I think that that’s why they’re experiencing a degree of backlash,” said Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), who is circulating the first of what she promises will be three letters to colleagues blasting what she calls the company’s “misguided approach” to dealing with the case." ~ "In an interview, Sanchez, who will testify Tuesday at a hearing her House Ways and Means subcommittee is scheduled to hold on free trade agreements, said Chevron is “trying to leverage our trade policy in order to get a lawsuit dismissed that is currently pending before the Ecuadorean court. It is a way of trying to undermine the rule of law, and I just find that completely abhorrent. It’s shocking.” ~ "U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez of California today urged Congress to reject Chevron’s attempts to co-opt US foreign trade policy and programs so that the company could gain an advantage in private litigation and to focus on the merits of renewing trade preferences in testimony before the House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee...“Instead of settling with the plaintiffs, embarking on clean-up efforts, or even seeking mediation, Chevron has engaged in a lobbying effort that looks like little more than extortion,” Sanchez said in her testimony. “Apparently, if it can’t get the outcome it wants from the Ecuadorian court system, Chevron will use the US government to deny trade benefits until Ecuador cries uncle.”"

RHYOLITE, NEVADA

When the sun sets the music stops.

DEVOURED ELYSIUM

Next weekend I am driving to Baltimore to go to the Maryland Death Festival. It is a showcase of metal acts from around the world, and it is great time to be inspired. I spend my entire year looking forward to this because it is the closest America comes to creating a European style metal meeting ground. All the artists hang around all weekend and you get to meet a lot of cool people who really believe in evil. I'm going to try and bring an audio recorder and do some interviews there with fans and innocents.

BIRBIGS

This morning I was chipping away at my long list of back logged This American Life episodes, listening to an episode about being afraid of sleep. When I was younger I had frequent night paralysis hallucinations and sleep-walk-rage, so it was cool to hear other people talk about their experiences. The best part of the whole show was Mike Birbiglia telling his hilarious sleep-running story. It was recorded at The Moth in NYC and they have it available on itunes for free and I strongly recommend you listen to it. Birbiglia has turned this story and many others into a one man play which he is now performing in New York.

SLUG SERIES PRT 1

I want to start recording my own music, but I am having trouble piecing together ideas.  So in an attempt to build experience and confidence I am going to try a little project which I would like to call the "Slug Series".  My favorite songwriter is Stephin Merritt (The Gothic Archies, The Magnetic Fields, Future Bible Heroes) and he has alot of very simple songs.  Every week I'm going to try and record myself doing a different Stephin Merritt song.  My talents with instruments is fairly/painfully limited (though I am pretty alright at the saxophone), but I'll try my best.  

"Smile! No One Cares How You Feel" by The Gothic Archies

This first song is from a collection of the music Mr. Merritt recorded for the Lemony Snicket audio books.  Snicket was at one point the accordion player in Merritt's band.  I had trouble playing the guitar arpeggio so I kinda made something up and looped it.  It goes in and out of time, but the whole thing is boring enough where it doesn't matter/makes it better.  

CAR-CASSES

881 US auto dealerships closed in 2008

I admire the men women who parked all of these unsold cars.  Kind of a sad recession proof job, but a real opportunity for creative mosiacs.  

FEARS AND BEERS

I have a little college radio show that is themed around evil, depressing and scary music. While putting a show together I was going through my music collection and thinking how I've been genuinely frightened by music three times. My pre-interactional mental state had a lot to do with each situation, but that should not diminish the power of these musicians and their work.

I am generally a very happy person, but a couple weeks ago I was really overcome with a strong sensation of dread. It seemed useless to stay up, so I went to bed. Before going to bed I usually pick some sort of soundtrack to prevent myself from thinking too much. Like a fool, I felt the droning qualities of Neurosis's Through Silver In Blood would be appropriate. My thoughts were accelerated and instead of sleep I found my clearest understanding of being murdered.

My father has had major health problems my entire life. I can remember as far back as being 5 and wondering if my dad was going to die. It's just one of those residual fears. Over a year ago, during a time when my father was in the hospital, I was listening to Valentin Silvestrov's Requiem For Larissa for the first time. This near hour long piece of music was composed in the 3 years proceeding the death of his wife. It is Silvestrov's personal account of the entire experience. The back half of the record tells the story of his grief, but the beginning of the piece is about his fear leading up to her death, and I could not listen past the third movement (of seven). It really pulled my own fear out of me.

Du Tréfonds Des Ténèbres is the first song on The Umbersun, a complete black hole of an album by French gothic neo-classical collective called Elend. There is no real story to this one. This one just scared me one time.

RUIN IN MY NIGHTS

Let's maintain no patience for failure.

ASGAR / GABRIEL

What's alive here?

MANDIBLE CHATTER

Thank god there was no arugula involved.

ATTEMPTING THE IMPOSSIBLE

I have the biggest head ache right now. The above is a moving "magic eye" 3D picture. Watch that for a minute.

Someone has actually programmed Quake II to be played entirely in magic eye. This is my mission.

LAY DOWN YOUR SOUL

I love black metal. It's romantic, visual, and filled with myth.

I took these pictures of Watain when they performed in Cambridge.

ROT ROTTING ROT

One thing you should know about me is that I love sea mammals.

MODERATE CONTROL

You are huge. That means you have huge guts.