Shout out for great organization: Arcus Foundation

I would like to give my support and cheers to the Arcus Foudation.

"The mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes."


Enough said.

Hearing

What I've been excited about and listening to lately:


3. Kings of Leon: Only By The Night
Rocker'esk. Energetic. Catchy. I can't wait to put them on my iPod and go for a hard run.

2. The ReMINDers: ReCollect
Hip hop couple currently residing in CO. He sounds like JayZ, her voice blows my mind. They're politically conscious, hopeful and inspiring. I saw them last week at Community Cafe, hosted by IMAN. (You should check out the next Cafe. It was excellent.)

1. The Silent Years
I don't have their album yet, but I've been sampling. They're opening for Longwave at the Double Door on Dec. 17. I'm stoked to go. They have such different sounds -- folk, acoustic, rock... they go loud and energetic and soft and pensive. LOVE THEM.

Enjoy!!!

Shout out for my fav Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals released Cardinology on October 28.

I rarely can give one answer to a "favorite ever" question, except that Ryan Adams is my favorite musician ever.

I don't find their new album to differ too greatly that past albums, and in truth it isn't INCREDIBLE, but it's fresh and new Ryan Adam's sound, so I'm in.

Check it out:

http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/artist/releases/release.aspx?pid=1755&aid=58.

Things I think are just great - Post #2

Fall has arrived. The air smells like fall, leaves crunch and blow, and every morning I sprint from my warm bed through my freezing apartment to the stove to make tea.

Things you should take advantage of:

A morning or dusk on the lakefront. The air and wind is crisp, but not too cold. The sunsets are gentle and layered, and the water is a deep sea green. Today on my bike ride home, a man was painting the horizon, a few men were snapping photos, and other young people had simply put down their bikes to sit for a while.

Honey crisp apples from a farmers' market. I got mine this past Tuesday at Dearborn/Adams. They're the best apples I've ever had -- and I know apples. Check out the Green City Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I'm sure they're there as well.

An out-of-city trip. Tomorrow a friend and I are taking our bikes on the Metra post-work and traveling out of the city to ride.

Learning about Eritrea. This might not improve your joy and faith in humanity's goodness, but eat a honey crisp apple while reading and it should balance you a bit. Few people know about Eritrea, yet it is one of the world's leaders in human rights violations. The government forces young men and women into the military, where they are tortured, mistreated and the women often raped. Check out Human Rights Watch or the BBC for articles on Eritrea and the surrounding countries in the Horn of Africa.

Dictionary.com's Word-a-Day. It makes speaking more adventurous. Recent favorite words: enervate. slugabed. repine.

Things I think are just great - Post #1

NPR has a Song a Day feature. I live by it and have been introduced to great music in the past few weeks!

My current favorites:

** Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
Released November 2007. Pure acoustic melodies. Simple almost haunting lyrics that are a play on words. His lyrics don't explicitly define his thoughts or moods, but in that sense, they strike me as lovely. Definitely a mood album. A few friends have seconded my statement that the album is addicting. I can't turn it off.

** The Portland Cello Project
Who doesn't love cellos?? Everything from rock/pop songs with other artists to classic cello pieces to experimental melodies. They're next on my to-buy list.

** Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line
I heard them on NPR and fell for the catchy energetic full sound of this six person Syracuse band. Then I saw them live at Subterranean earlier this month. The Rhumb Line was just released in the middle of August 2008 and they're on their first tour. They have a cellist and violinist. Super great.

Other great people to check out: Matt Nathanson, Jose Gonzalez, Calexico

Landlines

So I've come to the conclusion that living simply has to come in incremental changes (props to Jeff for the encouragement) and then a few risky decisions. I'm at the point of incremental changes... and needing a new change. I'm open to ideas! For now, I've only bought second hand clothes for the past five months, I take books from the library instead of buying, I shop at farmers' markets and my locally owned grocery store, and I've become my grandma by reusing Ziploc bags. What's next? Being more mindful of how much shampoo, paper towels, hair products I use? Act like they're the last ones I have? Compost in my 3 room apt? I think not...

If I were to take risks, this is how I'd simplify my life:

I'd get a landline.

Seriously, I think about landlines a lot. What happened to them? They have such charm, such intimacy.

This week I'm without a cell phone. The past two days have been glorious. If I say I'm meeting a friend somewhere, we meet. Or we don't. But there's none of this:

4:30 Cell phone conversation: "Let's meet at 5:00 at the cafe." "Great, see you there."

5:02 Cell phone rings: "I'm on my way." "Great, see you soon."

5:05 Cell phone rings: "I stopped to get some groceries. Want any oranges? They're on sale." "No, I'll just see you when you arrive."

I mean, really. That's so distracting. Just show up late! Why the three conversations?

How do you feel about landlines?

I'M FOR 'EM!