The Status of Things

I have moved into a new apartment. It is located at 43rd St and Baltimore Ave, which is a very nice location, with a park, a cafe, and numerous restaurants located nearby. I like it very much. Unfortunately, I'm not getting internet access there until the 19th, which means that I'll be checking email and such sporadically at various libraries, public (40th and Walnut) and Drexel (33rd and Market).

So anyway, here are some random thoughts that I'm having about things:

- Steve Irwin - I think the biggest surprise is that he didn't get killed sooner. I mean, by all accounts he should have died 20 times by now, right? That said, I'm trying not to laugh at the situation, and I am genuinely a little bit disappointed. Steve was one of those guys that brought a genuine and earnest enthusiasm to everything he did. He just wanted to share his joy with the world, and there's nothing bad that you can say about that.

- Yo La Tengo - Here's the album title of the century: I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. I managed to download it before I moved out of my old place and lost the internet, but all the songs get cut off with a minute left to go for some reason. Am I actually going to have to buy it?! It sounds pretty good from what I heard.

- The Valerie Project - I'll admit it: I am completely in love with crazy neo-hippies who make weird psychedelic folk music. And I've talked numerous times about how much I love Greg Weeks and Espers (just use the search bar at the top of the page). So how could I not love this?

- Gary Higgins - Speaking of hippies and folk music, Gary freaking Higgins (!) is playing at the First Unitarian Church. Of course, I'm sooooo cool that I saw him last fall. Espers opened up, believe it or not. I might go see him again, though, because who knows how long it will be before he kicks it? We've lost fellow psychedelic hermits Arthur Lee and Syd Barrett in the past few months, and that stuff comes in threes, right?

- Cell phones - My cell phone bill for this month is probably going to be gargantuan. Not having the internet has led to a lot of text messages and phone calls that would probably otherwise not have happened. On the other hand, I've actually had an honest-to-goodness phone conversation with at least one person that I've never actually talked to in a non-internet setting. So that was nice.

Ok, I'm done. More if and when I get an opportunity.