Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Bring that snow.


New Snow, Northern Michigan, 2.08.08
End of February, starting to hear lots of folks say things like "I am so bored with winter" and "I am so bored with winter." But this has been a nice one, I think, for the way it, like, keeps renewing itself, you know? The winter melts on you, leaves standing water in your yard, looks ugly, and then snows all over again and some part of you says "yay, snow!" That reaction doesn't happen when you just have snow every day; it's the mud/snow cycle of this winter that keeps bringing that feeling back for me.

I haven't been posting much lately, but life has proceeded regardless. For example, I have been busy with my winter sport of mice-killin, though I appear to have scared off, or smushed, all my opponents. There is not nearly as much sport in mousing as there is in mole-hunting, which requires a high degree of judgment, sensitivty to the rodent-mind, and cold-blooded wilfulness. Mouse hunting just requires peanut butter. Still, it passes the time.

So here is a snow day, then. Snow day #5, the first one to officially make my summer shorter by one day. That is one long bike ride I will not get to take now. Still, it is hard to argue against a snow day. They're gifts, where you don't have to do nothing you don't want to do apart from the occasional time-out for your kids. So far, I've spent most of the morning looking up the TAB and Youtube covers for REM ("Driver 8" and "Talk About the Passion"), Big Star ("I'm in Love with a Girl"--but I tell my girl it's "The June-y Song"), and that "Falling Slowly" song from Once (which is a little cheesey, but it's of the moment).

And now the kids are asleep and I'll either go skiing or read a little more of the new Junot Diaz so that I can hopefully, retroactively, remove some of my demerits with my club. Probably not. This is a club that does not forget.

And if you like The Smiths, I found this pretty awesome Youtube of a guy showing how he recreates the effects for "How Soon is Now." I've watched it about four times now, I think.


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15 comments:

Hmmm? said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meg Marie said...

amazing youtube video.
for some reason, i lack the ability to find interesting youtube vids. i wish i could figure it out. i'm often bored and would like some interesting videos to watch

sarahjane said...

Some people have too much time on their hands, and I'm not sure if I'm talking about the dude who made the video or the dude who admitted to watching it four times. Because I know you'd totally sit there all day and try to recreate that if you had all the equipment. And you're right, this book club does not forget.

HerrHerr said...

There's that pesky folks again, haha.
The snow kept me from seeing Dir en grey last February, and I don't think I will ever forgive it.
I've never listened to The Smiths; I have always wanted to, mostly because I find Morrissey particularly entertaining. Any album suggestions?

Mr. Hill said...

I will take a controversial path on the question of which Smiths album to listen to first. Most who consider themselves true fans will tell you to get The Queen is Dead, but my favorite is the compilation of singles and B-sides called Louder than Bombs. Their last record, Strangeways Here We Come is great, too.

Man, Sarah, I hit Abelard's section in Oscar Wao and I can't put the thing down now. Quite the ripping yarn now.

HerrHerr said...

Thanks a lot! I'll try to check both of those out.

Oh, have you had a chance to listen to of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? yet?

Mr. Hill said...

No--I did listen to a few El Guincho things, though. Not sure I see the Person Pitch/ Strawberry Jam connection.

Unknown said...

Dare I say Johnny Marr's current band is better than his old one?

Mr. Hill said...

Not if you're referring to Modest Mouse, you daren't.

Not hating on MM, but this *is* The Smith's we're talking about.

Mr. Hill said...

Not sure why I said Smith's instead of Smiths. Must be a poseur.

Unknown said...

I don't know...The Smiths have one "great" album, and Modest Mouse has at least two.

..I mean, I'm not a mathematician, but..

zzzzz said...

... you weren't digging at me when I said "I am so bored with winter" in my blog were you? ;) If there were any hills worth carving on (in fort wayne), I'd be out on the snow with a snowboard.

sarahjane said...

You're right, you're not a mathematician. ONE great album Smiths album? Your math is all wrong! :)

Glad the book is picking up for you, Scott. That's how I felt too. Maybe now you could be reconciled with the rest of the group. We'll see.

HerrHerr said...

I think the Strawberry Jam suggestion is mainly out of necessity to compare; it's the closest thing that one can quickly think of.

Oh yeah, I'm listening to Louder Than Bombs. Pretty nice.

Mr. Hill said...

naw, tsea, didn't mean it personal--you were just expressing the zeitgeist and I used your wording to capture it.

And hey, I got a Vivitar 385HV the other day. Still kind of clueless about it, but it's fun to experiment with.