I'm in Jersey right now, packing and preparing at my parents' house for my imminent departure for Mediterranean lands. I'll be working for 4 weeks or so -- in Athens, Rome, Florence and Paris (one week in each place), followed by a ten-day trip around France with the young Miss Beth.
I've never been to Greece, and I've traveled very little in France (a number of times in Paris, and once in Strasbourg), so any advice, recommendations, etc, are of course very welcome.
I'll get those pictures of the pig pickin' up soon enough -- don't despair. I hope that all are well.
29 June 2008
26 June 2008
Pig Pickin'
Yesterday I hosted a pig pickin' here in Asheville. We roasted a forty-pound pig over a wood fire. 'Twas delicious.
I'll put pictures up soon.
I'll put pictures up soon.
23 June 2008
Oil!
Thomas Friedman gets mad
And on the subject of oil, if you haven't yet seen "There Will Be Blood," you should go rent it immediately. 'Tis quite amazing.
And on the subject of oil, if you haven't yet seen "There Will Be Blood," you should go rent it immediately. 'Tis quite amazing.
21 June 2008
48 Hour Film Project
I've just made some very strange music on Garage Band, and I would like to share with y'all.
The music is to be used on the soundtrack of a film that some friends are making for the 48 Hour Film Festival here in Asheville. The idea of the Festival is:
At seven o' clock on a Friday night (this year, this was yesterday), people must report to a central location where they are given a film genre, a line of dialogue, a character name and description, and one prop. They then have forty-eight hours to make a film and hand it in to be judged and screened.
So I'm the soundtrack guy, making a soundtrack to a film that I've never seen. And it is quite strange music indeed.
Oh, and their character was a printer, thus all the printer references. Enjoy.
And another "Oh" -- I wrote and recorded all of these songs today -- Just bear that in mind when listening.
(And sorry for the crap writing -- it has been a long day)
Enjoy!
Don Quixote
Finger Harp
I'll Never Print Again
The Printer
Zufolare
The music is to be used on the soundtrack of a film that some friends are making for the 48 Hour Film Festival here in Asheville. The idea of the Festival is:
At seven o' clock on a Friday night (this year, this was yesterday), people must report to a central location where they are given a film genre, a line of dialogue, a character name and description, and one prop. They then have forty-eight hours to make a film and hand it in to be judged and screened.
So I'm the soundtrack guy, making a soundtrack to a film that I've never seen. And it is quite strange music indeed.
Oh, and their character was a printer, thus all the printer references. Enjoy.
And another "Oh" -- I wrote and recorded all of these songs today -- Just bear that in mind when listening.
(And sorry for the crap writing -- it has been a long day)
Enjoy!
Don Quixote
Finger Harp
I'll Never Print Again
The Printer
Zufolare
20 June 2008
Imminent Departure
One week from today I fly back to Jersey, where I'll rest for a few days before heading off to Europe. I will once again be working for Abbey Road (a company that specializes in study-abroad programs for high school students). We'll be spending one week in each of the following cities: Athens, Rome, Florence, and Paris.
The students will be studying Western Civilization by learning about major moments in history in the places where they have happened. I'll be doing the same, though I'll surely also be spending most of my time on somewhat more mundane matters.
Not that I'm complaining. There are worse places in the world to be working.
After the completion of the program, I'll be hanging around France for another ten days. Beth will be coming over to visit me during that time.
In other matters, my ribcage is finally beginning to return to normal. I'm in somewhat less pain than I was -- I can, for instance, now sit up without screaming. I can also walk without limping, wincing, and holding my side. This is a good thing.
Finally, I've got some more pictures of my garden to share. If you're bored of these types of photos, sorry. I'm just too excited about these growing plants not to share.
Enjoy.
SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI PLANTS
SQUASH FLOWER
SWISS CHARD
TOMATO
TOMATO
JAPANESE EGGPLANT
STRING BEAN
The students will be studying Western Civilization by learning about major moments in history in the places where they have happened. I'll be doing the same, though I'll surely also be spending most of my time on somewhat more mundane matters.
Not that I'm complaining. There are worse places in the world to be working.
After the completion of the program, I'll be hanging around France for another ten days. Beth will be coming over to visit me during that time.
In other matters, my ribcage is finally beginning to return to normal. I'm in somewhat less pain than I was -- I can, for instance, now sit up without screaming. I can also walk without limping, wincing, and holding my side. This is a good thing.
Finally, I've got some more pictures of my garden to share. If you're bored of these types of photos, sorry. I'm just too excited about these growing plants not to share.
Enjoy.
19 June 2008
13 June 2008
Garden and Rock
Some more photos of the garden and its delights below. Also enjoy a picture of me (looking a bit scary) from Sirius.B's recent show at the Garage at Biltmore.
Very few of the plants have yet to bear fruit, though I have been enjoying the Swiss Chard and the Mustard Greens with delightful abandon. Radishes (as is obvious from the photo) have also been popping out, though I seem to only get about one a day or so that seem ready to pull.
BASIL
WATERMELON
RADISH
GARDEN (SEE SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI ON LEFT)
GARDEN
TOMATO PLANTS
JAPANESE EGGPLANT
Leaving the garden for a minute, find below a picture of me from the Garage at Biltmore (Photo by Zen, a student of mine and a local photographer). I believe that I may have just broken a string, thus my guitar-less presence on stage.
ME, AT THE GARAGE
Very few of the plants have yet to bear fruit, though I have been enjoying the Swiss Chard and the Mustard Greens with delightful abandon. Radishes (as is obvious from the photo) have also been popping out, though I seem to only get about one a day or so that seem ready to pull.
Leaving the garden for a minute, find below a picture of me from the Garage at Biltmore (Photo by Zen, a student of mine and a local photographer). I believe that I may have just broken a string, thus my guitar-less presence on stage.
12 June 2008
A HARD FALL
This is the first "personal" post in quite some time. A brief tale:
On Tuesday night, relaxing at a friend's house, enjoying the company, snacks, and drinks on offer, I leaned against a porch railing. Said porch sat a comfortable two to three feet off of the ground and said railing, replete with vertical and horizontal wooden pieces, was stabilized by one lone, rusty nail.
Being ignorant of the presence of only one stabilizing nail, I leaned against this railing with little trepidation and promptly found myself hurled two to three feet down and as many feet backwards at an alarming rate. I fell on my back and side, tumbled over, and landed finally on the earth with the entire railing and vertical slats atop my body. My knee was bleeding and I was rather disoriented, but I felt otherwise okay. The alarmed shouts and stares (and surprised laughter) of my friends seemed unjustified (besides the laughter, of course, which seemed quite justified).
Within a few hours, however, their alarm seemed quite understandable, as the pain on my left side, at the bottom and below my rib cage, was quite severe. I spent the night in pain and the next day in the hospital.
In the end, it appears that I had only greatly bruised my rib. I may have a slight fracture, though it was probably only a contusion. Unfortunately, as the original x-rays revealed no fracture, the medical professionals were worried that I may have ruptured or otherwise damaged my spleen or a kidney, and so I was asked to undergo a CT scan. In the end, as I have said, this scan revealed only that I had badly bruised my rib and the surrounding tissue.
And so, I am thankfully okay, though still in pain, and merely hoping at this point that the owner of my friend's house (not my friend) does not rise up in anger when he is informed that he will be paying for my medical bills.
Quite an adventurous day in the end.
(*Note: If this post seems a bit too shamefully poetic or somewhat garbled, forgive me. I blame the pain medication that I've been prescribed)
In addition to all of that, I wish to share a rather strange video with you all -- 'tis a press conference given by Tom Waits regarding his upcoming tour. Enjoy.
On Tuesday night, relaxing at a friend's house, enjoying the company, snacks, and drinks on offer, I leaned against a porch railing. Said porch sat a comfortable two to three feet off of the ground and said railing, replete with vertical and horizontal wooden pieces, was stabilized by one lone, rusty nail.
Being ignorant of the presence of only one stabilizing nail, I leaned against this railing with little trepidation and promptly found myself hurled two to three feet down and as many feet backwards at an alarming rate. I fell on my back and side, tumbled over, and landed finally on the earth with the entire railing and vertical slats atop my body. My knee was bleeding and I was rather disoriented, but I felt otherwise okay. The alarmed shouts and stares (and surprised laughter) of my friends seemed unjustified (besides the laughter, of course, which seemed quite justified).
Within a few hours, however, their alarm seemed quite understandable, as the pain on my left side, at the bottom and below my rib cage, was quite severe. I spent the night in pain and the next day in the hospital.
In the end, it appears that I had only greatly bruised my rib. I may have a slight fracture, though it was probably only a contusion. Unfortunately, as the original x-rays revealed no fracture, the medical professionals were worried that I may have ruptured or otherwise damaged my spleen or a kidney, and so I was asked to undergo a CT scan. In the end, as I have said, this scan revealed only that I had badly bruised my rib and the surrounding tissue.
And so, I am thankfully okay, though still in pain, and merely hoping at this point that the owner of my friend's house (not my friend) does not rise up in anger when he is informed that he will be paying for my medical bills.
Quite an adventurous day in the end.
(*Note: If this post seems a bit too shamefully poetic or somewhat garbled, forgive me. I blame the pain medication that I've been prescribed)
In addition to all of that, I wish to share a rather strange video with you all -- 'tis a press conference given by Tom Waits regarding his upcoming tour. Enjoy.
10 June 2008
Gardening
As I've mentioned in a previous post, I've been spending a lot of time recently in my garden. I started this project a few months ago, planting incredibly small seeds in "peat pots" (small biodegradable pots filled with peat moss). Once the seeds had become seedlings, I eventually moved them into the carefully-planned garden plot and hoped that no late-season frosts would kill them.
In the last few weeks, my plants have taken off at an amazing rate. These pictures below were only taken three or four days ago, and yet I barely recognize this land as my own. The tomato plants are now nearly twice the size that they were in this photo, and my squash and zucchini plants have grown at a similarly exponential rate.
Thus far, I have planted:
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Squash
Mustard Greens
Sage
Rosemary
Cilantro
Lavender
Cucumber (will probably die)
Watermelon
Pole Beans
Japanese Eggplant
Beets
Radishes
Blackberries
Cantaloupe (will probably die as well)
Chili Peppers
Dill
Swiss Chard
Below you can see a few pictures -- I'll be updating this soon with new photos. Unfortunately, much of my garden will truly flourish (I hope) during the time that I am away. I'll still enjoy most of it when I return home, of course, and I'm already enjoying certain parts of it (In particular the mustard and chard, which are producing delicious greens already).
In the last few weeks, my plants have taken off at an amazing rate. These pictures below were only taken three or four days ago, and yet I barely recognize this land as my own. The tomato plants are now nearly twice the size that they were in this photo, and my squash and zucchini plants have grown at a similarly exponential rate.
Thus far, I have planted:
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Squash
Mustard Greens
Sage
Rosemary
Cilantro
Lavender
Cucumber (will probably die)
Watermelon
Pole Beans
Japanese Eggplant
Beets
Radishes
Blackberries
Cantaloupe (will probably die as well)
Chili Peppers
Dill
Swiss Chard
Below you can see a few pictures -- I'll be updating this soon with new photos. Unfortunately, much of my garden will truly flourish (I hope) during the time that I am away. I'll still enjoy most of it when I return home, of course, and I'm already enjoying certain parts of it (In particular the mustard and chard, which are producing delicious greens already).
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