Back In The USSR

Finals are around the corner, graduation looms for many people I know and deadlines seem to race out of nowhere and hit me over the head in blunt object fashion. That is my excuse for not posting anything for much of the month of April. Take it or leave it.

I’ve got very little news to report, other than I’ll be turning 21 on Thursday and that sounds exciting, at least in a theoretical way. Besides the final stage of legal adulthood (except of the car rental thing) I’ve been working, schooling, SMCing and other adverbs used with high frequency on this blog.

New Music abounds. I’ve gotten into a fair amount of new bands and artists thanks in part to my way-more-hip-than-me girlfriend. On this list of things I think you should check out: Peter, Bjorn & John. While one of their songs may appear in Target commercials (I think its Target) they really are quite something. Listless melody that reminds one of just how comfy beds are and pretty little harmonies give Writer’s Bloc a great feel. My personal favorites are “Amsterdam” and “Objects Of My Affection.” Also scoring high in the “Greg’s rotation of songs” leader board are “Anti, Anti” by Snowden, “Roberta C.” by Casiotones For The Painfully Alone (even if you don’t like the song the band name could make you fall in love with them), “House Fire” by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and “Bad Education” by Tilly & The Wall (which makes me want to tango until I graduate). There are many more but for now those are the big ones. I am of course indebted to Elizabeth for being cooler than me.

In other music news I watched The Smiths documentary entitled “The Smiths: Under Review.” Clever. It was great, interviews, live performance footage, in short everything a nerd could want. The sound tech, who obviously had a crush on everything about the Smiths, was definitely one of the highlights. Highly recommended.

In the movie universe I recently saw A Scanner Darkly (based off a Philip K. Dick story) which was brilliant. The animation wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but it grew on me and Robert Downey Jr. playing Keanu’s cracked out, paranoid/delusional roommate was worth the price of the rental (which was, by the by, paid for by someone else).

I’m staring down the barrel of a long To Do List and a rather full social calendar in the coming weeks but I’ll attempt to be a better blogger. I feel like I have more stuff to talk about but for the life of me can’t remember what those things are. Anyway have fun for now and congrats to the Australian cricket team for wining the World Cup (even though there are about 2 people of US citizenry who can legitimately claim any understanding of the sport, and I can’t count myself among their number). Its also Walgurgis Night for many Northern and Central European countries. As I understand it involves singing songs, staying up all night and heralding the coming of spring (which in much of northern Europe at this point in April could be years away). Also today mark’s the 62nd anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s death. I think you’ll all join me in saying “what a fucker that ass-hat was.”

Listening to Hateful of Hollow by The Smiths and wondering why I wasn’t born 20 years earlier…

The Chandelier Swing

God…it has been a blur for the past, oh I dunno, it has to be going on about six months now. I complain a lot on this thing but I really shouldn’t. I have an amazing and rewarding life that gets busy and keeps me occupied. Since August I’ve gotten myself back on track at school, have managed to find an amazing girlfriend, see friends, work and be merry. This is starting to sound like some kind of anniversary post or retrospective or something. Since the anniversary was back in February and I hate those long winded count-your-blessings diatribes I’ll simply say that I miss those of you who read this and that I don’t talk to enough. To those that I do talk to a lot: thank you for allowing me to babble at you…incessantly.

I wanted to do a post about some of the new and new-to-me albums that I’ve been listening to but I have to go home so I can go out and celebrate my dad’s 54 birthday tonight. We’re going to a French place that has absolutely fantastic food. My mom and dad are friends with the owners and they have assumed that I’m 21. That means Pinot Noir and would make most people cry, Johnnie Walker Blue and a bottle of Taittinger that could be the most expensive thing that I’ve ever had the pleasure to consume.

Birthday Dinner at expensive French restaurant: $120 per person

Bottle of perfectly chilled 1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs: $800

Having your parents pay for it all: Priceless…for me.

Listening to The Story Of Yo La Tango by Yo La Tengo

The Kids Are Alright

What a week, and some change. I’ve been busy, but that’s boring (or so I have been told). I’ll keep this light.

I saw the Namesake last weekend. It was an interesting movie, Kal Pen does manage a dramatic role fairly well. Better than people might have expected anyway. The story takes a few turns that you wouldn’t have guessed from the trailers. Elizabeth was apprehensive about going to see it, as it does look awfully sappy from the commercials, but we were both entertained. I would say wait for DVD if you aren’t a big fan of immigrant stories and the relations between the mother culture and America’s melting pot…

I also saw This Film is not yet rated. I had no idea how the system worked but after seeing the documentary (about the MPAA ratings board, if you were unaware) I couldn’t believe all the crazy restrictions that they put on films. There are a far number of cheesy moments, the undercover PI in particular, but it was certainly an eye opener.

I’ve been out of my general TV watching orbit but after having a “pan-nerdom” conversation with Nando over Spring Break I think I’m going to have to check out Battle Star Galactica and Babylon 5. There will also be numerous comic book purchases in the future. On my list: the fancy 300 reissue (for the movie I guess, yeah, it suckered me in…), the rest of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Miller’s The Watchmen, Fables (sort of a fractured fairy-tales comic) and Hellblazer. I will forever be broke…

Pan-nerdom would refer to things dealing with all layers and subject that could be classified as nerdy. Including the original definition: a circus freak who bits off chickens heads…Just in case any of you wondering.

The weekend is a drive down with mike to SMC, a weekend of theme parties (and only slightly entertaining theme parties at that), study and maybe a little catch-u on reading. Oh and cuddling…don’t judge me!

Listening to Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles and Baba O’Reily by the Who
(I was feeling the British invasion today, next up the Kinks and probably Joy Division)

Julius Caesar Had It Coming

Happy Ides of March every body! On this day I always like to thank my lucky stars that I am not a roman general who upon a successful victory in Gaul was made a Tyrant only to be stabbed by one he trusted and thought loyal. Augustus was a more interesting figure. I’m glad he won the civil war that followed and not Cassius.

Okay, I swear that’s the last post about death. Yesh! Three in a row. Although only Matt (if he still reads this) and Nando (cause I think he still does) I think would have bothered to translate the Latin in that last post…

Also happy Hungarian Day to all the Danube dwelling Bulgars out there.

Laudis Offerimus

"Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam; ad te omnis caro veniet. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.""