Someone Get Me Off These Internets

As of a half hour ago I have 24 hours until reaching a final decision. Will I be participating in this year’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), or not? I’m not sure. It’s tempting. I really really want to. The practical side of me, however, wonders if it’s going to be possible. My schedule won’t help much, and as far as writing goes I’m trying to get a more concise, refined little 20-25 pg. something together for graduate school submissions.

For those unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo is a wonderful little organization or “contest” where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel draft in 30 days. By forsaking usual necessities like sleep and social relationships, and by stacking a fridge full of caffeinated beverages and your brain of creative ideas, it actually becomes quite possible. My good buddy Carrie (see cheapwomen.org) participated with me and some other Bham friends in 2005 and thinks she’ll probably do the same again this year. Some days we’d have ridiculous word-count contests, and the loser would have to do things such as work an entire day barefoot at our little bookstore (the carpet was nauseating, by the way, and this time I was the loser).

Carrie, I’m thinking you might be asleep because our text messaging conversation ended so abruptly, but if you’re reading this, do you realize we have less than 24 hours until it starts? 24 HOURS!?

I encourage anyone interested to do it. I don’t want to start something I most likely won’t finish, but ask me tomorrow and maybe by then I’ll have defied logic and found a way. Tomorrow will be busy, and do I really want to end it by starting a ridiculously busy month?! This book helps a lot, and this guy is leading the first pep talk! Maybe I’ll see you there… MAYBE.

Hand Across The Water

Lately, I just can’t get over Paul and Linda McCartney’s RAM album. I found a perfect copy at Mojo Books and have been rocking it every morning. It’s strange. It’s good. It’s solid. Dude.

I’ve been quite busy, so all I’ve accomplished for reax lately have been a book review (which is in the print version only), and reviews for new albums from Black Francis (aka Frank Black) and the Voodoo Glow Skulls, which you can go read if you feel inclined. I’m not sure what’ll be reviewed in the next issue. I mainly listen to old stuff. If you know of any good or interesting records coming out, let me know. So far, alls I’ve got is the new Pine Hill Haints and Epitaph’s Operation Ivy s/t reissue. Word.

Sidenote: One thing I’m trying to always maintain with these reviews is some sort of kindness, or positivity, what-have-you. I know sometimes record reviews, though fun to read, are mainly a provided outlet for the reviewer to use some big words to convey how bad an album sucks, without ever saying much about the album itself. More often than not these reviewers have never picked up an instrument or tried to write a song, yet they somehow feel inclined to rip an album apart. Anyway, I hope it doesn’t come across that way with the VGS review, because I do have a handful of great VGS memories. Alright, I’m done. Time to go to Alex’s and watch Thursday’s Office episode.

All Killer, No Filler

Check out the 10 Rarest Animals in the World.

My favorite: the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Scariest: Iberian Lynx

(via mental_floss)

Mind Your Mangers

Tonight Matt, Reneé and I finished Season One of Arrested Development. I realize I’m kind of late to jump on board, but what an incredible show! Tomorrow. Can’t wait. Season Two.

In other just-as-important news, I’ve begun the long process of importing my CDs into iTunes- a task I’ve been avoiding for a month or so since my hard drive was replaced. It’s sort of a pain, and as we speak the CD I’m trying to import is failing to cooperate. Too many scratches I believe, but that’s what you get when you still listen to music from high school.

Tomorrow, I’ll be checking out The Bunker, a local hipster coffee shop that I’ve somehow failed to know about. Sorry, Seminole Heights Library for my cheatin’ heart. I promise to return if you’ll still take me.

Women And Children First

Some interesting and exciting news has been circulating about the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows.

There’ll be three different versions of the album, and the one for download on Oct. 10 will cost whatever you’re willing to pay:

What Radiohead’s doing here is actually pretty cool. Rather than preface their new album’s release with the usual three months of press ballyhoo, only to have it leak at some random time before it comes out, they’ve kept it completely under wraps, then essentially gone and leaked it themselves. What’s more, they’ve turned this into a moral question of sorts, by giving us the freedom to pay actual money for what amounts to an album leak.

Only a band in Radiohead’s position could pull a trick like this. Well played, gentlemen.

(via Pitchfork )