I have decided, with some reluctance, to discontinue my Recommendations 2006 project. I just have too many things on my plate right now and have to focus on preparing for my GRE and on my classes this semester. I have removed the links on the right side, but all existing recommendations will stay. The podcast will return this Saturday. It will be in two parts and consist of tracks from thirty or so of my favorite albums of 2006, but it will not be a countdown. After that, I will post a new podcast every week or two. I will not post daily lists of what I've been listening to, but I will cull the tracks from the albums I've listened to during the week.
I have dropped one of my classes because the bookstore screwed up on the books repeatedly. I decided that the difficulty I was having getting the right editions was more than it was worth to me. I'm still taking the two music classes and enjoying them quite a bit.
I will pay for my GRE on 1/31 or as soon as my tax refund is deposited into my checking account, whichever comes first. I plan to take the exam on 2/1 or as soon as possible thereafter. I am not killing myself trying to prepare; I've decided that I will review every few days, take the test and accept the results. I always do really well on standardized tests and taking one practice test after another wasn't helping my scores anyway.
My most exciting news is that I am losing weight steadily and more quickly than I had anticipated. I haven't had access to a decent scale until recently, so I can't be sure the total amount lost. Michael lent me his electronic scale last Sunday and I have lost eight pounds since. I am now 216 lbs. with a BMI of 28.5, which means I am no longer medically obese. I am still 27 lbs. overwieght, but I might be within a "healthy" weight range within a month if I continue what I am doing. Realistically, I know that my rate of weight loss will probably level off soon and continue at a slower rate, but I am still hoping for the best.
That's all for now. More later.
Couldn't you just plotz?! Seriously, I would love to go to this one. As soon as I get my tax refund, I'm going to look into transportation and hotel costs.
Pitchfork is reporting that Björk's new album is due in late Spring.
A new Björk album is a wonderful thing indeed, but more wonderful than, say, George Eads showing up at your door unexpectedly with a pizza and a massage table? More wonderful than a giant pie filled with smaller pies? More wonderful than warm underwear right out of the dryer?
Yes, a Björk album can be more wonderful than all those things combined, but only if said album includes at least one duet with Antony Hegarty. Luckily for the entire human race, it will have two.
Now, if only George Eads would show up at my door while I'm listening to the new Björk album...
Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
Geffen 6/13/2006
I often wonder how Sonic Youth has managed to rebound from a seemingly terminal mid-90s lull to release three of their best records in quick succession. I think that, having perfected their distinct sound, they have postponed further innovation until they have fully explored the space they've created. On Rather Ripped, they wrestle tried-and-true archetypes from the last fifty years of pop into submission and refract them through their own cracked prism. Their characters retell ancient stories on squalid, dystopian stages. The stamina of Sonic Youth's career is largely due to solid musicianship and a knack for literary themes.
Sally Shapiro: Disco Romance
Diskokaine 12/1/2006
Numerous reviews of Disco Romance have labeled the work of Sally Shapiro and her producer, Johan Agebjörn, as italo disco. Truthfully, I don't know enough about the various genres of dance music to evaluate this claim, but I am skeptical. I don't think that electronic music is ever that cut-and-dry, such that one can categorize it based on objective and indisputable criteria. It more vividly reminds me of the music that was being played at my favorite clubs in the early 90s than anything by Girogio Moroder. I was sixteen years old, had just come out and was full of hope and fear. I remember the music as jubilant, romantic and anthemic, just like Disco Romance. I can't be sure whether my memories are evoked by genuine stylistic similarities, or if my emotional reponse to the record just reminds me of what I was feeling during that period of my life. Either way, Disco Romance's emotional content adds charm to an already superb record.
Black Devil Disco Club: 28 After
Lo Recordings 11/21/2006
Available at Emusic
If 2006 has taught us anything, it's that an artist's long hiatus isn't necessarily an obstacle to excellence. Case in point, the French duo Black Devil Disco Club, whose 1978 debut, upon its reissue in 2004, was met with skepticism regarding whether it was an authentically vintage release. It simply sounded too advanced to be the product of analog machines. 28 Later is, as one might guess, Black Devil Disco Club's first release in nearly thirty years and is just far enough removed from anything else today that it's equally difficult to believe that it was made in 2006. Unlike virtually all dance music created today, 28 Later's percussion is pushed into the background, allowing soft plastic bits of treble to twitch and squirm unimpeded. At moments, it sounds like two different DJs spinning in adjacent rooms. When 28 Later is reissued in 2034, it is likely to be met with the same disbelief as its predecessor.
No, I haven't fallen off the edge of the Earth. I've just been in that perfect intermediate state between busy and lazy, such that I haven't mustered the time or energy to blog.
My GRE plans are still on track, thanks in large part to a good friend that repaid me a significant chunk of money that I had lent her a couple years ago. Consequently, I was able to pay a couple of bills early and create room in my budget to pay the $130 for the exam fee out of my next check.
Classes start again on Tuesday. I was able to acquire all but one book. The campus bookstore never had it sent from the East campus, despite the request I made over a month ago. So now I have to contact the East campus bookstore myself and I expect it will take about a week to get it. In the meantime, I have found that the previous edition is available electronically and at very low cost from a vendor endorsed by the university. I hope this will suffice until I can get the correct edition.
Supervisory Academy has been postponed indefinitely while the course is revamped. I have been assured that there will be a Spring session but it has not been scheduled yet. I hope so, as any significant delay will hurt my chances of getting hired for a supervisory position.
Michael completed the Walt Disney World Marathon last week. Needless to say, I am extremely proud of him. I know that it took a tremendous amount of resolve to train for and complete this marathon. I find his determination to accomplish his goals incredibly attractive.
I am finished selecting the remaining albums of 2006 that I will recommend. I am going to try to finish the recommendations in the next few days and record the next podcast next week.
Though I'm not usually the kind of person that makes New Year's resolutions, I have been trying, with great success, to make some changes in my life in the interest of improving my health. This is largely the result of having calculated, much to my terror, my BMI. For the first time in my life, I am borderline obese. Among the changes are much more water, much less caffeine, no red meat, fresh fruit every day, breakfast daily and drastically reduced sweets. For the last two weeks, my typical day generally includes about three or four liters of water, a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries, a turkey or tuna sandwich, sushi (non-authentic), an apple or two and two or three cups of fat-free yoghurt. When I get home from work, I am usually not hungry enough to eat a full dinner but I snack on fresh fruit throughout the afternoon and evening. My fridge is stocked with apples, oranges, clementines, apricots, peaches, cherries and whatever else I'm in the mood for.
This has led me to the hypothesis that I may be lactose intolerant. I always thought I had digestive discomfort because my diet was terrible. It turns out that I am still experiencing discomfort but only after having cheese or milk, as far as I can tell. This week I am switching from skim to soy milk and refraining from cheese. Yoghurt, I think, is still okay because of the acidophilus. If I start feeling better, I will likely make it a permanent change.
Last week I read an article about the strategies used by those who have successfully lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off. It appears that my plans already include most of these strategies, which gives me hope for success. The last part of the equation, of course, is exercise. Historically, I have not been very good at sticking to exercise. However, a coworker directed my attention to a website that has an easy plan for beginners. It starts out with walking and builds up to running. I hope to start it soon. I know I can handle the walking; I already walk almost everywhere as it is, and quickly, too. Hopefully, I won't have too hard of a time transitioning to running.
That's all I can think of for now. I will start posting a lot more, I promise. Keep an eye out for more recommendations over the next few days.
