Long overdue blogging

Okay, okay, it has been over a month since I last blogged. So much has been going on I hardly know where to start.

First and most importantly, I have been accepted to U of A's School of Information Resources and Library Science. I will begin work on my Master's degree next month. It's a distance program, so I can continue living and working in the Phoenix area. In July I will go to Tucson for a seven-day intensive, but beyond that, I never have to physically return to complete my degree.

My boss' last day was last Friday. For the near future, I will handle all the duties related to supervision and coordination of student workers. They have reclassified her position to Library Supervisor Sr. but, remarkably, I can still make a case that I meet the minimum qualifications. I intend to apply for the position. This would be a significant increase in my salary, but it's still a long shot. I will hope for the best but I won't be too heart-broken if I don't get it.

The paleunderweight podcast is, obviously, done. I felt that I had covered the territory very thoroughly and it was just getting old. I would still love to start podcasting again, but I think I would like it to be a collaborative effort. I know someone on campus that has similar taste in music to mine and podcasting experience, so I might ask him if he would like to collaborate.

I would like to start writing recommendations again soon. There have been a handful of releases this year that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I just have to muster the motiviation to blog more often.

Pooh is still hanging in there. He has even gained weight since his diagnosis. The threat doesn't seem so immediate anymore, though Michael and I both know it is there. We are looking at this as a blessing. Pooh has been given more time in which he can still enjoy life.

I have been having digestive problems for quite a while now, which I had always blamed on poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. In recent months, however, I have improved my diet considerably, started drinking large quantities of water and started working out almost daily. This has not had the positive effect on my digestion I had been hoping for. My doctor prescribed some medications that have not helped either. We are now operating under the theory that I might have a constriction or obstruction somewhere. I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist Friday. Hopefully he will come up with a better theory or schedule me for tests that will confirm or rule out the current one. The best outcome I can hope for is a simple, painless, inexpensive, permanent solution. However, if surgery is necessary, I can accept it if it will improve my quality of life. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first, as they say.

Bedtime soon. Time for my herbal tea. I will blog again much sooner this time, I swear.

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Final episode coming soon. (Don't panic; explanation forthcoming.)

1. Gruff Rhys: "Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru"
2. XTC: "Complicated Game"
3. Modest Mouse: "Ohio"
4. Cocteau Twins: "Little Spacey"
5. Dean & Britta: "You Turned My Head Around"
6. Pinetop Seven: "Easy Company"
7. Patrick Wolf: "This Weather"
8. Tujiko Noriko: "In a Chinese Restaurant"
9. Prefuse 73: "Uprock and Invigorate (A Prefuse/Dabrye Production)"
10. !!!: "Heart of Hearts"
11. Panda Bear: "Good Girl/Carrots"
12. Amon Tobin: "Horsefish"
13. Dälek: "Stagnant Waters"
14. The Arcade Fire: "Intervention"

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Coming soon.

1. Kevin Hewick & New Order: "Haystack"
2. Beirut: "Elephant Gun"
3. Pere Ubu: "Chinese Radiation"
4. Kristin Hersh: "The Thin Man"
5. Of Montreal: "She's a Rejecter"
6. The Paper Chase: "At the Other End of the Leash"
7. Nine Inch Nails: "Closer (Precursor)"
8. DJ Drama & Lil Wayne: "Ridin With the A.K."
9. Soft Circle: "Sundazed"
10. Thomas Dolby: "Airwaves"
11. Shining: "Stalemate Longan Runner"
12. Alexis Gideon: "Playground"
13. Trans Am: "First Words"
14. Vietnam: "Step On Inside"
15. Deerhoof: "Believe E.S.P."
16. Papercuts: "Found Bird"
17. Okkervil River: "Another Radio Song"

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Now available.

1. The Postmarks: "Know Which Way the Wind Blows"
2. The Slits: "Slits Tradition"
3. Dengue Fever: "Made of Steam"
4. Boards of Canada: "Alpha and Omega"
5. Vieux Farka Touré: "Courage"
6. Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter: "Spectral Beings"
7. Klaxons: "Gravity's Rainbow"
8. Lucinda Willams: "Wrap My Head Around That"
9. Black Mountain: "Modern Music"
10. Caetano Veloso: "Deusa Urbana"
11. Menomena: "Ghostship"
12. Frida Hyvönen: "Come Another Night"
13. Will Oldham: "Disorder"
14. David Daniell: "Sunfish"
15. Scritti Politti: "Petrococadollar"
16. The Thermals: "Test Pattern"
17. Martha Wainwright: "Far Away"

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Now available.

1. Yoko Ono feat. Antony and Hahn Rowe: "Toy Boat"
2. Lily Allen: "Littlest Things"
3. Arab Strap: "Dream Sequence"
4. The Shins: "Sea Legs"
5. Talk Talk: "Desire"
6. Bloc Party: "Kreuzberg"
7. Kate & Anna McGarrigle: "Talk to Me of Mendocino"
8. Edan: "Torture Chamber"
9. Chris and Cosey: "Exotika"
10. David Bowie: "Moss Garden"
11. Magazine: "Burst"
12. Lou Reed: "The Kids"
13. COIL: "Amethyst Deceivers"
14. Björk: "5 Years"

paleunderweight podcast 30, part 2

Now available.

1. Yo La Tengo: "I Feel Like Going Home"
2. Clogs: "Voisins"
3. Tom Waits: "First Kiss"
4. Man Man: "Banana Ghost"
5. Peter Bjorn and John: "Paris 2004"
6. Sally Shapiro: "Anorak Christmas"
7. Ellen Allien & Apparat: "Rotary"
8. Girl Talk: "Too Deep"
9. Thom Yorke: "Harrowdown Hill"
10. Final Fantasy: "This Lamb Sells Condos"
11. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "Wai"
12. The Handsome Family: "Famous Blue Raincoat"
13. The Decemberists: "Shankhill Butchers"
14. Sunset Rubdown: "Us Ones in Between"
15. The Blow: "Pardon Me"
16. Arctic Monkeys: "From the Ritz to the Rubble"
17. The Hold Steady: "Arms and Hearts"

paleunderweight podcast 30, part 1

Now available.

1. The Pipettes: "Judy"
2. The Dresden Dolls: "First Orgasm"
3. Junior Boys: "FM"
4. Beirut: "The Bunker"
5. Datarock: "Nightflight to Uranus"
6. Cat Power: "Willie"
7. Richard Butler: "California"
8. Destroyer: "Watercolours Into the Ocean"
9. My Robot Friend: "Dead"
10. Camera Obscura: "Country Mile"
11. Joanna Newsom: "Sawdust & Diamonds"
12. Akron/Family: "One Spring Morning"
13. Jesu: "Star"
14. Belle & Sebastian: "White Collar Boy"
15. Neko Case: "Margaret vs. Pauline"

What's new with me

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.

Personal update

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.

Christmas was very nice. Michael and I spent the weekend with our friends in Tucson again. He got me the Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man DVD (in exchange for which I agreed never to make him watch it) and a book collecting all of the artwork from the complete output of Factory Records, i.e., albums, singles, promotional materials, etc. I gave him a DVD player (to replace the one that died a few months ago) and two seasons of Will & Grace. I also bought a copy of Vellum for a friend and one for myself, finally. I kept getting it through interlibrary loan and running out of time before I had finished reading it.

I have registered for three online classes, two about music and one on reflective writing, for the Spring semester. The latter will count toward the Journalism/Mass Communication degree and the first two are for my personal fulfillment. I plan to pay my tuition tonight - a whopping sum of $68. Needless to say, I love my employee tuition waiver.

Additionally, I am taking a class called Supervisory Academy for work. This will count as a full year of supervisory experience when I apply for the Library Supervisor position that will open up after my boss finishes her M.A. and departs for greener pastures.

I'm also planning to take my GRE (finally) before February 1st. I keep procrastinating and missing deadlines. The absolutely final day I can apply for U of A's MLS program for the summer is April 1st. This will give me time to receive my GRE results, write my C.V. and letter of intention and gather up two letters of recommendation. I think four months to prepare my application is a realistic goal.

I am way behind on my end-of-the-year project, so it's unlikely that I will get caught up by Monday. However, I am going to see it through until the bitter end, hopefully sometime in January. The podcast will reappear shortly thereafter.

Finally, here is a photo of the first two grilled cheese sandwiches I ever made, strangely enough. I took the photo in the midst of eating them. I didn't burn down the kitchen, to my roommate's relief, though he did derive some amusement from my clumsy efforts. They did taste good, though.

Back to business

Okay, it's been ten days since my last post, but I've been thinking about posting. As they often say this time of year, it's the thought that counts, right?

I am way behind on my end-of-the-year project. I have about ten recommendations queued up and waiting to be posted; I have the the album art and links to artist and label websites saved in my drafts. I just need to write the darn things. The problem is that the longer I procrastinate, the harder it is to remember what I wanted to write. So now I have to take a couple of days to listen to each album again and write the review immediately thereafter. I still plan on having this project done before the end of the year.

Paleunderweight podcast 30, as I mentioned before, will be available before the end of the year also.

Later today, I will have updates of a more personal nature regarding my educational direction.

Update

You may have noticed that I haven't posted a new podcast in while. Don't worry; the podcast is just on a short hiatus. I will record and post paleunderweight podcast 30 before the end of the year. I think that it will be posted in several parts over several days. This will be a special podcast commemorating the music of 2006.

I am also going to launch another blog in the next few days. It will not replace this one; I will maintain both blogs simultaneously. The second blog will be focused on a narrower subject matter than this one is. Right now, I'm just playing with the format. I will post an announcement when the new blog is ready to be seen.

Eyeball update

My eye is still red, though some days it looks like it's gradually improving. It was hurting slightly today on the way back from the Arizona University Libraries Conference in Flagstaff. If it doesn't show noticeable improvement by Monday, I'm going to call my doctor and ask for a referral to an ophthalmologist. If it is allergies, as my doctor believes, then wouldn't one expect one of the prescriptions for antihistamines to help somewhat?

There is no podcast this weekend because I haven't been listening to much music this week and I've been lax about keeping track of what I've been listening to. I've been reviewing some of the music that has been released this year and picking out albums to recommend. It's going to be a bigger project than I had originally anticipated because so many great albums have come out since January. Because of this, my podcasts for the next couple of months are likely to be heavy on very new music. So don't expect any Edith Piaf or Karlheinz Stockhausen next weekend.

Eyeball blogging

My eye doesn't seem to be much better today. Yesterday, my doctor still maintained that the inflammation is being caused by allergies. He gave me two more prescriptions. It still remains to be seen whether they will help.

Work tofay was an interesting challenge. I only wore a contact lens in my right eye because I need to be able to see my computer screen. It was somewhat disorienting at first, but I adjusted fairly quickly to having lopsided vision. Nonetheless, I started getting a headache towards the end of the day.

I just listened to old podcasts today. No albums. I'm going to do something 2006-in-review-ish soon but I haven't decided what. I think it will involve highlighting my favorite albums of the year, but no countdown.

paleunderweight podcast 29

Now available:

1. The Gothic Archies: "Crows"
2. The Tiger Lillies: "Hailstones"
3. Tim Hecker: "Dungeoneering"
4. Kate Bush: "Cloudbusting"
5. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone: "I Love Creedence"
6. Peter Bjorn and John: "Amsterdam"
7. Beach House: "Childhood"
8. 120 Days: "I've Lost My Vision"
9. Califone: "Burned by the Christians"
10. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "Lay and Love"
11. Bert Jansch feat. Beth Orton: "Katie Cruel"
12. Joseph Arthur: "Don't Give Up on People"
13. Man Man: "Zebra"
14. Ali Farka Touré: "Ledi Coumbe"
15. M. Gira/D. Matz: "Quiet One"
16. Bob Dylan: "Nettie Moore"
17. Rufus Wainwright: "Katonah"

My nipples can cut glass right now...

...because of the score for the new film, The Fountain!

In addition to the trailers looking pretty darn cool, Pitchfork is reporting an exciting (and strangely arousing) collaboration on the score.

Clint Mansell formerly of The Pop Will Eat Itself! Mogwai! Kronos Quartet! ANTONY HEGARTY!!!

Gah! I make happy noises!

You can stream the track here.

No podcast tonight because Michael and I are going to Tucson for the weekend.

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Now available.

1. The Hold Steady: "Chill Out Tent"
2. My Robot Friend feat. Antony: "One More Try"
3. Monster Movie: "3#"
4. Beck: "Strange Apparition"
5. My Brightest Diamond: "The Good & Bad Guy"
6. Sunset Rubdown: "A Day in the Graveyard II"
7. Broken Social Scene: "Stars and Sons"
8. Josephine Foster: "The Golden Window"
9. The Clash: "The Card Cheat"
10. Sparklehorse: "Mountains"
11. The Decemberists: "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)"
12. Lambchop: "The Decline of Country and Western Civilization"
13. Espers: "Firefly Refrain"
14. Jason Forrest: "Inkhuk"
15. Ensemble: "One Kind Two Minds"
16. Indian Jewelry: "Lost My Sight"
17. Akron/Family: "No Space in This Realm"

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Now available.

1. Sparks: "Dick Around"
2. Jens Lekman: "Maple Leaves"
3. The Fall: "I Am Damo Suzuki"
4. Teddybears feat. Iggy Pop: "Punkrocker"
5. Nico: "You Forgot to Answer"
6. Nine Inch Nails: "Sunspots"
7. This Mortal Coil: "Tarantula"
8. The Blow: "The Big U"
9. The Magnetic Fields: "Busby Berkeley Dreams"
10. Destroyer: "What Road"
11. Wolf Parade: "Shine a Light"
12. Nina Nastasia: "Lee"
13. Scissor Sisters: "The Other Side"
14. The Cure: "Siamese Twins"
15. Richard Thompson: "Row Boys, Row"
16. Lupe Fiasco: "The Instrumental"
17. Diamanda Galás: "At the Dark End of the Street"

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Now available.

1. Klee: "Für Alla, Die"
2. Ratatat: "Wildcat"
3. Iron & Wine: "Cinder and Smoke"
4. Mission of Burma: "Donna Sumeria"
5. David Bowie: "Art Decade"
6. Ohsees: "We Are Free"
7. Antony & The Johnsons: "Cripple and the Starfish"
8. Budd/Fraser/Guthrie/Raymonde: "Why Do You Love Me?"
9. Nina Simone: "Wild Is the Wind"
10. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "No Bad News"
11. Belle & Sebastian: "The Stars of Track and Field"
12. The Whitest Boy Alive: "Golden Cage"
13. Basement Jaxx: "Smoke Bubbles"
14. Soulwax: "Krack"
15. Fujiya & Miyagi: "Photocopier"
16. Brazilian Girls: "Le Territoire"
17. Gogol Bordello: "Undestructable"

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Now available.

1. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke: "Sacrifice"
2. The Rapture: "The Sound"
3. Pixies: "Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons"
4. Galaxie 500: "Instrumental"
5. Public Image Ltd.: "Poptones"
6. Xiu Xiu: "Save Me Save Me"
7. TV on the Radio: "Dirtywhirl"
8. The Decemberists: "Cocoon"
9. Tom Waits: "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis"
10. Yo La Tengo: "Black Flowers"
11. Beck: "Bottle of Blues"
12. Sybris: "Hobo Detail Shop"
13. Leonard Cohen: "Joan of Arc"
14. Todosantos: "Ian Curtis"
15. Tim Buckley: "Sefronia- After Asklopiades, After Kafka"
16. Okkervil River: "A Stone"
17. Stuart A. Staples: "Dance With an Old Man"

paleunderweight podcast 24

Sorry for the delay, folks. I was having problems getting Polderbits to work with my new computer's soundcard. I found a way around it, though. It means that the podcast will only be available in AAC format from now on, but I'm not aware of any listeners that don't use iTunes. If you have any trouble, just let me know and I'll figure something out.

Finally:

1. The The: "Out of the Blue (Into the Fire)"
2. Sinéad O'Connor: "Troy"
3. Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel: "I'll Meet You in Poland Baby"
4. Brian Ferry: "The Cruel Ship's Captain"
5. The Soft Pink Truth: "I Owe It to the Girls"
6. Herbert: "Down"
7. Nancy Sinatra: "Let Me Kiss You"
8. Nick Cave: "Fire Down Below"
9. Frog Eyes: "Bells in the Crooked Port"
10. Tortoise: "Autumn Sweater"
11. Soulwax: "Another Excuse (DFA Remix)"
12. Junior Boys: "The Equalizer"
13. Girl Talk: "Ask About Me"
14. The Mountain Goats: "Cobra Tattoo"
15. Professor Murder: "Free Stress Test"
16. Modest Mouse: "Like Like Weeds"
17. M. Ward: "Requiem"