2:42

I am lazy, exhausted, and freaking out about a presentation I have to give next week AND the half-marathon that will be fueled entirely by adrenaline. So to procrastinate/take my mind off things, I’ve been scanning iTunes for music I’ve forgotten about or just haven’t listened to in a while.
Not too long ago, I read [...]

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Country Gold, Vol. 1

Well over a year ago, my friend John and I began a lively discussion about country music. And well over a year ago, I promised him that I’d make a mix of the country music of my childhood. I was completely tuned out to pop music in the 80s; as a result, I have an [...]

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Frisbees

I got sort of obsessed with two stacks of frisbees on Laura & Mark’s back deck. The dirty, bright plastic disks contrasted so starkly with the half-green, half-dead grassy expanse behind their house. This was one of my favorite shots. There are more.

 
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current book: Nearly halfway through [...]

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Band of Horses

I just got back from seeing Band of Horses at the Metro, but it was nearly a bust. The plan was for me to buy tickets at the box office and then meet my friend for a quick dinner, and then we’d head back to the Metro in time for BoH.
I got to the [...]

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Thirty Second Review: Pitchforkpalooza

I decided to skip Lollapalooza this year and instead focus all my music festival energy on Pitchfork. It’s cheap, it’s small, and the lineup is great. You can spend five minutes on Google and find many more reviews, but since some of you have asked, here’s a very brief recap of my dusty weekend (I’m [...]

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Chicago Blues Fest

Taken with my camera phone last night around 8:30pm, shortly before catching part of Magic Slim and the Teardrops at the Chicago Blues Fest. I had planned on going to the Printers Row Book Fair this afternoon, but unfortunately, I didn’t make it. There’s almost too much going on in this [...]

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B’s Knees

I’ve gotten emails from some of you recently asking how my knees are doing. Although it mostly feels good to get these emails—it means that people actually do read my blog!—it’s kind of strange to get three emails in one week all saying, “How are your knees?” instead of just “How are you doing?”
My knees, [...]

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Pet Peeve #128

On some of the 59 buses, the cross street “Prairie” is misspelled on the digital marquee. The funny thing? It’s the second “i” that’s omitted, not the first. Prarie. Chaps my hide every time.
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current book: I’ve been reading the lastest issue of The Atlantic Monthly, which claims to have named the 100 Most [...]

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Upcoming Shows

I started to type “Indianapolisians” just to be silly, but then I realized I don’t actually know what one calls a person from Indianapolis. Naptowner? Indianapolite?
Those of you who live in Indianapolis:
Go see Canasta at Radio Radio on Saturday, December 9! They go on at 9:30pm and will only make your wallet $6 lighter. Where [...]

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Inevitable Mastercard Ripoff

cost of Calexico ticket: $10
additional service fees: $8
tolls between Chicago and Milwaukee: $5
gas: $22
getting home at 1:45am on a weekday: utter exhaustion
having Joey Burns end a conversation with me by saying, “Hey, maybe I’ll see your writing someday!”: priceless
No photos from this show, but I did get the guys to sign some liner notes for [...]

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