Adventures In Botany

When I grow up, I want to be a cherry blossom.










Organdy

I could sit in the Japanese garden all the day long and not be bored.

Maybe I'll be a turtle when I retire.





I saw this little guy in Prospect Park a while ago and really liked him:



In non-botanic news, I completely missed Yellow Fever all weekend. I walked into Cake Shop on Monday night after the show already ended - I guess that's what I get for seeing friends instead of bands. I can probably deal with that. I did, however, get both EP's (finally!) from the lovely Jennifer Moore, who informed me that they're playing again on the 24th so I'm not too worried.

I ended up getting home quite late that night. There was a sketchy guy on the train sitting near me, and a crazy guy to my left, so I figured I should probably avoid falling asleep. It's in the wee hours of the morning, when I'm falling over, that Underworld is absolute magic. I'm not that big on techno, but those are the moments when it really hits the spot. Everything can be appreciated - you just have to find the right time and place for it.

Public Mix Tape For Bonky McDoodleton

My friend Lauren asked for a mix CD - I figured, rather than burning and mailing it, I'd just put it up here and anyone else who's interested can raid the track list. Some of these I've just listened to a lot lately, some have always been great. Enjoy!

(right click - or ctrl click if you have a mac - to save)

1. Loveninjas - Keep Your Love
(I first got this from TRGAW, who are a great source of other such fantastic Swedish and not Swedish music)

2. Belaire - Hit and Miss
("remember when explosions passed beneath the skin" -- I love that line. The only version I could find was live, which isn't as great as the mixed one but you'll just have to buy the EP for that.)

3. Pipettes - Pull Shapes

4. David Bowie - Heroes

5. The Carrots - Beverly

6. Fionn Regan - Put A Penny In The Slot
(Thank you, Rachel, for givnig me the gift of Fionn)

7. Voxtrot - Rise Up In The Dirt

8. Comet Gain - The Kids At The Club
(If you only hear one Comet Gain song, I guess this would be it)

9. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Loop Duplicate My Heart

10. The Beatles - Happiness Is A Warm Gun
(So very very very excellent)

11. Love Is All - Motorboat
(Fun with Swedes!)

12. Jens Lekman - You Are The Light

13. The Boy Least Likely To - Paper Cuts

14. The Decemberists - O Valencia

15. SOUND Team - Fastest Man Alive
(This will be, always and forever, my favorite SOUND Team song and I will continue to play it at an obscene volume every time I drive around LA late at night)

16. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
(If you listen to only one song on this list, it's this one)

17. George Harrison - Crackerbox Palace
(Clearly not the best Harrison song out there, but so very very endearing)

18. Bishop Allen - Butterfly Nets

19. The Blow - Fists Up

20. Irving - Turn Of The Century

21. Sparrow House - When I Am Gone

22. M. Ward - Big Boat

23. Matt & Kim - Yeah Yeah

24. Voxtrot - Ghost

25. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken

26. Benjy Ferre - In The Woods

Bonus Tracks:

Comet Gain - One More Summer Before I Go

The Decemberists - Sons And Daughters

Voxtrot - Kid Gloves

Paul McCartney - Temporary Secretary (you must have this. There are no words, it's... just listen to it)

Irving - Jen Nothing Matters To Me

Sparrow House - Blindfold Waltz


And because I can get carried away - one of my favorite songs ever. Why does it seem like people were more innovative with their instruments in the 60's? Written by Paul Simon (look up the Simon and Garfunkel version too, it's great).




(Note the 12 string)

Prospect Park Part II - Ducks, Geese, and Various Shenanigans.

Another day in the park... it's a good thing I always have a camera with me. I spent most of the afternoon reading by the lake, then proceeded to walk along my favorite woodsy path and successfully trip and twist my ankle. What can I say, my coordinative skills are unparalleled. An hour or so of watching soccer and little league games was enough to get me back on my feet - the rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Park Slope with Meff, down to the used bookstore on 7th ave and 3rd st. Though maybe I should have skipped the walk back home through the park, then I wouldn't be hobbling around on my swollen ankle now. What can I say, I have a weakness for the water fowl by the lake -- see below...

Here Comes The Sun (mp3)

(As always, click to enlarge)





Babies!



... the eye is looking at me.






These are absolutely fascinating. Mostly because I have no idea what kind of bird they are, but the purely black feathers with the little white beak is a fantastic look.

A Change Is Gonna Come

Every once in a while I'll listen to someone I haven't listened to for a while, and get overwhelmed by how fantastic they are. The one problem with listening to Sam Cooke is that afterwards, anything Soul/Motown/R&B just doesn't sound as good. I rambled through Prospect Park today and ended up (where else) sitting on my designated log by the ducks and geese, listening to 'A Change Is Gonna Come.' It's so incredible - so soothing and still inspiring and energizing. And goodness me oh my, Sam Cooke has such a silky voice.

The park is looking lovelier and lovelier these days. I love that there are parts in which you can get a little lost and forget you live in a city. I want to go hiking like nobody's business (not in the park - in actual hikeable grounds). I kind of miss those high school days... when I'd take a left before the entrance to school and roam Temescal Canyon instead... And now, my documentation of spring sneaking into Prospect Park:

(click to enlarge)

Our House; I'm Bummed So I Guess I'll Just Blog About It

Of all the places where your sensory memory has root, how many are still around? My most visceral, formulative, expansive experiences and memories are here:



I would like to give an overwhelming thanks to the gods of modernization and westernization, who continue to take such inadequitely simple pleasures and succesfully turn them into:




Well done indeed.

I'm going to miss the smells, the sounds, the lingering air of a decade of summers. I can't help but feel like I've lost something vital, and without proper reason. So without further ado, I give you a series of photos; these are some of my favorite places in the world (click on a picture to enlarge it). Some still look like this, others don't. I don't feel like going into egregious detail about what's what and where and why etc, but if you want to know just leave a comment and i'll update or whatnot.