Off the Top

We carved up a few pumpkins last night. This was not my first attempt at a detailed carving but it was the first time I’ve used a pattern. (And the answer is yes, the relative size of the pumpkins does correspond to my choice for president.)

Along with Yellow Card’s Ocean Avenue I purchased Jimmy Eat World’s latest, Futures. I’ll write something more extensive about that later but I’m about to put Futures on my chicken skin (goose bump) music list. I bring it up because when I hear chicken skin music it always gives me an appetite to perform or write or record.

Speaking of which, I had the pleasure of playing bass guitar for Driven To One last Friday. Playing in a band is so satisfying and Drew and Caleb are so much fun to hang and work with. I really hope we can find a way to continue working together.

At first listen, I thought Yellow Card were yet another punk-pop clone. However, I saw a performance on television that began to change my mind and CW said he was enjoying their Ocean Avenue disc so I purchased it from Shopko for $10.

Now that I’ve heard the disc, I wouldn’t say they’re a punk-pop clone. Perhaps they’re a second cousin or a step-child to that bothersome archetype. The band’s vocals are very much in the punk-pop lineage but a fiddle and some other, less definite touches of style make the disc enjoyable.

The lyrics want some variety though. Before long the breakup songs wax tiresome, climaxing with Miles Apart, wherein the writers freely clod us with “apart”, “heart”, “start” rhymes. Happily, the breakup songs are interrupted by more refreshing, more captivating, more compelling songs. For example, instead of the oh so predictable “you were a rotten father” gripe, we find in Life of a Salesman an affirmation of an admirable dad. We also find View From Heaven, a cowboy song about a close friend’s death, and Believe, a tribute to the fallen firefighters of September 11, 2001.

I think it’s worth $10

Yet another anomalism has been discovered:

Went to the mall this weekend. It was nuts, there were 85 bazillion people there because it’s been such a warm fall and Saturday was cold. I reckon everone was catching up on his shopping.

We ate at the taste bud extravaganza that is Panda Express. They had a job posted: “Now Hiring: Ass. Manager”. At first I thought maybe they had donkeys trained to prepare the food and wanted somebody to control them, then I thought “Nah, that can’t be it.” Maybe they have a stable of donkeys out back that they’re getting ready to butcher to put into the chicken lo mein. Well, it’s the only tenable theory I have.

Submitted by M:

Thank God for small graces…

Bob and Brian: now heard on 104.9 in Wausau, WI (however, the music played on this station is thoroughly reprobate).

I went duck hunting on Saturday. Between the 7 of us we got 15-20. It was a lot of fun and I like duck hunting because you get to talk and be with the other guys. I stir-fried some duck yesterday and it turned out okay. To wit, I liked it but more experience will produce a better dish.