Random Notes

I’ve sat down to my Powerbook a few times this week to update The Daily Journal, but found myself lacking anything of real merit to say. I realized tonight that there are a few loose threads to sew up, some unfinished business to tend too…

First, the fun stuff: my music. As you’ll recall, I recorded some new live acoustic tracks a few weeks ago. I refer to them as the ‘JFK/LAX Demos,’ being as they were written over the last 12 months as I flew back and forth from New York to Los Angeles. I expect that some of the songs (certainly ‘California’ and ‘Intent on St. Paul’) will make the next release, whatever it is, and whenever it comes, but for the meantime I wanted to share the mp3s with you. I’ll try and offer up some cover art tomorrow for those of you who are into that sort of thing.

What else? The War. Weeks ago, I was reading about it every day, writing about it every night, and worrying about it every minute. Last week, after the statue ‘fell,’ my dad calls again goes, ‘So what did you think of those pictures from Baghdad?’ Well, I thought lotsa’ things. Like that it was a Hollywood War, a ‘Wag The Dog’ war, a staged start, and a staged finish. As it began, I was concerned with the anger it would create internationally, the repercussions on the ‘Arab street.’ I will, however, give the military credit: it appeared to be an evolved war (which I acknowledge is an oxymoron) in it’s attempt to minimize collateral damage. And it was swift, as wars go. So I hope we were doing the right thing with good intentions. But I remain dubious.

Other random notes:

I just finished watching John Sayles ‘Sunshine State,’ a brilliantly assembled and nuanced ensemble film. I’m onto the director’s commentary now.

I’m taking the train to Philadelphia tomorrow to have dinner with some friends from high school, and decompress a little bit in the rolling green hills of Valley Forge.

I love the new Pete Yorn record. Buy it. It’s just $7.99 at most record stores this week (a trick to goose it’s first week’s sales).

I got my haircut tonight very short.