Monthly Archive for March, 2008

My Favorite Music of 2007

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 28, 2008
in music
. 0 Comments

2007 was such a long time ago, but I figure I should say something about it, at least something to help me remember it. So, here’s a list of the music I listened most to last year with some commentary and selected lyrics (there were lots of good lyrics to choose from, so this took a while).

All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals

Dueling metal/medieval guitars. Insane double bass. Screaming. Singing. Lyrics that make me cry.

“I secretly crave, crave that scent again
Still feel it pressing on me now
Now with the onset, my flesh is weakening
I steel my nerves for temptations at hand again

And I hear this calling
Still you don’t seem so far at all
And I hear this calling out

No secrets, deception
For these would tear this down
I’ll note the past, spare the pain
Words match my deeds with brutal honesty
Never forget these choices were made by me

Not falling victim to the fire that burns inside of me
Though I am fearful I will not prevent this tragedy
My strength’s been tested
I wear the scars that prove
Still I believe this calling will see me through

My strength’s been tested
I wear the scars that prove
Still I believe this calling will see me through”

Blood for Blood - Serenity

I don’t like Blood for Blood’s prior albums, but this one is a hardcore masterpiece. The lyrics are deep, insightful, and positive overall. I get the feeling the band went through some serious personal growth before writing this album. The music is interesting without being particularly metally (not that there’s anything wrong with metal, mind you).

“I fucking surrender. I fucking surrender. Serenity.”

“We care.”

“Did you call my name and I didn’t hear?
Did you call my name and think I didn’t care?
Did you call our names and we didn’t hear?
Did you call our names and think we did not care?”

Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing

Every song on this album is amazing, and the lyrics are brilliant. The singing is a combination of screaming and singing. The music is metal without being wanky in any way.

“Kingdoms will rise
To power
But kingdoms fall
To dust
Fall”

“From sorrow to serenity
The truth is absolution
From sorrow to serenity
It’s on your head

This is my last serenade
I feel you as you fall away
This is my last serenade
From yourself you can’t run away

It’s your choice
Point the finger
But it’s on your head”

“Hatred is a weakness.”

Throwdown - Beyond Repair

This is Throwdown’s first record. It’s somewhat of a different style from the records that followed (all the members are different, so that makes sense). It has a post-hardcore more than metal feel. Lots of opportunities for sing-a-longs, moshing, and finger pointing. Too bad they don’t seem to play these songs live any more (except Slip).

“No one runs this life. No one. Rock!”

“If you’re gonna do it, do it for yourself. That way, when it comes back to day one, you’re your fucking self. Move!”

“To my friends: I’ll be there for you. Be there for me too.”

“Power figure. Power failure… We will force you down.”

Throwdown - Haymaker

This album has more of a tough guy feel than Beyond Repair. Tight as hell. Metal hooks that groove.

“Never back down. Never give in. Just let the fucking bastards do themselves in.”

Yeah! Tough guy rock. Go!

M.I.A. - Kala

I think this is the only record on this list that actually came out in ‘07. It’s also the only one that’s not hardcore/metal. I’ll nominate this as my favorite record of the year. It marked the beginning of a personal era, and it still rocks. Hard.

I don’t know how to describe this album. The vocalist is from Sri Lanka via London. I’m not sure if I’d say she raps or sings. The music is electronic, dancey, and multi-layered with lots of different, worldly influences. Or something like that.

“BIG on the underground
What’s the point of knocking me down?
Everybody knows
I’m already good on the ground

Most of us stay strong
Shit don’t really bound us
Then I go on my own
Making bombs with rubber bands

I have my hard down
So I need a man for romance
Streets are making em hard
So they selfish little roamers
Jumpin’ girl to girl
Make us meat like burgers
When I get fat
I’ll pop me out some leaders

A protocol to be a Rocawear model?
It didn’t really drop that way
My legs hit the hurdle

A protocol to be a rocker on a label?
It didn’t really drop that way
My beats were too evil

But I put away paper for later so I’m stable
A better something better come
So I could get cable
Ghetto pops, food drops
I store them in my stable
I cook em up, pop em down
Eat em off a table

The village got on the phone
Said the street is comin’ to town
They wanna check my papers
See what I carry around
Credentials are boring
I burnt em at the burial ground
Don’t order me about
I’m an outlaw from the badland

Put away shots for later
So I’m stable
Live in trees chew on feet
Watch Lost on cable
Bird flu gonna get you
Made it in my stable
From the crap you drop
On my crop when they pay you.”

Taxes

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 27, 2008
in finances and planet python
. 1 Comment

I heard just yesterday about the so-called “economic stimulus payment.” I figure if I hadn’t heard about it, maybe there are others out there that also haven’t.

The simple version is that anyone who made over $3,000 in 2007, has a valid SSN, and files a federal tax return this year will receive between $300 and $1200 (individual -> married) from Uncle Scam. Sounds like free money to me, as it only takes a few minutes to fill out a 1040EZ.

Of course, it’s actually more complicated than that. See this and this for more info.

More Cake Party Photos

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 26, 2008
in social
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Philip got some good shots of Cake Party action. Here’s a sample:

Wyatt making cake at 3-23-08 Cake Party
That’s spelt flour, my favorite kind of flour. Click to see full size.

It’s late and I’m tired and need to take a bath. I’ll post more later.

WordPress 2.5

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 26, 2008
in planet python
. 0 Comments

I haven’t seen any posts about WordPress 2.5 on Planet Python yet, so I thought I’d make a quick mention of it. RC2 came out today. I installed it on a test site, and it’s looking pretty sweet. Definitely worth a look. The admin interface is much improved–easier to navigate, reduced clutter, and a new, lighter feel. Also, amongst other things, photo galleries are now built in.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that I think it’s worth a look. For details, check out these posts over on the WordPress blog:

http://wordpress.org/development/2008/03/25-sneak-peek/
http://wordpress.org/development/2008/03/wordpress-25-rc2/

Blazers vs Wizards

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 25, 2008
in social
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I just got home from yet another Blazers game. Philip M got free tickets through work again. I met some of his coworkers, and there might even be a job opportunity that comes out of this. Cool.

This time we watched from a “sky box.” You can’t see the individual players and moves as well, but it’s a great vantage point to keep an eye on the whole game. It was a fairly uninteresting game, but it was a fun experience.

Blazers vs Wizards from sky box
A dark & blurry view of the proceedings.

Philip and I spent most of the time chatting about relationships and love and meeting new people and what not. That was good. Very therapeutic, although we didn’t arrive at any definite answers to the harder questions/issues.

Blazers vs Wizards - view above skybox
A semi-interesting photo of the view above our heads. It took me a while to notice this.

I rode the MAX across the river and then walked about two miles home in the rain. My outer garments were wet, but I stayed warm (layers, yo!). I love walking home in the rain at night. There’s no better time to think and feel.

“I wasn’t offered the chance to say good bye… Good bye.”

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 25, 2008
in personal
. 0 Comments

This a “brain dump” reponse reaction to this post. Subject to revision.

do we have to say good bye?
if so, why?
do we have to fill that hole and/or work around it?
if so, why?
instead of moving on, why can’t we move forward?

“falling forward to the end…”

this (moving forward) doesn’t create a definition
we don’t have to move forward as lovers
not even as “friends”
but just as intuitive beings connected in some way
that connection can be light and tentative
it can be anything you or i want it to be
without pressure

maybe i’m just dense, but…

i can’t see why we need to crack and divide
i can see why we need time and space
on a daily basis, we all need time and space
and sometimes for longer
i can see why we needed to change our connection
but what is the point of a permanent detachment?
why does it have to be a binary choice?
one or the other
why can’t we achieve many things in this?
why can’t we do many things?

what is it?
pain?
nothing more we can achieve?
we’re not strong enough?
we’ll fall into the old patterns?
i’m being sincere
these aren’t rhetorical questions
i truly don’t understand

it’s true that something cracked open that night
something
i can’t explain
something
is different
while many things are still the same
i haven’t lost myself
(do you trust what i am?)
i know who i am, what i care about
i know what i want in this life (in a general sense)
though i don’t always know how to achieve it
(and, as usual, i’m open to growth, refinement, help)

i have been grieving these last three months
i have fallen so far and so hard… so deep
i have been affected to an extent that i would have never thought possible

i reveled in accepted this
grief, pain
i contemplated it, tried to understand it
i tried to explain it to my mother
it’s not wrong to feel this way
i’m not going to distract myself
i’m not afraid to cry (and cry and cry and…)
it’s not wrong to feel this devastation
i’m not going to hide my scars
i’m not going to turn away
and i can’t just wish it away

though every day i ask myself why i can’t
where is my self control?
who runs this life?
“no one runs this life!”

why does the situation need to be a tragedy?
it has some tragic aspects
but that’s just like almost everything in this life

“Someone’s got to tell me, do you see? That everything around you has a hidden tragedy?

you are not a hole in my life
the space you left is not an Emptiness
it’s not a vacuum sucking me in
in fact, i can’t explain it at all
this love, feeling, sadness, memories, all that we shared
i accept it, though
i believe

i don’t look to you to fill something
i don’t want you to complete me
i’m not looking to someone else for this either

we are always blended up with life and other people
how do you un-blend from life and other people?
why would you want to?
i mean that–maybe there are good reasons to
how would you do it?

i wish at least that if we are saying good bye permanently that we could do it on different, “better” terms. if this situation is a tragedy, it’s partly because of our parting. i know i can carry on with all of this unresolved feeling, but why should we do that? i accept that there may be a purpose, but i don’t know what it is.

“face that path alone and begin again…”

Wisdom Teeth Update

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 25, 2008
in personal
. 0 Comments

I had my wisdom teeth removed exactly two weeks ago. Today is the first day I’ve woken up without a throbbing pain in my mouth. My right side has been OK for a while, but my left side has been giving me trouble.

They had to crack the bottom, left tooth to get it out, and I ended up with a bit of “dry socket.” I don’t remember if I mentioned that already. I went in last week and they jammed some nasty burnt-BBQ tasting paste in there. I could taste it all day and into the next. Not pleasant.

Throbbing pain can be a real bummer. It can be really hard to concentrate and get anything done. Mouth pain compounded with pressure from a sinus infection makes it really bad. The doc gave me Percocet, which creates somewhat of a dilemma for me, since I really prefer to not take drugs, especially narcotics, but I need to be able to concentrate and “get shit done.” I’ve been taking as little as possible while also wondering what effective alternatives are out there.

Narcotic pain relievers make you feel good. They don’t just take away the pain you’re taking them for. They take away or at least dull most or all of your pain, pain you might not have realized you had.

Maybe this is OK for very particular circumstances, but in most cases there’s certainly a better long term solution for chronic pain than popping liver-damaging pharmaceuticals (or swilling liver-damaging beverages). Perhaps examining the possible causes of pain and making some kind of work or lifestyle change would be beneficial. Hmm…

In my case, sitting up straight, adjusting my workstation ergonomics, taking frequent breaks, stretching (perhaps in the form of yoga), and getting daily exercise are key. Winding down and getting away from work is essential, even when work is fun. An occasional massage probably wouldn’t hurt either.

In related news, the drainage from my sinus infection is turning a lighter and lighter shade of green (it was pinkish-orange a week ago, like some kinda runny salad dressing). Instead of taking antibiotics, which the oral surgeon offered, I’ve been eating lots of garlic and sleeping a lot. It seems to be working.

Cake Party

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 25, 2008
in social
. 0 Comments

The best thing about having a cake party at your house is that you get to eat all the leftover cake. Or maybe that’s the worst thing. I don’t know. Either way, the cake party was on Sunday and I had cake for breakfast, lunch, and before-bed snack on Monday. The only other thing I had Monday was Olives and Nuts at Holocene. That was pretty tasty but awfully salty.

Anyway. It was a relatively small party, but it was fun. We played a game of team Scrabble. Isaac and I whooped ass with a bunch of multi-word plays. (Not that I’m bragging, because that would be unseemly.)

And then there was the cake. Mmm mm mm. (Did I spell that right?) Originally, I thought there were going to be several cakes and that at least one of them would be “normal” (that is, non-vegan). As it turned out, there ended up being only two cakes and both were vegan. I hadn’t been planning to make one, but I did.

Jason W. made a chocolate cake. I made a vanilla cake using the recipe on this page[1]. Of course, I modified that a bit by using spelt flour and Sucanat instead of normal sugar. Philip M. made some really excellent raw frosting that we put on both cakes. Both cakes came out well (we used the convection bake option) and were very tasty, though I liked Jason’s better, especially with Philip’s frosting; it reminded me of the German chocolate cake I loved so much growing up.

Most of my pictures didn’t come out well. This is maybe the best one:

Philip and Isaac at Cake Party 3-23-2008
Philip and Isaac watching me make cake. Actually, I don’t know what they’re doing or why they’re making those faces, but I was making cake right there at the edge of the counter. Jason was working on his cake to my left.

–

[1] Here’s the recipe, in case that page disappears:

“This sure to be a party pleaser!

  • 1/2 cup soft soy margarine [I used Earth Balance]
  • 2-3/4 cups all-purpose white flour [I used spelt flour]
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda [I used 1 1/4 tsp b.s. and 1 1/4 tsp b.p. because the directions below say baking powder]
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup soy milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1-3/4 cups sugar [I used Sucanat]
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Spray two round 8″ x 1-2/3″ pans with Pam, or lightly oil and flour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Mix Egg Replacer and 1/4 cup water and set aside. Mix soy milk and 1/2 cup water, and set aside.

In large bowl of electric mixer, beat soy margarine until it is creamy, about a minute. Gradually add sugar until well creamed. Beat in vanilla. Add mixed dry ingredients and mixed soy milk/water alternately to creamed margarine, sugar, and vanilla, beating after each addition. Begin and end with flour mixture. (Add flour in 4 steps, liquids in three.) Add mixed Ener-G along with the third addition of liquid. Turn evenly into pans.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done (wooden pick inserted into cake comes out clean). Remove from oven and let cool on cake rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on rack until cold. Frost as desired.

  • Total calories per serving (without frosting): 295
  • Total fat as % of daily value: 12% Fat: 8 gm
  • Protein: 5 gm carbohydrates: 54 gm
  • Calcium: 69 mg Sodium: 298 mg
  • Dietary Fiber: 1 gm”

Organic Athlete Group Ride 3-22-2008

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 23, 2008
in cycling
. 0 Comments

Today’s Organic Athlete group ride started again at the Cellar Door Cafe. It’s a nice little place with lots of light and a friendly atmosphere. I met Bonnie and Casey there at about 10:30. We hung out for a while and chatted with the owner some. I had a cup of tasty coffee and an even tastier home made banana split cupcake.

Eventually, we rolled out. It was a slightly chilly, very sunny, and fairly windy day. The wind seemed to blow in every direction. I rode my mountain bike because my road bike’s in the shop having its front wheel rebuilt. I love riding my MTB, though it does require quite a bit more effort on a road ride.

Westmoreland Park We made our way to the Springwater Corridor, rode that down to Umatilla, passed by Piece of Cake (vegan cakes, yo!) in the Sellwood neighborhood, came back north by Westmoreland Park and along the west side of Reed College then up SE 26th. When we hit the corner of 26th & Clinton (AKA, Clinton Corner), I realized I hadn’t been to that part of southeast in quite a while. Ah, memories…

At that point, the ride was essentially done, and we headed over to Seven Corners Cycles so Bonnie could pick up a new seat post. The shop is right down the street from People’s Co-op on SE 21st & Tibbetts. I’d never been there before. It’s a fairly large shop with a decent selection of bikes, equipment, and parts. I contemplated buying a new, “cooler” helmet.

Continuing our tour of SE bike shops I hadn’t been to before, we next went to A Better Cycle so Bonnie could pick up a new (used) stem. “A Better Cycle is a worker owned and collectively run used bicycle shop.” They sell mostly (all?) used bikes and parts. I only got a quick impression, but it seemed like a pretty cool shop.

For our final stop, we went next door to Papa G’s, a new all-vegan deli with an “organic, local, sustainable” focus. Tasty, wholesome victuals. I had a veggies & “cheese” pocket. Highly recommended.

Shorts 3-23-2008

Published
by
Wyatt
on March 23, 2008
in kitties
. 0 Comments

Here is the Shorts cuteness for today. The images are a little grainy due to (I guess) bad lighting.

Shorts on a dirty towel by my dirty clothes hamper:

Shorts on towel by dirty clothes
Click for full size version.

Shorts on a pair of old school, nylon, rip-stop, hand-me-down, camo pants:

Short on camo pants on couch
Click for full size version. That pink thing in the background is a candle. What did you think it was?!