Flatiron

And here, nearly as lovely as a blue-green pigment, gum bichromate-over-platinum photograph of the Flatiron Building taken by Edward Steichen in 1904, are my playlists:



Log for first half of November 30th, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 30th, 2006 show




I've been a bit obsessed with this image for a long time. The bluish green print at the top-left of this post is my favorite. I tried to buy it again and ended up with this [see right] slightly more washed-out looking print from Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've never had it properly framed, as I just don't like it as much as the other one.










Here is probably what the original looked like. I've brightened it a bit so you can see the Hansom Cab driver a bit better and have greyscaled it.














Here is a sepia-toned version of the same photo. I'm not sure if a 1904 print would have looked more like this or more like the greyscaled one just above. Anyone know?
Hmmm. Did I mention I really like this photo?

Bar Fight

And here, faster than a safe, everyday jaunt down I-95 can turn into what can only be described as a degenerate bar fight*, are my playlists from last week's show:



Log for first half of November 23rd, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 23rd, 2006 show


*No, really! I get it! You're not just another insane, tailgaiting jackal with no coping skills and a misplaced vendetta against everyone you think is in "your" way. On the contrary! You're very important. The other 15,000 people on the road should get out of "your" way!

We don't have parents, children, pets, friends, or lovers who depend on us and adore us. We never feel hurried or stressed because we're not YOU! It's a miracle we even know how to DRIVE. We have NO IDEA of what YOU, you INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PERSON, are going through! Drive two feet from our rear ends while we're already going 65 in the slow lane on a 55mph road, please. It makes your problems go away! Surely, you'll be happy now that you've endangered our lives.

Why not make it a REALLY classy affair and just drunkenly break a barstool over our windshields while accusing us of sleeping with your man/woman/whatever? Your behavior is no better than that of your average barfly who swings at imaginary rivals during last call. You're out of control and you're no longer simply an enormous annoyance, you're dangerous to yourself and to others. Cut it out. Drive like a person who wants to live another day and then find JUST ENOUGH compassion to understand that literally tens of thousands of people around you want that very same thing for themselves.

Moral of the story: Please don't tailgate and drive aggressively. Leave a safe and ample distance between you and the car you're following. If you drive selfishly, like the aforementioned maniac, you might have the idea that you are more important than most people or that you are entitled to something that most people are not. You are incorrect. Driving like a bully is simply wrong; please get help. We want to like you and prefer to avoid horrible car wrecks.

And so ends my open letter to roughly 40% of our nation's drivers. Thank you. *slowly drifts off to sleep while hugging an imaginary 6' tall Valium*

P.S. I hope your Thanksgiving was awesome! Mine was actually incredibly sweet, unlike my tone for the driving rant. Forgive me, dear listeners...

Here. Look at the happy, pretty dancing. Don't think about mean Sarah's driving rant any more.

Riboflavin and Hops

I pulled off the highway the other day to get gas and came across this sign. I don't like what they're feeding those children. (Click on the image to see it legibly.)

*BONUS*

I just drove by the sign again to get a clearer picture (have put it in place of the blurrier one that was above) and ran into a fella who came out of the building. He looked at me quizically and I explained that I thought the spare wording of the sign was amusing. "It sort of makes it seem like that's what they're feeding the sick children," I said. He stared at me, irony-free, and said, "No, I think it's a benefit for 'em." Oooooohhhh.

My favorite part of the above exchange is that each of us left it feeling certain (and with good reason) that we'd just met the stupidest person on Earth.

Today's show was a sporting good time. That makes three shows in a row that I've actually liked. I usually like doing my show, but find that there are always a few songs I could do without and am not fully pleased with. These last few shows, though, have made me happy from beginning to end.


And here, fortified with enough riboflavin and hops to make anyone feel better, are my playlists from today:

Log for first half of November 16th, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 16th, 2006 show

Hush!

More hushed than a nervous Democrat's tentative cry of joy at winning the House, the Senate, and a majority of the gubernatorial spots, here are my playlists. For the love of god, don't go getting loud about it. Do you want to jinx the ENTIRE COUNTRY?


Log for first half of November 9th, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 9th, 2006 show

Today's artwork, by the way, is courtesty of a fine, local artist named Constantine Frangos. He made the above picture of and for me. Nifty, eh? Constantine is also a capable mountain climber AND kayaker. Well, I can only assume he is. I've never actually asked. He seems really well-rounded, though, so I feel safe in assuming these things about him.

On yesterday's show (Thursday, November 9th), I had the good fortune to receive a phone call from our very own James of Bikini Test Failure. I've been playing his new album for weeks and really enjoy it. After a brief email correspondence, James decided he was comfortable with calling in to say hello. Despite having a nasty cold, he was even lovely enough to read a station identification on the air. He is what we in the business call "a dude." What's not to like about a fellow who will post a photo of himself on his MySpace page looking like he has enormous, metal, bunny ears?

More on art and bunny ears later.

I Fell in Love Today (again)

This cat picture and caption crack me up. Enjoy.

Brought to you with the passion of my deep and anxious fealty for the redoubtable wit of John Roderick (of The Long Winters), here are today's playlists:

Log for first half of November 2nd, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 2nd, 2006 show




I read a bit of The Long Winters' online diary today. A few posts from 2004 made me simile like a noun in noun (I couldn't decide what they made me laugh like, so you must do the simile work for me, dear reader). I especially enjoyed the part where The Long Winters and The Decemberists had a bit of a faux rivalry resulting in one band quietly being labelled "sissies" and the other being labelled "meanies." John Roderick's assessment of the amicable end to the feud (about 8 or 9 paragraphs down into the previous link) made me guffaw. Good on ya, Roderick. Enjoy his journal entries. You may not immediately agree that humans are a plague, but part of you will want to, as he is a formidable writer.

I really enjoyed today's radio show. I got great requests, sweet phone calls, and everything flowed nicely. I hope it was good listening, because I really enjoyed playing it.