sometimes i need a revelation...

sometimes it's all too much to take

sometimes i need a revelation

this time i'm making my own...

the swell season in portland, oregon 8-21-10

So much has happened since I last wrote in this sadly-neglected blog that I don't think I'll ever catch up (and I want to!), but I'll start with the most recent: seeing the swell season in Portland and Seattle this past weekend.

If you know me, you know that my two favorite bands - and my yardstick for that is that they are the only two bands i would ever consider traveling any distance to see (as you will come to understand in subsequent posts) - are Pearl Jam and The Frames. and my two favorite singers are Glen Hansard and Eddie Vedder. Really, I think that, money and time willing, I would eagerly follow either of those men to the ends of the earth. And still want be left wanting more.

The Oregon Zoo was, surprisingly to me, a GREAT venue for a concert. I walked past the people sitting on the lawn to the small standing area in front of the stage, where I positioned myself on what I affectionately refer to as "Mike's side" (as in McCready) for Black Francis and my beloved Glen and Marketa (and the rest of The Frames).

Glen and Mar began the show with a solo cover of Cactus; this was the first of many moments during this concert that reminded me of why I love this group so much. It must take guts to show up on stage and not only play but open with a song by the man who played right before you and whose music you love (in fact, later in the concert, Glen said that Surfer Rosa by the Pixies changed his life). I hate to bring up Eddie Vedder again (ok.. full disclosure: that's a lie, I love any opportunity I can find to talk about Ed), but it reminded me of him singing on stage with Bruce Springsteen or Pete Townshend.

Seeing Glen Hansard perform - whether it be with the Swell Season or the Frames - reminds me of why I love music so much, and of the transformative, cathartic power of witnessing songs performed live. One of my favorite songs from the Swell Season's first album, Leave, starts off with Glen strumming his guitar quietly and sounding like a man who is resigned to his fate; by the end of the song, it feels like he is purging his demons, or something, as he screams and plays his guitar so fast that strings break and pieces of wood go flying. And I'm serious when I say that; that's what happens. You can't take your eyes away, nor do you want to. This is what music is about. Joy, pain, happiness, anger, frustration... rolled up into one and delivered by a master storyteller.

At this point in writing this, I'll pause and admit that I actually wasn't looking forward to this show because I don't really like the last Swell Season album. In fact, more than once on Friday morning I almost talked myself out of driving to Portland for this concert. So it's a testament to the group that I can honestly say that, while I'm still not a fan of Strict Joy the album, I loved the songs performed live. And I'm not giving Glen an easy pass here because he's Glen (well, maybe I am), but honestly when Low Rising started, I wanted to do nothing more than close my eyes, sing along and pretend that I was the only person in the audience.

"This is an old Frames song," Glen said, before they started Revelate. This is one of the first Frames songs that I heard, and hearing it instantly brings a smile to my face. And when Glen sings, "My open arms, my lucky charms," I just want to reach my arms into the sky and hug myself all at the same time. I think of Revelate as a plea to god, a list of grievances to the world, and an embrace of life all put together into one song.

One of the best moments of the concert was at the end when they did the Pixies' Where Is My Mind? There is a video of this song taken from a concert at the Henry Fonda in LA on youtube that I have watched countless times. Before they begin, Glen says, "There is a song that we allow ourselves to play when we're in a really good space, and we're in a good space now." And I'm guessing they must have also been in a good space in Portland. Anyway, somewhere during the second verse, Black Francis came out on stage to sing with Glen. And it's apparent that these two are really good friends - there is something really amazing and cool about witnessing musicians who obviously have mutual respect for each other perform together.

And the most exciting part of all? Before the show even started, I noticed a postcard at the merchandise table that listed the North American cities on the Frames' upcoming twentieth anniversary tour. As they have now officially announced, the Frames will be playing in both of those cities in late November. And as luck will have it, the Seattle show is on the Friday after Thanksgiving and Portland is the following Saturday. Another perfect weekend? Yes, please.

i'm feeling the pull...

some random notes on a sunday evening...

1. a friend told me about this thing called pandora radio, and i have been having way too much fun with it this week. you can make your personalized radio stations based on bands that you like. for instance, i have a pearl jam station, a minus the bear station, an REM station, a frames station, and an afghan whigs station. the whole thing is based on something called "the music genome project" which groups music that is similar, and so stations play artists that are relatively alike. my minus the bear station plays tons of band of horses and postal service (you can also tell it which songs you like, so that it plays those bands more often); and my REM station plays u2, wilco and radiohead. in short, i enjoy it and it's cool to have a visual aid that shows me how many of the bands i like sound like each other. it's a good way to pass the time until the new pearl jam album is released. :)

2. on tuesday, i went to see the cave singers at easy street where they did an in-store performance for the release of their new record. their songs are good for listening to on a cold, rainy night, and i am finding the singer's voice quite comforting. looking at their tour schedule, they are playing at bumbershoot and then again at neumos in october. i think i might have to be there.

3. i don't know why i didn't see this sooner, but i literally dropped everything i was doing when i read that the swell season did a set for npr's
tiny desk series and that video was online. i recommend that you do the same and watch it immediately. although, having said that, i must also say that i am a little underwhelmed by the "new" (many of which they played in concert last year) songs (save low rising and feeling the pull. i've listened to that one about 5 times). however, it is great to see them together again, and i am loving that glen is still playing his beat-up guitar. and i have missed hearing him say "brilliant." plus, they play an absolutely stunning version of when your mind's made up. i mean, wow. and, it's awesome to see their little sidelong glances and grins. i love watching musicians who are obviously loving playing their music. it makes me happy.

however, i will also say: dear swell season, please play in seattle. preferably at the moore theatre. love, megan

you've been running so fast

one of my favorite videos on youtube. i heart glen hansard.

this makes me SO HAPPY: from the swell season myspace page.

Hi everyone, So, the first bit of the long awaited tour dates is here. Please find the details below for the upcoming Irish concerts of the Swell Season. These gigs will be seated theatre shows with the full band of Glen, Mar, Rob, Graham, Colm and Joe. The new album will see a late September worldwide release (no date confirmed yet) and the band will return to tour the U.S. around September/October and Europe around November/December this year. As soon as we have the dates and venues we'll post it.

it's not the frames, but it's close enough. i'm already excited to see glen hansard again. new albums/possible tours from pearl jam, minus the bear, AND the swell season this fall?

in these arms

LOVE.


Backstage Sessions : The Swell Season - "In These Arms" from Hard to Find a Friend on Vimeo.

did you fall on your way?

things that i like...

this video

i love his voice. doesn't it look like the veins in his neck are gonna pop out?

speaking of glen hansard, i read about this a few weeks ago:
'Once' musical headed for Broadway
The Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová-starring movie 'Once', which won the Oscar for Best Original Song with 'Falling Slowly' in 2007, is to be made into a Broadway musical.
i'm not actually sure if i like that news or not.. i wouldn't want once the musical to become like rent the movie. now, THERE is a play that i love and have seen 4 times and now have memorized - but, man if the movie doesn't suck. i can see that happening with once. much as i adore it, i think there comes a time to let something go and move on. this smells of people just wanting to make money for money's sake rather than for art's sake. i wonder how much glen and marketa have to do with this... the article goes on to say that the musical will include some songs that didn't make the cut for the movie, which is interesting to say the least.. but i'm still skeptical.

christmas music
now that it's november, i can start playing this, right? i heart my transsiberian orchestra cd. heh.

the cost
as in, the frames album. i have never really cared for it (and probably haven't listened to it all the way thru more than a handful of times), but i've been playing it nonstop for the past week. maybe it's something to do with the weather - some music just seems to go better with cold, rain and wind. and heaven knows we have plenty of that this time of year in seattle.

lazy saturdays
i have spent the day watching the west wing marathon on bravo (i love that show), baking pumpkin bread (trader joe's has a yummy mix. there's nothing better than the smell of bread baking), and reading. i'm just relieved that halloween is over, and enjoying the peace and quiet - much as i love the kids in my class, there definately is such a thing as TOO much candy and i think they passed that point at 10:00 yesterday morning. heavens. my mom will love to read me admit this, but sometimes i think that i'm being punished for whining so much when i was a kid.

i am going to see vince mira tonight at the showbox, so maybe i'll have something more interesting to write about tomorrow.

you're every now and then on my mind

i'm going to LA in 13 days to see the swell season! the way it usually goes when i'm traveling to see a concert: i get excited when (usually months ahead of time) i buy the tickets, my interest wanes in the ensuing weeks, and i start to get giddy with anticipation again about two weeks (give or take a few days) before the show. or, in the swell season's case, when they start their fall tour. i swear, the frames are one of my favorite bands and i CANNOT WAIT for a new album from them , but the news that glen and marketa are recording together is incredibly awesome. after watching the videos on youtube from their shows in new york, boston and toronto, i have again remembered that magic that they have on stage together. these pictures are especially awesome.

as is this video of a new song from a concert in northampton, ma last month:



i almost want to watch once again. who knew that going to see that film at the seattle film festival in 07 would start such a wonderful love affair with the frames/swell season (swell frames, perhaps?) out of all the music that we hear every day, what is it about certain bands that stops you dead in your tracks?

hey, don't write yourself off yet

yay! my swell season tickets came today!! i can't wait. god bless ducatking. not only do they not charge half the face value as a "convenience charge," (like, ahem, these people), but they included with the ticket a card to download 25 songs for free. i have to admit that i was a little annoyed at first that i had to drive all the way to the fedex warehoue in south seattle, but i'm over that now.

in honor of glen and marketa, here is a video that i am loving lately:


and play this song, please:


argh. i have to stop myself before i post all of the frames videos i can find on youtube (i've seen them all, i'm sure)

clouds roll by; or, the crazy accordian man

kristine finally (!!!) put her pictures of boston online; she said i could link to them, so here they are.

this picture

makes me think of the crazy accordian man we met while we were sitting outside the T station in cambridge on a sunday night. we had ended up in a discussion about music, and being the person that i am who constantly is trying to convert kristine to a pearl jam nut like myself, i'm sure they were the subject of our conversation, which somehow drifted to bugs , the PJ song that ed plays on accordian. i think that i was first telling her that i read that at one of ed's solo shows someone yelled a request for vitalogy, and ed said something like, "ok, but i need 45 minutes and an accordian." (i have absolutely no idea if that really happened, but i think that it's funny).

i think that it was at this point that the elderly gentleman sitting beside us spoke up. (maybe accordian piqued his curiousity). he became very animated, telling us emphatically that american music is "no good," because it doesn't have any soul (hardly a new idea, and one that, with a few exceptions, i am hard-pressed to argue with). what i liked (and feared, a little) about this man was his passion in trying to win us over to his point of view. kristine asked him where he was from; i forget exactly where - somewhere in eastern europe, i think. he kind of reminded me of my grandfather; he was this very curmudgeonly old man who liked to argue more than anything, i think. he told us we should listen to indian music. i gathered that he didn't like the sound of guitars, and preferred pianos (or accordians i guess. maybe even ukeleles? i should have told him to check out pearl jam). "american music bad."

kristine also has some pictures of the scariest ever holiday inn in mansfield. in a vacation where i found some great deals on priceline, this was by far the most expensive hotel (i use that term loosely) we stayed at. first, we arrived around 4:30 and all i wanted to do was take a shower before the concert, but our room didn't have any toilet paper. that's kind of a necessity no matter who you are. so i called the front desk, and 20 minutes later a maid brought us one (!!) roll. we also happened to be in a wing of the hotel that was i guess under construction -there was plaster falling from the ceiling, and when we finally got back to the room after the show, kristine decided she had to take pictures of the crumbling walls and a random styrofoam cup tied to the ceiling. (it was funny at the time).

we got back after the PJ concert around 1 AM, and i hear kristine say, "uh, megan, there's blood on my sheets." "come again?" "THERE'S BLOOD ON MY SHEETS." we probably should have called the front desk, but didn't, and poor kristine had to sleep on top of the blanket. sorry about that....

i think that my favorite memory of that trip (not counting pearl jam) was the restaraunt we ate at on newbury street. i think it was called joe's diner. i remember that we argued about going there, but i'm sorry, when my watch says it's time for a meal, i need to eat (it's a personality defect, i guess. i blame my parents). again, i don't recall how this joke exactly started, but kristine and i started saying that if she ever ordered a drink in a restaraunt, she would ask for a "pint of whiskey." i told her that i didn't think that would taste very good, and we started laughing and somehow the waiter (who, as an aside, was sort of cute) overheard us and i told him that kristine wanted one (a pint, that is) to give to a small child. crap... i totally messed up the joke, but trust me that it was funny, and thinking about that dinner is making me crack up again.

since i haven't posted about my love glen hansard in a while, here is some goodness from a swell season show the other day in the czech republic.

can't let you roam inside my head...

a few things that are amusing me this evening...



for some reason, i think this is hilarious. at about 5:40, some lady with a terrible voice starts singing along and glen kind of stops and wags his finger and keeps going. a few seconds later, she starts again and glen says something, the beginning of which i cannot for the life of me decipher and marketa cracks up. then the lady says something like, "if people would sing i wouldn't have to sing so loudly." glen has a blank look on his face for a second, but without meeting a beat he says, "jesus. do you talk to your tv too?"

this website. while it is not about music, it is about being a fan (of the red sox, in this case). i am finding that i enjoy reading people's blogs about things i don't even care about, because it is interesting to read about the way others express thier fandom (is that a word?), if that makes sense. plus she seems to have a little obsession with josh beckett, of which i approve, and the graphic of him in her post for today is cracking me up.

the grand archives. i especially like the song swan matches. sometimes i feel like i don't listen to enough new music (i need to expand my musical horizons, me thinks). it seems like every time i listen to KEXP, for example, i hear a new band and think to myself that i should check them out but then i get discouraged because there is never enough time to listen to all the stuff i want to, so i don't. but, seriously, of all the bands i saw at the subpop thing a few weeks ago, i think that they might have been my favorite.

this is our heyday baby

and we're not gonna be afraid to shine
cause we can make our heyday last forever
and ain't that what it's all about?

the swell season/frames at bonnaroo, june 13, doing a mic christopher song.


i love how happy everyone looks. i love glen's dance moves - watch out, new kids on the block. most of all, i love how glen is able to get the crowd to sing the chorus to a song most of them have probably never even heard. i also like what he says before the song - "it's a dance song - i don't really care about you dancing in terms of our egos; i just care in terms of your enjoyment." ha!

i found a little blurb with glen in the new york times (he really gets around).

When the band was in Louisville, word came that it was invited to hear Barack Obama speak. “It was amazing, just like everything else that has been happening for us,” he said. Mr. Hansard is contemplating a move to New York from Dublin. “I don’t really live anywhere right now, but Dublin is where I keep my stuff,” he said.

while i find it insane that someone would want to move from europe to the united states, may i suggest seattle? not only do we have coffee and music, but we are also colder than siberia (according to an article in the seattle times this morning). if you need a place to stay, i even have some room on my couch. (kidding!)

may you build a ladder to the stars...

i love this. swell season with liam o maonlaí singing forever young a few days ago in prague. they also did this song in seattle and it was wonderful.


speaking of the swell season, there's an interview with glen and marketa in performing songwriter. (unfortunately if you go to that link, you can only read the first page or so; you can, however, see the cover, which i love. glen hansard on the cover of a magazine!). it's a good read.
how does it work when you write together?
hansard: i enjoy that, because it's like my foot is off the gas. she feels it's my song, and i feel it's hers. when i feel it's hers, that means i don't feel responsible for it, so i play around and kick it into different shapes. i feel a lot less precious about it. and she doesn't get precious about it, because she thinks it's my song. the idea is it's just a song, it's neither yours nor mine. the songs that mar and i write together are like sketchbooks, not paintings. you sit with your friends, do some doodles, and have a laugh with it. it's still very serious and personal but because it was written by the two of us, we have less fear about what it ends up being.

and this:
music is something i will never do as a job.. if i think about it that way, it's dead. music's very shy. it's like a bird. it's with you until you catch it.

oh.. and this. i want someone to say something like this about me.
she's really smart and together. in our relationship, i spend all my time not knowing where i'm going. she's the one who's more grounded. i'm the one who deals with life in a different way. she has this easy pace and even temper that i admire. she's a good person to be around.

in something completely unrelated, if anyone who is reading this happens to be looking for a ticket to pearl jam on the 30th, leave a comment or email me.

i took the 405...

death cab for cutie is on soundopinions this week and i would say that it's definately worth a listen. i STILL don't have narrow stairs (i have a gift certificate for amazon.com. i should order it). that tells you how excited i am about their new songs, huh? although, they play - obviously - some of the new stuff on the show, and i have to say that i really like grapevine fires. however, i will possess your heart still creeps me out. i don't like the song, and the title reminds me of that weird guy in high school who used to leave me plastic roses in my locker.

the interview itself is worth a listen, too. i think that the funniest part is when the interviewer says something about how no band is great when it first starts and then ben says, "well some bands are. we were pretty good." the interviewer laughs but ben doesn't. ha! i think that he's probably right, if he means that they were better then than they are now.

on a totally unrelated note, this review of the swell season show at radio city music hall is, despite its faults (when did the frames become a "tasteful decaf coffeehouse band"? what does that even mean??), worth reading for this: the best frames songs share the same DNA that made once so magnetic: "what happens when the heart just stops" is one long, graceful crescendo, expertly threaded out a measure at a time, until glen's pounding on his beat-to-crap guitar and howling 'disappointment' over and over like it's the most optimistic word in the english language.

you're every now and then on my mind...

i know that i post way too much about the swell season/the frames, but this video is perhaps the most beautiful thing i've seen in a long time. i've probably watched it about 6 times since i found it an hour ago. i don't think i ever really realized what a gorgeous voice marketa has, and when she and glen sing together at the end.. WOW. i don't even know what to say:



does this song make anyone else cry??

this is from their concert at radio city music hall yesterday. because i have a slight obsession, i have read every review i can find online of that show. sigh. why am i never at concerts like that? it seems like it was absolutely amazing. i read on the frames messageboard, that interference (an irish band who opened the show) came out to do gold , which is one of my favorite songs on the once soundtrack. if you're interested, you can find more videos on youtube, including the best version i've ever heard of glen singing astral weeks . unfortunately, it's not the complete song, but it's long enough that you can hear how wonderful he sounds. and my favorite part of the video is the little grin he has during the middle of the song. it's like he's thinking, "we made it, we're playing a sold-out show at radio city music hall." which, regardless of how you feel about the swell season's sudden popularity, is pretty darn cool.

i really need to quit my job and win the lottery so i can follow the frames/swell season/pearl jam from city to city. sometimes i doubt if anyone would miss me.

i finally bought my ticket to for the subpop 20th anniversary in july. it's july 12 and 13 at marymoor park. i was only going to go on saturday, but green river is playing on sunday and i don't want to miss that so i just ended up buying a two-day pass. and now i notice that on friday the 11th, they are having a comedy show at the moore theatre and david cross will be there. the one time i saw him, in 2004 at the showbox as part of vote for change, he told a joke about finding an ad for a schoolbus on craigslist that is probably one of the funniest things i've ever heard. i wish i could remember it exactly, but it must have been funny because just thinking about it makes me laugh. really, who needs to eat when there is so much to do??

also, i've been meaning to post about this: a few weeks ago, my mom sent me a brochure for this company that does walking tours of ireland. i think that would be a really neat way to get to know a country. my only trepidation about something like that is that i would be traveling with a group of people but would ultimately be alone. does that make sense? a while ago, i checked an ireland travel book out of the library and made up the itinerary of my imaginary trip. it was fun. also in my mind, i am going to go to tibet, italy and spain.

hold on to the thread, the currents will shift..

there's another nonsensical lyric for you.

i thought of another reason i dislike summer: allergies. specifically, i think there's something right outside my bedroom window that forces me to sleep with my mouth open all night and wake up with a really bad sore throat. grr...

but here's a reason for liking summer... street fairs and festivals. i went to the university district street fair on saturday (when it was about a million degrees, and i got stuck in a huge line at starbucks because i didn't have any cash left and they were the only place where i could get an iced tea with a credit card). i love walking around lost in the huge crowd of people. i bought a really nice shirt too as well as some good bread ("dave's killer bread" does sound sort of ominous, but it's quite yummy). next weekend, aside from being memorial day and a blessed 3 days off work, is the northwest folklife festival at seattle center. i have to admit that i enjoy that. my favorite part of summer festivals is getting henna tattoos, because i am way too chicken to get a real one. but for a few weeks, i can pretend that i'm not.

stupid things happen to me during the day, and i think, "oh, i have to write about that on my blog," but by the time i get home, i have forgotten. so instead, i'll post this video, which i have probably watched 50 times since it was put up last week. honestly, i love it. here you go, glen doing say it to me now , but watch the way he is singing. i swear, that man can pack such intensity and emotion into a minute and a half. yes, he's sitting on his knees at the ledge of the stage playing the song. sigh. he and eddie vedder are, sadly, (the only) two singers who i would probably pay good money to see perform the alphabet song. preferably together. in irish. with interpretive dancing.



on that dvd that kristine got at the seattle show (i'm still waiting for you to make me a copy of it, missy), glen says that he wrote this song about his grandparents who fought all the time, but had a deep love for each other. and in once, it is made to be about his ex-girlfriend (which i totally do not get). to me, the song is about being angry with god for making life so... impossible, sometimes. as these shadows fall, i'll win somehow . if you haven't heard the version of this song on fitzcarraldo, you really should seek it out. it's a little different lyrically and musically, although i must say when i hear 2008 era glen play this song i get goosebumps. everytime. there's something about him and his acoustic guitar that is just pure magic.

i strolled all alone through the fallout zone

if you know me, you know that i absolutely hate driving so i take the bus everywhere i can. there are lots of reasons i do this: so i can do something small to help the environment, to save my sanity, to watch the guy that looks like kurt cobain and always seems to sit across from me, to give myself extra reading time... but most importantly, so that i can have at least 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted headphone listening time when i'm not worried about cooking dinner, taking the trash out, doing my laundry, or one of the myriad other things i find occupying my mind when i'm at home. one of my favorite things to listen to lately is a playlist i put together with some of my favorite frames, pearl jam and eddie vedder solo songs. tonight, especially, i was really tired; the bus was late, work sucked, my head was pounding and i realized that i could just close my eyes and let it all vanish, and i felt better once i got home. that's probably the truest thing i can write about my relationship with music - there is something about a good song that can make everything alright, if only for 5 minutes or so. and there are times when that is all it takes. and there is something about a singer who can fill the empty spaces of songs with emotion.

here's my (short enough that i can listen to it on a 25 minute bus ride) playlist for today:
the frames - seven day mile
the frames - red chord
eddie vedder - growin' up (springsteen cover)
pearl jam - given to fly
the frames - santa maria
pearl jam - in my tree
mic christopher - heyday

speaking of the frames, i love this performance of this song. i wish i had been at this concert. i love the swell season, but i want to see the frames again. this makes me really wish that i was going to see them in colorado next month.



the moment at the end of this song when the audience is singing the chorus is beautiful. i know i've said this before, but there's a moment during some shows when the barrier between audience and performer just totally breaks down and you look around and realize that you are not alone. for someone like me who never quite feels like they belong anywhere, that is a moment i live for.

and we have all the time in the world to get it right, to get it right
and we have all the love in the world to set alight, to set alight

scratching at the surface now

it's a mistake to look for tickets to see one of your favorite singers in los angeles during a presale while telling yourself that you won't buy any, because what are you supposed to do if you find two GA tickets? not get them?? a better person than me could do that, perhaps.

reason 491 why i love the frames

there you go...

this is glen hansard doing astral weeks (a van morrison song) from the coachella festival last friday. what an INCREDIBLE voice he has. i can't even begin to describe it. i love him. if he only plays this tomorrow night, i will scream. well, not out loud, but inside.

i got your back, dear..

in 1996, seeing pearl jam was 23 dollars. in 2000, it was 25 dollars. in 2003, it was 35 dollars. in 2006, it was 50 dollars and in 2008, seeing eddie vedder solo is 75 dollars. that's quite an increase. they could be charging much more, however. GA tickets for bruce springsteen are 95 dollars (which is one reason why i'm not seeing him tonight at key arena. well, i lie, i hemmed and hawed until tickets were finally sold out. i even went by key arena today to see if there were any day-of-show tickets). i paid 90 dollars to see u2 for two nights in 2005. it was completely worth it. i would rather fill my life with experiences rather than things. but it just sucks that everything has to cost so much. even swell season tickets are about 25 dollars more expensive than they were in november (5 months ago! they just *had* to go an win an oscar)

this is awesome... i've had this song on my computer for awhile, but seeing a video of it is really great.



my favorite part is when glen smiles. i bet he's thinking of chocolate-covered nuts. (no one will get that except kristine :) it kills me that the video cuts off plateau.

what is up with weird music in stores? this afternoon, i was in bartell's downtown and heard float on by modest mouse, except it wasn't modest mouse, it was some crappy singer. and then i was in old navy and heard silversun pickups, except it was some strange mix of the song with a bizarre bass line added to it. quite unsettling, actually.

i went to see stoploss this afternoon. i'm not sure what i thought of it - the ending was very unsatisfying, however. the whole movie made me feel really uneasy, but that was the point of it.

you won't disappoint me, i can do that myself