1. ask the dust - john fante
2. playing right field - george tabb
3. surfing armageddon - george tabb
4. death in venice - thomas mann
5. all the pretty horses - cormac mccarthy
book to-read list
Top 10 of 2010
Here are my top 10 albums of 2010 (with bonus top 5 ep’s)
Unfun - Sick Outside Views
Dont even know if there is enough i can say about this album that would do it justice. Some of the most spiteful, depressing and genuine lyrics ive heard in a long time. J Wang put it the best. Its only once every few years find a band that just absolutely blows you away. And this band will absolutely blow you away. These three Canadian boys are not only three of my favorite people in the entire world, but they wrote one of the best albums ive ever heard. It hits home in so many places. If youve ever been bitter, sad, or lonely this album is for you. Great album by better dudes.
Favorite Line…“Lets drive for days and fuck the pain away, hate myself as much as you know” - Fuck the Pain Away
Dopamines - Expect the Worst
Maybe its just the point in my life where i am right now, but this album hits really close to home. Songs about blacking out, being unsatisfied with everyone around you, not going anywhere in your life and just generally being an all around fuck up make up this album, but there seems to be a positive twist to all of it. A lot of being happy is being happy with the shitty parts of your life, and this album highlights those in the best possible way.
Favorite Line…“booze on my breath, holes in my shoes, make no mistake, better off then you” - Cincinnati Harmony
Iron Chic - Not Like This
This album almost seems like a coming of age novel. There are a lot of songs about growing up and the pros and cons that come with that. They embrace the long island sound without overdoing it, and keep the songs anthemic and sing-along-y without ever getting cheesy. And you have to love that distorted bass sound. Wouldn’t expect any less from the dudes from Latterman and Small Arms Dealer.
Favorite Line…“and I get it, I don’t regret it, I just want to be the one who said it” - Every Town Has an Elm Street
Rvivr - Rvivr
Another record from the Latterman family of bands. Listening to these bands, both Rvivr and Iron Chic really reminds me of listening to Sparta and the Mars Volta right after At The Drive In broke up. You can definitely hear where Latterman fits in between the two bands. Great songs about doing better things and being a less shitty person. Its a healthy dose of optimism in a music genre where that is not normal.
Favorite Line…“from these shitty jobs and moldy houses, broken bones and overdoes, the fact that we survive at all is kind of a surprise” - Edge of Living
Riot Before - Rebellion
There are so many great parts to this album. It captures a sense of restlessness and longing that is hard to pin down and describe. Although ive seen riot before a few times now, the first time i saw them at Fest 8 made me fall in love with them. Brett said something along the lines of “these moments are what make all the shitty jobs, shitty shifts and shitty jobs worth it.” This sentiment echos throughout this whole album.
Favorite Line…“pick up a keychain with two keys, but only one that you still need” - To Live How We Believe
Rumspringer - Empty Towers
What can’t these boys do? After listening to the self-titled ep that came out last year about 400 times, i had super high expectations for this album. That being said, its great. My favorite memories from this last year all involve rumspringer, from parking two cars in the median next to wes’s house, to getting iced with the dudes from the transgressions at the condo we went swimming at, to joe pulling down matty’s pants during awesomefest, and then getting kicked out, these dudes made my year better.
Favorite Line…“im an inch away from going postal, and youll never hear from me again” - Sometimes Dead is Better
The Anchor - The Anchor
BAHAHA. I love these dudes. Like more then friends. I also think they win the award for “The band I saw the most this year that im not in” If you havent heard these weirdos from Austin you need to listen to this record. Great punk songs about hot dogs, vodka, bros, girls, and all of these things mixed in together. Every time i get together with these dudes i have a great time and still haven’t gotten tired of seeing them, even if they always show up late. This might have technically came out in 2009, but fuck it, none of us got it until 2010.
Favorite Line…all of Yachting on a Bass Boat
Credentials - Routines
This album never slows down. Never. Its super high energy punk from the first 1234 to the last chord. The grime and cold of the northeast transfer through the speakers, and youll be singing these songs long after you turn off the stereo. Im pretty sure they recorded this album live too. If youve ever tried to do that shit, listen to this album again and appreciate what they did with that.
Favorite Line…“same old story, drunk and boring” - Nice Girl/Coffee Shop
Menzingers - Chamberlain Waits
This was another album i was highly anticipating in 2010. It was one of the first new albums i heard this year, and i think that took a little away from its final standing on this list. With its bright guitars and big drums, this album reminds me of Summertime. Its the kind of album that makes you miss being in love and the whole ups and downs that come with it.
Favorite Line…“she met a new boy who was more hip and less strung out” - Time Tables
Dan Padilla - As the Ox Plows
I dont even think i ever listened to Dan Padilla until after J-Wang let us stay at his house for awesomefest. Well, “let us stay” in the loosest sense of the world, more like we showed up drunk at his house on friday night after he had already passed out and slept in his living room without asking. The next day his wife called us smelly. This album reminds me of Southern California, Awesomefest, and all the best stories from tour.
Favorite Line…“And youre a little bit better than you used to be and the sun is always sinking in the rising sea” - The Last Arrivals
Top 5 EPs
- Manix - Van Activities (Favorite Song - Metal Endings)
- Like Bats - Look on the Bright Side (Favorite Song - Pop Tops)
- Transgressions - Stop Wasting My Time (Favorite Song - Kidney Stones)
- Red City Radio - Spinning in Circles is a Gateway Drug (Favorite Song - A Brief Lesson in Repetition)
- New Creases - About Last Night (Favorite Song - French Perfume)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14813546@N00/sets/72157617753100109/
refrigerator photo set. final for my photo1 class.
VGA glitiching
For this project i hacked a vga connection between a laptop and a computer, using an arduino as an information supplier. Basically it takes the h-sync and v-sync from the connection between the monitor and laptop, and then uses an analog input to glitch the monitor. In this case the analog input i uses was a piezo buzzer. The analog signal is converted to a digital signal, and that signal is sent to the red, green, and blue pins of the monitor, causing horizontal bars to glitch on the screen.
i dont have a video of it yet, but i will once i get all of the bugs worked out of it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14813546@N00/sets/72157617583455087/
Project 2 Artist Statement
In this project, we were asked to use four different techniques to achieve different results. Because these techniques are quite different, and in some cases completely opposite, it was difficult to come up with an overarching theme to tie all of them together. I instead focused on using a theme for each of the groups of photographs. For motion blur, I photographed spinning records. Records are a tangible expression of music. When you spin a record the physical waveform is present, and I wanted to capture the motion, as well as some of the different colors of vinyl that I have. For stop motion I focused on water. Because water is so fluid and malleable it is hard to imagine it in one shape, but through faucets it becomes a very familiar motion. For my shallow depth of field, I focused on board games. All of these games are very nostalgic. Through the use of focus it is easy to hone in on what is important to me in these photographs. Finally, for my great depth of field I tried my hand at night photography. I tried to keep a sort of creepy feel to these photographs, allowing the view to use their imagination as to what might be going on in these buildings.
