BATS!! eeeek eeeek!

Flying Rodents: I'm glad I've taken measures to "Bat Proof" my apartment as there was a bat in my rear stairwell. I opened my door tonight to go get my laundry and I saw it circling the top light on my landing. I immediately slammed the door shut as to avoid risking its entry. Then in an extra bought of paranoia I added to my defenses. In addition to the towels that I've been placing under my door, I put tape around the creases where I thought perhaps I was under estimating the abilities of the bat to flatten itself.

People have been working on my roof again and they must have left the door in the ceiling slightly cracked.

To get my laundry I went out the front stairwell and decided to walk around the building. Before I entered I spotted the bat lingering on the screen in the second floor window of the stairwell. I paced back and fourth for about ten minutes imagining the bat in my hair or clinging onto my shirt before I got brave and took action.

I figured the bat, knowing it was trapped, basically unable to go out the way it came in, it would be actively pursuing a exit. At first it was more of an effort based on fear than on bat removal strategy. I thought that the bat would head further downstairs towards the change in air currents and temperature. I didn't want to risk physical contact with the bat, or find myself in the laundry room afraid to head back up stairs to the ground level exit. So I decided I would open and close the door a couple of times and see if the bat made a descent towards me. I opened it then closed it. Then I backed up off the steps to observe the bat in the second floor window screen.

Indeed the bat began moving side to side, agitated and anxious. Then as if after weighing its options it left the screen to check out the circumstances on the first floor. It flew around a bit. I was hesitant (perhaps foolishly so) to open the door as it was madly circling. Once it got tired and settled on the stairs going down to the lower level, I quickly opened the door and stood behind it. The bat flew out of the building straight into the night. I quickly gathered my laundry with the irrational fear that there might be more bats (eeeek!). Luckily this went smoothly. Additionally I went back outside and around the building, partly because I was afraid of the illogical idea that there was more than one bat, and also because my defenses on my kitchen door are still in place and I did not want to disturb them.

Anyway, I had a lazy weekend, but a good one anyway. Saturday Kate and I went walking around Boston and Cambridge. We had a sophisticated meal at Chili's. My goal on choosing something to eat was to find something very Americana and simple as opposed to Asian or Mexican cuisine. Chili's fit the bill and I had a chicken finger platter with corn on the cob. Kate had grilled chicken, rice, and corn on the cob. We rounded it out with chips and salsa. Ok so there was a hint of the Mexican grub, but it was good. Besides chips and salsa are totally Americana, and increasingly so.

I watched Chinatown with Jack Nicholson which was nothing short of excellent. I am definitely going to give it another viewing before I put it back in the mail to netflix.

I went on a little shopping spree Sunday. I bought a new shirt, some household items that I needed (an assortment of light bulbs, I was living in partial darkness), and cds! Early Sunday Morning (a.k.a. Saturday Night) I was surfing on Amazon. I purchased Wolfmother, a new band that really rocks out and sounds like a cross between Zepplin and Sabbath, Bloc Party's "Silent Alarm"-(I'm accompanying Jess Wheeler to this concert at the end of the month. Wheeler is a big Secret Machines Fan and introduced me to them recently... they are opening for Bloc Party, so I figured I should educate myself on the "main act"), Mark Kozelek's "Rock & Roll Singer" (Tim Hayes gave me this one by the Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon frontman but it has always had some bad skips in it so I finally got around to purchasing it. There are a few covers on this one, 3 ACDC covers and a John Denver Cover, both turned into Kozelek's beautiful somber prog-rock that generally makes a nice summer afternoon or bedtime soundtrack), last purchase from Amazon's realm was M. Ward's "Transistor Radio".

In my searches I was bent on finding this great R&B act I've seen a couple of times on late shows. Having not written anything down, I had little to go on other than it is probably considered hip hop, although it generally borrows more from classic Motown and early 70s soul groups. I figured it must be in the billboard charts, and eventually after ignoring the titles that included references to guns and hos, or the emancipation of Mimi, I was able to click on the right mp3 sample. Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere" is the CD. I listened to the 30 second samples on Amazon and it blew me away. I resolved that Sunday I would run out and purchase it immediately. Its been a while since I've been this "psyched" about "pop" music. This album which is a collaboration with Danger Mouse, the DJ that famously created the illegal "grey album" shut down by the record companies (It was the White Album mixed with Jay-Z's black album... I believe, and someone released it without permission and from all accounts I've heard it was amazing, although it will probably never see the light of day). Gnarls Barkley's single "Crazy" is meaningful and infectious. It is an instant classic, which his on par with the best of Motown and Stevie Wonder, and the rest of the album, while diverse, accompanies and compliments this hit perfectly. St. Elsewhere packs the soulful punch that R&B contemporaries over the past twenty years have been for most part, been unable to capture. This single is the type of song which will appeal to the masses, it brings hope that a lot of good things could spin out of this.

In addition to St. Elsewhere I picked up Julian Lennon's (son of one of the world's most famous tragic figures & dead-beat dads, John Lennon) "Valotte", which was only $11. It really is a lot better than people gave it credit for. There are some 80s synth on a couple of the songs, that take from their quality, but they are extremely well written, and Julian's singing range is a match of his father's if not even an improvement when it comes to his falsetto. It was an excellent addition to my collection.

I eagerly anticipate the "Amazon" arrivals but my current two acquisitions will keep me satisfied for some time. Work has taken a stressful turn recently, and the music will help me cope and give me something to look forward to each day.

Well... I hope everyone has a good start to their week!

Cheers!

Spared a firery death

Well... I did not crash and die in my one day business trip. I was sure I was going to. On the flight home, I went to sleep, kind of thinking I wouldn't wake up.

Well, I exaggerate of course, but I was feeling anxious. I probably am still, but for the time being I'm having a momentary comfortable period of being comfortably numb.

It has been a long short week. I guess I'm glad that tomorrow is Friday, and yet I'm a little bewildered at new obstacles I've been faced with at work, and kind of wish I had more time to sort them out. It is always about too much to do in too little time.

At the airport before departing for Boston I had two Lancaster Pilsner pints which actually made me a little loopy. I finished reading Bob Dole's memoir "A soldier's story" in the bar. It was excellent. I'm usually not a fan of biographies or memoirs because often they are dry or are propaganda for some political or social concern. This book was neither, just a real inspirational story of someone perservering through numerous obstacles. Next I began reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle" which isn't failing to please. Here is a quirky passage regarding Vonnegut's made up religion "Bokononism"

In his "Fifty-third" Calypso," Bokonon invites us to sing along with him:

Oh, a sleeping drunkard
Up in Central Park
And a lion-hunter
In the jungle dark,
And a Chinese dentist,
And a British queen---
All fit together
In the same machine.
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice---
So many different people
In the same device

This "song" is regarding "people" who get tangled in your life for no logical reason, and that they are a member of what Bokonon considers your "karass".

Yes yes... weird I know,
but that's why I like Vonnegut.

He was sort of a precursor to "Hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy".

For those who couldn't be there or didn't catch it on the boob tube, here is a snippet of the Boston Esplanade Fireworks Display, sans music. I believe the closing tune was Neil Diamond's "We Come into America"... perhaps a blue state's ideals of immigration coming into their musical programming?



And lastly, I'm sorry Germany. Next time consider trying to get Italy to score a goal or two for you... It can work out nicely.

Freaky Fourth....

First the weird voodoo web site, Kate cracked this one for me. Actually its quite simple. 10-19, follow the directions and you'll get the # 9, directions being (ex:19) add the two digits 1+9=10 then subtract this sum from original (you get 9 for all #s 10-19, 18 for all #s 20-29, 27 for all #s 30-39 and so on.... All of these multiples of nine have the same symbol, as a result the game will always pick your symbol if you follow the directions. Very clever, yet rather disappointing that it was easily cracked. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't take the initiative to do it proper on my own.

Speaking of voodoo....

Kate and I had a beautiful night watching the fireworks in Boston. We watched them from the Mass. Ave bridge. Did not get to see Steven Tyler or the Pops up close, but I'm not a big fan of Aerosmith, so hearing it over the loud speakers was plenty good for me. The location, aside from its proximity to the Hatch shell could not have been better. Another night of fantastic memories.

Back to the "voodoo". So walking home from Oak Grove tonight I had an interesting experience. Not too far after the subway station I pass through a small "industrial" area in a mostly residential neighborhood. There was a woman walking about 100 yards ahead of me with a little pull cart which I think had perhaps supplies from a "4th of July" picnic, either that or it was luggage. She was dressed sort of old fashioned like a school teacher, long blue skirt, white blouse, and had her hair in a tight bun. Suddenly she turned sort of diagonally away from the road and faced the wall of a warehouse, long before I approached her. At first I thought she was going to wait for someone (although it was a weird spot, sort of dark and far enough off the "main" sidewalk where she might not easily be spotted). Then I thought she might pull out a cell phone or something, but she was frozen, looking at this wall (seemingly) and holding her cart. At my pace, it took me at least two to three minutes to pass her, and despite it just being a five foot six inch woman with a cart I cautiously approached. She was acting so weird I thought there could be something seriously wrong. (randomly stopping with luggage inroad home when some guy is walking behind you, only to stare at the wall doesn't seem... routine, or ummmm...logical to me). So as I approached I tried to keep my pace but also looked closely at her as I walked buy. Too compound the freakiness as I passed she spun her head over her shoulder with only slight if any torso movement to look at me. More abrupt than a casual glance, it was one of those quick turns of the head, the type that a person is likely to pull or strain something when a movement such of this occurs. It seemed "supernatural" or almost Hollywood, and it freaked me out to the point where I don't think I would have been too surprised if she didn't have eyes in her sockets or if they glowed red, or say, she started spouting some incantation at me. When I got a look at her face I smiled and kind of chuckled (nervously) because I think my soul leaped momentarily if I did not physically. Her face showed no emotion but merely stared me down, almost looking through me. It was sullen, serious and stoic, and looked at me through round wire spectacles.

I believe once I passed she began walking again, but I didn't turn around. Too weird. It is likely that she was just understandably scared to be walking out late by herself, but most people, turn around to see who or what approaches them, walk speedily towards their destination rather than wait for someone else to catch up or pass, and never stop in a poorly lit industrialized warehouse lot.

Facing the wall was enough to freak me out, she really didn't have to add the touch of turning around like some sort of possessed specter. eeebie jeebies.....

Parts of me still felt like I should have said "are you alright, do you need to call someone for a ride," etc... etc... But then the little voice within tells me I made the right move by continuing on my merry way.

The weekend was good... I celebrated my dad's birthday with my parents, and then met up with Tim, Brandy, John, and Michelle at Rosie's on Monday Night. It was a tight schedule, and I would have liked to met up with other friends, Jason Chaloux in Lewiston, and Jess in Portland, but it just didn't come to fruition. Some time soon I will make up for it.

Well, not too much more to report from here... or rather its too late right now, so I'm headed to bed!

Have a good week all!

-George