Whatever colors you have in your mind...

One of many things that excites me about my upcoming nuptials ("don't you talk about anything else?" no. no, I don't) is repainting & redecorating. Perhaps my sisters rubbed off on me all those years, or maybe I'm just a nancy boy, I'm not sure, but I'm excited to change things around. Golf was canceled & it rained too much for Junior & me to play basketball, so I decided to paint, instead. I just got done for the evening, I started on repainting the spare bedroom, where my bedroom furniture will go. It'll be nice to have guests over & have a nicer bed for them to sleep in then the fart sack, as it's affectionately known. I'm painting it a medium gold (color name-Andrew's fabulous spare bedroom, in case you were wondering), hopefully to blend with the furniture & the bedspread. It looks good, so far, if I do say so myself. Christie will let me know what she thinks tomorrow. For the record Cashmere is still the best looking & easiest paint to use, I highly recommend it.

The next room we work on will be my, soon to be our bedroom, which will be a darker, slightly different shade (than what I have now) of chocolate brown. Christie had the idea of painting horizontal stripes of two different colors to go along the top of the wall. The colors of the stripes will be a teal & an off white, it sounds strange, but I think it will look great, provided I can do it right.

I think I'll wind down the evening with "God Warriors" on CNN. This is how I end another day in my kingdom.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

For the Price of a Cup of Tea-Belle & Sebastian, The Life Pursuit

You're Gonna Miss Me-The Thirteenth Floor Elevators

A King at Night-Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ease Down the Road

Seven Times Hotter than Fire-T-Bone Burnett, The True False Identity

Palestine Texas-T-Bone Burnett, The True False Identity

Happy Thursday, friends, I hope your day was colorful...

andrew

Bob Dylan Reads My Blogs

Reason #643 of why I'm a dork is that I read the setlists of Bob Dylan concerts the day after they happen. I've been doing it for years, it's a fun little hobby that takes about 45 seconds of every day that the old man is on tour. Feel free to throw tomatoes at me, I don't mind. Christie, if you don't want to marry me now, I'd understand.

The main reason I read the setlists is so I know which shows to download based on the songs that are played. The exciting ones are the ones where rarities are played.

Well, yesterday, my blog was entitled "We'll climb that hill no matter how steep", & it comes from the Bob Dylan song You Ain't Goin' Nowhere which I've been listening to alot lately. Here's the lyrics:

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere Clouds so swift Rain won't lift Gate won't close Railings froze Get your mind off wintertime You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee! Ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair! I don't care How many letters they sent Morning came and morning went Pick up your money And pack up your tent You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee! Ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair! Buy me a flute And a gun that shoots Tailgates and substitutes Strap yourself To the tree with roots You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee! Ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair! Genghis Khan He could not keep All his kings Supplied with sleep We'll climb that hill no matter how steep When we get up to it Whoo-ee! Ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair!

Copyright © 1967; renewed 1995 Dwarf Music

Well, I checked read the setlist from Adelaide, Australia from last night this evening & the song was played for the first time in 2007. Coincidence? Absolutely. From the setlist, it looked like a great show, with the first ever live version of Beyond the Horizon from Modern Times.

For more dorky coincidences, the song Quinn the Eskimo was played for the first time in thirty years the summer my nephew Quinn was born. On an unrelated note, when Quinn was over my house a few weeks ago, we were playing cars & one of the cars he was playing with got in an accident & he yelled, "This Wheel's on Fire!". I asked him if it was rolling down the road & he said yes.

Looking for more coincidence? Probably not, but here's the same song from Christie's favorite band The Counting Crows, anyway. The sound is a bit rough, but you get the idea. Not a bad version, at that.

Christie, I promise that this will be the last time I draw a parallel between our upcoming wedding & a Bob Dylan show.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Straight, No Chaser-Thelonious Monk

Seems so Long Ago, Nancy-Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room

Tonight Will Be Fine-Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room

A Night in Tunisia-Art Blakely

Remember the Mountain Bed-Wilco, Mermaid Ave Vol II

Strap yourself to the tree with roots, friends...

andrew

We'll climb that hill no matter how steep when we come up to it...

Happy Monday, friends. It's not very often that I bring exciting news. It isn't my way to be heard over the crowds with something exciting. I'd much rather be the wallflower in the corner looking for some other lost soul for whom the party wasn't meant for. Whenever my mother calls on the phone I feel sort of bad that the only stories I have to tell are those of my jet set life of working at the paint store. Oh but this weekend was a different story. I asked Christie to marry me & wouldn't you know? She said yes.

Whenever I tell people the story of how I proposed to Christie & the events that surrounded it, my story sounds kind of boring. But when I go through the events of the weekend, there was nothing boring about it. I don't remember what it was that I actually said when I proposed, but I do remember that Christie thankfully didn't let me finish whatever nervous words that came out of my mouth. There will be many things that will stick out in my mind when thinking back on the weekend, here's just a few of 'em:

Passing the time before Christie showed up with Mike in front of my house & the irony of Christie asking "why does Mike always leave whenever I come over?"

Waiting for a table at the Lakeside Inn & watching a gentleman get upset that the restaurant didn't have his table waiting for him. I wondered how someone could get upset at a place like that.

Thinking how bad an idea it was to have Christie sit on the rock to my left with the ring in my left pocket & wondering how I would kneel on the rocks.

Christie smothering me while I was on one knee paying no mind to the box in my hand.

The clapping of old ladies as they watched what unfolded on the beach. I found out later that Mike's mother was on the beach only 10-15 minutes before we were there, strictly coincidence.

Listening to the song Pink Moon from Nick Drake while Christie called her friend on the ride home.

The willingness in Ryan's voice to drive to my house from Benton Harbor when I had him tricked into thinking that Christie said no. A true friend.

The excitement in Emily's voice as she planned how she would arrange for Mom, Dad & Heidi to be around on Sunday.

Almost passing out from nervousness waiting for Christie's dad to show up at our table at Russ's knowing that when he did he'd only be there for a couple of minutes.

The look of excitement on Christie's mothers face as I told her what she probably knew all along.

Picking up wine & bridal magazines at D&W (see if you can guess who was more decided about what).

The smile on Christie's face when Mike came over & called her Mrs. Schroeder.

The look on my mother's face when we walked in the door wondering what was going on.

The smile on my dad's face when we asked him to do the wedding & his typical dodging of the questions we asked him.

Walking into the room & seeing Christie flip through bridal magazines with my mom, sisters & grams--the most important women in my life all in one place.

The smile on Christie's face every time she comes up with another question about the wedding.

Well, that's enough mushy stuff for one day. There's all sorts of things I'm looking forward to, but I'll save that for another day, there's too many things to mention.

I love you, Christie. Ever hear that song, The Best is Yet to Come? It's a great song. You should hear it.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Amen-Jolie Holland, Escondida

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere-Bob Dylan, Hammersmith 2003

I Hear Them All-Old Crow Medicine Show

Here at the Right Time-Josh Ritter, the Animal Years

Love Minus Zero/No Limit-Bob Dylan & George Harrison, Concert for Bangladesh

Happy Monday, friends...

andrew

Something is happening here, but you don't know what it is...

Warning, friends. There's nothing here today but random thoughts lacking cohesion & purpose. First of all, here's a poem by a one Mr Charles Bukowski...

so you want to be a writer?

if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there &
rewrite it again & again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands
of people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull & boring &
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun in side you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in
you

there is no other way.

and there never was.

Charles Bukowski, 2002

I've heard of great poets & writers that they can't sleep at night, their thoughts or ideas keep them awake at night. I'm the opposite, I often think of stuff I dream about as brilliant but can never remember it in the morning. Anyway, this poem is a tough pill to swallow.

Let me tell you a bit about what I call work. It's usually not really work at all. Much of the days belong to random conversations with customers about all kinds of things, only about half of it having anything to do with paint. It's a relatively small group of people we have these conversations with & strangely enough, though not necessarily by design, are the customers that spend the most money at our store. The conversations are not limited to regulars, if we have somebody browsing for colors many times I'll engage them in whatever topic might be at hand if I think they'd find it interesting. I often have this conflict within myself about how much work I could get done if this didn't occur everyday but on the other hand I wonder if it may be good for business. The latter usually wins out. I suppose you are wondering if customers orders get done on time & if customers are greeted in a timely manner. It's often a topic of discussion, especially the diner bell we use to signify that an order is complete. Gloria's finally come around to it, the rest of it loved it from the very second the idea popped into my head.

I had more random thoughts I was going to ramble on about, but I'm kind of hungry.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Make You Feel My Love-Bob Dylan, Herning Denmark 2007

Thunder on the Mountain-Bob Dylan, Herning Denmark 2007

Blowin' in the Wind-Bob Dylan, Herning Denmark

AntiChrist Television Blues-The Arcade Fire

Ain't Talkin'-Bob Dylan, Herning Denmark 2007

Happy Thursday, friends...

andrew

When you get up in the morning & you see that crazy sun...

I discovered a new hiking spot today, PJ Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon. What's nice about this place is that I don't think I even did half of the trails so there'll be more to do. Christie would've loved it, it had what seemed like a mile of beach. I'm gonna guess that I hiked about 5-8 miles, alot of it uphill. I made the mistake of climbing the dune with my shoes & socks on at the beginning of the hike, leaving me with a few pounds of sand in my Adidas for the rest of the hike. This climb put me at the top of this little hill.

Alot of the hike was through the woods, but I walked the entire length of the beach leaving me a bit sunburned. The climbs will probably have made me soar by tomorrow.

The IPod shuffle was good to me today, providing me with alot of good stuff in a row, so much that I don't remember what alot of them were, but I sure did enjoy them. I'm sure I've said this before, but there's something about music that demands movement, & it's more rewarding when you're moving. My favorite things to do while listening to music are driving & walking. Music has a way of framing your surroundings, whatever they may be.

One song I do remember hearing was Mutineer by the late great Warren Zevon. For some reason, the song reminds me of Gramps. I wonder if Gramps would've liked the song, I'd like to think he would. I don't remember if Gramps ever liked to hike, my guess would be that he'd have too many projects to work on to waste time with such frivolities. If he did, I'm sure he'd study up on the dunes & how they formed the way they did.

Mutineer Lyrics
Warren Zevon By Warren Zevon
c. 1995 Zevon Music BMI

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Hoist the mainsail - here I come
Ain't no room on board for the insincere
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer

I was born to rock the boat
Some may sink but we will float
Grab your coat - let's get out of here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer

Long ago we laughed at shadows
Lightning flashed and thunder followed us
It could never find us here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer

Long ago we laughed at shadows
Lightning flashed and thunder followed us
It could never find us here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer

I was born to rock the boat
Some may sink but we will float
Grab your coat - let's get out of here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
I'm your mutineer......

I almost talked myself into playing nine holes of golf afterwards, but I'm glad I decided instead to just hit a bucket of balls. By the end of the bucket, I was good & sunstroked or something. I certainly wouldn't have made it around the course without passing out from the heat.

Other than that, there's not much to speak of for the day except a day full of good music & puttsing 'round the house.

The House Was Quiet & the World Was Calm

The house was quiet & the world was calm.
The reader became the book; and summer night

Was like the conscious being of the book.
The house was quiet & the world was calm.

The words were spoken as if there was no book,
Except that the reader leaned above the page,

Wanted to lean, wanted much most to be
The scholar to whom his book is true, to whom

The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
The house was quiet because it had to be.

The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind:
The access of perfection to the page.

And the world was calm. The truth in a calm world,
In which there is no other meaning, itself

Is calm, itself is summer & night, itself
Is the reader leaning late & reading there.

Wallace Stevens, 1945

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

You Are My Face-Wilco, Sky Blue Sky

Mutineer-Warren Zevon

Romulus-Sufjan Stevens, Michigan

Oh My Lord-Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, No More Shall We Part

Born in Time-Bob Dylan, Wallinford 2003

Happy Saturday, friends...

I'm longing for that sweet fat that sticks to your ribs...

There are things I'm interested in, & there are things I wish I could be interested in. Cooking & working out fall in the latter category. I wish I liked to cook. I wish sitting in the kitchen coming up with a feast could hold my interest. I also wish I could be so interested in maintaining an athletic form. Unfortunately, these things sound good in theory, but lose steam a couple of days into it. Especially cooking. There are quite a few people I know that love to cook, at least it seems that way from the time they put into it & the outcome. Grandma is probably the best cook I know, although with meals prepared for her at her apartment, I don't blame her for retiring from her post. Gloria from work absolutely loves to cook. She's always bringing baked goods & other things into work. Emily & Bob, although relatively new at it, seem quite interested in the art of cooking. They both seem to be interested in the process & the outcome. Emily's zucchini bread was amazing, it last me all week. Every time I ate a piece it was as good, if not better than the first.

I don't know if it's laziness, but cooking never caught on with me. I've been living on my own for basically 10 years now, & I've never made the connection between preparing meals prior to being hungry & enjoying it when you are. I have a simple existence when it comes to food, I'd just assume make something that would take me 5 minutes to make. Granted, I understand that these meals aren't quite as delectable as those that are carefully prepared. Quite simply, I survive on Boca burgers, chips & salsa, salad & cereal with a visit to a restaurant once a week. Maybe that's why I became a vegetarian. What's the use of taking the time to kill, prepare & cook an animal that will take me two minutes to eat?

Why do I bring this up? Well, it's 9:30 & I haven't eaten yet. Salad or cereal. What do you think? I think I'm out of milk. Salad it is. Chips & salsa for dessert.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What Your Told)-the White Stripes, Icky Thump

300 Miles Per Hour Torrential Outpour Blues-the White Stripes, Icky Thump

Great albums take a while to sink in. After three listens, it's finally starting to take hold.

Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn-The White Stripes, Icky Thump

Sky Blue Sky-Wilco, Sky Blue Sky

Lenny Bruce-Bob Dylan, Boston 2006

Lick your plates clean, friends...

andrew