Time to come clean

Okay, so I admit it - it seems I'm a wannabe hipster. Wannabe for man reasons - too old, too non-ironic in my music tastes (hey, I've ALWAYS dug Black Sabbath), no white belts in my sartorial collection - but damn it if I can;t stop listening to Johanna Newsomes's new album Ys..betwen this and Girl Talk I'm the poster boy for Pitchfork. This album is really ridiculous, but addictive - 5 songs, none shorter than 9 minntes in length, with harp as the main instrument. Run on pretentious lyrics, and vocals that crack and warble not unlike Lisa Simpson. But I can't stop listening..

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

Here's hoping you and yours had an off the heezy holiday!

Now I know there are so gaps in my blog, timewise, but I shall cut to the chase - Thanksgiving was all that and a bad of stuffing this year. On Thanksgiving Day we rolled to Ambler, PA to hand with my folks- went out for dinner my Mom and Dad (Gigi and Grandad for the Micah and Emmett circuit), and my Uncle George. Have not seen George since he fell ill with a renal type condition, but he is looking GREAT! We all went to the Springhouse Tavern for a Thanksgiving repast of epic proportions. I really have to read up on portion control, ya' heard!

Upon returning to my parents' abode, we chilled hardcore. The next days all of us, including the grandparents went to Roni's cousins John and Sandy's house for brunch and fun. Saw awesome 2nd cousins Andy and Lora and their beautiful offspring, Corrine and Jesse - after getting our grub on we played some serious tag-esque game I "invented" called Tommy Tickle-Tops - after catching the tagees, tickling ensued. Awesome fun, we are so lucky to have cousins close by.

Speaking of aunts and cousins in close proximity, Roni's sister Debra and husband Aarron have relocated from Madison WI to Wilimington DE asof the past month. While Wilimington is not THE progressive college town that is Madison, we are THRILLED to have them nearby, Debrah is 29 weeks preggers, and unfortunately in the hospital, bed-vound until delivery - but she is doing well, contractions have been postponed, and as she is a writer extradonaire, will probably crank out a play or two while waitning for baby to arrive. On our way back to Bmore we met up at the hopsital with Roni's parents, John, Sandy, Andy, Lora, Jesse and Corrine to celebrate Thanksgiving with Debra and Aaron. Debra looks great, was in good spirits, and is feeling health.
I am so excited to have another cousin for Emmet and Micah soon!

Aight, I'm out like trout back with some more 411 soon.

Boston , ..the sequel

On Monday we got up bright and early as Roni had meetings to attend, netweoking to do..
Me and the boyz hopped the shuttle bus to State Center - Micah and Emmet LOVE riding bussess, so this was a lot of fun. After breakfasting in downtown Beantown, we shuttle bussed back to the hotel, and chilled for a while with Big Bird, Elmo and friends. Noon-time was nigh so we rolled out to the convention center, the epicenter of the APHS conference, to meet up with my old friend from HCIA (about 30 jobs ago ) , Kacie Harkins (nee White). I have not seen Kacie, probably ince 1994 so this was really exciting to meet up - the boys were instantly smitten with her, as she was not only amenable but excitied about riding the convention center escalators for 30 minuites straight. She is the proud mother of 3 boys so she knows escalator-centric fun.
After late lunching with Kacie, we adjourned to the room for a nap - caught the shuttle back into Boston with mommy later that eve to eat dinner..
then it was off to bed early becasue we were retunring to Bmore the following day.

The Neff-McGready travelling flower band

or something like that.

This past Saturday we boarded a jet to Boston to attend the annual Amercian Public Health Association meetings. This marks Emmet's debut plane ride (Micah is a veteran of flights), and both he and Micah were troopers. We got into Boston about 10:30, took a cab to the hotel and hit the Public Gardens so we could see all the stars from Makeway for Ducklings! Micah, Emmet, and Roni rolled out that evening to one of Roni's HSPH pals, and I went walking from the Commons all the way up to Allston to revisit my old haunts (I was a Boston resident from '94-'96). I really enjoyed the downtime, the walkability of the city, and the memories.

On Sunday, Roni was out the door early - I took the boys back to the Public Gardenss and we had a TON OF FUN. We fed ducks, played in empty fountains and laughed a lot. Around 10:30 we met up with my homies Sean (SPG) and Matt (Scooooots), their respective wives Mimi and Erica, and their respective daughters, Clare and Allison. Aftern brunching up a storm we rolled back to the public gardens for more duck-centric fun.

On Sundat afternnon we had to switch hotels from a location right next to the Public Gardens, to a hotel south of downtown by the Convention Center. Boston is an amazing city in terms of walkability, places to go things to see, things to do - except for the area around the Convention Center. I guess this makes sense because those registered for a conference should attend , right? But waht about spouses and kids?
Afte eating a less than mediocre meal at the NoName restaurant (seafood restaurants with faux nautical decor always suck IMO - this should be a lemma - especially if you refuse to order an entire deep fried meal - Rafa' lemma - and I the fool ordered someting broiled - straight out the freezer into the broiler, cooked to dried perfection).

After putting the boyz to bed, I hopped the T to Kenmore, and continued to walk until I reached Central Square in Cambridge. I went to the Middle East to catch some music on a 3 band bill of bands I had either never heard of, or had I heard of them, never heard thier music. I walked in as a band called Panda and Angel was finishing their set. I only saw part of 1 song so have no impression of the music. After these guys, Grails an instrumental band from Portland OR hit the stage - I really enjoyed them, will have to get some of their recorded output - they put on a great show. Following Grails some doom metal band called Ocean hit the stage - now I love me some doomy, slow Sabbathesque sludge - but after 10 minutes of a painfully slow 4 chord progression I was Audi 5.

Stay tuned for part II of the Boston story, coming to this blog shortly...

Jumping on the hipster bandwagon

No I'm not going to start wearing trucker hats or tight pants and white belts..at least not just yet.

But I'm buying intothe hype of this amazing mash up album by Girl Talk called "Night Ripper".. I'm out of the loop (like, was I ever in it?), but mash ups have been the rage in the past few years. These invlove fusing contemporary rap and other type tracks (alternative rock, classic rock, other hip-hop joints etc..) into "new songs" - these were made famous by DJ Danger Mouse who fused tracks from the Beatle's White album and Jay-Z's Black Album to make the "Grey Album". Although I have little knowledge of such exercises, I still am enamored with a mashing of Missy Elliot's "Get Your Freak On" and Joy Divison's "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Anyway, this Girl Talk album is nothing short of amazing, constant party jams- 40 or so minutes of continuous fusing of Dem Franchise Boyz, Nas, Biggie Smalls, Ying-Yang Twins, Dre and Snnop Dogg twins etc with Elton John, George Benson, Hum, Nirvana, Boston, Stevie wonder, Weezer, Better than Ezra, Billy Squier - and this just cuts at the surface. I dare anyone to try and name all the samples used on this album, although apparently a Wikipedia contribtor has done just this. This album just rules, illegal as it may be - its even released by a label called "Illegal Art"..I'm a beleiver and happy to burn a copy for anyone who wants it (illegality breeds illegality, knowwhatI'msayin')...

Check out some samples on the proverbial myspace page of Girl Talk.