Good Morning. Hello. How are you? #1578
A quick trip to Somerville. One Battle After Another.
Good morning! Hello. Greetings from Somerville, MA. I could NOT wake up this morning. Slept nine hours, wanted to just keep sleeping forever. Sleeeeeeep. Got up at 4:30 AM yesterday, took a 6:30 flight, since it was the only one that was affordable since I dilly dallied on buying a ticket up here. Slept on the plane, dreamt that I was still in bed and had dreamt the whole drive to the airport and plane boarding. Dreamception.
Also I always think “dreamt” should have a P in it. “Dreampt.” Or maybe “Drempt.” Yeah. That seems right.
PSA: Clear was not any faster than TSA Pre. I watched the line, marked the person in line who arrived simultaneously with me. I beat them by two people by sticking with TSA Pre, and didn’t have to deal with that whole awkward thing where an attendant guides you through, cutting someone in line. Not a fan. What is the point. I ask you.
Took the Silver Line T to the Red Line T to Davis and walked the bike path to the apartment. Took maybe 30 minutes to get from the airport, totally free. People slag the Silver Line, man, but that whole thing where you don’t have to pay to go from Silver to Red? Verrry nice.
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I am not listening to any music right now. Sitting at the nice window work bar I made in the front three-season room here, looking out onto the street, watching the world go by. I love it os much. In another life I am one of those old men in a wife beater sitting on a porch just watching everything. A bike just went by with a doggie in a basket. A woman across the street just left her house for a walk. A man is walking the tiniest dog ever right in front of me. Cities rule.
This weekend was pretty good. I only got one work day because Sunday was a travel day. And I eased myself into it, but I eventually returned to doing physical labor after about two weeks of hand surgery recovery. Well. Ten days. I did some maintenance stuff for the Neurdivergent Affirming Pediatric Speech Therapist tenant at Chore House and tightened up some boards on the “Serenity Walk” to their office, got the gate working again, did some paint touch-ups. She has very hilarious maintenance requests because her patience notice very specific problems. It is kind of funny.
Then I decided I would feel better about myself and the world if I worked on the studio for a bit so I did. Tested out whether I could bring 4×4 foot sheets of Type-X sheetrock up the stairs with my hand, and I could. Brought up six pieces and placed them on the floor in the vocal booth area in my continuing quest to get that area’s subfloor assembly completed so I can get the HVAC people in to re-route the ducts. Made an incredible amount of progress for half a day’s work I was very proud of myself I am a special boy. Getting much better at cutting sheet rock in complex shapes with my Corben Dallas Multitool.
Oh and I got my truck back! From the body shop. They’ve had it for three weeks and I have been driving a rental. It’s not been the worst, this cute little Chevy Trailblazer. I mean, it kinda sucks but a) it has pep and decent acceleration, b) it has physical HVAC buttons, c) it has a gloriously small turning radius. (Dude with hella man bun walking by now he looks proud). It was definitely an adjustment going back to my gargantuan truck after this. I eagerly await Ford offering an EV Ranger or Maverick. Two more years I am told. I do have a Slate on order. We shall see, we shall see. But I do love my truck and its comfort and silence and insane acceleration and effortless power and roomy interior. It is nice to have it back and they did a great job on the body work. If you’re ever in the Chatham County, NC area and need collision repair, Classic Collision are your guys. Or, er, gals. I only ever spoke to women. Three of them.
Saw One Battle After Another at the Somerville Theater yesterday. 70mm. Was too lazy to trek all the way to the Coolidge to see it in Vistavision, one of only like nine theaters in the world that is offering it. I love the Coolidge, too, but it is a hike. And I was tired. And the Somerville Theater is right there and I love that big room saw Swans there once and that is poetic since I am here to see Swans and it’s within walking distance and the showing was at the perfect time.
It was great. As good as everyone says. Non-stop ride, which is not a guarantee with PTA. I deeply admire him as a director, but, you know what? Sometimes I get a little bored in his films, not gonna lie, ahem The Master. But this was great. And timely. And beautiful and moving and intense.
The movie is (very loosely) based on Pynchon’s Vineland, which I read like 30 years ago and barely remember. All I really remember are silly names, California, a stoned paranoia and some government shit, so, you know, matches up with the movie just great. My friend Aug has pointed out, however, that the real Sean Penn, who is in this movie, is actually mentioned in Vineland, so there is a Pynchonception for you
And last night I got to see my friend Ivelise, she came over and had dinner with Sean and Jussi and I, so that was lovely. A+ excellent day.
I do, of course, miss my wife and daughter. I had a dream about Jane last night. She let me brush her hair in the car while waiting for school that was really nice. She had been being a pretty good kid the last few days I hope she is being good for my poor wife who is doing solo parenting while simultaneously getting a new work gig this week, which she got, seriously, like two hours after we decided I should go on this trip and bought the tickets. Fate.
Or on the other hand maybe if I went on a trip three weeks ago she woulda gotten more work three weeks ago.
Justa mix for you today. Mostly new stuff. I like the new Jeff Tweedy it’s not, like, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but I think it’s his best solo album in a while. I like the new Beths too. And I actually love the crazy manic new Anamanaguchi. And there’s this LA shoegaze-ish band called Rocket that came through town with Ride a year or so ago and they have just released their debut album and it is solid. Big fan.
Until tomorrow.
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Thanks for reading.
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Good Morning, Hello, How Are You vol 1.