Good morning good morning. Sorry I am late. I slept in. It was amazing. Have you tried sleeping in? I highly recommend it. I got up at 10. God that ruled.

Here I am in Somerville, in our lovely apartment here. It is nice. I am alone. It is nice. I am working. Just had a revenue call. I cannot say our revenue this week was thrilling, but it was… not bad. Decent. 3% off goal. Could be worse. It’s only the 28th still time to make it up, right?

Just bought $500 of stock based on a Reddit post. This may not have been a good idea. Oh god what is happening to me the manoverse is infecting me. It really is a thing, man. That thing comes after you from all directions.

Trip here was lovely. Emma drove me to the airport, which was nice and lovely and we got to talk and it saved me a ton of money on parking. RDU has some new, separate “biometric” TSA line, no idea what is up with that. Didn’t go in it.

There is a new “virtual food hall” which… sucks? I mean, sure. Have one kitchen that makes a bunch of different food from a bunch of different restaurants this is America. But, like… that’s a virtual restaurant not a virtual food hall. Because you need the actual “hall” part to be… real? So people have place to sit and eat? And this place… did not have places to sit and eat. Just a screen on a wall. So weird. Where are you supposed to eat?

They still have not replaced the burger joint in the central terminal. It has been months. The best-located restaurant in the whole place, just… empty. Mysterious.

I have been wearing this toe separator because my doctor told me to and it feels so weird and you kind of forget about it but also kind of can’t and it confuses you when you walk around in public and I imagine this is a non-sexy version of what those people feel who wear butt plugs out into the world.

Read a bunch of recent long-form articles on the flight. Read the NYT Carreyrou Saotoshi piece. I liked it. I like the way it was sort of a White Whale story that somehow made it more convincing.

Read the New Yorker Farrow Altman piece and it was mostly stuff I know but the Aaron Swartz tidbit was illuminating, not that I ever would have trusted Sam Altman anyway.

Read a piece that said CEOs are getting older with more and more varied past job experiences and they are valued because of their diverse insights and ability to carry companies through tough times and thought huh maybe I do actually belong in my job that was nice.

Tried to read a Playboy piece about OnlyFans creators and their finances because I am a sucker for porn economics pieces, but it didn’t download properly.

Read the transcript of a really long interview with that dude trying to make a new city in California and I unexpectedly found myself super into it and god I did not see that coming. It was really good! I kinda want to live there!

Took the Silver Line from Logan to South then the Rest to Park then the Green to Somerville and it was super easy and pleasant and my god I love public transportation and this spiffing new T stop down the street. It’s just great.

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We’re listening to… What’s this band called again? Heretoir. Album is The Circle. Band and album seems to be int he metal/postrock/shoegaze vein, like a Deafheaven or Nothing or Diiv or something. Maybe a bit more on the metal side. I don’t know why I’m listening to this, I don’t remember who recommended it. Hrm. Upon Googling, it seems that this band is 20 years old and this album is a decade or so years old. Mysterious.

I went to a concert last night. Yay live music. It was Mercury Rev and the Afghan Whigs at the Royale. I went alone. It was my 14th time seeing Mercury Rev and my 13th time seeing the Whigs, not counting Dulli solo or the Twilight Singers.

Mercury Rev opened, of course. I don’t really know why they aren’t a bigger band, but I suppose it’s because they are constantly evolving their style, every album different from the last. I first saw them open for My Bloody Valentine on the Loveless tour and they were louder and noiser than MBV it was just fucking bonkers. Now they are more mystical and sing about fairies n shit. They played some of their late-period hits like Holes and Tonight it Shows and the Dark is Rising. Played a few new songs. Played a cover of Traffic? That was weird.

Mostly my mind was a trap and I felt like an insane person thinking a million things at once. Where is the bass coming from why is there no bass player? I am a loser, I am unwell, I need to go to therapy, why don’t therapists have, like, 12-hour marathon intake sessions why do I have to talk to someone for, like, six months before they even grasp my situation an hour a week seems pointless. Why do I think about everything all the time. What am I gonna do about this work thing. What am I gonna do about this gas line situation. I enjoyed talking to that old Marine on the bus today that was some good shit right out of a drama like The Pitt or something. Semper Fi, dude. What is my daughter doing right now. Is that dude over there Skot? What’s with this crowd why are they all normal looking. Oh that’s what lyric was? I always mis-heard it. Why does this band, who has like ten albums, always play the same old songs? Why can’t every band be like the Cure and you never know what you’re going to get live. I bet I could make a killer Mercury Rev setlist from across their career. Be fun to make a rockin one — Hudson Line, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp, Senses on Fire, Rainy Day Record, Syringe Mouth. God, can you imagine? That would rule. What I went to one of these shows like I did when I was young and crowded up front and got lost in the music and didn’t drink at all. Seriously is that Skot? I gotta email Skot. Wait is that Y Mike over there. Why don’t I know more people here who are these people anyway why does everyone look like a lawyer except that one guy who looks like Mattley and is with the hottest woman here. I am so alone. I think too much. It’s Nicholson Baker’s fault. That book the Mezzanine. Was I like this before reading that book or did the book make me this way. There was a study that said on people’s death beds that they mainly wish they spent more time being happy. I should just be happy. How hard can it be. Don’t think of the wars and genocide and kletpcoracy and Ai just be happy. Just be happy. Smile. Do it. There you go. See? That kind of works. JUST BE HAPPY. I don’t know this song. I am so alone. OH SHIT.

And then they played this completely amazing, re-worked, maybe 10-minute version of “Opus 40” and I actually managed to lose myself and achieve a brief moment of serenity and bliss through live music and it was as amazing as it ever was.

And then it ended and they ended and they went over to the merch booth and sold merch and then packed up and loaded their shit into their car like any other working band in the world they are just people.

Before they packed off I thought “I should go buy a shirt. Maybe talk to them.” But I did not do either thing because now, all of the sudden, I am starting to question whether I should even keep buying band t-shirts. Both bands had great shirts. They are two of my favorite bands. I am overthinking things. I am overthinking things.

The Whigs were good but they were exactly the same as they always are. I mean this was a 40th anniversary tour so I thought, I don’t know, maybe they’d play anther song from Congregation than the one song from it they have been playing for ten fucking years. Or a different song from Gentlemen or a different song from Black Love but… nope. Same stuff. It is very very good but. I don’t know, man.

There is an English Football Hooligan culture creeping into the crowds of a lot of alternative rock legends these days. Manoverse seeping into everything. Was the same with the Chameleons. There are still a few punks and goths and quality, earnest sad-sacks and sensitive artists at these shows but mostly it is now lawyers in pink polos or something and no one wallows in the sadness of the sensitive lyrics.

They’re all just yeahbro fistbumping.

I left about 2/3 the way through the Whigs to go see some friends at a bar and that was awesome and friends at bars bitching about shit and gossiping and talking shit is a thing I do not do near enough in life and it was great. A+ No complaints.

Jane called me as I was taking the subway to the Royale for the show. It was so cute. It may have been the first telephone call she’s ever made to someone not on the property with her. It was very different talking to her on the phone than in person. Lots of pauses. But we did talk about cats with financial problems, which is nice. She promised to call me again tonight and, man, that just rules. My daughter rules. I miss her already.

Except for the part where I have to get up at 6:30.

Noise and Metal playlist for you today. There is some new Lightning Bolt music it is pretty crazy. And this Melvins/Napalm Death? Crazy. New Neurosis? Crazy. Some new bands to me like that Fórn band I have been raving about. Not gonna lie there was a point last night where I was thinking about my late adult onset metal habit and how confusing it is for all of us and how there was just way too much reverb going on during the Whigs and shit man do I not love excessive amounts of reverb anymore? What have I become. Reverb was part of who I am, man. I’m like Kirk with his pain. I need my reverb.