Proud to be an American...finally

Obviously I was heavily invested in all the health insurance hubbub going on in Washington, and despite all the craziness it finally passed! And instead of conceding defeat and moving on, the Republicans are going to sue! Whatever, maybe it'll distract them while the Democrats pass some legislation to curb Wall Street and pollution and other fun stuff, that would be sweet.
Anyway, things in Chicago have been going really well. The weather is getting better and better, which makes walking dogs more and more enjoyable. I also joined Ross' other band, Far Things. They're definitely harder and punkier and louder than Bricklayers Foundation, but we played a gig Friday night and it went really well. It was in a basement, and the ceiling was about 6 feet high, so I had to play with my head down the entire time, and we still sounded really good. Hopefully we play some more gigs together and get more comfortable.
As for reading, I finished the Human Stain, which was great. Roth's style is very unique, and I really like it. After that I went back to the sci-fi genre, trying another Philip K. Dick book called Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. Very cool stuff, definitely trippy, as usual a neat glimpse into a possible future. Now I'm halfway done with Sister Carrie, recommended by Uncle Charlie himself about a Wisconsin girl who moves to Chicago in 1890. I love reading about their adventures downtown and in Lincoln Park, riding in carriages and paying 5 cents for breakfast. After that I'm thinking about another Vonnegut book I got from the library, Player Piano. And then hopefully some of the books I actually own for a change.
Ooh, I'm seeing Julian Casablancas when he comes to town April 6th. For those of you who don't know him, he's the lead singer of the Strokes, one of my favorite bands. His solo album is pretty good, but he's just too dreamy to miss in person.
Last night me and my buddy Justin grilled on his porch, made hotdogs and garlic fries, and just ate up the gorgeous weather. Followed by watching Star Trek and Adult Swim. Great night. Here's a glimpse, with his aunt's crazy Chihuahua in the background:
Who else is excited for Opening Day?!?!?!?!?! Go Orioles!

A Masterrific Weekend

Great Success! I passed my oral exam. And I turned in my revised thesis to the library. I have completed my Master's Degree. It was a phenomenal weekend with the gang, hitting the bars of Broad Ripple, tasting the wonderful cajun/creole splendor of Yats, celebrating the timeless festival of Purim, watching the most awesomely terrible movie The Room, and perusing my old notebooks. I had been preparing for weeks, even rereading the beginning of The Rest is Noise, but I was always confident. Well, almost always. Luckily my professors are great guys, so they asked me some tough but good questions relating to my 2 years of studies at Butler. I wasn't perfect, but I proved that I knew my stuff. I got over the nerves pretty quickly, and by the end of it we were all smiling and laughing. To celebrate, we went out for buffet Indian food. Doesn't get much better than that. I printed my officially completed thesis on some special paper, turned it into the library, and am now done. It was a bittersweet ending, as expected. I love that Butler gang, and even though Chicago is a far superior city, I still miss being there sometimes. Those two years were unforgettable. Granted, I will probably go back and visit again, and they will come up here and visit me, but it was still a surreal feeling.
Here are some pictures of our third and final Purim Party (I apologize for the low quality, these moments were too good to ruin with a flash):
Dace opening the ceremony with a song.
Max and Scott were chosen to be the cantors for the evening, and did a great job of improvising some modern prayers.
And Max tells us how Mordecai and Esther defeated Hamen on the Lower East Side.
I finished the Power and the Glory, and have just started the Human Stain. I have a nice long to-read list, but please keep the recommendations coming!

It's Go Time

Biggest news first: my thesis was approved. I scheduled my oral exam for Monday, March 1st. It's so soon! The plan is to spend that weekend in Indy, hanging with the gang, getting signatures and preparing my thesis to be bound at the library. Then Monday morning I sit in a room with my composition professors and my theory professor, and they ask me questions relating to the classes I took at Butler. It's supposed to take about 45 minutes, and it's gonna be awesome. I can feel it. Should be a great weekend because it coincides with Purim, so we will be hosting our third annual Purim Party.
Bricklayers Foundation had another performance, this time at a legitimate bar in Wicker Park. There were more people in the audience, we had more time to rehearse, and we played more songs, so basically it rocked. The microphones weren't perfect, but that's life.
Betsy came to visit for an audition, and then I went to Michigan to visit her over Valentine's Day. As always it was a blast, super fun place, we made some great food, played euchre, and lived it up. When I came back, Dean Colpack was in Chicago. He visited for a week, so we had fun checking out some of our favorite bars, his old barbecue restaurant, the Art Institute, and other such adventures. I can't divulge where this came from, but we even got to meet a sloth! It was the coolest thing ever. I want to be one.
No joke. This was not taken in El Salvador. This was in Chicago.
So now that he's gone, I've had more time to study up for my oral exam, reading my old notebooks and papers and textbooks. And watching Rambo 2. Great movie.
It's hard to remember all the books I've read recently. After Catch-22, which was amazing and will require another read in the future, I tried a book by Philip K. Dick called The Man in the High Castle. Really cool story that describes the world if Japan and Germany had won World War II. After that I went back to another Palahniuk book, this one called Diary. As usual, it was dark, a little disturbing, and very enjoyable. Right now I'm trying the Power and the Glory, but I also want to reread the Rest is Noise, which you might remember I finished last year.
Other than that, the doggies are doing well, and the group lessons are going better than I expected. The kids are actually practicing at home and getting better! It's a cool feeling seeing the improvement right before your eyes.
Ok, that's it for me, but I'll definitely let everyone know how my epic weekend in Indianapolis goes. Wish me luck!

More Adventures

So Bricklayers Foundation's live performance went really well. It was a little venue not too far from my place, there was a crowd of about 20 people, and I thought we played pretty well considering how little we'd practiced. It was great to play some old songs Ross and I wrote years ago, as well as a couple newer ones. We're gonna keep rehearsing, getting comfortable with our lineup, and hopefully performing. I'll let you know once we start climbing the pop charts.
I started giving weekly guitar lessons at a nearby school. We have two groups, one younger and one older, and about 10 kids total. It's tons of fun when they are really focused and are getting the material. I'm still working on making that kind of connection with the younger kids, but I know it'll come in time.
I read another Palahniuk book called Lullaby which I really liked, and am almost done with Catch-22 as we speak. I've received more books in the mail from Dad, not to mention awesome clothes from Ellie and Mom. Thanks so much! It's a lot easier getting rid of old socks with holes in them when I have new pairs sitting right there waiting for a chance. Honestly, it's been pretty chilly recently, but nothing I can't handle. The dogs are doing well, they don't seem to mind the weather, so who am I to complain?
Another cool recent event was a surprise birthday concert held for our very own Professor Schelle in Indianapolis. His wife Miho organized the whole thing, and it was amazing hearing about the enthusiastic response from all the composers and performers. I really wish I could have been there, but I had to teach guitar to those kids instead! Even so I sent a piece which was a lot of fun to write.
Thesis update: I've resubmitted my revised thesis and paper, and am now waiting for responses from the committee at Butler. It's been approved by one out of four, but obviously these are busy guys so I'm not going to pressure the others. Next step would be scheduling a day that I can take off work, head down to Indy, and kick butt at my oral exam.
Random note: I found Estrella beer at a liquor store nearby! This is all we drank in Barcelona, and I haven't seen it since. Now I know where to find it if I'm in the mood for a delicious beverage and perhaps even a Catalonian seance.

Three cheers for 2010

It's been a crazy month since my last post. Thanksgiving in Boston was amazing, but in order to conserve money I made the decision to stay in Chicago for Christmas and New Years. It didn't disappoint.
For Christmas I got to hang out with Betsy's family in the suburbs, had an outstanding time, and even answered some questions about Hanukkah. I was still walking dogs and taking care of cats every day, like this big one called Zoe. She was a handful, to say the least. She was very strong, but also very friendly and fun to be around.
Betsy and I got to hang out a lot, and that usually means eating great food. One day we went to this place called Flub a Dub Chub's, a phenomenal little hole-in-the-wall hot dog and burger haven. My burger literally had a hot dog inside it. It nearly floored me.
We sampled some other great food like Kuma's Corner which also has unforgettable burgers, as well as a long wait, but it's totally worth it. Great beer too.
For New Years we didn't want to do anything too crazy/expensive, so we had a little shindig at my pad. Some Butler friends came up for the night, and some Chicago buddies stopped by as well. We ate pizza and homemade dip (which rocked), played cards, drank cheap champagne, and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
I've been walking a couple more dogs recently who just needed to be photographed, plain and simple. Here's Chloe, a beautiful little Shih Tzu who reminds me of Bogey but younger and more hungry for attention.
And then there's Langston, a Yorkshire terrier who just blows my mind with how cute he is.
He's literally about the size of a football, I'm pretty sure I could fit him in my mouth. But that's gross.
Ok, enough pictures for now. It's hard remembering everything else I've been up to. Ross and I restarted our old band Bricklayers Foundation, this time with his roommates Ruth and Drew. In fact, we're probably performing this Thursday night. I'll let you know how it goes.
I saw some really cool free-jazz recently at a cool bar called the Green Mill, and then Uncle Charlie stopped by this week for some great food, tasty beer, and a Wisconsin basketball game at Northwestern. Just an all around fantastic time.
As for books, I found out it was my father who was sending me those unmarked books through the mail. I finished American Pastoral, and then made my way through The Ginger Man and the Third Man. Really great stuff, especially the movie version of the Third Man with Orson Welles. I read Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk, pretty gruesome and messed up, but I give it a thumbs up. I read Timequake by Vonnegut, which was half sci-fi novel, half autobiographical memoir. Pretty unique. I cruised through the Sun Also Rises, and once again realized how great Hemingway can balance so many different emotions/aspects at once. I just finished High Fidelity, which I thought was better than the movie in most ways with the main exception being Jack Black's performance. I may be forgetting a book or two, but what can you expect with my torrid pace?
I emailed my revised thesis to my professors back at Butler, so now I wait and see if it gets approved or if it still needs a little work. Once it gets approved I can head down there, turn the final copy into the library, and take my oral exams. Can't wait!
I've also started giving guitar/piano lessons in the suburbs once a week, and will soon be giving group/individual lessons to kids at a school once a week. We'll see how it all works out in the end, but there's one thing I am sure of: Go Ravens!
PS-check out what I found at a liquor store near my house...a tequila gun! What a great world we live in!

Time for some updates, people

Last time we chatted, I was about to spend a weekend in NYC with my college buddies. Needless to say, it was wonderful. Hadn't seen those guys in a year, so we did a lot of catching up, hanging out, watching tv, eating bad food, and drinking beer. Worth every penny.
After that, there was Thanksgiving. I had a marvelous time in Boston, seeing family, seeing high school friends, eating delicious food, and finally getting to hang out with this little cutie:
Last time I saw my niece was in January, when she was just a couple weeks old. But now look at her! She walks, she plays, she's got style, and she makes noises with her mouth! Too cool. It was a phenomenal trip.
Then I headed back to Chicago, and back to my wonderful little doggies. I've been hanging with my Chicago friends, listening to great music, and just living the dream. A week and a half ago my buddy Gregg and I went down to Valparaiso, Indiana for a performance of Dr. Schelle's great piece "Wright Flight." Not only did I get to hear one of my favorite works in person, but I got to hang with everybody from Butler who was there. A few of my buddies even came back to my apartment and spent the night, it was a blast.
Other than that, you know me, just reading reading reading! I read A Farewell to Arms, which was amazing. Then at Mom's suggestion, I read The Known World, which I had never heard of, but it really floored me. After that I tried another Palahniuk novel, this one called Survivor. It wasn't as amazing as Choke, but I was still pleased. And now I'm about two thirds done with American Pastoral by Philip Roth, which is written in a style that is unlike anything else I've been reading. It's intense, to say the least. I've been getting some great book recommendations from everybody, but one person in particular has taken it a step further and sent me a few books, apparently because they find the Chicago Public Library system to be lacking. The problem is, the packages don't tell me who sent them! So if someone wants to fess up and admit that it was their doing, I will thank you personally. Until then, I've received American Pastoral, The Third Man, and the Ginger Man, and can't wait to read them all. Thank you whoever you are!
Lastly, I've been working on my thesis! I know, who would've thought? It's coming along nicely.

This may shock you...

but I've been reading. A lot. It's awesome. When I first got here, commuting to the Symphony job was great because I finally finished the Brothers Karamazov while riding the Blue Line. I honestly started that book when I moved to Indiana over two years ago. Now with dog-walking, I ride the bus heading East every morning, and I just can't stop reading. I read some lectures Stravinsky gave at Harvard in 1940. Then I read The Rest is Noise, all about music and composers in the 20th century. Big surprise, it was nearly impossible for me to put down. Then I read This is Your Brain on Music, all about the reasons we love music, what it does to us, and what makes a great musician. Then I breezed through Choke by Chuck Palahniuk, which I absolutely loved. It was like if Kurt Vonnegut had written Portnoy's Complaint. I was so enthralled that I got another of Palahniuk's books out of the library, this one called Haunted. It's awesome, and I will finish it shortly. I also took out A Farewell to Arms, which I'll read next. Who would've thought?
Oh yeah, talking about the Symphony job reminded me that I saw one of my former coworkers at a bar near my house. He was the guy who had also worked there a couple years ago, and like me didn't really care about the job and wasn't very good at selling anything. Basically we were kindred spirits. I asked how it was going, and he said he got fired for not selling enough. Like me, he didn't seem to mind being laid off, which was cool.
Oh yeah, at the last minute I decided I'm flying to New York this weekend for a mini Bowdoin reunion. I haven't seen those guys in about a year, so I thought it was about time. Plus $137 for a round trip ticket was pretty sweet. Hopefully everything goes well!
Lastly, by all means, please recommend books for me to read. Consider that my favorite authors are probably Vonnegut, Camus, Palahniuk, and Hemingway, but I will also read any book about music or baseball. Go!