Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Not Much

Starting a new job today. Only part time, but there's still loads of stuff I want to do with the house and I'll have time to do it while earning a modest paycheck.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

No, This is Not My Guitar

I'm bringing it to a friend...


I though it was time for a short break from metal. And seriously I don't own a guitar. Though back when I had long hair I was often asked if I was in a band.

It's a wonderful song all in all, but there's one line I particularly love.

I came down from the room
I saw you in the rain
Laughing with some people
Hair dripping down your face


See that? He created a perfect image with truncated language. The action being conveyed is wet hair plastered across someone's face (assuming a woman here) dripping. The hair is not doing the dripping; the water is. But "water dripping from your hair down your face" really lacks something doesn't it? It's soulless and pedantic.

I think I write a lot like that. Not the good line; the awfully specific and mechanical one. Language is a tool used to convey information. it's nice to be understood, although I sometimes think I need to push past the boundaries of comfortable, certain language. Maybe that's what all this nonsense is about.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Prisencolinensinainciusol, all right?

 Great; that title looks like something that would set off a spam filter.

Hi blog. Been a while. It's amazing how easily you can be knocked out of your routine. A couple of weeks ago we lost internet access at our house for about a week. Coincidentally, the first day without it was the day I'd scheduled a blog update. I've been trying to do one a week.  I guess I find that my particular brand of nonsense fits a little better on Twitter where it can be chopped up into miniscule chunks like a former mafioso that's turned state's evidence.

Anyway, I had something I wanted to share. Listen to this before reading what's below it.


Made in 1972, Prisencolinensinainciusol was an attempt by Italian composer Adriano Celentano to write a song that sounded like spoken English with an American accent. It is, in fact, complete gibberish. The first time I heard it, the link was provided without any explanation and it wasn't until bout two minutes in that I figured out that, no, I did not just have a stroke, and my ears were functioning perfectly well.

 So, theoretically I'm a writer. And maybe that means I like words, but I also like seeing how much can be communicated without identifiable language. The overall tone feels like he's trying to explain something, doesn't it? Kind of fitting.

 And since I'm apparently getting traffic from Beeradvocate now, I thought I'd mention that I picked up one of these today.

 I have an unreasonable fondness for Smuttynose Brewing given that I've had as many hits from them as misses. Old Brown Dog? Hit. Finest Kind? Miss. Star Island? Hit. Winter Ale? Miss. Not saying that these are objectively good or bad, just that that's where my preferences have fallen.

Gravitation is either my first or second quad, and is an absolute hit in my book. This bottle is currently chilling (literally) next to the bottle of Really Old Brown Dog in the beer fridge downstairs. Kind of fruity with a bit of bubblegum and a big booziness. Gets to be a bit much as it warms up, but a delicious beer regardless.

 I think the more questionable thing is why I would link to what is ostensible a writing blog in my Beeradvocate profile. I think I was taking too narrow an approach; basically, I'm not just an amateur writer trying to catch a break, I'm also a guy who likes beer. And football. And cooking. Trying to present just one facet had started to feel really shortsighted and limiting.