January 25, 2007
Robin’s New Orleans trip ::
photos — tagged disaster, family, flickr, katrina, new orleans, photos, robin and travel
9:27 pm
our house
Originally uploaded by rho-bin.
My sister just got back from a week-long trip to New Orleans, where she helped with post-Katrina rebuilding efforts. She’s been posting photographs from that trip to a rapidly growing flickr set, which is worth taking a look at.
December 30, 2006
Foreign perspective ::
meta — tagged buffalo, family, meta and weblogs
5:24 pm
My parents have been hosting a foreign exchange student from Sweden for the past few months. Nils is his name. Nils has a weblog, on which he’s been posting various stories of stay in the United States. This means that there are stories about Buffalo, my family, and of course, me. I don’t speak Swedish, so I have no idea at all what he’s writing about. Further, I can scan at least one post about Christmas and see my name come up a few times. It makes me a little nervous, I guess, but my show-offishness wins out, so really I don’t mind. (I just want to know where the link to my site is!)
In any event, I guess I’ll have to get used to the reality that I’m no longer the sole Internet voice for what goes on in my family. Ultimately that’s probably a good thing.
December 24, 2006
Healing: A song list ::
music — tagged broken leg, buffalo, family, indie rock, music, personal and travel
12:13 pm
So I’m back in Buffalo for Christmas. The trip here was exhausting. After an eight hour car ride I tumbled from my dad’s car with a stiff leg feeling very, very cranky. My time here overall has been fun, and it’s been nice to show family members that, even though I’m still on crutches and have still-unhealed surgery scars, my condition has improved dramatically from the day I was discharged from the hospital. Also, it’s been fun to show off my x-rays and watch people squirm when I point out the fracture that starts from my hip and spirals around my femur.
So, with introductions aside, I put this mix together a couple of weeks ago while in the hospital, high on Percocet. I’m pretty happy with the sound of this one, much moreso than Winterish or the Fall mix. In part the outcome is the result of my immobility at the time, which allowed me the concentration and time it takes to make a good mix. But also, I think it’s an indication that drugs and rock and roll really do go together quite well.
Halloween by Matt Pond PA: Is it un-hip for an indie rock snob to actually like Matt Pond PA? No matter what the critics might say about the band’s artistic shortcomings, I fell for this song long before it would have otherwise been tainted by other’s opinions. And it’s dramatic lyrics, combined with the piano, acoustic guitar, and pedal steel make for a really seductive sound.
Pushover by The Long Winters: I first found this song over the summer, through a Music for Robots post. Since then the track has appeared and reappeared on a variety of playlists and mix CD’s I’ve put together. I finally picked up the CD at Amoeba Records when I was in SF in August.
Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby by The Islands: “Bones, bones, brittle little bones,” go the opening lyrics of this track. When I first added it to the list, I didn’t even think about how apropos to my condition the song actually was—I was thinking more about just how pretty the song is. But boy, does this one fit perfectly.
The End’s Not Near by Band of Horses: Band of Horses covering a song by The New Year for the OC Soundtrack. I really don’t know that much about The OC, but the track is really great—it’s an interesting reinterpretation of the original version of the song, in which the band makes the song their own.
Steps and Numbers by Appleseed Cast: They’re such a curious band, which moved from a straight ahead (and pretty annoying) Midwestern emo outfit to a post-rock band with a melodic, unique sound. So far, Low Level Owl has been the high point of their sound for me, but I also haven’t heard any of their most recent releases. But that’s on my to-do list, definitely.
Sukie in the Graveyard by Belle and Sebastian: I don’t love the album, but I do love this song. It does a great job of snapping the mix back into line after the more airy, nebulous sound of the previous track.
Hard Bargain by Ron Sexsmith: Ah, the underappreciated Ron Sexsmith. This is a great track that emotes a feeling of being beat up but willing to come back the next day for more.
Song for the Myla Goldberg by The Decemberists: This is the first song I heard by the Decemberists, and it’s the one that caused me to really fall for the band. But it’s never made it onto any of my mixes. So now’s as a good a time as any to finally add it to my song list. And the lyrics, especially the tongue-twister “I know New York, I need New York I know I need unique New York” always makes me smile, especially when I sing along and get it right.
This is the Way by Devendra Banhart: An interesting song in which Devendra sings about his physical self. One thing about this broken leg, as well as the healing process, is how aware of my physical self I have become during this time. With that in mind, the track works really well here.
Radio Campaign by M. Ward: Hey, I’ve been into M. Ward since August, and I think I’ve had one of his tracks on each of my mixes since then. So here’s another one. Here he pleads, “come back, come back my little peice of mind…” As I sit here, leg aching and knowing that I couldn’t get up to visit friends, get food, or go to the bathroom without a big production, I really know how he feels.
Paper Thin Walls by Modest Mouse: after the more intellectual, introspective stretch of tracks, I needed something to change the tone a bit. I found this song on a whim and thought it was perfect. Do you remember when the Moon and Antarctica came out in, what, 2000? And do you remember how new and exciting the track was? I sure do, now that I’ve heard this song. Now the album is back in my iTunes rotation.
A King And A Queen by Okkervil River: There’s an element of melodrama to all of Okkervil River’s music, and it provides me with a feeling of catharsis every time I hear it. This slow, acoustic number is a perfect example. Did I mention that my roommate went to high school with the lead singer? I’m totally serious!
Sleeping In by The Postal Service: One thing I like about the Postal Service is the sense of calm the songs seem to bring in the face of apocalyptically bad news. This song is a perfect example: here the singer dreams that global warming was simply a reward for humans being so good to each other. “No we can swim every day in November,” the verse concludes. It’s definitely not something I’d want to maintain in my entire life, but while I’m healing it makes me feel just a little bit better.
Throwing Things (Acoustic) by Superchunk: I pulled this track off of Superchunk’s Incidental Music, a compilation of the band’s singles and b-sides from the early 1990’s. This is a wonderful acoustic rendition of the electric original, and can make me weep if I hear it at the right time.
Reconstruction Site by The Weakerthans: this is probably John Samson at his most melodic and fun. This great sing-along tune can help me see the bright side of just about any dismal situation.
The Ballad of Daykitty by Lou Barlow: Lou Barlow is so strange—his music can range from exploring the deepest, darkest emotions to just having fun. This track, which closes out Barlow’s Emoh release, is an example of his later line of songs, in which he sings of a cat who, after much flirtation, decides to come and live with him.
December 20, 2006
Broken ::
personal — tagged broken leg, cycling, family, friends, healing and injury
4:38 pm
Nearly two weeks have passed since I broke my leg while I was out biking. It may sound crazy to you, I know, the idea that I was out on my bike in 40 degree weather, at 8 AM before work. It may sound even crazier to you that I hit black ice and landed directly on my hip, cracking my hip bone and part of my femur. But that’s what I did. And if I told you that I had surgery the same day, and that for the past two weeks I’ve been recovering from a procedure in which an orthopedic surgeon placed an 18-inch rod along my femur in order to set the break, you might become so incredulous that I could sense it from where I sit. But that’s what’s happened.
The accident and the surgery sounds crazy, I know, which is part of the reason I woke up from surgery crying. It’s also the reason I’ve felt so emotionally overwhelmed over the thirteen days. The other reasons for the emotion include the help that friends and family have offered while I get better. I’m actually staying at a friend’s house right now, because she has only one stair and a walk-in shower. I can’t think of a time when I’ve felt more cared for, or more dependent on people. It’s a strange place to be in, a position I’m not altogether comfortable with, but I also realize I need these people around right now, so I’ll just have to accept it.
If you’re concerned about my current physical state, you shouldn’t be. I just had my first post-operation doctor’s appointment today, and they seemed happy with the way the break has stabilized, and they have told me I should start bearing weight on the leg. They told me this in spite of a rather scary-looking X-ray that depicted a splinter of bone that came off the site of the fracture. I shouldn’t worry too much about that, they say, it’s a normal part of the healing process. And the pain is something I should work through at this point. I find much of this hard to believe, especially when I think about waking up at 3 AM, stiff and having to pee, feeling like nothing has changed since the time I woke up from surgery. I’ll just have to take the doctors at their word that I am in fact healing, and move forward.
I’ll try to post X-rays at some point that show the break as well as my new hardware. That will at least support my assertion on the operation. As far as everything else is concerned, you will just have to take my word for it, I suppose.
November 30, 2006
Last post/first post ::
personal — tagged buffalo, family, thanksgiving and travel
11:59 pm
As I’m writing this post, we seem to be closing in on Midnight. So, depending on when I finish this up, it could wind up being the last post of November or the first post of December. We’ll see what happens—you’ll be able to tell how inspired I was as I wrote this based at least in part on the end date.
So the trip out to Buffalo went pretty well. I noticed that it was the first Thanksgiving I’d spent with my family in four years, which is strange. It’s not like Thanksgiving is a particularly huge event with my family, but it is a fairly substantial American holiday, and you’d think I would have made some effort at some point to get out to see them. But alas, no. My excuse? Law school and being involved in a long term relationship.
Anyway, now I’m back in Vermont, where it was 60 degrees and sunny today. Totally creepy. But the job is keeping me busy, and I’m still able to bike like crazy. Josh can back me up on this—he saw me on one of my sprints through Barre the other morning. So I don’t have much time to think about the probability that these unseasonably warm temperatures signify a more significant climate change brought on by global warming. On the bright(er) side, they’re predicting snow by this weekend, so things could be quite different by Monday.
Update: Check out the time on that post!
November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving ::
personal — tagged buffalo, family, holidays, sick, thanksgiving and travel
11:51 am
I’ve been sick for the last week or so. It’s nothing serious—mostly a post-nasal drip thing that has kept me from sleeping all that well. So other than having a perpetual sore throat and felling a little groggy during the day, I mostly feel just fine.
Oh, and with it being Thanksgiving and all, I am once again in Buffalo hanging out with the family. This is the fourth time I’ve made it here in 2006, and it’s the first Thanksgiving with my parents since they moved here. With that in mind, I don’t necessarily feel like this trip is heavy with meaning, but it also isn’t entirely meaningless, either. There should be some photos and possibly a more lengthy narrative posted here once I’ve been here a while and have had some time to let something happen.
May 20, 2005
Greg: 1, Crisis: 0 ::
narrative — tagged family, narrative and travel
11:41 am
I don’t know how many of you have been following the travel planning process that Jessamyn has discussed on her site. For those of you who haven’t, here’s the rundown: Jessamyn is currently in Pittsburgh, PA, doing a library talk. (In fact, she may be presenting as I write this.) Tomorrow, she will get on a bus for Washington, DC. Tomorrow afternoon, I will get on a plane in Burlington, VT, and fly down to Washington to meet her. While there, we will be spending some time with friends. We’ll then come back next week. I’ll be in town for all of a day and a half before leaving town again for my sister’s graduation from Cornell University.
And here’s where things get bad. I took Jessamyn to the airport yesterday (again, up in Burlington). When I got back to Bethel, I noticed a grinding noise coming from the rear wheel of my ‘94 Honda Accord. I’ve owned the car long enough to know what that noise meant: seized up caliper, worn down brake pads, and a damaged rotor. I was going to have to get work done on my car before I took it on the 6+ hour trip to Ithaca.
Now, for those of you who don’t live in Vermont, there’s something you should know about auto repairs in this state: they can take a really long time. Especially in the Spring, when everyone seems to take their car into the shop to get all the repairs done that have built up over the winter months. For example: when Jessamyn had to get her radiator replaced a few weeks ago, it took two and half weeks just to get an appointment. Then it took another day for the part to get there. So clearly, with my upcoming schedule, I was going to have to try to find someone to do the work, and fast.
Luckily, I was able to find a guy. He’s way out of town, up on a dirt road. He’s also one tough dude. (At least that’s what I could surmise from my rather brief discussion with him). When I dropped my car of with him a couple of hours ago, he said he was going to try to get the work done today; if he couldn’t, he said I could leave the car with him and pick it up when I get back from Washington next week. Needless to say, hearing this made me quite happy indeed.
Of course, I am quite aware that I should temper my effusiveness at this point. There’s still quite a bit of time between now and the time I leave for things to go seriously wrong. But still, I can’t help but feel that—at least in this match—that I have beaten a crisis.
Update: I got my car back! Not only that, but the mechanic actually drove my car to my house. I of course had to give him a ride back to the garage, but still, I really thought that was some pretty great service. With that said, if you ever find yourself in need of automotive repair and you’re in Bethel, Vermont, I highly recommend the fine mechanics at North Road Auto & Tire.
