Banter | News | Love Letters


10/15/04: So, things have changed. I started a full-time job in late August. I moved to Philadelphia (the East Falls neighborhood) last weekend. Things are going pretty well. Still getting settled. I kind of miss my old life, but this next stage is looking bright.

7/15/04: I went biking on a local trail Tuesday, and now I seem to be developing poison ivy or oak or sumac on my body. Shit's on my lips even. Awesome.

But, fuck it. I got new running shoes and I'm running in a 5-miler this Saturday.

Listening to: California, I Thought I Should See mix CD

6/29/04: My life is completely boring -- for the most part. This is why I have nothing to say here.

It is now the summer time. I have a new mountain bike. I am biking and/or running 6 out of the 7 days, unless pesky engagements like weddings and other staple summer events get in the way. I am dreaming of another city, another life (right now: Minneapolis). I am dreaming of grad school. I am scared for my future. What can I do? I barely have a skill. I hide away with books and am possibly crawling too deep inside myself. I am dreaming of everything. But am I living anything?


3/14/04: I haven't updated this site in a while, outside of sticking a new picture on the front page (Santa Monica, CA). That trip to CA was good (for the most part), by the way. I probably wouldn't have updated it but a friend of mine mentioned this site the other day, and it got me thinking about it. So I logged on tonight and took some time to read through it. The Fiction?| Non Fiction? section needs some editing attention, primarily in turns of formatting (too many spaces between stanzas; want to re-work some line breaks). I know what it really needs is a new entry, though. I haven't written a poem (or anything personal-creative) in a while. I mean a while. I really should, though. I have a lot of older stuff, but I doubt that I'll ever get around to transcribing it onto the computer. Lots of stuff written on the old word processor. It's not that good anyway... Been doing steady record reviews for MAGNET, but haven't added any to this site.

Things have been going well lately on most fronts. Doing a lot of hanging out, meeting some great, great new people. Feels good. I'm looking forward to warmer weather. Hopefully allergy season won't be bad, because I am anxious to get on the mountain bike as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll have more to say, and some new things will be added to this site soon.

1/08/04: "So this is the new year / And I don't feel any different" sings Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. Yeah, that sounds about right.

A live review of Mark Kozelek's Baltimore show is up in the music writing section. It was a good show.

Going to California on Tuesday. Muy bien!

12/08/03: A live review of the Twilight Singers' show in Philly has been added to the music writing section of this site. The review can also be found at magnetmagazine.com. It was a great show, as my (somewhat sloppy) review hopefully conveys.

This past weekend, we got about 7-8 inches of snow, I'd say. It was pretty. Thankfully, the snow came when it did, because this up-coming weekend I'm going to see Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon) play two shows - one in Philly and one in Baltimore. Should be fantastic!

12/01/03: The American public can be so bafflingly ghastly. Have you heard about this unfortunate Wal-Mart shopper who was stepped on and knocked out cold by a throng of people trying to grab a limited number of DVD players that were on sale Black Friday morning? Black Friday, indeed. I cannot even fathom this. A DVD player? A Wal-Mart? Can you imagine that in Florida shit hole suburbs on Christmas morning a kid is going to unwrap a DVD player while his parent smiles, their shopper-stomping boots lying by the door? What drives people to act like this? Are our lives so vapid, so dead, that we are able to resort to crushing people into unconsciousness to get a freaking electronic entertainment device? And what is Wal-Mart's reaction to this? In their offical dumbass statement they offer to "put a DVD player on hold for her" and "We want her to come back as a shopper." They can't even give the poor footprint-tattooed woman a free DVD player? Wal-Mart is disgusting.

Seriously, is this real? Read this excerpt and just tell me it doesn't sound like an article from The Onion:

Paramedics called to the store found VanLester unconscious on top of a DVD player, surrounded by shoppers seemingly oblivious to her, said Mark O'Keefe, a spokesman for EVAC Ambulance.

I feel so horrified by the human race right now. Do we deserve a better economy? A lower unemployment rate? Do we deserve a peaceful existence? Anything good at all? I'm not sure. I think there are tougher lessons we yet need to learn. Looking at a tragic ridiculous thing like this, you begin to wonder if we learned anything from 9/11. Anyfuckingthing at all.


10/20/03: I've moved! After just under 12 months at home, I am free. Although I have a cold right now, I feel good. Now living in West Chester, which is located about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. A beautiful old town with lots of trees, brick buildings, and sidewalks. It is a miniature city. It's not a Philly or anything, but at least it's somewhat urban. And it's a lot closer to my one job. Feel free to stop by and visit anytime!


9/17/03: This past weekend was the big Silkworm Rock Show Weekend in Pittsburgh. Two Nights of Silkworm, one of my favorite bands. Drove out to Pittsburgh with my newest friend Doug (Doug, Jr, The OD...what was the third nick name?) and we had a blast. He's a very cool and real person. Stayed at my friend Phil's house in the Dormont section of the beautiful, green, hilly, old city of Pittsburgh. Is there a nicer guy than Phil? I think not. It was a tremendous time. The weekend was filled with rock music, laughs, old friends, record stores, interesting sandwiches, Iron City beer, and striking geographic beauty. Pittsburgh is so underrated, undervalued...and so sadly stricken with problems that obviously contribute to its reputation as a going-nowhere rust belt town. The city is in huge debt, so big that they are laying off needed people like cops and other vital workers. Some people fear that Pittsburgh might fall into a serious period of neglect and disrepair that will send its residents fleeing and turn the town into a crime-infested barren world. I hope not, because, goddamn, I could live there. The bridges, the tunnels, the hilly neighborhoods, the heartstopping views...it's all so charming. And, outside of thier penchant for fist fights and rabid Steeler fanaticism, the people all seem to be good people. I really could live there. Doug and I joked(?) about moving there. The economy there is bleak. Could I find a job? I should stop worrying about that type of stuff and follow my heart, as sappy as that sounds.


8/25/03: The patriarch's side of the family (which, like the matriarch's, is, for the most part, Mennonite) held their annual reunion two weeks ago. For the first time in three or more years, I went. I wasn't trying hard to avoid going (like I do the other side) in the past, it's just that I never gave it any priority. Geography also played a big role. But, now, this year, I am living close to the spot of the reunion. So, like I said, I went. It was ok. It was fine. But of course questions like, "When are you getting married?" and "Have a special lady in your life?" kept coming at me with a frequency only slightly less intense then the thunder storms that kept popping up in the sky. At one point, I happened upon a great uncle and a second cousin while they were conversing. The second cousin, who is LA-based, was finishing up a story about his friend who was close to becoming a priest, but, then, at the last second, he met a girl and got married. The great uncle then turned to me and said, "Doug, maybe that's why you're not married: you're becoming a priest." Ha, ha. I offered this retort: "I'm pretty far away from being married, but I am even farther away from being a priest." Ha, ha, ha, ha.


8/04/03: This one thing I know: My life might suck butt in many other ways, but at least--at freaking least!--music is there for me. And goddamn, if there aren't some great music things happening. I already mentioned the new Twilight Singers record, and there are also records coming up in the next month or so from other top favorites including My Morning Jacket, the Decemberists, Weakerthans (I have the advance; it's great) and Josh Ritter...But, the biggest news of all is that American Music Club appears to have gotten back together. This is amazing, heaven-shaking news. At least to me and the few AMC fans around. Mark Eitzel and the guys are working on songs in SF and are playing a show August 21 in SF. I wish I could go. Sadly I am not made of money. I am not made of much of anything.

Elsewhere, was at IUP this past weekend. Had a good time.


7/23/03: Now I'm getting excited. The Twilight Singers, Greg Dulli's post-Afghan Whigs project, is slated to release their new record, Blackberry Belle, in October. The track listing has been announced. It follows:

01 Martin Eden
02 Esta Noche
03 Teenage Wristband
04 St. Gregory
05 The Killer
06 Decatur St.
07 Papillon
08 Follow You Down
09 Feathers
10 Fat City
11 Number Nine

Needless to say, I am looking forward to this record. And, of course, a tour is being planned. Dulli is the consummate performer. Cannot wait.


6/18/03: Isn't that "My Little Eitzel" doll just as cool as it gets? I want one. The picture (on the homepage) was stolen from Matador Records' site. Not sure where they got it or who the two people holding the doll are. Who cares, just check out that kick ass unibrow!

Mark Eitzel, of course, is one of my musical heroes. Since high school, his band American Music Club has been my favorite. They've since broken up, but he still is going rather strong as a solo artist.

If you're in Philadelphia this weekend, you should head to Plunkett's in the Northeast section. My friend Chris is doing a comedy show there on Saturday night. Email me for details, if you'd like (dougsell_17@hotmail.com).


5/28/03: The My Morning Jacket live review is up at MusicToday.com. Direct link: MMJ.

Elsewhere, I'm plugging along. Working and dreaming of "the next step." I need to just throw myself out there, into something, anything. Sometimes I think about grad school in Scotland, moving to Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Baltimore, etc...going back to Philly, getting an apartment in Lancaster...See how all over the place it all is? Just make a fucking choice. Let the grass grow under your feet a bit; get settled somewhere and get into some place. Stop "waiting and seeing" and not getting involved.

5/14/03: We're in the midst of allergy season. Some days have been horrid, but most have actually been livable. Mainly because I've take a preemptive approach this year: minimal time outside, no nights of drinking in smokey bars, rest. But it has been boring. You can only read so much. And I was really getting into biking in April. I was dropping some pounds I think! It's ok, I'll be back in the saddle in a few weeks.

Saw My Morning Jacket play a few weeks ago. I think it was the fourth or fifth time I've seen them. They were great, of course. The new songs sounded really good. Looking forward to that record! A review of the show will be up at MusicToday soon. I'll let y'all know when it is there.

In other music news, I'm going out to Pittsburgh to see the Decemberists tomorrow night! I am very psyched about that. Will also get to see my lovely friend Beth, who is in law school at Pitt, and maybe even DJ Sublinear, a fellow IUP English major. I haven't seen him since graduation in 2000. Should be a great weekend.

I really like the new Arab Strap record, Monday at the Hug & Pint, by the way. Fresh, compelling stuff.


4/9/03: There's a new photo gracing the front page of this incidental site. It's a picture of Chan (pronounced "Shawn") Marshall. She plays music as Cat Power. If you take a talented, artistic, smart individual and package them in a pretty female form, you've got me hooked. Sorry, but I am a sucker for that. See Tanya Donelly for the crowning example of this. I am not in love with Cat Power's new You Are Free, however. It's nice, but not much of a repeat player...at least not yet. But I did get to see them live and it was great.

Florida was cool. Got lots of sun. Got to hang out with the kid brother, try alligator and frog legs, watch little lizards scamper about, and jump around in the ocean. Then came back to PA and snow. Snow! Yes, even in April (Ok, it's not really that rare of an phenomenon, but people's memories are short when it comes to weather). So I thought of the opening to a new poem: "I'm peeling / It's snowing." Of course, I haven't gotten any farther than that. I real writer would have. But I am lazy and a hack. When will I ever learn?

3/16/03: Added a relatively new piece to the poetry page. Written since I have moved back home. Can't you tell? I can be so melodramatic, I know. Sorry.

In other news, I have access to a CD burner now. So, if you'd like a mix CD, let me know. Seriously!


3/14/03: Two new-ish record reviews have been added to the reviews page. Both can currently be found at MAGNET. There should be a few more short pieces showing up there soon, too. I have to get around to transcribing the Decemberists review.

What's been going on? Nothing of note, really. Went to Boston for about 36 hours last month to see Justin and Tiffany. That was fun. Then got stuck for a few days in King of Prussia due to the near-blizzard. About 21 inches of snow.

Going to Florida in about three weeks!

2/5/03: It's a new year. In some respects, a lot has changed since I last wrote an entry here. In other ways, things are the same, things are worse. Well, maybe not worse. I don't know. Going stir crazy at home though! I didn't take that job I mentioned in the last post. Now, I kind of wish I would have. If it was offered now, I think I would.

I am working. Freelancing for my old company. Running their newsletter. It is good. I like it. I drive to the Philly area twice a week. Also working for a small horse newspaper in Lancaster. Selling ads, primarily. At least trying to!

So, that's where I am at. Able to save money, which is good. Trying to keep my self from going insane living at home, living in the hometown. It's tough sometimes.

I've been going to the movies more than I use to. I guess one reason is because there have been a lot of good ones out recently. Adaptation is probably the best I've seen. So great. Far From Heaven was memorable and well done too.

So, that's the update for now. Later on.


10/24/02: Well, goddamn, it seems like years since I've updated this stinkin' site. That's what changing your life does to you. It could be only a day removed from your old life, and it would still feel like eons ago. That's what change does to your perception of time.

I'm in Lancaster! :) :(

Oh, but for how long? It seems, dear readers, that I may take a job. Mere weeks since I got laid off...am I, to quote George Costanza, "Back in business baby!"? It is quite possible. Got a job offer today. And they say the economy sucks. Someone is smiling on my ass.

Went to Montreal over the weekend. What a wonderful town. Great time. Very eye-opening experience. Truly. Not a bad life I have heretofor lead as an unemployed person, huh?


10/2/02: Just put up two writing pieces: Record reviews of Neko Case and Little Wings. Check 'em out under the freelance section.

Had a good interview (I think) at UMD yesterday. It's all waiting and seeing now. I don't know what my chances are.

Listening to: Belle & Sebastian, The Boy With The Arab Strap


9/20/02: I think the Fall is my favorite time of year now, all around. 10 years ago, I would have said "no way!" because it meant returing to school. And a week ago, "at least weather-wise" would replace the all-inclusive "all around" at the end of that proclamation. But I've read a couple things about the Fall lately thay have really made me up my level of love for this time of year. The air is cooling. I no longer sweat while doing nothing. Longsleave t-shirts are being dusted off! One thing I read talked about how the Fall air is filled with nostalgia. I like that. It said other great things, but I forget them.

That's the lovely Tanya Donelly gracing the front page of this web location at the moment.


8/30/02: Ok, work life is officially fucked up and strange. I no longer have the job duties I once had, except for one, and yet I am still here. Somehow, they think I am too valuable to let go even though they don't know what to do with me in light of the recent re-structuring of the company's ownership and sales strategy. Or, maybe they would feel to bad laying me off, and since they have a couple extra bucks in their back pocket, they are letting me float until I make a move (ie, secure a new job). I'm not exactly sure, but they are trying to find things for me to do. But anything that smacks of technical work rubs me in the wrongest of ways. I just don't like technology. Sure I love email and other technology inventions, but I really have no interest in how this "great marvel of the late 21st Century" works behind the curtain. I just don't. I have no desire to work in the technology field. No desire. None.

So, now I am looking for a job with diligence. I was kind of fantasizing about getting laid off. Sounds crazy, I guess, but I did read about "layoff lust" in a copy of Atlantic Monthly a couple months ago while at the doctor's office. I kind of wanted to get my walking papers, a crumb or two of severance, and clear out of my apartment with the destination being my parent's house. Do I really want to live there? Well, no. But I do want to take a step back and survey the seen, check my gut, re-evalute what I have been doing, am doing, and want to do. Part of this process would be a slow, reflective trip across the country. With stops in every city I think I might like to try living in. I figure a good 3-5 weeks on the road would be good for me, and the unemployment money would help defray the costs. Then I'd come back and pick up a temp and/or PT job and save up cash while looking for a new place to live in work. I could see that lasting a year or more, because the last thing I'd want to do is save money, move, get a job, and fall right back into the position I am in now, which is pinching pennies and living pay check to pay check; credit cards mounting up because my bank account can't absorb any bill that's not a regular part of the living budget (Like new breaks and roters. Like a new refridgerator). But I haven't gotten laid off. I spend my time looking and doing some work while here. But how long can this last? Sent some resumes recently. We will see.

I'm off to a wedding near where I went to college tomorrow morning, so I will also spend a night with some still-in-college friends. Should be nice. Next weekend is the beach! Hope it gets warm for at least those couple of days.


8/13/02: The new image on the home page is called "West Philadelphia Evening." It was painted by Catherine Jennings. I just found it out in the Internet abyss. Hope she doesn't mind that I put it up here. I will try to put up a new, and interesting, image every so often.

8/9/02: I added three poems to the site today. You know, I dislike that word: "poem." It just sounds very pretentious and high concept. Grandiose and snooty. And I try to make my stuff down to earth and relatable. Intelligent, still, of course, but at the same time I like them to be accessible. I'm not a fan of academic poetry and I strive to make my stuff real, understandable, and not full of goofy, smart-ass words. I don't want it it feel stuffy or be a "brilliant use of some literary construct," but possess no beating heart. You know? You understand? I like to just call them "things I wrote," but people like specifics so that's why I begrudgingly use the words poetry and poem.

Anyway, the poems I put up are not new. All are from 2000, I believe. "Kitchen Blues" came of out a senior year writing class. I think it is ok. We had to write about a part of the house. So I wrote about the kitchen. Fun! "Going, Too" is pretty easy to figure out. It's about wanting to move. I don't remember when I exactly I wrote "Yet Another Song For A Blue Guitar," but I think it was 2001. My first winter out of school. Living on my own. It is primarily inspired (especially the title) by the Red House Painters, a favorite band of mine. Oh, and also paralyzing sadness and loss, of course. Oh, I am kidding! But it does capture that time in my life well. After the Keswick Theatre (which is down my street a bit) had shows, the street would be flooded with people. The first few months I was there, I used to watch the people. And that experience made its way into this one, too. It may be a bit sappy, but oh well. Anyway, that was that. They aren't new, but I guess they may be new to you.

Listening to: Chavez, Ride the Fader


8/2/02: ANT ZINE, that online music magazine I mentioned a month or so ago, is now defunct. The editors, ambitious young rockers from Toronto, just couldn't handle it all; they have many projects. Just wanted to let you know about that.

Listening to: a demo from a friend in Pittsburgh.


7/19/02: I had a slight hungover feeling this morning. Went to a show last night (Mendoza Line, Jenny Toomey) and it was hot. Muggy as fuck. And I drank many beers in an attempt to find relief. I didn't think I had that many, but then again I've never been good at math. I think it is was just from a lack of water that I felt headache-y. But the show was good! It was the second one this week. Saw Josh Rouse on Tuesday. He was especially entertaining.

The New Mexico trip was great. Great, great weather. Awesome food and good friends. I will put a few choice pictures up here shortly. The one that gaces the front page of this site is a sunset on a beautiful Saturday night in Albuquerque. The sun set on the opposite side of the Sandia Mountain. Where the land is flat, flat, flat. I had a blast. I wonder if the American West is the place for me? Is any place the place? I don't yet know.

Listening to: Little Wings, Light Green Leaves


6/27/02: I added a new section to the site called 'Things Said Or Written.' It is essentially a quote page. If something I read or hear really strikes me, this is the place you're likely to find it. I also put up a new poem that just came to me last Friday. I don't know what made me think of this past New Year's. Maybe I was thinking about change, which has been on my mind a lot. I really want to do something new: move, new job, something. So, I guess it came out of that thinking. I think it is ok. Could use a revision, or two. Next week is the trip to New Mexico! I am all geared up for that. I've never been anywhere that is as geographically different as NM is. I am going with my eyes opened, ready to see all new things. ANT ZINE, by the way, is updated every Monday so check it out then. It's a cool project.

I've also found this site, and the story around it, to be very interesting: www.aaronkaro.com. While he's very mainstream America, he has some interesting insights and it makes me wish I kept an active journal through college. He even got a book deal!

Listening to: My Morning Jacket, Chocolate and Ice EP


6/24/02: I've started doing some writing for a Toronto-based online music magazine called ANT ZINE. Check it out if you feel so inclined.


5/28/02: Three-day weekends are great. It's amazing how that one day can make the rest of the work week fly by. By the time you realize it, it's all over.

Went to this very cool restaurant on Saturday out in the middle of nowhere, slightly near Reading, PA. It was called the Tiki Bar. The unique angle with this place is that you cook your own food. They have about five grills set up outside and you order your slab of steak/fish/chicken and grill up your own meal. It was very cool. Had a good time.

Mark Eitzel plays Friday night! Good times to be had I believe.

Listening to: the Clientele, Suburban Light


5/16/02: Yeah, I am a model employee. My today: Interview with another company at 9am. Don't get into my current job until 10:30. Perform work. Take lunch from 1:15 to near 3:00 with my nice friend Merideth. Perform work. 4:30 to whatever time it is now I ready articles about, and looked at pictures from, this year's SXSW music festival in Austin, TX. Right now: Typing this. Soon: Getting out of Dodge. It's freaking hot in here.

Listening to: KEXP, indie radio from Seattle

5/15/02: A new writing piece went up today. It came about this afternoon as I was reading a couple writing journal Web sites and realized I am so not in the same league, in terms of talent or intelligence, of almost every writer out there. I knew already of my current C+ talent, but it's still discouraging. But, in positive news, it inspired me to fuck off work and write something. Which I did.

Listening to: Whiskeytown, Strangers Almanac


5/07/02: To be happy, I think you need to take comfort in the little things. If you use lightning-strike events (winning the lottery, threesomes, Best Original Screenplay Oscar) as the benchmarks of happiness, you are probably doomed to consider your life a failure. You have to look at the everyday things: the nice weather, dinner with a friend, someone smiling at you, a great movie you just stumbled upon, sales at the grocery store, making/receiving a cross-country phone call, experiencing some really good live music, being let into traffic, writing a little poem that makes you proud, smelling some fantastic perfume, relaxing with a magazine, helping someone at work, etc. It's this everyday beauty that will get you through, that will keep you going. While it is good to dream big, to wish for the world, it isn't good to rely on these slim-chance happenings for your happiness. Life is amazing, even when it absolutely sucks. You just gotta look closely and remember.

I was gonna write more about the weekend, which was bookended beautifully by two great shows: Belle & Sebastian and Neko Case. But I've got to get back to work... Wanted to somehow convey how these type of experiences are what helps me through, are what makes work worth working, what makes everything worth doing. And, now, even more than ever, I know that I need to always live in/immediately near a large city. People often look at me crookedly when I say that I judge places to live on their ability to attract live music. It may sound trivial, but it is important to me. Music is one of my biggest sources of the little touches of happiness that we all need to get us through, regardless if one of those perfect lightning strikes ever strike.


Listening to: Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot


4/30/02: It's not been one of the best weeks I've ever had. And it is only Tuesday. Well, why? For one, I've been cursed with a ragged sore throat and an hellacious cough since waking up Sunday after 2 1/2 days of IUP'ing it (read: drinking pretty much all day) at the alma mater. My fraternity received its Charter after five difficult, fun, exhaustive, memorable years of being a little colony (think of a company IPOing and going public but without the financial windfall for a loose analogy), so I was up there for the big ceremony. Now, I'm not a "frat boy" of the classically piggish, rapist stereotype at all. Neither are my brothers. My group are a different sort of lot; a mixed bag each with their own qualities and distinctiveness that make us a lot different than your regular frat scum. Oh, sure, this uniqueness may mean we get on each others' nerves a lot and don't really hold anything back, but that's an element of true friendship you might say. Sure, some of my brothers might fall into the "frat boy" trap occasionally on some things (drinking lots, backwards baseball hat, dumb fuck jokes), but they are all great guys who are much more genuine than most frat boys you meet. So, anyway, it was fun. Got to see all the boys. Met some old, old Chi Phis as well. But then I got back to reality on Monday...

So, what does Monday bring but a huge bloodletting at work. Massive layoffs. 12 people; 40% of staff. I guess not a completely successful stab at the jugular but a damn fine try. Now, I just don't know what to do. Can't I just escape? Flee away to some other land where I can find whatever it is that is missing from life here, in this moment? You have to define it, I know. But I haven't found the cluster of letters that conveys the cure to the nagging uncontentment I feel. ...My head is a bit hazed with Tylenol and Claranex and the constant cough drop lodged in my cheek is making me taste vapor cherry all the time. So let's give it a rest for now. Belle & Sebastian in three days. Damn hope I am well and rested for that.


Listening to: The Mendoza Line, Lost in Revelry


4/22/02: Well, Thank God. Cool weather is back. I promise I won't take you for granted. Not any more.

This weekend I was in Lancaster. It was nice. My brother, my friend Matson, and I went to the bar/restaurant us Sell boys grew up next to and had a long ass day of drinking and revelry. It was cool.

I'm currently really digging Josh Ritter's record, Golden Age of Radio. It is a marvelous little piece of Americana country strumming. Nothing earth shattering, but his voice is killer. And his lyrics are intelligent.

Listening to: see above

4/16/02: I can't believe how all of a sudden it has gotten warm. Not suffocatingly hot like the inevitable dead pit of summer, but, still, a little too warm for someone who knows the hell cave his apartment becomes in the summer. I haven't forgotten how debilitating it got last summer. The relief of Fall was as welcomed as anything. And now it seems that the other moderate season - Spring - isn't sticking around for long. I mean, I like Summer weather for the most part; I like sunshine, the beach, and drinking outside... I just dislike sweating when I'm sleeping. Even last night, I could feel droplets of sweat forming as I washed the dishes. I'm just not ready. Give me H68/L40 for another couple of weeks, please? My taste in weather is one reason I think I'd like the NW. Portland is a great town. Or some other moderate place. Find me a place where I can where jeans and a t-shirt outside year round and I'll love you forever.

Tanya Donelly was magical last week. Just finished a review of it for MusicToday that should be up soon. Might go see Josh Rouse next week, but with the trip out to IUP the following day (We're getting Chartered!), I might just skip it. But there are shows coming up that I wouldn't miss for the world: Belle & Sebastian and Neko Case. The same weekend!

Listening to: The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin

4/11/02: So, going to see Tanya Donelly tonight! Kick ass. Only a few more hours. I wonder if anyone has ever done the opposite of the standard panty-throwing display of affection at a show? You know, if some guy has ever thrown his boxer shorts to some female singer? Could I be the first? Where would such an act rank on a Creepy-O-Meter? A 10? Score! Also, I hope everyone out there has seen Trees Lounge. I was just raving a bit about Steve Buscemi to someone and wrote this hilarious (and true) statement: He's so real that you can't even imagine him saying the word "Hollywood" or "Julia Roberts is my friend." Well, it was funny to me.
Listening to: Red House Painters, Old Ramon

4/10/02: Some writing has been added in the last couple of days, including a review of Tanya Donelly's beautysleep, which is one gorgeous piece of music by one gorgeous female. Exciting me beyond compare, she plays here in Philly tomorrow night! Can't wait.

And how about finding a simple, un-crazily-designed belt? Can't be done! All I wanted was a simple leather belt with a modest silver buckle. But no such luck. What I ended up with I ended up with primarily out of being tired of looking. It'll suffice. For now.

Listening to: The Sheila Divine, New Parade


4/08/02: I saw Ghost World this past weekend. It was great. Two people -- two girls -- fresh from high school and over-spilling with disillusionment, sarcasm, and a fascination (in that typical hipster indie ironic way) with the "freaks" of the world. But is goes so much more deeper than these surface elements: The subtle ways of Seymour (Steve Buscemi) that let you know he likes Enid (Thora Birch), the drifting apart of Enid and Rebecca (forget her real name) due to the latter moving beyond ironic love for losers (Rebecca: "He doesn't even need that wheelchair. He's just lazy." Enid: "That rules!" Rebecca: "It really doesn't."), and the unenviable search for someone you can relate to in world where you don't really fit in. Plus it has many hilarious "We gotta rewind that!" parts.

You should see it.

In boring Doug news, I just broke a belt I swear I've had since 9th grade. Damn. Off to the mall for a new one soon.

Listening to: Neko Case, Canadian Amp


4/04/02: Well, I've redesigned my little place in this collosal Internet world. This should make the average -3 people who visit this site on an irregular basis quite satisfied and content.

Mission Statement: I'm planning to post the scant creativity I am able produce on this Web site for all to enjoy, and maybe comment or lament on the occasional issue/thought in this here Banter, etc. area. It won't be a daily blog site where I discuss the inner torment of my soul or what I had for breakfast last Wednesday, so please, please, don't rush to work every morning to get the latest update/dish on what I'm fucking up in my life -- it won't be here. Well, it might show up. You never know. (Don't take everything too seriously. If you know me, you know I have a sarcastic, goofy streak).

That being said, you can look forward to seeing some/all of the writings I do. I'm hoping to carve out a little freelance niche for myself, so expect to see more music reviews/articles in the future. For now, there are a couple here for you to peruse. I hope you will enjoy them. Also, I'm a poetry fan, and it has pretty much always been my favored medium of creative expression (that and making mix tapes), so I'll include alot of that here, which I am working on uploading at the moment. I like to share. And remember, it's creative writing, not non-fiction. So, please don't think ALL of the things I say are true. (I say this because I don't want my Mom to think I'm perpetually sad and depressed! I'm not. Nor a whore. Nor a drunk. Well, about that last one...) I will also be adding more sections as this thing grows.

PS I don't know what that little square dot thing is that appears below links. And I can't get rid of it. Some whacky technology bug I guess.