R.I.P. Daniel Hansson

I just learned that the CEO and main visionary of the Swedish company that makes my favorite hardware synths, Elektron, died in a car accident. He was 33. I was initially surprised at how shaken up I am by this, but it makes sense because they were a small company who cared about their customers and would go above and beyond to help users of their products. Plus, their synths inspired creativity and allowed one to stay away from a computer (if one wished) to make electronic music. For all these reasons and more I've felt a personal connection with the synths and by extension those who made them. I'm am glad that the company will continue on, though I couldn't imagine it not doing so for any reason.

Revelation!

I'm totally convinced that kids who watched Inspector Gadget grew up to enjoy or at least appreciate death metal because Dr. Claw was an excellent example of the "Cookie Monster" style of metal vocals, while Mad Cat did the metal-style scream. You know it's true.

Another "duh" moment

I'm listening to The Cure's "Disintegration" and realizing just how much some of these songs made an impression on me when I was younger. Though the radio songs from the album are damned good, I absolutely adore Plainsong and the title track. Untitled is a fine track as well. There must be a counterpoint for me after listening to The Cure, because me reaction to their music is to float away into a fluffy-clouded region of my mind that is pretty but not entirely comfortable. Maybe this is why I also enjoy music such as Swans and Whitehouse, because their music is aiming for a viceral reaction, sometimes bodily or even primal. However, this is completely on the other side of the spectrum and an ideal would be a music that is grounding which can be found somewhere in between brutal and pretty music.

A Crow Hills challenge

Today I wanted to challenge my paralyzing fear of heights, so I drove to Crow Hills to walk a portion of the Mid-state trail. This section asks you to scramble up a steep, rocky incline to get to a more level trail, but this more level trail passes by the Crow Hill ledges, favored by many local and faraway rock climbers. I had stood at the foot of the main cliffs before, and I was fucking terrified just standing below them! However, my time on the trail above them was not as bad as I thought it would be. Sure, it was nerve-wracking being on a trail whose edge sloped down 6 or 7 feet to a precipitous plunge, and my heart was beating a bit faster than usual, but I did not feel terrified--a pleasant and confidence-building change of pace. It was a very odd experience to be looking down on ponds that were not very far away, and to see the land just drop off, leaving only the very tops of trees in the line of sight--I would never use the word majestic or other such hyperbole, or feel like I needed to recreate the experience tomorrow, but it was an accomplished feeling.

I explored a bit more on the plateau that is Crow Hill, and found it covered with trees and shrubs, as well as a few poorly-trodden paths. I followed one to what seemed like the peak of Crow Hill (though this is difficult to determine), and enjoyed the strong breeze that somehow worked its way unimpeded through the trees around. Not much of a view from there to other places, but there was a good amount of moss and lichen to make for a shorter viewing experience. I even saw a milipede, which was about 3 inches long. I stayed the hell away, though close enough to check it its locomotion. Very cool-looking, though creepy with such a plated armor about it. Verminous critter. I had some trouble exploring Crow Hill, cos the (unofficial) paths turned into nothing at certain points, but eventually I found my way back down. I then set out to find the swamp I spied on Google Earth, which I have deduced must be the source for a stream I love to visit. I trudged through undergrowth for a good amount of time and came back, only to find a path leading to the same area. I checked out this path, and decided that it would be best explored at a later date.

"Embedded"

Probably one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time:::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SBR8XmE4PA

Watch the trailer and see the movie if it is in yr area!

A "The State"/"Stella"/"Reno 911"-related movie!

http://www.thetenmovie.com

Inaugural

After much deliberation and--let's face it--hemming and hawing, I've decided to start a blog. Before I describe the sorts of things I envision including here, I'd like to talk about the blog's title: it is the name of a song by Todd Jones under his Brown Moth moniker. Originally, I was going to use another song title of his, "Chocolate Jimmies White Ice Cream," due to my interest in the layers of meaning one could draw from it and the issues brought up by the questionable associations of the word "jimmies," along with the imagery of something of substance covering a larger mass which lacks substance (note it is white ice cream and not vanilla!) But I gave another listen to the album from which these two titles are taken, and realized I should use the title of the song that I like the most! You can't beat the imagery of the words "Mongoose Sword," either. It helps that I enjoy martial arts movies and that my first decent BMX bike was a Mongoose. I want to make this blog more about what I like on a larger scale than solely about what I find intellectually interesting, like the unused song title, though let me be clear that I enjoy both songs on more than one level.

As this blog grows, I hope to include quotes I like from friends, family, and folks I've never met; ruminations/me thinking aloud in writing; links to plenty of other sites; and stuff I find amusing and/or curious. I won't be likely to turn this into a window into my soul or any such thing--in fact, I may comment on that sort of thing at some point--but you're likely to find me writing about subjects which compel me, such as music, body work, and any other miscellaneous detritus that floats its way into my life.

So please come back and visit occasionally, or do up the RSS/ATOM thang for updates as they happen.

Respect and appreciation to those who got on me and inspired me to start this up, directly or indirectly.