I just found out that I'm part of President Obama's secret army. I have several family members who would be none-to-pleased if they found that out, so let's keep it under-wraps, ok?
To be honest, I'm part of that tiny, tiny percentage who doesn't know who they'll be voting for. So that's why I'm really looking forward to the debates tonight. Feel free to tell me who to vote for in the comments, and I will consider your evidence. Also, we don't have a TV, so I'm looking for a place to watch. If you invite me over, I'll bring the Diet Coke, and we can play this game:
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of linnet's wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
What a week. A weak week. And a strong week at the same time.
My Pops came into town, so we drove around the town and he showed me this fantastic old chapel. It is absolutely beautiful.
THE GLORY OF GOD IS INTELLIGENCE
Pretty incredible. There used to be an angel Moroni on top! Apparently, the Utah granite was no match for D.C.'s humid climate, so it is in desperate need of repair. It is now owned by the Unification Church. I will have to make another visit when I have a camera at my disposal. Go to this blog for more cool photos. And this site to learn more about what this church is made of (fossils!!!). You can also go to this blog for more pictures from the inside.
We then went to the National Cathedral, a totally different sort of experience. I will have to visit there again too.
After a bit, we went to see a movie. Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen, Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody... what more do you need. Everyone is in this movie. Best of the past and present.
You should watch it. You will be charmed. I promise.
It kind of touched on the themes of nostalgia I talked about in this post.
OH yeah. Then we went to Great Falls.
Lived up to it's name for sure. I could have sat there all day.
Actually. I liked crabbing more. I was really good at it!
Feel free to get me this shirt:
AAAANNNNNDDDD
This post is ending up much longer than I thought.
BUT
You have to check out these tracks before you leave. My friend Julia Mecham, just released her album yesterday. Listen here:
My favorite track is ALL OF THEM (though I have a particular soft spot for "Little Bird"). You know that Julia is a good soul because when we were in high school, we went on trek and talked about Elliot Smith for like 5 miles. And you know she is a good soul by listening to her voice. And her guitar playing. These are good soul tones.
Yep.
Look at all these charming things, people, and places.
I'd never been to the 9:30 club before, but I guess it's legendary? Also, I worried about finding the right thing to wear, which means I ended up wearing the worst thing possible. The worst thing possible being a soccer mom outfit, complete with nikes. Note: Whenever I wear running shoes with anything other than running attire, I feel that I am giving up on life. WHATEVS.
So I got there (it was so not hard to get to I LOVE the metro).
I really liked it inside:
I know it looks like, massive (it has a capacity of 1200). But it didn't feel ginormous. It think maybe because there weren't a ton of people there. I'm glad I got there early, because it would have been a shame if I missed this guy:
He does violin and keyboards for Sondre Lerche. He is crazy talented. He recorded and looped all the parts for his songs on stage; super creative. Kind of like Animal Collective + Nick Drake + Jonsi - sadness + accessibility. And look! You can listen to his tracks RIGHT HERE!
Isn't he lovely?
Next up was Nightlands. They were nice to listen to. But I don't know, not mind-blowing. Their songs sound like musical exercises to me. It might be worth your your while to give them a listen:
But one thing first. Going to concerts outside of Utah is a shock to the system. We Utahns are part of the western frontier, the lawless wilderness. We are just so darned appreciative when people venture out to our city, knowing they'll be in front of small, sometimes clueless crowd (Remember The Big Pink at Graywhale last year? REMEMBER? I didn't see you there, so I guess not. That was a travesty). DC is just so polished and civilized. No one was dancing except the brave, limited few, swaying about. How are you supposed to stand there with your arms folded tight when you are listening to this? I do declare, I do not know.
ANYWAY.
You know all about that one time I saw Sondre Lerche. He plays so well, and I think he loves the world. Maybe it was a good thing the crowd was so polite; it fit him. Mr. Lerche is a gentleman. Turns out that Tuesday was the release of his new album. He asked, "Is anyone from the WHite House here?" with a strong "h" sound. He is so charming.
You have to see him. He will be in Salt Lake He has something for everyone! He sings! He jams! He stutters on command! He does tricks of all sorts! He has lovely guitars! One of them sounding vaguely like my name!
GRETSCH
He is a genuine musician. OK. Enough gushing. But I really do hope you'll see him when he is in your neck of the woods.
