Remind me to tell you the story about the San Quentin inmates. It’s not a good one but I wanna talk it…

please stop me.

please excuse this.

I want to learn a new instrument. It has 5 strings, a round body, an embarrassing stereotype, and makes this sound: ptwaaaang, ptwang twang

Banjo! First of all, Sufjan plays banjo and banjo is a major instrument in many of Sufjan’s songs (Vito’s Ordination Song [acoustic version], For the Widows In Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti, and Seven Swans, to name just a few). Sometimes guitar is just not a good substitute. It’s an uncommon instrument with a unique, unusual sound, and not many people play it, which are all selling points for me. Banjo sounds weird even when played perfectly, so even if it takes me a while to become proficient, not everyone will know.

And I have Sufjan news. Sufjan is playing at the ATP festival on September 12th. The ATP festival is in New York. This is Sufjan’s first concert in two years. I feel I need to be there. This would cost me a fortune: the ticket itself is $100, plus airfare, somewhere to stay, things to eat. Frugal as I am, I don’t even care. This is so important, I would spend it all. But the thing is, I know I can’t go by myself, and I don’t know anyone who loves Sufjan so much they would drop everything, and hundreds of dollars, to see him play a short-ish festival set. I am dilemma’d.

When people ask me “Where’s Sufjan? What’s he doing? When’s the next album? What’s the next state?” my answers are usually pretty disappointing: “In Brooklyn. Taking a break from the music scene, perhaps writing symphonies and short stories, and admiring the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Regarding an album release, probably not soon. The State project was too ambitious and he knew that when he started it, he’s in no rush to finish all 50. I’m hoping he does an album about birds (his newer songs include Majesty, Snowbird, and The Lord God Bird).”

But there’s news on that front as well: Sufjan is releasing something on October 20, 2009. It’s called The BQE and it’s not an album but a video and musical tribute to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. How very Sufjan to base a project of this size on a stretch of city highway. The album itself will include a CD of the soundtrack, the DVD itself, a booklet and a “stereoscopic image reel”. Though I won’t be here when he releases it, I am very excited to hear something. No matter what it is, I’m sure I’ll adore it. I even like his album Enjoy Your Rabbit, which was very ill-received.

Watch the trailer for The BQE here. Mysterious, cheery, brassy, and a bit odd, just as I like him.

<object width=”400″ height=”225″><param name=”allowfullscreen” value=”true” /><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always” /><param name=”movie” value=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5682252&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=0&amp;show_byline=0&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1″ /><embed src=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5682252&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=0&amp;show_byline=0&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” width=”400″ height=”225″></embed></object><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/5682252″>THE BQE- A Film By Sufjan Stevens</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/asthmatickitty”>Asthmatic Kitty</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Zen Habits

I came across another blog that I like: Zen Habits. With the mantra “simple productivity”, it is centralized around the idea of a minimalistic, clean, inexpensive, happy, and highly effective way of life. Granted, it can be quite repetitive, (and at times a bit tedious to read–long lists of 75 or more changes to make in your daily routine) and sometimes feels a little arrogant (and I am not sure that “Zen” is an appropriate term), but there are a few ideas and articles that I have enjoyed, especially one about becoming an early riser. The archives of this site are huge…I have only begun to delve into it. I’ll be sure to share if I find any other favorites. If you end up stuck in this abyss, please show me the ones that interested you…!

drafting

I keep writing entries and not posting them so I’ve decided to do it in one fell swoop: here are my drafts, somewhat edited and somewhat finished. And somewhat neither of those things.

Number one, entitled “cool famous men”

Keep in mind: not all of these are crushes!? …not exactly. They’re just men who happen to be famous and I happen to think are really quite remarkable. People often get confused, especially when I talk about #1:

1) The inevitable. The great. Sufjan Stevens. I can’t shut up about this man. He’s been in my life for years and I often complain about how he is tooo talented, genetically flawless, lucky, much of a musical GENIUS etc. I am overprotective over his fame. His music to me cannot be described in any number of words. You just have to see me when I hear one of his epic songs, I’m a giddy mess. Never have I found music more suited to my ears. I am convinced I have found audio perfection. csakjerhaliskjfn,kemaksjfnamsenla;jf;alsk;!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now these next ones seem to pale in comparison…I feel silly even including a picture of #2 because I hardly know him. And I take that back: #3 definitely does not pale in comparison.

2) Demetri Martin. I like him because he’s funny and practically a genius. He likes puzzles and anagrams and palindromes and crossword puzzles perhaps even more than I do. I only found him recently, and have a lot more discoverin’ to do.

3) The Beatles. For obvious reasons. P.S. Especially you George.

Honorable mentions (not necessarily less important, but more concise and less visual):

• Conor Oberst for his lyrics
• Andrew Bird for his musical gift
• John Krasinski for his always playing the unrealistically ideal character
• Aldous Huxley for his writing and his ideas and his brilliance and his defiance
• Charles Darwin and let’s not forget Alfred Russel Wallace, for their theories of evolution
• Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore for being one of the most badass fictional characters I’ve ever come across.
• Adrien Brody’s nose.

Number two, entitled “homes”

Years and years and years from now, when I’m finally done wandering, I know I’ll need to find somewhere to settle down, and stay there happy. I’m not one for advance planning, but I have a few snapshots in my mind’s eye of what that place will be like. I want an overgrown yard with vegetables and flowers and birdfeeders and places to hide. My home will be messy (but not dirty), like the one I grew up in, but unarguably cozy. Dark floors, light walls, and lots of windows. Blankets everywhere, large chests and full bookshelves. Not at all fussy. It’s hard for me to live in places where you have to take your shoes off before coming in and you can’t spill or break things.

I’m not a good hostess–when people come over, I feel like they should treat my house as theirs: no knocking, just come in, get something to drink, maybe a snack. I tend to neglect guests because once they’re inside, I figure they should feel as at home as I do. I need to work on being more hospitable. Also in the realm of terrible hosting–I do not like entertaining! I feel like people feel obligated to come and really despise every second they are at whatever it is I invited them to.

Number three, as of yet, untitled

Summer

led to me looking for a job (and not finding one)

which led to me watching TV more than ever before

(which was almost never)

which led to me watching the Food Network.

which I have come to adore.

There are really only two shows I like: Barefoot Contessa and Everyday Italian/Giada At Home (same thing to me).

Giada de Laurentiis makes such delicious looking food. She can be a tiny bit annoying sometimes with her intense perkiness and enormous smile and hand motions, but she’s really quite charming and much less annoying than many of the other Food Network stars. Uses lots of olive oil and basil and garlic, which are such good flavors. “I am so excited!”

Barefoot Contessa! I love Ina Garten…! She has the great ideas and always shares the food with her friends and family…there’s always an occasion for it. She’s the best wife ever…”my husband Jeffery’s going to be home alone tonight so I’m going to make him homemade LOBSTER POT PIE and SALAD WITH SOME SPECIAL VINAIGRETTE and HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE GELATO” whaaaaa?!! She has given me tips that I have not tried like: make your own chicken stock, put lard in pie crust (not eager to try that one), freeze things for later consumption, quality and flavor above all. “How bad can that be?” “This is the fun part.”

Summer of movies

I am not often a movie-watcher. Name any popular movie and chances are, I have not seen it. I am catching up this summer, I keep finding movies I haven’t seen for $4, and others just keep turning up…including…

• The Hangover
• Role Models
• Harry Potter 5
• Sex and the City: The Movie
• He’s Just Not That Into You
• Scoop
• Harry Potter 1
• Brokeback Mountain
• Away We Go
• Harry Potter 2
• and as I type this: There’s Something About Mary