regressing toward the mean-or-nature vs. nurture

lately i have been trying to eat better [better = smaller portions of the same unhealthy food]. but i have actually been eating homemade wraps for lunch, with provolone, turkey &/or roast beef, spinach leaves, flour tortilla, etc. this is one thing that i have been proud of. today, i decided to make a wrap. when i arrived at the fridge, i noticed we were out of provolone, the spinach had gotten a little gooey, etc. so i thought i would improvise. i got out my flour tortilla & the cube of sharp cheddar that was in the fridge. i grated some cheddar [a healthy dose] onto the tortilla, then microwaved them. then i added a couple bits of cream cheese for good measure & the sliced turkey. i rolled it up, began eating, & only then realized that i had built myself a homemade Hot Pocket! in my dismay all i could do was continue to eat it, pour myself some chocolate milk, & ponder the question of how things had come full circle so quickly & despite the great care i have been taking. i'm tempted here to expand upon this idea & the title of this post, but i know everyone would stop reading [& i need to go to work]. just do me a favor & give it some thought.

muzak

i received david bazan's [formerly of pedro the lion fame] new solo debut ep fewer moving parts in the mail a couple of days ago. i pre-ordered the cd 2 weeks ago, then cancelled my order a day later after i realized i had no money. a week went by & suddenly i got a confirmation e-mail that my order had shipped. i responded with confusion stating that i had cancelled the order [& been refunded]but received the response "we don't let money troubles stand in the way of good music, besides we shipped all the pre-orders before we saw that you had cancelled, so enjoy a free cd"! i have been on board with pedro the lion since the whole ep, way back when, so i have always been excited when new albums came out. however, since achilles heel came out a year or so back with the addition of tw walsh to the roster i have been a little disappointed with the shift in pedro's music [see also headphones]. not that it wasn't still good [i'm always up for electronicy elements & so forth], just seemed like it was going a very different direction. sort of that same feeling when you have a good friend who becomes friends with someone you don't care for & you don't want to share. that & the fact that tw's songwriting is nowhere near as good [in my opinion] as bazan's. the new ep, sounds a great deal more like what might have been the logical successor to pedro's control album & finds david once again doing it all himself, as the ep title & lyrics of the track 'fewer broken pieces' describe:

'i still run the show & don't you forget it. so i had to let some go, don't think i don't regret it. 'cause i do & i don't think i'm better off alone. man, i could have had a big sound, but i love to let my friends down. fewer moving parts mean fewer broken pieces. when every other start requires a brand new thesis...' A+

i also gave a listen to thom yorke's new solo album the eraser today, but i need more time before i can comment. sounds good though.

livin on tulsa time

hello my neglected blog friends... how i have missed you. what have you been up to jöe? well, i payed a solo visit this weekend to several friends in tulsa that i have not see in a long while. how is the sjölin clan these days? i didn't see my family, or even tell them i was in town, we were there only a couple of weeks ago to visit them, so i just snuck in & out, staying with those who i visited. so how was it? it was really a great refresher, after the year+ i spent withdrawing from everyone during the height of grad school & my suck-ass job, these are the friendships that payed the greatest toll. how bad was it? for example, one friend has been married almost a year now, & i just got to meet his wife for the first time this weekend. another friend (& former college roommate) introduced me to his 13-month-old son whom i had never seen. tell us more. i got to meet & give approval of yet another good friend's new lady love, & what a fine match i must say. even while @ a restaurant with some of these friends, i unexpectedly got to see a couple & their kids who now live in illinois, just happened to be passing through town this weekend, & by chance ate at the same hideaway pizza! did any of this get you thinking? well, as a matter of fact, i was thinking about how great it is to have the kind of friends where you are able to just pick up where you left off, even when so much time has passed & so much has changed in our lives. i also noticed how much i enjoy meeting friends' wives or potential life partners when it seems like such a good fit. that's cool, what else did you do? Poker & Spades were played, theology was 'discussed', & old times were reminisced. it was good. so what else is new? not a lot, really. i appreciate your curiousity though. i promise zaireeka is coming soon.

mccall and folks

mccall anne smith- born 6.17.7 @ 17:43 to jason & katie

bad ass

so i just watched the trailer again for the first time in a week or so, & i giggled with excitement. should i be ashamed? i'm not, & as the time draws closer i'm likely to do worse, such as skip around the room in tight circles, squeal like bobby hill, or even play dress up.