ice and mist

jandek christmas card

mile twenty-six

freezing

peaceful

mile twenty-four

portrait of the artist as a snowman

is winter over yet?

postcardy winter night

the narrow way

untitled

here comes the flood

Ohio weather -- heavy rain in February? Yep.

mile twenty-seven

make-believe sunrise

Devastator and I were out shoveling the driveway early this morning--there's my exercise for the day! I did enjoy the smell of someone's fireplace. It reminded me of when I had a paper route in middle school and would be trudging across the tundra at 5:30 am, delivering news to accompany pancakes and sausages (this was the 70's--everyone ate sausage, and lots of it--mmmm, clogged arteries).

Now I have to ski over to work and shovel the walkway there--yay! For all who have only a vista of white today, here is a little bit of color.

slip into the fog

brave and foolish souls

turning up the heat and the volume

Damn, it is frigid here in Cleveland this weekend, with the temperature in single digits and negative wind chill factors. So what's a guy to do but stay indoors, crank the furnace, and play cool tunes?

I started the day with Arcadia Son by IEM, yet another project by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. IEM is possibly SW at his most self-indulgent, and I mean that as a compliment. The second release under the IEM name, Arcadia Son mixes psychedelia, Krautrock, electronica, and Miles-70's-era-jazz, creating a sonic atmosphere both trippy and menacing. Flutes, saxophones, and guitars whirl from speaker to speaker, battling for solo supremacy. This disc achieves what all of my favorite music does: it takes me someplace different with every listen.

Next I played Les elephants carillonneurs by Philharmonie (the title translates as the elephant bell-ringers--no, I don't know what that means either). Philharmonie are a French guitar trio very much in the vein of Robert Fripp's work with the Leauge of Crafty Guitarists and the RF String Quintet. Their music is intricate yet accessible, not showy or coldly academic. Chamber music that rocks? Maybe.

I just finished watching the first hour of the 1970 Albert Hall concert from the live Led Zeppelin DVD released in 2003. Damn, does this rock! Zeppelin had only been together for about a year at this point, but you wouldn't know it from this intense performance. Every crappy mall-punk band should be forced to watch this DVD until they cry with shame and admit that their fake rebellious posing is no substitute for musicianship.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, and the Super Bowl is a non-event for me. So once again I will be kicking out the jams. Look out!

later than usual, winter has arrived

gimme shelter

sick of being sick

What started out as a scratchy throat late Monday evening has now become a stuffed-up/feverish/achey/no-sleep malady. I've missed a day and a half of work (though I wouldn't say I'm missing it, buh-dum-bum) and will most likely be out the rest of the week. Luckily we are extremely slow in December, and I still have plenty of sick days to use.

I felt too weak today to even concentrate on the internet. Instead, I watched Cocoon on cable--now that's sick! I did catch a couple Spongebob episodes, so my sickbed viewing was not all in vain.

I usually don't listen to any music when I'm feeling this sick. A few years back I remember playing Gorecki's Symphony No. 2 when I was fighting a nasty sinus infection. I began hallucinating that the music was slowly eating me from the inside. So no Lustmord or Nurse With Wound until I'm good and healthy again.

Random sickbed observations:
--The Jeffersons was never that funny.
--Airborne helps your immune system but makes you whizz a lot.
--Applesauce and crackers are yummy when sick.
--Chicken-spread sandwiches are not.
--I hate Fox News.

The hills are alive with the sound of mucus. Good night.