The Swell Season session with opbmusic that I talked about earlier is online!



Edit: I'm going to see them at the Crystal Ballroom next Tuesday! =D

(Courtesy of this week's PostSecret.)

Lesson: Be nice to your workers. You don't know what they know...or what they'll release.

Whoa! Who is this person with the posts?

( Amateur Orphée Review )

Hello there!

No online amusement this time. Can you believe it?

Listening
I recently fell in love with the duo The Swell Season. They stopped by the studio at work for an interview and to play some songs and I was happy to volunteer to help if nothing else then to have an excuse to stick around for the show. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sound amazing together and Glen is that rare mix of poetic intellect and total approachability. They're also the couple in the movie Once. I still haven't seen the movie yet. It's on the list, but the list has grown so long. Anyhow, I'm glad I didn't know just how famous they were until after the studio visit. I would have definitely made a fool of myself.

I bought their first album "Swell Season" on iTunes and just bought their latest album "Strict Joy" from a brick and mortar. Their songs are just so poetic and visceral...perfect for fall. One of the songs on the first album, "Leave", was one of those that didn't do much for me melodically, but then I listen to the lyrics and I'm hooked. Needless, I'm absolutely enamoured. Their interview will be on opbmusic.org in November. I'll send an update when that comes out. It's wonderful.

Reading
I picked up a few books and started re-reading Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz again. It's been about two or three years since I last read it and changed my view on God forever. In the interim, I've forgotten how much I love this book. Here's something I recently read that rocked my world...again.

If Andrew the Protester is right, if I live what I believe, then I don't believe very many noble things. My life testifies that the first thing I believe is that I am the most important person in the world. My life testifies to this because I care more about my food and shelter and happiness than about anybody else.

I am learning to believe better things. I am learning to believe that other people exist, that fashion is not truth; rather, Jesus is the most important figure in history, and the gospel is the most powerful force in the universe. I am learning not to be passionate about empty things, but to cultivate passion for justice, grace, truth, and communicate the idea that Jesus likes people and even loves them (Miller 111-112).

I was at a Women's Retreat last weekend and Isaiah 58 was one of the passages mentioned. Here's a snippet:

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.

Everything God's been pointing out to me goes along a couple of themes, one of them is how much am I thinking of and doing for the poor and broken. I don't have any answers or solutions yet, but God's definitely speaking.

Haven't posted in a long while...still alive...still busy.

In the meanwhile, a video! This one is for you, Sureika! =)

You know, this is kinda old in Internet time, but hilarious nonetheless:

Almost got towed tonight while at a food truck stand. I admit it's my fault that I park in that lot, though I'm not feeling too bad about it. The lot only had one car in it. One of the four retail spaces is not leased and 2 out of the remaining 3 businesses were closed. But then again, patrol towing is Retriever Towing's bread and butter, isn't it? I was at the stand when I looked across the street and saw a tow truck backing up to my car. I ran over to it, made it a point to smile smugly to the driver and got in my car without a word. Then I turned over the engine. He and I both knew what's up. To combat predatory towing, the Oregon legislature just passed a bill that requires tow truck drivers to back off when the owner of the car shows up. If you show up before your vehicle is completely hooked up, as I did, they have to back off and release your car for free. If you catch them too late and your car *is* completely hooked up, they may charge you only the minimum unhooking fee. (It pays to be fast.)

Other things that you should know:
- A tow truck driver must call the property owner before towing away your vehicle, meaning there is no such thing as "standing permission" anymore.
- They must take a photograph documenting the violation.
- They can't tow any vehicles that are occupied. Don't talk to them. Don't stall. Just jump in your car and lock your doors.

Keep in mind that this law only applies to cars not parked in emergency areas, e.g. near a fire hydrant, etc. If you do that (without a good reason*), then you're a bigger asshole than me and deserve what you get even more.

Read here for more information. This article sums it up nicely.

And lastly, patrol tow truck drivers like those from Retreiver Towing ("retrieving" my ass) are like bounty hunters. They only get pay for the cars they "retrieve." So KISS MY ASS, YA BASTARDS! You're not making a penny off me this time!

BTW, a quick Google on Retreiver Towing shows that this is the same company that refused a police officer's request to release an assaulted woman's vehicle in Wilsonville, towing the car of an actual customer, and earned a plethora of other complaints. I'm never doing business with Retriever Towing, not that they're the kinda company that would actually tow cars out of ditches. Knowing what I know now, I should have flip the driver the bird like I had wanted to.

Hold the phone! The City of Los Angeles picked up the tab for Michael Jackson's memorial? Are you fucking kidding me? Yes he has a lot of fans. Yes the effects of his death is far reaching. But NEWSFLASH! Broke ass cities should not spend money they don't have on things they don't need...not when your schools are in shambles, the prisons are overcrowded, and there are hungry people on the street. What an idiotic legacy to leave the city! Who's the genius who thought this was a good idea and why are there no LA people rioting in the streets because of it?

City FAIL

Edit: Here's a LA Times op-ed about the dumb ass idea.