Dog Days 36, 37, 38 and 39

It's been cool but it's about to get hot again. Also summer is quickly shifting to fall (astronomically speaking). I've been busy but also lazy, mostly lazy.

Anyway, can't remember what I did Monday. Went to work, certainly. Oh, actually got an email asking if the tables were ready (they were not). Did some review for my advisor. That's about it in the morning. In the evening went with my sister to pull out FHE, which ended up being playing Smash Bros with the kids (who'd just gotten it for their birthday). Went out home and yeah, that seems about it.

Tuesday, I only went to work to meet with my advisor before he went back to Japan. So that went fine (I finally told him about my trip and he's going to help set up a meeting with potential collaborators and also we'll meet up in Tokyo). Oh I think Tuesday was the day I learned that my workstay would probably fall through (the profile was locked for some reason) and so I decided to go crazy with my newfound week. While not getting to see Lake Matano will be disappointing, I found that the Pelni ship from Makassar to Larantuka will be leaving on just the right day, so I have a chance to do a interisland boat trip like I've been wanting to do for years (this one is only 29 hours) and then visit Flores like I've also wanted to do for a long time. I'll take buses across the island, planning about 5 days for that. The highlight will be Kelimutu (since I won't have time to do Komodo justice and Labuan Bajo/Komodo is relatively easy to get to compared to the other cities I'm planning on visiting) but also just wandering all sorts of different towns and cultures (I need to find my hiking Flores book, not that I'll be doing many hikes). Anyway, it's time to get my tickets to Palu, the boat ticket to Larantuka and then contact the hotel in Tentena to figure out transportation and a guide to Lore Lindu/Bada Valley. So figuring out all of that was exciting.

After meeting my advisor, I went shopping to get food for Thursday. Then I went home and started prepping for DnD. I was homebrewing some enemies, which is new for me. Anyway, I was planning for 5 people (since that's who soft RSVP'd). We ended up having 8; two who didn't RSVP but I though might come and one who was a (welcome, to be clear) surprise. So I just doubled the enemies and cancelled the second/third fights. Was very chaotic, I knocked out a couple of the PCs and kept forgetting I had multiattacks and readied actions. Also forgot which enemies I was going to have target who, though that's more in character (they were all of average intelligence, despite being gnomish pirates). Anyway, it was fun (especially making an extensive backstory for a throwaway NPC because people kept asking questions) but a lot and I need to start enforcing the sign-up sheet. Oh and I broke yet another charger (this time it was my fault), so I had to rush to the library to borrow one. After a bit of debate, I decided I will get at least one more charger, so I can finish some Šyþed Pyklez songs and back up this computer in a windows readable way. Eventually I'll get a new Mac too.

Wednesday was very nice, chilly even. Got up at 7 for an 8 o'clock run, our final pace was like 9:40 despite taking it very easy. Hung out, showered, went to lunch and then went to donate blood (wasn't planning on it, but the rewards were good). Couldn't donate since my hemoglobin was still too low despite taking a 6 month break by this point. Might want to get that checked out. Anyway, that's my last chance till like February since I'll be on the travel deferment list after this trip. Played Catan (lost badly, the rolls just weren't in my favor despite good positions), waited around for institute. Looked at entry level record players just for fun. Learned that Labor Day sales were already in progress and decided to get a well reviewed player that came with speakers (that don't have to be used with the player) and vinyl recording capabilities (I also got the backpack I was wanting for 60 bucks cheaper than planned, I guess procrastination helped for once. And a bunch of other swag). I've been spending a lot of money, but like my investments are doing well enough, I'm making more than enough money to survive (even with all these extra expenses I'm still saving a bit every month) and why not treat myself? Half these purchases are long term investments anyway (backpack, travel towel, hiking sandals etc). 

Thursday I went into the office because I was supposed to make an appearance for new student orientation lunch. I also got an email from Exploding in Sound Records about bandcamp friday and how they're doing a 1-day only sale tomorrow on 6 different albums (6 bucks each). That's a great deal, I like the label and shipping is lower with a lot of albums, so I plan on getting 5 of them tomorrow (I already own the last one)...there's also a couple more albums I might as well buy tomorrow while it is bandcamp friday. After lunch I hung out a bit and then got the new department t-shirt (and sticker). Gotta wear that tomorrow. Went home and made bipimbap for the missionaries. I did manage to get that sweet taste on the meat and cooking the carrots and mushrooms in the meat sauce/fat was an excellent idea (I'm most happy about how the mushrooms turned out, they were delicious). Anyway, fed them (and my sister and both my roommates) and then my sister and I talked awhile about life and logistics (car insurance...should probably be in my name because I get better quotes being over 25, health insurance, money (she actually gets paid like $3 an hour more than me, though she also has to work more) etc). Then got around to doing this (and some dishes). 

Other things of note. I saw a green heron today. Wednesday was the Blue Supermoon and I got some cool pictures. It was very bright, which was good because my lights need new batteries. I've been getting a ton of page views on this blog all the sudden, due to webcrawlers finally finding it I think. Really crazy, I had like 4k views the other day, all from "other" referral urls, on linux computers in the United States. And yet I still can't find my blog on google. Tomorrow I'm checking out the record shop (just want info about when they're doing the listening party for Mitski's new album; probably not buying anything there since the two albums I want from them should be around for a while) and also the outdoor supply store right next to it for more swag (they sent an email the other day about labor day sales) and like an water resistant sack. Was gonna get my bag there but obviously that's not happening due to other great deals. Oh and I'm planning a fast 5k (well 3.2 miles really) in the morning. My hope is to run it 25 minutes, we'll see if I can actually do that, I barely made it in 27 minutes last time I did it. If so, that's a sub 8 pace and 8 is my 5k goal. I think that's everything?

Dog Days 35: Flock of Seagulls Edition

And I ran, ran so far away

Got up at 7, went over to the park to run with friends (3.2 mile bike ride). It was a nice day and we took it pretty slow, though I think our pace still ended up being under 10 minutes. 9:40-9:50 maybe? Went home (3.2 miles back), showered, ate and got ready for church. Since it was a nice day, I decided that I'd ride my bike to church (just over 6 miles and I must've been cruising because even with walking up the terrible hill it only took me just over 30 minutes). Church was fine and I decided that since it was a nice day I'd take the arboretum route back home. I don't feel like doing the math, but the total to and from church was 15.45, so I guess I tacked on an extra 3 miles and a bit or so. Arboretum was very pretty and I made it home quite fast, even with the extra miles. 

Sat around at home for a while and then after 6 it was time to run again (as part of the training I need to run multiple times in a day). I did the 8.5 mile route (which is actually 8.76 but I didn't measure till after the fact) and set my timer with a 10:00 pace in mind...so 85 minutes. Anyway, I made it to the halfway point in just under 40 minutes (the album I was listening to was 38 minutes long and did run out before I made it to the water fountain, but not by much. Also my timer said I had like 45 and some seconds to go), so like a 9:10 pace or something like that. Which is crazy and way faster than I was planning. I didn't even feel that bad. I took an exactly 1 minute water break and then started the return journey. I was a lot slower on the way back, ultimately taking about 43 and a bit minutes to get back. In all, it took me just under 83 minutes to do the 8.76 miles, or a 9:27.5 pace overall. Even adding in the water break only brings that up to a 9:35 pace. So not bad considering that by that point I'd already run 4ish miles and biked 21.85. Sure the conditions were close to ideal (cool, partially cloudy and while the route has hills, none of them are very steep or large) but I'm pretty confident that I can do the race at or under a 10 minute pace. In fact by the end of that run I felt like I could've definitely done at least another mile or two. I didn't feel like I was dying quite yet.

Got home, showered and then ate a whole box of mac and cheese (which basically just covered the evening run. My burrito for lunch plus yogurt for breakfast and a bagel in the afternoon, plus some candy hopefully covered the calories of the other activities...though I still would've burned a lot from just my resting metabolism) because I was starving. I weighed myself post run in the morning and the evening and the difference was 2.6 pounds, which is a lot of water weight to lose, especially since I drank like 10 oz immediately after getting home in the evening. After eating, I talked for a while with my roommate and basically just sat around because I'm tired and sore. Gonna go to bed soon, will be fun to see if I can get out of bed in the morning.

Dog Days 33 and 34

Well Friday was hot, today less so. Dog days are ending?

Anyway Friday I got up and fixed my flat tire. I then eventually ambled my way over to my office and hung out there a bit. Eventually I went over to my sisters apartment and prepared for the move. 'Twas nice to see her and my grandfather. Luckily she didn't have too much stuff and a friend from church came over to help carry the dressers up the stairs. Anyway after doing that, we got dinner at a Thai place and then got various stuff at Target. Hung out at her apartment a bit and then went home with my grandfather. Pulled up a mattress from the basement (actually wasn't too bad soloing it), talked a bit and went to bed. 

Saturday I got up and eventually we went over to my sister's place for more moving stuff. First we went to get bagels and not only were the bagels good but so were the lox sandwiches. Gotta keep that in mind. Then we returned the trailer, dropped my grandfather off at the airport and went to the bike shop to get a new inner tube and seat for my sister's bike. After that we went over to the zoo for a ward activity. It was a scavenger hunt and my randomly assigned group won (of course, because we ran around and were very competitive). Hung out longer and then went back to her house. After that, I went home. Was going to do pathfinder but it got cancelled last minute so I noodled around on the electric guitar instead. Oh yeah, my sister brought the spare electric guitar from Utah here. I actually got okay at "Miserlou" (used that to practice double picking) and "Pinkie Swear" (by far the best song on 52 Weeks). I also tried out "Never Meant" and can sort of do the main riff. My big problems over all is that I know no chords and tend to create harmonics. Then I went to my computer and got some cheap albums (basically all in the 0-2 dollar range, except one 8 buck electro jazz album because I need some variety in my life). I really want Prawn's Kingfisher as a vinyl because the art and the limited edition vinyls are so cool but they're out of print and seemingly expensive, so we'll see. Also I need to set up a shelf over the tv to actually display some of my vinyls.

Still feeling fine I think. Maybe a bit sleepy but that's my own fault. Is it the meds or the lack of stress (not that the lack of stress helped with the June episode. It's so easy to forget what feeling bad really feels like).

RS Greatest Emo Albums: 34-31

First album (#34) is Owls by Owls. So basically another Cap'n Jazz album. I really like Cap'n Jazz so I'm excited for this one (Algernon Calladweller is also in this post so a lot of Cap'n Jazz). So the first song ("What Whorse You Wrote Id On") could maybe be a bit more energetic but on the other hand I like the chill, almost islandy feel at the beginning. Really liking the start of "I Want the Quiet Moments of a Party Girl." The guitar is doing cool things (almost reminds me of Big Black or Shellac but less abrasive), there's a nice driving bass. Let's drive to Alaska indeed. Favorite song of the album so far, it's driving in a way that almost reminds me of something like Neu!'s "Hero" (but only sort of) and I like songs like that. Plus the weird ending. "Everyone Is My Friend" is even better. Tim Kinsella is finally putting some energy in his singing and the instrumentation is fun. Despite the big mood in the title "I Want the Blindingly Cute to Confide In Me" didn't really grab me at first. But it does start building up, which is cool. Are those bongos? The switch between the first and second halves of "Holy Fucking Ghost" was weird at first but I think it works well. Really liking the weird, offbeat (?) claps and the back vocals. "Later" (which is cheating because it's a Japan only bonus track) is pretty fun, all the parts of it except maybe the vocals (not that the vocals are bad, they're just the weakest part of this song). 

Overall, this album is pretty good but I miss the energy of Cap'n Jazz. And I get it. Cap' Jazz encapsulates that late teens spirit and now the members are young adults and so they are different. Still miss it though. The album feels a bit incoherent at times, like the different instruments aren't really communicating with each other but like not in a fun anarchic way. Vocals could be a bit more yelly or at least not so lethargic. Not my favorite Kinsella project, that's for sure. But like I said, still good and is probably the sort of thing that would grow on me with repeat listens.   

---

The next album is The Medicine by The Jazz June, the video of which I was going to use apparently disappeared between when I loaded it up a couple days ago now. But I found a backup playlist. So let's go! The Jazz June is a band I had never heard of before starting this list, so that's going to be interesting.

The first song is "Viva La Speed Metal". It's interesting enough, there's some cool rhythms and changes going on."The Scars to Prove it" is such an emo title. I like the musical shifts in different parts of the song (as people following this series certainly know). I like how "Except" starts. And its riffs, especially near the end. "The Phone Works Both Ways" has a really fun bass line and the guitar starts doing some crazy stuff in the last third or so. The title track builds up well and I quite like the chorus (?) both lyrically and musically. "So I fucked up but I'm getting on with my life/it feels like there's a point to everything" so true homie, so true. The shift after that (well the first iteration of the chorus) to a different style is weird but I really like it. It builds up so well and the guitars just sound cool.

"At the Artist's Leisure, Pt. 2" also has a really good building start and just gets better when the bass comes in. The high pitched guitars in the middle are cool. The beginning is definitely the best part of this song. "Motorhead's Roadie" has a bass solo, or at least a cool bass. Nice and driving. The bridge (? the quite part in the middle) does the loud to quiet to loud nicely. This song does go on too long though, it just doesn't build up right to justify the length. There's a lot going on musically in "Get on the Bus" but I'm not sure it works. And now for a 10 minute song. Will it build right? "Balance" starts good. The riffs work together, are driving and it seems to be getting larger quite nicely. It gets a little lamer about of a third of the way in but quickly catches itself. The reverby and echoy vocals actually work well and I like the random piano and squealy guitars (synths?) in the middle. What is this bizarre sample? I'd say overall this is pretty good for a long song. Gets a bit self indulgent at parts but it stays mostly coherent (at least the first 8 minutes at least, the last two minutes feel more disconnected with the rest of the song though it's a fun crescendo in its own right) and there's some really cool sounds going over the driving bass which keeps everything together.   

Verdict: This album is fine but not my favorite. It has a problem with too much happening in any given song, and not in a fun way like The Brave Little Abacus. This distracts from both the songs themselves and their build-up crescendo that a lot of emo songs like these ones try to do. And I have no idea what's going on the lyrics, but again they aren't delivered in a way that makes that not matter like say Cap'n Jazz (or The Brave Little Abacus, but those lyrics are amazing. Then again, so are some of Cap'n Jazz's). It's not bad by any means and it certainly is emo, so credit due where credit is due. My favorite songs are probably "The Medicine" and "Balance". 

---

Third album (#32) is Some Kind of Cadwallader by Algernon Cadwallader. Weirdly enough, I actually haven't listened to them (partially because of this but mostly because they just haven't shown up in my playlists for some reason...so this must not be true because I've apparently listened to all of Parrot Flies but I have no idea when and a youtube history search reveals nothing) so I'm fairly excited. Just gotta say that I love the album cover (and all their album covers really, though their self titled album/compilation is clearly a rip off of Fishing for Birds concept art). I kinda want to buy their vinyl just for that, but first I want to see if I like the album.

I like the way this one starts. Good twinkly guitars and screams/yells. No idea what he's saying though (looking at the lyrics, they're really aping the Cap'n Jazz nonesense). Great build up into a scream and then the end of the song. So yeah, "Casual Discussion in a Dome between Two Temples" is a banger. Great bass in the title track. The vocals in "The Stars" are really channeling Cap'n Jazz. Another good bass in "Horror" while the guitar goes off and does whatever it does. Also great opening line, being about a toilet and all. Wait is that a harmonica? Interesting. And it builds really well with the "ooohs" and everything,  before coming back down nicely. "Motivational Song" definitely hits its stride when it's just actual nonsense before the real quiet bridge (?), not that point isn't nice too. Love the feedback at the end.

...I just got the pun of "Yo Soy Milk". It's not just saying I am milk in bad Spanish, it's also soy milk. Anyway fun song but not much to say. Once again, a good bass. "On Up" is an exercise in stretching out words. Love the congas (?) and after the first line or two the instrumentation in general gets better...and weirder post slide whistle (?). "Katie's Conscience" feels a lot like Cap'n Jazz in its energy and just in general (hilariously, I read a Pitchfork review after listening to this album which pointed to this exact song as acing the Cap'n Jazz exam and getting extra credit). Great screams near the end. Awesome driving bass in "Serial Killer Status" even if it is simple. And now is time for a 13 minute closer in "In Response to Irresponsibility". It starts out good but lets see if it can justify itself. Three minutes in (just before the vocals) and the build up receded but there's like maracas and shakers so all is good. Plus the way the guitars come back in is great. I like the feedback that starts like halfway through the song. Okay like 8-9 minutes in gets really weird in a good way, with what sounds like tape loops or some other sort of manipulation. There's still a lot of song left so I wonder where it goes from here. Doesn't quite build back up but there's some good noise. Song still probably overstays its welcome.

Anyway this is probably my favorite album of this review (so far?). I saw the one comment on youtube that was like "Cap'n Jazz vocals with American Football guitars" and that's fairly accurate. The whole album has an energy level that I like. Is Cap'n Jazz better? Well none of the songs are as good as "Little League" and there's nothing quite like that amazing three song opener of Shmap'n Shmazz but Algernon Cadwallader is definitely more competent and the instrumentation is probably a bit better. So yeah I like Cap'n Jazz more, but this is a better Cap'n Jazz clone than Owls, which is literally just Cap'n Jazz.

Imma buy that vinyl now.

---

The last album for this post is Kill Them with Kindness by the Jealous Sound. What an emo name. I don't think I'd ever heard of them before starting this activity.

First song sounds fine. Definitely more on the poppy side, but not in a bad way. Reminds me a lot of Jimmy Eat World, but a bit slower and with more phaser (?). All these songs have very pop-punky guitars (lots of power chords or whatever). Again fine, it's just quite different from all the midwest emo I've been listening to.  Liking the intro synth on "The Fold Out". I'm vibing with "Does That Make Sense" for some reason. Liking "Abandon, Abandon"'s guitars for some reason and once again, loving the synth on "Troublesome". So much glissando and just that good kinda sharp vibe. Ugh "Recovery Room" is a ballad. Ballads are hit or miss on a good day and this one is definitely a miss (today at least). It's six minutes long too. Closer ("Above the Waves") is a pretty traditional closer. There's some build up (in a pop way, not a midwest emo way) but it's still like the rest of the album overall. Last rendition of the chorus (with the backing vocals) is pretty great.

Vocals are very samey across all the songs and not in a fun yelly way (so much reverb). I know that's how this style of emo is (there's two! Brand New albums on this list. Tied with Jimmy Eat World. Only Mike Kinsella has more) and the main focus really is the lyrics, not the delivery, but more variety would be nice. Or at least more energy. 

As a side note, I love how with each release the album cover gets higher and higher quality.

---

And with that, another set of albums done. Almost a quarter of the way through the list. Everything was actually emo this time and it sure revealed my preferences for fast, very energetic music. And cool album covers. I keep going back and forth about buying the Owls album. I think I will because the local record shop apparently has a special, indie record store only edition and I love colored vinyls. But there's another, slightly more expensive special edition on Bandcamp, so we'll see (I guess quite a bit more expensive with shipping).

Dog Days 29, 30, 31 32

I've been really lazy, okay. And it's been really hot.

So Monday. I didn't go to work because it was hot, I had no real reason to go to work and FHE wasn't going to be at the church. Can't think of anything notable during the day. In the evening we went to my roommate's parents' house to do blacksmithing. A couple other people came early to help set up/do the smithing and overall the activity turned out really well. A lot more people came than expected and the forge took a long time to cool down, so we didn't get home till well after 10. After that, I started prepping for Tuesday's DnD campaign. 

On Tuesday, I did have to go to work because I had a two different drs appointments. The first was with the travel clinic to get a script for malaria pills and see which vaccines I'd need (tetanus and typhoid). I ran into one of the students from my IO class while getting lunch before that, so we had a nice little talk. Went back to the office and hang out with some of my friends for a while before going to the psychiatrist. The session was fine, I don't really need therapy at the moment so it's hard to say what to work on but I did get my script renewed (which was the main point of the appointment). Went home and set up for DnD. That night's adventure included a lot of my favorite tropes (cults and fairies and puzzle battles) so I was pretty excited for it. It of course went very off rails (and they decided to leave the forest instead of looking for a certain NPC so that questline is stalled for the time being) but it was really fun watching them slowly figure out the environmental puzzle I set up for the main battle, even if they didn't engage with it fully. 

Wednesday I went running. Even at 7 in the morning it was hot, and I'm impressed we kept a 10 minute pace. I was originally planning on staying in the office all day but instead decided to go home before it got too hot (of course, by 10 it already felt >90) even though it would mean I'd skip lunch, Catan, Institute and the Republican Debate watch party. I was able to pick up my meds though. Did some work, napped I think and not sure what else. Was a much lower key day than planned, but that's okay. Oh and my back tire went flat for some unknown reason, which was all the more onus to just go home.

Thursday (so today) I also didn't go to work because it was still hot. I did get up at 7 to send in some work/handle some logistics before going back to sleep for a while. Got the key to my sister's apartment from her roommate and yeah did some work. In the evening I went (indoor) bouldering and did fairly well. It always feels nice to do a mix of medium and hard problems and actually have some success. Oh and one of the missionaries transferring wanted to visit us because apparently he likes my and my roommates that much. There wasn't time but that was really sweet. Always nice to make a good impression.

Tomorrow things will cool down, which is good because I have a lot to do. Gotta fix my bike, then take care of some things at work, then help my sister move in and then figure out things from there. 

Dog Days 27 and 28

 It's so so so hot. So the title is relevant again.

Saturday I overslept. Finally made it out of bed to go to the grocery store and get supplies for cooking. Then I went to a baptism, followed by a bit more shopping (this time with other people). Got home, showered because I was very sweaty and then made tomato confit and garlic confit (which turned out a bit overcooked I think). For the most part, this just meant I peeled a lot of garlic. My main herb base was the Scarborough Fair herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme). I also added salt and black pepper, plus dried chilies for the garlic and apple cider vinegar for the tomatoes (should have added sugar too, oh well). While those were cooking, I decided to use the leftover herbs to make pesto. Except I had no cheese and no pine nuts, so I used my leftover shredded coconut and a bit of palm oil for texture and oils. I also added too much lemon juice, so it came out quite sour. I guess I could call it pesto-like instead of pesto. While everything was cooking, I also watched more of My Adventures with Superman. I'm quite liking it. After cooking was done I did dishes.

Sunday I got up at 6:30 so I'd be ready for our 7:30 run. It was already so hot (like 75 degrees) so the run was pretty miserable. Got home, showered and finished doing the dishes. I decided to toast the rest of the baguette I bought Saturday in the oven. Burnt some of it but that was okay. Went to church (threw my bike in the back of my roommate's car because biking to church would have been miserable). Sacrament was fine, so was Sunday School (where I spread the good word of Christian Anarchism and my belief that 4th Nephi is the best book in the Book of Mormon). Had elder's quorum presidency meeting after church and then hung out at a friend's house for a bit while writing my message to a potential workaway host. Then we went over to the park for the charcuterie picnic (which is why I made those spreads in the first place). It was very hot, but more bearable in the shade of the pavilion. I didn't play volleyball because I had to take a phone call and that was a convenient excuse not to. Hung out more, returned to my friends' house and then biked home (by this point it was still hot but more reasonable, like sub 90). At home I rested a bit and then dug up my vaccine records for my appointment Tuesday. Apparently I'm due for tetanus as well so that's two shots I forgot I needed along with a consultation about malaria pills (the reason I set up the appointment in the first place). How serendipitous. And that was my day, pretty much. 

Feeling fine, just hot. Have my next appointment with the psychiatrist Tuesday.  

Dgo Days 25 and 26

You know, it's actually been quite cool these past few days. Next week though the title might be relevant again.

Worked from home Thursday. Which meant not much work at all. In the evening I went over to someone's house to play a DnD one shot. That was fun. Not much else to say. Haven't been waking up early again (in fact I overslept today).

Today I went to work in the afternoon, called up the dr to schedule a travel consultation (want to see if I need malaria pills and also I guess the typhoid vaccine) and did a bunch of programming simple simulations to determine fair cutoff points for character creation in my campaign. Went to a concert this evening for a local post-hardcore/emo band. That was nice, I bought a download code for their new album afterwards (and got a sticker). No idea what I'm doing tomorrow yet, need to commit to something. Probably won't be going on the temple trip though. Oh and I published my server and have been filling out things about various gods/worldbuilding. 

I'm tired because I keep staying up way too late.