November 29, 2006
 
Click the pix for big-sized goodness:
                                    
 
                                    
 
                                    
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The Cure - Play For Today
 
 
 
November 28, 2006
 
                            
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Dramarama - Shadowless Heart
 
 
 
November 27, 2006
 
       
 
I took a little over 600 pictures while in Maine for the three days we were there.  I'm still sorting, but I'll be posting them as they're ready.
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  This Is Me Smiling - Mixin' Up Adjectives
 
 
 
November 26, 2006
 
       
We're back!  We actually got back yesterday, but haven't had a chance to post.  Off to the tree farm to get a Christmas tree!
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Morrissey - We'll Let You Know
 
 
 
November 21, 2006
 
Hooray!  We're off to Maine in the morning!  Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Robbers On High Street - The Fatalist
 
 
 
November 19, 2006
 
Ahh.  It's so nice to walk around our little town at night with snow flurries swirling about, making the light wind visible and beautiful. 
 
Right now Baxter is doing his "I'm playing with a cat!"-dance.  He hops back and forth, in and out of a cat's striking distance, making a very funny sound, which we believe, is his attempt at mimicking a cat's growling sound.  He finds it endlessly fun and his tail wags with happy delight.  Zoe, on the other hand, gets royally pissed off at the rambunctious puppy and lets him know by growling, hissing, and swatting at him...which only makes Baxter think the orange cat is trying to play with him, so he tried harder to mock her (he even lifts a little paw and swings it at her). 
 
On the book front, writing is progressing very nicely, and I've already cleared a space for the first (of many, I'm sure) of these.     
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Sherwood - The Town That You Live In
 
 
 
November 18, 2006
 
We don't have cable at all which (I think) is great.  Unfortunately, we've become sorta kinda maybe hopelessly hooked on Battlestar Galactica.  While we've been able to see the first two seasons, thanks to Netflix, we're very impatiently waiting for the third season to come out on dvd.  The trouble is they're not even half way done with the season on tv.  The new episodes on iTunes are becoming more and more attractive each passing day without new Battlestar to watch. 
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Nightmare Of You - Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf
 
 
 
November 16, 2006
 
Tonight I saw Lenox High's performance of Twelfth Night as part of Shakespeare & Company's Fall Festival.  Frickin' brilliant performance. 
 
Go here to find the secret song hidden in every copy of Windows XP.
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  A Kiss Could Be Deadly - The Exit
 
 
 
November 15, 2006
 
                                      
 
                                      
 
These pictures are from the Newsboy Statue in Great Barrington. 
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Iron Maiden - Caught Somewhere In Time  
 
 
 
November 14, 2006
 
                                             
 
A lion Statue at the Seven Hills Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts.  Rawr.
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  We Are Scientists - It's A Hit
 
 
 
November 13, 2006
 
In the mail today we received more copies of our Jones Soda label from Jones (clicky for original pic goodness)...
 
 
And wow, were we surprised to see a few copies of this label that we've never seen or knew about...
 

 
So last spring when we entered the Starbucks/Jones Soda photo contest, we sent in six pictures.  Over 6,000 were submitted from around the country, so we were elated to hear that one of ours had been among the 36 selected to be on bottles.  Now it appears that we won not just one, but two of the top label spots.  If anyone spots either of these in a store, let me know!  (We haven't seen them on a bottle yet)
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The White Stripes - Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine 
 
 
 
November 12, 2006
 
Today while in the local Target (which not only seems like the world's smallest Target, but is also laid out just oddly enough so I have trouble finding stuff), we saw a crazy-ass woman yelling at someone (we're guessing her husband) on her cell phone.  She was standing in front of an end-cap display of ping-pong tables.  "...well I can't find any employees!  How come I can't find anyone to help me?!  Honey, there's no one here!  I don't know how I'm going to get it home because I'm sure this won't fit into my car!  It'll cost more if I get it at Dick's!  This is the last one left here!  Honey, where are the sales people?!  What time is it?!  I forgot my watch!  Honey, I don't know what time it is!!  How am I supposed to know..."  There are times when I wish that cell phones could self-destruct and take out excessively annoying people who are being very loud in public.  Each time she said "Honey" she said it in a very mean, almost degrading kind of way. 
 
Tonight we had a fun stay in with some dinner, wine, and a movie night with some friends. 
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The Godrays - Standing In A Corner
 
 
 
November 11, 2006
 
Last night Kari and I went to the planetarium show at the Hopkins Observatory at Williams College.  Pretty interesting stuff.  After the show, the student who ran the program led a group of us over to the physics building where we got to look through their big telescopes at distant planets and galaxies.  This was one of them.    
 
Today we went to look at possible locations for our wedding, met my mom for lunch, went to a craft fair in Great Barrington, and a wine tasting at a local shop. 
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The Cardigans - My Favorite Game
 
 
 
November 9, 2006
 
Hooray!
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The Bottle Rockets - Align Yourself
 
 
 
November 8, 2006
 
I'm trying to keep up with the whole "update your blog every day in November"-thing without actually officially participating in it.  In theory, it's a good idea.  In reality, it's a wee bit harder to come up with stuff every day, especially when I normally update this site twice a week tops.  By not really being a part of it, I still retain the freedom of not updating if I don't feel like it.  (I'm still going to try though).
 
Because I can't think of anything at the moment to write about, here are my top 25 most played songs on my iTunes...
 
1.   Toad the Wet Sprocket - Something's Always Wrong
2.   Guster - Fa Fa
3.   The So And So's - Please You
4.   Ad Frank - The World's Best Ex-Boyfriend
5.   The Deathray Davies - Release The Squid (Box 6)
6.   PlusMinus - Trapped Under Ice Floes
7.   The Sheila Divine - Monarchs
8.   Bright Eyes - Road To Joy
9.   The Appleseed Cast - Innocent Vigilant Ordinary
10. Poe - Hey Pretty (Drive-By 2001 Mix)
11. The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes
12. Autour de Lucie - Sans Commentaire
13. The Catherine Wheel - Black Metallic
14. The Dresden Dolls - Girl Anachronism
15. Eminem - Lose Yourself
16. Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
17. Dear Leader - Raging Red
18. Rainer Maria - Ears Ring
19. Yo La Tengo - Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind
20. Scout - Good Enough For Now
21. Supreme Beings Of Leisure - Never The Same
22. Dar Williams - Are You Out There?
23. Bjork - Enjoy
24. Morning Theft - Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
25. Ryan Adams - 1974
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Moby - Lift Me Up
   
 
 
November 7, 2006
 
I'm giving iTunes another chance.  I've used Winamp for the past seven or eight years and have been happy with it, but after spending time with Kari's iTunes on the other computer, I felt it was time to switch (plus I don't like their affiliation with AOL). 
 
I downloaded iTunes once before about six months ago, but had a difficult time using it.  I figured, why be frustrated with my music player, especially when I listen to it for at least six hours a day.  So, I stopped using it and went back to my beloved Winamp. 
 
The past week or so, I've been really interested in how in iTunes you can rate songs, create play lists much easier, and how it kept track of your most played songs.  I re-downloaded it and have been pretty darn happy with it ever since.  The $10 iTunes gift card that Kari sent me also helped seal the deal.  Hooray for cool new music!
 
On Saturday we saw a bear!  Rar!
 
This past Sunday, me, Kari, and our friend Stephanie, drove out to Amherst for my mom's annual Pie Fest.  28 pies of 22 different varieties were served to around 50 people.  Yum. 
 
            
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Mike Doughty - Move On
 
 
 
November 6, 2006
 
Funny li'l difference I've noticed about election season differences between New England and the Deep South.  Down there all you can drive down the street and see signs like:  "Vote for Jones!  He's super conservative!", "Vote Orwell - the most conservative choice," and "Choose Smith - he makes Stalin look like a liberal pussy."
 
Up here you see more standard signs like "Patrick for Governor".  But the biggest difference that I've seen are the scads of signs that say "Vote" or "Get out and vote."  No bias, no political affiliation; simply get out and vote - it doesn't matter for who, just be a part of the process.     
 
So yeah, tomorrow go out and vote your ass off!
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Radiohead - Electioneering
 
 
 
November 5, 2006
 
Baxter's got his eye on you.
 
      
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The Sheila Divine - Walking Dead (Who Speak)
 
 
 
November 2, 2006
 
Today Baxter is seven months old!  (If you want to get him a present, please choose something from my Amazon wish list and have it sent to me.  I'll make sure he gets it.  Promise.)  His birthday is easy to remember since it's the same as my brother's.  In celebration of his half (+1) birthday, we had him neutered (Baxter, not my brother).  Apparently, the li'l dappled dachshund failed to find the celebratory punch line behind our half (+1) birthday gift, but I'm sure in a few years he'll look back on it and have a good chuckle.  Well, at least he really enjoyed the fresh cider donut I got him at Homer's Variety across the street.    
 
In other news, we're fully prepared for a harsh New England winter.  Yup, we upgraded our Netflix to the five movies at once option.  Now we're all set.   
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  The Magnetic Fields - Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin
 
 
 
November 1, 2006
 
I love taking Baxter on walks late at night in our little town; feeling the crisp autumn air; hearing the leaves crunch underfoot; smelling the smoky of woodstoves working (and the bagels boiling when we're on the bagel shop side of town); seeing the welcoming lights warmly shine out from restaurants and taverns that are still open; window shopping at nifty independent shops and galleries long after they've closed. 
 
Speaking of Baxter, the little guy's become the toast of the town.  Everybody here loves him, which is great and all, but it gets a little annoying when I have to stop every 20 feet so people can fawn over him and praise him for being the cutest puppy ever.  Baxter however, loves the attention and happily gives pawtographs to his admirers.  Random people whom I've never met will yell "Hi Baxter!" from the other side of the street.  That's why I've adopted this as my little mental slogan for him when we leave the apartment for his walks.  Too bad they don't sell it in puppy sizes.          
 
 
What I'm listening to right now:  Yo La Tengo - The Room Got Heavy
 
 
 
 
 

 

                                                                    © 2006 Eric Nixon.  All rights reserved.