recent purchases:

music: the strokes, room on fire

movies: interstella 5555

books: paul fussell, uniforms

ny's hippest five piece's sophomore effort deserves the notice. one word describes it. accomplished. but good thing the lyrics are attached cause otherwise it's just julian moaning and caterwauling over a jangle. not that that is a bad thing. i understand that i'm late to the party. this was primarily a conscious choice though. i'd rather come to something on my own rather than wading through the veneration, adulation, etc.

the daft punk movie blew my mind. it had been quite some time since i'd listened to discovery all the way through. but you gotta sit up and notice now. this animated masterpiece was planned all along. see how seemlessly the music and the visuals weave together reinforcing one another. incredible to understand discovery now as the soundtrack to this movie that at the time, only existed in their heads. if i didn't think thomas and guy-manuel were two of the coolest cats on the planet before, i'm definitely on that bandwagon today.

everyone's sophisticated crank is back with his particular take on what we wear and why. amusing as always. if you haven't read mr. fussell's classic "class", get thee to your nearest bookshop or library posthaste.

thursday is elvismas, the anniversaire of the birth of that king of kings, mr. elvis presley. again, i'm not the biggest elvis fan, but his birthday's nearness to the major holidays provided a perfect opportunity to celebrate, in a more relaxed fashion, with those you may have missed during the "real" holidays. you know, being queer, family is more about what you create and less about what you were born into and with most of my family (the chosen kind, not the blood kind) elsewhere over christmas, i've have begun to celebrate elvismas as a truly secular alternative to the orgy of year end consumerism. any excuse to party, right?

instead of my usual year-end cds, i've compiled a dancy, trancy, party mix for elvismas entitled Haul The Decks! get it? the pun, that is? get it now?

-finn

p.s. - it's good to be back.