put another candle on the cake...

Happy birthday to Cory...who is, among other things, my total BFF. For reals.

crash & burn...

If it's truly better to burn out than fade away - well, then, I'm well on my way to some serious self-inflicted arson....

Going going going going and then Sunday my body rebelled and there I was sitting on the couch "for just a few minutes," sipping coffee and leaning down to pick up the New York Times Style section so that I could make fun of the wedding announcements and bam...completely tweaked my back and ended up spending the whole day and night sitting on the couch eating frozen cheese pizza and watching "The Office" on DVD (season 2).

Pathetic, I know...

And then last night I had to miss the Be Your Own Pet / Tall Firs/ Awesome Color show because of said back pain and aforementioned general burn-out. Just too damn tired plus I had so much to do that I never really settled into anything even remotely resembling relaxation until, oh, 11 p.m

But tonight? Tonight I am going to the Matt Pond, PA show at Harlow's because I'm not missing both of the shows I wanted to see this week.


Cory says the back thing is probably stress-related. I say it's all stress-related. Something's got to change but first I need to get through the rest of this year and then I need to figure out what oh-so-important thing (insert note of sarcasm here) can be permanently deleted from my never-ending to-do list.

Otherwise it's just going to get even uglier...

so wrong it's almost right

attack of the album art...

that song is never over...

i can't even bring myself to drive down Broadway right now. I just don't want to see That Corner and all the signs and so forth.

In high school I used to buy albums ( you know, the vinyl kind) at the Tower on Watt. Stuff like the Go-Gos and Madonna and then later the Smiths and the Cure and the Cocteau Twins and R.E.M.

I have this vague, college-era memory of buying a Throwing Muses "Hunkpapa" cassette at the Tower on Broadway - back when the tapes were in a separate section in the back.

Remember that little closed-off section?

Around that same time I used to spend a lot of time at the Tower on Watt browsing the cassettes (again, in a separate area) and then, many years later, scoured the Tower Outlet for CDs and books.

Damn.

Not only are we out a job around these parts but I'm losing a part of my own Sacramento history - the whole town is, really. Say what you will about the Tower clerks' collectively "whatever" attitudes (and I used to joke about it all the time)...the stores had their hold here in a way that even The Beat could never quite replicate.

Anyway, the upside to all of this - especially following a very emotional weekend - is the reminder we get about friends and family and unwavering support. All of you - and you know who you are - simply rule.

the end and a new beginning....

To say that I'm sad and angry and disappointed about the fate of Tower is an understatement.

But I guess I'm not shocked.

And Cory & I will get through this somehow. We always do. We don't have a choice.

As Russ Soloman said, the fat lady sang and it was off-key.

Time to start thinking about the future, whatever that may be.

Nice try fellas...

Fox News tries to put Mark Foley in the Democrat camp....via Alternet.

back to Ikea

...and we were in and out in 10 minutes (but still $108 poorer)...redemption has been had...