Wednesday, May 31, 2006
This was your promised land.
You moved away faster than the seasons
With the closest love in their eyes
And now that you're gone
Were you ever there at all?
Only crows in the trees welcome you back home
About five (5!) years ago, on Memorial Day weekend 2001, I went to the beach in South Padre Island with Mark, Ryan, and Travis. Mark's family has a condo there, and we ended up going the next two Memorial Day weekends too. It's a tradition we no longer have, but it was definitely fun while it lasted.
Anyway, in the weeks before we went that first time, Mark decided that we should all come up with a list of our Top 10 Albums of All Time. Now, that was a tall order. We were all big music fans, but choosing a top ten is like deciding which one of your children to save from your burning house. Impossible to do! But after much deliberation, I did it. I decided that I could not repeat any artists on the list, so I had to choose my favorite album by my favorite artists... again, a very difficult choice! I also went back to some albums I hadn't heard in a while, because they had been so important to me years before. I finally came up with a list. It was flawed, but it was finished.
We ended up reading our lists (counting down to #1, of course) late one night in the condo. For some reason, Travis didn't make one, so it was just me, Mark, and Ryan. I think I even got a little teary reading my list. I'm not going to give you the full list here, since I can't remember the order with any certainty, and also because it was a flawed list and is probably not even valid anymore (a lot has changed in the last five years!). I still love all of the albums on the list, of course. Anyway...
My number one album was fairly new... it had come out in 1999, and I had bought it in 2000. It seemed strange to put it at #1, because it was still so new. But the album felt like home to me. It was Spanish Dance Troupe by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, a Welsh band that most people had never heard of... at least, most people in the US. Along with another fantastic Welsh band, Super Furry Animals (who also appeared on my top 10), I was inspired to pick up some books and tapes and try to learn Welsh. It didn't exactly work, because I didn't stick with it, but I'm pretty good at pronunciation for a non-Welsh-speaking American. And no, Gorky's and SFA don't just sing in Welsh... they sing in English too. But I love the Welsh songs. At one point, I also seriously considered doing a master's degree in Wales.
Spanish Dance Troupe, in particular, is a fantastic album. It is, for the most part, soft, understated, and sad. The music is full of longing, and so was I. This album came out after they had been burned by a major label record deal gone sour, and the music reflected that sadness and frustration. Gorky's never had much commercial success, but they developed a small, devoted fanbase. I eventually picked up the rest of the Gorky's albums, and I ended up seeing them twice... once at the Carling Festival in Leeds, UK, and once in Boston. I screwed up the nerve to talk to their singer, Euros Childs, and let him know how much the music meant to me. I'm pretty nerdy that way... but I felt it needed to be said.
But I'm not writing this today because of the five year anniversary of the list. I'm writing it because Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have broken up. Victor sent me a Pitchfork news article about the breakup this morning. I guess it actually happened last week, or at least that's the date on the website. I'm pretty sad, but I figured it would happen. Band members were going off in different directions and having kids. These things happen as we grow older. But it's still sad to me and to the other couple thousand Gorky's fans out there.
You moved away faster than the seasons
With the closest love in their eyes
And now that you're gone
Were you ever there at all?
Only crows in the trees welcome you back home
About five (5!) years ago, on Memorial Day weekend 2001, I went to the beach in South Padre Island with Mark, Ryan, and Travis. Mark's family has a condo there, and we ended up going the next two Memorial Day weekends too. It's a tradition we no longer have, but it was definitely fun while it lasted.
Anyway, in the weeks before we went that first time, Mark decided that we should all come up with a list of our Top 10 Albums of All Time. Now, that was a tall order. We were all big music fans, but choosing a top ten is like deciding which one of your children to save from your burning house. Impossible to do! But after much deliberation, I did it. I decided that I could not repeat any artists on the list, so I had to choose my favorite album by my favorite artists... again, a very difficult choice! I also went back to some albums I hadn't heard in a while, because they had been so important to me years before. I finally came up with a list. It was flawed, but it was finished.
We ended up reading our lists (counting down to #1, of course) late one night in the condo. For some reason, Travis didn't make one, so it was just me, Mark, and Ryan. I think I even got a little teary reading my list. I'm not going to give you the full list here, since I can't remember the order with any certainty, and also because it was a flawed list and is probably not even valid anymore (a lot has changed in the last five years!). I still love all of the albums on the list, of course. Anyway...
My number one album was fairly new... it had come out in 1999, and I had bought it in 2000. It seemed strange to put it at #1, because it was still so new. But the album felt like home to me. It was Spanish Dance Troupe by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, a Welsh band that most people had never heard of... at least, most people in the US. Along with another fantastic Welsh band, Super Furry Animals (who also appeared on my top 10), I was inspired to pick up some books and tapes and try to learn Welsh. It didn't exactly work, because I didn't stick with it, but I'm pretty good at pronunciation for a non-Welsh-speaking American. And no, Gorky's and SFA don't just sing in Welsh... they sing in English too. But I love the Welsh songs. At one point, I also seriously considered doing a master's degree in Wales.
Spanish Dance Troupe, in particular, is a fantastic album. It is, for the most part, soft, understated, and sad. The music is full of longing, and so was I. This album came out after they had been burned by a major label record deal gone sour, and the music reflected that sadness and frustration. Gorky's never had much commercial success, but they developed a small, devoted fanbase. I eventually picked up the rest of the Gorky's albums, and I ended up seeing them twice... once at the Carling Festival in Leeds, UK, and once in Boston. I screwed up the nerve to talk to their singer, Euros Childs, and let him know how much the music meant to me. I'm pretty nerdy that way... but I felt it needed to be said.
But I'm not writing this today because of the five year anniversary of the list. I'm writing it because Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have broken up. Victor sent me a Pitchfork news article about the breakup this morning. I guess it actually happened last week, or at least that's the date on the website. I'm pretty sad, but I figured it would happen. Band members were going off in different directions and having kids. These things happen as we grow older. But it's still sad to me and to the other couple thousand Gorky's fans out there.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Lesson learned.
Friday, we decided to go to Zihuatanejo, Mexico. We would fly to Mexico City Friday night and then catch a Mexicana flight to Zihuatanejo Saturday morning. Victor's uncle would have his driver ferry us to and from the airport. Tuesday, we would catch a Mexicana flight to Mexico City and jump on one of our flights back to DFW.
We were still undecided as to what hotel to book, but we figured we would decide once we got to the airport. If we still couldn't make a decision, we would figure it out by the time we made it to Mexico City Friday night. Victor called panicking that the flight was filling up, so I left work early and sped (or crawled, rather) through terrible Memorial Day traffic to get to the airport.
The check-in agent told us that we had nothing to worry about and should get on the flight just fine. We went back to Victor's office to wait for a couple of hours before heading back to the airport. Right before we left his workplace, he said he would call Mexicana one more time to check on the Tuesday flight. When he did, he got bad news. In the past 24 hours, they had sold over 20 seats, and there were only five seats left. He didn't want to chance it. I said we should get in the car and decide... we would park at the Parking Spot if we were going, and drive home and figure out other options if we were not going.
We talked and talked, and we decided not to chance Zihuatanejo. I suggested Mazatlán, which was our backup destination anyway. Victor said there weren't too many seats on returning flights from there either, and he had heard it wasn't as nice as Zihuatanejo anyway. So we crossed it off of our list too. I suggested Buenos Aires, which was our fallback plan last Memorial Day when our Dublin plans fell through. We decided to try to run home and repack (it's winter there now) and make the 7:30 flight. If we couldn't make it, we could always leave Saturday evening.
Traffic was terrible. We didn't make it home until 5pm. By this time, I was already feeling pretty depressed. I really, really, really wanted a nice relaxing vacation. I had my heart set on the beach. I hadn't had a vacation day since early February, and any trips we had taken between then and now had either been really rushed or stressful or for a wedding. Nothing relaxing. Work's been beating me down lately, and I wanted to just lie on a beach, read a good book, go swimming, and not think.
After getting home at 5pm, there was no way to make it back to the airport for the Buenos Aires flight. Victor decided he didn't want to burn a vacation day for somewhere we had been twice already. I was fine with going to Buenos Aires, because there wouldn't be too much pressure to see anything, since we've seen it before. But I could see his point about wasting the vacation day.
So we tried researching other places. By this time, either all of the flights were full or all of the cheaper hotels were full nearly everywhere we checked. Trying to book a vacation so late on a holiday weekend is nearly impossible. My sister suggested a whole bunch of places, and none of them would work out. When Victor went to pick up tortas for dinner, I tried really hard to keep myself from breaking down.
This is what's so tough about non-rev (flying standby as an airline employee) travel. It's impossible to be certain that you will ever get anywhere. No usually, I am really flexible. In fact, I follow almost all of these Essential Rules of Non-Revenue Travel that some other frequent non-revvers put together. I try not to set my heart on a particular destination, and I can have a good time anywhere. But this time, I let myself hope. I let myself get used to the idea of vegging out on a beach with a fruity alcoholic drink. I let myself need this vacation. Any beach would do, but I needed a beach.
Well, it didn't happen. And I was devastated.
I know what you're thinking - that I'm just being a big baby. That I'm so fortunate to get to travel so often, and that I'm so fortunate to get to travel cheaply. And I am! I know I am! But this is the second big trip in a row we've had to cancel. This is the second time in a row I've given back my vacation day. Work is packed this month, and I doubt I can get another vacation day for a while. Sometimes it would be nice to get to plan a big trip a couple of months in advance, when I can get a good rate at a hotel. When I can get to the airport and be relatively sure that the plane won't leave without me. When I can stop checking tripadvisor for a different destination every few hours as the flights we want fill up and become unavailable. Flying non-rev is a mixed blessing, y'all. It can be exhilarating, challenging, and sometimes heartbreaking.
We ended up going to my parents' place instead, because we decided that fishing could also be relaxing. We had a good time. Victor, Diana and I went canoeing on Sunday, and I'm pretty sore from that, although we had a blast. We caught some fish though, and my family ate them Sunday night (yummy bass!).
So our beach vacation will have to wait. We're hoping to go to the Caribbean over the 4th of July, so I will try to wait until then. But I'm not getting my hopes up too much. I learned that lesson this weekend.
Friday, we decided to go to Zihuatanejo, Mexico. We would fly to Mexico City Friday night and then catch a Mexicana flight to Zihuatanejo Saturday morning. Victor's uncle would have his driver ferry us to and from the airport. Tuesday, we would catch a Mexicana flight to Mexico City and jump on one of our flights back to DFW.
We were still undecided as to what hotel to book, but we figured we would decide once we got to the airport. If we still couldn't make a decision, we would figure it out by the time we made it to Mexico City Friday night. Victor called panicking that the flight was filling up, so I left work early and sped (or crawled, rather) through terrible Memorial Day traffic to get to the airport.
The check-in agent told us that we had nothing to worry about and should get on the flight just fine. We went back to Victor's office to wait for a couple of hours before heading back to the airport. Right before we left his workplace, he said he would call Mexicana one more time to check on the Tuesday flight. When he did, he got bad news. In the past 24 hours, they had sold over 20 seats, and there were only five seats left. He didn't want to chance it. I said we should get in the car and decide... we would park at the Parking Spot if we were going, and drive home and figure out other options if we were not going.
We talked and talked, and we decided not to chance Zihuatanejo. I suggested Mazatlán, which was our backup destination anyway. Victor said there weren't too many seats on returning flights from there either, and he had heard it wasn't as nice as Zihuatanejo anyway. So we crossed it off of our list too. I suggested Buenos Aires, which was our fallback plan last Memorial Day when our Dublin plans fell through. We decided to try to run home and repack (it's winter there now) and make the 7:30 flight. If we couldn't make it, we could always leave Saturday evening.
Traffic was terrible. We didn't make it home until 5pm. By this time, I was already feeling pretty depressed. I really, really, really wanted a nice relaxing vacation. I had my heart set on the beach. I hadn't had a vacation day since early February, and any trips we had taken between then and now had either been really rushed or stressful or for a wedding. Nothing relaxing. Work's been beating me down lately, and I wanted to just lie on a beach, read a good book, go swimming, and not think.
After getting home at 5pm, there was no way to make it back to the airport for the Buenos Aires flight. Victor decided he didn't want to burn a vacation day for somewhere we had been twice already. I was fine with going to Buenos Aires, because there wouldn't be too much pressure to see anything, since we've seen it before. But I could see his point about wasting the vacation day.
So we tried researching other places. By this time, either all of the flights were full or all of the cheaper hotels were full nearly everywhere we checked. Trying to book a vacation so late on a holiday weekend is nearly impossible. My sister suggested a whole bunch of places, and none of them would work out. When Victor went to pick up tortas for dinner, I tried really hard to keep myself from breaking down.
This is what's so tough about non-rev (flying standby as an airline employee) travel. It's impossible to be certain that you will ever get anywhere. No usually, I am really flexible. In fact, I follow almost all of these Essential Rules of Non-Revenue Travel that some other frequent non-revvers put together. I try not to set my heart on a particular destination, and I can have a good time anywhere. But this time, I let myself hope. I let myself get used to the idea of vegging out on a beach with a fruity alcoholic drink. I let myself need this vacation. Any beach would do, but I needed a beach.
Well, it didn't happen. And I was devastated.
I know what you're thinking - that I'm just being a big baby. That I'm so fortunate to get to travel so often, and that I'm so fortunate to get to travel cheaply. And I am! I know I am! But this is the second big trip in a row we've had to cancel. This is the second time in a row I've given back my vacation day. Work is packed this month, and I doubt I can get another vacation day for a while. Sometimes it would be nice to get to plan a big trip a couple of months in advance, when I can get a good rate at a hotel. When I can get to the airport and be relatively sure that the plane won't leave without me. When I can stop checking tripadvisor for a different destination every few hours as the flights we want fill up and become unavailable. Flying non-rev is a mixed blessing, y'all. It can be exhilarating, challenging, and sometimes heartbreaking.
We ended up going to my parents' place instead, because we decided that fishing could also be relaxing. We had a good time. Victor, Diana and I went canoeing on Sunday, and I'm pretty sore from that, although we had a blast. We caught some fish though, and my family ate them Sunday night (yummy bass!).
So our beach vacation will have to wait. We're hoping to go to the Caribbean over the 4th of July, so I will try to wait until then. But I'm not getting my hopes up too much. I learned that lesson this weekend.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Site-seeing
I haven't really felt like posting much this week, as you can probably tell. I've been hella busy at work, and pretty busy at home trying to figure out our weekend plans. By the way, we still don't know what they are. And we're leaving today.
I would like to turn your attention to some other places right now, since I've been so boring lately. My friend Meredith is blogging now at Zen Imbecile. She's terribly funny and smart. Lately she's been talking politics. I particularly like the way she lays down the constitutional separation of powers:
The Constitution lays out which branch does what in the process of running the country. The idea is that no one branch has more power than any of the others because bad shit can happen otherwise.
If only she had been my Civics teacher!
Also, Ryan has arrived in Mexico for a summer course in Spanish for six weeks. Six? Five? I think it's six. He is trying to post every day about his experiences there. Anyway, he's already surrounded himself with a gaggle of 21 year old girls and is making plans to see a Mexican drag show. Rock on, Ryan!
Whenever we get back from wherever we go, I'll be sure to post pictures of whatever it is we do.
I haven't really felt like posting much this week, as you can probably tell. I've been hella busy at work, and pretty busy at home trying to figure out our weekend plans. By the way, we still don't know what they are. And we're leaving today.
I would like to turn your attention to some other places right now, since I've been so boring lately. My friend Meredith is blogging now at Zen Imbecile. She's terribly funny and smart. Lately she's been talking politics. I particularly like the way she lays down the constitutional separation of powers:
The Constitution lays out which branch does what in the process of running the country. The idea is that no one branch has more power than any of the others because bad shit can happen otherwise.
If only she had been my Civics teacher!
Also, Ryan has arrived in Mexico for a summer course in Spanish for six weeks. Six? Five? I think it's six. He is trying to post every day about his experiences there. Anyway, he's already surrounded himself with a gaggle of 21 year old girls and is making plans to see a Mexican drag show. Rock on, Ryan!
Whenever we get back from wherever we go, I'll be sure to post pictures of whatever it is we do.
Friday, May 19, 2006
When I was walking in Memphis
I just spent the last week in Memphis for work. It was nice, especially since I got to spend some time with my friend Megan. I hadn't seen her since the wedding, and I hadn't seen her husband Brad since their wedding, about three and a half years ago. So it was really nice to spend some time with them.
I had to skip out on a lunch with Megan today, because I caught an early flight home. The reason? Victor had locked himself out of the house. Yes, he thought he had his keys with him and locked the door behind him. He had no way to get back in and get the keys, and he was on his way to work! So he called me for advice, and I told him to get a cab to the train station and catch the train to work. Anyway, I ended up going back early so that I could pick him up from work, instead of having him wait around at the train station for a couple of hours (scary!).
We spent tonight cleaning the house hardcore, because Diana is coming this weekend. I will pick her up at the airport tomorrow morning. Now, I must shower. I stink!
I just spent the last week in Memphis for work. It was nice, especially since I got to spend some time with my friend Megan. I hadn't seen her since the wedding, and I hadn't seen her husband Brad since their wedding, about three and a half years ago. So it was really nice to spend some time with them.
I had to skip out on a lunch with Megan today, because I caught an early flight home. The reason? Victor had locked himself out of the house. Yes, he thought he had his keys with him and locked the door behind him. He had no way to get back in and get the keys, and he was on his way to work! So he called me for advice, and I told him to get a cab to the train station and catch the train to work. Anyway, I ended up going back early so that I could pick him up from work, instead of having him wait around at the train station for a couple of hours (scary!).
We spent tonight cleaning the house hardcore, because Diana is coming this weekend. I will pick her up at the airport tomorrow morning. Now, I must shower. I stink!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Mark and Kat's wedding
I finally have all of the photos up and put descriptions on them, so I can now write a little post about Mark and Kat's wedding.
The entire weekend was great! Friday night Victor and I attended Mark's bachelor party, which included such diverse events as watching a basketball game, getting Slurpees, and playing Trivial Pursuit. Saturday we did some shopping and swimming with Ryan, and then went to the rehearsal dinner, which was at Stacy's house. There we met and/or got reaquainted with Kat's friends from out of town. There was a huge rainstorm, but it didn't stop us from having a lot of fun and singing karaoke (apparently, "Jack and Diane" isn't in my range at all, and I also found out that "Thriller" is really, really long when you're up there by yourself).
Sunday was fantastic. The wedding was so sweet and made everyone cry. The reception was lots of fun, with eating, drinking, and dancing. Then we all went to the Hotel San Jose for the afterparty. To cap the weekend off, Mark, Ryan, Victor, and I went for hamburgers at Hut's Sunday night.
It was a really nice weekend. One to remember.
The entire weekend was great! Friday night Victor and I attended Mark's bachelor party, which included such diverse events as watching a basketball game, getting Slurpees, and playing Trivial Pursuit. Saturday we did some shopping and swimming with Ryan, and then went to the rehearsal dinner, which was at Stacy's house. There we met and/or got reaquainted with Kat's friends from out of town. There was a huge rainstorm, but it didn't stop us from having a lot of fun and singing karaoke (apparently, "Jack and Diane" isn't in my range at all, and I also found out that "Thriller" is really, really long when you're up there by yourself).
Sunday was fantastic. The wedding was so sweet and made everyone cry. The reception was lots of fun, with eating, drinking, and dancing. Then we all went to the Hotel San Jose for the afterparty. To cap the weekend off, Mark, Ryan, Victor, and I went for hamburgers at Hut's Sunday night.
It was a really nice weekend. One to remember.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Can't get you out of my head
I'm in Austin right now for Kat and Mark's wedding, so I don't have time to post much, but I did want to let everyone know that I'm the guest writer for SwissToni's Earworms of the Week this week. So if you're interested, go check out what has been jangling around in my head.
I'm in Austin right now for Kat and Mark's wedding, so I don't have time to post much, but I did want to let everyone know that I'm the guest writer for SwissToni's Earworms of the Week this week. So if you're interested, go check out what has been jangling around in my head.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Le voisin du nord
In an effort to completely confuse me, Victor and I went to Montréal this weekend. I say that this confused me because in high school and college, I took French. I am now taking Spanish. I had no idea what I was saying in Montréal! I was saying "gracias" when I should have been using "merci." I kept getting all of my articles (el, le, la, etc.) confused. But we had a great time nonetheless!
Most of our weekend was just spent wandering the city. We did a little shopping, but not nearly as much as we usually do. We stayed at Château de l'Argoat hotel, which was quaint and very pleasant, with a fantastic free breakfast. On Saturday, we had a late lunch at Frite Alors!, a Belgian frite shop that has stores througout Montréal. It was très yummy. Later that evening we had dinner at Au Pied du Cochon. Their website is awful but the food was wonderful. Victor ate pied du cochon (pig's foot), and it was way better than I imagined. We also had a boudin and foie gras tartlet that was very good.
Sunday, we planned to go to mass at Basilisque Notre-Dame, but we managed to snooze for about an hour before getting up, so we had to miss it. We wandered around town some more, ate a late lunch, and flew back home.
Montréal is a fantastic city. It's the most European city in North America, and it's much closer than a flight to Europe. Just wandering around the area of town known as the Plateau was lots of fun, because the we could look at the beautiful architecture, little cafés, and shops. The weather was beautiful while we were there. The only bad thing that happened (other than the sore legs and blisters from walking) was the bird that pooped on my brand new jacket. But even that wasn't too bad, because only Victor actually touched the poop (and he got it all over his hands). C'est la vie!
In an effort to completely confuse me, Victor and I went to Montréal this weekend. I say that this confused me because in high school and college, I took French. I am now taking Spanish. I had no idea what I was saying in Montréal! I was saying "gracias" when I should have been using "merci." I kept getting all of my articles (el, le, la, etc.) confused. But we had a great time nonetheless!
Most of our weekend was just spent wandering the city. We did a little shopping, but not nearly as much as we usually do. We stayed at Château de l'Argoat hotel, which was quaint and very pleasant, with a fantastic free breakfast. On Saturday, we had a late lunch at Frite Alors!, a Belgian frite shop that has stores througout Montréal. It was très yummy. Later that evening we had dinner at Au Pied du Cochon. Their website is awful but the food was wonderful. Victor ate pied du cochon (pig's foot), and it was way better than I imagined. We also had a boudin and foie gras tartlet that was very good.
Sunday, we planned to go to mass at Basilisque Notre-Dame, but we managed to snooze for about an hour before getting up, so we had to miss it. We wandered around town some more, ate a late lunch, and flew back home.
Montréal is a fantastic city. It's the most European city in North America, and it's much closer than a flight to Europe. Just wandering around the area of town known as the Plateau was lots of fun, because the we could look at the beautiful architecture, little cafés, and shops. The weather was beautiful while we were there. The only bad thing that happened (other than the sore legs and blisters from walking) was the bird that pooped on my brand new jacket. But even that wasn't too bad, because only Victor actually touched the poop (and he got it all over his hands). C'est la vie!
