Mardi Gras Tree, Downtown Lafayette

Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter

I'm such a big fan of Josh Ritter's music that I was worried about reading his first novel (Bright's Passage) quite a bit. Turns out that was totally unfounded. The same story telling craft that Ritter has in his music carries really well into his first book. The story of Henry Bright, his angel, coping with the horrors of World War I, and the birth of his first son is all weaved into multiple timelines with ease. It was literally like taking a Josh Ritter song and turning it into a novel.

2012 Spring/Summer Coed All Star Game

This was the first year I had a chance to play in the local coed all-star game and it was a blast. Somewhere way back when, I think it was my idea to start having these games (pat my own back for a second) but all of the real credit goes to my wife who, somehow, has managed to run this league on top of the 1000 other things she does that I cannot keep track off. She is truly amazing and is doing a great job in making sure the league is up and running. Events like this are just icing on the cake.

Note: Technically I was not selected as an all-star. I apparently get an automatic spot since I am a team captain. Fair play...just wanted to make sure I got that out there. I firmly believe there are better players than me who did not step on that field today.

sermons are the first to rest

I've been enjoying the new Bruce Springsteen album and Damien Jurado these days. Both artists from a while back for me. Starting to dabble in a little reggae (Rebelution), an old favorite with Bon Iver and some new bands like Lulu Mae and Tyler Lyle starting to hit the playlists these days...

1.        Towers  *  Bon Iver

2.        Crash This Train  *  Joshua James

3.        The Golden Age & The Silver Girl  *  Tyler Lyle

4.        Like A Star  *  Corinne Bailey Rae

5.        The Man With the Golden Toy  *  Lulu Mae

6.        All of Me  *  Tanlines

7.        Comfort Zone  *  Rebelution

8.        Plage  *  Crystal Fighters

9.        The Wave  *  Miike Snow

10.     Brothers  *  Tanlines

11.      Beacon Hill  *  Damien Jurado

12.      Shackled and Drawn  *  Bruce Springsteen

13.      Gospel Plow  *  Charlie Parr

14.      California  *  Tyler Lyle

15.      Love Love Love  *  Avalanche City

16.      A Year In the Garden Shed  *  Tigers on Trains

17.     American Daydream  *  Electric Guest

18.      The Unbearable Lightness (From A Balcony In Old Town Square)  *  Tyler Lyle

19.      Rocky Ground  *  Bruce Springsteen

20.     Only Now  *  JBM

21.      Manila  *  Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria & Willie Bobo   

Never too old for stories...

A person’s never too old for stories. Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them. - Roland Deschain

In the end, the wind takes everything, doesn't it? And why not? Why other? If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.

I've always been a big fan of Stephen King and his latest book was a welcome surprise. The Wind Through the Keyhole is a Dark Tower novel and brings back the Gunslinger Roland Deschain and his ka-tet (his group of friends brought together by fate). King has a way of creating worlds and the world of the Dark Tower has a strong gravitational pull. Within pages I was immediately back in Mid-World and thinking I might be tempted to read this entire series again... 


The crazy thing about this book is that it singles out a moment in between books 4 and 5 in the series and consists of Roland telling a story about his youth to the rest of his ka-tet. In this middle of this story, the younger Roland proceeds to tell a story to a young boy that he has taken under his wing. Each of these three stories are all related and King never skips a beat in weaving all three and keeping you interested. It is a world within a world within a world. Or a story within a story within a story. Pretty awesome. 

The Tortilla Curtain

This was the first book I have ever read by T.C. Boyle and will probably not be my last. The Tortilla Curtain explores the tension of immigration trends in southern California, the consumerist nature of the American Dream and also a number of environmental issues. Pack that in with a heavy dose of biblical Job-like tragedy and you are looking at the perfect storm of bad events that befall the main characters. There were a few moments where I thought the course of tragic events was a bit too tragic. Afterall, I like a little redemption or hope in the books I read. Despite the fact that hope was apparently not on Boyle's mind, this story was gripping, and the characters' emotional conflicts were fascinating. The fact that the story explored a major hot topic in the upcoming election made it even more interesting to me. The writing flew off the page, so much so that I'll be looking for another Boyle book soon...perhaps just one that is not 100% tragedy.

Sigur Rós - Varúð

Found this video last night and am getting more and more excited about seeing Sigur Rós this summer. The imagery and scenes in this (unofficial) video are completely amazing. You should definitely watch this. The song is incredible. Can't wait.