assault

i got my hands on two albums today:

1) sigur ros - new one (not even going to waste my time typing out that ridiculous title) and

2) girl talk - feed the animals. (you can get the album on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/girltalk) - name your price... live with your conscience)

let make make this plain and simple. sigur ros is boring.

wait. that's not what i meant to say. how should i put this? girl talk is such a delight and a constant thrill ride from beginning to end, that i can't go back to "regular" music for some time now. girl talk, in case you are not familiar, is some dj dude who takes samples from songs of each decade and simply "mashes" them up together. the result? a ADD-riddled trip through pop music from every place that you can imagine. this man is a genius, and i don't think that is an overstatement. as i sit for hours listening to these tracks, i close my eyes and see... cheerleading competitions. it's "bring it on." perhaps that description will scare you away, but just listen... you won't regret it. i played it for heidi last night, and she repeatedly smiled, chuckled, and lost her mind.

i love sigur ros. the performance i attended at the copely music hall in san diego will always be perhaps the greatest concert experience of my life. but for the rest of this weekend, and perhaps even longer, my ears are being assaulted by girl talk.

speaking of assault (not really, i just felt like a segue would be nice to discuss my next subject), heidi and i spent the last week in baltimore babysitting our niece and nephew (summer and johnny, ages 2 and 3). a few thougths about this adventure, simply listed:

+ free birth control. it's going to be awile before the braggs expand the family. don't get me wrong, i love kids, and can't wait to be a dad... but kids are crazy. kids are what you might call a life-altering (destroying?) move in life. not ready for that yet.

+ i like being an uncle. the kids loved heidi and i. for the first time since i met these kids, they actually knew my name and wanted to play with me and be close to me. i got to jump on the bed, wrestle, play with cars, swim in an inflatable pool, chase scared children while grunting like a monster, put together puzzles, and cuddle with adorable little children. i like it. 10 years from now i am totally going to be the annoying uncle who says to the self-conscious and embarrassed teenage girl, "i used to give you baths." we all have that uncle, and we all love him.

+ cross west virginia, pennsylvania and maryland off the list of states that i have not visited. only 40 something more to go. i am excited to say that i have been further east than cincinnati. for some reason these things are exciting to me. i love to look at the map of this country we call "the united states of america" and think about the places i have been, and the places i would like to go someday. i need to take a road trip. on a motorcyle. with thousands of dollars to blow. someday.

+ sublime sing-a-long on the way home. i am sorry for my mid-western friends who never thought that sublime was cool, and therefore have no sentimental attachment to sublime. if you can't sing every word of every song, then you are missing out on something spectacular.

+ humidity is dumb. i wish i could walk around with a giant oscillating fan that surrounds me and blows cool air on me everywhere i go.

+ dora the explorer is terrible. i still have some song about stirring chocolate stuck in my head. it haunts me.

+ heidi is going to be a good mom. i'm glad that i will someday be a part of this.

+ suddenly the rigors of a puppy seem small in comparison. but at least toddlers don't constantly display the "red rocket" and attempt to hump your leg at every waking moment.

+ it's officially summer. shorts, t shirts and flip flops from here on out. goodbye pants. see you in the fall.