Snow Day, Hooray

"....streets trafficking in sleds, men become boys again."

The past 2 days of work were snowed-off.  It was great.  All I did was veg at the hotel and play in the snow.  I went to a nearby park and made a snowman or two.  I felt a little embarrassed when a group of 13-year-old kids walked by and were snickering in my direction.  However I was comforted when two boys roughly 4-6 years old stopped by, along with their mother, looking to help me out.  Unfortunately I had pretty much finished the snowmen at that point.   Also, they were Hispanic and it was very difficult to try to explain to them that there was nothing more they could do to help.  While I was trying to explain in vague English, I was holding my camera and I guess the mom thought I was asking her if she would take a picture of me, cause she then said “Si si!” and grabbed it from me.  I was hesitant to hand it over at first, but I figured her kids were right there and if she tried to run off with my camera I could have easily snatched one of them.

This is my favorite video for my favorite song from one of my favorite bands.   The bass-y guitar riffs during the chorus are irresistible ear candy (especially @ 3:39).  

Minus the Bear is great for keeping their lyrics simple.   It’s irritating when a band tries to fit more symbolism and meaning than a T.S. Elliot poem into a 3 minute song.  “Hooray” is about how a snow day reminds you of being a kid and although those days are gone and the snow will always melt, you should always keep the memories of those days close-by.(Lyrics)

“…so lets keep them.”

As a kid, a snow day just didn’t count.   When you woke up and found out you didn’t have to go to school, you instantly wanted to do anything and everything as if it was your last day on earth.   Sleep in….watch TV….screw that.  There are forts to be made, hills to be sledded, snowballs to be thrown, and cocoa to be sipped.  

My favorite snow day moment would have to be the time where I and 4 others almost died going down a very narrow and steep hill in a porta-potty bobsled.  Epic.

That’s all for now.

-Charlie

Interaction of the day: 

Charlie: So what’s your name?

Little Hispanic boy: (silence)

Yo Mama Joke of the Day:

Yo mama is so fat, the other day she tried making a snow angel.  The ensuing avalanche buried 3 mountains climbers. In addition, one rescue dog died of exhaustion trying to find them.

...so I fell off the treadmill again.

This morning I hopped on the treadmill before work.  I listened to an album called Hospice by a band called The Antlers. It was the first time I had heard the album and at a few moments I got that familiar shot of adrenaline that you get when you get excited about new music.  When I'm running, that shot tends to make me run faster.  If I'm on a treadmill I'll typically bump up the belt speed.  Today I must have been running a little too much inside my own head.  I was teetering on the front end of the belt for a few strides before taking one stride that was clearly too big.  I stepped almost clearly onto the front platform of the treadmill, causing me to trip.  I managed to grab onto the handle and sort of hoist myself over the side.  I landed one foot on the ground and one knee on the treadmill adjacent to mine, so it wasn't a complete wipe-out(unlike other times). However it was a good thing that there wasn't anyone on the treadmill next to me.  That would have been a real catastrophe.
 
I heard about The Antlers from fellow blogger and friend, Keith Kelly(kelrock.blogspot.com). I'd like to call them poppy post-rock.  The vocals are sweet yet frail, similar to the likes of The Arcade Fire.  At the same time, each parts of their songs are glued together by synth or guitar feedback, creating a symphonic and melodramatic consistency like a typical post-rock group such as Explosions in the Sky.  There is something about hopeless sounding music that paradoxically gives you hope. From start to finish Hospice is the sugary sound of bitter hopelessness. 

That's all for now.

-Charlie

Interaction of the day:
Gym Patron Woman:  Are you okay?
Charlie:Yea, just got carried away.

Yo Mama Joke:
Yo mama is so dumb, she got lost riding an exercise bike.

Brief Winter Update

Late November: Went to the Caribbean- ran too much and hurt my knee, so I stopped running 

Early December:  Was in New Jersey for 3 weeks – gambled too much in Atlantic City and hurt my wallet, so I stopped eating.

Late December: Went home(NH) for Christmas:  Ate too much pie and hurt the bathroom scale, so I started running.

Early January: Drove to San Francisco – Too much driving to do in 4 days, got yelled at, so I stopped sleeping.

Mid January: Filmed at Alcatraz for a week – Too much fun in one week, so I started driving.

Late January: Filmed in NYC for a week- Too cool a city to work the whole time, so I stopped sleeping and started to have fun.

Early February: Filmed on Cape Cod  for 2 weeks: Hotel was too cheap to have a cardio room, had to run outside, so I started to go crazy.

Now: Week off in Providence- Too much time on my hands, started sleeping running blogging and going crazy.

More extensive update to come.

As far as bizarre music videos goes, this is definitely up there.  I started listening to Beirut about a month ago.  The best I can describe it is as Long Island Indie-Rock meets Eastern European Folk Opera.  Its kind of funky stuff, but the vocalist really does have an impressive voice.  Notice how he harmonizes with himself at 1:54.

  

That’s all for now.

-Charlie

Alliteration of the day:

The blog became bad because I’ve been bogged-down in busy business. Brutal barracudas bombarded Berlin’s butt badly by bowling banana beans.   

Yo mama joke of the day:

Yo mama is so dumb, she went to the library to have her appendix removed.

Today I Drove Around a Rhode Island Hobo.

Short version:
On my way home from work I drove around a hobo.  Now my car smells like B.O. and I have a couch to sleep on if I’m ever stranded on the dump side of Warwick, RI.

English Major Version:

            When I was leaving work, I was stopped by a guy standing outside of a hair salon that is in the same plaza where I work.  He came up to me with 3 bags of groceries and asked, “Hey bud, let me hitch a ride with you, I live 2 blocks down. I’ll pay you for gas.” Then he whipped out a money clip with a wad full of wrinkled one dollar bills.  I told him to keep his money and hop in.   His name was Gary. He was wearing a Dallas Cowboys Starter jacket, he had a big glob of hair gel holding up a makeshift Elvis hairdew,  and his voice sounded like a clogged carburetor from an 86’ Volkswagen Cabriolet.  He looked like he was in his early 50’s, but for all I know he could have been an extremely unhealthy 32.  He asked if we could make a quick stop at the store for a pack of smokes.  He came out of the store with a handle of vodka, a six pack of Keystone Light, and a carton of Marlboro Reds.  He lit up a cigarette once he was in the car.  After I immediately started coughing like mad, he politely said, “Oh sorry bro, does this bother you? Do you want me to turn on the AC?” ………I paused…… I was puzzled as to where he would get the idea that air conditioning somehow got rid of smoke. But I went with it and said, “Excellent solution!” while cranking up the AC. 

Then he asked whether I knew anything about adding minutes to a cell phone.  I told him that he’d probably have to go to a cell phone carrier store.  He then said, “Maybe they sell minutes at Family Dollar.” 15 minutes later I’m watching him walk out of Family Dollar.  I’m not sure whether he got his minutes but he did buy a surge protector and some other appliance I couldn’t make out.  Between his groceries, his booze, and his appliances, his cargo load was piling up.  This caused him some distress while getting into the car. He wasn’t exactly the most nimble person.  He really struggled to make a seat for himself while holding 5 bags of crap in his lap in the cramped passenger seat of my truck.  The whole time he was murmuring curses under his breath. It would have been funny if it wasn’t so…..actually it was kind of funny. 

Once we got back on the road, Gary attempted to hum the music on my radio, but it just sounded like he was clearing his throat in synch with the music. (The song was Death Cab's "New Year")

  

Then he started to rant about how he had no money to pay his rent and that his landlord was connected to the mob.  He tried to make it seem like he was speaking rhetorically but I sensed he was trying to soften me up so I would throw him some money when it was time for him to leave.  I quickly started to tell him how I was also broke with no job and no home.  He then asked me if I’d pay him to clean out my truck bed.  I said, “No man, sorry but everything that’s back there is there because I have no home to put it in.” 

                We finally reached the destination.  I helped him with his luggage to the door.  It was a house that had a screen door porch.  I stood on the porch waiting for him to open the door to the house, meanwhile he proceeded to lay down on a couch.  My guess is that he was either squatting on that porch or that he was waiting for a friend to get home.  In either case, there’s no way he owned that house, in-part or whole. He then thanked me and offered to let me stay there whenever I was “in a jam”.  

He was a relatively nice guy and I'm glad to have met him. At the beginning of the ride I told him my name was Charlie, halfway through he started calling me Chris, but then at the end he called me Charlie again. He may have been a little whacko, but no more whacko than you or me.  Heck,  I chase ghosts for a living.

That’s all for now.

-Charlie

Interaction of the day:

Charlie: You want a piece of cornbread, there’s some on the dashboard.

Gary: No, but I’ll take it for later.  You’re a good driver Chris.

Yo mama joke of the day:

Yo mama is so poor, she needs government funding just to pay attention.

The Snow Buries My Neighborhood

Just came back from a short run. I was definitely dehydrated and my legs felt sore the whole time.  It was a physically exhausting work day and I think my body was a just too worn out for a productive run.  Despite this, it was a pleasant run.  The snow must have just started right before I went outside.  It was coming down pretty hard yet there was no accumulation.  At times snowy conditions certainly inhibit the enjoyment of a run, however there was no wind and the temperature was far from bitter. The snowflakes were the kind that playfully land on your eyelash. Also, due to the full moon, it was very bright out and you could see the snow fluttering down from high in the sky. A hidden benefit to having an extremely long workday is that the post-work sense of bliss that settles in every night allows you to appreciate subtleties that you wouldn’t normally take notice of. (it also enhances your vocabulary and your ability to write run-on sentences)

During the run I listened to more Arcade Fire.  I couldn’t help but notice the snow references in the lyrics.  I love when you are listening to music and the child inside you imagines that every move you make seems in-synch rhythmically and lyrically with the song, like you are the living music video for the song.


There is something about this song/video that is so unbelievably depressing and sad yet ultimately comforting.

 That’s all for now.

-Charlie

Interaction of the day:
Front desk lady: Good morning, can I help you.
Me: Have a good night!

Yo Mama Joke of the day:
Yo mama is so fat, she went skiing last week and as a result, all the chairlifts unionized and went on strike.