Where I Is

This is where I am. Somewhere in there. Can you see me?

Memorial Day Messes

Memorial Day. Decoration Day.



Eric & Fran celebrate like any other...



...and then like no other.



After only seconds of a blood-curdling "performance" in the middle of a nice quiet neighborhood street, they decide an album will be cut and hurry off to shoot photos for its jacket.




I don't have the heart to tell them, you do it.

Not Your Father's Indy

Soooooo... we saw the new Indiana Jones movie. It was good. I mean, it was nice to see Indy, like it's nice to see an old friend after a decade or so, and yes he does look old, and the stunt double factor is wholly apparent throughout, but that you can't be mad about. They even made light of it with lines like "It ain't as easy as it used to be" and "What are you now, 80?". The Indy-isms were there, altho a little weak, and plot lines were pushed forward with no accountability for reasoning, but the suprising direction of the main storyline kept me intrigued the whole time. I mean in the first three minutes Indy fights Russians (given), has an alien encounter, rides a rocket ship, and [dead serious] gets blown up in a nuclear blast! In the first three minutes!! So needless to say I stayed awake to see what happened next. And even tho it didn't keep up with that breakneck pace set in the opening scenes, it was still Indiana Jones and I loved it.

Bloggiversary

Today marks the 1 year anniversary on this here blog. What to do? The Estlers Blog has been an amazing outlet for us since nostalgia is a favorite pasttime of ours. And from time to time we hear our friends or family have taken it upon themselves to take in a story or two that may or may not have tickled them enough to mention it to us, to which we reply "Oh! You read that? How embarassing!".

So I understand paper is the traditional gift on someones 1 year anniversary so I've printed out this post and placed it on the desk in front in the monitor. As a gift.

Meet House

Today we wake up homeowners.



A few photos from yesterday.

tic tic tic tic

time's up

Mixtape> 4-28/08 thru 5-22/08

1. Islands - The Arm
2. Mason Proper - 100yrs
3. The Rumble Strips - Motorcycle
4. Karate - In Hundreds
5. The Guess Who - These Eyes
6. I Monster - Daydream In Blue
7. My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed
8. Scarlett Johansson - Falling Down
9. Robert Ashley - Tap Dancing In The Sand
10. Chris Knox - It's Love
11. The Evpatroia Report - Prognoz
12. Tortoise - On The Chin
13. LCD Soundsystem - Yr City's A Sucker
14. The Bad Eliots - Cat's Meow
15. Dead Can Dance - Ullyses
16. Gotye - Heart's A Mess
17. Wolf Parade - California Dreamer
18. Moses At An Early Age - Standard Short
19. TV On The Radio - Dirtwhirl
20. Engineers - One In Seven
21. Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
22. Noisettes - I We
23. The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno

Been awhile. Gonna be another while. Good mix tho. Get it while the gettin's good. I don't know what that means.

Desultory Morning

I'm not sure why I'm awake.



That's a lie. Yes I do. Like a nitwit I erased my iPod yesterday so I could refill it with juicy new nuggets, but once again neglected to realize that the amount of time I have left to transfer all the files greatly outweighs the actual amount of time I have til this computer is boxed up and shipped off. So I'm up, thinking maybe my PC is a night owl and works better in the wee hours than it did in daylight. Let's hope for the best.



...also anxiety. I can't sleep because I'm all worked up. We went shopping for household cleaning supplies yesterday, and like I was telling my Dad, I guess I haven't really allowed myself to substantiate the reality of the situation, until yesterday: Like a ton of bricks. But I'm good. we got good news about our down payments. All parties involved are very nonchalant about the whole extravaganza, so I'm guessing it's only an extravaganza to me.



I think we may go see the new Indiana Jones today. I usually try to avoid opening days to these massive summer blockbusters (ever since having to watch costumed adults cry at Lord of the Rings, thanks Christian) but I wanna see it with Fran and I leave Saturday night so.....



Yeah can we talk about that for a second? I leave Saturday night. So we buy the house Friday (tomorrow, oh Lord) come back Jackson Friday night. Eric Brust comes down too. He and Fran are going to a wedding on Sunday. Fran doesn't know the couple but Eric is shooting their wedding and he wants a date. He's becoming a dead serious wedding photographer. I'm proud to say we were his first. Back on subject... we close Friday, come back, we are driving a float in a parade on Saturday morning, all three of us. I know, weird right? The Fran has to work til 10. Then we are driving to Springfield and spending the night with Cadets (yes all three of us). Sunday morning I start teaching and Eric & Fran get gussied up and get free cocktails. But I am gone for a month. Til June 21st. Or 22nd. Somewhere around there. I buy a house and then go live in a dorm and a bus seat for a month. Bananarama was right. It is a cruel, cruel summer.



Lakers beat the Spurs in game one last night. Mets have been degraded by the Braves. I watched the end American Idol finale. I haven't watched an episode since back in the auditions so I really had no idea who was who. I don't really think that was George Michael tho. I think they rented his double from Madam Curie's wax museum or an animated robot from the Neverland Ranch or something. Is it me or is that Frank TV guy an enormous hack? It's not me. And people, can we now get some instant replay in baseball?



I just realized it's not a good idea to blog while I'm half asleep at 3AM.

Pehdtsckjmba

Who doesn't love this man?

I too will be leaving to go on tour this summer, once more into the fray. Check out these major metropolises I'll be hitting up:

Springfield, PA
Johnstown, PA
Chambersburg, PA
Toledo, OH
Ypsilanti, MI
Erie, PA
Beverly, MA
Bristol, RI
Clifton, NJ
Coatesville, PA
Chesapeake, VA
Columbia, SC
Alpharetta, GA
Orlando, FL
Ocean Springs, MS
Lafayette, LA
Houston, TX
Allentown, PA
Bloomington, IN

So I guess the guiding word for my summer tour will be

S.J.C.T.Y.E.B.B.C.C.C.C.A.O.O.L.H.A.B.

Can you pronounce that one? How bout those four C's in a row? I'm not even gonna try to chart that onto a map because I'm sure there's no corresponding night constellation. And I'm not in the mood for acronyms. But I do have to come up with a fancy tour name like the Glitter & Doom Tour. Maybe the Hard Way Home Tour or better yet, The Tour To End All Tours. Yeah, I like that one.

No Cavs. No Hornets. No Me.

Ok NBA, listen up. I know your ideal finals would be Lakers/Celtics and that's who I picked to be in it as well. I mean, it's practically been scripted since pre-season and it'd be a "classic finals showdown" and blah blah blah but in a season where I have finally been won over as a fan of basketball, you're losing me. I can't watch another predictable game played by the old man Spurs. I don't wanna watch those cocky Pistons. They're boring. I want LeBron back! I want CP3 circus shots! And now that they're gone, you better hope that it's that "classic" Kobe/Garnett finals or you won't see me again til October. Take that!

That said, I still want the Celtics to win it all. But after two full 7 game series and who knows what with the Pistons I'm worried these dudes won't have anything left in the tank. But I don't really care to see the Lakers win more championships. In the meantime, I'm campaigning for Knicks 2009.

The Coast Seems Clear

I'm guessing it's safe. We've been more than a little paranoid about this deal since we've experienced more than a few months of frustration & disappointment, so we haven't talked about it much, other than occasional non-sensical rants to parents who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but over the last few weeks our excitement has overcome our trepidation and we've let it slip to pretty much everyone and anyone unfortunate enough to strike up a conversation with us.

To be more direct... we found a house. A little over a month ago. We wasted no time and skipped formalities going right for the jugular and filled out a contract. The deal seemed too sweet and time was running out. We didn't want to go another summer homeless. Skip ahead a few weeks, offers accepted, mortgages approved, and then the wait.

But the long wait has now turned into three days. And me being the "pessimistic" one (I call it realistic) held off on any packing or other actions one would take whilst preparing for a move to satiate my own belief in jinxing & voodoo. I just didn't wanna have to think about it. So now, forced to realize that this actually is going to happen, I'm faced with the chore of packing up our lives, once again, in a few quick days and charged with the impossible task of having our scattered belongings all fall into one place at the perfect time. Not uncommon for many, but it's my blog & I can whine if I want to.

So that is it. We are on the verge of becoming homeowners. That is the reasoning behind that little countdown on the bottom of every post since May 1st. Mysterious? To Some. Childish? Sure. But that is how I describe myself on match.com so....

We're almost there. Like I said, three days. We head up to the Poconos Friday morning for "the final walkthrough" (where I'm guessing they will be playing Europe over a speaker system) and the ritual signing of ones name 72,475,902 times (I will try to get an official count on that). But today I feel good about it. No more disappearing loan officers or phantom paperwork or rogue real estate agents. Just three days of cardboard boxes and tape. What could go wrong?

Wish us luck, but don't expect an invite anytime soon. This place is gonna be a mess for quite some time. And if you know anyone with a giant truck or who happens to own a gas station, let us know.

May, My Music

Islands : Arms Way
I love when a band can make a gem of a debut album, replete with killer opener, instant classics & genre defy-age. I love it even more when two years later they do it again.

Wolf Parade : At Mount Zoomer
I've waited a few years for this followup and as much as I love it.... Imagine if you went to see the new Indiana Jones and it was only twenty minutes long. I mean, c'mon Indy.

The Accidental : There Were Wolves
A folk supergroup that manages to make a fairly cohesive recording maintaining their individualities but never overcoming their regular day job.

Destroyer : Trouble In Dreams
Destroyer's philosophy is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Who am I to disagree?

Karate : 595
Surprisingly tight live set from mellow jazz-rock or mannered indie-jazz (whichever pisses off music snobs) trio who triumphantly faded away.

A Silver Mt. Zion : 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons
Another doozy from our neighbors to the north that begins to ease the pain of the complete disappearance of their forefathers Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

My Morning Jacket : Evil Urges
Kentucky jam band heroes lose their reverb pedals, buy a pair of shoes, and compose a schizo album free of 8 minute instrumental passages; and it worked!

State Bird : Mostly Ghostly
Racket in a haunted attic. You know how the Muppets had Muppet Babies. Well this is Akron/Family Babies. What's that? You don't listen to Akron/Family? For shame.

Man Man : Rabbit Habits
In the mood for a drum circle circus freakout? With porn mustaches worn proudly on upper lip, Man Man create their self-confessed "pop album" and this is as close as they'll ever get.

Scarlett Johansson : Anywhere I Lay My Head
I know I know. This looked like a train wreck to me too, but production by Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio) of this deep, sultry vocal style not heard since Nico and Scarlett's apparent affinity for Tom Waits carries this album and completely separates her from mindless comparisons like David Hasselhoff, Eddie Murphy & Lindsay Lohan. This is a very good album.

Wye Oak : If Children
Earnest folk rock that flirts with dreampop and on first listen ensures me that there's a lot more to be heard.

Death Cab For Cutie : Narrow Stairs
For their latest opus Ben Gibbard forgets how to sing and the guitars get even blander. For all future reference please see releases prior to major label signing.

Stars : In Our Bedroom After The War
Another Stars record. The equivalent to a sky piece of a puzzle. Uneventful but essential.

Coney Island Baby Shower

Today we got two for the price of one. A recap of our visit to Coney Island and a few highlights from April's baby shower. I wanna make sure I maximize the amount of content so you don't feel that your time has been wasted. On with it then...

As you may have heard (^) Fran & I took a short daytrip to Coney Island yesterday as a sort of one last hurrah before next week comes and changes our lives forever. It shouldn't be a surprise to hear that the island, which is actually a peninsula, has not maintained the sense of purity and wonderment that turned it into the famous landmark it's known as today. I don't think Lou Reed would write songs about the modern day Coney Island, but maybe he would. I'm getting off topic.

We showed up around 2 on a bit of a high after finally ending our relentless search for a duvet at Ikea and took right to the boards. The place was packed for this early in the season, but it was a Saturday and most everyone was on their best behavior. We snaked our way thru the different amusement parks; Astroland, Wonder Wheel, mainly just taking in the sites and enjoying the seabreeze. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of "haunted house" type rides, with names like Dante's Inferno & my personal favorite, The Ghost Hole (which featured a man who simultaneously loses control of every bodily function available), so it encouraged us to head back to the boardwalk rather quickly.




We strayed toward the depressingly inactive Parachute Jump tower and watched a few fleeting moments of a Brooklyn Cyclones game from the best seat in the house.




A new feature for Coney Island this year is the BeachDozer. For a small fee you and a friend can ride a bulldozer up and down the beach, causing havoc and redesigned the shoreline as you see fit.



We made our way out onto Steeplechase Pier where our life was threatened by rogue fish hooks and mighty winds that almost claimed my Expos cap.




And who goes to Coney Island without eating at Nathan's Famous?? No one! That's who.




Then we visited one of the last remaining reminders of Coney Island's glory days, the Cyclone, but due to full bellies & money/time restrictions we settled on living vicariously through the people who were already on it.




We got back on the road and headed for NJ, but not before we were involved in what seemed to be some sort of action filming, complete with race car stunts, multiple close range helicopters and traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel. We arrived a little late for April's baby shower, but no one seemed to notice. We sat at a table with birds of our feather, the non-relateds, and managed to have a little party of our own. When you put Johnny & Greg together in any room it's always a scene.




We participated in many of the games such as baby lottery, baby bingo (which Greg won twice!), and the all-time classic "Who's Got the Dirty Diaper?". Fran even got in with the macho men and competed in baby bottle beer bong where she placed 11th out of eleven. I am very proud.




It was a fun night, and April looks happy as I've ever seen her. We had tons of delicious food and we got to spend quality time with quality people. Too bad more of them aren't getting pregnant, altho I understand that is now all the rage.