Bjornicus

|current sounds| Unwed Sailor- The Marionette and the Music Box



Poor Bjorn hasn't been his goofy self lately. Worms and arthritis, mostly the latter. He turns nine this December, so I suppose he's getting up there in age, but still sad to see him in pain. Thanks to medecine, he's in better spirits today and will perhaps maintain his puppy-like energy after massage therapy from my parents' neighbor, Alana. She's my brother's age and, I surmise, studied to be a masseuse this past year. Mom and Dad told her about his arthritis and one weekend while she pet-sat Bjorn, studied doggie muscles and gave Bjorn a massage. He was like a new canine! Alana's offered her services cheap, so we're trying to decide whether we want Bjorn to become dependent on these twice-a-month visits.

It's been nice to chill at home, get things ready for the move to D.C., but I'm definitely ready to put my life in motion in the Capitol. Spent a good amount of time converting eight mailcrates of CDs (picture below at the early stages of the project)...



... to three boxes.



I did this through 1000 CD Gatefold Sleeves from Bags Unlimited. I still have 200 sleeves left over, but keep in mind that I kept all digipaks, box sets, and specially packaged albums intact. Once I settle in, I'll send for some of their plastic storage boxes. It's going to make moving and space issues much easier.



And for the heck of it, a beautiful wash of flowing blonde hair!


Emilia and Lars rocking out at the Boat.

An excuse to share this cute cartoon

|current sounds| The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus (various MP3s courtesy of Jason at Opus)



No, the blog's not dead. I'm just not spending much time on the internet now that I'm home in Georgia. And come later this week (or next week depending on my car situation... as in, where to store my car), I'll be moving back to Washington, D.C. I'm taking a bit of a risk moving to the city for a job that may or may not exist down the road, but I'm willing to take various jobs and live with some former NPR interns in the meantime.

Therefore, National Public Viking will continue, though not as an intern but as a, ahem, working man. Updates to follow.

My guest spot on All Songs Considered

Don't really have much time to write about the past week's events (tomorrow!), but I just wanted to guide y'all to an episode of All Songs Considered, which I guest-hosted with Bob Boilen. I selected all the music and had a discussion with Bob about my time at WUOG and Athens, and also the idea of music as entertainment versus music created for the self.

The show's achived here.

I'll have a full account of the experience recording the show in due time.

Twizzlers Cola & Cherry

|current sounds| Reno 911 on the TV



While picking up some toothpaste, I walked down the candy aisle today. Much to my surprise, there's a new Twizzlers flavor! Cola & Cherry. It says "limited edition" on the front of the bag, which means the company's not too sure about keeping this one around, especially after the mostly boring multi-fruit-flavored bag that came out who knows how many years ago (the "orange" was delicious, though).

I do love biting off the ends of these licquorice sticks and using them for straws in sodas, so a Cola flavor was so inevitable. The flavors have been separated to, you know, mix and match as you please, which is a good idea. Unfortunately, I'm sad to report that the brown Cola Twizzler tastes like battery acid. I don't even want to know what it would taste like after sitting in a Coke can for ten minutes. In fact, it'd probably ruin the Coke.

I ate the whole bag anyway. Haven't had my Twizzler fix all summer.

It's the Boat!

|current sounds| The Goslings- Grandeur of Hair

WEDNESDAY

Jamie and I hosted a Project Runway party. We cooked chicken parmesan (or something close to it), green beans, and made up a salad. Mashed potatoes, you just weren't meant to happen, sadly.

The hardcore PR fans are slightly underwhelmed by this season of the show as a good bit of the fashion designers are already established in the field. I'd like to think it's allowed the producers give the contestants harder challenges (like designing and showing a dress for Ms. USA's Ms. Universe pageant). We're all hoping it'll get better.

At least Jamie and I are going to try to have a Puffy Paint Project Runway party this week.


Christina and Jeff.


(L-R) Rita, Arwa, Kyle, Jessica, and Sarah.


(L-R) Nathan, Jeff, and Christina.


THURSDAY


The rescheduled Sleater-Kinney concert was one of those kinds of experiences that make you forget every show you've seen in the past year. It even converted our NPR sound engineer after I told him two nights earlier why S-K is the best rock band in America. The band closed with a sick version of "Dig Me Out."


FRIDAY

After a particularly hectic Friday, all that really needs to be said can be summed up in this picture:


Michael and Nicole's party at "The Boat."

Transformers! More than meets the eye!

|current sounds| Vashti Bunyan- Just Another Diamond Day

Near the end of the Rogers Sisters set, the crew at the 9:30 Club began to usher in people from backstage and check the wiring close to where I had my laptop set up for the live chat room during the Sleater-Kinney show (I moderate the chat room for the NPR Live Concert Series). I didn't think twice about it, but when the house lights came on, and Bob Boilen turns to me and says, "I think they might cancel the show," I still hadn't pieced it together.

Reportedly, a transformer outside the building was overheating and even caused a small fire outside the front doors of the building. The fire marshall caught wind and immediately came to shut down the show. A man had to stand in front of the sold-out audience and tell them they show was cancelled and had to evacuate. I did not envy him. The crowd, for the most part, sadly complied, but an angry mob formed outside. But really, since when is an angry mob of indie-rock kids that threatening?

No word if Sleater-Kinney will be able to reschedule. Would've been incredible to see "Entertain," "Oh!", or "Dig Me Out" live. This is their final tour before they go on "indefinite hiatus." I'm bummed about it, but my heart especially goes out to the fans that travelled across the country.

Here's the scene outside the 9:30 Club: