Album #7 was Loveless by My Bloody Valentine.  ”Soon” is probably my favorite song by them, but this is a close second from that [...]]]> YouTube – My Bloody Valentine – When You Sleep.

Album #7 was Loveless by My Bloody Valentine.  ”Soon” is probably my favorite song by them, but this is a close second from that same album.

Continuing my British invasion of albums that influenced me over the years, coming in at #6 is The Stone Roses self-titled album, which I think I played every night after buying it for three years straight to go to sleep to (and every morning and [...]]]> YouTube – The Stone Roses – This is the One audio only.

Continuing my British invasion of albums that influenced me over the years, coming in at #6 is The Stone Roses self-titled album, which I think I played every night after buying it for three years straight to go to sleep to (and every morning and all day).

Chris sent me The Hacienda (How Not To Run A Club) by Peter Hook last week and I am inhaling it right now.  Many times as a teen or a bit older I wished I had been able to spend one night there, but it never happened.  Reading it now is like a weird trip down memory lane for experiences I never had.  It is funny to read how party-times New Order was as a band, considering how straight-laced I somehow considered them to be when listening to them as a teen.

We finally found a new house to live in and will move into it in about a week.  It came down to a decision between two places we liked, and we opted for the more centrally located yet smaller place, and hopefully we’ll be happy with that decision.  We will see!

Now I just need to find a new job in October.  Details, small details.

I haven’t heard from Chris this AM so I will continue on with Album #5, which was Violator by Depeche Mode.  It’s not something I listen to anymore but I used to love it.  A lot.

I took a walk around Seward Park yesterday with my [...]]]> YouTube – Depeche Mode – World in my eyes not live [violator].

I haven’t heard from Chris this AM so I will continue on with Album #5, which was Violator by Depeche Mode.  It’s not something I listen to anymore but I used to love it.  A lot.

I took a walk around Seward Park yesterday with my family, something I never did the first time I lived here.  I think I saw like 20% of this city the last time I lived here.  It has been fun to rediscover it and/or discover things for the first time.

My fourth album pick was Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles.  They have other albums that I like more, but this one (and possibly Sgt. Pepper’s) had the biggest effect on me growing up.

We saw another house yesterday that was near our current temp place and it was [...]]]> YouTube – The Beatles – Flying (2009 Stereo Remaster).

My fourth album pick was Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles.  They have other albums that I like more, but this one (and possibly Sgt. Pepper’s) had the biggest effect on me growing up.

We saw another house yesterday that was near our current temp place and it was nice, but it was missing a few things to make it exactly right.  I think we’re zeroing in on what we want, and hopefully one of the next three we have lined up to see by Saturday morning will be the lucky property.  It must be close to cheap beef jerky, preferably near a teriyaki joint, and very loud and busy at night.  Wait – we’re already there!

I think this is the third song from Clientele’s “Suburban Light” album that I have posted on this blog (my next album pick continuing the series).  I bought that album around 2000 and still listen to it quite a bit.

I (temporarily) live across the street from this place. [...]]]> YouTube – The Clientele – We Could Walk Together.

I think this is the third song from Clientele’s “Suburban Light” album that I have posted on this blog (my next album pick continuing the series).  I bought that album around 2000 and still listen to it quite a bit.

I (temporarily) live across the street from this place.  In fact, this photo could have been taken from my living room window.  This must be an old photo because Toshio’s Teriyaki Restaurant has a different sign now.  I went to both of those places on the same lunch hour a few days ago.  I got a bunch of rock-bottom-priced beef jerky and then at Toshio’s I got the pork/chicken combo.  My daughter got an Oh Boy Oberto paper hat that she proudly wore to my embarrassment, and Toshio’s turned out to be a religious place that says “prayer” and “living water” are free, everything else on the menu must be paid for.  They had “God Bless” written in 10 different Asian languages on a white board.  These are not the two eateries you want to spend time at if you have an afternoon to kill in Seattle, but it was an interesting lunch hour.

Also, Oberto has flowers planted in a way that spell “Oh Boy” which is all wrong.  But the beef jerky was oh so right.

Album #2 was Power Corruption and Lies by New Order.  I love this song.

Wish us luck as we look at another house tonight … I think this is #4 in the past [...]]]> YouTube – New Order – “Leave Me Alone”.

Album #2 was Power Corruption and Lies by New Order.  I love this song.

Wish us luck as we look at another house tonight … I think this is #4 in the past few days.

I’ll post twice today to start this week off right.  Things have been crazy with trying to find a new place while living in a temporary furnished condo and working from home and getting to know our neighborhood.  But we’re getting there, slowly but surely.  I think we’ll be living somewhere around [...]]]> YouTube – the Cure Push.

I’ll post twice today to start this week off right.  Things have been crazy with trying to find a new place while living in a temporary furnished condo and working from home and getting to know our neighborhood.  But we’re getting there, slowly but surely.  I think we’ll be living somewhere around the Central District/Beacon Hill in the next couple of weeks.  I am hoping to post once a day again going forward …

I hardly ever answer those “Pick your favorite albums” type things that come through on Facebook, but I did do one today, in which you had to pick 15 albums in under 15 minutes that affected you or will stick with you permanently.  Of course, #1 for me was “The Head on The Door” by The Cure (it was either that, Disintegration, 17 Seconds, or Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me), so here is the song “Push” from The Cure in Orange video from that album.

I made it to Seattle, and it’s almost as hot here as it was in Durham (I think I just missed a major rainy patch, so this is nice).

The trip out here was great.  Packing up our shit and getting rid of a lot of belongings that couldn’t fit into [...]]]> YouTube – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun.

I made it to Seattle, and it’s almost as hot here as it was in Durham (I think I just missed a major rainy patch, so this is nice).

The trip out here was great.  Packing up our shit and getting rid of a lot of belongings that couldn’t fit into our moving pod was not any fun at all, but we somehow got through it and left last Sunday.  We left later in the day than we planned, but were able to get to Knoxville, TN.  The next day we had lunch in Nashville with a friend of Kyla’s who was very nice and showed us a bit around the area we were in, and then we went to Memphis.  We spent a few hours on Beale St. watching kids do back flips for money (literally) and washed up blues musicians perform for tourists like ourselves.  We made it to Little Rock, Arkansas that night.

After visiting Little Rock’s farmer’s market the next morning, we made it to Dallas in the afternoon and visited my brother and his family.  It went too fast, and I hope we can get out there to visit again.

We made it to Albuquerque the next day via some small highway that goes from Denton to Roswell (and almost ran out of gas on the way).  I saw my cousins Mark and Lisa and my friends Nick, Shenoah, Lisa, and Kathy.  I ate red chile carne adovada at a restaurant called Maria and Tito’s that blew me away in its perfectness.

We drove through Durango, CO and Salt Lake City, UT, and then on to Boise and Pendleton, OR.  We stayed at a great little bed and breakfast there that looked like a regular motel on the outside but was cozy and nice on the inside.

We then ate at the Hedge House and Pix Patisserie in Portland, OR and ended up in Seattle on Sunday evening.  Our rental condo is very nice and the weather is HOT, which is crazy.  So it has been a good drive and transition back to the PNW, and I missed it a lot more than I thought.  I’m very glad to be back, although I miss Durham in many ways, too.  Now I hope to see some old friends out here in the next few days.  And this will be the last grunge posting for a long time, I hope.

From Chris:

This is my very first youtube video. There may be more later.