Everything is Illuminated.

Started reading it today. Struck by this:

"I have thought without end of what you said about falling in love with her. In truth, I never fathomed it when you uttered it in Ukraine. But I am certain that I fathom it now. I examine her once when it is morning, and once before I manufacture Z's, and on every instance I see something new, some manner in which her hairs produce shadows, or her lips summarize angles."

Good night. Even in broken English, that's beautiful.

Eric Clapton stole George Harrison's Wife.

With an uber-guitar rock song called "Layla". I saw my Eric Clapton lamp tonight (thanks again Kris) and was reminded of this. It's an amazing story in rock history actually. And I will share it with you:

First of all, I needn't remind you that George Harrison was an effing Beatle (in fact, a "SIR Effing Beatle" by that time, and Clapton was still a couple decades away from being knighted). Now it could be argued that "Clapton [was] God" in England, but really this was just the opinion of a particularly active Grafittist in the greater London area. George had always had an impressive list of best friends (i.e. Bob Dylan, who introduced he and the rest of the Beatles to Marijuana and Ravi Shankar who introduced George to meditation, the sitar, and lsd; we can probably assume he knew all about "Cocaine" by the time he and Clapton met).

George and Patty were not even on the rocks at the time. In fact all of the Beatles, though broken up, were in the most stable relationships of their careers John with Yoko; Paul with Linda; Ringo with a guitar. This was purely a case of rocking your best friend's girl away from him. The most amazing part of the story is that they made up (fairly quickly) and were still best friends after this. Now that my friends, is "bro's before ho's".

p.s. The original name for this post was "Wah-na-nana-nana-nah!!! Wee Doo Doo Doo Doo!!!" But I figured without direct reference to Layla nobody would get it.

Heat.

So, the studio is always a pretty welcome place after walking in the heat. It's between 72 and 76 in there all the time. It's so cold in there, that it's actually usually refreshing to walk out into the bright afternoon when I leave. Not today. The heat was so instantly assaulting I was nearly choked on my first warm breath. It's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. I've lived in AZ my whole life and Alabama/ Mississippi. But damn if New York isn't the hottest place I've ever lived.

One of my better experiences.

Hey, so I think I've explained to some of you that I'm not allowed to say who's in the studio until they've left. So Brand New has been in since June. (They're one of my favorite bands) Well, they just finished the 3rd album and it sounds really good. I might still like Deja Entendu better, but this is the best quality recording. Great songs too. So make sure and get it whenever it gets released. I set up mics on each session and even engineered a little, but you won't see me in the credits cause I'm an intern. This is one of the frustrations of being the peon, but when I come back I will at least start to get 2nd engineer credits on stuff I assist on.

Another moleskine gem.

"Surely, that can't have caught you completely off guard... Oh, it did? Sorry, my bad."

Organic.

I went into Avatar this afternoon to help Anthony give our Hammond C3 a checkup. We swapped some tubes, fixed some dents in some of the tonewheels, and she sounds better than ever. Well, maybe not better than she sounded on "Dark Side of the Moon". That's right, Avatar owns the Hammond from Abbey Road where Pink Floyd recorded their breakthrough album. It's not likely any Beatles played it since it replaced another older Hammond at Abbey Road in 1970. Plus the organ is (as far as we can discern) a '69 (The year the Beatles began to break up. I think it was '70 when they officially called it quits). It's still pretty cool though, and in the end, I like Floyd better than the Beatles.

A Pleasant Surprise.

I walked out of a movie tonight near Lincoln Center and New York was fantastically beautiful. The Gallery, The Opera House, The Julliard School, and the Temple were alight and I had a moment of discrete bliss... a pleasant surprise. I got off a subway stop early to buy a McDonald's ice cream cone and walk in my neighborhood. The people reflected the beauty, I'm sure I've never seen so many smiles on these streets. It was good for my soul.

Scribbled in my Moleskine sometime yesterday.

Thought that might make some of you laugh.

Back in New York City.

This week has been strange. Work has been the very definition of frustrating this week. I want to be a real engineer again. Soon I will have a job where I actually use ProTools regularly, so that will be nice, but now it seems like I'm just biding my time as the intern till August 20th when I fly back to AZ. That's a lousy feeling.

I've also been the victim of my own nerves, about a variety of things that it actually makes no sense to be worried about. Yesterday I was certain an ulcer was coming. So I forced myself to chill. Then I said to myself, "Deal with what you can deal with right in front of you and relax a bit about everything else."

Mostly I'm doubting myself. I'm doubting whether I'm good enough to even survive doing freelance in this city. I'm doubting whether staying here is even a good idea. I'm doubting... well, you get the idea right? Doubt feels crappy, and I'm trying to feel more positive but it's becoming clear to me that I just... might not be positive about some things I thought I had decided. A lot of these things make perfect sense everywhere but in my heart. One of them only makes sense in my heart and feels stupid everywhere else. Help me.

More Boston.

Ok, so ultimately for the satisfaction of Yancy (who, mind you, is jealous as can be) I undertake a long and tedious blog post about my weekend in Boston with pictures and all. I flew in Thursday night. Flying was nice, but honestly I think I'll save by Fung Wah'ing in the future (I'll actually keep going with Rucky Stah, but "FungWah'ing" is a way better verb). I took the T into Harvard where Kristi picked me up. We went to dinner in Watertown with friends Seth, Tim, and Kylee. I had meat loaf (much to Seth's dismay).

Friday I went to lunch at the same pizzaria near Berklee and napped about whilst everybody was at work. Then we went to a performance of Mozart by the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. They played a finished version of the Requiem he was in process of finishing upon his death. It was perfect. The soloists were amazing, especially the bass (give it up for basses). I want to see that guy sing the role of Zorastro in the Magic Flute. Oh, yeah and we were soaking wet. We walked to Harvard from the church (about a 1/4 mile) in a deluge. Kylee, Catherine (sp?) and I stopped and played in a fountain and got even wetter if it were possible (sorry no pictures, they were taken on Catherine's camera). Afterwords enhungered (and probably less than intelligent) we went to eat at a diner/ice cream parlor. It was cold.

Saturday we woke up in the morning and took a ferry to Spectacle Island in the harbor to see the USS Constitution fire it's guns. I think somehow we missed it though (not the boat, the guns). Then we ferried over to Georges Island and played all day in the fort there which was occupied for 4 or 5 different wars. Much of our time was spent exploring in darkened hallways and rooms with unbelievable reverb tails (Jason, you would have shat yourself, no joke). Then we boated back to Boston and the view made me fall in love. I'm not kidding...Boston and I are in love. Saturday night we went to "Shakespeare in the Common" which was free (always great) and saw a nifty little rendition of "Taming of the Shrew" contemporized up to North End Boston's equivalent of "Little Italy". I was reminded how much more I like Shakespeare in comedy. Shakespeare in the Park was amazing, but I had more fun with the Shrew than MacBeth.

Sunday we went to church and I really enjoyed the meetings. Lots of cool people, good lessons, great comments, and a really reverent and wonderful sacrament meeting. At this point I start panicking... what if I'm supposed to live in Boston instead of New York? But I just got jobS in New York. Aaaah! After church we ate some dinner and I headed back to the airport. A big part of my soul wishes I was still there. I think I might ache for Boston for a while. Have you ever felt a need to be in a place that it isn't reasonable to be in?

Anyhow, I will now slew pictures about cause it's easier than scattering them through the text in appropriate places. Thanks to my Boston friends for putting me up and carting me 'round. I had a good old time. Come to New York so we can have fun here too.

I love lamp.

My dear friend Kristi, known by the alias "Marie" amongst her Bostonian rabble, does awesome alternative art that involves melting vinyl records into rudimentary lampshades and constructing a base from the album art. On my visit this past weekend, I bought a lamp made from the Eric Clapton album "Slowhand". It is awesome. Check out (and buy if you're so inclined) her work on her website.

AWESOME.

An overused word by me, it's true. But the only word I have to describe what I just experienced. I've been meaning to give The Format's new album "Dog Problems" a listen for a few days. I just listened to it while going to bed. I couldn't sleep. It was amazing. An experience akin to listening to "Spilt Milk" by Jellyfish or "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys for the first time. And for anyone who knows how often I listen to both of those albums, you understand the momentus nature of this discovery. It's 5 in the morning, and I'm not tired. All I am is overcome by the need to express this experience to the world. Do yourself a favor. Go buy this CD or download it from iTunes or eMusic. Set aside an hour and listen to it in a quiet room with headphones on. This is sonic candy for your hungry ears, substantial lyrics for your wanting soul, and perfectly crafted pop for that creature inside that's just dying to sing in the shower. Still not convinced? Find and listen to just the title track (track 6). If you don't like it you're stupid and I can't be your friend anymore. Not willing to take that risk? You're stupid and I can't be your friend anymore.

San Dimas High School Football Rules!

I think it was Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan who ruined the word "gnarly". I never know what to think when someone says for example, "That's a gnarly beard you've got." Does that mean you think it's growing in all gross and uneven? Or that you think it's a cool looking beard? Or maybe both. Maybe Gnarls Barkley will put it right. Or maybe not.

All kinds of words have gone astray of their proper meanings. "Funky", for example, used to mean something akin to "your general odor is suscpiciously like that of butt or a rotting corpse." Now it describes a soulful music with scratchy guitar and immense bass in syncopated rhythms. Or it means something is strange or unusual.

Bad means good instead of bad. Fat might be spelled with a "ph" and therfore mean something completely different. And yet we somehow make sense of all of this. It must be kinda frustrating to learn contemporary English with all of these anachronistic shifts in meaning... or maybe it's not. Who knows?

Our house becomes a home. (Sorta)

So Seth and I have both been making some improvements to our living space. The initial improvements of air conditioning and blinds (Yancy and I used to have to get naked in front of an open window) were accomplished long ago, but slowly our stuff has moved out of suitcases and into more permanant fixtures. Furniture hunts in the moving piles have been fruitful. I now have a small desk, which I'm in process of covering with stickers (we scored a bunch at the siren festival at Coney Island this weekend where we also lifted [read: stole] the awesome green sign that says New York Noise), a media shelf/amp stand, and a score of multi-colored all purpose crates. Seth's wall is covered with maps of New York and the Boroughs. I must say it's starting to look pretty cool. Yes, we both still sleep on the floor, but that's actually a preference more than a necessity.

"Wow, I know you said you were flat-footed, but WOW."

I went to foot locker today to get some running shoes. After trying on a couple pairs I explained that I was pretty flat-footed and probably needed something with a better arch. The referee assisting me had given me the shoes with the biggest arch already so he referred (since that's what referees do well) me to a place down the street called Jackrabbit Sports. I introduced myself to one of the shoe experts and explained my whole genetic predicament. She asked me to show her my feet so I did and she said the title of this post. They had me run on a treadmill in a neutral running shoe and video recorded from different angles, my run. After some analysis and a few different video treadmill sessions in different shoes, we landed on a pair that corrected much of my bad form as a result of my flat feet. The shoes are aptly called "The Beasts", as they are easily the heaviest running shoe I have ever worn. Seth, Jason and I just went running in the pouring rain. I consider the Beasts sufficiently Christened.

An Edible Ice Cream Receptacle

Surely ranks among the best ideas ever.

Employment news.

I know I've told a number of people about this, but I figured I'd make a general announcement on the subject.

My supervising engineer Anthony, told me he was going to reccomend that Avatar hire me on a freelance basis in September. He tells me that's good for about 10-15 studio hours a week. Which is not a full time gig, but great. I'd be making $35/hour. But obviously I need some other work if I'm gonna stay in New York. So I'm on the lookout for a part time job with later hours. I'm gonna check into TV/Radio stations and possibly some clubs and post-houses. So pray I can find some other work so I can stay in New York. Or pray that I don't so I can come back West, whichever you like.

Love, Jared.

I'm doing the 7's thing...

For which I blame Kylee and Kristi.

7 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
1. Own an awesome studio.
2. Make a film and enter it in festivals.
3. Have 3 or so kids. With a wifey.
4. Make Kristi watch an entire movie in one sitting.
5. Kiss Zooey Descanel.
6. Do karayoke several more times. And recieve a standing ovation or an encore.
7. Shake Ingmar Bergman's hand.

7 Things I Cannot Do:
1. Whistle worth a damn.
2. Eat seafood of nearly any variety.
3. Drugs.
4. Wake up early. Well I can, but it's hard.
5. A flip, front or back.
6. "Breakdance". Which is an improper term, but nonetheless I wish I could.
7. Stop buying recording/music equipment with all spare funds.

7 Things I say often:
1. "You're a horrible person."
2. Rad.
3. "You are making me sooo angry." (In Carl's voice)
4. Numberless jokes from Arrested Development that only a few people get.
5. "I want to kiss a girl."
6. "So, this one time, Adam and I..."
7. (Sung) The lyrics to one of 8 billion songs that run through my mind on a daily basis.

7 Books I Could Read Over and Over:
1. The New Testament from Acts to Revelations.
2. Killing Yourself to Live.
3. Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs.
4. The Infinite Atonement.
5. Most of the other books I love are actually too depressing to read over and over again in rapid succesion.
6.
7.

7 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over (originally movies):
1. "Storm Coming" by Gnarls Barkley
2. "Days Go By" by Duncan Sheik
3. "Wandering" by Ben Folds and Darren Jesse
4. "Oh What a Night" by The Four Seasons
5. "Ghost in this House" by Hugh Prestwood (Allison Krauss and Union Station)
6. "I Do." by Jude
7. "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac

7 Movies I could watch over and over (you whimps):
1. "Duel at Ichijoji Temple" by Hiroshi Inigaki
2. "All the Real Girls" by David Gordon Green
3. "Winter Light" by Ingmar Bergman
4. "The Hudsucker Proxy" by the Choen Brothers
5. "Kagemusha" by Akira Kurosawa
6. "Magnolia" by Paul Thomas Anderson
7. "The Royal Tenenbaums" by Wes Anderson

7 Things that Attract Me to My Best Friends:
1. Sheer Awesomeness.
2. Intelligence.
3. Their Humor, Hyjinx, and Hilarity.
4. Genuine-inity.
5. Spontaneity.
6. Willingness to sing loudly and badly with me in public.
7. Likeable faces (mostly).

7 People that I think should do "7".
1. Nobody really needs to waste their time on this. I was just pretty bored.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Having a subway car to yourselves...

Is one of the better things in life.

When the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay...

OK, granted that song's about San Fransisco, and the lights never actually go down in New York, unless it's a brownout. But hey, it's Journey and it went with the picture. Good enough.

In addition to taking the above photograph, I played in a fountain in Battery Park last night and got soaked. I then ate chinese food and slept in a queen bed with 3 other people. Finally, I woke up in a strange place, late for work. And yet, I am posistive that all of these things need to happen on a more regular basis.