Songs of the Moment

Back when we lived in North Dakota, Mike and I were often in search of that elusive "something to do". Minot was certainly not a town filled with stimulating arts and culture. Besides, when it was 40 below we didn't even want to venture out of the house. We would often spend a Saturday afternoon each creating a CD compilation along some sort of theme. In the evening we would grab a few beers, sit on the couch and listen to each other's CDs. It kept us sane and brought us closer together.

Music has always been a big part of our relationship. We met while I was a DJ at the college radio station and we loved to go to shows (especially at The Edge and The Sapphire Supper Club... ah memories!). We still indulge in this old hobby of ours from time to time. Now we make playlists on our iPods, which is much faster and less expensive than burning a CD. We can also be more large-scale, doing a Top 50 of this or that and listening to our compilations in small sets throughout the week. The most important and enjoyable component is still sharing our mixes with each other. We've taken to making quick little lists of ten songs that we're currently really digging, calling these playlists our "songs of the moment". We do this about twice a month or so. With our music collection at around 1200 albums, we're always discovering and rediscovering gems with each other.

I thought I would like to share my "Songs of the Moment" with my friends. At least, share links to songs if available. I hope that you enjoy this and perhaps discover something new that you'll love. (Disclaimer- My tastes in music are quite varied and I refuse to adhere to the policy that something is worthless just because it's popular. I like what I like and that's that.)

1. Midnight Oil- "The Dead Heart" (Midnight Oil is so under appreciated. They really were phenomenal song-writers. I wish I could have seen them perform live. Back when MTV played music, they did an unplugged set complete with a didgeridoo. The audio/video sync on this video is horrible but you get the idea.)

2. British Seapower- "Who's in Control?" (This is the opening track on their 2010 release "Valhalla Dancehall". I haven't been able to get enough of this song recently. Sadly I have yet to see them perform live. Twice when they have come to Seattle I was sick and a third time I couldn't go because of work. Bah, responsibilities!)

3. Frightened Rabbit- "The Loneliness and the Scream"(The video for this song is just beautiful. The song itself never quite grabbed my attention until I saw them perform it at the Showbox. The whole audience was singing along with the "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh's" in an extending outro and it was so magical. )

4. Talking Heads- "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" (A bit of Jenn Trivia- We were allowed to choose any subject to make a presentation on in my 10th grade English class. I chose The Talking Heads. This song has such a lovely, simple, light groove. It brings me calm.)

5. Patty Smyth and Scandal- "The Warrior" (You gotta have some of that 80's chick power in your life.)

6. Chumbawamba- "Outsider" (This such a great band! I'm sad that their one hit in the U.S. was misinterpreted as some sort of frat boy anthem. They write powerful songs and are not afraid to be blunt and say exactly how they feel.)

7. The Cure- "Plainsong" (This song has always swept me away.)

8. The Helio Sequence- "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" (Dear Helio Sequence- Please hurry up and come out with another amazing album. Love, me.)

9. Death Cab for Cutie- "We Laugh Indoors" (This popped up on my "shuffle" this week. I kind of like the unpolished sound of Death Cab's older stuff.)

10. Matt and Kim- "Block After Block" (Matt and Kim make me happy. I want to have a crazy slumber party with them and dance all night.)

More People of India Era WWII

Here are a few more of my grandmother's photographs of people form her time in India during WWII.

I find this one the most haunting image. A note on the back of the photo said this boy tended the pyres at one the the cremation ghats. He is wearing skulls around his neck.

Water buffalo cart

I think this must be a constable.

Smiling friends

Paper mache artist

Street barber giving a customer a shave

The most heartbreaking image is this little boy digging through the trash for food.

India Era WWII part 2- People of India

Since there were so many photographs from Mima's time in India, I decided to sort them into three broad categories: 1. People of India, 2. Sights of India, 3. Pictures involving the U.S. Military. Here are a few of my favorite images to start off the first category.

A snake charmer

Dancing bear and monkey

A "blind" beggar (a note on the back said she later learned he was not blind after all)

People bathing outdoors

The back of the photo said this woman was an actress.

India Era WWII part 1

When my grandmother, "Mima", passed away March of last year, my family discovered a treasure trove of old photographs stored in a cardboard box on a shelf. A majority of the images are from the time she spent in India while serving with the Red Cross during WWII. I took on the task of scanning hundreds of photographs and storing them properly in an archive box. I'm amazed that the photos held up as well as they did since they spent years sitting in the Florida humidity with little protection. There were faint penciled notes on the back of many of the pictures, mostly stating where the photo was taken or a brief fact or opinion about the subject. Probably the most fascinating are the photos of my Mima herself, as a woman in her early 20s having the adventure of her young life. I especially love the pictures of her and my handsome grandfather, whom she met and fell in love with while in India.

I'd like to start sharing some of these images with you. The best place to start is probably with a few of my favorites.

Here is Mima with Grandpa looking very handsome in his uniform.

Mima showing off her adventurous side




I love this one of Mima with her camera. Mima and Grandpa are responsible for my love of photography.

Mima with a very silly, happy friend.

I'll be sharing more photographs later. I'd like to parcel them out in small servings instead of one giant photo post.

Another Blog! Oh Boy.

Well, OK. I'm starting a blog. Why do I feel the need to set up yet another "thingie" on the internet? Well, facebook is nice and all but it just doesn't cut it when I have something to say that is more than just a quick blurb about my life or a link I find worth sharing. Anything more in depth I share tends to get lost in the stream of status updates. My Livejournal account tends to be an outlet for those times I need to be more candid about my life and thoughts, since I can make my posts there "friends-only".

So, here I go. I suspect I'll mostly be rambling about photography, music and food. If you like one or more of those things, feel free to keep reading.