Things I Think I Learned This Week
Well.
It's Sunday night (in a week that I remembered I do this particular blog subject semi-regularly), so that translates to another edition of TITILTW. (That stands for "Things I Think I Learned This Week," but I have a feeling that's gonna be the last time I abbreviate it ever.)
As of this typing, there's only 85 minutes left in this week--and considering that I spent the last 32 minutes deciding what to listen to as I write (the winner is Engine Down's Demure)--I'd probably better get right to the festivities.
TITILTW: Labor Day Spectacular by Timothy James Karan
1. Rival Schools (my go-to namedrop band) are writing a new record. This is both exhilarating and mildly disconcerting to me. I love Rival Schools more than days I realize I don't have to blog (and I love those days so, so, so much). Here's the thing: I was introduced to Rival Schools about seven years ago by a friend who was growing tired of my incessant whining about whichever girl it was who had just destroyed me forever (Fun fact, kids: Whenever you think that you've just lost the love of your life, typically you meet a new love of your life about three weeks later in line at Long John Silvers, then in a few months you get destroyed again and the cycle continues until you realize that fast food restaurants aren't conducive to locating one's respective soul mate). My friend assured me that "Undercovers On" from United By Fate would solve all of my problems and for only the third time on record, he was correct.
Since Rival Schools have been relatively MIA since 2002, I've been left with an image of the band that they're just about as close to perfection as possible. However, I'm afraid that a new album could tarnish that image (like after I met Colleen--the second girl at Long John Silvers--who, for 13 days, I believed was amazing until I found out that she had a Dave Matthews Band tattoo). I want to trust you, Rival Schools. But I've been hurt before. (Refer to: Portishead's Third and the new American Gladiators).
2. Don't wear sunglasses to air shows. So my parents made the trip into luxurious Cleveland this weekend because they're pretty much 1973-style groupies for the Navy's Blue Angel flying team. Although they made me wake up at 10 a.m. on a Saturday (I don't consider anything a day off if I have to set my alarm clock for any reason), the inner Western-Pennsylvanian in me means that as much as I'd like to repress it, I have a physiological need to witness very large machines make as much noise as possible. The thing I failed to recognize, however, is that staring into the sun for six hours in the middle of a Saturday leads to third-degree burns around the bright white patches of your face that are covered by your $6 H&M sunglasses. I toyed with taking a picture just so you could see the ridiculousness, but I couldn't do that to Katie.
3. Speaking of Katie, apparently nobody wants to read anything about how we blew up a kitchen last week. I'm baffled. Whenever I told anyone the story about the whole L.A. explosion debacle, everyone said the same thing: "Well, at least you have something interesting to blog about." But the 80 percent decrease in comments for that mini-series leads me to believe that either I built up too much hype for the blog in my head or that semi-serious blogs by me are about as uncomfortable as that episode of The Fresh Prince when Carlton takes speed and dances until he passes out.
4. I actually don't blog very well to Engine Down. Somewhere around the beginning of No. 3, I switched over to Manchester Orchestra, and I think you go back, you can see a marked improvement.
It's Sunday night (in a week that I remembered I do this particular blog subject semi-regularly), so that translates to another edition of TITILTW. (That stands for "Things I Think I Learned This Week," but I have a feeling that's gonna be the last time I abbreviate it ever.)
As of this typing, there's only 85 minutes left in this week--and considering that I spent the last 32 minutes deciding what to listen to as I write (the winner is Engine Down's Demure)--I'd probably better get right to the festivities.
TITILTW: Labor Day Spectacular by Timothy James Karan
1. Rival Schools (my go-to namedrop band) are writing a new record. This is both exhilarating and mildly disconcerting to me. I love Rival Schools more than days I realize I don't have to blog (and I love those days so, so, so much). Here's the thing: I was introduced to Rival Schools about seven years ago by a friend who was growing tired of my incessant whining about whichever girl it was who had just destroyed me forever (Fun fact, kids: Whenever you think that you've just lost the love of your life, typically you meet a new love of your life about three weeks later in line at Long John Silvers, then in a few months you get destroyed again and the cycle continues until you realize that fast food restaurants aren't conducive to locating one's respective soul mate). My friend assured me that "Undercovers On" from United By Fate would solve all of my problems and for only the third time on record, he was correct.
Since Rival Schools have been relatively MIA since 2002, I've been left with an image of the band that they're just about as close to perfection as possible. However, I'm afraid that a new album could tarnish that image (like after I met Colleen--the second girl at Long John Silvers--who, for 13 days, I believed was amazing until I found out that she had a Dave Matthews Band tattoo). I want to trust you, Rival Schools. But I've been hurt before. (Refer to: Portishead's Third and the new American Gladiators).
2. Don't wear sunglasses to air shows. So my parents made the trip into luxurious Cleveland this weekend because they're pretty much 1973-style groupies for the Navy's Blue Angel flying team. Although they made me wake up at 10 a.m. on a Saturday (I don't consider anything a day off if I have to set my alarm clock for any reason), the inner Western-Pennsylvanian in me means that as much as I'd like to repress it, I have a physiological need to witness very large machines make as much noise as possible. The thing I failed to recognize, however, is that staring into the sun for six hours in the middle of a Saturday leads to third-degree burns around the bright white patches of your face that are covered by your $6 H&M sunglasses. I toyed with taking a picture just so you could see the ridiculousness, but I couldn't do that to Katie.
3. Speaking of Katie, apparently nobody wants to read anything about how we blew up a kitchen last week. I'm baffled. Whenever I told anyone the story about the whole L.A. explosion debacle, everyone said the same thing: "Well, at least you have something interesting to blog about." But the 80 percent decrease in comments for that mini-series leads me to believe that either I built up too much hype for the blog in my head or that semi-serious blogs by me are about as uncomfortable as that episode of The Fresh Prince when Carlton takes speed and dances until he passes out.
4. I actually don't blog very well to Engine Down. Somewhere around the beginning of No. 3, I switched over to Manchester Orchestra, and I think you go back, you can see a marked improvement.
posted by Tim Karan at
10:42 PM
6 Comments:
I'm sorry I didn't comment about your exploding oven story. It's just that, what do you even say? "Gee, I'm glad you survived and that the firemen didn't kick you in the face." Just seems like kind of a pointless comment. Kind of like this one. But if you're basing the popularity of your blog on the number of comments you get, then I will comment on every single post, no matter how pointless my comments may be. Remember, you have no one to blame for this but yourself.
I too, read your blowing up the kitchen blog ans I chuckled whole heartedly. But when is came to the comments what could I say?
"Gee, I'm glad the firemen didn't drop-kick you"?
"Sorry about the kitchen"?
Really I couldn't think of anything. I've known people who have blown up many things, but a kitchen? Nope.
Portishead's latest is amazing, you frickin' meep. Next time, blog about something you know: How about your love of Evanescence....
Yeah, same with me. I read it, then begged my mom to get new kitchen equipment, but didn't really know what to leave as a comment.
Oops.
Aww, don't worry, Tim.
Lotsa people will back you on Amy Lee, I mean, even Hayley Williams lost out to her.
Thank you very much, everyone (except Jason).
Looking back, I guess it was kind of a weird thing to comment on.
But, yeah. I judge the success not only of my blog but my abilities as a writer on how many comments I get.
Affirmation from others is like Energon cubes to me.
tim, how blogging insecure of you. there is no crying in an alt press blog.
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