frailer than the flowers that keep us so tightly bound

I just got Bob Dylan's new album, "Modern Times," and I have to say, it's very very good! Much more laid-back than "Time Out of Mind". There are slow, lullaby-like folk songs with nothing more than a piano and his voice, which add up to pure Dylan beauty. sigh, so romantic...

On another note, I just got back from my 10-day camping trip across the usa from la to chicago about a week ago and I still have yet to get my 400 plus photos off my camera. School's starting up again, so we'll see how long it takes to get around to that.

it's gettin' hot in here...so watch control room.

This is a photo I took this evening during the continuous lightning-storm that has descended upon the city of Chicago, bringing us: a) a cancelled baseball game with lots of strange filler-material before they called it, and b: some rain relief, but not enough. I'm watching Control Room right now, all about Al Jazeera's coverage of the war (I can't really even believe it's been 3 years now). I think it is very good. I think everyone should watch it. It's scary, by which I mean information is scary. There isn't very much that I didn't already surmise or suspect, but the most shocking thing is how convinced most American press/American military in Iraq were that Al Jazeera was completely biased and CBS/FOX/CNN could never, ever be. The main press contact they focus on reminds me of Steve Carrell's character in The Office. See what I mean by scary? Anyway, as if America could ever be objective over the effects of their mighty wrath, past or present. Of course, the movie was made before it came out that Bush and his friends completely lied to us about the reason for the war even starting. But that's a different topic for a different day. It's all just scary. Kind of like lightning, but much, much worse. That's all.

homestead of long ago

This is my grandmother (Leona) and mom (seated on lap, obviously) circa 1948 in Jacksonville, Florida, my mom's first home. I like their neighborhood in the background, freshly-built and nearly treeless. The reason for this photo is that I am in the middle of a project called scanning all the photos I have of my entire family. Leona was kind enough to give me 5 photo albums spanning 1944 - 1999, and I am now tackling the first of these albums. They're on Flickr, so if you know me and want to look at them, go ahead!

Last week, Champ and I went to Tennessee on a little road-trip/home-coming. This is Kentucky. It's pretty. There were many deer. We barbecued unsupervised (first time for me), and this was the result. Delicious, nonetheless. We also fed some giant fish. Then I took some close-ups with my newfound Macro function. And there were some onions.
It also rained a lot, sometimes. But luckily, we had Inspector Lynley to keep us company.

cicada?

Champ and I found this little guy at her parents' house. Any clues as to what it is? We though it was a mix between a moth and a cicada. Pretty, anyway.

they don't call me scooter for nothin'

this is from a month ago, in seattle visiting my brother - i rode around on that scooter like a champ! as my summer class has finished, and paper grading has met its end, I will be updating much more frequently.

So, I'm on a John Prine kick, and I couldn't resist mentioning my favorite lyrics that he's ever written, from the song "Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard":

Selling bibles at the airports
Buying quayludes on the phone
Hey, you talk about
A paper route
Shes a shut in without a home
God save her, please
Shes nailed her knees
To some drugstore parking lot
Hey, mr. brown
Turn the volume down
I believe this evenings shot

prime prine

Last night, the Midwest's own John Prine was on Austin City Limits, and it was quite excellent. He's still got it in him after all these years. His recent album, which I highly recommend (due to his performance on ACL), is called "Fair and Square," which won a Grammy for best folk album. If there are any of you who haven't heard of him, I recommend listening first to the following sons: Illegal Smile, Sweet Revenge, and Christmas in Prison. There's almost nothing better...also, if anyone in Chicago wants, I will make a Prine cd for you. But, in terms of the new album, you shouldn't miss his new anti-Bush song "Some Humans Ain't Human," with lyrics that only the great J.P. could get away with.