Honesty = Vulnerability

I wrote a piece for This Recording about my dad.

I was kind of hesitant to do it, not because I thought it'd be too hard or anything. I'd been wanting to write something long about him for a long time, and TR is a good venue for long essays. But I get really nervous when it comes to being really open and honest about things really close to me, especially since TR has gotten much more traffic lately with links from Defamer and Gawker, etc. But so far, I've gotten some nice praise from people who have linked to it through Tumblr, so I feel less anxious about it than I did as I was writing it.

I was also nervous about posting about my parents. My mother doesn't know about this and I'm sort of afraid to show it to her, since I expect her reaction to be kind of angry that I used pictures and stories of my parents.

But, in my way, this is how I wanted to pay some sort of tribute to my father, who didn't read a lot but enjoyed the writing of mine that he actually did get a chance to look at. And I think he would be flattered and appreciative. He'd probably cry, too, because he was a big baby.

Anyway, here's the link: In Which This Is How I Know Him: Pictures of My Father.

Sorry is the hardest word, etc.

I've been really terrible lately and avoiding my blog here. I have things to write but they're kind of overwhelming (but they are positive things!), and I promise I will come back to this site. I will!

In the meantime I am trying to get through the last five days of work (!!!) and I am looking forward to whatever the hell I am going to do next.

In the meantime, I have two recent posts on This Recording, so please, take a look.

IN WHICH TYLER SLUMS IT AT PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL

IN WHICH ALL OF OUR OPINIONS ARE RIGHT

There are two things I'd like to share with you.

First, this Craigslist ad that Mindy found:



There are no words.

Secondly, I wrote a post on This Recording about Liz Phair. You should read it.

No, srsly, I totally am nice sometimes.

Hi everyone.

I am feeling better today, but I want to say that I very much appreciate the emails, texts, and IMs I received yesterday. As hard as it is to come up with anything to say in those situations, it's just as difficult to come up with a response sometimes.

There's a poem by Julia Kasdorf that I really like called "What I Learned from My Mother." It has this great line that I've always loved: "I learned to attend viewing even if I didn't know the deceased, to press the moist hands of the living, to look in their eyes and offer sympathy, as though I understood loss even then. I learned that whatever we say means nothing, what anyone will remember is that we came. I learned to believe I had the power to ease awful pains materially like an angel. Like a doctor, I learned to create from another's suffering my own usefulness, and once you know how to do this, you can never refuse."

ANYWAY, enough of that.

I do want to share a link to an essay I wrote on This Recording which I'm pretty proud of. It's my take on the emosogynist idea of the "nice guy," which of course, in that sense, does not exist. I should also mention that I'm pretty sure Molly changed my byline to include that I'm "a really nice guy." TRUE LOVE.

Entertainers bring May flowers.

I have been extremely busy at work for the past two days, so I haven't had time to even think about posting anything, but I DO have an article up on This Recording about Exile in Guyville, and I think you should read / listen to it, especially if you're my friend (which you must be).

"I have never eaten a banana."

I have a post up on This Recording about my eating habits. It's pretty well-worn territory if you know me or follow the blog, as I've written about it here, but I'm pretty happy with it if only because of the picture I used at the top of the post, which I will provide for you here because it kills me.


That is my life, you guys.

Post-Teen Angst Poetry

I have a new post on This Recording, which talks about dead sharks, Annie Hall, Liz Phair, and features some swell tunes for broken hearts. And you also get to read my very awesome poetry. I didn't have much to write about here today, as I was swamped at work, so the link will have to do for now.

Not rubies, or sapphires, or pearls, or opals. Diamonds, y'all.

I try not to blog from work anymore but I'm so stress right now that I need a ten-minute break to not think about anything that actually matters. So here are some things for us all to think about.
Would you take nutrition advice from that woman? Me, neither.

Unrelated, but still quite nice: I did an interview with my faves, Julie Klausner and Jackie Clarke, and it's on This Recording.
Also, be sure to download the Natalie Cole cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which is not your "Unforgettable" era Natalie. It's the coke-fueled version that truly compliments the Beatles' original LSD vision. (Says Julie: "My fave part is when Natalie goes, 'What are you doin' up there, Lucy?' Because she has no idea.") The fun back-story behind my love for it: John put it on a mix CD for me recently, saying that he used to work with a tranny who would perform (read: lip-sync) to it. That tranny then started stealing money from their employer and tried to frame John. Cute!

I know because it was there.

I saw I'm Not There on Saturday and absolutely loved it. Read my review on This Recording.

Better late than never.

For once in my life I have actual work to do (I know, right?!), so I haven't had time to write a post today.

BUT!

My recap of last week's P-Run is up over at This Recording. This week I'll be getting it in on time, but hey, at least I'm leaving my mark on the world, right?