Reading: I actually read another story in No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July. I had actually read about half of it before, but it had been so long I had to go back and reread it. Again, a big epiphanic meatball over the plate and a swing and a miss. I don't mind resisting the epiphany, but what July does is the literary equivalent of missing so bad that she spins around and falls down. She TRIES for an epiphany and never finds one. This is more commonly known as trying too hard, as I've said before. She would be a better writer if she just let what was inside come out rather than try to be the best author alive. She would probably say different in person. She would probably say that she is just writing what she feels, but what she feels is that she wants to be the best writer alive. She wants to be a part of the modern literati. She probably is. I can picture people in drab color clothing massaging her ego after a reading like an illegal immigrant in a rub and tug joint. Hemmingway would put down his coffee and look her in the eye and say "You're trying too hard kid, just let it come."
Listening: I made Jessica a hip-hop compilation. Jessica is a girl I work with at the bank. She's a big music buff and has very good taste, but she's less experienced in the realm of hip-hop. She was very interested when I one day mentioned the song Latyrx by the group of the same name. Latyrx is Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truth Speaker, both from the Quannum label. In this specific song, DJ Shadow (a Quannum turn-tablist) laid down a simple beat for the two to rap over individually. Then, he overlaid the two freestyles to make a song where the rappers are rapping different things at the same time. It's pretty cool, and Jessica wanted to hear it. I threw a bunch of other stuff on there that I figured she may not have heard of. The album includes songs from Mos Def (Umi Says, Hip Hop), The Roots (Quills), Lateef & The Chief (Ambush, Matter of Time), A Tribe Called Quest (Check the Rhime, Oh My God), The Pharcyde (Passing Me By, Runnin'), Gift of Gab (The Writz), Outkast (Ghetto Musick), Kelis (Millionaire), DJ Honda (Trouble in the Water, Travellin' Man), Big Boi (The Train), Andre 3000 (She Lives in my Lap), Slick Rick (Memories), and Jemini (Knuckle Sandwich). It's so good I don't really want to give it to her, so it's in my car until I finish listening to it. I should put it on iTunes.
I've still got the plague. Right now I'm coughing like a ninety year old chain smoker. I hate being sick. I really need to get unsick before I have to move this weekend, but I can imagine that I'll be fairly sleep-deprived this week as I work at 7:15am every morning. Bleh.
Virginia had one of her eight weekends off this past week and we spent the time doing fun couples stuff; packing. The only things left are our bed, big furniture, electronics, bathroom stuff, and clothes. Our apartment is without adornment. We have no kitchen items. No plates. No spoons. My bookshelf looks like an old cowboy, empty and dusty. I'm starting to get excited to move. Not to actually move, but to be in our new house. I got really pumped at the idea of sitting out on my patio and playing poker on my laptop. Virginia says I need to get outside more. Hopefully I'll keep up with posting this week in preparation for the move, but it may be tough as we have a lot to do.
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