Three dollars and 63 cents

The Pixies (again--and this time they wouldn't cancel the show I had excellent seats for) The Geraldine Fibbers Talking Heads

Thanks for mentioning this. I've played my copy of it so many times that I can't even listen to a few songs anymore, and I've been meaning to pick up a replacement copy.

I first heard it live, and I'm a little disappointed by the studio version. The vocals don't hold up against that great guitar part. I'm looking forward to hearing Cardinology. It's certainly not going to be my favorite of the year, but I think it will make my top ten.

I don't own a record player, so vinyl wouldn't do me much good.

I just got done listening to the new album for the first time. It's not bad, but it does seem a little safe to me. What I've always liked about KOL is their willingness to take some risks and change their style from album to album. I wasn't as big a fan of Because of the Times as I was of their first two albums, both of which I loved, but it still had a lot of songs on it I really liked, and a nice variety of songs. This album is three rockers followed by a bunch of mid-tempo songs, which got a little boring. As much as I love U2, I think KOL's stint opening for them may have been a bad thin

The single copy our college library has is available. Hopefully it will still be there when I go to work on Monday. I'll probably finish the book I'm reading right now within the next week, so I should have plenty of time to keep up with reading this time around.

That's an odd array of artists. Regardless, I think it's a great idea, and I'm glad to see the Beastie Boys organized it. I wish I could've made it down to Penn State for the Dead's reunion show for Obama. Tickets were gone by the time I tried to get one.

While my first impulse is to say that nothing good ever comes from someone dying too young, especially by his own hand, David Foster Wallace's death has made me realize I should've been paying more attention to his work. He's one of those writers I heard quite a buzz about in grad school from people who I thought were pretentious and egotistical, and as a result, I read only a short piece or two of his work. I certainly didn't give him the chance he deserves. His death has also made me think a lot about writing and teaching have helped me to cope with my own struggles with depression and an

Speaking of the Autumn Defense...did anybody make it to their show Monday?

My lists of "Wilco songs I've heard too much and skip because I'm tired of" and "Wilco songs I don't really like" are much different. As far as songs I skip because I don't really like them: Dash 7 and Blue-Eyed Soul are probably the biggest ones, though also Candyfloss, When You Wake Up Feeling Old, and Comment. I don't dislike Less Than You Think, but I have to be in the mood to listen to it. The second disc of Being There took me a long time to warm up to, but I love it now.

I definitely need to pick this one up. I've been looking forward to it for a few months.

My dad's 60th is in December. I'm having a hard time trying to decide what to get him, too. He's retired now and has a lot of time on his hands. I might get him cooking classes, since that will get him out of the house, and he's going to get really bored when the weather gets too bad for him to do yardwork and gardening, which are his main hobbies. He likes to cook, but I don't think it's something he'd buy for himself. If possible, I'll try to find a weekend class we could take together, either here or near my hometown.

Ashes of American Flags (KT version) is my favorite Beyond that, I have a hard time narrowing it down to a handful of songs. I go through phases where certain songs or certain albums really mean a lot to me. I always uses to request Ashes for every Wilco show I'd go to; ever since they played it, I've had a hell of a hard time deciding what to request, because there are so many other Wilco songs I love.

Continued vibes. My cat is my furry son, so I know how difficult this must be for you and your family.

That must've been scary. I hope he's okay.

The station I passed on my way to the grocery store had it for $3.59. There are probably a few places in town that have it a little cheaper, but not by much.

My ticket for Syracuse said the show was at 8:30, but they didn't go on until about 9:05. I would definitely catch this tour again if I had the chance. I've been to a bunch of shows this year, but that one was one of the best.

His show last night here in Ithaca was lovely. I had a front row center seat, and it pretty much felt like he was playing just for me. The sound quality at the State Theatre was fantastic--he even said it was his favorite room he'd sung in as long as he could remember (here's hoping that he mentions that to Wilco...)--and the crowd was respectfully quiet at all the right times but enthusiastic, too. He played two songs from the new album last night, Natural Disaster and Fitz and the Dizzyspells, the latter of which he'd never played by himself before and seemed to decide to on a whim. It was

Happy birthday!

The prologue of Underworld was actually published separately as a novella entitled Pafko At the Wall. I'm not sure if it's still in print, but it's a very manageable read (less than 100 pages) and stands fairly well on its own. I'd also argue that it's some of the best prose in contemporary American literature.

You beat me to it, Hixter. The connection seems to be Beck-->Carla B. -->Nels-->Wilco

I love that they're named Nels and Watt

Wow, that's a whole lot of set list, and I like the order. It looks like it was a great show!

I'm seeing him tonight

I vote for something relatively short, or something at least broken into shorter segments than Devil in the White City was. I fell behind right away with that, and I never caught up. With teaching, I'm pretty swamped, but a collection of essays (I wouldn't mind reading the DFW suggested by others) or short stories (has anyone read the new Jhumpa Lahiri collection yet? I can't remember the title of it...) would be manageable, I think. I'd also like to read Oscar Wao, but again I'm worried about being able to keep up. I'd love to see us do Underworld at some point, but there's absolutely no wa