today’s link is this amazing

today’s link is this amazing music video I stumbled into: http://www.tobyslater.com/consumption/

My roommate just tried to start his own blog, and got it all set up and stuff, then proceeded to write for twenty minutes. (or maybe more like 45) His session had expired (since when does blogger use session timeouts?) and he lost all of what he had just written. (Which was probably quite a bit after 45 minutes–and judging from his bitching afterwards.) Needless to say he was pissed. I told him how I’ve made it routine to copy text out of the main text field if I’ve worked on an email or an update for more than 20 seconds. I do this even in Eudora, but especially in any sort of webmail. When Eudora crashes on me at work it’s always frustrating as hell. (I only use it for my work mail because I can sort the emails into project folders so easily.)

I originally set down to write about how shitty I’m feeling. I just got back from reading a book to Laura, who stayed home from work today, and is misserable, and sick. I read more to her from High Fidelity. It’s not that I feel terribly sick, although I do feel as though I’m starting to get a headache, but I think just being around her–so misserable, so weak and helpless seeming–caused some sympathy gene to kick into overdrive, and I’m having sympathy headaches, and sympathy dizziness.

I got an email today from John, my younger brother, who is in the next few days going to be starting on a three month walk. He is in California right now, I’m not sure where, (I think San Fran–which I’d always thought, until looking at a map just now, to be south of LA–I am so dumb.) He’s going to walk at the very least to Portland, and if they get ambitious, to Seatle. He’s walking with three other people, and I can’t imagine it really. When I think about that kind of freedom, that kind of carelessness, I feel constrained by my job, by my debts, by my possesions… it’s a fantastic idea, really, and he’s doing it.

I finished A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius yesterday, and it was good. I felt thrown for a loop. It was as if the whole book was a discussion about the idea of self-obsession from this guy who is terribly self-obsessed, ridiculously so, and he’s not even trying to hide the fact that it’s all a joke in poor taste. Fabulous. Someday I’ll have such a great idea, and I’ll write it, and I’ll be famous. Just wait.

Matt Wilson lent me the book originally, and I meant to give it back to him today. He is in a new band with this guy he used to play with who is now in Semisonic. They’re called The Flops, and I just have to mention the site, because Matt is putting so much into it, it’s really turning out great. He’s writing all the copy, and it’s just chalk full of this crazy stuff. I hope he doesn’t get mad at me for mentioning it. I know they’re already getting signups and stuff, so it’s not like it’s some big secret. I dig the car–nuff said.