Today was a nice day off before we do a little travelling this weekend. That didn’t stop Nicole from treating me like today was a work day in that she prepared one hell of a dinner (and dessert) while I diddled around on my keyboards and watched impatiently as my fantasy baseball team limped over the finish line. It’s been raining all day, which is nice, because it’s still a novelty. Autumn comes late here, so we’re just now starting to transition in double-digit high temperatures and clouds that arrive more purposefully than they have in four months.
I’ve been reading a book of short stories by Roberto Bolaño titled The Return. Bolaño was a Chilean poet and novelist who was completely off my radar until this book caught my eye. The cover blurbs were unusual. I didn’t expect to see Mark Danielewski’s name on the back cover, but that’s the sort of thing that will make me think “Hmm, this might be worth a look.” As it turns out, Bolaño’s a hell of a writer. His dialogue has all the messiness of real conversations, even if I’m not always certain what the story is about. The tone brings to mind China Mieville, although the styles couldn’t be more different. I’m enjoying what I’m reading and I’ll likely be checking out one or more of his novels.
I’ve added a couple of new-ish bands to my rotation: The Horrors and No Devotion. I say “new-ish” because neither of them are truly new. The Horrors’ fifth album just came out, and No Devotion are largely what emerged from the wreckage of Lostpropphets. They both are toting what I’d call a very late-80s sounds, not quite Joy Division, but close enough to be mistaken for it if you squint just right.
I can’t really think of any great movies I’ve seen lately, or even great television outside of “Rick and Morty” (I haven’t seen any of this season of “Bojack Horseman” yet, but I expect it’ll be strong). The hurricanes and the political mess have been sucking the air out of the room. All I have say about our President (at this time, at least) is that, if you want people to show respect for this country, maybe you should make it worth respecting.
That’s about it for now. I’m in a lovely house with a wonderful wife, a cat sitting directly on my shoulder, a couple of beautiful snails, and with a delicious (and heart-healthy) dinner in my belly. Life is a lot better than I expected it to be. Nice surprise, that.
-RK