tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50330864451358875162024-03-19T07:01:38.491-04:00dial-a-ttantein-expertise in any number of fields.
on demand.molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-21749854463169070652009-08-16T09:55:00.016-04:002009-08-16T11:22:18.275-04:00daily playlist 8/16/09: love in stockholmtoday's daily playlist is also a new haven <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=114860881823">concert</a> must see, for tonight (8pm) at <a href="http://www.leonsrestaurant.com/">leon's</a>.<br /><br />i've mentioned my friend charlie's band, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/loveinstockholm">love in stockholm</a>, before (sadly, didn't make the <a href="http://dial-a-ttente.blogspot.com/2009/07/rock-vote.html">top 20</a> by a couple slots, but good for you if you voted), and tonight, new haven friends, you have a chance to see their new, awesome expanded set!<br /><br />the <a href="http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/01/29/love_in_stockholm/">"musical fearlessness"</a> of this be-suited septet makes itself felt in all their originals, from the dance-ready (nay, dance-DEMANDING) funk-rock jams "allston, MA" (a tribute to the band's birthplace, a filthy, low rent, and deeply awesome slice of boston sandwiched between cambridge and brookline) and "fellowship of funk" to the more laid-back tunes like "don't be fooled". they also do some truly rocking covers of everything ranging from outkast's "bombs over baghdad" to the band's "don't do it", in their signature growly funk/soul sound (and let it be clear that by "funk", i do not mean any craptastic jam band nonsense; i mean serious funk). let's be real; anyone who can make me enjoy the middle school dance staple "no diggity" deserves a medal.<br /><br />it may be a little out of your way, but, if you go, i guarantee you'll have the same reaction to love in stockholm that i heard from a surprised sounding gentleman last night at a family-heavy, all day outdoor music festival staged about 100 yards from plymouth rock. as charlie thanked the audience, the man muttered, "no thank you!" and turning to his wife, "these guys are fucking great".molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-39992615923408431652009-08-13T21:09:00.004-04:002009-08-13T23:36:28.784-04:00real talki have friends who assure me that <a href="http://xkcd.com/616/">this</a> is a feeling that stays with you well into your thirties (or, if my mother is to be believed, nigh unto your sixties).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lease.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 740px; height: 202px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lease.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">damnit. anyone know how to make pictures fit? n/m, just click the clicky.</span>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-28360972839610298442009-08-13T19:59:00.002-04:002009-08-16T11:07:48.423-04:00daily playlist 8/13/09: daptones jukeboxoh, this. <a href="http://daptonerecords.podbean.com/">this</a> is just magical.molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-85835598550901422112009-08-13T13:35:00.005-04:002009-08-13T13:43:45.772-04:00sorrrrry (and upcoming).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sad-cat1-300x238.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 238px;" src="http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sad-cat1-300x238.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />mm yes, so i haven't been terribly good about updating this blog this summer, i know. however! in case you were actually missing the brain gobbits, be reassured: the next few days will be a veritable cornucopia of them, gathered during my last month and a half of living at home and seeing friends and family both on the cape and up and down the east coast...notes on some new albums, summer recipes, and even some thoughts on the politically unexciting month of august. <br /><br />in the meantime, as i gather my thoughts, check out the <a href="http://nepalimolly.blogspot.com/2009/08/pre-departure-update.html">latest update</a> on my trip to nepal, which commences in t-7 days.molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-54282867020049033852009-07-24T12:14:00.003-04:002009-07-24T12:23:36.375-04:00read of the day<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106588112">this</a> is such an awesome concept. it's two wicked fun things, hip-hop battles and international relations, making sweet sweet geeky love all over the npr website. wheeee!molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-68177510907485925622009-07-21T15:39:00.004-04:002009-07-21T16:12:20.014-04:00rock the votelove in stockholm, the band of a close friend, is in serious contention to make it to the next round of <a href="http://www.ourstage.com/contests/3177-mtv-vma-best-breakout-boston">mtv's best boston breakout contest</a>! if you're not from the boston area, you may recognize them as one of the bands i am always surreptitiously trying to slip people on cds of other music. i am utterly unapologetic about this, as everyone could use a serious dose of the funk these guys bring.<br /><br />register (for free) as a fan, go to mtv best breakout boston, and <a href="http://www.ourstage.com/play/track/XCUZXOTONNTV-dont-be-fooled">vote</a> (or "judge") for these guys. get them to #20 (they're at #24), and maybe we can get some decent music on mtv for once. (be patient, the songs come up randomly).<br /><br />also check out their stuff on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/loveinstockholm">myspace</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=9102618&ref=nf#/loveinstockholm?ref=nf">facebook</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2135/114/11/22919509819/n22919509819_1258963_4851.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 571px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2135/114/11/22919509819/n22919509819_1258963_4851.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-78568414244546823402009-07-21T14:58:00.002-04:002009-07-21T15:00:20.260-04:00blogging FAIL(maybe if i post this AWESOME video and then start writing prolifically the month-long gap between posts won't be as obvious. ok it's a plan. aaaand break)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mPh12Q7cpeE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mPh12Q7cpeE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-54503569567717434742009-06-26T12:16:00.005-04:002009-06-26T12:25:28.151-04:00grand east coast tour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://houshang.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/az_1832_bob-seger-greatest-hits_bob-seger-the-silver-bullet-band1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 300px;" src="http://houshang.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/az_1832_bob-seger-greatest-hits_bob-seger-the-silver-bullet-band1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>"i ain't got nothin' 'gainst the east coast/you want some people where they've got the most"<br /><br />i just thought i'd drop a quick word about where i'll be for the rest of my time in the states. as some of you know, i still don't have my start date, but at this point, i'm planning on an august 1 departure. to make sure i see as many people as possible, and...y'know, not spend an entire month at home, where i'd be sure to start making poor decisions out of sheer boredom...i'm planning a GRAND EAST COAST TOUR in mid-july. right now it's looking (roughly) like this:<br /><br />7/9-7/11: richmond, VA<br />7/11-7/13: DC<br />7/13-7/17: some combo of delaware, philly, and nyc?<br />7/18-7/19 or 20: new haven<br /><br />if you're around any of these places, or anywhere en route, let me know!molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-23553134462968627442009-06-23T18:19:00.004-04:002009-06-23T18:24:21.231-04:00read of the (three weeks ago) daymy friend dave was guestblogging for a while over at <a href="http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/">attackerman</a>, before he scored his dream job (congrats!). i just caught up on some of his posts, and <a href="http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/05/30/the-perfect-pairing/">this one</a> a) picked up on one of my favorite idle, intellectual equivalents of desk toys, the shifting place of superheroes in the american social imaginary and b) made me giggle.molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-88580545704131656662009-06-23T14:05:00.001-04:002009-06-23T14:08:17.310-04:00read of the dayi think <a href="http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/what-kind-of-judges-do-we-want/%22">this</a> is sort of nicely put. the thrust being:<br /><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >"In fact – and this is what Sotomayor means when she talks about reaching a better conclusion than a white man who hasn’t lived her life – rather than distorting reality, perspectives illuminate it or at least that part of it they make manifest. It follows that no one perspective suffices to capture all aspects of reality and that, therefore, the presence in the interpretive arena of multiple perspectives is a good thing. In a given instance, the “Latina Judge” might reach a better decision not because she was better in some absolute, racial sense, but because she was better acquainted than her brethren with some aspects of the situation they were considering. (As many have observed in the context of the issue of gender differences, among the current justices, only Ruth Bader Ginsburg knows what it’s like to be a 13-year-old girl and might, by virtue of that knowledge, be better able to assess the impact on such a girl of a strip-search.)</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >...You can call it empathy or (as some in the audience suggested ) you can call it understanding or imagination. I called it hearkening to the spirit rather than the letter. But whatever you call it, everyone present that evening agreed that it was what we wanted.</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >"</span><br /><br /></p>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-41807819162771170732009-06-23T12:56:00.004-04:002009-06-23T17:25:28.442-04:00blogrollcall<a href="http://kittskittchen.blogspot.com/">kitt's kitchen</a>: finally, a blog from one of my favorite humans: a fabulous writer, teacher, and drinking buddy, and (now!) aspiring chef. show her some love, why dontcha?<br /><br /><a href="http://nepalimolly.blogspot.com/">nepali molly</a>: i'm going to compartmentalize, and start putting posts about my year in nepal on a new blog. wheeee.molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-57681736736445798502009-06-23T12:32:00.003-04:002009-06-23T12:36:00.496-04:00a haiku for new haven in spring<span style="font-style: italic;">squirrel scampers past</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />twix wrapper gripped in its mouth</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />probably rabid.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/funny-pictures-evil-black-squirrel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 384px;" src="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/funny-pictures-evil-black-squirrel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-6149844563398201372009-06-23T12:23:00.003-04:002009-06-23T14:12:17.818-04:00I GETS A COOKIE.i learned to write my name in nepali script (devanagari) today.<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-size:180%;" >मली</span><br />wheeeee. absurdly proud of myself.molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-87086125766074471782009-06-20T14:12:00.012-04:002009-06-20T15:09:32.521-04:00daily playlist 6/20/09<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKJeLG8-M5I"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">ghostwriter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"<br />rjd2</span><br />2002<br /><br />for when: you need a personal soundtrack<br /><br />i guess it's really a subgenre of personal soundtrack though. i'm heading into new york for the rest of the weekend, and, as i am wont to do, am planning on building in some just wandering around time. so this is really the kind of personal soundtrack you need when you want to be able to feel like a bad ass, just cold walkin' anywhere. you know what i mean... the tracks that give you a little swerve to your step.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">the rest of your playlist:</span><br />"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0I6mhZ5wMw">can't get enough of your love, babe</a>" barry white<br />"<a href="http://music.aol.com/video/how-long-do-i-have-to-wait-interface/sharon-jones-and-the-dap-kings/2053874">how long do i have to wait for you?</a>" sharon jones and the dap kings<br />"<a href="http://www.myspace.com/viciousvicious">here come tha police</a>" vicious vicious*<br /><br />also: random bonus youtube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaOLtRznePA">clip</a>. just...wow.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">* really these guys should have been first....i'm going to give them a whole additional treatment another time, i think, because they are the single best band you have probably never heard of</span>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-52334864643994411352009-06-20T13:58:00.006-04:002009-06-20T15:22:06.349-04:00something i will really miss......about new haven/yale: going to do something mundane like pay an overdue charge at the library and running across something unexpectedly special or beautiful...like a small <a href="http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=6601">exhibit</a> of ketubot from 17th century onwards. the exhibit also included this decorative micro-script version of the song of songs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBUsjY4zi-BA5kH_alojKSqXTERmerX0SqyigJW9vwxLYnPOub6irUt40Act_VfZQDbQ4alD196oH_ZnljUvJjvlDF4R78rmsyrQpot7auWsAQrhC5GF16clcRhwgBopFHsG0Sgc_SO8/s1600-h/IMG_1141.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBUsjY4zi-BA5kH_alojKSqXTERmerX0SqyigJW9vwxLYnPOub6irUt40Act_VfZQDbQ4alD196oH_ZnljUvJjvlDF4R78rmsyrQpot7auWsAQrhC5GF16clcRhwgBopFHsG0Sgc_SO8/s400/IMG_1141.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349473918886306450" /></a>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-44915097144845121812009-06-19T18:27:00.004-04:002009-06-19T18:34:50.249-04:00true hardness (and poaching blogposts)<a href="http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2009/06/song-review-jay-z-doa-death-of-auto.html">word</a>. i'm basically just going to poach someone else's opinion by linking to the review above and posting the video in question. i will add only this: pretty much ONLY jay-z can sound that hard rapping over a freaking <span style="font-style: italic;">clarinet</span> sample.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MKeAhuIXJMY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MKeAhuIXJMY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />(now imagine him in a klezmer band. doooo it.)molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-22213317228733200262009-06-19T17:45:00.010-04:002009-06-19T18:15:17.723-04:00daily playlist 6/19/09<span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0vgZPd0Bsg">timorous me</a><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">ted leo and the pharmacists</span><br />2001<br /><br />for when: you're going to a ted leo concert (!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.toadsplace.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/061909tedleo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 160px;" src="http://www.toadsplace.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/061909tedleo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>yeah, so the theme lacks a certain creativity today...<br />however, if you haven't managed to catch these guys in the last 10 years they've been making music (in a variety of lineup configurations), you should do it. they started off, as so much great music does, as an experiment. by the time they released 'tyranny of distance', their first full length album (from which "timorous me" comes), they'd settled themselves firmly into mainstream rock sensibilit(ies)... which is in no way a bad thing, as they've remained unbound by any particular rock sub-genre convention (see eg dub sensibility in "the unwanted things" off 2007's 'living with the living', side-by-side with the same album's distortion-laced, savage "bomb.repeat.bomb"). they pretty much rock anything they put their collective hands to...in fact, that's what these guys pretty much are: pure rock. hopefully i'll get some fun footage/pictures tonight, when i see them play at toad's place.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">the rest of your playlist:</span><br />"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlGHBfueOdc">tommy gun</a>" the clash<br />"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8j4N4Q3cUU">long nights</a>" piebald<br />"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrLJ6Saq7u4">santeria</a>" sublimemolly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-66970734816164144612009-06-18T17:11:00.003-04:002009-06-18T17:18:12.973-04:00someone gets a cookie."<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/18/senate.slavery/">The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for the wrongs of slavery.</a>"molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-75311780781554645102009-06-16T18:06:00.004-04:002009-06-16T18:12:34.767-04:00best intersection of homosexuality and fruit leathers. ever.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/leather.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/leather.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>seriously, you remember this shit?<br /><br />if you're like me, your health-food oriented parents fed you <a href="http://www.stretchislandfruit.com/">these</a> when you were a kid, instead of anything that was COOL and shaped like a DINOSAUR or a ROCKET...made out of SUGAR and BLUE DYE 16....anyway, neither here nor there...best quote ever from my friend (he happens to be gay), who was having his first experience with fruit leathers:<div><br /><div><div>"i want to COVER a woman with these. just like, slap them all over her body".</div><div><br /></div><div>by god it never occurred to me as a child...but i think he's RIGHT.</div></div></div>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-27311570617963734452009-06-16T17:54:00.003-04:002009-06-16T17:59:37.272-04:00cry for helpso my FAVORITE jeans in the world have a couple holes/tears in them, originating from the upper inner thigh, and now extending, on the left leg, all around the back half of the leg, parallel to the ground. now it's kinda unraveled...anyway, this leaves me unable to bend over or really do anything but shuffle when i wear them, for fear of scarring small children.<div><br /></div><div>i'm not very "craft-y" (mmm to say the least... i get all spazzy and panicked like a cat with a laser pointer)...but is someone handy with clothes? what's the best way to keep these jeans just this side of wearable? i'll post a picture when i'm not running out of the house...but in the meantime, thanks for any advice.</div>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-56998923357896958972009-06-16T17:01:00.009-04:002009-06-16T17:25:02.690-04:00read of the day: "suffering and art"i really appreciated <a href="http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/forum/">this discussion </a> about the ethics of photographing suffering. there were some good points of practical distinction made (it's easier to preserve moral integrity when a photo is properly captioned and contextualized, and when it is not subsequently commodified). i also found that this comment resonated with me:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 21px; font-family:georgia;font-size:14px;">“You have to remember that the stronger the image is, the more it hurts,” said Ms. McNally, an assistant managing editor and the director of photography at The Times. “When a photograph of a horrific situation is mindfully and artfully put together, and works on multiple levels, it simply grabs your attention and is more effective. Those pictures tend to live long in your memory because all the elements work together to reinforce the narrative and emotion.”</span><br /><br />that's what's most striking for me. i find it almost nonsensical to argue that (barring aforementioned issues of commodification) one can detach the formal/aesthetic and empathetic messages of a picture. like being in love (i imagine), being truly moved, having your "heart wrenched," by an image is both both intensely tragic and intensely joyful. by making these images wrenchingly beautiful, a photographer makes them wrenchingly human as well.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>anyway, enough of that serious/theoretical nonsense...back to our regularly scheduled fart jokes.</div></div>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-86193832489991607752009-06-15T16:48:00.000-04:002009-06-15T16:52:31.508-04:00goodreads = new fun!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1461183.Teach_Yourself_Nepali_Complete_Course" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Teach Yourself Nepali Complete Course" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183844265m/1461183.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1461183.Teach_Yourself_Nepali_Complete_Course">Teach Yourself Nepali Complete Course</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/67688.Michael_Hutt">Michael Hutt</a><br/><br/><br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59776786"><h3>My review</h3></a><br /> mostly it just sits next to my bed, glaring at me, balefully.<br /> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2422073-molly">View all my reviews.</a>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-37087745742692497602009-06-15T16:32:00.003-04:002009-06-15T16:34:49.247-04:00experiment with new interwebs thing...oh man! this is fun!! i can just copy and paste the clicky clicky right into the word box thing. wheeeee.<br />anyway, i read this book in one sitting on saturday...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2784926.The_Beautiful_Struggle_A_Father_Two_Sons_and_an_Unlikely_Road_to_Manhood" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21krjgo5zRL._SX106_.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2784926.The_Beautiful_Struggle_A_Father_Two_Sons_and_an_Unlikely_Road_to_Manhood">The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1214964.Ta_Nehisi_Coates">Ta-Nehisi Coates</a><br/><br/><br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59774135"><h3>My review</h3></a><br /> rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>beautifully lyrical memoir and important commentary through a very personal lens on the shifting paradigms of black american masculinity.<br/>see also:<br/>"globalization and race" (Ed) Clarke<br/>"beyond beats and rhymes" (documentary film) byron hurt<br /> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2422073-molly">View all my reviews.</a>molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-21210643731510150912009-06-14T14:53:00.013-04:002009-06-14T15:48:23.411-04:00daily playlist 6/14/09<span style="font-style: italic;">self-titled</span><br /><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.myspace.com/thecommonwealthofrock">the commonwealth</a><br />2009<br /><br />for when: you need an anthem<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://profile.ak.facebook.com/object3/881/111/n114470372109_8841.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 309px;" src="http://profile.ak.facebook.com/object3/881/111/n114470372109_8841.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>this playlist is a little different...but i've been meaning to talk about this EP for a while now, so i figured i'd kill two birds with one stone, and make it today's playlist. in the interest of full disclosure, i should mention that i've known half the band since we were in diapers, but i think that only gives me a better perspective on this record. i've listened to a lot (and i mean a lot) of john mcnamera (vocals, guitar), and ben elder's (bass) music over the course of my life, and i really like the place they've come to on this EP, with the addition of ben paterson (guitar) and ian conboy (drums) to the band. plus, y'know, they'll always give me a shout out when they cover "molly's chambers".<br /><br />this record is great, because it's not trying to be anything it's not. the lyrics don't stab wildly at profundity. they talk about the basic shit that plagues all of us in our 20s (and, although i don't think anyone really wants to admit it, before and after as well): failing/flailing relationships ("leave me alone/ you know i won't answer my phone/ don't ask me if i miss you/ you know that i do, too") and figuring out what exactly it all means when it seems like everyone around you, is, well, full of crap ("you just can't see original opinions coming from tv...is there anybody out there who can share my point of view?"). they don't do it in the histrionic, adolescent, garage band way, though, but with a sense of playfulness and a degree of resignation that (dare i say it?) reflects a growing maturity and taste in these guys' musical careers.<br /><br />there's some diversity among the tracks, from the low-key "moon and sun" to the darker, more sexual energy of "she's a rocker" (a song totally made by the march tempo bass and drums underneath mcnamera's growled vocals). they've got the musical chops to do that versatility (you should see john make the older ladies swoon with his frank sinatra stylings), but the commonwealth is at their best on songs like "small hands", "make out party", and especially "youth in asia". these tracks are basically tight, quasi-anthemic pop gems, uptempo and filled with hooky guitar lines, rich call and response choruses, and the little pop flourishes that i'm such a sucker for (syncopated hand claps, anyone?). i can never understand why people would shy away from making music that is just so flat out enjoyable, but i'm happy to report that pop rock is alive and well and living in falmouth, MA.<br /><br />[sidebar: ben, in addition to his bass playing, is an incredibly talented designer, and (i think?) does all of their graphics...you can check out a small selection of their posters <a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=368353690&page=1">here</a>.]molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033086445135887516.post-49814578053794965782009-06-12T18:58:00.002-04:002009-06-12T19:00:53.233-04:00blogrollcall<a href="http://blather.typepad.com/cocktailsummer/">cocktail summer</a>: my uncle's OTHER new blog: "...one new cocktail a day, every day, all summer. (Or until my liver gives out.)". have i mentioned how flippin' cool my uncle is?molly clark-barolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15934272623059143169noreply@blogger.com0