Joy

Well, I finally got around to putting together a little MySpace page for my old band Joy - you can find it right here, if you're so inclined as to want to check it out. I could blather on about the band and the page, but I'm lazy and it's easier just to quote myself from the Bio section:

"...If you’re an avid fan (and why the hell wouldn’t you be?) you’ll remember that in the Bio for C. Kerns and the Futiles I mentioned that I had been in a little band called Joy in Rockford, IL way back around 1991-’92 or thereabouts. This here page is to remember that swell band. A couple years before then, I helped my friend Bob record a demo for this punk band called Full On Straight – the drummer and bass player for that band were Joel Peterson and Kelly Kliebe, respectively. About a year later Kelly joined my band, The Morning Glories – about a year after that, our drummer decided to bow out and Joel joined – then we changed the name and that’s how come you got Joy.

The first two tunes were recorded at a place in Cherry Valley by a swell guy who helped us record in his badass home studio and didn’t mind our all-around lack of anything resembling a work ethic, or even a basic understanding of what that might be. Another fun thing about that time is that I didn’t always write the lyrics for all our songs – I had a couple notebooks worth of lyrics/poetry that my good friend Billy had given to me – he wrote so damn much that he just gave me a couple notebooks’ worth, and I wrote so damn little when it came to lyrics that, well, it worked out pretty well there for a while. Point being, Billy wrote the lyrics for the first two songs, and I just arranged them to suit the music as I wrote it at the time – so that’s his credit. The third song is something I was in the process of writing in 1993, when we pretty much had to give up due to my being located in a different state (Madison, WI) than they were (Minneapolis, MN). It’s probably one of the first demos I put together by myself – recorded on an old Tascam 4-track, and it’s pretty crappy. Still, it’s something we’d been playing in practices, so it’s really sort of like the last Joy song.

Well, that’s it – that was Joy. I’m biased, of course, but I think we were a pretty good little band."

Whether or not you check it out -- and whether or not you enjoy it -- as always, that's up to you.

Holy Cow!

I'm almost ashamed to admit how long it's been since I've spent some time in my beloved Chicago (7 years? Is that even possible?), and it's been even longer since I sat my arse down in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Gads, that's just ridonk.

But I no longer need to hang my head in shame - yes, folks, I'm finally going back. I and my gal-friend will be spending a few days in the Windy City at the beginning of June, and will be attending a Cubs game (versus the Braves) on June 2.

Awe. Some.

I am afraid of my lunch.

For no particular reason, I decided that today for lunch I wanted to get a salad.

And I friggin' did it, y'all. I got a salad. Specifically, I went to Au Bon Pain* and got a steak and gorgonzola salad -- I figured that including the meat might reduce the shock to my system.

It's huge. Seriously, it's a massive trough of greens, croutons, tomatoes, mandarin orange slices, and gorgonzola. Huge, I'm telling you.

It's segregated -- everything's in its own spot. I'm not sure why this is, but it makes me uncomfortable.

Did I mention that it's huge?

I don't know how to eat this thing -- should I start by breaking down the walls of segregation, and allow the various components to mingle? Should I just choose my favorite thing and eat that, then go through each other component in turn?

I should have thought this over more before making my purchase -- this is too much to deal with over lunchtime. Dammit, what have I got myself into?

Wish me luck, folks -- I only have an hour to figure this mess out.


*normally I wouldn't go here -- for one they've got a snooty name, and for another, it's a bit pricey. BUT, it seemed a good choice, what with me getting a salad and all.

Things We Like:

We've been a bit busy lately and have been remiss in our posting duties here at the HSO -- many apologies to all.

In an effort to tide y'all over, here's a little list of things we like that you can check out (in no specific order):

1. Minnesota Roller Girls. Attended their last bout of the season a couple weekends ago, and it was an absolute blast. The whole event is an awesome experience, and don't let anyone fool you; the action on the track is real and impressive. Plus, Roller Girls are just plain hot. The HSO officially endorses MN Roller girls, and specifically this team:


2. Field Music. I know, I know -- "Um shouldn't this be a full 'Bands You Should Love' post?" Yes, it should be -- but as previously stated, we're a little busy around these parts. And this band's latest record, Tones Of Town, has been in near-constant rotation in the background while we're working. Descriptions never really do music justice, but let's just say they do a great job of merging clever Brit Pop sensibilities with a dash of prog. Alternatively, they remind us a bit of Todd Rundgren. You can sample some of their newer material by clicking that link above, and decide for yourself.

3. Photography. One of the things that's been diverting our attention from posting here. We like to take pictures, and have been doing a fair bit of it recently. Some can be seen on Flickr, right here. Check it out, if you're so inclined.

4. Danger Touch! From the brilliant (if somewhat odd) minds of Greg Boose and his pal -- it's a new game for a different generation. Before you decide you're going to play, though, make sure you read about how it came to be created on Greg's blog @ The Nervous Breakdown, and pay special attention to the rules. At that point you can ask yourself, "Self, am I up to this crazy game?" We can't answer that question for you; you'll have to figure it out for yourselves. Additionally, neither Greg, The Nervous Breakdown or the HSO will accept any responsibility for possible injury or embarrassment that might result if you attempt to play this game. It's a dangerous game, people -- make your choice carefully.


Time to get back to the grind -- fear not, though, soon enough we'll be back to bore you with more obtuse observations on this crazy world we live in.